Review: MEMPHIS: A New Musical

MEMPHIS was absolutely fantastic and completely deserving of its 2010 Tony Award for Best Musical. The show also won Tony's for Best Book, Best Score, and Best Orchestration. Female Lead Montego Glover has won Best Actress from the Drama Desk and Outer Critics Circle Awards. Chad Kimball was also nominated for Best Actor Tony.

Here's a clip from the Tony Awards show as the stars and cast sing the final number from the show. I get tears just watching it. In a good way. My heart just soars!



I was originally turned on to musical theater when I saw a performance of A Chorus Line at Proctor's Theater in Schenectady in the late 70's. I think this show could be a similar catalyst that inspires a whole new generation of theater lovers.

It's the type of show that I kept thinking about buying the music as they were singing. I wanted to get tickets for the next day's performance when it was over. I could watch it a million times. Like I have with A Chorus Line; five times on stage in different cities and countless viewings of the movie.

Chad Kimball plays Huey Calhoun, a man going nowhere, but stumbles upon a special direction in life when his path crosses with Felicia, played by Montego Glover. Inspired by actual events, MEMPHIS takes us from the underground black dance clubs of 1950s Memphis to a national television audience.

Not only does Huey make Felicia a star but he falls in love and proposes marriage. We're taken back in time when black and white people didn't mix in public let alone fall in love. Their taboo romance adds depth and context to the show. Reminding everyone of how things used to be allows the show to be an educational work without the preaching or classroom. This white dude from upstate NY learned a lot.

Montego Glover is flawless. A beauty that mesmerizes us with her stage presence and talent.

Chad Kimball was a bit harder for me to get my head around. His character's accent and speaking cadence reminded me of a mixture of President George W. Bush, Forrest Gump, and Christian Slater. His facial expressions were also like Bush with small squinting eyes. Despite all that, I found him sexy as hell!

I highly recommend the show for an uplifting night in the city. Weekend ticket prices range from $41.50 to $131.50. I paid $90 at TKTS for third row orchestra, the furthest seat on the right, at a Friday evening performance. Most action takes place center stage but there were a couple of times when the stage setting included bar tables set up at the curtain's edges. That further hindered the view from the seats in those area.

Here they are winning the Tony. They conclude with an encore of the final number. Imagine leaving the theater singing, dancing, and clapping along with the cast. Incredible!

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MEMPHIS is playing at the Shubert Theatre, one of New York's most enduring theaters, on 44th between 7th and 8th Avenues. The theater seats nearly 1,500 patrons in a rather intimate arrangement. All seats are pretty close to the stage with minimal sight line issues only for those in seats on the far left and right aisles. It is nice and clean with easy and quick access. The famous Sardi's restaurant is across the street.

Times Square

Review: 9 to 5: The Musical

Three words: Loved. This. Show.

If you've seen the movie, then you already know the plot of 9 to 5: The Musical. The story stays pretty true, except how they tie things up at the end, and all of the most recognizable lines in the film have been preserved here in the play's dialogue.

I don't think I can say enough wonderful things about the new songs penned by Dolly Parton. The show starts off with the familiar 9 to 5, and then it is an all new score of 18 songs from there. I was a little leery, but each song was really good on its own and did a great job of sticking to the story and moving it forward. The melodies are catchy and lyrics witty.

Alison Janny, who plays the role of Violet originated by Lily Tomlin, is the headliner and star. Her singing skills are a bit lacking, more of talking in tune with the music rather than singing, but the ensemble frequently joins in and gives her ample cover.

Megan Hilty, a veteran of Wicked in the role of Glenda, plays the role originated by Dolly Parton to the hilt. She's got the southern twang down and adds her own spin that gets the audience laughing.

I'm going to call out Jeremy Davis from the ensemble. In a non-speaking role, he always looked like he was playing to the audience and having the time of his life up there performing on stage. I found myself watching him during the clever song and dance segues between scenes.

My main criticism is going to seem a bit sophomoric — Marc Kudisch, who plays the part of Mr. Hart orginated by Dabney Coleman, is extremely bow legged! I mean, distractingly bow legged. That's all I have to say about that.

I highly recommend the show for a fantastic night on the town. Ticket prices have gone up in the past year with best seats going for $127 of which I paid $78 (40% off + commission) at the TKTS booth.

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The show is playing at the Marquis Theatre on the mezzanine level of the Marriott Marquis Hotel located at Broadway and 45th. The theater is deceptively big, seating almost 1,600 patrons, but seems quite a bit smaller. All seats are pretty close to the stage with minimal sight line issues only for those in seats on the far left and right aisles.

The theatre was built in 1986. I saw The Drowsy Chaperone there in 2007 and went there in 1993 to see Broadway star Bernadette Peters and Martin Short in The Goodbye Girl. It's nice and clean with easy and quick access.

Cheap Tix At TKTS

The Theatre Development Fund is the organization in charge of liquidating unsold seats for the current day's performances at almost all the theatres in New York City. They sell tickets to the musicals that Broadway is famous for at their TKTS booths but I've also bought drama and opera tickets there.

There are two sales locations. The most popular (and most crowded) is their new Times Square place in the middle of the theatre district at Broadway and 47th Street. Their other locations are at South Street Seaport on the lower east side of Manhattan at Front and John Streets, and in Brooklyn in 1 MetroTech Center at Jay Street and Myrtle Avenue.

If you have your heart set on seeing a red hot show or a new show that just opened, those performances are usually sold out so I'd recommend that you book your tickets in advance and pay full price. If, however, you're willing to see an established show you should visit a TKTS booth and pick up your tickets for anywhere from 25-50% off the day of the event.

Here's how it works:
— Before you go, check TKTS Availability on their web site to get an idea of what shows were available the previous week. This doesn't guarantee anything but should give you a hint on the availability of your selected show. If it wasn't available last week, it probably won't be available this week unless you get lucky and go at a particularly slow time. There are fewer available seats for weekend performances.
— TKTS puts tickets on sale at 10 a.m. for 2 p.m. matinees and at 3 p.m. for evening performances at their Times Square booth. At South Street Seaport and Brooklyn, evening performances and next-day matinees are on sale starting at 11 a.m.
— When you arrive, check the display board to see what shows are available for that day and time before you get in line. Make a priority list so you'll be able to quickly request a substitute if your top choices are sold out. As you would expect, smaller venues sell out faster. If you are with someone, save some time by having one person get in line and the other go to check the tote boards for availability.
— This process isn't a secret so expect long queues (hundreds of people), especially during nice weather.
— The earlier you arrive to line up, the better your chances that you'll get tickets to your favorite show and/or better seats.
— These windows are not set up for all day shopping. All tickets are ranked according to best available and are sold in that order. The tradeoff for getting seats at a 35-50% discount is that you lack the ability to spend all day with the agent planning your evening's itinerary.
— CASH ONLY. No checks or credit cards.

With all that said, enjoy your show and make a toast to me with a glass of champagne at intermission with the money you save!

NYC Pride Parade 2009

Yesterday was a loooooonnnnngggg day!

I had succumbed to the heat on Saturday while wandering around SOHO. The humidity didn't help; I felt faint despite drinking a bottle of orange juice and eating a couple of donuts. I hopped on the subway and headed back to my room hoping I wouldn't pass out. I made it back, turned on the AC full blast and slept for 2 hours. I was definitely dehydrated so I started drinking lots of water.

When Sunday came around, I wasn't sure I'd last. The temp and humidity was lower so I figured I'd give it a shot. I'm glad I did since I didn't feel sick at all. I started the day with a bagel, OJ, and water. Got another bottle of water and a bottle of Gatorade to make sure I was hydrated.

Due to the great work of Father Tony (see his slideshow) and his husband C, they organized a group of Gay Bloggers and Digital Activists and included me. We assembled on W 54th Street at 11:30, waiting for our turn to proceed onto Fifth Avenue for the journey down to the West Village.

The group ahead of us was a "dance float" with loud music and dancers showing lots of skin along the way. As we made the turn onto 5th, they started us off with Billie Jean and the crowd erupted. It put me in a great mood for the rest of the way. Here's a video of the final part. That's St. Patrick's Cathedral in the background and Father Tony in the left foreground and Eric Leven in the right foreground. There was a dude dressed like Batman that was dancing along like he didn't have a care in the world. I understand he's a regular in Central Park on the weekends.



The parade is MASSIVE — we didn't move from our collecting point until around 3. At 5:30, we'd covered quite a bit of ground but were still on 5th Ave so I had to say good-bye to catch my bus at 6:20. I JUST made it by the skin of my teeth!

Imagine that we were group 10 of 16 and I understand our group didn't hit the finish line until 6:30. The parade must have gone on until 9. Yep, New York's Fifth Avenue closed down for 9 hours for pride!

It's an odd and special feeling to walk down Fifth Ave, passing landmarks like St. Patrick's, Rockefeller Center, Saks Fifth Avenue, Empire State Building, Flat Iron Building, etc. An excellent experience indeed!

Looking down Fifth Ave.

Looking up Fifth Ave.

A Peruvian group was behind us with men in hot pants and lots of red feathers.

Here's the dance float that ended up ahead of us the whole way and you can see Batman dancing.

Back From NYC

Well, I had quite a weekend in NYC.

My primary reason for going was to walk in the pride parade with NYC Bloggers and Digital Activists. A great group that I'm happy have chosen to include me! If I met you, and you're stopping by, leave a comment with a link to your blog. I have a pretty good memory but could still use the help!

I'll have to write several posts to recap things. Reviews of Hair and 9 to 5, and an update on the parade itself.

Stay tuned.

Giving Thanks To The Ali Forney Center

Tony posted about the pressing need for donations at the Ali Forney Center in NYC.

Here is an interview with their Executive Director that explains what the Center does and how it came into being:



Because I couldn't have written it better, here is Tony's post:

Joe has a guest post up right now. Carl Siciliano the founder and director of the Ali Forney Center has posted a letter asking for donations.

The Ali Forney Center has experienced some serious funding cutbacks and needs help.

I became aware of the Ali Forney Center a couple of years ago, when Joe posted about it before. Since then, whenever I have had a few dollars to spare I have sent what I can. My childhood may not have been ideal, but at least I wasn't thrown out of the house. God knows I was such a little queen that my parents must have known I was gay. After I came out at the age of 20, well after I had made my own escape from the parental clutches, there followed many years of being kept at arms length, but I was never completely cut off from my family.

The Ali Forney Center is for young LGBT kids who don't even have the lukewarm support that I got from my family.

I had earmarked some money to get myself a Xmas present that I really wanted. Instead I am donating that money to the Ali Forney Center.

I don't expect anyone else to do the same, but I do ask that if you read this blog that you donate what you can. I know times are tough and like a lot of people right now I am worried about the security of my job. But I'm a grown up and I have the ability and the experience to see myself through hard times, even if it means I wind up mopping floors. These young people don't have those resources or that experience.

Please donate and post a link to the online donation page on your blog. The more money that goes to the center, the better the chances are that the Forney Center will be able to continue to make a difference in the lives of kids that have been thrown away by their families.

If you need added motivation, If you don't donate, I will give your phone number to Doris. You do NOT understand the meaning of the word suffering until you've had that crazy old woman chewing your ear off, so don't make me do it.

As they say in the video, no donation is too small. If you are in the NYC area, they are having an event for $60 that you could attend as well. I wish I was there; I'd give some serious money to meet Carl. Woof!

Dora The Explorer (Destination NYC)

[NOTE: If you don't read any of this post, at least scroll down and check out the cat pics!!!]

Boy are my dogs barking. Feet, that is. They are covered with blisters from all the walking I did in New York City. Considering that I also spent $30 on subway fare, I covered a lot of ground!

Thursday
The day was pretty tame, giving me some time to just get settled. The train ride, checking in at the YMCA, and getting a theater ticket for that evening took up the afternoon. I saw Gypsy with Patti Lupone. (I'll post a review in the next few days.) Here's a look down 8th Avenue from Columbus Circle.


Friday
It was rainy but I didn't let that deter me from what I love to do when I travel...get out, walk around, and explore. And if I can brave the rain in London, I figured I could do it in NYC, too. I put on my waterproof jacket and began walking up Columbus Street starting at 63rd. Here is a Chinese Dogwood in bloom.


I wound up at 103rd when the rain started coming down in earnest, so I bopped over to Amsterdam and headed back down. That means I covered 80 blocks, not counting the blocks between avenues, and I was soaked by the time I got back to my room. A nice warm shower helped.

That evening was the first of the blogger events. HK Lounge in Hell's Kitchen. I decided to get there on time at 9 which was a wise decision. Early on the music's volume allowed lots of small talk so I was able to catch up with many of the folks I've already met. I forced myself out of my comfort zone and actually went up to people an introduced myself. The benefit was making new acquaintances and putting faces to blog names.

Saturday
One of my goals was to make it over to the Hudson River and see the new Trump Place development. In a twist of fate, I ran into The Farmboyz on the street at the beginning of my journey and they said to head over to the river at 72nd Street. I did, but turned north instead of south. For some reason, I thought Trump Place was in the high 90s rather than the mid 60s. Here are the subway stations at Broadway and 72nd Street. I ended up walking all the way up to 125th Street!


It was a glorious day and the entire walk was through Riverside Park. That's another thing I enjoy doing when I travel...walking through the parks and botanical gardens. I like looking at the architecture, too.


Along the way, I stumbled across Grant's Tomb, which is something I've never seen before. Who's buried in Grant's tomb? He and his wife.


I had made a poor decision on footwear, opting for my flip flops since the weather was so mild. The bottoms of my feet were covered with blisters and the insteps raw from the straps. I hopped on the A train down to Times Square and got in line at TKTS for another theater ticket. I saw the latest hot play, August: Osage County, which is predicted to win a slew of Tony awards this year. (I'll post a review in the next few days.)

With ticket in hand, I got back on the subway up to 72nd Street and headed into Central Park looking for the blogger gathering at "Bear Hill." I had met most of the crowd the night before so that was good. Rather than mingling, I sat down on the grass to rest my feet and strategically place some Band-Aids. And I shamelessly stole this pic of the group from the Farmboyz. :)


Then it was back to the YMCA for a quick shower, change of clothes, and off to the show. The show was 3.5 hours with two intermissions!

The bloggers were meeting at The Eagle around 11. I debated on whether to go since I was exhausted. I thought of what my ex used to say, "I'll sleep when I'm dead." With that bit of inspiration, I ended up walking there after an hour standing in a line for a taxi.

I was glad I went, having the opportunity to catch up again with new friends. It's been forever since I've been in a leather bar so that was nice in and of itself.

Sunday
I finally figured out that I should have gone south at 72nd Street for Trump Place so I did that Sunday. Up to 72nd, over to the river, then south. Farmboy C had mentioned a nice pier (middle left of the following pic) so I walked to the end of that and took some pics. It was cool and cloudy, but not bad. Kids were out playing on the baseball diamond and I could see the George Washington bridge from the end of the pier.


Trump Place was completely uninspiring. In the second building from the right in the following photo, you can see large banners hanging from the outside announcing availability. One bedrooms in The Avery start at $865,000, two bedrooms at $1,375,000, and three bedrooms from $2,212,500. It is 95% sold.


Since I was on the West Side, I figured I'd head down to 57th and see if I could find where they tape Regis and Kelly and The View along the way. As it turns out, I happened upon on a huge street fair on 9th Ave so I walked that from 57th to 42nd! (My feet are on strike today.) I saw the backside of the Time Warner Center.


It was mostly food and many of the restaurants along 9th had booths out in front of their places. Honestly, I didn't realize there was so many food options there, which I supposed is the whole point of the fair. I had a great chicken pita with some of the most tender chicken I've ever had. Who knew?

Then I spotted a cat moving along above the heads of the crowd. It was the cat as a hat!


The guy was begging asking for money, and since I took his pic, I gave him a couple of bucks. Not so much for him but for the cat. A couple of times I watched him take the cat down off his head to hold it, but the cat was having none of it, and climbed right back to his perch on the guy's noggin. One of the coolest things I've seen in a long time. Parrots on shoulders? Yes. Cats on heads? Never.

I went back to the YMCA, read the New York Times, and headed to Penn Station to catch my train. I was two hours early so exchanged my ticket and boarded immediately. I snoozed most of the way.

All in all, a really great weekend!!!
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Beaver Spotted In New York City

Beavers grace New York City's official seal. But the industrious rodents have not been seen in the flesh there for as many as 200 years — until this week. Biologists videotaped a beaver swimming up the Bronx River on Wednesday. Its twig-and-mud lodge had been spotted earlier on the river bank, but the tape confirmed the presence of the animal itself.

Isn't beaver spotting news really about six weeks old? Two words: Britney Spears
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