Fodor's Travel Talk Forums - Trip Report 5 plays and 1 magic show in NY

It was our Girls Week in NY, May 20-26. We stayed at The Muse hotel on 46th Street. The location was perfect for walking to all theaters or getting on the subway. The rooms are large and quiet. The staff was exceptionally helpful and friendly. The hotel lobby has recently been remodeled, opening it up to the adjoining bar and small restaurant. There is coffee each morning and wine and cheeses each evening for free in the lobby. This week they were having drink specials in the bar for $5 during happy hour and after shows. The food was good in the restaurant although a little pricey. The pizzas on the bar menu were a good item to share pre-theater. There is an excellent deli on the corner for any kind of take-out food. We used it each morning for breakfasts.

We saw 5 plays: Billy Elliot, West Side Story, Guys and Dolls, Desire Under the Elms, Joe Turner's Come and Gone - and 1 magic show; Steve Cohen's Millionaire's Magic.

We are probably the only people in the world who didn't love Billy Elliot - but we thought it felt depressing and the actors just never connected. There is some very good choreography, but the music left us flat. Really expected more from an Elton John score. At the end of the day, we just didn't care about any of the characters.

West Side Story has an amazing score and we didn't think that the Spanish language used in either the dialogue or the songs hurt. It was easy to follow. The dancing is exceptional as are the vocals. Unfortunately the show feels very dated. Its hard to relate to "gangs" as wholesome looking and acting as this bunch - especially in today's world. Its like watching the "gang" from Happy Days try to be menasing. Just doesn't play.

We really enjoyed Guys and Dolls. Again -- the score is outstanding and you do come away humming the songs. The staging is clever and over the top in the way one would expect a Broadway musical to be. Not all of the leads are strong -- but then its a big old fantasy, so I didn't expect a lot of dramatic acting. Its just good fun.

Desire Under the Elms was a strong drama, staged in a very weird way. I'm not into a LOT of symbolizim and a big old house suspended over everyone's heads with ropes and rocks was just a bit too crazy for me. I got it....I just thought it was too much. Always a pleasure to watch Brian Dennehy on stage. This show has closed now.

Joe Turner's Come and Gone is absolutely wonderful! Not a weak performance in the entire cast. Just a mesmerizing production with a magical ending. I would see it again.

Steve Cohen's Millionaire's Magic is held on friday and saturday nights in a suite at the Waldorf Towers. It was so much fun. About 50 people in cocktail attire show up for a "parlor show" of magic. Most everyone got to participate in one way or the other and this guy is good! In my trick...he put a deck of cards in a clear water glass, covered it with a second inverted water glass, then covered the whole thing with a clear glass dome. He never touched the table, the glasses or the cards. He then had "my card" raise up out of the deck! He didn't touch anything after the trick but asked me to remove the dome, removed the top water glass and take the deck out. I did. It was an ordinary deck of cards, which he told me to take home. I have them here now. He never touched them, so there wasn't any kind of switch. I can't figure it out. Highly recommend!

We made time for a quick zip through The Met to see the new American Wing and the Model as Muse exhibit. Did a little shopping in SoHo. Wandered through the Hell's Kitchen street fair. Had some good dinners at Joe Allen's (for star gazing and omellets), Angus McIndoe's (for star gazing and bread pudding), The Spice Market (wonderful food), a cute little Turkish restaurant near our hotel called Dervish and had drinks on top of The Dream Hotel on our perfect last night.

All in all....another great trip for the girls in NY.