New York theatre trip report!
Oct 9th, 2001 | 08:45 AM
#1
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New York theatre trip report!
Just back from New York. Had a great time, as always.
Took Amtrak from DC to New York. As usual, the train on the way up was on time and on the way back to DC it was late. This has happened on almost every trip.
I wish Amtrak would install some security such as metal detectors and baggage screening. There is nothing preventing anyone from carrying anything they want on board. The fact that they now require a photo ID when purchasing tickets at their counters has been widely publicized, but you can still buy a ticket from a machine with a credit card with no ID check, so anyone who wants to can get around the ID requirement.
Upon arrival at New York's Penn Station, there were reminders of the bombing in the form of fliers posted on walls with faces and descriptions of the missing. There were also walls covered with messages from people all over the U.S. expressing support and condolences to the people of New York – very touching.
Bid $85 on Priceline for a three-star in midtown west and got the Novotel at Broadway & 52nd St. which turned out to be a great deal (in August I got an even better deal – $75 for the Hilton Times Square – the hotels are comparable, and while I would give the edge to the Hilton, I like the location of the Novotel better). The room was large by New York standards (although not as large as the rooms at the Hilton), clean, and comfortable, although not luxurious by any means. My room on the 25th floor had great views and was very quiet. As befits a French-run hotel, their breakfast croissants and pastries are excellent. While I still will not use Priceline for airline tickets because I prefer to choose my times and carriers, I have had great luck with using Priceline for hotels in New York.
Saw three shows: "The Shape of Things," "Thou Shalt Not," and "Mamma Mia." Enjoyed all of them, although they are all very different.
"The Shape of Things" is the new Neil LaBute play with Paul Rudd, Gretchen Mol, and Rachel Weisz, playing on the Upper West Side. Without giving too much away, it deals with relationships and the extent to which people change for their partners, and also asks questions about what constitutes art. It is very thought-provoking, and all of the performances are excellent, particularly Rachel Weisz's – her charisma is really what makes the show tick. Smashing Pumpkins tunes are played between scenes at decibel levels that appalled some audience members and delighted others (I fell into the latter category) – I thought it set the mood perfectly, as the play contains emotional violence (not physical) that is pretty rough. I heard a couple of people say that they thought Paul Rudd was miscast, but I didn't think so. The script is very smart, although I found the very last scene decidedly unsatisfying. (continued)
Took Amtrak from DC to New York. As usual, the train on the way up was on time and on the way back to DC it was late. This has happened on almost every trip.
I wish Amtrak would install some security such as metal detectors and baggage screening. There is nothing preventing anyone from carrying anything they want on board. The fact that they now require a photo ID when purchasing tickets at their counters has been widely publicized, but you can still buy a ticket from a machine with a credit card with no ID check, so anyone who wants to can get around the ID requirement.
Upon arrival at New York's Penn Station, there were reminders of the bombing in the form of fliers posted on walls with faces and descriptions of the missing. There were also walls covered with messages from people all over the U.S. expressing support and condolences to the people of New York – very touching.
Bid $85 on Priceline for a three-star in midtown west and got the Novotel at Broadway & 52nd St. which turned out to be a great deal (in August I got an even better deal – $75 for the Hilton Times Square – the hotels are comparable, and while I would give the edge to the Hilton, I like the location of the Novotel better). The room was large by New York standards (although not as large as the rooms at the Hilton), clean, and comfortable, although not luxurious by any means. My room on the 25th floor had great views and was very quiet. As befits a French-run hotel, their breakfast croissants and pastries are excellent. While I still will not use Priceline for airline tickets because I prefer to choose my times and carriers, I have had great luck with using Priceline for hotels in New York.
Saw three shows: "The Shape of Things," "Thou Shalt Not," and "Mamma Mia." Enjoyed all of them, although they are all very different.
"The Shape of Things" is the new Neil LaBute play with Paul Rudd, Gretchen Mol, and Rachel Weisz, playing on the Upper West Side. Without giving too much away, it deals with relationships and the extent to which people change for their partners, and also asks questions about what constitutes art. It is very thought-provoking, and all of the performances are excellent, particularly Rachel Weisz's – her charisma is really what makes the show tick. Smashing Pumpkins tunes are played between scenes at decibel levels that appalled some audience members and delighted others (I fell into the latter category) – I thought it set the mood perfectly, as the play contains emotional violence (not physical) that is pretty rough. I heard a couple of people say that they thought Paul Rudd was miscast, but I didn't think so. The script is very smart, although I found the very last scene decidedly unsatisfying. (continued)
Oct 9th, 2001 | 08:48 AM
#2
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Part II
"Thou Shalt Not" is the new Susan Stroman-Harry Connick Jr. musical drama which is still in previews. This show needs a LOT of work but I enjoyed it anyway and would recommend it only with strong reservations. It stars Craig Bierko and Kate Levering. The show is very uneven. There are pieces of it that work brilliantly and others that are absolutely flat and really need to be completely revamped. I think this show has at least two major problems. One, which I think can be fixed, is the sound, which is not nearly loud enough to fill the venue. There are some terrific jazz numbers in this show, but the volume is not loud enough to allow the audience to get swept up in them. This should be foot-stomping music! Instead you can hear your seatmates' breathing. The second major problem, which probably cannot be remedied, is that this venue is wrong for the play. This show should be performed in a club setting (like "Cabaret," which is staged in Studio 54), or at the very least in a venue like the Lincoln Center stage where "Contact" is produced which allows the audience to envelop the performers and feel like a part of the club audience. As it stands, the audience in the theatre is watching the audience in the club which is watching the performers in the club. So the audience is twice-removed from the performers, making the whole thing feel distant and flat (a problem compounded by the weak sound). Another problem with the show is that it is overlong – the first act alone was over an hour and a half. Several numbers could definitely be edited down, most notably the scene in which Kate Levering dances with laundry, which, while it is pretty, does nothing to further the story and is wholly unnecessary and serves merely to showcase more of Susan Stroman's lovely choreography (but the show is already full of that lovely choreography, and we could us a few minutes less of it). What works best in the show: The Mardi Gras scene, which is terrific; and the bedroom scene between Kate Levering and Craig Bierko, which is absolutely gorgeous to see. Craig Bierko's physicality and charisma are perfect for his role, and his acting is great. However, his singing is not powerful enough for some of the numbers he performs (again, I think this may be a sound problem rather than a performance problem). Also, Debra Monk (Andy Sipowicz's ex-wife Katie on "NYPD Blue") gives an amazing performance as the mother (but once again, turn up the volume on her singing!). In addition, the guy who plays Camille is incredible and has the best voice in the show. Somebody make this guy a star! In the first act he appears sweaty and sickly and slight, but by the end of the show he is an elfin devil, all grins and shrugs and leers. He is charismatic and keeps the show interesting toward the end when it easily could have fallen under its own weight. I wish Susan Stroman had given him some of her brilliant choreography in the second act, because he has a couple of great songs that could use a little fancy footwork, and I have a feeling he could steal the show with little trouble. Most of Harry Connick Jr's songs are great, particularly the up-tempo ones –- but a couple of the ballads, particularly in the first act, just sort of lay there. Also, the lyrics to the last number in the show don't work in that context, in my opinion (it's a reprise from the first act, where it worked). All in all, this is a show with scads of potential that still needs quite a bit of work. (continued)
"Thou Shalt Not" is the new Susan Stroman-Harry Connick Jr. musical drama which is still in previews. This show needs a LOT of work but I enjoyed it anyway and would recommend it only with strong reservations. It stars Craig Bierko and Kate Levering. The show is very uneven. There are pieces of it that work brilliantly and others that are absolutely flat and really need to be completely revamped. I think this show has at least two major problems. One, which I think can be fixed, is the sound, which is not nearly loud enough to fill the venue. There are some terrific jazz numbers in this show, but the volume is not loud enough to allow the audience to get swept up in them. This should be foot-stomping music! Instead you can hear your seatmates' breathing. The second major problem, which probably cannot be remedied, is that this venue is wrong for the play. This show should be performed in a club setting (like "Cabaret," which is staged in Studio 54), or at the very least in a venue like the Lincoln Center stage where "Contact" is produced which allows the audience to envelop the performers and feel like a part of the club audience. As it stands, the audience in the theatre is watching the audience in the club which is watching the performers in the club. So the audience is twice-removed from the performers, making the whole thing feel distant and flat (a problem compounded by the weak sound). Another problem with the show is that it is overlong – the first act alone was over an hour and a half. Several numbers could definitely be edited down, most notably the scene in which Kate Levering dances with laundry, which, while it is pretty, does nothing to further the story and is wholly unnecessary and serves merely to showcase more of Susan Stroman's lovely choreography (but the show is already full of that lovely choreography, and we could us a few minutes less of it). What works best in the show: The Mardi Gras scene, which is terrific; and the bedroom scene between Kate Levering and Craig Bierko, which is absolutely gorgeous to see. Craig Bierko's physicality and charisma are perfect for his role, and his acting is great. However, his singing is not powerful enough for some of the numbers he performs (again, I think this may be a sound problem rather than a performance problem). Also, Debra Monk (Andy Sipowicz's ex-wife Katie on "NYPD Blue") gives an amazing performance as the mother (but once again, turn up the volume on her singing!). In addition, the guy who plays Camille is incredible and has the best voice in the show. Somebody make this guy a star! In the first act he appears sweaty and sickly and slight, but by the end of the show he is an elfin devil, all grins and shrugs and leers. He is charismatic and keeps the show interesting toward the end when it easily could have fallen under its own weight. I wish Susan Stroman had given him some of her brilliant choreography in the second act, because he has a couple of great songs that could use a little fancy footwork, and I have a feeling he could steal the show with little trouble. Most of Harry Connick Jr's songs are great, particularly the up-tempo ones –- but a couple of the ballads, particularly in the first act, just sort of lay there. Also, the lyrics to the last number in the show don't work in that context, in my opinion (it's a reprise from the first act, where it worked). All in all, this is a show with scads of potential that still needs quite a bit of work. (continued)
Oct 9th, 2001 | 08:50 AM
#3
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Part III
The third show I saw was "Mamma Mia," which was fluffy, meaningless fun. If you like ABBA songs, you'll enjoy it, and if you don't, you probably won't. It is campy and completely over the top. I found myself grinning throughout. The performances were very good, although I thought the guy who played Sky was miscast. The music is the best thing about the show and doesn't all fit into the story perfectly but it hardly matters. My favorite part of the show was the curtain call, when the cast reprises 3 of the best songs and the whole audience was on their feet singing along and dancing and clapping (even the 70-year old audience members were boogieing). If you just want to see something silly and fun, go. If you want something more substantial, skip it because you'll only be disappointed.
Food: ate at Ruby Foo's (had a noodle dish which was too oily for my taste), Becco (had the $20.95 special which includes caesar salad or antipasto and three pasta dishes – fettuccini in an unremarkable tomato sauce, radiattore in a delicious Bolognese sauce, and excellent cannelloni stuffed with spinach and ricotta in a cream sauce –- washed down with a terrific Tuscan red wine which, like most of Becco's wines, is overpriced although the food is not), and one of my perennial favorite deals, La Bonne Soupe ($13.95 fixed-price menu for bread, salad, soup –- the onion is the best but the mushroom barley is good too –- , dessert –- chocolate mousse or creme brulee which are both fab –- , and a glass of wine).
Also found a wonderful Frites stand around the corner from my hotel, on Broadway near 52nd. The fries are not cheap, but they are delicious, and you can choose from a myriad of unusual sauces. A great spot for a quick snack.
Any questions, feel free to post here.
The third show I saw was "Mamma Mia," which was fluffy, meaningless fun. If you like ABBA songs, you'll enjoy it, and if you don't, you probably won't. It is campy and completely over the top. I found myself grinning throughout. The performances were very good, although I thought the guy who played Sky was miscast. The music is the best thing about the show and doesn't all fit into the story perfectly but it hardly matters. My favorite part of the show was the curtain call, when the cast reprises 3 of the best songs and the whole audience was on their feet singing along and dancing and clapping (even the 70-year old audience members were boogieing). If you just want to see something silly and fun, go. If you want something more substantial, skip it because you'll only be disappointed.
Food: ate at Ruby Foo's (had a noodle dish which was too oily for my taste), Becco (had the $20.95 special which includes caesar salad or antipasto and three pasta dishes – fettuccini in an unremarkable tomato sauce, radiattore in a delicious Bolognese sauce, and excellent cannelloni stuffed with spinach and ricotta in a cream sauce –- washed down with a terrific Tuscan red wine which, like most of Becco's wines, is overpriced although the food is not), and one of my perennial favorite deals, La Bonne Soupe ($13.95 fixed-price menu for bread, salad, soup –- the onion is the best but the mushroom barley is good too –- , dessert –- chocolate mousse or creme brulee which are both fab –- , and a glass of wine).
Also found a wonderful Frites stand around the corner from my hotel, on Broadway near 52nd. The fries are not cheap, but they are delicious, and you can choose from a myriad of unusual sauces. A great spot for a quick snack.
Any questions, feel free to post here.
Oct 9th, 2001 | 09:32 AM
#4
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Lisa, Thanks a million for your trip report. We are leaving for NYC day after tomorrow and had planned on seeing a show. I will print out your recommendations. Question, where did you purchase your b-way tickets? Did you go to the Times Square ticket place or at the venue, or did you buy them in advance, or hotel???? Glad you had a great time.
Oct 9th, 2001 | 09:48 AM
#6
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Thyra: I got my tickets in advance this time, through the Telecharge website, because I knew these were the three shows I wanted to see, and since they are all new shows I wasn't sure they'd be at the half-price booth (although I have used the half-price booth often on other trips). Of the three I would recommend "The Shape of Things" the most. It is right up there with "Proof" in terms of non-musical plays. It is off-Broadway, so tickets are slightly less expensive than some of the Broadway offerings -- around $70 as opposed to $100.
