Getting By, Dreaming Big

This is a blog for me to share my thoughts on my favorite things: books, traveling, food and entertainment!

Entertainment Saturday: Rock of Ages May 10, 2010

Filed under: Entertainment Saturday,Music,NYC Experiences,Theater — readerbean @ 8:12 pm
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Every year around Christmas my HC girlfriends and I usually get together for an early morning breakfast (think 8AM) either right before or right after Christmas.  It’s our time, during all the family and holiday madness, to take some time and come together.  Usually we alternate between diners in Long Island or New Jersey.  This year, we went a little crazy, I’m not really sure what happened…or how it came about….but we decided on….

 

Brunch at 44 & X followed by the matinee of ROCK OF AGES!!!!  (That’s me above in the bright green vest – it was a new Christmas present from my sister and her fiance!)  I know this post is a little late in coming (um…like 4+ monhts late….) but Rock of Ages was sooo good that I couldn’t let the opportunity pass by without blogging about it.

First of all on a side foodie note, 44 & X was AMAZING!  We sat at this huge oversized wooden table and enjoyed all sorts of goodies and yummy beverages.  The staff there was incredibly accomodating and so nice!  Then we headed over to the Theater.  I had heard a lot of great things about Rock of Ages, but I didn’t know that much about it.  We got there and right at the door were offered more beverages (my kind of theater).  We had purchased our tickets (or rather Meghan’s aunt waited in line at TKTS for us – Thank you Aunt Debbie!) the day before from TKTS and were able to snag center orchestra row L for like $85.  We settled in and then the show started.

Let me just say it was AMAZING!  They gave us fake lighters that were mini flashlights to light up and sway back and forth during the slow songs.  If you love 80′s music – think Journey, Whitesnake, Poison, Pat Benatar, REO Speedwagon – you will LOVE Rock of Ages.  We were singing the whole play (out loud) it was hands down THE MOST FUN I’ve had on Broadway!  There is a live band playing all of this awesome and fun music and there is a story and characters to boot just to make all the songs come together cohesively.  My favorites were a toss up between “We Built This City” and “Oh Sherry”.  My favorite character, how do I choose, it’s definitely a toss up between Stacee Jaxx and Franz.  I promise you will laugh until you are crying and your sides hurt, your voice will be hoarse afterwards and you will be so energized you might be tempted to buy tickets and see the next showing!

Just putting together this post and looking stuff up, watching videos, and re-listening to music from the musical is making me now want to go see it again.  This is a show not to be missed, get your most fun group of friends together, and “rock out”!

WE MISSED YOU AMERS!!!!!

Post in Comments:

What’s the most fun you’ve had on Broadway?

 

Entertainment Saturdays: RED May 2, 2010

Filed under: Entertainment Saturday,NYC Experiences,Theater — readerbean @ 9:09 pm
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A couple of months ago, I decided to start Entertainment Saturdays to really deal with the overflow from Entertainment Thursdays because they really are just turning into movie reviews and I do a lot of other entertainment related activities.  So in an effort to really get Entertainment Saturdays going here is my review of the Broadway show RED.

One of the many reasons I was excited to move to New York City was because I L.O.V.E. Broadway!  I’ve been very fortunate to see many shows each year and I’m hoping that 2010 will be no different.  A couple weeks back my friend Jen invited me to go see RED with her.  Her friend and old roomie Holly works for the production company that is producing RED and she offered Jen two free tickets and then Jen invited me to go with her.  So T.H.A.N.K.S to both Holly & Jen for the opportunity.  I apologize ahead of time that I didn’t get a picture of the marquis so this is going to be a wordy and pictureless post.

Prior to moving back to NYC I was an all musical girl.  I grew up watching musicals and I love them.  I had seen a few dramatic plays but nothing that really impressed me (except for Death of a Salesman).  However, lately I’ve been intrigued by the array of dramatic plays on Broadway and I’m realizing that it’s a different genre of theater that I need to educate myself about.

In RED, Alfred Molina, plays Mark Rothko, an expressionist who has just landed his largest commission to date, a set of murals for New York’s Four Seasons.  He hires an apprentice/assistant, Ken, played by Eddie Redmayne.  They work together for the next couple of years.  Eventually Ken gets the confidence to question Rothko on his decision to accept the commission and whether he’s a “sell out” to the art community and expressionists on a whole for doing so.

The whole play lasts about 90 minutes give or take and is a POWERFUL performance by both actors.  You know that a drama is good when you cringe at some of the arguments as if you feel like you’re intruding and then you remember that they’re acting for you the audience.  It was incredibly personal and the small theater really makes you forget about everyone around you and makes you feel as if you are a fly on the wall in Rothko’s studio.  Their performances of, Ken coming of age in the studio and Rothko’s struggle with what I’m sure many artists struggle with:  success vs. staying true to you as an artist, were very real and honest.  Can you achieve both in your lifetime?  Is it OK to strive to achieve both in your lifetime?  Should you care what your professional peers think of you?

I LOVED this show.  I was blown away by the story, the caliber of acting, and the use of lighting to make the studio feel different even though the set didn’t change over the course of the 90 minutes.  I would definitely recommend this show and I felt that it really solidified my appreciation of non-musical plays on Broadway.  I look forward to being introduced to more throughout my time in the city.  I hope I can challenge myself to leave my comfort zone every now and again and delve into the meat of Broadway.

Post in Comments:

What is your favorite dramatic play that you’ve seen? 

PS – How pumped was I when we watched An Education and Alfred Molina played Jenny’s dad!  I love seeing famous, amazing actors live in theater, it truly is such a treat.

 

Tuesday Travels: Radio City Music Hall Christmas Spectacular! January 19, 2010

Filed under: NYC Experiences,Theater,Tuesday Travels — readerbean @ 8:04 pm
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Ever since Jon and I moved to NYC I’ve been dying to go see the Radio City Music Hall Christmas Spectacular.  I saw it when I was much younger (middle school maybe?) and in my quest to do “everything” (yeah right) in NYC this was at the top of my list.  2009 was the year!!!  We got tickets early for Sunday, December 20th and it did not disappoint!

I had forgotten how large Radio City actually is as a venue…it is HUGE!  We got there just in time to get to our seats and take in the decorations and the space before the show started.  The show is broken down into 12 Scenes:

1 – Sleigh Ride

2 – Santa Flies to New York

3 - The Twelve Days of Christmas

4 – The Nutcracker

5 – The Parade of the Wooden Soldiers

6 – New York at Christmas

7 – Here Comes Santa Claus

8 – Magic is There

9 – Christmas Memories

10 – Let Christmas Shine

11 – The Living Nativity

12 – Joy to the World

The entire show was 90 minutes so the average time for each scene was 7 1/2 minutes.  Jon had never seen the Christmas Spectacular and he was really really impressed.  Personally, my favorite scene was “The Twelve Days of Christmas”.  It featured the rockettes in these fantastic costumes tap dancing to what else but The Twelve Days of Christmas.  It was pretty spectacular.  I used to tap dance when I was younger and I just love watching people tap dance.  Jon’s favorite scene was “The Nutcracker”.  It was pretty funny!  I was pretty impressed with how modern and updated the show seems to kind of stay with the times and entertain kids that are used to playing video games and watching television.  There was a 3D scene and they incorporated the video screen into a number or two.  It was impressive that they’ve managed to keep it timeless and classic but yet update it just enough to keep people interested.

The show really is worth seeing, especially because you can get tickets at TKTS during the month of December, there were actually plenty of ways to get discounted tickets.  It definitely put me in the Christmas spirit.  I was glad I slowed down long enough to enjoy it.  Afterwards we wandered over to see the tree.  You can’t celebrate Christmas in NYC and not see the tree.  It was beautiful as always.

It was the perfect way to spend our last day in NYC before traveling for the holidays!  Hopefully we can see the Christmas Spectacular again soon.

Post in Comments:

Have you seen the Christmas Spectacular?  If so, did you love it or did you think it was cheesy?  As you can tell from my review – I LOVED it!

 

Entertainment Thursday: In the Heights August 6, 2009

Filed under: Entertainment Thursdays,NYC Experiences,Theater — readerbean @ 2:17 pm

In the Heights
As I said in my previous post, my friend Katie and I decided to start a little Broadway Tradition. Once a year we’re going to get in line at TKTS and get tickets to a show together! I’m so psyched about this tradition, you all know how much I love to go to the theater.

This past Sunday was the day. I got to TKTS at 10:20AM about 40 minutes prior to TKTS opening. I was shocked by the line at that time. I read in line and made friends with a guy from Peru (Marco) we swapped theater stories about what we’d seen and liked recently. Katie got there a little before 11AM. I was surprised by how quickly the line moved. I’m not going to lie I was kind of dreading getting in that long line but it flew. We had our tickets by 11:30AM AND we got the show we wanted.

We snagged 2 orchestra seats to In the Heights. We had great seats – Row O, Seat 14 & 16. I was concerned we’d be too far to the side but the center section of the theater was much smaller then in other theaters so we were just slightly right of the center. I didn’t really know much about this show other than that it featured some rap music, Latin Music and took place in NYC.

The basic premise is that Nina Rosario comes back to her old neighborhood, Washington Heights, after not doing as well at Stanford as her family & friends had hoped. It explores many people’s views on their neighborhood – the relationships formed, the expectations, the people, etc.

It was phenomenal!!!! It was fun & funny – I was dancing in my seat. The music was so great. There were many elements of rap, but also great vocals, specifically from the character Benny (he was amazing!) It was very Latin which I also loved. In the Heights made me realize that what I love best about musicals are the ensemble numbers with all or a large part of the cast. In this play almost every song was sung by numerous people making each song powerful. Each song was better than the next (I can’t wait to get the soundtrack!) To get an idea of the music you can click here for their Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade performace.

I also felt that they handled the Spanish language much better in this play then in West Side Story. They did use it in the dialogue but more for small sayings (ie: Bueno, no me diga, caridad, etc). It didn’t take away from the show at all only added to it (in my opinion). They did sing a lot in Spanish but every song that was sung in Spanish was also sung in English if that makes sense. They would essentially translate the song for the audience so you never felt you couldn’t understand. Granted I’m a little biased in this statement becuase I could for the most part understand the Spanish so it didn’t seem that bad to me but I’m not sure what it would be like if you didn’t know Spanish, maybe it would take away from the show.

All in all, I would give this show 5 stars. It’s one I would see again, and like I said I can’t wait to get the soundtrack!!!

Post in Comments:
Have you seen In the Heights? What did you think of it?
 

Entertainment Thursday: West Side Story July 16, 2009

Filed under: Entertainment Thursdays,NYC Experiences,Theater — readerbean @ 8:11 am


For my 30th birthday Jon got us tickets to see West Side Story. I had been saying for years “When are they going to bring West Side Story back to Broadway??” Low and behold the year of my 30th birthday was the answer.

I was so excited to go! I love the story, the music, everything about West Side Story. We had dinner beforehand and then walked over to the Theater which is at Broadway and 47th Street.

Our seats were in the last row of the orchestra. The last three rows of the orchestra were a raised section though so we had a clear view of the stage.

The play did not disappoint! The music and the dancing (espcially the dancing) was amazing! The choreography, especially during the fight scenes, was awesome. My favorite song, “America” sung by Anita and friends was easily the best song of the night. It had power, dancing, color, humor, it was spot on. And Karen Olivo, who played Anita stole the show I thought with her spunky character. She was amazing.

Maria, played by Josefina Scaglione, was also very good. Her soprano voice (she was trained as an opera singer) was beautiful. She nailed every song!

I did have two complaints though about the show. First, I though Tony, played by Matt Cavenaugh, was weak. He had a great singing voice and when he and Maria were singing their duets I loved him. However, when he spoke his voice was so “over-acted” that it really took away from his character. He just sounded ridiculous.

Second, the play was partly in Spanish. I didn’t mind that so much because I was able to understand most of it, but I thought that was an interesting decision by the director, given that the average American probably does not have a solid grip on the Spanish language. The other weird part about it was that in my opinion, you either needed to commit to all The Sharks (girls & guys) speaking Spanish every time they spoke or they shouldn’t speak in Spanish at all. Instead, it was very sporadic. Sometimes the characters would speak in Spanish, sometimes they wouldn’t. Sometimes every other sentence was in Spanish. There were two whole songs in Spanish – “I Feel Pretty” and “A Boy Like That”. It was a bummer not to be able to hear and enjoy the version that we know and love. In addition, Anita & Maria sing “A Boy Like That” in Spanish and as they finish they lead into another song “I Have a Love” that they proceeded to sing in English. The inconsistency just bothered me.

Overall, though I LOVED IT! I had so much fun watching the story unfold and I just enjoyed hearing all of the songs sung live right in front of my eyes. I would definitely recommend it to people, as long as, part of the play being in Spanish doesn’t bother you. If you know the story, you’ll get the gist of what’s going on…

Post In Comments:

Have you seen West Side Story yet on Broadway? If so, what was your favorite song?

 

Entertainment Thursdays: Les Miserable July 2, 2009

Filed under: Entertainment Thursdays,Theater — readerbean @ 9:05 am

Les Miserable is my favorite musical of all time. I know it’s not the most uplifting show, but god, is it amazing! I have seen it now seven times: 2x in NYC, 2x in London, 1x in Boston, 1x in Wichita, Kansas and 1x in Lancaster, PA.

My mom had asked me to do a little research before our trip to Lancaster and come up with a couple of things I wanted to do. Because my buddy Okie Amy, works in a Regional Theater, it has made me more aware of Regional Theaters in general. So when I saw there was a theater in Lancaster I decided to check and see what was playing. Imagine my delight when I clicked on the link and it said Les Miserable would be playing while we would be in Lancaster.

I immediately sent an email to my mom, who promptly called me, and then called and got us tickets!!! (Thanks Mom!) I could tell that she wasn’t nearly as excited as I was.

After dinner at Checker’s we drove down towards the Fulton Theater and parked in a lot across the street. We got there about 45 minutes before the show started to pick up our will call tickets and enjoyed some wine & snacks while we waited (this experience reminded me how expensive it is to live in NYC!)

The show was great! While probably not the best performance I’ve ever seen it certainly didn’t disappoint. The man who played Jean Valjean was great, he voice was amazing, and he nailed my song (“Bring Him Home”). My one complaint was that he just didn’t look old enough to be a believable Jean Valjean…but I got over that. The woman who played Cosette was also remarkable. Since I’ve seen the show so many times now it’s interesting to me that each time I see it a different character stands out. The guy who played Enjolras was outstanding, he really stole the show from the Marius character in my opinion. I found myself saying, “I don’t remember this part being so prominent in the past.” And the best part is that the guy who played Enjolras is touring with “The Little House on the Prarie” tour that is coming to the Paper Mill Playhouse in the Fall! I might have to go see it…

The other thing I’ve noticed after seeing this show so many times is that when I was younger I used to think that the 1st Act of the play was the better part of the show and that the 2nd Act wasn’t that great. The older I get and the more I go to see it I realize that the 2nd Act is really the krutch of the play. It’s interesting how your perspective can change the more you see a show. I mentioned this to my mom and she agreed that she always had thought that the 1st Act was better but that after seeing the show in Lancaster, she realized the 2nd Act was better.

I think my mom was pleseantly surprised by the show. She stayed awake for the whole thing, which is a fete at an evening show! Overall we both enjoyed our night out at the theater in Lancaster. Where, oh where, will I see Les Miserable next?

Post in Comment:

What is your favorite Act in Les Miserable?

What is your favorite song in Les Miserable?

 

Entertainment Thursday: 1776, The Musical May 14, 2009

Filed under: Entertainment Thursdays,Theater — readerbean @ 3:21 pm

Ah…what’s that you say…you didn’t know that 1776 was a Musical? Well, it is and it’s fabulous!!! Maybe it’s a Jersey thing, but I grew up on the musical 1776. A musical about the writing of the Declaration of Independence and the birth of our nation. I own the DVD, I’ve seen the show on Broadway, I’ve had sing-a-longs of the whole soundtrack on school field trips, and a couple of weeks ago I had the pleasure of seeing the production once again at the Paper Mill Playhouse.

My mother, grandmother and aunt have season tickets to the Paper Mill Playhouse. With those season tickets you get two opportunities to purchase just two tickets to any show that season for just $20. My mother has been kind enough since I’ve returned to let me know the season ahead of time and ask me what I’m interested in seeing. Since I’ve been home, I’ve accompanied them to Kiss Me Kate, Little Shop of Horrors and Oklahoma.

Well, 1776 is soooo good, that not only did I go but my sister and my uncle went as well! We had lunch beforehand at David Burke’s, Restaurant M.C. (Foodie Wednesday, Restaurant Review to follow soon…) and then walked over to the theater for the show.

The set is basically Independence Hall and John Adams, Ben Franklin & Thomas Jefferson are the main characters in the play. The music is fun, the history lesson is always important, and I thought the Paper Mill’s production was so good, I almost cried at the end (they almost had me)!

If you are a history buff, this is definitely a movie you should rent, if not, then you probably think I’m incredibly dorky! For me, I know that if it ever comes back to Broadway, I’ll be there!

A congressional incubator, Lord knows that the temperature is hot enough, to hatch a stone, but let alone an egg.

Post In Comments:

Have you seen 1776? What’s your favorite song from the soundtrack?
 

Entertainment Thursday: Phantom of the Opera – The Play vs. The Movie March 19, 2009

Filed under: Entertainment Thursdays,NYC Experiences,Theater — readerbean @ 4:00 pm

On Friday Jon and I saw The Phantom of the Opera at the Majestic Theater. It was a treat to ourselves. Back in December orchestera seats were on sale for $60 per ticket which is essentially buy one get one free in the orchestra. We had each seen Phantom once before. I was definitely in middle school when I saw Phantom and Jon saw Phantom for the first time in 2003. We both love love love the music from this show and decided that at buy one get one free it was time to see it again!

All I have to say is Phantom and Les Mis, in my opinion, are just in totally different stratospheres compared to other Broadway shows and it’s not just the music, it’s the entire theatrical production that puts them on such a different level. When the Phantom takes Christine to his lair and their in the boat and you just feel like they’re really floating on water with the fog and the lighting it’s just amazing (possibly my favorite scene besides the opening or masquerade)!

I cried at the end because I just think that The Phantom of the Opera is such a tragic character. His one desire is to be loved but he doesn’t understand what love is….I don’t want to say more in the event that anyone reading this blog post hasn’t seen the show or movie!

On our 15 block walk home Jon and I were singing songs from the show, talking about our favorite scenes, disecting which performances we liked the best and which the least, and just in a general state of europhia from seeing a live show on Broadway.

As we were walking we started comparing the show to the movie that was released in 2004 starring Gerard Butler as Phantom and Emmy Rossum as Christine. We saw the movie in the theater and then later purchased it and have watched it quite a few times. We LOVE it – it allows us to see the story & music unfold again and again without having to pay the hefty theater ticket price. However, over the past 5 years as I’ve spoken to people about it there seems to be a strong dislike for the movie among those that love the show in the theater. Jon and I agree that of course while it’s better in the theater, we feel that the movie is a good representation of the show and the music and sticks very closely to the story which we like.

Regardless, of which you prefer, The Phantom of the Opera, in my opinion, is a must see theater experience. My favorite songs from the show were Music of the Night, All I Ask of You, Point of No Return and of course The Phantom of the Opera. I think after writing this blogpost I might have to put the CD on:)

Post in Comments:

What is your favorite song from The Phantom of the Opera?

Do you prefer the theatrical production or the movie? And why?

 

Regional Theater July 8, 2008

Filed under: Theater — readerbean @ 12:41 pm

Sunday afternoon I joined my mother, grandmother and my aunt for lunch in Millburn, NJ home of The Papermill Playhouse. The three of them have a subscription and have been getting together for lunch followed by a show for years. Now that I’m in the area I’ve been inducted into the group – although I do not have a season subscription as of yet. This year they discovered that since they are season subscribers they each get two $20 tickets to any of the 6 shows.

A couple of months ago I joined them for such a day and we saw Kiss Me Kate. This Sunday we saw Little Shop of Horrors, one of my personal faves! I mean who doesn’t love this play about a man-eating plant (OK, well my mom didn’t love it!) The show was great and the theater was filled with kids. I’m so glad that I was able to accompany the ladies in my family for a fun Sunday afternoon outing.

Next year’s season is shaping up to be a good one and personally I am hoping that I’ll be able to see Oklahoma and 1776 (one of my absolute faves!!!)

Broadway is fantastic and I have found that there is something about living near or in NYC that makes you go see shows. I’ve seen more shows in the past 17 months then I ever saw in the 6 years I lived in Boston. It’s reminded me how much I enjoy live theater. There is nothing like sitting in the audience, the curtain goes up, and the cast begins to belt out the first song – without fail it always gives me the chills!

While Broadway is fantastic it is also incredibly expensive with orchestra seats now going for $110 a show. Not something most families can afford to do! So if you want to see a show but don’t necessarily want to shell out that much money remember that this country is full of terrific regional theaters! The PaperMill Playhouse is just one, but when I lived up in Boston, I saw Tommy at The Stoneham Theatre and it was great! We also went and saw Evita at The Providence Performing Arts Center and it was fantastic and the theatre is beautiful.

This summer I’ll be visiting two regional theatres a little off the beaten path for most people when I go see Urinetown at Lyric Theatre in Oklahoma City. I am finally going to see a show at the theatre my college roomie is the Marketing Director at and I couldn’t be more excited. The next day we’re planning on going to see Les Miserable (which I’ve already seen, um…6 times, twice in London, once in Boston and three time in NYC) at a regional theatre in Kansas.

There are still affordable ways to see great plays so don’t forget to check out your regional theatres, you’ll be pleasantly surprised!!!

 

Cyrano de Bergerac on Broadway December 21, 2007

Filed under: NYC Experiences,Theater — readerbean @ 10:45 am

Last night was the night! I finally got to see Cyrano de Bergerac on Broadway. I bought these tickets months ago, and then with the strike, was unsure whether or not we’d really get to go. Jon had to bail at the last minute because of work, so my mom came in from NJ and we had dinner with my brother before the show.

I had been lucky enough to score REALLY affordable seats so unfortunately my mother had to adjust herself to sitting way up in the boonies. But hey, I was getting to see my girl J. Garner on Broadway. I couldn’t believe I got tickets, especially considering it was only a 10-week engagement!

I knew nothing about the play at all. I’ve never read the book or seen the movie for that matter. It had gotten rave reviews in the New York Times, so I knew it was going to be good.

I loved it! Usually I don’t like dramas too much. I’m much prefer musicals when it comes to plays, but I really loved this play. I loved the lyricism of it, the way it rhymed, it was incredibly funny (which I was not expecting at all!), and even though it was long (2 hours and 45 minutes) it captured my attention the whole time.

I have to say that I went there purely to see Jennifer Garner and she was great, but Kevin Kline BLEW ME AWAY. It was a pure treat to be able to see him on the stage. He was a natural: comfortable, commanding, funny and I have to say kudos to him because he really is the whole play. It must be exhausting for him night after night. It is a very demanding role.

I’m thrilled that I got to see it and I can’t wait to read the book now! It is a play that captured my heart.