brak666: (fanboy)
( Oct. 30th, 2006 04:14 am)
I sure picked the right weekend. Extra hour of sleep, yay! Also, have I mentioned that my favorite thing about my hotel room is that the radio has a jack to plug into my mp3 player? Because that's awesome.

This morning I went to NBC and took the tour. It was much better than the CNN tour. At CNN we looked into the studios from windows a floor above. At NBC they actually took us into them. Not far enough that we could touch anything, but we did actually get to go into the Nightly News studio and we sat in the audience section in Conan O'Briens studio. We didn't actually get to go into 8H because they were striking the sets from SNL, but we did get a good view inside. After the tour I went up to the Gershwin to check out this block party thing they were doing for Wicked (money to charity). It was mostly kiddie stuff, but Derrick Williams was posing for pictures. I thought about getting one, but it was cold and windy, and there were all these people bustling around and I was feeling a little claustrophobic. I get that way with people. So I dropped off the stuff I got at the NBC store (Heroes T-shirt for me and a Meet the Press coffee mug for my dad) and took the subway uptown.

Way uptown. There is a possibility I got on the wrong train. Twice. Anyway, I went to The Cloisters. And boy is it weird getting in the subway at midtown and getting out at the entrance to a park. I could hardly believe I was in the same city. Even the builiding that houses the elevator to the subway terminal is all made of old stone and fits perfectly well with the park. And there were all these trees and places to stop and sit and look out at the river. And it was windy and there were leaves blowing everywhere and my trench coat was billowing dramatically behind me. I could've just walked in that park all day. Except it was cold and my feet hurt. So, I finally got to see The Cloisters which is something I've been wanting to do since the late 90's when it was featured in an episode of Gargoyles. It was all so beautiful. The Unicorn tapestries alone are worth the price of admission, but everything was just lovely.

I got Chinese take out for lunch and ate in the hotel and by the time I finished it was about time to head out for Avenue Q. What a great show! The set is so clever. The puppet sex was hysterical. And a funny thing about the puppets. Even though the performers are onstage with them and no attempts are made to hide them (there are literally people walking around the stage with puppets on their arms), you really feel like the puppets are the characters. Your eye is always drawn to them rather than to the performer. A lot of times the actors would upstage themselves with the puppets, but even when they didn't your focus was always on the puppet. And that was no mean feat when you consider that the guy currently playing Princeton/Rod is one of the cutest boys in the whole wide world. Also Rick Lyon who designed all the puppets and orignated the roles of Nicky and Trekkie Monster gave his last show today. I'm glad I got to see it. He gave a very heartfelt speech at the end of the show. I waited by the stage door and had a wonderful conversation about theater with a guy named Jeff (Geoff?). I got to meet Howie Michael Smith (afore mentioned cute boy) and Rick Lyon as well as Evan Harrington who played Brian and Mary Faber who played Kate Monster/Lucy the Slut.

After the show I had a late dinner at Ellen's Stardust Diner (cute singing waiters) and headed back to the hotel. Did some preliminary packing :( There's so many more shows I want to see. The new Les Miz with Daphne Rubin-Vega, A Chorus Line, Company. So many shows, so little money time money time.
brak666: (Wicked)
( Oct. 28th, 2006 11:05 pm)
I'm spending entirely too much money. But I suppose that's what vacations are for. Breakfast this morning was Starbucks coffee. At ten I took the Wicked Behind the Emerald Curtain tour. One of the things I learned was that Idina Menzel and Kristin Chenoweth are both tiny people. Well, the tour guides didn't say that, but they have to be if they fit into those costumes they had on display. Joel Grey is a tiny person too, but I knew that already. Anyway, our tour guides: Sean McCourt who played Elphaba's father in the original cast and eventually went on to play Dr. Dillamond. He's currently in Mary Poppins but still does the tour, probably because the whole thing was his idea. Our other tour guide was a member of the chorus, a very cute, very sweet gay man named Anthony Galde. After the tour it was brunch across the street at The Palms. Then I headed back to the hotel to drop off the souvenir poster I bought, then to the August Wilson to get Jersey Boys tickets for my aunt's birthday (not counting this as money spent today because I was getting them for my mother to give to my aunt and will be reimbursed.). Then it was time for the matinee of Wicked. Oh, I forgot! Just as the tour was letting out the matinee lotto for the front row seats was getting underway. I already had a ticket, but it was all the way in the back of the orchestra (row zz), so I figured 'what the hell?' and put my name down. And I won! From the last row to the second! I paid the good karma forward and gave my ticket to someone who didn't have one.

So, I had an awesome seat for what I think was the best show of Wicked I have ever seen (my fourth). Ana Gasteyer just started as Elphaba and she's wonderful. Seriously, the best I've ever seen and that's including the bootlegs with Stephanie Block and Eden Espinosa. Carol Kane played Madame Morrible and did a fantastic job as well. During the show I thought to myself that the next person they should get to play the Wizard is Richard Kind. He'd be awesome. The man playing him now (a fellow named David Garrison) sort of comes off as a Richard Kind knock off. Not that he wasn't entertaining. I just kept thinking how Kind would be better. And now I want to talk about the man who played Fiyero. His name is Derrick Williams and he is OMG HOT!!!!! He looks very good with an open shirt which unfortunately, I couldn't find a picture of. He's also an amazing singer.

As I said, the show was awesome. Very moving especially considering I'd seen it three times already. Afterwards I went to NBC to see if I had time to take the tour but I didn't. I looked around the store a bit and noticed they have Heroes shirts. I'll have to pick one up when I go tomorrow. I had a quick dinner at a little restraunt with good soup then headed back to the hotel to rest my feet for a bit before heading over to the Marriot Marquis to see The Drowsy Chaperone.

When I first thought of coming to New York I really wanted to stay at the Marriot Marquis, but it's over $400 a night and while I might have been able to rationalize a one-night stay, there was no way I could do the same for three nights. I totally see why they can charge that much. Quite a fancified hotel, that. Anyway before going in, I went into my favorite Broadway gift shop (conveniently located under the theater) and picked up the OBC of Evita and the new cast recording of A Chorus line (which I need to see).

The Drowsy Chaperone is the best show I have seen in a long long time. It's fucking hysterical. A laugh riot from beginning to end with awesome performances by the whole cast. The opening monologue said in a completely dark house is the funniest thing I've ever heard (please, God keep the actors out of the audience. There's nothing worse than paying a hundred dollars just to have the fourth wall come crashing down on top of you). I had a really great seat too. I was looking at the wrong part of the ticket. I thought I was in row J, but I was actually in row F. Toward the center too. It was perfect. I could see everyone's face clearly, but wasn't so close that I had to turn my head. And the guy sitting next to me was hot.

This is the time of year that Broadway companies get together to raise money for Broadway Cares: Equity Fights AIDS. They collect donations (I gave some at Wicked also), and also sell special items for charity like autographed posters and such. They also sell the Carols for a Cure CD (with holiday songs by various Broadway casts). Some companies do more than others. At the Drowsy Chaperone Bob Martin (bookwriter who also plays the Man in Chair) stood for pictures and they also sold greeting cards with art by Sutton Foster (who plays Janet Van De Graaf in the show). They're so cute. It's drawings of various Broadway shows as snowmen (The Drowsy Chaperone, Wicked, Les Miz, and Phantom).

Such an awesome day! I believe in the power of the theater!
Ah, youtube. Me love you long time.

Lea Salonga singing 'Defying Gravity'

ETA

Julia Murney and Sebastian Arcelus singing 'As Long as You're Mine'*squee* Sebastian!

Now I'll admit to having done this. Several times, actually. But, I can't think of any circumstances short of a gun to my head, that would ever have me putting it on youtube. I mean, really. I'm just not that gay.

Double Squee! Sutton Foster singing 'On My Own'!
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