Saturday - A bright and sunny Hi Yah! from The Big Apple

Hi, my loyal and faithful readers. It is bright and sunny out and the forecast is for a nice summer day in The Big Apple, something that has been missed far too often during the past 3 months. Man, I am sick and tired of the daily rain.

Let me share with you my thoughts about the revival of West Side Story that I saw on Tuesday. I thought it was an outstanding production and well worth the full-price ticket. The cast is excellent. The role of Maria was played by an understudy but she did a fine job. Interestingly, two members of the cast have ties to Polk County (aka PFC aka Polk Fucking County). The role of the fiery Anita is played by Karen Olivo, who won the 2009 Tony award for Best Supporting Actress in A Musical. Another Polk Countian in the cast is Yurel Echezarreta and he is a member of The Sharks (this information was provided to me by student/bartender/manager Scott Reed, also from PFC).

The strong points of the show for me are the choreography, that replicated the Jerome Robbins choreography in the original production, and the wonderful musical score by Leonard Bernstein. The orchestra is terrific.

In this production some of the dialogue between some of the Puerto Rican characters is done in Spanish and this has been controversial and I understand why. Two songs, “I Feel Pretty,” and “A Boy Like That,” are done totally in Spanish. The program has the English translation for each song. I had no problem with this concept for “I Feel Pretty,” but think it was a serious mistake for “A Boy Like That,” which is one of the most dramatic moments in the entire show. I think the Director assumed everyone would be familiar with the songs and/or would just read along. Wrong!! The whole concept was nothing more than a Directorial ego-trip in my opinion.

The final scene has been changed. In the original production the body of the dead Tony is taken off-stage by a unified group of Jets and Sharks, thus ending the show on a, hopefully, positive note. In this production the show ends with Maria staring down at Tony’s dead body as the lights fade. Honestly, I liked this version better, much more realistic.

One other little quibble - virtually none of The Jets or The Sharks looked age appropriate, which is teenage, not mid-20s.

But, having said all of this, I still loved the show and highly recommend it.

On to other things - both of my Mostly Mozart Festival concerts were excellent and my TDF ticket was excellent, in the rear orchestra about where by NY Philharmonic subscription seats are.

I have received several emails over the last months asking me what TDF means. TDF stands for Theatre Develoment Fund and this is from their website --

“TDF membership provides tickets to Broadway, Off Broadway, off-Off Broadway, dance and music productions at affordable prices for eligible theatre lovers. To qualify for TDF membership, you must belong to one of the following groups: full-time students, full-time teachers, union members, retirees, civil service employees, staff members of not-for-profit organizations, performing arts professionals, members of the armed forces or clergy. Our members enjoy access to hundreds of Broadway, Off Broadway, music and dance productions each year for only $20 to $37 a ticket, and now, with “off–Off @ $9,” $9 off-Off Broadway productions.”

Tickets can be reserved online, sometimes weeks in advance, which is very nice. TDF also runs the 1/2 price ticket booths (TKTS) in midtown and downtown, where approximately 40,000 tickets are sold each week. Over the years I have saved a bunch of money through this service.

Last week I went to the Yankee Stadium ticket office to exchange a ticket (one of the benefits of being a season ticket subscriber). I asked about the availability of tickets for the upcoming series against the Boston Fucksox (I have season tickets to 2 of the 4 games) and was told that the cheapest available tickets started at $320. No way!! Well, long story short - yesterday I went online and, amazingly, was able to score tickets for the other 2 games, in the same area and price-range where my season ticket seat is. Wow, awesome!!

With these additional purchases I am scheduled for 22 games for August and September. Hopefully The Yankees will advance all of the way to the World Series, and if so, I will have tickets to each of the post-season home games. Go Yankees!!

This is what Billi Pod’s entertainment schedule looks like for the next several days --

Saturday - 8:00 - “Al’s Business Cards” - Off Broadway. “When New Jersey gaffing assistant Al Gurvis accidentally gets his new business cards swapped with those of real-estate agent Eileen Lee, he's mildly annoyed. Little does he know that this tiny mix up has sparked a chain reaction, which will ultimately ruin his life. A comedy about waking up from the American Dream. (discounted TDF ticket).

Sunday - open at the moment - will probably see the new Adam Sandler movie “Funny People.”

Monday - 8:00 - “The Columbine Project” - Off Broadway. “On April 20, 1999, the world watched as two young men presumed to be outcasts walked into their high school and attempted to massacre hundreds of their peers. Although failing in their original mission to kill 250 students, the two teens left 12 students and a teacher fatally wounded and many others scarred for life. THE COLUMBINE PROJECT examines exactly what went through the minds of several students, including the killers who at one time were just normal kids. Pulled straight from journals, diaries and information shared personally with the writer by survivors of the incident, this true story provides insight into who these children were and who may have also had a hand in cultivating the rampage that resulted in bloodshed and destruction.” (complimentary ticket).

Tuesday - open at the moment - will probably see the movie “500 Days of Summer.”

Wednesday - 3:00 - “Dreyfus In Rehearsal.” - Off Broadway. “Poland. 1931. A troupe of amateur Jewish performers attempt to put on a play about French Captain Alfred Dreyfus. Complications ensue as the frustrated director struggles to make the company understand the relevance of live theatre and help his young lead find the conviction to play the title character. Through it all the troupe discovers the strength of their collective voice and what they mean to each other.” ($9 TDF ticket)

8:00 - “Assume the Position with Mr. Wuhl” - Off Broadway. This is the press blurb for this standup comedy performance at Ars Nova - “School’s back in session! In an all-new follow-up to his acclaimed HBO special, Emmy Award winner Robert Wuhl (best known as Arli$$) delivers an irreverent comedic history lesson that playfully examines some of the facts, myths, and myths-that-became-facts that have permeated American history. Mixing pop culture with historical events and lighthearted observations from pundits, Robert Wuhl is the history teacher you never had but wished you did!” ($9 TDF ticket). Sounds like fun doesn’t it?

Thursday - 7:05 - Yankees vs. Boston FuckSox (season ticket package)

Friday - 7:05 - Yankees vs. Boston FuckSox (extra ticket)

Saturday - 4:10 - Yankees vs. Boston FuckSox (season ticket package)

Sunday - 8:05 - Yankees vs. Boston FuckSox (extra ticket).

Monday - 7:05 - Yankees vs. Toronto (season ticket package).

So, my loyal and faithful readers, I am really charged about the upcoming schedule in The Greatest City in The World.

Speaking of being charged - on Tuesday, August 11th, Sandy Mullon of Anna Maria, FL, will arrive, hopefully around noon, and we will begin our bamma-jamma schedule which I will share with you in a later posting.

Have a great weekend.

Go Yankees and Go Gators!!

Billi Pod
“Don't pick a fight with an old man. If he is too old to fight, he'll just kill you.”

PS: July stats are forthcoming.