Sunday, February 23, 2014

The Open House/Michigan State Wind Symphony==>BLAH!


Sunday==>Well, my loyal and faithful readers and followers out there in the morass known as cyberspace, in the name of fair and unbiased reporting your favorite blogger here in The Big Apple, The Greatest City In The World, has to share with you that yesterday’s entertainment doubleheader failed to live up to Billi Pod’s expectations. Yeah==>BLAH!!

Yes, this was one of those rare occasions where things just didn’t pan out as anticipated. I guess this is to be expected when one sees as many entertainment events as does Billi Pod. He does, however, a good bit of advance preparation and research before booking events but ... well ... you know ... sometimes things just don’t click.

And this is just what happened yesterday ... so ... without further ado let’s just move on to Billi Pod’s report cards on the less-than-stellar events ... starting with ... 

THE OPEN HOUSE, the World Premiere of Will Eno’s drama about a dysfunctional family, but with something of a twist==>C

Decent acting saves a very confusing story line, assuming there really is a story line. 

I guess the fact that neither the Playbill nor the website gives any of the characters names should have been an early hint.

You know, I could sense Will Eno lurking in the rear of the theatre and smirking as he was thinking to himself ... “Assholes, you actually paid money to see this because you wanted people to think you understand me. Well, you don’t and you never will ... so fuck you, you fucktards.”

When the show was over I asked the ladies seated on either side of me (one in her mid-30s, the other in her mid-50s) what they thought about the show and both of them basically said that they had no clue about what they had just spent the last 75 minutes watching.

Oh, I have a feeling that the critics, especially The New York Times, will give it rave reviews.

So, to my Tri-State theater buddies==>if you do choose to see this show, please give me the benefit of your thoughts/comments.

The show is in previews, is playing at The Signature Theater Complex on West 42nd Street, has a running time of 1:15, without intermission, and runs through March 23rd.

When the show was over I was able to have a nice walk and wander session in my Hell’s Kitchen ‘hood.

My entertainment event for the evening was a concert at Carnegie Hall ...

MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY WIND SYMPHONY @ Carnegie Hall - “This performance commemorates the 10th anniversary of John Corigliano’s Symphony No. 3, ‘Circus Maximus,’ and will also feature additional works by Corigliano and David Maslanka.”

My comp. seat was excellent, row U in the orchestra, but ...

Billi Pod’s grade==>D<==what a major disappointment.

The young musicians were excellent but the material by Corigliano and Maslanka was nothing but 2-hours of screeching, ear-splitting atonal dreck.

I considered leaving at intermission but didn’t because I had hopes that the second half, Corigliano’s Symphony No. 3, ‘Circus Maximus,’ would be better. Well, it wasn’t. The piece appropriately ended with a loud gunshot from the stage.

I can’t remember ever seeing so many people getting up and leaving while the orchestra was still playing.

As I was waiting for the subway I struck up a conversation with two couples who had also attended the concert. One couple had graduated from Michigan State and they said they were mortified at how bad the program had been.

Oh, well ... as “they” say ... you can’t win them all.

Moving on ...

The major positive for the otherwise mundane/blah day had to do with my Florida Gators. We beat Ole Miss 75-71 to move to 25-2, 14-0 SEC

Syracuse lost for the second time in a week meaning, probably, The Gators will be ranked Number 1. GO GATORS!! 

Tonight’s entertainment event is an Off Broadway show, one of Billi Pod’s all-time favorites ...

7:00==>FORBIDDEN BROADWAY: ALIVE AND STILL KICKING - “After an absence of nearly a year, Forbidden Broadway gleefully returns to New York with new victims and new laughs. This year's targets include Pippin, Kinky Boots, Matilda, Motown, and Les Miz, and many more.” (Off Broadway - discounted TDF ticket)

This show is playing at the newly refurbished and renamed Davenport Theatre on West 45th Street, has a running time of 1:40, with intermission, and is currently selling tickets through May 11th.

I will close this posting by sharing Billi Pod’s AWESOME entertainment schedule for the upcoming 6 days ...

Sunday - 7:00==>FORBIDDEN BROADWAY: ALIVE AND STILL KICKING (Off Broadway)

Monday - 8:00==>BROADWAY BY THE YEAR: The Broadway Musicals of 1915-1939 @ Town Hall (Off Broadway)

Tuesday - 8:00==>MOTHERS AND SONS (Broadway)

Wednesday - 7:30==>AFTER MIDNIGHT, starring K. D. Lang (Broadway)

Thursday - 7:00==>BRIDGES OF MADISON COUNTY (Broadway)

Friday - 8:00==>NEW YORK PHILHARMONIC, with Mary Chapin Carpenter @ Avery Fisher Hall (concert)

Yeah, I know ... really interesting/exciting isn’t it?

HAVE A GREAT REST OF THE WEEKEND EVERYONE!!

Yesterday’s Pedometer mileage==>4.60 miles (or, 10,062 steps)

Total mileage for 2014==>160.65 miles (average 3.03 miles per day)

GO GATORS & GO YANKEES!!

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

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