Wednesday, November 12, 2014

Tune In Time - New York Philharmonic Concert - Theater vs. Movies



Wednesday==>I am happy to report to my loyal and faithful readers and followers that last night James Morgan and his outstanding staff at The York Theatre  put together yet another EXCELLENT and totally enjoyable musical theater experience ... 

This time it was something very different ... the “game show” known as ...

TUNE IN TIME, in this new game show for musical theater lovers 3 teams of composers and lyricists who’ve never worked together are forced to collaborate to beat the clock. Their task is to write a song for a new Broadway musical, the title of which is picked from a hat full of audience suggestions – in the style determined by a spin of the dreaded Genre Wheel. All within 20 minutes==>A.

This madcap evening was hosted by Emily McNamara, aided and abetted by Musical Director Nate Buccieri. The humor was nonstop, insider funny, in-your-face, and often very very profane.

Of course, there was lots and lots of new music.

The three teams each did excellent work with only 20-minutes of creative time. The celebrity judge panel awarded the grand prize, a $10 gift card from Duane Reade (a local drug store), to Ben Wexler and Dan MacKenzie.

The audience was urged to go out to the lobby area during the show to purchase beer or wine. Everyone seemed to be really enjoying themselves, especially the 91yr. old lady who was seated in front of me. When the audience was asked for suggestions during the program she very vocally responded, to everyone’s delight.

The whole experience was enjoyable, although at 2 hours, without an official intermission, it seemed about 15 minutes too long ... but ... that was a minor quibble.

The next performance will be on December 2nd and I plan to attend.

It takes place at The York Theatre @ The Citigroup Center on East 54th Street.

Moving on ...

Tonight’s entertainment event for your favorite blogger here in The Big Apple, The Greatest City In The World, is a highly anticipated classical music concert at Lincoln Center ...

7:30==>NEW YORK PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA @ Avery Fisher Hall - The program is:

Debussy - Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun;
Glazunov - Violin Concerto (performed by Joshua Bell); and,
Prokofiev - Symphony No. 5
(season subscription series)

I am soooooooo excited about this concert because I am a HUGE Joshua Bell fan and I don't mind admitting it. 

A bit of background ...

Bell was born on December 9, 1967 and began playing the violin at age 5. He made his Carnegie Hall debut in 1985, at age 17, with the St. Louis Symphony. He has since performed with many of the world's major orchestras and conductors.

Bell's instrument is a 300-year-old Stradivarius violin called the Gibson ex Huberman, which was made in 1713. He paid just under four million dollars for the violin. Yeah, that’s the correct number per Wikipedia.

The running time for the concert is 1:45, including intermission, and the remaining performance dates are November 13, 14, 15, and 18.

Moving on ...

I am really looking forward to seeing three just released movies ...

THE THEORY OF EVERYTHING, the biopic about astrophysicist Stephen Hawking.  

BIRDMAN, with Michael Keaton and Ed Norton, about a free-falling jerk who is trying to reinvent himself on Broadway.

And ... despite the so-so reviews ...

HORNS, the supernatural black comedy starring Daniel Radcliffe.

Will this come to pass I know many of you are asking your inner selves ... well inner selves ... 

I honestly don’t know ... because ... if Billi Pod has to choose between seeing a movie and going to a theater event, the theater event will win 98.5% of the time, even if it is an Off Off Broadway show no one has heard of.

So ... just stay tuned ... and I know that you will ...

Yesterday’s Pedometer mileage==>2.97 miles (or, 6,509 steps)

Total mileage for 2014==>1,282.88 miles (average 4.07 miles per day)

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.”

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