Wednesday - lots to report

Monday and Tuesday were super blah days for me, mostly because of nasty, rainy, cold weather. It wasn’t made any better by a recurring problem with an upper crown that keeps coming loose. Had an emergency session with my dentist on Monday and was supposed to have my semiannual “cleaning/flossing-lecture” session on Tuesday, but, happily that was canceled at the last minute.

So my loyal and faithful readers, in the name of truth and honesty in reporting, and to maintain my reputation for integrity in blogging, I have to reveal that I had no entertainment events for either Monday or Tuesday. Yes ... there ... I have said it ... nothing ... nada. I can’t remember the last time this happened - 2 days/nights in a row staying in the apartment. It really did feel strange, eerie in fact.

The downtime did give me an opportunity to fill out my entertainment schedule for the next 8 days and if you take the time to read to the bottom of this posting I think you might agree that I have caught up and perhaps even exceeded my usual frenetic Big Apple entertainment schedule, so, without further ado --

Wednesday - 2:00 - “LaGuardia” - Off Broadway. “LaGuardia” takes place in 1945 on the last day of Fiorello H. LaGuardia’s third term as mayor of New York City. With colorful language and emotional integrity Mayor LaGuardia relates his rise to power and his successful fight against Tammany Hall and political corruption in New York City. Starring Tony LoBianco recreating his Tony winning Broadway performance.” (complimentary ticket)

8:00 - “Farragut North” - Off Broadway. “Stephen (John Gallagher, Jr.) is a wunderkind press secretary who has built a career that men twice his age would envy. During a tight presidential primary race, however, Stephen's meteoric rise falls prey to the backroom politics of more seasoned operatives, and his one night stand with a teenage staffer proves to be more complicated than casual. Farragut North is a classic tale of hubris set against a contemporary landscape about the lust for power and the costs one will endure to achieve it.” (discounted TDF ticket). The advance buzz on this show is very good.

After the show I will go downtown to the Lower Eastside to the trendy “Spitzers” to have a bite with student/bartender/manager Scott Reed. He will be working.

Thursday - this day starts off a bit differently with a 2:00 matinee, something that rarely happens on a Thursday.

2:00 - “Sessions” - Off Broadway. “Dr. Peter Peterson listens, advises and tests his patients. What good therapist wouldn't? At once a drama and a comedy with poignant and hilarious moments alike, Sessions is a new musical for a modern generation. After all, couldn't we all use a little therapy? Sessions offers a humorous, poignant and relatable look into the familiar worlds of self-help, personal growth and those long hours that many have spent on a therapist's couch.” (complimentary ticket).

8:00 - “Back Back Back” - Off Broadway. This is the very first preview performance of the world premiere - “Does greatness always come with a price? Can only someone with nothing to lose tell the whole truth? From the acclaimed writer of last season's MTC Stage II hit The Four Of Us and Bach at Leipzig comes a stirring new drama about America's favorite pastime. Back Back Back follows the turbulent careers of three very different teammates in baseball's steroid era whose clubhouse secrets bring them under federal scrutiny. This New York premiere reveals a riveting portrait of pressure, paranoia and payback in professional sports.” (discounted TDF ticket).

So, this all adds up to 4 shows in two mid-week days. Not bad, but there’s more ...

Friday - 8:00 - “American Buffalo” - Broadway. “ This new Broadway production of David Mamets noted comedic drama stars John Leguizamo, Cedric the Entertainer, and Haley Joel Osment. The play follows three small-time crooks who wax philosophically about society while conspiring to steal a rare and valuable coin from a neighborhood collector. Mr. Mamets stark, rapid-fire banter fuels this heist comedy and a heartbreaking portrait of criminal desperation.” (discounted TDF ticket)

This will be the first preview performance of this show and I am really looking forward to seeing it.

Saturday - today will revolve around the 3:00 Gators vs. Georgia game. Hopefully the Gators will kick butt.

Sunday - 7:00 - “Romantic Poetry” - Off Broadway. “From John Patrick Shanley, the Tony Award- and Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Doubt comes this crackpot musical romance. Connie of Woodmere has just married Fred of Newark, but her exes are back in the picture and not sure they approve of the union. Mary of Greenpoint climbs Frankie of Little Italy's fire escape with amorous erotic intent - but things go awry as she reaches for her dream. They are all mad and they are all sane and they are all creating Romantic Poetry. Genuine emotion and the excitement of living an ideal crisscross this evening like a night of shooting stars.” (discounted TDF ticket).

Hum, opening night for this show was Tuesday and the early reviews ain’t very good. We will see.

Monday - 8:00 - “What’s That Smell?” - Off Broadway. “An absurd musical parody that charts the career of eternally up-and-coming (and fictitious) musical theater composer Jacob Sterling. A rare, up close and personal visit with an artist of questionable gifts who performs from his songbook and shares his human struggle to keep musical theater alive and well in the 21st century.” (discounted TDF ticket)

Tuesday - ELECTION DAY!!!! I will give you the benefit of my predictions in a later post.

8:00 - “The Atheist” - Off Broadway. “In this humorous play, Campbell Scott plays a crooked journalist who will do anything to make news. When Augustine turns a prominent local politician's tawdry tastes into a front page headline, the scandal backlashes with shocking consequences.” (discounted TDF ticket).

Kinda fitting for Election Day, don’t you think?

Wednesday - 7:30 - New York Philharmonic @ Avery Fisher Hall. The program is: Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 1, featuring Lang Lang; and, Bruckner’s Symphony No. 9. (subscription series). Hopefully I won’t encounter the “Grabbing Women.”

IN SUMMARY - for the upcoming 8 days I will see: 1 Broadway show; 7 Off Broadway shows; and, 1 classical music concert.

Not bad, not bad at all.

Since the last posting I saw the following Off Broadway shows: “Saturn Returns” (very good); “The Rise and Fall of Anne Hall” (excellent); and, “Fault Lines” (super-excellent).

I hope The Rays can make a comeback, but I have a very bad feeling in my gut about it. If not, it still has been a terrific run for them.

Go Gators and Go Rays!!

Billi Pod
wanjr@aol.com