I am happy to report that the weather here was somewhat better over the last several days although wind was a nasty factor on Thursday. It is now in the low 30s but that is much better than the low teens.
Yesterday I completed my entertainment schedule for the next 10 days and this is what it looks like at this moment --
Saturday, February 14th - 8:00 - “East 10th Street: Self Portrait with Empty House” - Off Broadway. “Edgar Oliver takes the audience on a fantastic voyage through the strange rooms of the apartment house where he has lived since his first years in New York. Inhabiting the dark, mysterious halls of an East Village tenement building are a dwarf Cabalist, a possible Nazi, the landlord's former wet nurse who apparently lives in a nest of rags, and many other memorable persons.” (complimentary ticket)
Sunday - 8:30 at Carnegie Hall will be a concert called: “Music of Bach, Handel, Sibelius, Bernstein, and Wagner,” performed by various choruses and orchestral groups from around the county. (discounted TDF ticket).
Monday - 8:30 - at Carnegie Hall - “MidAmerica Concert - Sweet Adelines” - presented by the Christchurch City Chorus from New Zealand, Prairie Winds Chorus from Texas, and the Olympia Chorus from Washington. (complimentary ticket).
Tuesday - 8:00 - “Will Ferrell: You’re Welcome America. A Final Night with George Bush” - Broadway. This is the press blurb for the show: “It’s time for a change in America, but not without a few parting words from the 43rd President of the United States. Don’t miss your chance to discover the man behind the myth, the truth behind the lies, and the logic behind the illogical in this limited Broadway event. If you keep in mind that our recently retired head of state was president of the Delta Kappa Epsilon fraternity at Yale University -- which is generally considered the inspiration for the film Animal House -- and if you also keep in mind that Will Ferrell has made a specialty in his movies of playing adult men suffering from seriously arrested development, then you'll have a good idea of what's in store for you in this 80-minute show.” (full price ticket)I was fortunate to score a good mezzanine seat for this show because the run is virtually sold-out. The show has gotten very good reviews and I am looking forward to it. Just sorry my dear friend Gil Goshorn of Gainesville, FL, couldn’t see it with me since he is such a Dubya supporter. Oh well ...
Wednesday - 2:00 - “Taoub Groupe Acrobatique de Tanger” - Off Broadway. This sounds very interesting: “Like the intoxicating scent of exotic spices, Groupe Acrobatique de Tanger will transport you to a far away fantasia. The lively sights and sounds of a Moroccan bazaar fill The New Victory as this agile troupe climbs and cavorts its way through dramatic tumbling and balancing acts. Evocative staging, mesmerizing music and aerial exploits conjure illusions of majestic mountains and vast terrains.” (discounted TDF ticket).
Thursday - 7:30 - “Humor Abuse” - Off Broadway. “Humor Abuse is the unique story of Pisoni's upbringing as the youngest member of the Pickle Family Circus, the Bay Area's tiny big top that entertained thousands of people worldwide and launched the careers of several legendary performers. Filled with the clowning that Pisoni learned at his father's knee, and the wonder, heartache and complexity of stepping into (and out of) his father's shoes, Humor Abuse shows that running away with the circus isn't always all fun and games.” (discounted TDF ticket).I feel rather confident that this show will be in either the “love it or hate it” category.
Friday - 8:15 - “Gates of Gold” - Off Broadway. The press blurb for this show is: “Written by acclaimed Irish writer Frank McGuinness, Gates of Gold is an acerbic duel between Hilton Edwards and Michel MacLiammir, the fashionable and eloquent theatrical trailblazers who founded Dublin's internationally acclaimed Gate Theatre.” (discounted TDF ticket)
This show is at the 59th Street Theater that usually has stuff I really like.
Saturday - 2:00 - “Blood Type: Ragu” - Off Broadway. “This show is a humorous and poignant exploration of the Sicilian immigrant experience based on the life of writer/performer Frank Ingrasciotta. This one-man-show features more than 20 characters, who live, love and laugh as they struggle to thrive in a new culture, while nurturing the traditions of the old. Its not drama . . . its just family! And we all have one.” (discounted TDF ticket).
Sunday - open at the moment.
Monday - 8:00 - “Broadway By The Year @ Town Hall” - concert. “The Town Hall presents the opening concert in its critically acclaimed BROADWAY BY THE YEAR series. The first concert features THE BROADWAY MUSICALS OF 1924 featuring music from The Student Prince, Lady, Be Good!, Rose-Marie, Charlot's Revue, The Music Box Revue of 1924 and more.” (discounted TDF ticket).
These concerts are usually very well performed and a lot of fun. Since it is on a Monday night when most Broadway shows are dark, the audience will have lots of “theater-type” folk in attendance and that is always nice.
So, that’s Billi Pod’s agenda for the next 10 days in The Big Apple.
In summary form here are my comments and observations about entertainment events mentioned in detail in the February 4th and 10th postings --
Tuesday - February 10th - “The Story of My Life” is a two-man Broadway musical about friendship and the personal cost of success, performed by Will Chase and Malcolm Gets. Even though there has been a lot of very negative chat-board buzz about this show I found it to be very well performed and very moving, as did the folks seated on either side of me.
Wednesday - the matinee performance of “Becky Shaw,” a comedy/drama about a first-date that doesn’t go as planned, was funny and also thought-provoking, although it didn’t help that during the final scenes the theater shook from demolition work on an adjacent building. We had been assured that a deal had to been made to keep everything quiet during the run of the show. Oh well, it is NYC after all.
That night was the premiere of Demetri Martin’s show “Important Things with Demetri Martin” on Comedy Central. I was looking forward to this show since I have seen Demetri Martin several times in live performances, but I have to say that I was under-whelmed. Hopefully things will get better and funnier as the show develops.
Thursday night was a very interesting comedy/drama called “The Savannah Disputation” about two Catholic spinsters who allow a Pentecostal missionary into their home, causing each of them to question their beliefs. Even though it had comedic moments, it really was more depth and drama. I liked it a lot.
Friday night I returned to The York Theater in the basement of the Citicorp Building to see “Enter Laughing” for my 5th visit since the show was first presented by The York as a staged reading in 2006. I guess I fall into the category of being a groupie but I can’t help it because I still find this show to be one of the funniest and best performed shows in the City. It is based on the autobiographical novel by comedian Carl Reiner, and tells the hilarious story of a stage-struck, woman-struck teenager who blunders his way into manhood via showbiz.It does have a following because there were 5 other people in the audience who had seen the show 5 or more times. It has been selling out. It closes on March 8th and I hope to see it one more time.
Well, you loyal and faithful readers and you cyberspace friends, you are now up-to-date, so ...
Go Gators!!!
Billi Pod
wanjr@aol.com
PS: I hope that all of you who receive this via email understand that what you get is a draft version of the posting and that the final product is on the website: wanorrisjr.blogspot.com
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