I'm back home :)
NY was great, I hardly know where to begin summing it all up. I didn't do many touristy things... just hung out with friends and saw some shows which was the goal.
The first night I went to see the tribute for Jim Caruso at the Metropolitan Room. On the way there I was "hollered at" by four (slighlty shady) guys and a lady offering me a psychic reading. Who says NYers aren't friendly!?! The tribute itself was great! I must say I was completely overwhelmed and happy to just be in NY at this point. Jim summed it up at the end by saying, "Don't I know ANY sopranos?" It was just belter after glorious belter telling stories and singing him songs. Liza didn't end up making it as scheduled. That was the second time I've unsuccessfully tried to see her but if the opportunity presents itself, perhaps the third time will be the charm. Stephanie sang "If I Only Had A Brain" and "Hard-Hearted Hannah". It was so great to see her again after a whole year. I knew she'd know who I was from our emails but I was truly impressed that she recognized me before I even introduced myself. Here is a picture from that night.
Birdland was just as amazing if not more. Scott Alan and Sebastian Arcelus were there both nights as were both of her lovely parents. I probably overlooked some other people of note, but the place was PACKED!!! She said that she prefers to call her act an "evening" rather than a one woman show because the thought of her being just HER up on stage is a little scary, but let me tell you, she has NOTHING to be scared of. Steph as STEPH is just as fierce, funny, endearing, vulnerable, and entertaining as the greatest made-up characters are. It's hard not to go on and on but she sings with such a purpose and truly feels every word of every lyric she sings. Beautiful voice is a given, but what an amazing storyteller as well! The mother and daughter sitting behind me decided to come on the last minute and the mother wasn't even going to try if it had rained that night. By the end of the show I turned around and said, "you'll come in the rain next time, right?" and of course she answered "DEFINITELY!!!" I think EVERYONE in that room felt that way.
This is the last thing I'll say about Steph at Birdland and then I swear I'm done gushing. The second night they had to kick us all out to set up for another show and she spent close to 90 minutes outside on the street chatting, taking pictures, signing autographs, talking on the phone to fans that couldn't make the trip to see her... she is just an angel and I'm forever being impressed by how kind, gracious, and just REAL she is off stage. I will post a songlist of what she sang if anyone is interested.
So besides Steph's concerts, I also saw The Color Purple (rush tickets), Spelling Bee (lottery win!), and Bridge & Tunnel (TKTS booth).
Color purple was my favorite by far. I had seen some of the songs performed on Oprah and the Tonys but they really aren't done justice out of context. It is such a beautiful story. We had a full cast in except for Shug Avery which was played by Anika Ellis... I believe it was her first time on and she was lovely. My friend and I bumped into the u/s for Celie and Nettie the next day and we chatted for about 20 minutes. She is only 24 and in her b'way debut, and such a doll! I know it will be disappointing for people to miss out on seeing LaChanze but if you see Kenita Miller please show her some love. The highlights for me were LaChanze and the relationship between Sophia and Harpo, they are GREAT togther!
Spelling Bee was just OK for me but I really think it may have been better if my (lottery) seat wasn't so close to the stage. Kate was on for Olive and Lisa was on for Ms. Peretti. Anyway, I love the concept of the show and I have enjoyed listening to the songs for a while now so it was cool to see how it played out on stage even though my friend and I WERE trying to avoid being spat on the whole time. Highlights for me were Olive, Marcy, and the 11 year old girl who surprised everyone by spelling a word she was obviously meant to be sent back to her seat on.
Bridge and Tunnel... first off I must say it's extended until August so GO SEE IT!!! Saw it already? GO SEE IT AGAIN!!! Sarah Jones is brilliant and I love that she is able to teach us about ourselves through her characters. That is what every great play should do and she does so flawlessly with humor and without being preachy. Her characters are true and honest to the people she is representing and she doesn't ever allow them to become parodies of themselves which I think is such a fine line to have mastered.
We were also hoping to see Audra's free concert in the park but it was rained out. I feel really blessed to have been able to take this trip and also to have met some lovely BWW people for the first time as well!
Hope you have fun!
