NYC Trip #2 (August 2nd-7th, 2005)

[WickedBoy1011]

Posted: 8/7/05 at 1:55am

Alright everyone, so I am leaving tommorrow from NYC to go home to Florida for my last 2 weeks of summer vacation. ANYWAY... my family and I came up on August 2nd, checked into the NY Marriott Marquis (very good, reputable hotel... they still need to sort out the elevator thing though... they recently changed the system I guess and they still need to perfect it, but that's our only complaint), unpacked, got comfortable, I changed and went to see "SWEET CHARITY" by myself the first night in town. I was 2nd row, dead center. I know a lot of people don't have very nice things to say about Christina Applegate, but I can't help but love her. It is so evident to me how much she is enjoying herself when she is on that stage. I waited at the stage door, and the cast of "SWEET CHARITY" was one of the nicest casts I have ever seen. They signed every single thing, and were just really nice. They all talked to everyone and were very kind and humble. Christina still limps a bit, and she is GORGEOUS up close, like face to face. Overall, one of the best stage door experiences. Next day, August 3rd... 2 shows... "ALL SHOOK UP" Matinee by myself. Cute show, great leads (Cheyenne and Jennifer), great supporting cast (Sharon Wilkins, Jonathan Hadary, Etc.). Stage Door: everyone came out except Cheyenne and Curtis Holbrook I think. Very nice people, were kind of in a hurry because it was a matinee day and they only had a little bit of time between shows. Still very nice people though. OK, "SPAMalot"... funniest show I have ever seen... EVER. Tim Curry was in, David Hyde Pierce was in, Alan Tudyk was in, Michael McGrath was out but his understudy was very good, and Sara Ramirez was out and her understudy was phenomenal. OMG, SOOOO GREAT!!! Stage Door: Tim Curry, David Hyde Pierce, Alan Tudyk all came out really fast and signed everything and took pictures with everyone, very cool people. OK, August 4th... my family and I went to see "SWEET CHARITY". Christina was still great. Kyra DaCosta and Janine Lamanna are also just amazing. Didn't wait at the stage door this time. OK August 5th, "25TH ANNUAL PUTNAM COUNTY SPELLING BEE"- BRILLIANT!!!! Absolutely brilliant. One of my favorite shows. Everyone except Dan Fogler came out, and it was really great to see them all be so shocked by how many people were waiting and cornering them to get their signatures. Very nice folks over there at the Bee. Grea evening at the theatre. August 6th, another 2 show day... 2pm- "WICKED" for the 7th time, lol... I LOVE WICKED... which probably means a lot of you automatically hate me, but oh well I don't know you, lol... just kidding... but I do love "WICKED" in a very serious way. So Shoshana was great as usual, Megan Hilty was adorable and hysterical, Ben Vereen and Jeffrey Kuhn were great, Michelle Federer was so strong and wonderful, and Rue McClanahan was out, but Adinah Alexander was also wonderful. The whole show seems to get better everytime (excep for certain leading men who went unmentioned... Fiyero... come on folks, looks can only go so far.) Anyway, the stage door... David Ayers just sort of left, Michelle Federer signed for everyone (which has never happened to me before), Megan is even more beautiful up close then she is onstage, and Shoshana was the nicest person ever. I gave her these sunglasses that light up green, like they have a wire and a little control box thingy that let you turn them on and off, and decide whether you just want them to be solid and strobe. She was like "They light up? SHUT UP!! They are so cool, AND THEY STROBE! SHUT UP!" I got a great big hug from her, and then when her and Megan crossed paths in the stage door line when Shoshana showed her the glasses she went "Where did you get those?" and Shoshana was like "Archie"... and pointed right at me, it was just very cool for me, lol, especially because she seemed to really like them. Anyway, loving "WICKED" as usual. OK final show... "DIRTY ROTTEN SCOUNDRELS". GREAT SHOW!! John Lithgow was great, and Norbert Leo Butz was hysterical. The whole show just exceeded my expectations. OK Stage Door: Norbert was the first out, very nice signed everything. Then Gregory Jbara, again nice signed everything talked to everyone. Then Sherie Rene (OMG GREAT VOICE ON THIS LADY!!!) and she also signed everything and talked to everyone. Then finally John Lithgow came out and he was very nice, he was a lot more quiet than I thought he would be. I thought he'd be a lot more extroverted than he seemed to be. He signed everything and smiled and said thank you to people, but he didn't really engage in conversation that much. Sara Gettelfinger either slipped past me, or didn't come out, and Joanna Gleason left some other way. Overall a great trip, saw great shows, but I am so happy to be going home tommorrow. LOL, respond if you'd like, I like reading what other people think about the things I write... I don't know why...hmmm... strange... anyway, later!!!

[ljay889]

Posted: 8/7/05 at 1:59am

I'm glad you had a great trip.

And very glad you enjoyed CHARITY.

[WiCkEDrOcKS]

Posted: 8/7/05 at 2:00am

Great reviews! When'd you see DRS?

I went this afternoon.

[Cabchic]

Posted: 8/7/05 at 8:28am

Hey who was Sara's understudy? I saw it last week and on the board it said Rosena Hill but the insert in the playbill said Jenny Hill. Both are listed in the playbill. So now I am not sure which one I saw. I wasn't crazy about the understudy, but I've seen Sara in the role so maybe it's a tough comparison. But maybe I didn't see the same one you saw.

[WickedGeek28]

Posted: 8/7/05 at 9:45am

Glad to hear you enjoyed yourself. I also LOVE "Sweet Charity" I really don't undterstnad the negative hype. Good times at the Gersh!!!

Hope you get another chance to be in New York.