Trip Report 3/9/12-3/11/12, Long

[castlestreet]

Posted: 3/12/12 at 10:14am

Overall a pretty great weekend. Weather was really nice, the car ride down from Rochester was great and as always the Crowne Plaza Times Square is a great stay (at a rate of only $125.00 a night!) Picked up a few new Window Cards from Roger over at Triton Gallery- and I have to say once again- if you have never shopped there in person do it- he is one of the nicest people you will ever meet and goes out of his way to find whatever it is you are looking for!

First Show: H2$
5th Row Center Orch,I saw the first cast back in September and really did enjoy the show so I didn't know what to expect this time around. I fully expected to not like Nick Jonas and overall was pleasantly surprised. Bridges was okay, but I enjoyed Laroquette much more. The guy from Ugly Betty was out Friday night, but his understudy was pretty good. The house was full and seemed to really be enjoying themselves.

Second Show: Phantom
5th Row Center Orch, My sweet 16 seeing the show, but now the only time I ever go is when I am taking someone who has never seen it, which was the case this weekend. This was the low point of the weekend for me and for several reasons. Marni Raab is not my favorite Christine- something in her voice just annoys me and I can't quite put my finger on it. Hugh was great as always, even though he seemed like he might be battling a cold. The real problem with this show, as it has been increasingly for the last few years is the audience. The behavior in that theater is beyond intolerable. From people chomping on their ice from the guy walking around selling stuff like we were at a Knicks game, to the texting, talking, the kid across the isle from me who kept asking his mother at the top of his voice "why isn't the Phantom on the stage, well when is he coming back, I don't want to be quiet, this sucks, don't talk to me!" to the two women who decided to show up for the show in the first Act after Music of the Night, and then decided to return to their seats after intermission after Wishing You Were Somehow Here Again and got into an argument with the two women sitting in front of me when they were told how inconsiderate their behavior was. And I haven't even gotten to the constant flash bulbs going off before the show and all during intermission- I feel like I'm at kick-off off the Super Bowl. And I think it's pointless to complain- the show has been running for 24 years, has become the tourist trap show in the city and why would they fix something that doesn't seem broken to them? When I asked the usher to please kindly ask the people sitting next to my friends to stop texting and actually taking calls on their cell phones during the show, she informed me that it might be difficult for her to get to them b/c they were sitting in the middle of the row. I said, maybe you ought to get that Usher who works the Orchestra Section over at The Broadway Theater, she doesn't seem to mind. One thing that I did notice that I thought was interesting- I noticed at least four or five conversations of people around me who were seeing the show for the very first time Saturday afternoon- it warms my heart to see people still experience this show for the first time after all these years- I just hope they were able to enjoy the show and not be a cranky old theater bitch like me.

Third Show: The Best Man
4th Row, Center Orch, By far the highlight of my weekend. I have to admit for someone that usually knows everything about a a show before I see it I knew very little going into this one. I think that for the most part this cast is great. My one knock would be that McCormick seems to drop his accent a little too much, and I seem to notice a little too much Will from time to time in his mannerisms, several of the people around me had commented along those lines during the second intermission. While the play isn't groundbreaking I found it to be entertaining and surprisingly relevant, especially considering what is going on with this years presidential primaries. Laroquette was very good in his role, and I thought Candice Bergan was very good in her role as the understated wife. Her scene with Kerry Butler and Angela Lansbury was particularly good. James Earl Jones really steals the show- his comedic timing was excellent and the audience just loved him. I thought the production design was clever and the show moved very well. The group I was with all said out of the three shows we saw this was their favorite. We got a few minutes with Angela back stage after the show and as always she was her gracious lady like self and I had no idea that she is currently performing with a stress fracture in her hip- what a trooper! The people around me were commenting that even though they might not have been in love with the play itself, they said that the performances more than made up for it. A pretty good assessment I think.

Overall a pretty great weekend- I'll be back at the end of the month- Evita, Newsies and Superstar, and from what I heard literally everywhere I went, the buzz for Evita is at a pretty high fevered pitch right now. It should be really interesting to see how it lives up to the expectation.

[Will42]

Posted: 3/12/12 at 1:48pm

This is terrible news! Hip problems is no joke, especially at Ms. Lansbury's age. I'm dieing to see her performing live again, but if her performing compromises her health in anyway I would rather see her leaving the project at least temporary until Ms. Lansbury fully recovers.
I'm wishing her a speedy and fully recovery!

[Jay Lerner-Z]

Posted: 3/12/12 at 2:07pm

Nice reviews, though I don't really need to know your seat locations - I'm envious enough! I'm so jealous of people who can breeze into Angela's dressing room (connections, I assume?).
Hopefully her hip recovers and she can complete the run.

[castlestreet]

Posted: 3/12/12 at 2:14pm

She is using a cane in the show and seems to be doing alright- I'm really not sure that this will force her out of anything considering it is a limited run through July 1 and her role is a small one.

[Jay Lerner-Z]

Posted: 3/12/12 at 2:18pm

Good to hear. As a very unlucky theatre-goer with regard to understudies and vacations, I worry about these things.

[broadwayriff]

Posted: 3/12/12 at 2:49pm

I saw Marni Raab a few years ago and felt the same way. It's too bad that you didn't see Trista Moldovan who is pretty great in the role.

[blaxx]

Posted: 3/12/12 at 2:54pm

How do you get such a low rate at the hotel?

[castlestreet]

Posted: 3/12/12 at 6:42pm

blaxx- Hotels.com- I start planning months in advance- we are staying there at the end of the month too and I think we are only paying around $200 a night that weekend