Tuesday, June 23, 2015

I Went to Philly for Arden "Passion"

To die loved is to have lived.

Once again, Terry Teachout has inspired me to travel outside NYC to the theater. 

After reading his positive review - ‘Passion’ Review: A Sondheim Revival in Philadelphia Sizzles - I immediately purchase a ticket to see the Arden Theatre production, not wanting to miss another solid production after the CSC production a few years ago. 

Once again, I was not disappointed. 

I was immediately caught up in this Sondheim/Lapine musical about love and obsession and still cannot get the music out of my head. In fact, I am playing the OBC as I write this post. The cast was top notch, and I was especially moved by Liz Filios' unrelenting Fosca. 

Overall, a very positive experience at Arden, a theater now on my radar. 

Passion unfortunately ends this weekend and closes the 2014/2015 Arden season. Next year looks quite promising though, and I may have to make a Philly trip to see the revivals of Two Trains Running and The Secret Garden.


Other Posts:
Backyard Tour: Summer Beach and Rachel Crothers Theater Getaway
Backyard Tour: Donuts and Terror

Thursday, June 18, 2015

I Walked Around Town and Ended Up in a John Oliver Studio Audience

The Tony awards were distributed on June 7th. I am not sure the show was any more glamorous this year than in prior years but I'm sure glad that Fun Home was recognized. I hope to get to the Circle in the Square one day to see how the show has changed since I saw it at the Public.

In the meantime, I am just enjoying the last days of Spring in New York. 

Last weekend, I headed over to Madison Square Park to the 2015 Big Apple BBQ to partake in a little hog. 



With my belly filled with swine, I walked around the Flatiron, stumbled on an electronic street fair and guiltily purchased a chocolate cookie from The City Bakery

I then headed to 42nd Street to see the Amiri Baraka's final play Most Dangerous Man in America (about W.E.B. Dubois) at the Castillo Theatre. I didn't know much about WEB Dubois' final days and found the play enlightening in this regard. 

After a very brief talkback at the Castillo, I strolled up 11th Ave to The Press Lounge and sipped cocktails while peering at the beautiful NYC skyline and thinking about how much I love and hate the city. 




A little toasty, I then headed up 11th Ave and turned on 57th Street. As I walked across town, I noticed a line waiting outside the CBS studio where John Oliver's Last Week Tonight HBO show is taped. I added my name to a standby list and an hour or so later, I was sitting in a studio audience chuckling and listening to commentary by the petite English comedian. 



Another serendipitous Saturday in NYC...