Ellen's,"Annie" and all that

Friday night I met Drew and his sister for a night of theater. 

Our evening began at Ellen's, the home of the singing waitstaff.  Drew and I love the place but his sister had never been there.  I do have a minor complaint -- if you sit upstairs you can hear the performers, but unless you sit along the balcony railing (we didn't) it's hard to see the singers except when they come upstairs.  And remind me to order my burger "medium" -- "medium rare"  was actually rare.

Then it was on to the theater.  We had tickets for Annie.

What can I say about Annie?  It's an iconic musical, especially for anyone who was a little girl when the show was brought to Broadway in the 70's, or anyone who has raised little girls since then. It's a show that's routinely chosen in elementary schools, middle schools and summer camps, dance schools recreate the choreography . . .

And did I mention that Becca actually auditioned for a role in the Broadway revival in the 1990's?  There was a time when she had an agent and did auditions. . .and auditions . . . But she never got cast in anything.

Loved this version of the show.  But . . .well . . .the choreography . . in all prior productions, the dance numbers were mostly tap, evocative of the 1930's and Shirley Temple and etc. In this production, the dance style is more Broadway/jazz.  Then everyone dons tap shoes for the finale.

Still, the show was wonderful.  Loved the political humor.  And we think that the composer, Charles Strauss, was sitting in front of Drew's sister, taking notes.

Last night Drew and I went back to the city, this time to Greenwich Village, to a little theater on St. Mark's Place to see a show called The Quantum Eye.  This is a performance by a mentalist named Sam Eaton.    Interesting how he is able to predict responses and read people. 

And then dinner at Wo Hop, another of our city staples.  Long line to get it, and a couple behind us whining so much I wanted to turn around and punch them.  They looked unhappy even after they sat down and were eating dinner.  Food was worth the wait, as usual.  I especially liked the steamed dumplings.

Another fun weekend in NYC.