Saturday night in NYC
So yesterday we took the train into the city. Very busy and crowded weekend, with tourists and day trippers getting an early start on St. Patrick's Day. Lots of folks wearing shamrocks and the like.
Our walk from Penn to Times Square was very crowded. We saw:
-- a girl, maybe 18 years old, with her hair styled like Cyndi Lauper wore it in that video for "Time After Time". The police had just confiscated her open liquor bottle and were asking for her ID.
-- a street musician playing classical music on the violin.
-- a drummer in a purple velvet jacket and hat that he stole from Rooster in that old show, "Baretta".
-- vendors selling food (hot dogs, pretzels, kebabs), tee shirts, art work, plastic shamrock necklaces.
-- a religious group preaching their (how shall I say it?) unorthodox theology.
-- costumed characters. Lots of costumed characters. Mickey and Minnie Mouse. SpongeBob. Super Mario. Batman and Spiderman. The Statue of Liberty. Minions. But alas, no Naked Cowboy.
Our first stop was Brooklyn Diner.
We've been here several times. Got there before 6 PM but had to wait for a table. That was a first for us, but then, we're usually here on a weeknight. The room is really crowded, the space between tables almost nonexistent.
The menu has been revamped since our last visit. Cheeseburgers were served with bacon and cheddar on brioche, with lettuce, tomato, cole slaw, pickles, onion rings and shoestring fries. I almost went with the burger topped with pastrami or avocado instead of bacon, but ultimately stuck wit the classic. Cole slaw was very bland, but everything else was excellent. My diet coke had a chemical aftertaste.
I always look at the desserts here -- they serve ice cream sodas, egg creams and shakes -- but I never order ...
Next we headed over to the Shubert Theater, to see "Matilda the Musical". Drew won tickets in a charitable auction. We were supposed to see the show in January, during a snowstorm, but they graciously allowed us to exchange the tickets.
When "Matilda" opened last year, the buzz was that it would win the Tony -- the award actually went to "Kinky Boots". But I can see why this show had such good press.
I read Roald Dahl's book, and I've seen the movie with Danny DeVito and Rhea Pearlman. But this show is darker, focusing more on emotions and less on Matilda's telekinetic abilities. There are plot twists that weren't in the book but which work well with the overall theme of the show. The actor playing Miss Trunchbull is amazing, he really steals the show.
There are two groups of "children" in the cast -- one group of children, actual ages between 8 and 11, playing kindergarten students, and adults playing older students. It works.
The singing and dancing are spectacular, but the music didn't impress me much.
Overall a fun show, I really enjoyed it.
But yeah, "Kinky Boots" deserved to win.
Still, another great evening of food and theater. Who could complain?
Our walk from Penn to Times Square was very crowded. We saw:
-- a girl, maybe 18 years old, with her hair styled like Cyndi Lauper wore it in that video for "Time After Time". The police had just confiscated her open liquor bottle and were asking for her ID.
-- a street musician playing classical music on the violin.
-- a drummer in a purple velvet jacket and hat that he stole from Rooster in that old show, "Baretta".
-- vendors selling food (hot dogs, pretzels, kebabs), tee shirts, art work, plastic shamrock necklaces.
-- a religious group preaching their (how shall I say it?) unorthodox theology.
-- costumed characters. Lots of costumed characters. Mickey and Minnie Mouse. SpongeBob. Super Mario. Batman and Spiderman. The Statue of Liberty. Minions. But alas, no Naked Cowboy.
Our first stop was Brooklyn Diner.
We've been here several times. Got there before 6 PM but had to wait for a table. That was a first for us, but then, we're usually here on a weeknight. The room is really crowded, the space between tables almost nonexistent.
The menu has been revamped since our last visit. Cheeseburgers were served with bacon and cheddar on brioche, with lettuce, tomato, cole slaw, pickles, onion rings and shoestring fries. I almost went with the burger topped with pastrami or avocado instead of bacon, but ultimately stuck wit the classic. Cole slaw was very bland, but everything else was excellent. My diet coke had a chemical aftertaste.
I always look at the desserts here -- they serve ice cream sodas, egg creams and shakes -- but I never order ...
Next we headed over to the Shubert Theater, to see "Matilda the Musical". Drew won tickets in a charitable auction. We were supposed to see the show in January, during a snowstorm, but they graciously allowed us to exchange the tickets.
When "Matilda" opened last year, the buzz was that it would win the Tony -- the award actually went to "Kinky Boots". But I can see why this show had such good press.
I read Roald Dahl's book, and I've seen the movie with Danny DeVito and Rhea Pearlman. But this show is darker, focusing more on emotions and less on Matilda's telekinetic abilities. There are plot twists that weren't in the book but which work well with the overall theme of the show. The actor playing Miss Trunchbull is amazing, he really steals the show.
There are two groups of "children" in the cast -- one group of children, actual ages between 8 and 11, playing kindergarten students, and adults playing older students. It works.
The singing and dancing are spectacular, but the music didn't impress me much.
Overall a fun show, I really enjoyed it.
But yeah, "Kinky Boots" deserved to win.
Still, another great evening of food and theater. Who could complain?
When I was up in January, once I knew my schedule would allow, I had to go see it. (Didn't review it or Sardi's, though). Huge Tim Minchin fan, and the soundtrack alone won me over...
ReplyDeleteSo wonderful-got teary during the second act.