The start of the Mother/Daughter Edition
Everyone is always in need of help and this trip in which my mom came to town definitely provided me with a boost that helped me get my ducks in a row and my Ts crossed. One day while scrubbing in my kitchen I decided to give my mom a call and request her expert assistance in the act of cleaning and organization. She responded by telling me that she didn't know exactly when she would be able to pull herself away from the 'Banks, but taking into account her flexibility, willingness to help, and immeasurable love, I knew that this request is not something that she would take lightly.
Approximately two weeks after my feeble cry for help, she was on a plane headed for NYC! It was great to see her, and I must say that my apartment definitely benefited from her visit, but before her arrival I took care of some very serious business that I would like to highlight.
Over time I have made this friend who lives in Jersey City, he has told me that he wants to be referred to as Jungle Warrior, but I think a more accurate description of him would be Wanna be Pauly D. Not to brag or anything, but typically I think I look decent with most guys, however, next to this chap I just feel downright dowdy.
After hanging out with Monty, I decided to go to "Drunk Shakespeare." As you probably all know I am a definite Shakespeare enthusiast and when scrolling through my Facebook feed I couldn't help but notice that my friend Jessie Taylor (my light board operator for "How to Succeed..." and performer in "Cabaret Night" back in Fairbanks, AK) invited me to this event. For this I had to mosey on down from Queens to Midtown, but I don't really mind venturing out. To escape the quiet confines of my room to head into the loud chaos of Manhattan is a joy that I don't ever think that I'll get used to.
Going to this event made me feel like a true New Yorker, I couldn't help but to glow with pride, and to make matters even better during the break I ran into Jessie Taylor. At this point we just had to take the obligatory selfie!
After the "Drunk Shakespeare" experience I'm afraid that I got home rather late and as a result slept in hard core. When I woke up I spent a few hours by myself and then waited for the arrival of my mother. As soon as she came in I knew that she would bring a massive todo list as well as an adventurous and willing spirit to abide to all of my crazy whims.
Don't get me wrong, I was super excited to see my mom, however living in Manhattan does take it's toll on the finances thus treating yourself to a Broadway show becomes out of the question. Probably the number one reason for becoming absolutely obsessed with New York City is on account of the existence of Broadway. It's kind of an oxymoron, but the whole reason for coming to NYC could ultimately prevent me from staying. It's really tempting and easy to get caught up in the whole allure of Broadway, and staying informed is a lot of work, however, at times I have to remind myself just to step away and keep walking. But now that Mom was coming I would finally have a chance to catch up on my shows.
Over the course of her being here we ended up seeing three shows. Two of which were completely new to me and one repeat that was new to my mom, which I absolutely love.
Show # 1 was "The Prom."
Of course this girl is always in search of the next great photo opportunity. While this backdrop probably was designed to accommodate couples. Despite it's probable original intension, Michelle with her recently adopted Beyoncé-like confidence decided to take center stage on this one and strike a convincing pose. Regretfully for this show we did not manage to take the mother/daughter shot, but the good news is for the next two shows I got em!
Play Review
"The Prom" was thoroughly enjoyable and well done in all aspects of a Broadway production. The choreography was excellent and seemed to really reflect this modern-day era. I was amazed at it's authenticity and looked like the kind of dancing that might occur at a modern-day prom, of course with a Broadway flare and synchronicity. The music was all original as was the plotline, which I find to be completely refreshing in this day in age in the theatre, virtually everything is taken from strong source material such as a movie, a song catalogue, a famous novel, etc... The lyrics were well thought out. Overall I liked this show a lot and am sad that it was unable to capture a large enough niche audience to survive on Broadway.
The plot focused on two Broadway actors who had just received horrendous reviews for "Eleanor" an Eleanor Roosevelt musical they had just released. Ultimately realizing that they were in need of some good press, they took to social media in order to look for a worthy cause. They came across this story where a young lesbian was denied the opportunity to take her date to the prom. Deciding to get on board these two actors multiplied and brought a whole troupe to Indiana to save the prom. In the end the actors were able to deliver and brought forth a fully integrated prom, with a happy ending, and of course a wonderful finale production number.
The experience of going to the theatre is not something I take lightly, and for you to make the theatre-going cut requires something special. My mom totally gets it, and I love going to the theatre with her. She understands that it's a euphoric experience for me and never aims to cut it short or disrupt my thought process.
