It's Today

So today Next to Normal is closing. I won't be there since I'm sitting home with my cheeks swollen up like Winston Churchill. Got my wisdom teeth out on Friday. Anyway, I'm not emotionally shattered. I'm sitting here with ice on my face and listening to A Little Brains, A Little Talent. It had a better run that I ever thought possible. I never got to see Marin Mazzie, but there are worse things than that. Lotta memories. At least I get to keep those.

In other news, Spider-man's opening was pushed back again. Its amount of previews now exceeds the entire lengths of Ragtime's run. I hope you're damn well pleased with yourself, Julie Taymor. Cause nobody else is.

On the Verge

It's taken a week to be able to get my thoughts together and write about what it perhaps the most awesome thing that's ever happened to me. I saw Women on the Verge last week. It wasn't really that bad. Laura Benanti was great and I no longer hate LuPone that much. Her solo towards the second act was the best part of the show.

When it was over my family and I ate dinner in the little French bistro across the street. (Four months to Paris. Gotta practice.) I got up to go to the bathroom and when I came out BOOM: Laura Benanti. I sat back down and looked across the room. I spied:

Gavin Creel
Laura Benanti
Celia Keenan-Bolger
Victoria Clarke
Stephen Pasquale
Justin Guarini
Brian Stokes Mitchell

I, of course, didn't say anything. No use being a damn fool. It was the most intense meal I've ever had. I spent the evening giggling nervously and avoiding looking up.

Bonus: Tourists make my parents nervous, so they were waiting by the theatre when I got out. My dad said Joel Grey walked by and the stage door guy didn't want to let him in because he didn't know who he was. GOD DAMN IT THAT'S JOEL GREY.

We were going to see The Addams Family but didn't because my sister was scared. After that we were going to see Spider-man but didn't because I was scared.

2011

The new year it's a-comin'. You all excited? Well God called. He said not to get your hopes up.



Also The Corrections is wonderful and Eve Harrington is the most evil character in cinematic history. The end.

Movies

So this Christmas was pretty epic. A blizzard howls around me, so I've had plenty of time to watch movies. On Saturday I got:

Angels in America
Passing Strange
Damn Yankees
All About Eve
Whatever Happened to Baby Jane?
Anna Karenina

I've already watched Baby Jane and Passing Strange, and I stayed up late last night to start Angels in America. I've seen it so many times, but Mary Louise Parker never stops being amazing and Al Pacino never stops being scary. I could take or leave Meryl Streep, except when she's Ethel Rosenberg. Then I'll take it.

I also got Dance on Broadway for the Wii, and I am utterly terrible at it. My sister filmed me attempting to do the Bend and Snap. What has been seen cannot be unseen.

My Year at the Theeyater

So my buddy Kimber bought me La Cage tix for the ninth. WOOO! Third row. I didn't even know she new I was a La Cage fan, but far be it from me to deny anyone the chance to visit my favorite gay cabaret. I also found out about my Angels in America tickets two days too early. I'm a real bitch with surprises. Nobody gets anything by me.



I've seen a decent amount of shows this year. Let's see what I can actually remember.



1/10 Ragtime

1/22 Night Music

1/29 Jersey Boys

1/30 Next to Normal

2/21 God of Carnage

3/7 Hair

4/3 Next to Normal

4/? Cats

5/2 Next to Normal

6/13 Sondheim on Sondheim

6/30 American Idiot

7/18 Next to Normal

8/13 Night Music

9/4 American Idiot

9/4 La Cage

11/26 Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson



There's probably some I'm forgetting, but that's enough for anyone. The best was Ragtime, and the worst was that goddamn Cats. In fact, it was the worst thing I've ever seen. Let's focus on the positive, though. I've never in my life seen anything as wonderful as Ragtime, and I doubt I ever will again. I may be exaggerating a little. Not everyone loved the production. But I did. And this is MY damn blog, thanks. My memory has probably built it up to be better than it was. But not by much.

Snapping the Tether

Harper has a line in Angels in America that goes something like, "Wow, I musta REALLY snapped the tether this time!" So did Julie Taymor. The entire NY theatre scene is abuzz with what happened last night at Spider-man. I haven't forgotten this picture. Apparently Jennifer D. saw the whole thing happen. Nothing like seeing somebody come crashing down from 30 feet in the air. Apparently the audience could hear her crying. (Cheap shot, but here I go - that's more than the folks at the Booth ever heard. I hate myself.) Anyway, they stopped the show and the guy got taken out in an ambulance. Apparently he's ok, but no good can come of this fiasco.

I don't know what's gonna happen because of this, but it can't be good. I'm not thinking they're getting shut down, but I foresee the opening getting pushed back again. God knows I'm not interested in giving this show any of my money, but snagging a seat in the orchestra might be worth my while. Maybe if I'm lucky I'll get hit by a falling baritone and then I can sue and be set for college and grad school. Not funny. I'm not laughing. Not laughing. I really suck, don't I.

Poor Jennifer Damiano. I know it's closing, but she probably should have just stayed with Next to Normal. You know. The show where you can't get killed.

Don't Tell Mama

So I did make Emerson, and it's fun already. Huzzah for me.

Yesterday I had a Christmas party in SoHo, after which I took it upon myself to roam the streets at sunset. Stranger danger, but what Mama don't know won't never hurt her. (She's already forbidden me to walk Boston Common at night. I said I wouldn't, but the thing is she'd never know if I did.) God knows that's not my territory down there. Plunk me south of 30th Street and I have no idea what I'm doing. It's much more fun that way. After a while I found that I'd wandered to 13th Street. Something made me look up, and there was a boy sitting in a third floor window and playing the guitar. I smiled at him. He waved at me. I waved back. Obviously we're engaged now.

After that I headed over to the Strand where a cashier yelled at me because I didn't know who wrote The Corrections. Well excuse me. I picked up Tropic of Cancer, and reading it is like taking too much Robitussin and then watching all of Alice Ripley's Youtube videos. You know. Like that.