All roads lead to Rome. Or Naples. Or...

Ever since we went to Italy in 2007, it has haunted me.  I'm frequently reminiscing in my mind (or with my travel pals).  Then, I happened to catch our game show episode on tv the other night.  It's so fun to watch it.  I still get nervous before I say the dumb stuff (surprised at "pod cross" every time I hear it) and still feel breathless at the winning moment.  What a ride that whole experience was.  I had many thoughts after watching the episode this time:  1)  whatever happened to host Dylan once they stopped making original episodes and does he still live in Astoria?; 2) golly, I look young;  3) golly, I look thin;  4) golly, I look nervous;  5)  golly, my teammates must have paintings in their attics because they look just as young and beautiful today as they did that day four years ago...

When we were talking on the show about wanting to go to Italy, it reminded me of the months that we had between the game show and our actual trip.  The sense of anticipation for those months and all the planning and plotting was so fun.  We all had a common purpose and could make time for each other for our common goal.  It was just so great to have that much to look forward to.  I need something that big to look forward to again.  I mean, I am looking forward to trying to get home to watch my nephew play basketball in the fall, but that will have to be a short trip, considering I used up all my vacation for my surgical adventures.  Not that I'm bitter or anything.  :)  I mean a BIG something to look forward to.  It will probably help me stop feeling vaguely sorry for myself all the time and it will certainly help me stop looking in the mirror all the time (wait, is the right one sagging even more today??).  Maybe it's time to start an account for a big European adventure in 2014 for my 50th birthday.  But that's so far away.  I want to look forward to something big NOW.  (Imagine following sentence set to the tune of a song from Sweet Charity) There's gotta be something bigger than this...

Oh, and to keep the Italian theme going, this morning I watched an episode of Anthony Bourdain's No Reservations.  It was in Naples.  Sigh.  There just has to be another trip to Naples in my future.  Just watching his show brought back so many wonderful memories.  The pizza alone was enough to start me trying to figure out how a trip is ever going to happen.  He ate the pizza with a fork!  Just like we did!  He also drove down to the Amalfi coast, so then I started daydreaming about pasta alla vongole in Positano.  The show even made anchovies look good!  Bourdain can be quite a food snob, but he's also funny (laughed out loud at his diatribe on Jeremy Piven) and he finds great local people to interview.  I totally want to eat at the restaurants he chose in Cetara, and clearly I need to find a family to take me in for Sunday supper.  That mamma was awesome!!  And wedding crashing never looked more fun.

Maybe I should take a class in something, like photography or Italian cooking, or learn to speak Italian.  That might help put the happy karma about a trip into the universe.  And would give me something to look forward to before the BIG something gets here...

Enjoy photos of the game show experience, along with a pizza from Napoli, for good measure...

Reviews plus a little restaurant happiness

I’ve been hearing a lot about the new play, Unnatural Acts, being performed in the CSC space downtown, and produced by Plastic Theatre, so when a discount offer crossed my desk, I decided to check it out.  I originally had a ticket for Tuesday night, but they called me over the weekend and said the Tuesday performance was cancelled and could I please exchange?  I found that odd, but chose to exchange my ticket to last night’s performance.  When I got there, I quickly discovered why they needed to cancel Tuesday—they had three actors out and only two understudies.  So one of the co-authors stepped in to take one of the roles.  I’m wondering if the change in performers had an impact on how the show affected me.

I have to say, I wanted to love this show more than I did.  Clearly, it’s an important episode to dramatize and the co-authors took things very seriously in the script.  Perhaps too seriously.  I couldn’t help feeling as if they were doing some weird dramatization of the ‘gays must be punished’ movies as depicted in The Celluloid Closet.  The acting just seemed so lurid and stylized, and the dialogue was so on-the-nose, it was hard to like and/or sympathize with these characters.  And if the show was supposed to be a commentary on those types of movies/plays, I didn’t get that.  Intellectually, I know I was supposed to feel sorry for these characters and the horrible situation they were in (and of course I did, in the abstract), but I couldn’t get there emotionally.  Perhaps the understudies were trying too hard, or maybe I just wasn’t understanding the methodology of the script, but I felt so distanced from everything that I desperately wanted to connect to.  I’m not sure I should’ve had to work so hard. 

Having said that, I did feel quite horrified during the trial scenes (as I think I was supposed to), and although I completely didn’t understand the directorial choice in the scene leading up to the final tableau, I couldn’t help but be moved by the frenzied agony of our narrator.  And, of course, when each character describes how their life turned out, it’s awful, and I wished I’d cared more about these characters sooner.   I think I would like to see this same story dramatized by someone else.  Sorry, Plastic Theatre.

The show is beautifully directed and designed.  I can’t imagine it being given a better physical production.  And the actors are certainly committed, though it was hard for me to tell if they were actually good actors due to the dialogue and acting stylistic choices.  I did enjoy Jess Burkle as the most flamboyant of the students, and I thought Roe Hartrampf brought great pathos to his role of the conflicted and closeted athlete.  I wasn’t as keen on the guy who played our narrator, or the actor who played a pivotal character at the end of the play.

I fully acknowledge that perhaps I just didn’t get what they were trying to do.  Maybe I went in with my expectations too high.  Maybe I wasn’t supposed to be moved the way I wanted to be.  It’s frustrating, but I just don’t know…

Last night, I finally finally got to see Jez Butterworth’s Jerusalem—of course, had I known it was also the Project Runway premiere, I might’ve tried to see it a different night, but oh well.  J      Thankfully, I was not disappointed in the least.  On the contrary.

My seat was in the last row, far left of the house.  Not the greatest seat—I feel like I missed some entrances and exits that I would’ve liked to see, but on the whole, the show has been well-directed to be enjoyed from the entire theater.  I think I may need to go back and see it again from another location, just for fun.  It has been on TDF quite a lot.  Oh, and moment of panic:  when I sat down and opened my Playbill, a nasty slip of paper fell to the ground.  With dread, I picked it up and read…a new understudy was joining the cast.  Whew.  Dodged a bullet there.

I loved the show.  LOVED IT.  It’s three hours long and you have to be right there, but I was with them throughout and the time seemed to fly by.  The play is chock-full of imagery and mythology and pagan comedy.  If it’s a little dependent on understanding English history and current economic status, that’s ok.  I got the gist of what was going on, and I’m woefully ignorant of current affairs.  ;)

Mark Rylance (about whom I’ll wax rhapsodic in a bit) plays Johnny “Rooster” Byron, an earthy, boozy, strung-out raconteur, who is on the verge of being evicted from his ramshackle trailer on the edge of the woods (the play takes place over a single day).  The character is like a hedonistic Pied Piper—he has a group of teenage hangers-on, whose lives aren’t so great at home so they gravitate to the honesty and lust for life that Byron has.  Well, and his drugs and booze.  The young actors playing the teenagers are really wonderful and not only support Rylance, but also confidently take their own turns.  The whole ensemble is terrific.  Special props to Mackenzie Crook as Ginger, the most faithful of the followers—I really felt his desperation and need.

You can sort of describe the play as an almost standard lower-class vs suburban middle-class battle, but it’s so much more than that.  There’s an elemental, primal, deep, force-of-nature struggle that’s happening, and a mythological stature to Byron and his tall tales.  The stories he tells make you laugh and then make you think and then make you wonder.  The layers to the storytelling in the play are quite wonderful.  And very unusual.  At least to me.  I’ve never seen a play quite like it before.  Oh, and the way Butterworth uses and alludes to the brief and powerful hymn (and poem) “Jerusalem” is brilliant.

I’m wondering, though, if we would ever have seen this play without Mark Rylance in the lead.  In all honesty, the character of Byron should be a repulsive turn-off, but Rylance turns him into a character for the ages.  He is truly the most amazing physical actor I have ever seen onstage.  His whole body inhabits this character—he has this incredible personal charisma, but he combines it with a character charisma that is so compelling.  His acting style is grandly large, yet beautifully small and detailed as well.  It may seem as if he’s overacting and just using tricks, but he also underplays and commands your attention and sympathy with just the smallest of gestures.  I can’t really explain the genius of this performance.  I just know that I did think it was genius.  My mind kept going to ‘acting savant.’  I don’t know, that’s not quite right either.  But his performance is startling in its complexity.  It’s sort of mind-boggling to me that La Bete and Jerusalem were in the same theatrical season.  I really do think that people who value great acting should see this performance. 

Brief restaurant note:  last Friday, after seeing Harry Potter 2 in IMAX (woo hoo!  it was AWESOME!), I went with some friends to dinner at Il Punto, on Ninth Avenue at 38th Street.  Yum yummy.  I highly recommend it.  Our appetizer was prosciutto and cheese.  As I'm not eating meat at the moment, I sadly refused the prosciutto.  But the mozzarella was fresh and deliciously soft.  Our wine was terrific, and my main course of pasta shells with broccoli, cauliflower and shrimp, was incredible.  I also enjoyed our server, who was charming and very knowledgeable about the menu.  I definitely recommend everyone try Il Punto.  Enjoy the photos.

Hats off, here they come...

Whee!  So excited!  Have my ticket for September 22!

Not as exciting?  My annual summer humiliation of auditioning for "Who Wants to be a Millionaire."  I didn't pass the stupid test--clearly, I'm too stupid to even pass a stupid test.  As I was breezing through the questions on the first page (a basketball question?  score!  a tennis question?  woo hoo!  a "Tale of Two Cities" question?  omg, I'm gonna pass!!), then I turned the paper over.  Ugh.  Too many questions about popular (but apparently not to me) vlogs and proper table settings (I have the table manners of a convict) and geography.  Geography has never been my strong suit.  I may try one more time this summer, then I may give up.  I've been auditioning for at least four years and they NEVER PICK ME.  Either I'm too weird or not weird enough.  You would think I would fall into one of those categories, but...no.  I need to find a new game show to be on.  Any help with this would be appreciated.

Since I was vaguely depressed, I stopped at Whole Foods for my current obsession:  their watermelon feta salad.  Yum yummy.  I also picked up some fresh corn salad and some pasta salad.  Dinner was covered.  Then, I wanted to stop for a drink.  But I thought I don't really NEED a drink, and I don't want my watermelon salad to go bad.  To compromise, I decided to stop in a tea shop I've wanted to visit but never have:  Argo Tea, just off Columbus Circle.  I can HIGHLY recommend the iced green tea ginger sparkler.  I had a little left when I got home, so here's a photo.  :) 

To close, I highly recommend Kate Baldwin's new CD "She Loves Him - Live at Feinstein's."  She sings all Sheldon Harnick songs, and Sheldon joins her for quite a few of them.  He is totally delightful and his songs are, too.  Check it out!

Musings

Various summer ramblings...

So, my plastic surgeon gave me the go-ahead to ditch the surgical undergarments and finally get a real bra.  Woo hoo!  I feel like I'm 13 again!  My mom gave me a gift certificate to a cool place I found online, Linda the Bra Lady, so I made an appointment for a fitting and went over there last week.  I have to say the store is MUCH smaller than I expected.  I guess it's a lesson that all really nice websites don't mean their establishments are just as nice.  :)  Not that the store wasn't nice, it was, it was just teeny tiny.  If you stop in off the street, you can't actually browse, you have to tell the clerks exactly what you're looking for.  Then they'll go through their floor to ceiling inventory and pull you something.  I described to a friend that the racks of bras look like the scene in Monsters Inc, where they're running from the Steve Buscemi monster and they're in that huge room of doors.  Kinda.

Anyway, my salesgal was very nice and brought me quite a few choices.  It's amazing how uncomfortable a bra can feel after not wearing one for six months.  The lacy ones were definitely much more uncomfortable, so they were out.  I was surprised at the size she was bringing me, but she brought a bigger size to show me how a bra is supposed to fit.  Learn something new every day.  Like I've been wearing the wrong bra size for about 20 years.

I ended up buying two everyday bras, one sports bra, and one really odd bra that's a pull-on.  No hooks.  But I thought it might be good for sleeping.  Every now and again, it just seems more comfortable to sleep with support.

Yesterday was the first day of wearing a bra and a t-shirt.  I felt very self-conscious.  To me, the new 'girls' still aren't sitting quite right.  It's as if they're sitting horizontally instead of vertically.  I'm sure this will change as time (and gravity) moves on, but for now, I sure do look out of proportion with a big ole belly and basically a uni-boob.  Sigh.  Oh well.  At least I have a little cleavage.  As the day went on, I felt as if my left side was swelling a bit--when I got home, I did notice some indents in my skin under the left arm.  But I don't think the bra is too tight.  I guess my body just isn't used to it yet.  I'm wearing a different bra today and it feels even more odd.  Maybe the heat and humidity are making me swollen.  I wonder if I need a bigger size for the summer.  So many things to consider...

On to something other than bras:  I saw the final Harry Potter movie on Friday.  I was highly upset that the movie theater by my office wasn't offering the 2D version, but I decided to go home instead and see it in Queens.  It was probably a better choice--the theater wasn't full and the crowd, for the most part, was very attentive.  I give the movie a huge thumbs up.  I think it was a wonderful conclusion to a chock-full-of-fun movie series.  My goodness, I definitely started to cry once they got to Hogwarts, and pretty much had to stuff my fist in my mouth to stop myself from audibly sobbing.  No, not sobbing, loudly heaving.  It was pretty emotional.  I want to go back immediately; there were several scenes where I wished there was DVR in movies--I wanted to run the scene back and watch it again!  Maggie Smith was definitely DVR-able!  I think I'm going with a friend on Thursday night to catch it for a second time.  And, please, if there's any justice in the world, please reward Alan Rickman with an Oscar nod.  Thank you.

Had a grand day yesterday, traveling to Poughkeepsie to see a dear friend in 39 Steps at River Valley Rep.  I won't review the play since I can't really be objective (I will say that I had a great time and thought my dear friend was spectacular and hope that he's back on-stage soon), but I will attach a couple of photos from the beautiful scenic area around the theater.  I love a road trip!  Fingers crossed for more road trips! 

Review - All's Well That Ends Well

I was very fortunate to receive a pair of tickets to the Public’s Shakespeare in the Park presentation of All’s Well That Ends Well last night, and was also very fortunate that my friend could join me!  We had a lovely evening!  Even including the mini-monsoon that happened before the show!  We then started the performance about 45 minutes late, but oh well.  It was a gorgeous night.  More about the rain later...

All’s Well can be a rough play to get your brain around—described as one of Shakespeare’s ‘problem plays,’ it has quite a few plot twists that really make you screw up your face and think ‘really??’.  But, once again, the brilliant Daniel Sullivan directs the piece with such clarity and with such delicacy that you see how the machinations can all fall into place.

Annie Parisse is a terrific Helena—you see her passion for Bertram and her over-zealousness, but you also see her wit, pragmatism and intelligence.  It’s a very layered, intelligent and endlessly interesting performance.  Bertram, a tough nut to crack is there ever was one, is appropriately callow, brash and ingratiating.  If the actor, Andre Holland (who I have greatly enjoyed in other plays), could perhaps seem a little more magnetic to emphasize why everyone gravitates to him, ok, but he is still quite charming.  Tanya Pinkins is gorgeous as Bertram’s mother and John Collum amazes as the King of France.  I love me some Reg Rogers and he did not disappoint as Parolles.  The interrogation scene was funny and scary, all at the same time.  All of the actors were spot-on, actually, with wonderfully clear diction and excellent phrasing of the text.

The time period seems to be right before WWI, so there’s an elegant gentility that slowly gives over to the rougher behaviors of wartime.  Themes of the future roles of women also seem to be in play.  The costumes are gorgeous—when they come out for the first scene, the ladies are wearing stunning Edwardian (?) gowns in different shades of green, so seeing them ascend from behind the stage, amongst the green of the trees behind the Delacorte Theater, is just lovely.  There is judicious and effective use of smoke, and Tom Kitt’s score is gorgeously evocative.  I give the production a ginormous thumbs up.  Now I’m even more excited to see Measure for Measure, which is the other show the Public is doing this summer.  Most of the same actors are also performing in that, so it will be interesting to see actors who had big roles last night take on smaller tasks in Measure, and vice versa.  For example, Michael Hayden is one of the lead roles in Measure, but brought a wonderful gravitas to the relatively thankless role of a Dumaine brother in All’s Well.  I love repertory companies…

So, I had forgotten that my friend who gave me the tickets had also told me there was a dinner beforehand.  Of course, we ate before we got to the theater, so didn't really partake of the pre-show food (well, we had some dessert and cocktails, so that was nice).  As we were standing in the dining area, listening to the end of a pre-show talk, the heavens opened up and it started POURING.  I especially got a kick out of the people who tried to stay dry by covering their heads with the tablecloth.  :)  

But, then, to offset the pain-in-the-buttness of a brief rainstorm, we were treated to glorious rainbows.  So hooray for summer rain in NYC... 

Review - Eva the Chaste

A friend sent me a text yesterday morning, asking if I’d like to join him at the new play Eva the Chaste, at Theater Row.  I took a look at the blurb on Theatermania and thought “why not?”  So I left my apartment on a sunny Sunday afternoon to check out a new one-woman play…

I have to say my favorite part of the afternoon was spending time with my friend.  We had a nice walk over to the river before the show, then wandered afterwards over to Whole Foods to pick up some groceries.  This was much more fun than the play.  L

My friend had actually read the script beforehand and liked it, but agreed with me that the director and actress are doing the script no favors.  The performer has a very lilting brogue, but did little to vary her intonations throughout the performance.  Everything was played on one level and became extremely monotonous after a bit.  Her physical performance was fine and she was extremely comfortable as the only performer on-stage, and her pacing was good, but it was hard to summon any interest when she didn’t seem to have any either.

As a single woman of a certain age, I could certainly find aspects of the script to be relevant to my life experience, but it was so hard to get or stay engaged for more than a few minutes at a time.  So, bottom line, I might not run away from another play by this author, Barbara Hammond, but I’m not sure I’d attend another performance featuring the lead actress.  Sorry if that sounds mean…

Review - The Illusion and other ramblings

I’ve been so tired lately, I almost didn’t go to see Kushner's The Illusion, but friends told me I would love it, so I made the trek over to Signature.  I’m so glad I did.  It’s a lovely piece that doesn’t really resemble Kushner’s later work (this one was written in the late 80s, I believe), but does showcase his love of language and felicity of dialogue.  I found the production enchanting, if a little long.  So I guess that part DOES resemble Kushner’s later work.  J

The production design is gorgeous—the set, lights and costumes are lovely and just right for such a magical piece.  It’s beautifully staged by Michael Mayer and makes excellent use of the Peter Norton Space (what is going to happen to this wonderful theater space when Signature moves out?  I need to find out…).

I was a bit disappointed to discover, via that nasty slip of paper falling out of my Playbill, that Lois Smith was not going to be performing; I love Lois Smith.  Her performance in Trip to Bountiful at Signature is one of my very favorite NY performances ever.  She was also lovely last fall in a new play, After the Revolution.  But the gal who is Lois Smith’s understudy, Rebecca Nelson, was terrific.  She plays a sorcerer who is approached by a neglectful father who wants to know what has happened to his son.  Her monologues are lovely, especially the last speech, about the ephemeral qualities of life and how nothing is what it seems.  She uses the word ‘evanescent,’ which always makes me swoon.  It’s just one of those words I love.

The acting is quite good across the board, though the younger actors had real posture problems (and that drives me insane, especially in a period piece).  One of the younger actresses reminded me of Helen Hunt, which is sort of a kiss of death for me, but I managed to stay in the moment and not let it bother me too much.  ;)   The young gentleman looks very familiar to me, but I don’t think I’ve seen him on stage before.  Do we know him?  His name is Finn Wittrock (which sounds vaguely like a character from The Flintstones, but ok).  He’s quite handsome and a flamboyantly fun actor.  Henry Stram and David Margulies were their expectedly wonderful selves and Peter Bartlett was sort of transcendent as a vainglorious braggart, but whose last scenes were gorgeously touching.  He was a riot, but also very moving, especially in the last scene.

The production closes on the 17^th, and it didn’t look like the house was full last night, so if you’re into some gorgeous stage pictures and a gently humorous and touching valentine to theater and language, head on over to the Signature to check out The Illusion. 

I had three doctor appointments today (which took a total of four hours to complete, even though they were all follow-ups and I wasn't in with any one doctor for more than 15 minutes--ugh), but in between appointments, I made my way over to Kalustyan's, the wonderful specialty food market on Lexington and 28th.  I had originally read about the store on one of my favorite food blogs, but never made it there until January.  My, it's a fantastic store.  They have everything!  And so many different types of everything!  There is an emphasis on Indian food and condiments (I've purchased delicious tamarind and mango chutney there), but really, they have everything. 

To the left is the spice section, to the right are chutneys.  Above, you'll see some of the many many different varieties of SALT!  I bought some lentils and some garam masala, plus some tasty looking saffron rice.  I'll keep you posted on how everything is.  Hopefully, I'll find the energy to cook again soon... 

 

ABT - Sleeping Beauty

Last night was my last subscription ballet of the season, Sleeping Beauty.  Although I usually have Thursday night tickets, I exchanged for a Wednesday night so I could see David Hallberg and Natalia Osipova, who I loved last year in Romeo and Juliet.  Unfortunately, David was injured last week, so they replaced the pair with Alina Cojocaru and Johan Kobborg, both guest artists from the Royal Ballet in London.  I remember reading an article about Cojocaru earlier this season, comparing her favorably with Polina Semionova (who I love), so I figured all would be fine.


And I was right.  It was a lovely evening--Cojocaru was a terrific Aurora and her Rose Adagio brought gasps and bravos from the crowd before it was even over.  Her balances were sure, her youthful energy was palpable and her connection with all of the princes was terrific.  In the vision sequence, she danced with such spectral beauty, that seeing her again in the wedding pas de deux was almost like seeing another dancer.  She has wonderful layers to Aurora.

Kobborg, on the other hand, didn't thrill me.  He certainly has lovely line and seems a solicitous partner (his hands during partnering are particularly lovely), but he doesn't have much buoyancy or excitement in his solo dancing.  It was never less than technically good, but left me wanting a little more.  And his hands during his solo work were very clunky.  Maybe I've just had so much good fortune at seeing the superlative Marcelo Gomes all season and now other dancers pale in comparison.  :)           


Stella Abrera was lovely as the Lilac Fairy, very delicate yet sure.  Of the other fairies, I most enjoyed Melanie Hamrick, who I thought had exquisite arms and beautiful timing.  I look forward to seeing her again.  Isabella Boyston and Sascha Radetsky were terrific in the Bluebird pas de deux, though, again, I wish Sascha would fill the stage more when he dances.  It's all fine, just not as great as it could be. 


I actually saw this version of Sleeping Beauty right after it premiered in 2007--I went back and looked at my review and noticed a few complaints that seem to have been ironed out.  The bed in the third act now has a better sight line, and the hideous pepto-bismol pink wimples are gone, though the mustard-colored dresses for the corps are still there.  There must've been a sale on that color material, though why anyone would want it, I just don't know.  I feel as if there may be more scenery on stage right, though, because it seemed like people were having problems with their spacing over there, as if there just wasn't enough room.  It was especially distracting in the prologue, but got better as the evening progressed.


All in all, the ballet was lovely and I'm glad I saw it.  I hope Cojocaru dances with ABT again next season--I would very much like to see her take on Giselle or Juliet.  And I hope David Hallberg recuperates soon, not only for his own sake, but for mine.  :)


I would be remiss if I didn't mention my seat neighbor, the one who kept me from enjoying the evening as much as I would've liked.  Of course, I realize that's almost as much my fault as his; normally I can plow through distractions and focus, but last night, he was just driving me completely insane.  Firstly, he was clearly a regular at ABT, because he knew everyone sitting around him and talked so authoritatively about the company members with his friends in front of him.  Obviously, because he spends so much time at ABT, there isn't time for doing his laundry or even bathing.  Blech.  The aroma was not enchanting.  Then, ever so helpfully, he conducted along with the orchestra, occasionally he would mime with the dancers, and he even took the trouble to wave his hand dismissively if a dancer wasn't exiting the stage fast enough.  He also found time to laugh out loud during some moments, as if the dancing was too ridiculous to be believed.  He was just so beyond irritating, I was ready to kill him.


The Wednesday night subscribers are a chummy bunch and all seem to know each other--during the intermission, a lady came down to talk to the people sitting on the other side of me.  Here is a direct quote:  "Oh, this evening is bittersweet.  My husband died Sunday.  But my granddaughter is coming in for the funeral, so I'm bringing her here Friday night."  Um, even her ballet friends didn't really know how to respond to that.


And so another ABT season closes for me.  I so love my ballet subscription and look forward to next summer.  Actually, ABT just announced they'll be doing a fall season at City Center, so I may have to get a ticket or two for that.  Waiting a year for my ballet fix gets harder and harder...

Oh, and the last photos?  There was an enormous screen on the Koch Theater, where NYCB performs.  When I entered the Met, I wondered what it was for.  When I came out, it looked like they were testing some sort of film or something, but no one was really watching it.  Could be interesting moving forward. 

 

The Love of My Life

OK, so I talk about theater boyfriends and tennis boyfriends and various other crushes and husbands, but I thought I'd take a minute to talk about the true love of my life, my nephew, Danny.  Ever since the minute he was born and I was the third person to hold him (and don't think I didn't consider pushing the bonehead brother-in-law out of the way so I could be #2!), he has resided in my heart as my very favorite person.  He once asked me, "Do you love me better than anyone else, Aunt Tari?"  I said, "Yes, I do."  He said, "What about Nana?"  I said, "Well, I've loved Nana longer, but I love you more.  Just don't tell her."  He smiled and that was that. 

I'm so fortunate that my nephew just happens to be the most handsome, funny, clever, talented and smartest boy in the world.  How great that it's worked out that way!  :)   When he was a baby, I made an effort to visit him at least a few days every few months, plus I made recordings for him, so he could always hear my voice.  I think that helped us bond, even though we're far apart.  Of course, that also spoiled him a little.  He gets so mad when I can't come to visit as often as he'd like.  Another reason I'm very fortunate--my nephew seems to love me as much as I love him.  Maybe it has something to do with the fact that we're both Aries.  Or that we were born in the same Chinese horoscope sign--the dragon.  I don't know, but I'll take it.  He's a pip and I love that he loves me so much.

I have, at various times, called him my sweetheart, my angel boy, baby, sweetie, honey, doll baby.  Now that he's getting older, I'm not allowed to call him any of those names in public.  I can call him Danny or Buddy.  It's not easy, but since he asked, I'm trying.  Of course, in private, he'll always be my angel boy... :)

When Danny was little, he used to think I lived at the airport, since that's where he always picked me up and dropped me off, I guess.  So he would get a suitcase out and say he was going to visit me.  He asked for an airport toy for Christmas one year, and would play with it and pretend I was there, too.   My mom says he would look out the window and ask where I was and when would I be there.  One time when I went to visit, we played played played for three days straight.  And when it was time for me to go, he just wrapped his little body around my legs and wouldn't let me leave.  Can I have a big 'awwwwwwwwwwwwwwww' at how cute that is?!?!?!

The last time he came to visit me, all he wanted to do was sit in my office with me.  I kept trying to get him to go out and explore New York, but he would rather sit and put together Legos or read a book, as long as he could sit near me.  I must be the luckiest aunt in the world.

In honor of the love of my life, I'm going to share some of the delicious things he has said over the years, along with a few photos.  I finally started jotting them down in my phone, so I wouldn't forget them.  So now he'll say "is that phone-worthy??"  Hee hee.  But enjoy...

• Danny:  Aunt Tari, why didn't you wear pink?  It's the new black...
• Danny:  Aunt Tari, do you like my evil laugh?  I've been working on it...
• Nana:  Well, I was cute then.  Danny:  Are you sure?
• Danny:  I think you look 36, Aunt Tari...
• Danny:  (when setting up game pieces)  I don't want to give the devils to Mommy.  We're Christians...
• Danny:  You sure don't want to be driving on Route 666 going south...
• Danny:  If the mom is a person and the dad is a dragon, they'd have to have a really big bed...
• Danny:  (eating cookie)   I love that hint of cinnamon...
• Danny:  Mom, is this good plating?

ABT - Swan Lake

When I got my subscription to ABT, Swan Lake wasn't included in the series. so I bought an extra ticket just to see it.  When I saw that David Hallberg was doing one of the evenings, that's the one I chose.  He's one of my favorites, and when I saw him dance earlier in the season with Polina Semionova in Don Quixote, it made me even more excited to see them dance Swan Lake.

Imagine my disppointment when I arrived at the Met last night to find a program with a slip of paper in it.  I gingerly took it out and saw that David was injured and would not be dancing.  Well, crap.  But it also announced that Marcelo Gomes would be taking his place, along with Daniil Simkin as the best friend, Benno.  Oh, well, ok.  I do love me some Marcelo Gomes.  I tried not to let my disappointment color my enjoyment early on.

No need to have worried.  From the start, I was entranced.  Marcelo Gomes is truly a danseur noble, a charming and charismatic performer, and a generous partner.  I was happy to see Susan Jaffe play the Queen Mother - I enjoyed seeing her perform many times before she retired a few years ago.  Her Queen was beautiful and regal, but no nonsense.  You could see Marcelo really struggle to accept the demands his mother was placing on him.  In fact, their acting was so good, I found myself watching them on the side, instead of watching the corps do the dancing center stage.  Which is probably a positive and a negative.

Polina was a magical Odette--lyrical and sad, with beautiful positions.  You could see her melt and fall in love with Marcelo (who wouldn't?!), and their pas de deux were gorgeous.  The gals dancing the swans were also quite good, as were the cygnets doing the famous quartet.  So many dancers were different than who were listed in the program, I'm afraid I can't remember which four gals played the cygnets.  Sorry.  But they were lovely and completely in unison.

Sascha Radetsky, who I loved in the movie Center Stage several years ago, played the human form of Rothbart (the lizard Rothbart was played by Roman Zhurbin, god love him).  I haven't seen Sascha dance in several years.  He was again quite good, but not great.  He just doesn't have 'it' for me.  He doesn't fill the stage with charisma the way I like my dancers.  I guess that's not his problem but mine.  But oh.my.god, the Black Swan pas de deux was rocking!  Polina was an AMAZING Odile!!  She was imperious and seductive, doing the Odette movements with a mocking edge, and she had amazing energy and verve.  It was so incredible.  The joy Marcelo danced with, thinking he was showing his beloved Odette to his mother, was palpable.  I can't describe how moved and excited I was watching.  The ending was magical--the way they both leapt to their death was gorgeous.  The audience pretty much started screaming and leaping to their feet the instant the music stopped.  I think we all felt we had seen something pretty special.

I do hope David feels better by next week, when I have tickets to see him dance Sleeping Beauty, my last ballet of the summer.  :(   But, if he still doesn't dance, I'm sure I'll enjoy his replacement just as much.  I wonder who it will be??? 

A little bit of Italy in Times Square

Ever since I saw the first ads for the Pompeii exhibit at the Discovery Center on 43rd Street, I've been dying to go.  We had planned to go as a group, my Italian tripmates and I, but it just got too hard to coordinate schedules.  I went today with one gal pal and we had a great time.  The only downside:  they won't let you take photos.  So I guess I'll just post some of the pics I took in 2007.

There were hundreds of people clamoring to get into the Harry Potter exhibit, and maybe a dozen wanting to get into Pompeii.  Fine with me.  The less crowded, the better.  Kind of like our day in Pompeii.  Anyway, first, you're in an enclosed room where an employee tells you to turn off your phone and don't take pictures.  You watch a three-minute 'here's what happened in Pompeii' video, then you're in the exhibit.  It's really incredible.  Being able to get so close to all those frescoes and statues is amazing.  It was so incredibly difficult to not touch everything, even though there are signs everywhere that say 'don't touch'.   The painstaking detail to the mosaics was gorgeous and it's just unbelievable how vivid the colors still are.

Once you look at all the stuff that probably decorated people's houses before they were destroyed (and after you wander into the brothel replica that's behind a pillar to hide it from kids, but the kids walk in anyway), you go watch another video that is a time-lapse video of what happened during the Vesuvius eruption.  There's vibration and sound and light and wind--it's pretty cool, then you're escorted into the other side of the exhibit, which includes the plaster casts of bodies recovered.  Some of the casts are replicas (like the one of the crouching guy--I got a photo of him in Pompeii and it's good to know they didn't move him), but some are the actual casts.  No matter how many times I see them, they're still so eerie.  And it's mind-blowing to think of the actual perfect-storm of chemistry that must've happened for everything to be so incredibly well preserved.  Apparently, the ash adhered to the bodies and solidified as the bodies decomposed.  Then, when the bodies were discovered, scientists figured out how to pour plaster into the natural molds that developed. 

After you wander through the 'graveyard' they've put together, you can see a newsreel about the 1944 eruption of Vesuvius, which is really interesting.  Then you see timelines of the volcanic eruptions, the development of the archaeology and also some architecture of the destroyed homes.  You also see some carbonized food that was recovered, along with cooking tools, jewelry, medical supplies, cosmetics and mortuary items.  The breadth of items recovered is astounding.  Every corner you turn, there's something amazing to look at.  They've also included some interactive computer stuff that's pretty interesting, but I'd rather look at the real artifacts instead of simulations of them.  That's just me.

I was feeling pretty tired by this point, so we finished up and headed down into the gift shop.  OK, I wanted one of everything, but settled on some magnets.  Of course, when the cashier was ringing up my purchase, she dropped one of my magnets and it shattered.  I said I don't want that one anymore.  Funny how things could survive a volcano but not a hardwood floor!  :)

It was a really grand exhibit and I would definitely consider going back, even though it's quite pricey.  I immediately came home and looked at my photo album from our day at Pompeii.  It was a gloomy rainy day that day, but it was also one of the most wonderful days of our trip.  So much history and drama--I can't wait to go back someday.  Enjoy a photo from today, and the rest are from 2007.