So I had a busy weekend after all, even though I was bone tired. Still am, to be honest. Saturday, I had a rehearsal for an event I'm attending tonight. After the rehearsal (where we had an awesome view, btw! see it on the right), I texted a friend that I haven't seen for a while to find out if she were free for dinner. She wasn't, but she was seeing Swing State at NYMF and would I like to come, too? Sure, why not??Since they moved NYMF (the New York Musical Theater Festival) from September to July, it was rather off my radar. I only know a few people involved this year, so I haven't been paying much attention. My bad. But a mutual friend directed Swing State, so I was glad to tag along. The performance was billed as sold out, but I was persistent at the box office, and the very kind gal gave me what she said was the last ticket. I saw a few empty seats in the house, though, so I felt badly for the people who didn't get in.
I knew absolutely nothing about Swing State when I went in, but had a vague opinion in my mind about its subject matter, thanks to the title. I was a little bit right, but mainly wrong, in my assumptions. I'm happy to say I've never seen this story told before, which was a definite plus. A definite minus, however, is that the storytelling of this original subject matter was a bit confusing to me.
The musical concerns two characters, a schoolteacher and a chiropractor, in rural Ohio. The fact that the schoolteacher is a born again Christian and the chiropractor is gay is the supposed conflict of the piece. But it's not. She never rejects him and he never ridicules her. Well, he disagrees with her about something, but still. So that conflict isn't really developed well. The chiropractor's motivations were all over the place and his character was really diffuse. And I'm not sure why the schoolteacher had to be a born again Christian, as opposed to a Christian her whole life. It can't have only been because there was a song called "Born Again...Again," can it? It's like the writers wanted to make her a kind of wackadoodle, but not, to hedge their bets. So the balance of the piece was off from the get go, in my opinion, and the ending was just...odd. Intellectually, I guess I understood it, but I felt like the inherent drama that was trying to be built previously just fell apart, as if the ending was "oh, nevermind." That bothered me, because I think some important things could've been said in this musical.
I'm being purposefully vague with plot points because I think seeing the events unfold without knowing them in advance would work better for you. Even though some of the unfolding was confusing; well, at least it was to me. But the actors are both quite good and have excellent chemistry, so they maintained my interest and my sympathy throughout. My friend directed the show very well - it's a small space, but it's used intelligently throughout. I never understand why singers have to use body mics in such a small theater, but that's just me, I guess. I think the book and lyrics are much stronger than the music, even with their sometimes confusing quality. Of course, my review is probably rather confusing too. I'm too confused to write coherently. :) To sum up, I'd say if you're looking for a musical that tells a story you probably haven't seen before, go see Swing State. Perhaps it will make more sense to you.
Since it was raining Friday, I thought it was the perfect day to try the Melt Shop, a grilled cheese restaurant on the east side. I was too lazy for a museum, but not too lazy for a grilled cheese. Clearly, I didn't pay attention to the fact that it wasn't a sit-down-indoors restaurant, or I may have postponed my sampling for another day. But, since I was there, I went ahead and ordered. I figured since I only live four stops away on the subway, how cold could my sandwich get? ;) 
Thumbs WAY up for Melt Shop! The tater tots were delicious, as was the barbecue dipping sauce, and the sandwich was amazing, too. Please don't tell the vegetarian police, but I got the smoked turkey melt (sans bacon). Love love loved it and I will have to go back again to try most of the other sandwiches. Oh, and I also got a tasty vegetable wrap at Zuni Saturday night after seeing Swing State. Thumbs up on the vegetable wrap. I had some great food this weekend! :)Sunday, I went to New Rochelle for a picnic and had a grand time. I always love going to Grand Central and taking a train somewhere - I feel like I'm in a movie. Plus, it was a beautiful day to be outside with work chums and their kids. I was happy to eat barbecue and to spend some quality time with a five year old and eleven year old. And the adults, of course. :) Enjoy the photos from my sojourn to New Rochelle...
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