Thoughts on Life Could Be a Dream (NYMF), Blue Man Group, and the joy of tater tots

I believe I've mentioned before that I don't generally enjoy seeing shows on the weekends.  I prefer hunkering in my apartment to try to rest up before a new and crazy week.  But, if I wanted to see a friend's show at NYMF, I had to drag my sorry self out of Queens and to...my favorite theater!  It made the trip a little less painful, knowing I would be seeing a dear friend's show at Signature Theatre!  :)

I can't really review Life Could Be a Dream fairly, since I know and love several people on the production team and I have little to no perspective on their work.  Hello, they're uber-talented.  I will say, however, that I'm ever so glad I saw the show.  It's a fun fun time in the theater.  I had a smile on my face the entire afternoon - the perfect summer show.  And the crowd just went nuts for it, which was fun to see.

The creator/director of Life Could Be a Dream, Roger Bean, also gave us the adorable Marvelous Wonderettes, which had a very nice Off-Broadway run a couple of years ago.  In that same vein, Life Could Be a Dream takes place in 1960, and uses iconic songs from the 50s and 60s as its playlist.  Wonderful songs like "Tears on My Pillow," "Earth Angel," "I Only Have Eyes for You," and many many others (there are 23 musical numbers listed in the program!) are used to propel the plot forward - a story about young men desperate to win a radio contest that has a record contract as its prize.  The show is sweet and straightforward, well-directed and designed, with obscenely talented performers.  All of the actors are terrific singers and they put all of the songs over beautifully.  If there were a cast album, I'd buy it right now.  I can only hope some producer-types caught Life Could Be a Dream, because it could also have a very nice run Off-Broadway and satisfy audiences for years to come.  I mean, I'm not joking, the crowd Saturday afternoon were having a great time.  At least the people around me were.  They kept telling their seat neighbors how fantastic the show was.  I think that's a good sign.  And it made me feel as if I didn't love the show just because I love my friends...

 

When my sister and nephew were here last week, we took a trip downtown to see Blue Man Group.  Oddly enough, I've lived here for nearly 20 years and I've never caught the show before.  I've seen the random skit here and there, but that's it.  Somehow, my nephew caught their act on YouTube, so he was really looking forward to seeing the show.  Thankfully, there were TDF tickets available for Fourth of July weekend - Blue Man Group is not a cheap endeavor.

I haven't been in the Astor Place Theatre for years; they've really spruced up the place.  Clearly, Blue Man Group renovated the space to make it more funky and modern, just like they are.  In the lobby (which was happily air conditioned, with benches, so we weary tourists could sit for a few minutes before the show), there are screens with evocative scenes using paint, a small concessions area and a gift shop.  The house was pretty full - we were in the mezzanine, which (to be honest) doesn't really have enough of a rake.  Teenagers who haven't quite hit their peak height yet might have a hard time seeing over the head of tourists in front of them.  Happily, we found a seat in the row in front of us that was unoccupied and my nephew could move down there and have an unobstructed view of the stage.  That also forced him to be a little social with his seat neighbors, who kept trying to engage him in conversation.  Sharpening his social skills is never a bad thing.

 

The show was a treat, with high energy and plenty of visual pizazz.  The drumming with the paint was gorgeous, the audience interaction stuff was a riot, and the band was terrific.  The 3D/2.5D piece was amazing, and the iPhone bits were ingenious.  My nephew loved it, thank heavens - he laughed and made sure to let his mom and me know when to pay really close attention.  And there was enough new stuff that he hadn't seen before to keep him really engaged.  He wants to see the show again when the tour stops in his hometown!  Hurrah from his aunt.  Oh, and the Blue Men come out after the show and have their pictures taken with whoever wants one.  My nephew wouldn't go that far, but he did get a fantastic photo of one of the guys looking right at him.  My picture?  Not as good.  But it's fun anyway, once I cropped out a random audience member...

 

For some reason, I have been obsessed with tater tots lately.  A need for nostalgia?  A vitamin deficiency?  Who knows?  But Saturday, after Life Could Be a Dream, I waited forever for the crosstown bus (my usual subway train wasn't running over the weekend, so I wanted to take the bus to Grand Central).  The bus never came, so I got in a cab and asked him to take me to the subway stop in Manhattan before Queens.  Why I didn't just have him drive me all the way home, I'll never know.  But, wait:  now I know!  When I got out of the cab and walked down to the subway, I remembered Melt Shop!  And what do they have, besides delicious sandwiches?  TATER TOTS!  Oh, happy day!  A serendipitous stop, if I do say so myself.  I guess it's a good thing I don't live near a Melt Shop, because I would be eating there all the time.  Their grilled cheese sandwiches are beyond yummy and their tater tots are out of this world!  They satisfied my tater tot craving, at least for now (and they lasted two days!  Melt Shop tater tots even taste good as leftovers!).  But I have a class tonight in Chelsea and won't shock myself if I stop in the Chelsea branch of Melt Shop for more of those wonderful tots.  For some reason, they just make me feel a little bit better about...everything.  :)