Magical MissTari Tour: Playing Catch-Up

Wow, I have been so busy lately! I've been seeing things, yes, but I've also been swamped at work and at home, so I apologize for the radio silence. I'm hoping to get my ducks in a row soon and not let so much time go by between posts. Here is a brief(ish) report of what I've been up to:

photo credit: Joan Marcus

I went to City Center to see Hey, Look Me Over, the new Encores revue show. I mainly bought a ticket because Douglas Sills was going to be doing numbers from Mack and Mabel, which is one of those time-machine shows for me (I wish I'd seen the original production). Hey, Look Me Over had a song or two from nine shows that they have wanted to produce over the years, but haven't done so for one reason or another. The show was tied together by the delightful Bob Martin, who recreated his Man in Chair character from The Drowsy Chaperone. I enjoyed the evening, and Martin's commentary, quite a lot, though I thought they could've cut at least one represented musical, if not two. But Douglas Sills was indeed sublime as Mack Sennett and got one of the biggest ovations of the evening. The other huge ovation was for Clifton Duncan and his amazing performance of "Never Will I Marry" from Greenwillow. He really was thrilling. I was also quite taken with Reed Birney and Judy Kuhn's touching performance of "Once Upon a Time" from All-American. Oh, and I always enjoy Bebe Neuwirth, who was tart perfection performing some Noel Coward. So I'm glad I went to see Hey, Look Me Over; I only wish we had gotten to see the 'secret guest star' the night I went. Oh well, I guess you can't have everything.

I went to readings of two new musicals, one rather old-fashioned and one rather new-wave and I enjoyed them both. Since they were readings, I won't say anything else, but I will keep my eye on both projects. On Valentine's Day, I made a return visit to Once on This Island with a group of co-workers - the show made me cry as always, though I admit that I missed the ending that I had seen in the preview performance in November. But the two new cast members, Norm Lewis (who is just PERFECT in everything he does) and Tamyra Gray were excellent additions and I loved the show just as much in my second viewing as I did in my first. Norm may have pushed my enjoyment level even higher than before, since he is absolutely sublime. I actually think I need to see the show again, although the cast album comes out next week; maybe I can make do with that. I was a bit sad about how empty the house was at my performance; I hope it was just because it was a Wednesday matinee in February and not that the show is in any trouble of closing. It's just too beautiful to not be the most popular show in town.

Last Thursday, I went to a new play at Ensemble Studio Theatre - Against the Hillside. The playwright, Sylvia Khoury, who I know through my work, invited me to see the show and I'm so grateful she did. It's a smart and timely play, written with care and humanity, about the toll drone warfare takes on everyone, both the perpetrators and the victims. I thought the acting was excellent and enjoyed not knowing where this story, one I haven't seen before, would take me. And the coda was completely unexpected and terrific. I was very invested in every character's story and I thought each character was depicted with beautiful humanity. I should've written about the play in more detail, and earlier, since it closes this weekend, but I did want to at least share her name, so that you can keep an eye out for what she writes next. I know I will.

Then last weekend, for the holiday weekend, I took myself on a tiny adventure. REALLY tiny, just out to Uniondale, Long Island. There is a new tennis tournament out there, the New York Open. It's the first year, and the USTA sent out a discount ticket offer to its members a while ago. I've had this ticket for a really long time and had been looking forward to it for a really long time, too. After seeing that the Long Island Railroad and the subways weren't really connecting last weekend, I opted to get a hotel room at the nearby Long Island Marriott, so I wouldn't have to worry about hurrying to catch a last train after the tennis was over. I'm glad I did that - the hotel was literally in the parking lot of the Nassau Coliseum (where the tennis tournament was being held), so that was perfect. I got to see two terrific tennis matches, both of them going three sets, and stay in a comfortable hotel AND order room service. Oh, and I rode in the elevator with one of the players. Whee! Win-win, all around. I think, if I go back next year, I will get tickets for Friday night and Saturday afternoon, to make my time there last longer. It did feel as if I traveled more than I watched tennis, but I'm glad I went. I'm afraid I'm too tired to talk about the players, or the matches in more detail, but believe me when I say the tennis was well-played and the victories were hard-fought. I'll put some photos below.

Geez, this post is really long, sorry. I've also seen two new plays this week, but I really only liked one of them, and it's in previews. But you should go see it: Some Old Black Man, by James Anthony Tyler, at 59E59 Theater. I know James through my job as well, and I love him, so I imagine I'm predisposed to enjoy his work, but enjoy it I did. He writes such beautifully real characters and his plots are contemporary, but the essence of what he's saying is universal. I laughed and I cried and I recognized the problems these two characters were struggling with. The play is still in previews, and I saw an understudy for one of the two actors, so I won't say anything other than please go see this play. I plan to go back towards the end of the run - you should go see it, too. I should also mention that I saw it with a group of dear dear ones, and that made the evening special as well. But James is another playwright worth keeping your eye on, so please do.

I think that's all the news that's fit to print. I've discovered a new liqueur that I'm fond of and hope to enjoy more cocktails including it. I have a couple of plays coming up this week, so I promise to try to be more on top of the blogging. I have also tried a couple of new recipes, which may or may not be blog-worthy. I'll keep you posted. And I'll try not to be such a stranger...