It's Becoming a Tradition!

In looking back at last year's December posts, I noticed I had tried a new Chinese restaurant with some friends.  Well, it's apparently becoming a tradition because I tried another new Chinese restaurant with those same friends last weekend!  Hooray for Christmas Chinese food!  :) 

We didn't head all the way to Flushing this time - instead we went to Elmhurst, which is only a hop, skip and a jump from my apartment (just four stops on the subway!), so I definitely will need to head out there again.  My friends just got back from Vietnam (and brought me a lovely souvenir), but they do love their Chinese food.  So off we went to Uncle Zhou.

 

The food at Uncle Zhou is from the Henan province, in the middle of China.  They're known for their sweet and sour sauce and also their noodles.  The chefs at Uncle Zhou makes all their noodles by hand in the back of the restaurant - I definitely have to go back so I can get photos of that!  The restaurant is an unassuming place, filled with families and locals.  My friends were known to "Mrs Uncle Zhou" and she came out to give them a greeting. 

We had several dishes - in the front of the restaurant is a case of unlabeled cold appetizers, so we started with some plates of chili-marinated cabbage and marinated lotus root.  Both were very crisp and refreshing.  Then we got a bowl of the tomato and egg knife-shaved noodles.  Wow.  SOOOOOOO yummy.  Those noodles were amazing - chewy and dense, yet still soft and pillowy.  There's also bits of stewed tomato, scrambled egg, marinated mushrooms and just a hint of peanut sauce.  I could've eaten that whole bowl (the three of us shared it since we were getting so much food).  Just clean, delicious flavors.

We also got the 'spicy crispy rabbit in big tray,' which was exactly as advertised.  It was a huge plate of little deep-fried rabbit nuggets, bone in, with chiles and Sichuan peppercorns.  Please don't tell the vegetarian police, but I did try a couple of bites of the rabbit nuggets.  They weren't overly spicy, which I appreciated, but I did find the bones to be a little annoying.  It wasn't my favorite dish, but it was certainly tasty. 

The next dish was just astounding and now I have to adjust my 'favorite dishes of 2012' post to add it.  We got the baked noodles and fish, which was a whole tilapia, lightly fried, smothered in the most delicious sweet and sour sauce I've ever had.  Then it's topped with bei mian noodles, which looked like shredded wheat to me.  The noodles are hand-pulled and then baked.  Some of the noodles get soft in the delicious sauce and some stay crunchy.  This is an amazingly delicious dish.  The contrasts of the sweet and sour, crunchy and soft, was terrific.  I wish I could describe it better.  YUMMY is the best I can do.  :)  We also had some excellent sauteed eggplant in garlic sauce, but it wasn't as special as the other dishes.  Plus, I forgot to get a picture.  Oops.  But it was tasty.

 

Thumbs enormously way up for Uncle Zhou.  I will definitely be going back.  Apparently, in that neighborhood near the Elmhurst subway stop, there are other restaurants worth trying, so my friends and I will definitely be going back.  And I will be going back myself to have some more of those noodles and that fish.  SO good.

 

To end, I'll keep another tradition going and attach some Christmas-y photos I've shot around town.  I love Christmas decorations - enjoy!

 

 

 

Review - A Christmas Carol

Dickens' A Christmas Carol is one of my very favorite stories in the whole world.  It's so moving and uplifting.  And I love almost all of the movie and tv movie adaptations.  I even love The Muppets Christmas Carol (hey, Paul Williams wrote some good songs!)  I wore out my cassette tape version of Patrick Stewart's one-man version.  So, naturally, I'm predisposed to enjoy a new stage version.

I've been lucky enough to see my friend Kevin Jones' one-man version of A Christmas Carol a couple of times already - he's done some small gatherings and working sessions to try to hone the piece to its ultimate best.  Each evening was better than the last, and I must say, last night's Off-Broadway production at Theatre Row's Studio Theatre, produced by the Summoners Ensemble Theatre, was the best yet. 

I love the way Kevin (he adapted the script with Dr. Rhonda Dodd) savors the sterling literary qualities in Dickens' story - he doesn't need to muck with anything because the beauty and emotion are right there in the original text.  Kevin plays dozens of characters and differentiates between them beautifully.  You feel as if you've spent the evening with several actors instead of one.  Each character has unique qualities - Jacob Marley was terrifying and guilt-ridden, the Cratchits were loving and warm-hearted, and Scrooge was actually a little bit charming.  He was one of those old guys who find themselves funny (though no one else does) and I just knew him immediately.  I loved it.  There was also a terrific balance between characters and narration. 

Putting the script together, I think Kevin wisely chose where to cut and where to keep text, to make the show as lean and moving as possible.  I also think he quite smartly included a bit of humor, to keep the audience (and himself!) on their toes.  There's a rise and fall and build of emotion throughout.  It's really really expertly done.

Clearly, I went into the theater last night predisposed to enjoy myself.  I love Kevin and I love A Christmas Carol.  What I didn't expect was to be so monumentally moved - more than usual, in fact.  Seeing a story that starts with a character with a real lack of empathy, along with dying children, was far more touching after the tragic events yesterday.  There were moments that were almost unbearably charged with emotion that was pre-existing in the text, yes, but were compounded by the sadness I brought with me.  And the characters Ignorance and Want took on even greater profound qualities.  Scrooge's redemption was so earned, and Dickens' humanity was so necessary.  When theater and life come together like that, it's a beautiful thing, though obviously I'd rather have it happen without a real-life tragedy.

I know that Kevin, and Summoners Ensemble, are hoping to make this an annual event, and even to tour the show around.  I'll be doing my part to get the word out.  It's fantastic and you should keep your eyes open for when it comes back...

Review - Working

I have a soft spot for the musical Working for many reasons.  I've worked on the show twice - once in grad school and once when I was teaching in NY - and found both productions to be wonderful experiences.  Plus, there's one particular song in the show that has special resonance for me.  My dad is/was a mason, so "The Mason" song just moves me to no end.  In fact, all of the blue collar pieces are very touching to me - honest observances of workers who work hard, often for no credit, but who want more for their kids.   Plus plus, I've been fortunate enough to work with most of the contributors to this show, thanks to my job, and I love them all (can I say I have extra love for Micki Grant?  I'm sure I can).  I'll admit to being skeptical about how the musical would work with only six actors - since I had worked on the show at colleges, we used many students in the cast - but knowing this concept had been successfully done in Chicago and L.A. in the past helped put my mind at ease.

 

I shouldn't have worried.  This Working works like gangbusters!  I really thought the production, produced by the Prospect Theater Company, was terrific.  Well-cast, wonderfully directed and smartly designed, Working hits all the right buttons.  I laughed, I cried, it was better than Cats.  :) 

Each performer gets to shine more than once, since the six actors double (even triple and quadruple) up and play more than one character.  They were all wonderful singers, but probably even better actors.  This piece is so text-driven, even in the song lyrics, that you need solid acting to make them work completely.  All of the actors were good at making their different characters a specific individual and giving all of the professions the dignity they deserved.  I think that's one of the things that makes this musical so special - the dignity afforded to professions you wouldn't normally think about.

 

This version of the show has two new songs, written by Lin-Manuel Miranda, and both of the new songs were terrific.  They fit inside the existing piece beautifully.  I was most taken by his song "A Very Good Day."  It starts off pleasantly, but when it gets to the refrain, all of a sudden I was knocked back in my seat by emotion and recognition.  It's really a special song, I think.

 

All of the songs are pretty iconic to me by now - I've been listening to them for over twenty years.  I'm always moved by "Millwork" and "If I Could've Been," and they were particularly well-performed, as was "Cleanin' Women" and "Fathers and Sons."  Oh, shoot, all the songs were well done.  And "The Mason" brought tears to my eyes, as always.  Craig Carnelia and Studs Terkel really captured my dad all right.

 

Hats off to the director for taking a look at this musical with clear eyes and making some fresh, original choices.  The transitions from scene to scene are beautifully put together, and the opening sequence is beautifully eloquent and sets just the right tone.  And congratulations to all the wonderful actors - Marie-France Arcilla, Joe Cassidy, Donna Lynne Champlin, Jay Armstrong Johnson, Nehal Joshi and Kenita R. Miller.  Well-done, all.  Everyone get yourself to 59E59 to see Working - you won't be sorry.

Reviews galore - Grace and Glengarry Glen Ross

I had a friend from out of town come in last weekend and he very graciously invited me to be his guest at two shows: Grace and Glengarry Glen Ross.  I should've made him take me to Golden Boy so we could hit the G trifecta... :)  OH, I should say that spoilers will abound below.  You have been warned.  Seriously.  There will be monumental spoilers.  Not joking.  If you don't want to know what happens in Grace, stop reading now.

For some reason, Grace was sort of off my radar.  I don't know why - I enjoy Paul Rudd, Michael Shannon and Ed Asner, and I enjoyed Kate Arrington when I saw her in a show at Steppenwolf a few years ago.  I also saw a play of Craig Wright's a few years ago and enjoyed it.  So why haven't I seen Grace?  Why didn't I even read the reviews after it opened?  I have no idea.  I vaguely knew that the play was about a born-again Christian couple and I had also heard that the ending is played first and the rest of the play wraps around to show you how they got there.  Well, that didn't really prepare me. 

HERE COME THE SPOILERS.  Clearly, any play that begins with a man shooting himself in the head does so to get my attention immediately.  Unfortunately, all it made me do was want to leave.  That act so horrified me that I couldn't really get into the rest of the play.  And, afterward, I wondered why the playwright wanted me to see that first?  How did it illuminate the play?

Grace seems to be a rumination on the nature of faith, but how can we explore that if the first thing we see is clearly someone who has lost faith?  Hasn't the deck already been stacked?  I don't understand.  We even later had a Holocaust monologue.  I don't know.  I just found the opening moments so disturbing, I've been having nightmares since I saw it.  Full disclosure:  I know people who have committed suicide.  So that most likely added to my discomfort and disturbance.  I'd like to think, though, that if the play had been more intellectually engaging, I could've moved past my issues.

The actors are all good - Paul Rudd is one of the best portrayers of guilelessness I've ever seen and Michael Shannon is just always brilliantly and realistically mesmerizing; there is some smart dialogue and I was moved by one of the monologues, but ultimately, I was repelled by this play because of its opening scene, and I was almost sick when we got back to that scene.  It's obvious I'm not the audience for this one and should've done more research before I went.  Lesson learned.  I will say that the audience really seemed to enjoy themselves and they leapt to their feet at the end of the show.  So, maybe there's something in Grace that I just couldn't get to.  I guess I'll never know.

Yesterday, my friend took me to the matinee of Glengarry Glen Ross.  I had assumed I wouldn't be seeing the show, since there are very few discounts available.  Also, I adored the last revival, so I figured I could just remember that production and live without seeing this one.  But, when a friend offers you a ticket, hey.  Gotta go.  :)

I will say I was minorly underwhelmed by this production.  It didn't blow me back in my seat the way the last revival did.  I tell you, when Liev Schreiber let loose, I couldn't breathe.  And Alan Alda just oozed desperation.  I didn't get any of that here.  In the first act, the three scenes seemed like unconnected playlets instead of scenes of the same play.  I don't remember feeling that disconnectness before.  Yes, Al Pacino is funny and watchable and can wring so much out of every line, but I felt as if in his zeal to be different from the Shelly Levenes that have come before him, he went too far the other way.  Taking Mamet's razor-sharp dialogue and slowing it down to a halting, realistic pace, just didn't work for me.  Plus, Pacino is constantly speaking without looking at the other actor - he's instead gazing out towards the audience, as if he's pleading with us to love him instead of Shelly Levene pleading for his leads.  And the unfocused quality also made him seem stoned or senile or something.  I don't know, it just didn't work for me. 

John C McGinley and Richard Schiff were a laugh riot in their first scene, which mostly had the drive I was looking for.  I normally love Bobby Cannavale, but he wasn't electric enough in his first scene as Ricky Roma.  I just didn't see why anyone would listen to him, let alone get that other diner in the restaurant to come over to his table and buy land.  Everything seemed to be dialed down and too quiet. 

Everyone did come more alive in the second act and it worked much better for me.  Pacino had more oomph, but, again, his description of his big sale was directed out to the audience and not to Ricky.  It was just weird staging.  I did enjoy, though, Pacino and Cannavale's delight in each other's shenanigans.  They had a nice, believeable rapport.  David Harbour was quite good as the office manager and Murphy Guyer made an impact as the police inspector.  Oh, and Jeremy Shamos was terrific in his second scene as the spineless Lingk.  In fact, I started to imagine him using Paul Rudd's gun after his pitiful exit from the office. 

So, I guess it was a perfectly decent production, but Glengarry shouldn't be perfectly decent.  It should be f*cking awesome.  And this one wasn't for me.  Though, again, I will note that the rest of the audience laughed their butts off throughout and they jumped to their feet and screamed with glee during the curtain call.  Maybe I'm just too f*cking picky...

Review - ABT's The Nutcracker

Last Friday, I made the trek out to Brooklyn to again see ABT's enchanting Nutcracker.  The show was again enchanting.  The audience...not so much. 

It's always a possibility that when you're in the audience of a holiday event, there will be a lot of restless, misbehaved children in the house.  Well, at BAM, it was the adults who were misbehaved.  The children all behaved themselves admirably.  The little girl sitting next to me, who was clearly bored by the middle of the second act, still sat quietly and watched respectfully; the girl in front of me who was perhaps developmentally disabled (I'm going from clues given by her companions) swayed to the music but was otherwise a fine audience member; even the toddlers dressed in grey sequined tutus (?!?!?!) behaved themselves.  So, I do not weep for the future of seat neighbors.

The adults, on the other hand, were NOT well-behaved.  A collective 'time out' was needed.  It seemed that the overture was just an indication for everyone to talk a little louder.  Someone started chanting during the overture and someone in the balcony dropped something onto the main floor.  The gal to the left of me had problems with my personal space when she got bored.  The gal to HER left took videos, no matter how many times we implored her to stop; the gent in the row in front of me stood up, sat down, stood up, sat down.  Finally he moved to an empty aisle seat.  And then there was the couple directly behind me.  They nearly caused me to lose my holiday spirit.  They talked throughout, in their indoor voices, about how much they were enjoying themselves, about how much they had enjoyed their dinner, and about how much they were going to enjoy their post-show dessert.  They made out, they whistled to the music, they annoyed.  The third time the guy started talking about how beautiful the lead ballerina is was the last straw. Finally, I couldn't take it anymore and SHUSHED them.  There was a shocked silence and they kept quiet for the rest of the ballet, thank heavens.  Clearly, I needed to have done it earlier.  It's just so beyond me that people can continue to talk, not whisper, during a performance.  GAH!  When I left and picked up my coat, they gave ME the evil eye.  Then started to make out again.  So...I guess they taught me a lesson.  :) 

Even with all that nonsense, I again adored the ballet.  I think Ratmansky has choreographed a Nutcracker that can be interpreted a lot of ways.  It's, naturally, very lively and spirited, but it's also melancholy and, in some parts, a bit scary.  All these qualities mesh beautifully.  I like the way the story plays out here, even if I did still prefer the first act.  I think I've figured out why:  I'm such a plot girl.  In the first act, we're getting dancing that's telling the story.  In the second act, there's no story per se, just dancing.  And he tries to impose a story on some of the dances.  I just found that less successful.  But I teared up during the snowflakes scene, from the music, the beauty and the wonder.  It's such a gorgeous act-ender.

 

This year, the opening night cast included Xiomara Reyes as the princess, and Eric Tamm as the prince.  They were lovely together.  I don't believe I've ever seen Tamm dance a lead role before and he was quite lovely.  He's got a nice line and was an elegant partner.  He did seem a bit winded at the end of the most vigorous choreography, but I'm sure he'll get better with that as his career progresses.  He has a charming smile on stage as if he's enjoying himself completely, which is great.  And if he wasn't enjoying himself?  Good acting, which is also appreciated.  Xiomara was her spirted, adorable self.  In fact, she may be the perfect person to play the princess who is Clara's grown-up self.  She seems like such a little girl herself (she's an itty bitty thing) and can really transmit wonder and delight as she dances.  I thought they were terrific.

 

Young Adelaide Clauss and Philip Perez were terrific as the children Clara and her Nutcracker prince.  They were just perfect, it seemed to me.  And last year's scene-stealer, little mouse Justin Souriau-Levine was back and was as charismatic as last year.  Adorable.  And he's in my goddaughter's dance class!  I had no idea.  I'll have to go back and see if I got any video of him!  I doubt it - I tend to focus on my goddaughters.  :)

 

So, even though I allowed myself to get annoyed by rude seat neighbors, I still was transported by beautiful music and even more beautiful dancing.  Next year, I'll have to invest in an aisle seat...

 

 

 

Review - The Heiress

When I moved back to New York in 1995, the first show I saw (after standing in line at TKTS) was The Heiress, starring Cherry Jones.  I'd never seen the play before, but the movie has always been one of my favorites.  And I totally should've played Catherine in my long-gone ingenue days.  But Cherry Jones, and that whole production, was spectacular.  I remember being spellbound and breathless throughout and I became a rabid Cherry Jones fan for life.  When I heard that a revival was being planned, I thought, "Why see it?  I saw an amazing production already."

But when my boss asked if I'd like to attend today's matinee of The Heiress with him, I was happy to say yes.  It seemed silly to skip the show, and I do always enjoy David Strathairn and Judith Ivey, plus, I've been known to quietly squeal like a fangirl at the sight of Dan Stevens as Cousin Matthew on Downton Abbey.   I've never seen Jessica Chastain before, though.  Although she's been in (seemingly) hundreds of films, I've not seen any of them yet.  So, I had no preconceived notions about her performance, other than she seemed a little too beautiful to play the awkward Catherine Sloper.

 

On the whole, thanks to the soundness of the script, the revival acquits itself nicely.  This play just works like gangbusters - it's a well-made melodrama, produced with care.  If it didn't have the star-spangled highlights, thrills and chills of the 1995 revival, I guess you can't have everything.

 

David Strathairn is terrific as Dr. Sloper - he effortlessly portrays this complex man who treats his daughter so cruelly, yet has affection for the 'idea' of her.  He's a cerebral man, who's lived in his past and his imagination for so many years that he just can't see what's really in front of him.  His palpable disappointment and fatigue at the top of act two was quite wonderful.  The tossing away of the insults and digs seemed even more painful than if they had been delivered in a more calculated fashion.

 

Judith Ivey is fantastic - so warm and funny and real, yet with true pathos.  Her sadness when she says "My dear, life can be very long for a woman alone" was heartbreaking.  She comes close to stealing the show from her very capable co-stars.

 

Dan Stevens is quite charming and handsome as Morris, though he did seem a little blandly nice.  Of course, when he starts to wax rhapsodic about the Venetian crystal, you could see the glittering schemer, but he could've used a touch more of that throughout.  Though I did buy his "I need your love now more" in the scene when he returns two years later - I could see the effects of his failures away from NY.  I guess I found him perfectly fine, but I was hoping for more.

 

Jessica Chastain couldn't hide her natural attractiveness (those cheekbones!), even with that horrible wig she's saddled with.  So I think they tried to undercut her attractiveness by making her even more socially awkward than usual (which is hard to imagine, since her awkwardness is so commented on throughout).  Chastain was approaching something like personality disorder with a flat affect.  Sometimes it worked, but other times it cut the humanity of Catherine and seemed to be played for broad comedy.  I found myself falling in and out of her performance - sometimes she was real and engaging, and sometimes she was false and actor-y.  I don't know.  Maybe this can be laid at the feet of the director.  Although, it could just be my natural prejudice and continuing admiration for Cherry Jones' performance that kept me from fully engaging with this Catherine.  I guess I would like to see Chastain in something else for which she might be more naturally suited. 

 

I thought Dee Nelson as Morris' sister was lovely and her scene with Dr. Sloper and then Catherine was spot-on.  There was an urgency there that might've been missing from a lot of the other scenes.  Virginia Kull was also quite good as Maria, the maid.  The set and costumes were wonderful and how lovely to see a full stage curtain. 

 

Having said all that, I had a good time and enjoyed myself tremendously.  I just love this story and the play is cracking good storytelling, plus it is being presented with respect and clarity.  I just think a spark of that extra-something special is missing. I will say the matinee audience was quite involved and engaged throughout, so...maybe the opinion of the many should be listened to over the opinion of the one.  :)

 

Jumpstarting the holidays...with food

I'm still pretty tired all the time, so all I can generally think about is sleep.  And food.  To try to stay awake while working late (since I was late coming into the office), I thought I'd write about some food I've enjoyed over the last couple of weeks.  I'm also starting to slowly get into the holiday spirit, so I'll attach some early holiday photos at the end, for your enjoyment.

For Thanksgiving this year, we went to a restaurant that was new to me - Schiller's Liquor Bar on the Lower East Side.  My gal pals and I have gone to Tre, an Italian restaurant in that same neighborhood, for Thanksgiving before, but we decided to change it up this year.  Schiller's got the nod because they were featuring a turkey dinner special.

 

Schiller's has a nice airy feeling, with a funky vibe that was a lot of fun.  Our server was also a charmer.  I started off with a lovely glass of their cote du rhone, while my pals enjoyed some French martinis.  We also got the party started with a plate of delicious oysters.  They were a thing of beauty. 

 

Please don't tell the vegetarian police, but I decided to go with the turkey dinner prix fixe special.  I started with the pumpkin soup, which was fine, but I think I've been spoiled forever by that amazing pumpkin soup I had at Mesa Grill last month.  This soup was a little thin, maybe was flavored with carrot juice which made it a little too sweet, and not aggressively seasoned.  Again, it was fine, but nothing spectacular.

The turkey main course, though, was SO good!  The turkey was moist and succulent and the gravy was savory and herb-y.  The mashed sweet potatoes had the full flavor that was missing from the soup, and the cranberry sauce and the roasted Brussels sprouts were really yum yummy.  It was hard not to just shovel all these delicious flavors, which just screamed 'Thanksgiving', into my mouth, but I forced myself to savor them.  Besides, after the oysters, the soup and the bread that was placed tableside, I was already starting to slow down...

Dessert was a tasty piece of pumpkin pie.  They also had a choice of sticky toffee pudding, which just sounded too sweet to me.  The pumpkin pie, alongside an excellent cup of coffee, was just the right way to end the meal.  Though I will admit to a prejudice and state that I think my mother's pie crust was lighter and fluffier than this one.  :)

After eating (and drinking!) so much, my gal pals and I walked off the food - first by heading to a movie theater to catch a showing of Lincoln, then by walking up to Herald Square to catch the subway.  The weather was warm and our spirits were high.  Unsurprisingly, I had a great time with my gal pals and think it was the PERFECT Thanksgiving.  With terrific food to match. 

Ever since I went to the restaurant 508 Grille, I've wanted to go back.  I enjoyed the food a lot, but I felt like the evening was rushed and I didn't get to really relax and enjoy the place.  Last Friday, a handsome gent and I went back there to see if the food was really as good as I remember.

 

Um, in a word, YES.  My goodness, that food is delicious.  We decided to just focus on the small plates to share - you all know my theory about how getting small plates allows you to eat more.  Hello.  It's a good theory.

 

I had talked so much about the homemade ricotta and the kabocha croquettes that my handsome friend and I decided to get them again, plus we decided to augment them with the cucumber panzanella and the roasted duck empanadas (dear vegetarian police - I did NOT eat the duck.  Though I did succumb to meat later in the meal...).  I really do think that homemade ricotta bruschetta is a perfect bite - you have the creaminess of the cheese, the sweetness of the honey, the salitness of the sea salt, the crunchiness of the bread and the brightness of the lemon zest.  I will continue to dream about that dish.  The croquettes were also deliciously crispy AND soft - very yummy.  My handsome friend loved the duck empanadas and we both thought the cucumber panzanella was perfect.  Cucumber, grape tomatoes, red onions, crunchy croutons and feta cheese.  Deliciousness in a bowl.  OH, and my glass of malbec was also perfection.

 

Of course, once we heard our charming server describe the roasted fig flatbread to the table behind us, we thought, ok, we can eat ONE more dish.  So, we devoured the roasted fig flatbread, with blue cheese and serrano ham.  Jeepers, that was another deliciously well-balanced dish.  Salty sweet, with the crunch of the flatbread.  Thumbs way up on that. 

We ended the meal with some churros and cappucinos.  Sigh.  I was stuffed but happy.  508 Grille is not a place to go every night (all those little plates do add up when you get the bill), but it was so great to sit in a lovely candlelit restaurant and catch up with my handsome friend, plus we also ate some amazing food.  I can't wait to go back. 

My goddaughters' holiday dance recital put me in the mood for Christmas - as expected, they were the most beautiful ballerinas, though, again, it was a LONG day.  Two Nutcrackers in one day is a big ask.  Good thing I love The Nutcracker.  And my goddaughters.  I am SO looking forward to seeing ABT's Nutcracker on Friday!  Until then, enjoy some 'let's get ready for the holidays' photos, along with a plug for a Broadway show I think you should see, and a subway poster of a holiday event that I can hardly wait to experience...