I've had a fabulous few days here in mah city. Friday was a pretty relaxing day. I met a new friend at Starbucks for a nice little chat which was fun. I had the most yummy lunch at the Shake Shack. I swear, that place injects crack into their food. Mmm mmm mmm.
Artsy food shot. Yum.
That night, I saw End of the Rainbow which was very interesting. I sat in the front row all the way on the right. I only really know Judy Garland from her glory days--Wizard of Oz, Meet Me in St. Louis, and all that jazz. I never really knew anything of the end of her life, besides that it was dark. It was fascinating to see and Tracie Bennett was inspired.
Marquee.
Ceiling of the Belasco Theatre. I wish my iPhone camera could even attempt to do those lights justice. Each one of those circly-doos is a one-of-a-kind stained glass lamp. Breathtaking.
Pre-show set. Pretty.
Obsessed with these. I want to have the job of making/naming all of these. So fun.
Tracie Bennett truly embodied what I believe Judy must have been like in those last few days. She did crazy quite well, thrashing round the stage, sometimes in a funny way and sometimes in a heartbreaking way. She really covered the whole scale of emotions and took us along for the ride. Her singing voice was spot-on and glorious. I also enjoyed her little callbacks to her past career and love life. Lots of jabs at ex-husbands and references to the ruby slippers. She completely ruled the stage and I am glad her work has gained her a Tony nom. I look forward to seeing the awards this year. There is some great competition in my heart. I got to meet Ms. Bennett at the stage door and she was absolutely adorable. Teeny tiny little thing. Super sweet and funny and gracious.
My absolute favorite part of the show however was Michael Cumpsty as Anthony, Judy's long time pianist and confidante. He was sweet and quite hilarious and sad. I just wanted to hug him and be best friends. I really enjoyed his storyline as well. Little bit o' scandal. If nothing else, see this show for him. It also doesn't hurt how much he looks like Colin Firth's long lost twin.
My least favorite part of the show was easily Tom Pelphrey as Mickey Deans. Though whether I should blame the actor or the part is a mystery to me. Funny little story. There is a scene where Judy throws a fruit bowl across the stage at Mickey. The night I saw it, one of the oranges flew into the first row of the audience. Everyone just carried on like nothing happened. Scenes later, Mickey cleans up the mess and he was looking around for a bit to find everything. Nonchalantly, the man in the audience just threw it up on stage and Tom Pelphrey picked it right up and went about business as usual. Live theater, man. Nothing like it.
Saturday was a fun day. In the afternoon, I had the pleasure of attending the world premiere screening of Standbys, a fantastic documentary about the grueling life of three Broadway standbys. I quite enjoyed the film, but the best part was certainly the talk back afterwards. The director Stephanie Riggs; the three stars: Ben Crawford, Merwin Foard, and Aléna Watters; and Cady Huffman and Katie Finneran were all there. It was beautiful and funny and heartbreaking to hear them tell their stories and give advice in such a close vicinity. I am really glad I got to experience it. I truly hope this movie helps to propel these extraordinary actors farther because they have mind-blowing talent and the world deserves to see it. Damn, I could never be a standby/understudy/swing. So much brain power and heart strength needed. Yikes.
Free ticket! Part of the Tony Awards Film Series at The Paley Center for Media.
From left: Cady Huffman, Katie Finneran, Ben Crawford, Aléna Watters, Merwin Foard, Stephanie Riggs. Bonus: bottom left with the camera is Ben's new fiancee. :)
I met a lovely man at the movie who was a reviewer. We chatted for a bit and he suggested for me to get into reviewing theater professionally. I would love that. It's definitely a part of my vision for my future. Let's all hope for me!
Next, I made my way into Times Square and there was the weekly market going on. It was fun to peruse and see all the cheap wares. I tried an Arepa for the first time. Damn good. Basically sweet corn patties with melted mozzarella. I drool at the memory.
Next, I got my tickets to Ghost for that night. I am pretty damn exhausted right now, so I am gonna post what I have and try to finish writing about my weekend tomorrow. As Tigger always says, TTFN!
xoxoleah
Leah, thanks so much for taking the time to visit Shake Shack on your recent trip to NYC. It's always great to hear feedback like yours!
Hope you had an awesome time, and our team can’t wait to see you again next time you’re in the city!
-Brandy, Shake Shack
Posted by: Brandy, Shake Shack | 06/20/2012 at 01:55 PM