March 4 - Farewell to the Big Apple

Well, it's finally arrived - our last day in New York! - and what better way to end than another shopping spree at Macys!
Philippa very kindly offered to drive us to JFK - very conveniently we leave from the same terminal - Qantas use British Airways terminal - very easy checkin - no queue at all! - I arrived with one cabin bag (5kg) and leave with one heavy bag (24kg)! - all Neil's fault of course :)
Not much to say about the trip home.
That's all folks - Max signing off until next time :)

March 3 - West Side Story

A glorious winter's day - not a cloud in the sky - temperature a balmy 16 degrees (Fahrenheit that is!)- perfect for going up the Empire State - sign at the bottom says 'view exceptional' - the usual queues at security and we seem to walk miles to the elevator - s'pse it keeps people in work. We only go up to the 86th floor ($20.00) as it costs an extra $15.00 to the 102nd - the view certainly is exceptional - you can see for hundreds of miles in all directions - but boy is it cold - the coldest we've been - painfully cold! - but well worth the suffering :)

Of course, we need more retail therapy to warm up - Macys again - Phillipa gave me a large recycle bag this morning so naturally it had to be filled up!

Short walk to Broadway as we have a dinner appointment with Ken Bloom and friends - Ken is probably the authority on Broadway - again I have been in email touch with him for years - we join his circle of friends who meet at Langan's Irish Pub every Tuesday evening - they include Peter Filichia who writes a diary on theatermania.com, Ron Spivak, a Broadway actor and Brian Drutman (Mr. Decca Broadway!) - a fascinating hour's conversation and we could relate our Broadway experiences as well.

Just round the corner to the Palace Theatre for West Side Story - in previews - due to open in mid-March - directed by Arthur Laurents with the original Jerome Robbins choreography reproduced! - fabulous orchestra - pit plus both side boxes - great percussion. We have great seats in front Mezzanine - $125 each! Quite traditional production but moves well - only major change is parts are bilingual - the Sharks mainly speak Spanish - and I Feel Pretty and A Boy Like That are sung in Spanish - the former works brilliantly but not sure about A Boy - you need to understand the lyrics - its only at the end they revert to English - Maria is wonderful - unknown Argentinian who's only 19 - quite charming - Matt Cavenaugh is oh so gorgeous but it is a very light tenor and I can't see him lasting the distance - rest of the cast is excellent and the dancing is fantastic - all in all a great climax to our Broadway experience.

March 2 - Winter Wonderland

Yep - it sure did snow! - this is 12th st in the morning! - temperature around 19 F - but with thermals on - not too bad - must be getting used to it - all schools are closed but subway still running - very slowly - into Manhattan and join the throngs at the MOMA - more culture - it is stunning building - wonderful collection of 20th C. paintings and sculpture - stand out for me - a Kandinsky triptych, and the Jackson Pollocks.















A short walk up 6th Avenue to Central Park - a walk in a winter wonderland! - just lacking the sleigh bells - a magical experience - there have been so many on the trip!





























Enough of the cold - back to the warmth - hot tomato soup at Whole Foods - then on to Macys - more retail therapy - Neil thinks he's created a shopping monster - so far I've bought 7 shirts, 3 pairs of trou, two jumpers, one three-quarter length coat, seven pairs of socks and one tie! - and a large suitcase! - Neil is leaving his therapy till his return to New York from London.

March 1 - Snow and Coward

Awoke this morning to our first day of snow - a light fall over night - joined the morning ritual of walking the dogs in Prospect Park - seems half of Brooklyn does the same - amazing sight! - reminded me of a Brueghel winter painting.

A breakfast at home - blueberry and banana pancakes - yum! - then into Manhattan for a unique New York experience - pastrami on rye at Katz's Deli on the lower East Side.















Again - cutting it fine - just make it to the Shubert for the afternoon matinee of Blithe Spirit - new production in previews starring the one and only Angela Lansbury as Madame Arcati, as well as Rupert Everett as Charles and Christine Ebersole as Elvira - quite a cast - but boy does it need some work - it was only the second preview but Happiness was in much better shape after one preview - I'm sure Angela was ad-libbing for most of the show! - she was also very hard to hear at times - they all need to learn their lines before it opens or the critics will have a ball!















Back to Brooklyn for a family dinner - wonderful food, wine and conversation - looks like we're in for a treat tomorrow - promise of six inches of snow - seems strange with all the shocking news of bushfires back home.

February 28 - Happiness

A relaxing day in Brooklyn with the family - then a rush into Manhattan to the Lincoln Center for Happiness - a new musical - at the Mitzi E. Newhouse Theatre - arrive with minutes to spare. Been looking forward to this as its credentials are fantastic - direction by Susan Stroman, book by John Weidman (Pacific Overtures, Assassins, Road Show), music and lyrics by Michael Korie and Scott Frankel (Grey Gardens), cast including Joanna Gleason, Hunter Foster, Ken Page...verdict..a hit!..a magical evening!...its about a group of New Yorkers trapped in a subway car - or so they think...stunning production, great score!

February 25 - 27 - Philadelphia

Amtrak from Penn Station to Philadelphia - only an hour and half away - can't say a very scenic trip - mainly through industrial New Jersey. Walk to the Latham - first impressions of Philadelphia - quite beautiful, lots of old buildings - check in and spend rest of day sightseeing - very easy to get around - lots of streets have tree names - Walnut, Chestnut, Locust (yes it is a a tree!), Spruce, Pine - we're staying in the nice part of town - excellent meal at small French bistro, the Caribou Cafe - not cheap but good food and ambience - visit one of the local venues which I won't go into on the blog :)















Philadelphia City Hall

Next day we have tickets to the Cezanne and Beyond Exhibition at the Philadelphia Museum of Art - a pleasant walk from the hotel through town and up the Benjamin Franklin Parkway - a stunning boulevard very much in European style - see where the Barnes will be relocated - it is the first day of the exhibition - not very crowded - superbly-curated - the Cezannes are combined with artists who have been influenced by Cezanne including the American Marsden Hartley (a new name to me) and a wonderful Canadian photographer, Jeff Wall - a very educational couple of hours - walk back to town - find Macys and of course have to go in - wow! - it is in the famous Wanamaker Building and we hear Bach organ music when we enter - here is the reason....















Pipe Organ inside Macys

Of course we had to do some shopping - lots of bargains (until you convert!) - another pleasant meal at the Caribou and no after dinner

Friday - the visit to the Barnes Foundation - one of the highlights of the trip - a short train ride from Center City to Merion then pleasant walk through extremely wealthy district to the gallery - short explanation - the Barnes is the greatest private collection of Cezanne, Renoir, Matisse, Picasso,etc. in the world - estimated at US$6 billion! - and is truly unique - the walls are lined with great paintings all carefully hung in precise combinations by Dr. Barnes - it takes your breath away! - so glad I got to see the Barnes before it is relocated to the Parkway - it won't be the same in a modern building.















Back to New York in the afternoon - arrive Penn Station about 5.45 - straight up to the Metropolitan Museum of Art for Steve Ross' lecture-concert on Lerner and Loewe - rather a strange evening - Steve was his usual suave self but he had three singers who performed in a completely different style - said hello afterwards but not much chance to talk - hope we can catch up again before we go - boy! it's been quite a day!

February 24 - Trovatore at the Met

Tonight - a little more culture - and first visit to the Metropolitan Opera - new production of Il Trovatore - crits have been good - "this is the Trovatore the Met has been waiting for" - good cast - Marcello Alvarez (Manrico), Dmitri Hvorotovsky (Di Luna), Sondra Radvanovsky (Leonora) and Dolora Zajick (Azucena) - seats at back of orchestra ($82.00) - good view of stage but sound muffled especially the orchestra - huge set on revolve - quite traditional - great singing but not much acting (except Zajick) - a Trovatore without passion! - the duel between Manrico and di Luna was laughable! - but the building is spectacular.

February 23 - Defying Inequality The Broadway Concert

Not much happening today as Max has caught a cold!...but we soldier on.....tonight is the Defying Inequality the Broadway Concert at the Gershwin Theatre, home of Wicked. This is a gala benefit concert supporting equal rights - mainly because of the passing of prop 8 in California last year. It is on tonight because most Broadway theatres are dark on Monday nights. The Gershwin is the largest theatre on Broadway and was fairly well full - a great crowd!

The line up was quite staggering - the evening started with Proposition 8 the mini-musical by Marc Shaiman, composer of Hairspray and starring Nathan Lane and David Hyde Pierce.

The singing lineup included the creme of Broadway including Stephanie J Block, Kerry Butler, Kelli O'Hara, Gavin Creel, Shoshana Bean, Malcolm Gets, Bebe Neuwirth, Capathia Jenkins, Billy Porter, Stephen Schwartz plus cast members from Billy Elliot, Gypsy, Jersey Boys, Mamma Mia, Spring Awakening, Color Purple, Little Mermaid, Hair, etc etc....

The evening was hosted by Carson Kressley (from Queer Eye) and Judy Gold and included speeches by the likes of Jane Fonda, Harvey Fierstein (a powerful letter to President Obama), Rue McClanahan, Sally Struthers, Cyndi Lauper, Jim Caruso, Tyne Daly (via video), Elton and his husband David (by video), a guy called Keith Olbermann (who got one of the loudest ovations as he was the only newsman who spoke out against Prop 8) and a host of people we didn't know.

It was one of those magical evenings - all four hours! - got home around 1 am - temperature 19 degrees F!

February 22 - Two musicals in one day!

Big day today - two musicals today - The Story of My Life and In The Heights.

Start the day downtown - window shopping - visit J & R near WTC - an amazing store - probably best range of show CDs I've seen - and good prices - huge opera section of CDs and DVDs - can't believe that the New York Castrec's haven't mentioned this store! - they have all the latest releases including Allegro for $18.99.















Afternoon matinee - The Story Of My Life - our first Broadway flop - it opened last Thursday and closes after this performance! - got shocking reviews - problem too small for Broadway - but a delightful chamber musical beautifully performed by Malcolm Gets and Will Chase with nine piece band (orchestrations by none other than Jonathan Tunick) and minimalist set - the show deserves to survive and probably will have a life after Broadway - there are some delightful songs including 'Mrs Remington' and 'The Butterfly' - very much in the Sondheimesque style - quite a moving occasion - standing ovation at the end and Will Chase almost in tears - and boy is he gorgeous!

Pleasant dinner - three courses for $19.95 - then walk one street to "In The Heights" (2008 Tony Best Musical) - not sure how Neil would take it - tried to describe the music - rap, hip-hop, salsa......But...one of the highlights of our trip - it was fantastic - fabulous sound - even though at times loud, perfectly clear and balanced - no distortion at all - great set and lighting - full of energy - everything Shrek was lacking! - fabulous cast including Priscilla Lopez (original Chorus Line) - a truly magical evening - even bought a tee-shirt!
















Finished off the evening with a drink at Joe Allen's watching the Oscars.

February 21 - Drek the Musical!

Late start after our 3 am last nite - then fresh hot bagels for brekky/brunch!

More sightseeing - the Flatiron Building at 23rd and 5th - very stylish - then up to the posh area - Bloomingdales (under renovation), Tiffanys, the Plaza Hotel, etc etc.





























Apple and Plaza Hotel

Evening - our first mistake! - booked for Shrek or should I say Drek the Musical - not much more to say about it - bad audio, electronic orchestra, crappy score - and lots of empty seats - oh well, can't win them all - can't wait to sell the cast album!

February 20 - Max the Blogger

Hi folks,

Just to let you know how I am spending my mornings :)

The other pic will explain why Neil is having problems connecting his iphone to the wi-fi network in Brooklyn!

Also if you want to look at all our pics, here is the link to our MobileMe gallery:

Max and Neil in New York

February 20- Guys and Dolls

Quiet start to the day in Brooklyn - need to pace myself at my age tho' Neil is as spritely as always! Short walk around the neighbourhood of Park Slope - a little chilly 32F - but sunny - walk up to Prospect Park - looks worth exploring - quite large - beautiful old blocks of apartments in this part of Brooklyn - but Manhattan beckons.....















Cinema near Prospect Park in Brooklyn

- we have to pick up tickets for the new production of Guys and Dolls - booked by phone with very confused tele-operator - can't understand why she had such problems with my accent - i thought I spoke real proper! - anyhoo no problems at the theatre - and we got a good deal $126.50 tickets for $56.50 through Playbill Club! - find another cheap place to eat near 7th and 40th - all you can eat buffet for $12.95!















Guys and Dolls - new production still in previews - overture was spectacular - the orchestra is on stage at the back in a three-tiered box - counted at least 18 musicians - brilliant use made of projections on back scrim which comes down to cover the orchestra - the technical side is quite brilliant and very innovative - the projections interacting with the set - probably owes quite a lot to last year's revival of Sunday in the Park. Cast is pretty strong - Craig Bierko as Skye and Kate Jennings Grant as Sarah - both excellent with great voices - Lauren Graham as Adelaide - big TV star (Gilmore Girls) - think she'll be roasted by the critics - strange style - not much humour and stilted dialogue - we couldn't work out whether it was deliberate - Runyon style? - rest of the guys excellent - and staging of Luck be a Lady was fantastic - real Broadway dancing! All in all great evening - will be interesting to read the reviews in March.

Due to our late start, decided to go to a late night cabaret - Mostly Sondheim - at the Duplex on Christopher Street - an open mic concert from 11.30 till 4 am - we only managed till 2 - but it was a fun night with some great and some not so good singing - fabulous pianist - very cute! caught subway back to Brooklyn - felt completely safe at that time of night.

February 19 - 33 Variations

Start of the second week! - boy our time in New York is going by fast! Late brekky then back into town - becoming routine now - no rain today - collected our tickets for Philly - very simple - no queues - just had to scan the barcode of the form we printed from online - and hey presto - our tickets appeared! - great system.

Next up to Times Square for more ticket collections.

First show of the night - Seth's Chatterbox at Don't Tell Mama - on at six o-clock every Thursday - his guest was an 81 yr old called Richard Seff promoting his book "Supporting Player: My Life Upon The Wicked Stage - a great hour of anecdotes and reminiscences about his time in the theatre - both as an actor and agent - he was the one who discovered Chita Rivera! - could have listened to him all night - a charming man and Seth Rudetsky is a hoot! Don't Tell Mama's is a charming venue full of character.





























Found a food hall on corner of 46th and 8th - great split pea and bacon soup for $5! - just the thing as the temperature had dropped drastically! A short walk to the Eugene O'Neill for our next engagement - a new play - still in previews - by Moises Kaufman (he wrote The Laramie Project) - starring a 71 yr old Jane Fonda in her first Broadway role in 46 years! - she looks fantastic! - a fascinating play about a musicologist with a terminal disease (Fonda) researching Beethoven's Diabelli Variations - the play jumps between the present and the time of Beethoven in Bonn and there is a live pianist just off stage who plays most of the variations during the evening - quite mesmerising - it will be interesting to read the reviews when it opens on March 9 - bitterly cold when we leave the theatre - 23 degrees F!!!

February 18 - Carnegie Hall

You guessed it - another leisurely start but the weather doesn't look promising - rain and a chance of snow! We have lunch date with Noah from Sh-k-Boom Records, one of the suppliers I have been dealing with for many years - a chance to see where they are - 630 Ninth Avenue - also meet Kurt Deutsch and the rest of the gang. Delightful lunch with Noah and I don't think Neil was too bored with all the shop talk! It was great to finally meet these guys.















Kurt, Max and Noah at Sh-k-Boom Records

Afterwards , a wander round Greenwich Village in the rain to fill in time for a couple of hours then back up to 57th St for another meal then onto Carnegie Hall...New York Phil conducted by Lorin Maazel - Barber School for Scandal Overture, Gershwin Piano Concerto with Jean-Yves Thibaudet, and Stravinsky Rite of Spring...seats up in the Balcony but perfect view..even from there, the hall seems quite intimate..tho' seats 2800!...and it's true what they say about the acoustics..wow!...the clarity is amazing..the softest sounds can be heard beautifully...Gershwin was breathtaking...for a Frenchman he can sure jazz!...and to hear the New York Phil play Stravinsky was something special....one moment with muted trumpets sent shivers up my spine!...another truly memorable evening.

February 17 - Liberty and South Pacific

Another leisurely start to the day then back into Manhattan and downtown - the tourist thing - walk past World Trade Center site - much building activity - down to Battery Park - ferry ride to Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island - glorious weather in mid 30's F. that is! Then walk around to Pier 17 and views of the Brooklyn Bridge and East River - bit of excitement - police had to rescue someone in the river - one helicopter, three boats and numerous vehicles on both sides of the river - not certain whether they had jumped off the bridge!

Back on the subway and up to the Lincoln Center - bought tickets for South Pacific for tonight - lashed out and got stalls six rows from stage ($125 each) but it is almost sold out - and also tickets for the Metropolitan Opera's new production of Il Trovatore next Tuesday.

South Pacific was amazing! - seats fabulous - huge thrust stage which rolled back during the overture to reveal the thirty piece orchestra - yes 30! - massive stage both wide and deep - stunning lighting - wow! - superb audio - Neil very impressed - set design great including a war plane and trucks (real ones) - set changes moved like clockwork - and what about the cast - Kelli O'Hara wonderful wonderful Nellie! - Paolo Szot was ill so we got his understudy William Michaels who was fantastic - beautiful baritone voice and oozed charm - one thing that really impressed us was how well the book worked - beautifully acted - nothing overdone - reduced to tears at the end - everything theatre should be - and standing ovation at the end! - just another night in New York!

February 16 - Jamie de Roy and Friends

Another beautiful day - getting used to the cold - not too bad when the sun is shining!
Into Manhattan after brunch - visit Carnegie Hall - tickets for the New York Phil on Wednesday night - Barber, Gershwin, Stravinsky - fascinating tour of the hall.
Back down to 14th St - the Apple shop in the meat-packing district - very trendy - dinner in Chelsea - then on to the Metropolitan Room (W 22nd) to see Jamie de Roy and Friends - first New York Cabaret evening - very intimate space - absolutely packed - rather eclectic mix of performers including Stephen Schwartz! - met Scott and Barbara Siegel who run the Town Hall Broadway by the Year Concerts - one next Monday night but we're otherwise engaged - so much to do, so little time! Also met Barry Kleinbort (Jamie's director) and a songwriter is his own right - charming man - hope to meet up again - here we are.....

February 15 - Sightseeing in Brooklyn

A quiet Sunday with Joe and Mike, friends of Neil, walking around Brooklyn Heights - fabulous views of Manhattan and the Brooklyn Bridge - and look at the weather - not a cloud in the sky! - great lunch at Pete's Ale House.

February 14 - Forbidden Broadway

Valentine's Day....seems to be a big thing here....Times Square absolutely packed!....went into Colony...couldn't believe the prices....average price of show CDs US$22.98!...meal (very ordinary) in Restaurant Row (W 46th St) then Forbidden Broadway Goes To Rehab at the 47th Street Theatre...tiny little theatre with no lobby. Great show...very professional...much as we enjoyed the local production a couple of weeks ago...this was the real thing....an amazing Patti Lupone doing Rose and hilarious Kristin Chenoweth...glad we got to see it before it closes for good....post-show drinks at Joe Allens.

February 13 - Broadway and Pal Joey

Broadway here we come!.....starting buying tickets......Forbidden Broadway, In The Heights....good deals...West Side Story still in previews but we have tickets for March 3...first Broadway story..we are in front box office of the Palace theater chatting to the lady behind the counter when I hear the door to the auditorium open and a very sprightly 91 year old walks out with a young man on his arm...Arthur Laurents!..but he was gone in a flash...seems it was the first day of rehearsals.















Pal Joey....Roundabout Theatre Company at Studio 54....great seats in mezzanine... lovely old theatre....orchestra in boxes on either side of stage...15 piece...conducted by none other than Paul
Gemignani!....excellent production..very slick scene changes and fabulous sound! Matthew Risch looks gorgeous, moves well and sings adequately but that didn't worry me..after all Joey is meant to be second rate. Stockard Channing very good..looks stunning..fabulous costumes...great diction...in fact impressed by all....something lacking in our theatre folk...especially a certain 'green' show! Staging of 'Bewitched' was stunning...Vera in bed with Joey...Stockard really made the lyrics important. Martha Plimpton fabulous as Gladys...all the crits were right...boy can she sing!...all in all great first night on Broadway....bit of a shock when we left the theatre...temperature had dropped to 27 degrees F!

February 12 - New York

First day in the Big Apple...wow!....all I expected and more....staying in Brooklyn with friends of Neil...great neighbourhood...lots of character....into Manhattan by subway...seems very easy to
negotiate...spent day sightseeing...top of Rockefeller Center....and shopping...Macys...getting used to the exchange rate!

February 11 - Melbourne to New York

Brief thoughts....impressions of Airbus 380...it is huge!...everything brand spanking new...but..seats very close together in economy..very little leg room...food down to Qantas normal quality!...entertainment system excellent when it worked!















Late into Los Angeles..very quick transfer to New York flight..utter chaos..much more leg room on 747!...spectacular views...Rockies...Grand Canyon....