danny_g

New York's a fascinating town. It's a pungent town as well, to be sure: every few feet you'll be assaulted by some strange new olfactory horror. Excrement, sewer, garbage, horse, horse excrement... but that's neither here nor there.

What truly fascinates me about the city is the way it transforms utterly from block to block. On 7th Ave, you're in the heart of Times Square. One block later you're in a quieter commerical district. One block later you're in a quaint residential neighbourhood that barely seems like it's in the same city as Times Square, even though you can still see it.

Greenwich Village was cool--were I to live in Manhattan, that's where I'd want to be. Amongst the artists and the students. Times Square was a blend of huge, tacky, and bright that ended out being... kind of cool. Swamped with giant ads, yes... but cool. And full. Walking through Times Square for five minutes, I had to get past more people than I see in a week here.

We saw four shows: Wicked, Avenue Q, Spamalot, and the Drowsy Chaperone.
Wicked may have been the most impressive vocally. The two leads (the witches of Oz, if you're unfamiliar with the book or musical Wicked) were amazing, and the end of Act One was pretty spectacular. I admit to my shame that I never finished the book, but I'm still pretty sure the musical diverged quite a bit. Perhaps got happied up a bit. But the story we received, which detailed the rocky friendship of the women who would become the Wicked Witch and Glinda the Good, was still a story worth hearing. Very impressive. If the tour ever makes its way up here, I'll go again.

My love of Avenue Q is well known. Seeing it live, from the second row no less, was just great. I loved seeing everything I didn't know yet, that being everything that happens between songs. Loved it. Loved it to death.

I was disappointed that David Hyde Pierce and Hank Azaria had moved on from Spamalot by the time I got there, but the show was still a lot of fun. The Mayor from season 3 of Buff the Vampire Slayer was playing King Arthur, so that was fun. I have to say, I enjoyed the new material, the things created for the stage version, much more than the recycled bits from the Holy Grail movie. Probably because I've seen and heard them so very many times, while "The Song That Goes Like This," an indictment of sappy Broadway ballads, was all new. Still well worth seeing.

The Drowsy Chaperone was the only show I felt I was truly walking into blind. I knew the story of Wicked, many of the routines from Spamalot, and the entire score of Avenue Q, but I knew nothing of Drowsy Chaperone save that it was a critical and award darling co-written by Don McKellar. Turns out that it's a lonely, middle-aged man throwing on a record of his favourite 1920's musical, The Drowsy Chaperone. It's both an homage and a parody of the musicals of that time. It also happens to be bloody brilliant. I'd give JDRook's left arm to produce it locally. Maybe someday...

There's a great deal of waiting in lines involved. It may have been more complicated that week, as the day after we were there Jon Stewart's guest was the President of Pakistan, which meant way more security. Once through the line and in the studio, the "warming up" procedure began. An annoyance only found in television tapings, I suspect. The warm-up guy ultimately proved amusing, but being coached on how loud to cheer is simply annoying, and hard on the throat if you're not used to it. But then Jon Stewart came out, every bit as likable and amusing as he is on TV (although he was still performing. Not like we bumped into him at the deli or something), and did some Q&A with the crowd. I'd describe everything about the next half hour, but this post is already huge without me describing unaired banter 'twixt Jon and Steven Colbert. Let's just say well worth the wait time.

I both love and hate having a scene partner that threatens to outmatch me. Let me be honest... deep and emotional is not where I'm most comfortable as an actor. I'm good with comedy, and have reviews to prove it, and frankly I find it easy. The 2004 Heracles tour was one of the easiest acting gig I've ever had, even though I was onstage constantly and had to wrestle two pool noodles. But I don't get to lean on funny this time around, because the guy playing Bobby has a mastery of comedy that is beyond mortal understanding. Seriously, you have to see this kid do his thing to appreciate it, but the fact there's no being the funny one when you're sharing the stage with him.

Sadly, for me the big emotions are a lot more work. So when the Video Vulture, or in this case Michele, starts bringing the A Game, I begin to worry about whether I can keep up. We're doing our character's big climax, and suddenly she's bringing it to a whole new emotional level, and I'm panicing inside thinking "Shit! She's upping the stakes! Dammit woman, how do I keep up when that part of me is dead?"

But I'm doing my best. And between yourself and me, my best has historically been pretty good. Hopefully it will again.

See, that's all I said to Mr. B., and you're acting like I smack-talked your baking or something...

Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip is, hands down, the best new show of the season. Possibly the best thing currently on the air. God willing NBC will stand by it like they did the West Wing, and not ass-fuck it like Fox did Firefly.

Smith is apparantly getting cancelled. Oh well. I really like the cast (Ray Liotta, Johnny Lee Miller, Amy Smart), but it was a bit gloomier and not nearly as episodic as I thought it would be. Should've had more heists and less angst.

I enjoy Justice. I do. So I'm glad that Fox is standing by it, and moving it to after Prison Break. Sure, it means I'll have to download it, because no way I'm missing Heroes (if I'm home, which on a Monday I likely am), but still.

Vanished has been my guilty pleasure of the season. It's cheesy, and dips back into the well of Spooky Masonic Conspiracy, but I still enjoyed it. Mostly because of Gale Harold, former star of Queer as Folk. They may have just killed him off. Let me tell you, readers... I am somewhat invested in the story, but if they have, in fact, killed the only truly interesting character, that may wane rapidly.

And if any of the producers of Smallville are stopping by, I like your show and all, but you need to either wrap it up or hand Clark a pair of glasses and write off Lana. She's no longer bringing anything to the table, and pairing her off with Lex is going to get old fast.

Okay. We're done here.