foxy

I finally caught up with The Tudors. There's some nice eye candy with two if it's stars and a bit of sex here and there. I was hoping to escape the daily news but the episode where the plague comes to England was as scary as the current headlines. I do think Henry Cavill one of the most gorgeous guys around.

His plays will live on forever. Closest thing you can get to immortality. True genius.

It’s been a few years since I’ve seen him onstage in person in Harbor in 2013. He looked incredible then and I expect he still does. He’s one of those fortunate guys who not only doesn’t age, but gets better as time goes by.

I’ve been a fan of Westworld from the beginning. However I have to admit, sometimes after watching an episode, I go online to find a written explanation of what I’ve just seen. Is the Man in Black really William? Stuff like that which is probably more obvious to most. Like Game of Thrones the production values fascinate me. No expense seems to have been spared. I’ve also become a fan of the extras after an episode where locations are discussed and special effects are explained. The fact that they pull back the curtain and show how they did that I think is so very interesting and to me makes those special effects even more astounding. It must be so much fun (I hope) to work on shows like these.

I have contacted TDF and they are beginning to process refunds for cancelled performances. I also had tickets at the Park Avenue Armory for a concert of the Maria Vespers March 22. I called the box office and they have processed a refund on my credit card. If you have tickets for any performances you should be able to get a refund. This is all very sad.

Well if you had to miss a show this was probably the one to miss. But hold onto your ticket and/or receipt. The theater may let you exchange for a later date. Like the airlines they may be willing to bend some rules during this complicated time.

I got my ticket on TDF for $47 with fees. I was row A of the mezzanine on the aisle. So a good seat. But not everyone can join TDF so $50 seats are a real bargain. I can understand people‘s reluctance to going to the theater right now or going anywhere there are large groups of people. It’s not an easy choice but an individual one. Since I love going to the theater and have great respect for both performers and anyone involved in theatrical productions it makes me sad to think of empty theaters.

I didn’t have any problem with Everett’s diction. These are such exhausting roles and the energy is often at such a fever pitch if there were any stumbles I missed them. Now I want to read the play. Maybe see it a second time. I rather enjoyed watching Metcalf grab Tovey’s balls.

This is I thought a wonderful and devastating production. I went primarily for Laurie Metcalf but Rupert Everett certainly held his own. Watching George and Martha tear each other to shreds certainly kept me on edge for the entire show. Russell Tovey and Patsy Ferran didn’t get left in the dust either. How these actors can do this every night is beyond me. I left drained but in a good way. Highly recommended.

Saw Hangmen this afternoon. If you like your comedies black they don’t get much blacker. Very funny. Lots of laughs. But listen closely as the working class British accents take some getting used to and the lines come quickly.

https://hangmenbroadway.com/

I found Hangmen listed on TDF and picked up a ticket for $47. Still a few dates available. It should be good. Dan Stevens of Downton Abbey fame is in the cast so it will be fun to see him.

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I saw a poster for this in the NYC subway yesterday.

Since I don’t go to the opera all that often (I’m more of a dance guy) I’m pleased that I saw an opera that received praise from more astute members than me. And of course the reason I went was because of the dancer I met and talked to. It turned out he was one of the principal dancers. It was fun seeing him perform on stage but I admit sitting next to him chatting at a gay bar was pretty fun also.

Mostly I go see a show in the hopes that it will be a wonderful theatrical experience. But sometimes I go out of morbid curiosity to see what all the not so good reviews are about. Today I picked up a discount ticket at the TKTS booth for $87 row K in the orchestra. So a good seat. I wasn’t bored because the whole show is so misguided I was actually fascinated in a weird way. A little like driving passed an auto accident on a highway. You can’t help but look. I do like the idea of taking a fresh approach and putting a new spin on things. Unfortunately not much worked in this updated version. It was hard not to laugh when a supposedly tough street kid says “daddy o“ and later takes out his cell phone to video a cop. What year are we in anyway? Then there was all that rain and I kept thinking one of these dancers is going to be seriously injured. And do they warm the water and where does it go? I had visions of a drenched orchestra down below. The orchestra by the way is great. The cast is attractive and the dancing was exciting at times. The blind casting did make it confusing and often I couldn‘t tell the Sharks from the Jets. Since it’s a show largely about race relations that seemed an odd choice. The video does overwhelm the live action sadly. I’m not sorry I saw it which isn’t exactly a recommendation.

So far it's received mostly great reviews. Pretty quirky movie and I really liked it. The kid, Roman Griffin Davis is terrific. I first heard of the director, Taika Waititi from the movie What we Do In The Shadows which I stumbled on Amazon Prime. I thought it was hysterical. It's been turned into a tv series on FX with a different cast and now set in Staten Island instead of New Zealand. For some reason just the idea of it being in Staten Island strikes me as funny. I think it's great that Taika not only writes and directs his films he sometimes stars in them. Why not? I'm looking forward to seeing what he comes up with next and I have to look for his previous films.

I did see the original Mack & Mabel on Broadway in 1974. I remember at the time liking it a lot. But what made it even more fun was how I saw it. At the time I had a gay boss who was about 20 years older than me. Our department was just the two of us in a large corporation in Manhattan. He loved Broadway musicals. Every now and then if our workload was light, we‘d leave the office at lunchtime, tell the secretary we were out doing research, then we’d run off to see a matinee. He’d always buy the best seats available. I think he charged them to petty cash but I never asked. He was a fun boss.

I just finished watching this series on AppleTV. I thought it was quite good and reminded me of some tv shows I had actually forgotten about and others I really enjoyed seeing again.

I’ve never understood the logic of TDF seat assignments if indeed there is any. More often than not I’ve wound up with some very good seats, often in center orchestra. But it is a crap shoot. Still with theater tickets at such bargain basement prices one can hardly complain. I was surprised however when Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf popped up with quite a few dates available. And now it’s been pulled. No more TDF discounted seats. I’d love to know how these decisions are made and by who? Just the same I check the site several times a day and have learned to move quickly when I see something I want.

Happily tickets just popped up on TDF with several available dates. With a cast like Laurie Metcalf, Rupert Everett, Russell Tovey and Patsy Ferran it’s got to be pretty good. For $47 how can you go wrong?

After Saturday’s performance I may have been drenched in sweat also. Happy I had a 7th row orchestra seat. Worth every penny. Those swans are possibly the most erotic dancers I’ve ever seen on stage. Brilliant on every level. Definitely worth seeing again. Where’s my credit card?

I'm looking forward to seeing this on Saturday. I saw it years ago and loved it. After that performance the cast was by the exit doors collecting for Broadway Cares. For a $20 donation you got a bit of fluff from the swan's costumes. I don't know what I did with it but a nice perk for a good cause. If you've never seen this version of Swan Lake I highly recommend it. The hottest swans you're ever going to see.

https://www.metopera.org/season/2019-20-season/agrippina/

Recently at a midtown bar I started talking to a handsome young guy and asked what he did for a living.? He told me he was a dancer and I asked where he performed. He told me at the Metropolitan Opera House in Lincoln Center and he'd be in this new production of Agrippina. Intrigued I went online and bought myself a ticket for the Sunday matinee February 9. It's scary what they charge for opera tickets but I managed to find a good seat in the Balcony for $167. I'm looking forward to this production and it will be fun that someone I know (sort of) is in it. I'll bring opera glasses.

I wanted to see the Laura Linney play My Name is Lucy Barton but didn’t realize tonight is opening night and no Wednesday matinee. So over to TKTS and picked up a half price ticket for Grand Horizons. I’m glad I did. It is very funny and also quite touching. Certainly resonates with an older crowd but there was plenty to keep a younger audience laughing also. The end of Act 1 was certainly a big surprise. Worth the price of a ticket just for that entrance. Go see it!

The holiday season in NYC can start to seem like a nightmare in mid-town but rather than fall into the bah humbug frame of mind I’ve tried to fling myself into the holiday spirit. One way is seeing the Rockettes who are always fun to watch. I’m surprised at the number of people I know who have never seen the show. I’ve been going almost every year since I was a kid when my mom took me and my sister. Every year they tweak the show a bit but keep the classics like the toy soldiers slowly falling down and the nativity complete with live camels and sheep. It’s become pretty high tech with lots of projections that are impressive. But it’s the precision dancing of the Rockettes that’s the real star of the show. So brave the crowds and go. Tickets are easy to come by at TKTS and TDF. Radio City is an Art Deco jewel and holds 6,015 people which is impressive.