What an incredible day. I ventured off into the sun, but don't be fooled, it was colder than the day before. Snow was still everywhere; Lining the blue skies and sun streaked streets.
I walked to the Museum district, only about a 20 minute walk up the road. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. What a marvellous, beauteous building. Entering, you feel like you are about to walk into somewhere sacred like the Vatican or a Castle or something... I did the Egyptian exhibitions first, which I soon grew tired of. Interesting but all the artefacts look the same after a while and I have no idea who all the Egyptian Kings are so they have no relevance to me. Two important things came out of it. I saw some beautiful theatre masks, a pungent blue, linking to Dionysis. Then, after walking for ages, the Temple. Oh my, it is truly magnificent.Surrounded by water and sky lights on the ceiling you get to walk into part of it. Quite the experience.
In European artists, I found 3 radiant Picassos and some Rodin. The Picassos made me laugh and cry. 'The Actor' with a somewhat tryhard pose, ever knowing of course. 'Harlekino' giving joy to the masses and 'The Blind Man' - something in the simplicity of this work gives a real sense of struggle and acceptance. Beautiful.
I wont bore you all with the details but will tell you that everytime I had to ask a question it has to be in a slight American accent. At first I was doing it to not get jipped on the streets now its a neccessity! For example, a camp young man was making coffee in a rather meticulous manner at a coffee bar. When he finally came to take my order, I said - in my voice - "I'll have a Mocha please" As in 'Moka' and he said "I'm sorry?" "Moka-chino - it's right there." "Ohhh" says he "Mooe-Ka. Moe." As in Moe from the Simpsons. He found the need to correct me.
And I was paying him 4 bucks for a coffee. I'm sorry! A MOE-KA.
Which leads me to the point that everything here is ridiculously overpriced. I can't believe what they'll charge for things. A mixed leaf salad? 8 bucks. And the supermarket isnt much better.Think our prices, add 3-5 dollars and then put the exchange rate on. And that, Ladies and Gents, is why there seem to be no fat people in New York City.
After the Met, I caught my first lone subway to Union Square. There I tried to get a ticket to Uncle Vanya with Maggie Gyllenhall and Peter Sarsgaard. I got the last ticket for Friday night, which kinda is good and kinda sucks cause I can't go with Shosh. In the Classic Theatre Company there is a cafe (where I met Moe-ka man) and where there was obviously a special perfomance of Vanya for a local Jewish Boys High School. No sooner had I sat down and taken a sip than they came bursting out of the doors into the tiny cafe and proceeded to get into fights. There was a full blown riot! Yamulkes were flying and I got pushed off my chair by a 15 year old with a unibrow. Once they left I got the giggles and managed to headbutt the waiter when he asked if I was OK.
After that experience, I thennnnn walked something like 40 blocks to get to Theatre District. Along the way I snuck warm haven in Macy's which, I'm sad to say, was disappointing. The only thing I bought was a Vanilla Low fat latte just to keep me warm!!!
Finally Times Square, sparkling in early evening light. Absolutely breathtaking. I took a couple of quick pics and headed on - New Yorkers hate people taking pictures - it also sets me up big time as a tourist which isnt such a good offer here.
I was handed so many cards and pamphlets for discounts to the theatre. The recession has really hit New York hard.
Good for me though, I bought a 30 dollar ticket to 33 Revelations with Jane Fonda, Samantha Mathis, Zach Grenier and Colin Hanks, produced by the Tectonic Theater Project who I very nearly seconded to.
I was in the front row and it was such a marvellous play, production with just scintillating performances. I also was lucky enought to have dinner at a reasonably priced Italian Restaurant next door and was fawned on by waiters and owner alike. (Witnessed a fight brought on by an old lady about the music "You're going to drive people out of this restaurant mister! Turn it down!")
In the lead role, Fonda, did not let me down. She came out on stage looking straight at me, then other people in the audience. On her way from the vvery back she tripped on something, totally acknowledged it, then kept that memory present through the show, a little injoke with the audience.
She also did something that none of the others did, she kept her presence on stage once she had left. She left something behind for others to enter into.
Comic timing, I know is a strength with Fonda, from seeing numerous films. But she startled me, made me cry, became my Mum, my aunty, my sister, and was incredibly generous.
Colin Hanks has done all of one show off broadway. He made something out of a bit of a lame part. His voice and physicality were well honed. Clear. He was funny and charming and I've got a little crush on you Colin Hanks.
The surprise was Zach Grenier who I'd never heard of. He played Ludwig Van Beethoven and was the most musically charged actor I've ever seen. His rhythm of speaking, listening and being was so in keeping with his character. A total star. There was live piano in the audience and one particular scene where he lead us into his madness through the 33rd variation was the most exciting moment I've seen on stage.
At the end of the play, distraught and delighted, I started to join my fellow audience members in a Standing Ovation. Now, I'd been wearing Shosh's boots all day, they're the tiniest bit too small and, I'd walked a lot in them. So my feet were a bit swollen. As I went to get up, in the front row, with my new love interest Colin Hanks directly in front of me. I fell over. And not gracefully like I couldve passed maybe swooning. But I literally went 'Huwwwahhh' and went boof, right down agains the stage.
People laughed. I composed myself and got up again immediately. Oh my life.
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