Scrappy Travels

A few months ago I learned that immersive theater really wasn't my thing.  I barely made it out of HT Darling's Musaeum before collapsing into a nervous fit of giggles. Let's just say, I'm much too awkward to enjoy theatre interacting with me.  But that was before I heard about Barrow Street's immersive production of Sweeney Todd .  This production would have pies to eat - a clever tie in to Ms. Lovett's pie shop - and would be performed in and around the theater-goers.   It would still be "immersive" per se, but I wouldn't be forced to interact with the performers, and I would get to enjoy a yummy pie, so it couldn't be as scary as HT Darling's Musaeum.  Turns out it wasn't scary at all.  It was positively fantastic!  I can't imagine the work and time it took to transform the space into a pie shop, let alone figure out the choreography for the actors.  The shop itself was tiny - only about 120 seats.  The tight space made th...

Tony day is tomorrow, and I'm a little too excited.  This past month has been fabulous as just a bystander watching it all happen.  I can't even imagine how fun it's all been for the nominees.  The theater community is a truly special one, and having the chance to see a little of what goes into making these shows has been awesome to see.  I know that with the Tony awards concluding tomorrow, a brand new season will begin.  But this particular season has been chock-full of the biggest and best talent I've seen in years, so it will be sad to see these lovely people go on to other things.  But until then, we've been treated to tons of great videos and photos that have me super-excited in seeing tomorrow's show.  The most amazing thing has been seeing just how close the different nominees have gotten and just how much they all support each other.  Can you even imagine the best actor or actress Oscar nominees going out for a meal together and taking ...

I've never really been a fan of shows that are deemed "kid shows".  I don't know why.  As a former pre-school teacher, I love children's books and movies.  But for some reason, kid-friendly shows on Broadway are really not my thing.  The two biggest examples of this type of show are Matilda and Beauty and the Beast -  two shows I've hated for years. However, I did fall in love with School of Rock immediately, so there's really no rhyme or reason. All of this brings me to Charlie and the Chocolate Factory , currently playing at the Lunt-Fontanne.  As a kid, the Gene Wilder version of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory was one of my favorites.  It is a sweet and quite quotable movie I've watched dozens of time.  So when I heard that one of the most-talented theater actors of today - Christian Borle - would be donning the top-hat, I knew that I would most definitely need to see it, even though it was a kid-show, that didn't get great reviews wh...

Because it's Tony's week and because YouTube is fabulous, I've been listening to and watching a slew of interviews with Tony nominees.  The shear talent of this year's nominees is staggering.  And the works they've produced are as beautiful and varied, as they themselves are.  Some of the nominated shows like Dear, Evan Hansen, Sweat, Indecent or Falsettos  while deeply moving, are difficult to be a part of 8 times a week.  There's a lot of emotion happening each performance. Imagine having to do that type of heavy-lifting each day or even sometimes twice a day.  I'm sure, while it's rewarding in the best way possible, it's also mentally and physically exhausting. Because of this, many of the actors talk at length about self care - basically, the idea of taking care of yourself so that you are able to get through the performances each week. This idea of self care has been on my mind a lot lately.   As I wrote earlier this week , I've been sl...

London is one of my most favorite cities in the world.  I've been 3 times, and loved it more and more with each visit.  During those times in the city I lived through 2 separate tube strikes.  I had my wallet stolen from my bag.  I rode in black cabs at night and chatted with strangers.  On one occasion, during my very first international trip, I found myself wandering the city completely alone just taking in the sights. In not one of these instances was I afraid.  Even after I was pick-pocketed I was willing to admit it was my own fault for not securing my wallet properly.  I never felt that London was dangerous.  I was never worried for my own safety.  London has always felt more like me than any other city in the world, and therefore I felt safe in my little nest. Until Saturday. In a few week's time, I'm due to be in London for a trip I've been waiting months for.  And for the first time in my life I don't want to go.  I...