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Reflections on Broadway

I have always had a love affair with Broadway. The lights, the glitz, the glamor, the makeup, the costumes, the stagecraft... the complete suspension of reality as you are drawn into the intricate web that the actors, crew, and director together create.

However, Saturday was the first time that I have ever been able to see a real Broadway show in New York on Broadway.

Spamalot did not disappoint.

It started with the subway ride to get tickets at TKTS. We picked up Spamalot tickets on Friday for Saturday's 2:00p matinee. What a show, but moreover what a theatre. The Shubert was built in 1913 and seats 1460 people. We got great seats: second row in the orchestra. Never have I had to worry before that we were too close to the stage.

The theatre was gorgeous. Beautiful woodwork, and paintings covered the ceiling.

The set was great, too. Dropaway wings and pyrotechnics. Rotating pieces. Multipurpose backdrops and scrims. Immaculate detail in the artwork.

I could go on and on about each individual piece of the show and how it was amazing and well planned. The lights added wonderful effect and set the mood, sound operation was nearly flawless and supported rather than impeded the flow of the show, the orchestra was superb and powered through the entire score on cue, the performers really were in character and had wonderful voices...

Each of these things alone is nice, but what makes it phenomenal is the combination of all of them in one package. One tidy show.

I hold a special place in my heart for theatre, especially those behind the scenes that make everything else possible. Can an actor be seen well without light? Can a performer be heard clearly without sound equipment?

I always said that the crew had a good show when nobody noticed anything that they did. Sound was clear, on cue, with no feedback. Lights functional and on cue. Sets changed and curtains flown in and out quickly and efficiently.

It's the whole enchilada. The whole package that makes a wonderful show--on Broadway or anywhere else.

It's fun to work in theatre crafting a different reality for the audience. It concentrates on making the impossible possible: people can fly on stage! The best shows are those that grab their audience as soon as they set foot in the theatre and transport them to a fantastical place where anything is possible. After removing the audience from their everyday world, the rest is icing on the cake. It's the ultimate in escapism.

The audience really wants to believe. All the players and crew have to do is act as a catalyst to make that happen.

All in all, Spamalot is a fun, uplifting, lighthearted comedy that anyone can appreciate, but hits home for Monty Python fans.

I can easily sum up the entirety of Broadway in one word: magic.

 

 

Silence on the Trains: Commuting

My adventures with mass transit continue. From someone who is used to towns of under 60,000 people with no metropolitan areas in the vicinity, public transportation can be a slightly daunting task.

A seemingly endless array of numbers and letters swirl through the subway stops here in New York City. Not to mention the heat underground, which sometimes makes passengers like me feel like Big Apple fritters.

In the hustle and bustle of big city life, it is interesting that some of the busiest places are also the quietest, a delicious irony that should not be lost.

You have people that talk, certainly, but then again there are always rude people. Depending on the day and the overall "pluckiness" of fellow passengers, the offender may get anything from a few dirty looks to a full-out public stoning, which I have never seen, but I have been assured happens.

Funny, because I always assumed that New Yorkers were generally rude, crude, and mean. I guess that's what I get for my assumption. Assume makes an "ass" out of "u" and "me."

I was wrong.

For the most part, the people that I have met here have been courteous and polite. I can't really say "patient," as I think the power used honking horns at any given time in New York City limits could easily power a small neighborhood.

We were disoriented in a subway station. A nice gentleman pointed us in the right direction.

But I digress. 

The train of which I speak is on the line that runs from New Haven, CT to Grand Central Terminal in NYC. If memory serves, that is the Metro North line.

Quiet, or muffled voices blending with the sound of metal-on-metal as the train moves down the tracks combined with the whirr of the air conditioner makes a lovely white noise conducive for everything from sleep to reading. I have no idea what I would do with a commute. Sure, I have to drive 15 minutes to work, but that's nothing compared to the hour or more that some people in NYC spend. A lot can happen in that time, though.

Passengers can catch up on their reading with either books or newspapers that are freely available at stops. Surprisingly informative, really.

Speaking of filling deficits, what better way to spend a "wasted" hour then by taking a power nap?

Commutes are a necessary part of big city life, but they offer so much time to catch up with personal pursuits.

If you're not convinced, do an experiment for a week--a thought experiment.

Dedicate the time spent on your commute to yourself. No work, no worries. Read a newspaper or a book. Take a nap. Listen to music.

Whatever you do, make that your time: much-needed separation between work and home... a place where worries cease and responsibilities vanish.

A pause button for your day.