SMASH! The Musical

A few weeks ago I received a too-good-to-be-true email from TeleCharge that was actual true. TeleCharge emailed many of their customers (probably all of their customers), inviting them to sign up for a lottery to win tickets to see a Broadway show while it was still in production. Best of all -- the tickets were FREE. We would see the numbers performed, but, as the show is still in rehearsals, we did not see the finished set or costumes or the finishing touches. All we had to do was answer a few questions at the end. To date, this has been my favorite lottery win.

The musical SMASH is based on a TV show that ran for two seasons from 2012-2014 about the behind-the-scenes work to create a Broadway musical, in this case one about Marilyn Monroe. 

No knowledge of the show is needed to enjoy the musical. After watching the show, though, Don and I got curious about it so we borrowed the DVD from our wonderful library. In hindsight it is fun seeing how they took 32 hour-long episodes and condensed it into a two-and-a-half hour Broadway musical. They are using many of the songs from the show, combined some characters, and cut others. Before the show, and again right after intermission, the director came out and explained how things will be different in the final version (sets will fly, words will appear on a scrim, etc.). 

Many in the audience were invited guests, people from the industry, perhaps friends of the cast. Us regular folk were in the minority. We were seated together towards the back of the 600-seat CUNY Hunter school theater. 

As the show ended, we were each handed a cell phone and instructed to complete a quick survey. They asked us our favorite scenes (I could barely remember any scenes), our opinions on the chemistry between different characters, what we liked, what didn't work (be specific). Then there is the demographic information including how many Broadway musicals do you see in a year, how many Broadway plays, and how many non-Broadway, but still in New York City shows do you see in a year. Tough question. As people keep pointing out, we see A LOT. After that show we had plans to see Night of the Iguana off-Broadway, the week earlier I saw two shows in New York, and we have plans to return in a couple of weeks. Since COVID we have successfully been trying to see more. The harder questions were: what show does this remind you of? and, in the past couple of years, what have been your favorite Broadway shows? 

With the chance to absorb what we saw, I wish I had been given the opportunity to answer the questions again.

We were asked to keep the new plot twists a secret until after the show opens sometime in the 2024-2025 theater year. Since we haven't seen the TV show, I don't know what is a surprise, so I won't share much about the show. I will share Alex Brightman was in the cast as Jerry. We last saw him at Beetlejuice, in the musical of the same name. Completely different role, which made him feel like a completely different character. With Beetlejuice he was larger than life. As Jerry, just about any male actor could fill the role. That is one of the few roles that fell flat.

Actors hanging out after
the show!

We are already planning to see the show after it opens, if only to see if any of our concerns were addressed in the rewriting, as well as to see the flying sets and fancy costumes.

We are both wondering how we get on the mailing list to be invited to see more shows in the pre-production stage. It is exciting seeing how the magic happens.

After the show we walked to our new-favorite theater district restaurant, a Chinese restaurant on 10th Avenue. Last month The Counter closed suddenly forcing us to find a new favorite place.

That morning we tried for the $30 rush tickets to see Night of the Iguana. The day before we tried to win lottery tickets to see Sweeney Todd, Merrily we Roll Along, A Beautiful Noise, and The Notebook and lost each time. The ticket prices without the lottery were starting above $150 each, in one case the cheapest ticket we could have gotten was $319 each. If we hadn't won the rush tickets, we would have paid $42 to see Iguana instead.

Night of the Iguana is by Tennessee Williams. Emily Mann, formerly of McCarter Theatre, is the director. It received decent reviews. A couple of problems. The first was we were in the front row and with the stage elevated on a platform to simulate being on a veranda, our necks were at an awkward angle. The second was I'm not a fan of Tennessee Williams, or at least not of the plot. Rather than listening to the characters whining and repeating themselves, and having the German tourists parading in every now and again to remind us this takes place in the mid-1930s, I could trim the whole thing down from three hours to 30 minutes. It was well done, just not something I'd want to see again no matter who was performing it.

The other winner for the night was I saw on Facebook NJ Transit was having a bring your sweetheart for free deal. Don and I were able to take the train from Princeton Junction for $32 today instead of $32 each. In a couple of years, he'll qualify for the 50% off senior rate. That will be a game changer.

PS: Now that we've seen both seasons of the original TV show, we know what the spoilers are, but we won't spoil it. A lot of the original choreography was kept. Characters were condensed for simplicity, and others were added for storytelling purposes. Overall, we are pleased with how they turned over 30 hourlong episodes into a two-hour musical.

Ouchie!

I'm not sure when or how it happened, but I have bruised a bone on the bottom of my foot. Ouch!

Let me backtrack, in September when I got off the plane in Brisbane, Andrew commented I was limping. Until he said that, I didn't even notice I was favoring one side over the other. I shook off his concern saying I was tired (which was true). As the rest of the trip progressed, I realized I was really in pain. There were times in Sydney it was so bad I wanted to cry as I hobbled to a restaurant for dinner. Being alone, if I wanted to eat, that was my only option. The pain was worse when I first woke up, and dissipated as I walked, only to return any time I rested.

A classic case of plantar fasciitis. 

Throughout the fall, the pain came and went. It was non-existent when I went for my annual physical in November. As Don kept going for physical therapy (which the Canadians call by the more charming term, physio) and to the chiropractor for an injury he sustained on the trip, I kept shaking mine off.

I reached a point last month when I had enough and went to a podiatrist. He listened to me for a moment, felt my foot and diagnosed me with (you guess it) plantar fasciitis.

Gee, why didn't I think of that?

He did give me a cortisone shot, sell me some insoles, and sent me home with a sheet of exercises to do. He said come back in two weeks if I am still in pain. He also said to take it easy.

I dutifully did the exercises.

I then bought new sneakers. Since Nike brought back the Zoom Structures, I found the shoes online and bought a second pair. They had been my go-to sneaker before they were discontinued.

Feeling better, I went for a gentle run: 60 seconds running, 90 seconds walking. Okay, at the end I ran for 150 seconds straight to round up to a 5k. I felt some pain in my heel, but shook it off.

Two days later I returned to the podiatrist in pain and with a new diagnosis: bruised bone. This appointment was even shorter than the previous one. Left with less instructions, just keep off of it as much as possible.

This time I was told no running, limit my walking, and stick to low impact exercise like biking.

With temperatures in the 50s, I took my bike for a spin in Mercer Meadows. It felt wonderful to exercise without feeling shooting pain in my heel. Two days later, I convinced Don to go for a ride on the tandem. That's when I noticed my butt bones (not sure of the technical name) were sore from the earlier ride. At that moment it was as if a lightbulb went off: bruised bones do heal if you leave them alone and let them rest. So that's what I'll do this time. I've cut my daily walk goal down from 10,000 steps a day to 3,000 steps a day (I had cut it to 5,000 steps after the first doctor's appointment). It hasn't been a week yet, and I do have a trip to NYC coming up in four days.

Meanwhile, I signed up for the Spring Lakes 5 miler Memorial Day weekend because I do want to get back to running someday soon.

PS: A week later I had my first nearly pain-free day. The feeling in my foot was tenderness rather than stabbing pain. My limp felt more out of habit than out of necessity. Here's to it continuing!

Black History Month

I've often felt listening to a first person reenactor makes history feel alive. Whether it is at Williamsburg or learning Rosie-the-Riveter, or going to the Spirit of the Jerseys State History Fair, or dining with them at the Cock and Bull restaurant in Lahaska, PA, it is mesmerizing listening to their story in a way that simply hearing a lecture or reading about them in a book. You walk away feeling as if you have met the person. To be able to ask "them" questions makes you feel as if you are getting answers from the ultimate source. Done well, it is easy to forget they are actors pretending to be the person and they just might not know all the answers.

This Black History Month I have had the pleasure of "meeting" Father Tolton and Phillis Wheatley in separate events.

Father Augustus Tolton lived in the mid-19th century. He was the first African American priest (but not the first Black priests as other countries allowed Black men to become priests before we did in the United States), and is on the path to sainthood. He was born in Missouri in 1854 as a slave and escaped to Illinois with his mother and siblings. He was kicked out of a German Catholic school because he was black. The Irish Catholic priest embraced him and encouraged him to learn. His faith, and the faith of his mother, was unshakable. The priest encouraged him to become ordained. After being rejected by all of the schools in the United States, he went to Rome to become ordained. Upon culmination of his program, they sent him back to Illinois to serve. Along the way he learned German, Latin, and Greek. He died when he was 43.

"Tolton from Slave to Priest: the true story of America's first Black Priest" is a Saint Luke Production. It was presented at Notre Dame High School. Jim Coleman performed the lead role. The others, including his mother, the devil, different priests, and his best friend, were presented on the screen. This format keeps the costs down. Throughout the 75-minute production, Jim changed his outfits representing the different stages in Father Tolton's life. I was disappointed there was not a Q&A session at the end. I entered knowing nothing about his life, and left fascinated by all he accomplished, a little ashamed at how little I have done with my life. Saint Luke Productions also educates people about other saints (and future saints) including Mother Theresa, John, and Saint Augustine.

A few days later I learned about Phillis Wheatley. Talk about feeling like a slacker! Here is a girl born in Africa about 1753 and forcibly brought to the United States in 1760 when she was only 7 years old. She is purchased in Boston by the Wheatley family. She led an in-between life. Though a slave, she lived in the main house and ate with the family. The Wheatley children educated Phillis (she was named Phillis because that is the boat she came over on). When they went to church, she sat upstairs with the slaves. When Mr. and Mrs. Wheatley died, nothing was left for her. She not only read the entire bible, she translated it into Latin. She could also read Greek. She was that kind of brilliant. She started writing poems, many of them elegies, and espoused political opinions. She traveled to England with the Wheatley's son. She was incredibly well education for a woman of her time, for any race.

Daisy Century, EdD, the re-enactor is also quite impressive. Through American Historical Theater, she presents eight different people, including Harriet Tubman, Sojourner Truth, Mme. C.J. Walker, Mary Fields, Bessie Coleman, and (of course) Phillis Wheatley. She did have a Q&A afterwards. The cutest question was from a little girl about seven years old who asked "didn't I see you as Bessie Coleman in the library?" I may be fooled by a wig and a change in posture, but this little girl was not! I asked Daisy how she keeps it all straight and she said it is through the clothes. Throughout her 75-minute presentation she adjusted her clothing in front of us, changing a hat or adding a shawl, to demonstrate how her life was changing.

Two very remarkable people. Had they lived near each other (both in time and geography), I wonder what their conversations would have been like. Both brilliant, neither one living in the right time or place.

What would their lives have been life if white people didn't enslave them?