Matilda and Les Mis on Broadway

February 8, 2015
Day 284

Yesterday I saw two great Broadway shows I'd been wanting to see very much: Les Mis and Matilda.  We saw Les Mis at night, but caught the matinee of Matilda, which worked perfectly, because there were lots of kids in the audience, providing that extra impact (you know the kind of energetic giggling I mean?).  But if you don't mind, I'll go in reverse order.

Les Mis was wonderful, and it really is so much about the amazing songs and amazing voices.  There's honestly nothing you can say against the show regarding its words or music.  That said, I did feel the production fell flat in some ways.  It wasn't the performers themselves so much as the direction.  It just lacked that extra oomph they absolutely needed.  The choices were just slightly off, if you know what I mean, as if they could have just placed a performer in a different place, or had him raise his weapon in a less overly dramatic fashion?  If you go, you'll love it, but you might also see what I mean.  Solid B+ show, just not the A it could have been.

Matilda, on the other hand, was a revelation.  Though there were some parts in the beginning where the singing and music were so loud you couldn't understand a lot of the British accents being sung (for an American audience), the rest was an absolute joy!  The show was far more magical than I ever would have guessed, and though there is some magic, of a kind, in the show, I instead mean the way it tells its story, the way it makes you feel.  There were some points in Matilda where I just started crying because I was so happy to be witnessing something so beautiful, and by the show's final number, the emotional buildup was so great, it took all of my self-control to stop myself from bawling the happiest tears ever!  Now that, my friends, is good theatre, and well worth the A+ grade I give it!  You better believe I'll be seeing this show again and again...and again and again too!

That Was My Youth

September 10, 2014
Day 133

Last night I went to see the new play This Is Our Youth on Broadway.  What follows here is not a review, just some reflections I've got spinning around in my head, reflections on my own life and youth after seeing this show.

The show never, as I could tell, used the phrase, "This is our youth", despite the fact that I'd hoped to hear it by the end of the second act.  Instead, it showed us a trio of early-20-somethings stuck in a life they didn't expect, musing about what their lives might one day be, and reminiscing about the innocence of their past. 

When I think of my own life, I often get lost in all the years between birth and now.  My mind doesn't immediately turn to memories of my youth or teenage years, or even to my 20s or 30s.  These four decades now mostly behind me in the rear-view mirror are all there, colliding as one big image.  I keep one hand on the steering wheel as I adjust the mirror, and see them all just together, waving at me from the road behind.

Like the play, my youth included some illicit activities, underage drinking, drugs, and even running from the authorities and jumping over fences to escape.  How did that happen?  How did I go from Catholic school kid with thoughts of the priesthood to bong-sucking 11th grader trying to fit in?  Where was the jump from making altar boy of the month at St. Agnes Cathedral to being 17 and passing a fake ID to a bartender in Far Rockaway?

My life, like my youth, has been filled with these moments of discovery and experimentation.  Sometimes I made conscious, adult decisions to reach a certain experience, but more often than not, I just went with the flow, and tried my best not to worry too much.  I cursed, drank, and inhaled my way through hangouts with friends and strangers, and hoped to God no one would ever find out I was just a scared gay kid who felt completely lost in an unfriendly world.

And so as I keep looking back at the road and roads behind me through the rear-view mirror, I can't help but see all my youth now relocated to the past, and not the future.  I don't expect only 100% maturity and sound decisions in my future, but I know I can no longer blame my youth for the mistakes I sometimes make. 

I tilt the mirror up slightly, and then grab hold of the wheel with both hands.  My gaze returns to the road ahead of me.  And though I'll take the occasional glance backward to see what might be following me into the future, I'll mostly keep looking forward.  Who knows how far my car will take me, but I've come so far already, and I plan to enjoy whatever awaits me up ahead.

These past 5 days of beautiful living

June 25, 2014
          Day 56/365

I want to tell you briefly about these past 5 days.  Each of them was marked by enough "special" to warrant their own reflection, but I'd like to just paint the scenes for you as a single collage of life's beauty.

These five days included a Broadway show, a ballet at Lincoln Center, a trip to Connecticut, four meals out in restaurants, two Shamanic journeys, six games of tennis, two movies, new friendships, and lots of wonderful food, drink, and conversation.

FRIDAY: The day began with work, as all weekdays do, but by the evening, I was sipping wine with a friend from Australia in our very own private living room in midtown Manhattan (a hotel bar with nice digs!).  After wine, we sauntered (the stumbling would come later) to Aladdin on Broadway, which was followed right afterward by stage-dooring across the street.  It was Giuseppe Bausilio's 17th birthday, so we joined him after his show (he's one of the amazing Newsies) for some delicious Brazilian food and drink.  And my God, that drink!  I ended up catching a 1:37 AM train back to Long Island, and was grateful to be asleep by 3.

SATURDAY: On Saturday, Andy and I were off to visit our friend Darren in Connecticut.  We got there around 3:30, had some cheese and strawberries he prepared, caught up on each other's lives, then went out for an early dinner sometime after 5.  It was the first day of summer, so our blessing that evening was a delicious feast with equally delicious drinks at an outdoor table.  We followed that up by watching some really great movies back at his house.

SUNDAY: Sunday morning's weather was equally brilliant, so we went out for breakfast at the local diner, then worked off some of our meal with a few games of tennis at Darren's local tennis courts.  The getaway to Connecticut was wonderful, and it was great to catch up with Darren again, as we hadn't seen him in almost a year.  Got home mid-afternoon and took a nice long nap.  Ahh!

MONDAY: The work week returned Monday, but that night's activities included a decadently scrumptious lasagna at Cafe Fiorello, followed by the opening night performance of ABT's Swan Lake at Lincoln Center.  Gillian Murphy and Marcelo Gomes danced as Odette and the prince, with Roman Zhurbin wowing in the role of Rothbart.  Gillian was unfortunately still nursing an injury, and was unable to perform in the second half, but her understudy, Hee Seo, was wonderful.  Before then, I'd only seen the Matthew Bourne Swan Lake, so my friend Suzanne insisted I come and see this one with her.  She was right as always, and I had a wonderful time!

TUESDAY: And then last night, as has been my monthly tradition since last year, I attended a Shamanic Drumming Circle.  Shaman John Gilroy offers an Introduction to Shamanism course once a month, and a Shamanic Drumming Circle once monthly too.  Both are at New Light Sanctuary in Bay Shore on Long Island.  Shamanic journeys are unlike anything else I've ever experienced before, and they're kind of hard to explain in just a few words, so if you're interested in learning more, this description is very good.  My journeys last night were fruitful beyond description, but I'll need a lot more time to think about them before I share them publicly!  Time will tell how much I listen to what I learned there last night.

And that's it!  Those were my last 5 days of beautiful living.  I hope you enjoyed the experiences I shared here, and may your own journeys through life always be worth telling others about too!