I'm still happily in vacation mode. I should find out today if I'm starting work next week or the week after. I'd be perfectly okay with starting the 20th.
I saw a really cute show last night with some friends. Theaterworks USA (not to be confused with the Theatreworks company in the Bay Area) is doing a production of Seussical Off-Broadway for a free summer theater fest. The show has been reworked from the Broadway production. Apparently, they cut a few songs, but the story stayed in tact. The original production was pretty widely panned and, from the description, I can see why. I think it really works as a small show in a small house and could get lost in a larger stage and lots of scenery.
This show was perfectly cast. Everyone really did look like a Seuss character! The costumes were very minimalist and looked kinda' like kids playing dress-up (it's an adult cast but this production is aimed at kids). The sets and props were all very creative-- things you'd find around the house. The trees, for example, were frames of beach umbrellas with things like oven mitts and rubber gloves for leaves, adding shaped sponges, etc. when turning to an under-water scene. Perhaps one of my favorite props was an egg beater being used as an old hand crank movie camera.
The music is Ahrens & Flaherty who wrote the scores to shows like "Ragtime" and "Once on This Island" (one of my all time favorites). Even more, they were major contributors to Schoolhouse Rock.
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Prior to the show, one of my friends introduced me to this really cool pier not too far from the theater in the Village. It goes pretty far out into the Hudson river, so it's cool and breezy out there. It was great. I can imagine going out there to just watch the water, maybe write a bit. There's so much in this place I've still yet to explore. For living on an island, I've spent remarkably little time her near the water.
After the performance, we went and had really tasty Mexican food where I learned my lesson that I shouldn't eat spicy food without specifically asking what's in it. Apparently, they make their mole sauce with ground mixed nuts, to which I'm deathly allergic. Usually something like that isn't an issue since I can typically sense something nutty immediately as my tongue feels funny. It seems spicy food helps mask that. Oops. Fortunately, the majority of it was cashew, which makes me more sick to my stomach than swell up and die, but it was a mix. I avoided going to the hospital since, fortunately, I had some Atarax (heavy allergy drug) with me and already had a decent dose in my system when this happened. At this point, since it was several hours ago, I'm just a bit itchy and my face feels puffy. I won't be tasting much the next couple of days, but I'm alive and perfectly okay.
As we left, we had a NY star sighting. Replacing us at our table was Kirsten Dunst and one of the Olsen twins. I tried to ignore it and give them their space, but it's something that's a bit tough not to notice. It's comforting to see tabloid-hounded people so comfortable with being out and about without fear, enjoying a sidewalk cafe. I wonder if she's in the movie for which I walked through the set this morning. A lot of films are shot in my neighborhood, though.
About half of NYC films these days I can point and say "Hey, I live about a 1/2 block from there!". I think a lot of smaller indie films are going to abandon NYC, though. The city is working on passing a pretty strict and expensive initiative for film makers in the city (any shots requiring longer than 1/2 hour to set up), requiring steep insurance policies and a few other things that might prove cost-prohibitive for smaller budgets. I find that a little sad. I've always loved watching films and shows that take place in NYC. So much is possible in this big metropolis I've come to call "home".
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