Baby It’s You

Posted in Broadway, Cultured, My New York by

Baby It’s You (showing at the Broadhurst Theater until September 4th) is a based on the true story of Florence Greenberg, creator of Sceptre Records and founder of The Shirelles – a 1960s American girl group (first to have a number one single on the Billboards Hot 100).

The story opens with Florence, a mother and housewife in New Jersey who wants to get into the music business. With help from a family friend – and much protesting from her husband – she starts Tiara Records with a four girl group her daughter, Mary Jane, found at school called the Shirelles.

The story continues, following Florence’s climb in the music industry, from her selling Tiara Record and the Shirelles’s contract to Decca Records to her founding Scepter Record and taking the Shirelles to the top with the help of her partner, singer/songwriter/producer Luther Dixon. With hit songs like Tonight’s the Night, Dedicated to the One I Love and Soldier Boy, the Shirelles hit the Billboard charts and at the height of their fame, hit number one on the charts.

There were quite a few hard relationship stories in the play; Florence’s relationship with her children – pretty strained since she was hardly at home. Her relationship with the Shirelles – who her husband said she treats better than her own daughter – and her relationship with her partner Luther, a relationship that did not remain a professional one.

The music, in the beginning it was choppy, but as the the play moved along there were some really stirring numbers. I really loved the voices of the ladies that played the Shirelles, they sounded amazing together; different than the original group – I think a different sound altogether – but still very girl group-esque.

the colourful costumes were fun! (via broadway.com)

I absolutely LOVED the costumes! Florence had a lot of dress changes and I loved pretty much all her dresses. I also loved the A-line skirts that the Shirelles wore in the beginning of the play! So fun, I wonder where I can get skirts like those! A very 50s/60s wardrobe, it was easy to see some of the influences on present day fashion.

In the beginning they projected a jukebox on the screen so that image was stuck in my head when I saw the set and the on-stage band sitting on lit tiers reminded me of a jukebox. There were four screens that served as digital backdrops; everything had a 50s/60s feel to it; definitely a fun set. With the band on-stage the show felt more like a concert, which was great because during the bows they played a couple of popular tunes, much to the audience’s joy – especially that older gentleman in the front row shimmying with the cast.

Baby It’s You isn’t a show I’d typically chose to go to, so I was pleasantly surprised at how much I loved it. It’s too bad that September 4th is its last day! Thanks to my pal Evie for the cheap ticket!

Florence and The Shirelles (via broadway.com)

Traversing the High Line

Posted in My New York by

Hidden away in the concret jungle of Manhattan, to the west, lies the High Line Park. Converted from old train tracks, the High Line runs from Gansevoort Street to West 34th Street, between 10th & 11th Avenues.

I’m not sure what the plants are called, but they evoked in me a sense of wild and free. In a city where plants are practically non-existant it’s like an oasis, tucked away, waiting to be discovered.

There were many places for sitting and reading, or even relaxing during a lunch break. We a passed a very small lawn where quite a number of people were having picnics and sitting on blankets. There was also a contemporary dance exhibit going on when we were passing through. There are quite a few events going on weekly at The High Line, it seems a great place for family fun.

More Images on Flickr

Irene

Posted in The Observer, Thoughts by

We got off pretty easy. Irene swept through the neighbourhood and the damage was mostly power outages.

outages across Long Island

Which is not such a big deal compared to the 25 (last count I heard) lives lost or the houses flooded or the roads lost.

  

My main inconvenience is no internet, which, a drive to the closets Starbucks and a wait around for a plug solves. The trains were down so there was no way to commute to the city. Otherwise, everything was pretty normal.

I don’t know when my electricity will come back on, but every time I want to complain I think of those who were hit worse and I stop myself.

Sometimes my privileged self is pretty annoying.

How to Succeed on Broadway!

Posted in Broadway, Cultured, My New York by

Rising before the sun, my friend and I headed into the New York City to stand in line at the Al Hirschfeld Theatre’s box office to get rush tickets. We were aiming for 8 a.m. but got there around 7:45 to find a 15 people queue – I asked the first in line, they were there since 6 a.m.).  I stayed until 9:30 and then left for work; 30 minutes later I got a text saying we got the tickets! yay! =)

If you want to try rush tickets, check the website for details. The show was definitely worth getting up before the sun!

The set was very simple, just a few coloured rises that moved on and off stage when necessary, the backdrops, office furniture and box designed to look like a lift. Very simple, but very well done.

Scene from Coffee Break (image via broadway.com)

The costumes were mostly business suits and dresses. I absolutely LOVED the colours, I would wear some of those styles to work! For some reason the costumes reminded me of Annie (the movie, I haven’t seen the Broadway show).

The story  follows a young and ambitious J. Pierrepont Finch (Daniel Radcliffe), a window washer at the beginning of the story, and his climb up the corporate ladder.

As J. Pierrepont Finch climbs the corporate ladder, a secretary Rosemary Pilkington, played by Rose Hemingway, has set her eyes on making him her husband. Meanwhile Biggley’s nephew, Bud Frump, played by Christopher J. Hanke, is trying to blackmail his uncle into giving him a higher position.

Daniel Radcliffe did a great job! It took me until Act 2 to remember that he English and was using an American accent, he blended in so well! Also, I was pleasantly surprised by his singing and dancing skills. I can see Daniel going a very long way with his acting career. John Larroquette who played J.B. Biggley, the head of World Wide Wickets, was one of my favourites in the show. His character was quite hilarious and probably the one that provided the most laughs for me. I also loved Christopher Hanke, he did a great job in portraying Bud Frump and adding more laughs to the show.

I listened to the songs before the show (on Spotify) and didn’t think I would get the soundtrack , but, after seeing the show, I think I’m going to getting it! Some of my favourite songs were Coffee Break (hilarious and great choreography), Paris Original (such a funny song!) and Brotherhood of Man – I think Daniel’s dancing skills shone through on this one, see video below from the Tony Awards.

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Great show, wonderful production. I had a fabulous time!

Maggie … oh my

Posted in Bookish, Thoughts by

I cannot decide whether this book is a big joke or a real book. The description reads:

This book is about a 14 year old girl who goes on a diet and is transformed from being extremely overweight and insecure to a normal sized girl who becomes the school soccer star. Through time, exercise and hard work, Maggie becomes more and more confident and develops a positive self image.

First, let’s take a look at the cover. There is a girl, who we can probably assume – with great accuracy – is Maggie. Maggie is holding up a dress that does not fit her. In the mirror Maggie is seeing a skinnier girl who fits the dress.

Next, let’s look at the description. Maggie is overweight, and insecure but a diet transforms her from an overweight, insecure girl into a normal size – skinny and pretty. The only good thing – and I use that liberally – is that the diet is through time, exercise and hard work.

What upsets me most about the book is that it might lead young girls to think that in order to be happy they must be thin – or, as the author so tactfully puts it, normal size. This doesn’t promote health as much as it promotes low self-esteem. Yes, let’s hand this book to young girls who might already be suffering from low self-esteem and tell them that in order to be more confident they need to lose weight.

Appalling.