#23 I Love It Here

The above should come as no surprise. I have spent a year and a couple of months living my dream and even uncovering some visions I didn't even know were lurking inside my usually focused head. I have made new friends, stretched my limits and spent time reflecting. Those things were usually not possible while living life as a mom, wife, ex-wife and worker (I almost wrote lurker...what's that about?)
So, things were going smoothly. The winter was mild. I was seeking interesting theater and cultural venues deeper and deeper in far away places in the city and it's environs, sort of waiting for the explosion of new shows coming in the Spring, when all HELL BROKE LOOSE.
I got evicted! Well, truth be told, my landlord got found out for having a long term sub-lessee in her "oh so fancy, everything must be approved by the Board of Directors" building, and I was summarily out on my ass in one day!
Now, you  know I am a glass half full sort of person, so how to deal with this disaster? First, my wonderful friend Susan took pity and gave me shelter. Next, I had a frank conversation with the Building's Manager, where I learned that there was no way in Hell that the Board was going to reinstate me (they were apoplectic with my landlord), and I decided to start the search.
Bless Craig's List and curse them at the same time! First, the price of rentals has soared since I last investigated. I did have a sweet deal, but it was within reason. I found out that some adjusting would be necessary. I am a master of planning. I had this city mapped and phone calls out to people before the ink was dry on their Craig's List postings (yes, I know that was symbolic). I saw some wonderful places (usually to find out they were falsely advertised and were much more than listed), and I saw some DUMPS (the worst being the apartment where the woman greeted me with a cigarette in her mouth and there was a sheet hiding the living room). I will save the deets for my book, suffice it to say...I found a gem! With that comes the proviso....it is at the end of the A TRAIN! Nice Pre-War building, 45 minutes from all that is bustling in this city, true, but there is lots to be discovered here. I am on the huge Inwood Hills Park. The spot where in 1626, that clever fellow Peter Minuit bought the Isle of Manhattan from the Indians for $24 (I'm going to spend some time looking for that plaque) and then there are The Cloisters, Riverside Drive and the entire Upper West Side to explore. See, glass half full.

The Spring Theater Season is in full bloom. I am happy to report that the leaves are starting to return to the trees, and I have Black Squirrels in my park. How cool is that!
Slap me silly for not being a good blogger for the last few months. The crisis is over and I am all yours until October ends. (No, I don't want to talk about that). Now, let me push the "publish post" button and get out of here. I have things to do.........

#22 A few things at the tail end of November (one sad)

It is unseasonably warm here. Records are being broken, 70 degrees 2 days ago (normal 45). I have been bike riding in the orange and rust colored Central Park. Well, it's not my bike, I borrow it from my friend Susan, but biking around the paths and parks is heavenly. I get to do that when most people are at work, so it's just the tourists and me, and they rent, so I'm out all day. I have almost circumnavigated the island, just the upper East side to do next. Most of the outer rind of this city is accessible and flat (perhaps I should have said skin, as The Big Apple has no rind). Yes, I wear an ugly green helmet, because the hard part is getting to the rim. The streets of NYC are really ugly to traverse on 2 wheels. Double parking is a natural pastime here and that means the bike lanes are ridiculously blocked. Then again, the real hazard of "death by driver door" is also on all of the approximately 8 blocks to the East or the West from my apartment. Fear factor is a part of every venture out on the ancient black Schwinn, but I figure it heightens my senses, and I need to do that in order to stay sharp in the theater. Oh, I forgot to say that the hilliest and hardest ride for my no longer 20 year old muscles is the aforementioned rectangular park. I will not admit in this cyber public forum to having to get off the bike and walk up some of the steep slopes. No, I won't do that.

Photo taken by Teal's BF Tom 

Now, to the subject of the theater: The sad closing of The Blue Flower happened 3 days ago. The BFBunch gathered and paid respect to this groundbreaking production. The group initially went because I told them it was an outstanding show, but mostly because they are true TWickies, and the Teal Wicks love, from her stint at The Gershwin, flying on her broom in WICKED, convinced them to take on this musical. We all went multiple times. Bless them (some are students) for helping me with $18 tickets. They brought their friends, and I brought some, and in the end we were powerful. We greeted Teal at the last StageDoor, and it was good. Great pictures were taken. Smiles were mixed with feelings of loss, but the authors said they were taking it to other venues, probably London. (note to self: check passport and save money), so we took heart. The remarkable affability of the cast, musicians and creative staff really made The Blue Flower a wonderful run for the fans. I know the actors loved the show. Unfortunately, as I have said before, some were not ready to "get" this work. It's time will come. I'll be there.
One other marvelous thing happened in the last 3 days. I was in the audience of Seth Rudetsky's live radio show at the SIRIUS studios. Not only did he have Neil Sedaka as his first guest, Judy Gold as his second, but Judy Collins was stalking up and down the glass walls of the room waving at Sedaka. Why she didn't come in and say hi, instead of waving, I don't know, but I was having a heart attack. What Seth could have done with all 3 of those geniuses in one room. It was live, so I guess he couldn't ask her in. What a moment! Judy Collins five feet away, wanting to get in! Priceless!
Gotta go clean ThePowderBluePalace. Cali peeps are coming for a Shopping/Dining Spree. The next 5 days will be delightful. TTFN and LLAP

#21 Off Off Off Broadway, and the magic to be found there

Not all the great things happen just on "Broadway". I love to go to off, even off off, and sometimes just clinging by a fingernail, Broadway shows. They are intimate, cheap and usually easy to get tickets to see.
There are 2 off Broadway shows which have been my passions for the last 2 months and sadly, both are closing soon. I initially came to these shows because I follow the Divas who are appearing there, but have returned multiple times because of the acting and music that support them.
First, The Blue Flower: It's not easy to do a musical about lost love, war, death, driven artists, DaDa and German Expressionism, with a touch of Kurt Weill and Country Music.  I won't do a review(see my post of 12/13/10, re: the Cambridge production, it's good), but this is one of the most compelling and riveting pieces of theater I have ever seen. Sadly, the taste for dark musicals is limited, and the people who pay big bucks for a seat in a theater want to smile and be happy, so it is ending too soon. Teal Wicks is the Diva responsible for luring me to this innovative show. Lucky for me that she has good taste in material. Lucky me for being close enough to see both that show and the evolved production that hit 43rd Street in October. It changed in the 4 hour journey to NYC, but Teal's songs and humor remain pivotal. I have brought my NY friends to see the show, 98% are repeat viewers like myself. They have become TheBlueFlowerBunch. They are devoted. I am proud to have introduced them to the show. I wish it would run forever.
Next, Queen of the Mist: It's also not easy to write a show about Anna Edson Taylor, a sad, impoverished but strong woman, who, at 63, decided to make her name by going over Niagara Falls in a barrel. She sings "There is greatness in me" for her opening number...chutzpah, perhaps (although she is an Episcopalian), but greatness eluded her, and she did not have a hero's finale. What we do have here is a bravura performance for Mary Testa, the woman in in the flotation device and my longtime favorite Diva, Julia Murney, as comic and vocal support. I have driven 27 gazillion miles to see Julia all over California and taken buses up and down this East Coast. She is worth the effort. How nice of her to do a show that is 10 minutes walking distance from my apartment. This show is literally in a gym's basketball court. Bleachers hold the audience, yet it is a spellbinding work. The music is soaring and the comic genius of La Murney is pure crackalicious (what she does with a typewriter,"Damn Damn, stick a...."). At the matinee performance I saw last Saturday, I witnessed one of the most touching moments I have ever seen in a show. Mary Testa has sung her powerhouse final song, and she is in tears and is exhausted. The audience rises to it's feet when she comes to the floor for her curtain call. Then, at the center of the first row, an older man who has not been able to rise in ovation, puts his arms out in a reaching gesture to her, imploring her to come to him and give him a hug. This is so unusual! Then I look at Julia. She is streaming tears and smiling like a fool. This is Mary Testa's father! The pride on his face and the 3 other members of her family just was almost too much to witness. I feel I am seeing a private moment. I'd love to know the journey of that family to reach that joy. Of course, I went down and spoke with them. They were thrilled that someone would come multiple times to see her triumphant role. (Well, no one really understands my calling, but they are polite and grateful I get keep coming)
The magic wasn't over that afternoon. After saying thank you to all the cast and Hi to Julia and Mary, I left my friends to go their way to the Subway, and I walked towards Washington Square on my way home. More magic! It was about 4:45. The light was dimming to grey. It was crisp cold, but in the square there was a magician doing a show, beautiful people taking wedding shots in gorgeous clothes, french bull dogs, basset hounds, a man playing Chopin on a Grand Piano, British filmmakers shooting children playing in the waterless fountain, 2 women doing romantic poetry out loud, a homeless man singing "Sesame Street"in a powerful voice, laughing children and a group of parents from a day care center selling yummy baked goods for a dollar. All that within a 2 block area. It was overwhelming in it's wonderfulness. I went home...had some hot chocolate...pondered my good luck and fell sound asleep.

#20 Time flies when you are having fun: The 1 year post

How do you measure a year in the life? 
In long walks, in diners, in cups of cocoa. 
In sweet shows, in bad shows, in journeys 'cross town.
My friends who love RENT will get the reference. The rest, just understand, this has been a good thing I have done.
One more year to purge this demon. Who wants to put money on whether that can be accomplished?  I wouldn't bet on it. I've been afflicted since childhood. 
I have seen wonderful performances, met wonderful people, had some wonderful meals, gone to wonderful concerts, had wonderful walks and bike rides, taken wonderful photographs and experienced wonderful adventures. Well, some of those things were not so wonderful, but hindsight has turned them into enriching experiences, so it's all good. 
I only had one near death experience. I was able to yell and curse out the asshole who almost ran me over, in the best New York tradition, so I figure that was cathartic and good for my chakras.
I love this city. I'm a pretty positive person, and have been happy in 99% of the places I have lived. Still, the energy and creative pulse of this place are heaven to me. I do like a week or so in the mountains or in a lovely tropical island, but this is it for me. (There is the contradiction with how I feel about Africa, but that is for another conversation.) I feel as though I am in the center of the Universe and I do believe I am right. 
Let us hope that the next year will be good for New York City. The Theater will thrive. The economy will not tank a third time and my legs will stay strong enough to negotiate the stairs in the Subway.
One more year, please! Then I will return and tell good stories and plan more adventures.
I will leave you with a photo from the 64th floor of 7 World Trade Center, looking North towards Broadway:

Five Hundred Twenty-Five Thousand Six Hundred Minutes....and I loved every minute. TTFN

#19 September is a great month...Oh, it's October!

I do love September. My birthday, to be sure, is the best day, but then there are a ton of my friends who also share September with me, and you know how much I value my friends. Well, if you don't know the answer to that question, get off this blog! I also had fun in September attempting to sing Happy Birthday to the talented Teal Wicks, but luckily for all involved, that never happened.
The City in September is just glorious. Central Park was crisp and stunning with the last remaining green still in control. The tourists are still here, but not the ones with children, so things seem calmer.....and the best thing about September ....... The Theater Season is beginning.
New shows have started. The NY Musicals Festival is held. Wonderful new productions are just around the corner...more about them later. The first new show I have seen is FOLLIES, huge extraordinary cast bursting with Diva talent...but later about that, too.
So, I apologize for writing about a month long gone, but I love it so, and it's my blog, so I had to say something.
Now, for the first great thing about October:
I won a writing contest. Yes, I'm bragging! I'm damn happy about it, as the judge graduated from Yale and was properly educated on such things as good prose. Do click the link and go read my piece. Every word is true, and I hope the funny bits really make you smile:

http://unnaturallygreen.blogspot.com/2011/10/writing-contest-winners-and-runners-up.html

I welcome comments via AOLe-mail, as I never go to gmail. Be kind. I am developing an ego. TTFN

#18 Fall is coming and Summer is falling fast

Technically, this title is one day late, as Fall begins on September 21st, and I am probably going to get this finished on the 22nd. Well, I've been a little slow these past few months, so at least I'm being consistent. Wouldn't want to shock people by being reliable and keep to a schedule. This is a walk-about, a traipse through the mean streets and filthy alleys of the most complicated city in the world, by a person with a frazzled brain. Too much to think about. Too much to do. Too much to report, and not enough time to do it all in a punctual manner. So take it when you can and enjoy. This is the best I can do. Life interferes with life. You get my drift.
So Fall is in the air. Today the people are wearing long sleeves. Jackets are not in evidence yet, but perhaps soon. Walking and biking are a great pleasure. The subways are no longer heat pits of torture, and I love this city. The Farmer's Market in Union Square is filled with stunning fruits and veggies, none of which I purchase, because I am not home to cook. I am on a mission: Do things and experience the world at my doorstep.
Lots on the calendar and here are some of the highlights from the past 2 weeks:
1. BIRTHDAYS: 2 Theater BDays (Tom Flynn (sweet/charming, Dr Dillamond) and Teal Wicks (my Diva, Elphaba) and Mine! You know I celebrated 3 days, thanks to Linda & Neal B and my Bdwy friends (even got plotzed one night), but September 11th came along, and put an end to the silliness.
2. 9/11 was really intense. I must have DVR'd 20 shows, to learn as much as possible about how New Yorkers experienced the events of that day. I went down to Ground Zero with Nanette and Steve a week  before, and the area was already staged for the huge number of people expected there on that Sunday's memorial. The City was ready for anything. I saw at least 3 police check points from Central Park to the Broadway area, and there were video towers all over. The thing that remains in my mind is the reading of the names. That Sunday was filled with tears, for me as well.
3. Jacqueline came in from CA to participate in TealWicksWickedWeek, the ending of her run as the GreenGirl. 99% of the theater these 2 weeks is going to be devoted to those last shows, but she and I did get in one other show called Sleep No More, a performance piece, done in a 5 story abandoned hotel. The audience wears masks, roams the building following the actors and can even participate in the action. Oh, the play that is loosely performed is Macbeth. It is so rich and full of action, that I never got to the rooms where the witches were double bubbling, toil and troubling. Me, missing witches! It was a huge blunder on my part! It lasted 4 hours, and I didn't want to leave. Special evening.
Another special evening was the world premiere of "8", a new work about the Prop 8 case in the courts right now, that was presented as a reading with a star-filled cast for one night only. The tickets started at $2K down to $500. Not in my price range. I was not happy. Here are some of the actors:Matt Bomer,Anthony Edwards,Morgan Freeman,Cheyenne Jackson,Larry Kramer,Christine Lahti,John Lithgow,Rob Reiner,Yeardley Smith,Ellen Barkin,Bradley Whitford, to name the ones you might know. There were others as well. I really wanted to go. Then on Saturday, there was a tiny notice in BroadwayWorld, that there would be a few RUSH tickets offered at 10 o'clock Monday, the day of the reading. I put out an e-mail to my theater buddies and the plotting began. What time to get to the theater to get in line? It was decided that 6 would be good. Sunday night, my friend Elisa called at 11 to tell me that there were ALL READY people on line. I got up at 2:30am and got to the theater at 3:11. I was 12th. Much fun was had by all in line. Some played cards, some slept, and the rest of us gossiped about theater. I love RUSH lines, but this was the first one I have done before the garbage men get up. Got the tix and went home at 10:15 to sleep those lost hours. The show was historic, not only for the content and the acting, but for the star quality of the audience. Every Gay Advocate in NYC was there, as well as actors, because it was on a Monday night. I learned that the photo shoot in front of the theater that you see the next day in the papers is called "the step and shoot", the press was in heaven and so was I. I went up to all sorts of "names" and talked. I was making the best of that evening. The only problem is that I am too fraking short. I get lost in the crowd and am engulfed. I need 8 inch heals.


On that somber note of despair at the state of the nation, I will stop. Thanks for reading. I'm having a wonderful time. I hope to spread the joy by blogging to you.  Don't think I don't miss you ...I do, but I'm too busy to think about it. TTFN

#17 Summer's Over...Please Come Back!

Labor Day, to me at least, is the end of Summer. Yes, I know, the actual end of Summer is September 21st, but my mother told me I can't wear white after Labor Day and so that's my cut off point. The kidlets are going back to school. The "La Dee Da's" are coming back to the city from The Hamptons and the lobby of my building is filled with golf clubs and luggage. Don't those people know that NYC in the Summer is just fabulous?
True, I don't have a tan. True also, it was a bitch in the Subway when the temperature was over 90, but there was so much to do...and most of it was FREE. (free is my favorite word!)
I had never visited The City in Summer. There is plenty of action in Cali in the Summer and who wanted to mingle with the tourists and sweaty homeless people. WRONG. NYC vibrates with energy and beauty in the summer. It also smells bad when you are walking by the piles of garbage at the curb, but I have learned how to never breathe through my nose except when in a good restaurant or while walking in Central Park.
Speaking of Central Park, here is my best encounter of the summer (even better than meeting Yeardly Smith (voice of Lisa Simpson) twice and having a nice talk each time). Some time in early July I was walking East to West through the park, probably going from one of the museums near the Guggie and heading to meet someone in the Theater District. (I don't remember. It doesn't matter.) The time was around 8:50. Dusk. The weather was sultry and the park was quiet. I walked around a grove of trees and came upon one of the small ponds that rings the lake where people rent the row boats, but this pond is too small and there are only turtles. The light was beautifully soft and there were no people around talking. I walked over to the dirt path that leads to the edge of the water and then I saw them! Fireflies! Bazillion Fireflies! I haven't seen a single firefly in California, ever! They just don't exist west of the Rockies. Don't ask me why. Obviously it has to do with climate and water, but so what, my kids never had the opportunity to experience the joy of watching and capturing them into Mason jars (we were not ecologically sensitive in my youth). The last time I saw them was the day OJ had his madness in the white Jeep on the LA highway, and I was in Chicago on a visit. All the people were at the TV watching that murderer, and I was transfixed on the fireflies in the back yard.
So, when I saw the flickering bugs in the park I was in total heaven. I stayed there for an hour, at least, just watching. Of course, as it got darker the display got better and it was just magical. I tried, but none of my attempts to capture the moment visually on my cel camera worked at all. The magic is in my memory. Bless Mayor Bloomberg for keeping The City safe, because it was really dark and late when I finally left the area. If it had been a few years ago I'd probably have been mentioned in the morning papers.
So, I mark the end of summer by remembering that special encounter and to add a few more observations:
Skinny girls look great in short shorts, the rest of us not so much.
People have LOTS of tattoos these days and most are just terrible.
Never put just one more blast of air in a bike tire because you will blow it up and it pops.
and
Always walk through the Farmer's Market at lunch time and sample everything!
Oh, just one more thing. I will wear white...whenever I want to!
TTFN