The Best of Times

Arrived late in New York on Tuesday evening, so I had obviously no time for sightseeing. Just took the metro to the hostel, got something to drink, posted a blog and went straight to bed.

The hostel I was staying at, Columbus Circle, was ok. The dorms were quite comfy (good matresses and blankets). Again, the bathroom was ensuite. Really happy about that. I saw the (so to say “common”) bathrooms on the other floors and they were, well, quite interesting. Showers were of reasonable size and clean. But the toilets….just ridiculous….so small, you could barely move around in those!!

Enough about toilets and bathrooms now ;). Nice weather was predicted for Wednesday. I decided to go running early in the morning. Running in Central Park is such a treat!! That is why I like to pick a hostel that is close to the Park :). Running there can be quite a challenge though, since the roads are almost never entirely flat.

After shower and breakfast, I headed to Times Square. I wanted some theater tickets!! At Times Square there are two TKTS Booths where you can buy discount tickets. Lines were way too long, so I took the metro to Brooklyn instead. I had been to New York before (quite a few times actually), and I had never crossed the Brooklyn Bridge (by foot). That was about to change! I started off in Brooklyn, walked around a little bit and had something to drink. From there, my feet happily (Wildebeast shoes were still doing great) took me over the Brooklyn Bridge and back into Manhattan. I enjoyed the Bridge’s interesting structure. I had a wonderful view of the New York City skyline (and Lady Liberty in the background) as well.

I actually wanted to go to South Street Seaport after that. South Street Seaport is located close to the Brooklyn Bridge, and is actually one of my favorite spots in New York. But I decided to explore Chinatown and Little Italy instead. After all, I already knew South Street Seaport quite well, that could not be said of the two popular New York neighborhoods.

I especially liked Little Italy, with its charming stores, cute restaurants and lovely ice cream parlors. Tried some lemon ice cream, which was delicious of course. Then Chinatown: huge, probably haven’t even seen 1/3 of it. Very interesting stores. Products were mostly advertised in Chinese. So, often, I really had no clue what they were selling. And sometimes I don’t think I even wanted to know what they were selling lol!! ;) When I made my way back to the Hudson, I also enjoyed a bit of TriBeCa, known for is filmfestival, shops and nightlife.

Now it was onto South Street Seaport for me. As I mentioned before, I really like this place. You can go there on both a good weather and a bad weather day. Good weather: enjoy the nice view of the Hudson River by sitting outside on a terrace or just by walking around. Ferry tours also leave from South Street Seaport. Bad weather: enjoy the many shops inside. You can go into some shops on a good weather day of course, which I did.

I read somewhere that there was a TKTS Booth close to South Street Seaport. Hoped that I could buy my theater tickets there, without having to stand in line for ages.

ADVICE: ALWAYS PICK THIS TKTS BOOTH OVER THE ONE AT TIMES SQUARE, SINCE THERE ARE SELDOMLY LINES!!! THEN MAKE THE MOST OUT OF YOUR VISIT TO THIS PART OF NYC AND GO TO SOUTH STREET SEAPORT AS WELL!!

After waiting for a minute or two, I picked up my tickets for La Cage aux Folles. Good Orchestra Seats, Row 12, 50% off. Good deal!!

After passing Battery Park and the World Trade Center Site, it was time to head back to my hostel. I still needed to grab a bite to eat before the show. My travel guide had mentioned something about Whole Foods, a supermarket where you could buy some freshly-made (and nicely priced) dinners. I ended up picking a dish with chicken, mashed potatoes and vegetables (tasted very good indeed). Very difficult to choose though, so many different options. Soup, salad, vegetarian, sushi, sandwiches etc.

I quickly went back to the hostel after dinner, to change into my evening attire. I was now ready for my third viewing of La Cage aux Folles (one of my all-time favorite musicals, surprise surprise :D)!! I had seen it twice on West End. And I was about to see it for the first time on Broadway. The summary, as it was posted on the Broadway.com site:
"La Cage aux Folles centers on a St. Tropez drag-show nightclub owned by Georges and headlined by his longtime love Albin. The couple raised Georges’ son (the product of a youthful one-night stand) together, but when young Jean-Michel gets engaged to the daughter of a right-wing politician determined to crack down on gay nightlife, Georges feels compelled to pretend to have a "normal" family, with Albin taking on the masculine persona of "Uncle Al." Will Jean-Michel’s future in-laws be fooled?" I have to say that the summary is a bit flawed (but at least you get an idea what the grand old musical is about).

This particular version of La Cage was performed at the Longacre, which is a very cosy and charming theater. Actually quite similar from the theater, the Playhouse, where I saw the West End (London) version of La Cage. In London, there weren’t any fridge magnets of the musical available. In New York, I finally found the magnet I wanted! Yay! My fridge is very happy with the new addition ;).

Here comes my judgment of the show and its (main) performers:

- Douglas Hodge: true standout in the show. He actually received more applause than his co-star Kelsey Grammer. Very moving (his “I Am What I Am” was just so powerful) and funny (“I de-boned the chicken!!”) as Albin/Zaza. Deserving winner of the Tony Award. He was also very gracious at the Stage Door, even after such a high energy performance (mostly on high heels!!), happily chatting with his fans. Have trouble deciding which Albin/Zaza I liked best, they were both so good. Roger Allam, whom I saw as Albin/Zaza on West End, is the better actor. Douglas Hodge is the better singer. Lets just say, it has been a privilege to see them both live on stage!
- Kelsey Grammer: I liked the way he made the role of Georges his own. He is a funny man, as I knew from “Frasier,” but he can be serious too. Although Grammer was a good Georges, he did lack the charm and the voice of Philip Quast (the Georges I saw on West End, as many of you know by now lol :D). Grammer was a little distant at the Stage Door. He signed a few signatures (at least he signed some signatures!) and then quickly got into his car. Probably in a hurry to get home to his 29-year-old pregnant girlfriend ;).
- Robin de Jesus: as the “maid” Jacob. Just plain funny. Pity this guy did not win a Tony Award.
- Les Cagelles: all men in drag. Hilarious. Amazing athletes as well, über flexible (legs went everywhere). I really felt old and rusty when I saw them move :(. I met some of the guys after the show, they were very nice.
- Overall: wonderful, truly infectious show, once again. But not as good as the West End version (which had Philip Quast of course :P). They made some slight adjustments to the plot and left some very funny jokes out. Importantly, the chemistry between Allam and Quast was superb, while the chemistry between Hodge and Grammer was “just” (yes I am spoiled!) good.

When I got back to the hostel, humming to the melody of “The Best of Times” (one of La Cage’s famous songs), it was already 11.30 pm! Quickly got into bed. I had a lot of things planned for the next day.