New Year, Old Shows 1.08.11

Today was a bittersweet day. Let's first talk about the fact that it was snowy and chilly!!

Hayley, Kristin, and I went to see 3 shows between us that are closing this week and next. Hayley and Kristin went to see A Little Night Music as their matinee, and In The Heights at night. I went to see In The Heights for my matinee(I HAD to see Lin-Manuel Miranda perform as Usnavi!) And Next To Normal as my evening performance. We hung around the city in the morning visited our favorite show theatre's for the last time before they closed. We took some shots of the theatre, and posed with our favorite characters on the Booth Theatre doors for the last time. Hayley with Adam Chanler-Berat, who played Henry, Kristin with Kyle Dean Massey, who played Gabe, and Me with Louis Hobson, who was Dr Madden/Dr Fine.









After lunch, we went to our shows. In The Heights was phenomenal, I enjoyed it so much better than the first time, probably because Lin-Manuel Miranda was there, and to me he is the ONLY Usnavi!
The energy was amazing, and you almost really believed it was boiling outside and the middle of July, instead of freezing, snowing, and the beginning of January! I believe I gave a synopsis for this show and Next To Normal previously, so I will skip that and list the cast!

Cast:
Graffiti Pete-Daniel J Watts
Usnavi-Lin-Manuel Miranda
Piragua Guy-Ruben Flores
Abuela Claudia-Olga Merediz
Carla-Courtney Reed
Daniela-Andrea Burns
Kevin-Tony Chiroldes
Camila-Priscilla Lopez
Sonny-Shaun Taylor-Corbett
Benny-Christopher Jackson
Vanessa-Marcy Harriell
Nina-Arielle Jacobs

I did stage door, it was a crazy mad house, but I managed to get from the very last row in the theatre to the very front of the stage door barricades, and I was able to get a picture with Lin-Manuel Miranda, and tell him that his song, "Everything I Know," was an an integral part of my life in 08, when the show came out as my grandfather died that year and I re-wrote the lyrics to fit our family! He seemed very touched by that! It was sad that such a wonderful show was closing.



After the show, I had some time to kill, so I decided I would talk a walk up to FAO Schwartz and Dylan's Candy Bar. On the way, I passed by a still light Christmas Tree near Bloomingdales, and by Bloomingdales itself, which was still decorated as well. I had fun shopping and watching the Big Piano demonstration!














After FAO and Dylan's, it was time to see Next To Normal!
This show made me MORE sad than In The Heights that it was closing! I just love this show!! I saw it three times in NYC, stage doored 4 X, and The cast is small, so you feel like you can really connect with them!

Cast:
Diana: Marin Mazzie
Dan: Jason Danieley
Natalie: Meghann Fahy
Gabe:Kyle Dean Massey
Dr Madden/Dr Fine: Louis Hobson
Henry: Adam Chanler-Berat

I had great seats, 4 rows from the front! I did stage door for a few minutes after, while I waited for Kristin and Hayley to get out of ITH, and I did get a picture with Meghann Fahy, who I had never gotten at the Stage Door before, and my favorite, Louis Hobson.(Who I asked what his next show would be, and he said The People In The Picture, through Roundabout, and I told him I would definitely see anything he was in, so I will be seeing that show!) I also got a picture of the set. It was a long day, sort of sad, but very fun!