Monday, April 2

NJ and the Big Apple, Part 2





We saw The Drowsy Chaperone, billed as the funniest musical on Broadway. It was in the Marquis Theater; in the Marriott Marquis Hotel. I have included the photos of the cast, taken from the playbill. The gist of the plot is: a guy who lives alone and is devoted to musical theater, re-lives an earlier Broadway show named The Drowsy Chaperone, by listening to the old LP record of the music from the show. As he listens, he imagines the action of the play, which is acted out in his apartment, and he narrates.



"Playbill.com: The Drowsy Chaperone is about a theatre fan called Man in Chair telling us about his favorite old show, and giving behind-the-scenes dirt about the performers who created the roles back in 1928. You and your fellow actors are really inhabiting two roles. The Chaperone in the silly musical about a wedding is played by a diva of the Golden Age of musicals…Beth Leavel: My character is informed by this woman who inhabits her — her name is Beatrice Stockwell."

If you are interested in reading more about it, go here:

And for more info on Beth Leavel, a native Raleighite, go here:
Some of you will remember Georgia Engel (third from right on top row) from her days on Mary Tyler Moore and other television shows. In this play, she is the essential Georgia, and you are reminded of her character on the Mary Tyler Moore Show. This show is very funny and I do recommend it. One character is particularly amusing to me: Danny Burstein (second from left on top row) plays Aldolpho, a larger than life Latin Lover (with a capital L)! Every linehe said had me convulsed with laughter, much to miss kenju#1's dismay.....LOL

We bought our half-price tickets, and had 90 minutes to spare before the show, so we went into the Marquis for dinner. If you go to NYC, do go into the Marriott Marquis. It is a very interesting location, and they have several restaurants; the one on the top revolves and gives you excellent views of the city while you dine. We chose a smaller, less formal cafe and sat down. Not far from us was an older couple, who were chatting with their waiter. He asked them where they were from, and they answered Raleigh, NC. I laughed and marvelled at the coincidence, but I didn't go to their table and tell them. Mr. kenju would have!

As we left the theater, we heard a band playing. In the drive-through at the Marriott, the West Virginia University marching band was playing. They were happy because they had won their game in the NIT that night. I mention this for Jennifer at Open Book, a very proud WVU grad.

After the show, we walked back to the NY Athletic Club, to meet mr. kenju, daughter #1 and My BIL. The party wasn't over, and we were invited upstairs to the tap room, to meet old and make new friends. Guess who I met?

http://www.cbs.com/primetime/survivor10/survivors/bio/tom.shtml
I'll tell you about that tomorrow!

19 comments:

OldHorsetailSnake said...

You met someone from West Virginia!! I win. Send award via email tenkuberrymudge.

Craver said...

Ack! You met a 'survivor'... Now I can't wait to read your post tomorrow...!!

wheee!

Anonymous said...

Ah, I am very nostalgic for NYC as I read your post. Thanks for sharing so I can live vicariously through you.

Unknown said...

Tom is my favorite Survivor.

sage said...

it sounds like a beautiful trip--most southerners--and congratulations to Mr. Kenju to being inducted into the High School Basketball Hall of Fame.

Cris said...

I am going to show your blog to my brother/sister-in-law, they are leaving for NY tomorrow to visit family (my in-law side).

Bobkat said...

Sound slike you are having a great time! :-)

Ginnie said...

I am green with envy. I love NY and miss it a lot. Have fun and thanks for sharing it.

Pat said...

Who who who? What a perfectly smashing time you're having. Let's hope this works. I see Hoss up there and at present his comment box and my computer are incompatible but I'm working on it- something about browsers and cookies?????

tiff said...

You met my dream dude!!!! Lucky lucky woman. :>

The trip sounds really fun too. NYC is a terrific place to go have a good time.

srp said...

I wanted to see this last summer but it had just won the Tony and ticket prices had doubled. So we went with what Nyssa wanted to see. I heard that it was hysterical and I always loved Georgia on MTM.

utenzi said...

I remember Georgia Engels quite well. I was just a young kid when MTM was on the air, but even then I knew that Engels was a babe. Why they had her paired up with Ted is beyond me! LOL

Shephard said...

Judy, you sound like you're having a blast! Never been to Amish country, that sounded really nice.

I've seen the show, and have stayed at the Marriott Marquis a couple times, and eaten at it's convenient restaurants many times. :) I've been to its theatre several times also. I like the whole experience of that hotel... but I would NOT recommend staying there... 12 elevators to get you down from the top... and you can wait up to 15 minutes for them sometimes!

~S :)

Anonymous said...

Sounds like a really interesting day! I'd love to go back to NYC!

ProducerClaire said...

I *LOVE* the restaurant atop the Marquis. My boyfriend took me there about 8 years ago, and I'll never forget the view...the rotating restaurant...or the Broadway-themed desserts. I don't usually order dessert, but when there was a grand piano fashioned from dark chocolate with a complete keyboard and filled with raspberry sauce....yum! Still waiting on that trend to move this way.

Jamie Dawn said...

I LOVED ditsy Georgia Engel on the MTM show, and it's good to know she is still out there making people laugh.

rosemary said...

Georgia Engel is great...nice to know she is still in the public eye. I wrote down the hotel, theater etc. We are going on a trip to see our son late summer and will stay in NY a few days before going on to E. Rochester.

OldLady Of The Hills said...

I'm reading backwards herem Judy...(LOL).
I know Lenny Wolpe...He used to live here in L.A. and was Very Very active in a wonderful group of "professionals" Called The Musical Theatre Guild....he is very very talented....That show sounds like a lot of fun!
I thought you were going to say you went to Sardi's...(lol)...My favorite Theatre Restaurant!

LZ Blogger said...

I took my wife to NYC for our 25th Anniversary and we had dinner at Sardi's on the very night of our 25th Anniversary. A VERY Special TIME! THX for the memory! ~ jb///