Guide for Broadway Virgins

Broadway is, without a doubt, one of the greatest things about living in New York. This world class and historic form of entertainment is right on your doorstep and offers something for absolutely everyone. Even if you’re not particularly drawn to jazz hands or people who sing their way through life (I obviously love both these things) there is a musical or play on the Great White Way for your enjoyment.

I know lots of New Yorkers who have never seen a Broadway musical and similarly, I know lots of first time visitors looking for the perfect experience, but with so much choice which show is right for you?

You might think that you can just buy tickets for the one that LOOKS the best and go, but lately I’ve noticed that when people don’t do a little bit of research, they end up sitting through something they hate and the Broadway experience is ruined! For example, at Christmas, my sister and I decided to take our Mum to see a matinee of Priscilla: Queen of the Desert. We were fully aware that the musical is about a rag tag group of drag queens making their way across Australia in a camper van. The Bette Middler produced show was right up our alley for a girls’ afternoon. However, we were surrounded by people who were clearly shocked by their choice of show – including families with very young children. Most of the content of the show was fine for kids, but the language and sexual references certainly weren’t. You could tell that some patrons hadn’t even googled the show! Rookie mistake.

So here, without further ado is your very own personal musical guide. If you’re a Broadway buff, you’ll want to see some of the newer offerings (I’ll detail my Broadway wish list for the new season in another post). But for first timers, here’s a rough, reliable guide to some brilliant Broadway Musicals:

Wicked: An All-Rounder

You’ve heard people talking about Wicked. It has something to do with the Wizard of Oz right? The main actress in it is painted green? Right?

Wicked is my favorite show currently playing on Broadway. This prequel to The Wizard of Oz has all the elements that make up a perfect show for everyone. The storyline will keep you enthralled, yet it is familiar enough to make people think, I get that! The set is intricate, well designed and a spectacle in itself. The characters are likable and the script is comedic as well as touching. Best of all, the music is mind blowing. Men, women, children – this show is for everyone. Be prepared to get goosebumps during Defying Gravity. 

 

Avenue Q: Not quite On Broadway 

Avenue Q has been around for almost ten years but it’s still absolutely hilarious. While on Broadway it won three TONY awards, including Best Musical and in 2009 it moved to the New World Stages theatre for an off-Broadway production. It’s off-beat take on Sesame Street is for Mature Audiences and this is a great one to take your reluctant male friend or boyfriend to, especially if he has a sense of humor! The script may not be as controversial as The Book of Mormon, but it’s still sure to make you giggle at a much lower price. *I saw this for the third time this weekend and it still makes me cry with laughter. 

 

The Lion King: A Familiar Spectacle 

When Disney makes Broadway musicals, it pulls out all the stops. The Lion King is another show that has been on Broadway for quite awhile and it continues to delight audiences of all ages. Never fear if you’re a fan of the movie, the musical takes an almost identical script and adds new songs, an authentic African feel and costumes that are stunning, artistic and appropriate. Kids will love this one!

 

Jersey Boys: Nostalgia at its Best

There’s a reason why Jersey Boys has always been a really hot ticket on Broadway: nostalgia. I guarantee that you will know most of the songs in the score which includes hits like, “Big Girls Don’t Cry”, “Oh What a Night” and “Can’t Take My Eyes Off You”. The plot details the career of the legendary Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons and includes some hilarious incidents, celebrity appearances and show stopping musical numbers. This is the one to take your parents to, but I’ve seen this parent-less on more than one occasion!

 

Phantom of the Opera: Classic Great White Way

Nothing says Broadway like this Andrew Lloyd Weber classic musical. Phantom of the Opera opened at the Majestic Theater in 1988 and has been there ever since, making it the longest running show in Broadway history! Compared to the newer, more technological musicals, this one might seem a bit old school – but you can’t beat the haunting music of Lloyd Weber or the fantastic staging that has made this show famous. This one is for all ages.

 

Priscilla: Queen of the Desert: Girl’s Night Out

As mentioned above, Priscilla: Queen of the Desert is a perfect addition to a girl’s night out. This show is guaranteed to make you dance in your seat from start to finish with numbers like “I Will Survive”, “Material Girl”, “Shake Your Groove Thing” and “I Say a Little Prayer”. In addition to drag queens, unbelievable costumes and a hilarious script, there is a touching lesson to be learned. Plus, this one is right in the middle of Time Square – handy!

 

So, what’s the best way to score tickets?

1. Hit the TKTs booths in person for great discounts. Check this link for instructions and for a list of shows featured at the booths last week: http://www.tdf.org/TDF_ServicePage.aspx?id=56
2. Buy tickets online in advance from the show’s website
3. Sometimes you can get a better deal by actually walking into the theater’s box office. Check the web price and then stroll into the box office to see if they have better seats or a better price.

Broadway buffs: Any recommendations for first timers?

Start the car, I know a whoopee spot

Over the last couple of years I’ve gained a new appreciation for jazz. I never really got jazz as a genre of music and always just assumed it was a bit too high brow for me. But then I started going out with a jazzer and suddenly, I was meeting incredible musicians and hearing some fantastic sets. Jazz was accessible at last!

This bank holiday weekend, my jazzer and I ventured down to Cork for the Guinness Cork Jazz Festival. What a way to spend a weekend! The city of Cork was a delightful host to our antics!

The drive down to Cork has never been easier with new roads all the way. We stayed in the Garnish House B&B – which was clean, warm and absolutely ideal for walking in and out of town. Our host even had tea and fresh scones ready and waiting for our arrival. Now that’s hospitality!

Saturday afternoon was spent in gorgeous cosy coffee shops and wandering around the Metropole hotel, whose conference rooms were buzzing with beats, melodies and applause. Even though it was freezing outside, an ice cold beer was the ideal complement to the craic inside! Our gang (made up of jazzers and non-jazzers alike) filled up on Captain America’s and a bit of X Factor before hitting the town that night. We ended up in Crane Lane, where a Stone Roses tribute band was holding court! Not exactly jazz, but still a great way to spend a night.

With slightly fuzzy heads, we gathered in Puccinos for breakfast the next morning/afternoon. Tea, sausages, rashers, eggs and hashbrowns have a way of setting you up for the rest of the day, don’t they? After more gorgeous wandering, and lots of autumn leaf kicking, we ended up at a rather bold place….karaoke. Yes, it was three o clock in the afternoon, yes, we were pretty sober and yes, we had an absolute blast! With our own private booth and a few more drinks, we were kings and queens of the mic. If you had walked by you would have heard very questionable renditions of Shania Twain, Bob Marley, Oasis and Queen. You would’ve laughed. We certainly did!

This was followed by a walk and some hot chocolate in Fitzgerald Park – which looked like a sea of brown, red and yellow leaves. You have no idea how hard it was to resist jumping straight in!

Saturday included a scrumptious Italian meal and wine followed by world class music at the Savoy. One of my favourite bands, Creamy Goodness were opening the show with their usual brand of soul and funk. They even brought along their break dancers who livened things up and got the whole crowd grooving! The main attraction for the evening was world famous saxophonist, Maceo Parker who calls his band “the tightest little funk orchestra on earth”. Even in flats my feet were killing me from all the dancing! The night was capped off with the absolutely legendary sounds of Springbreak – an 80′s cover band who teleported the entire Savoy back to 1987! Their costumes were amazing, with the guitarist bringing his own fan onstage to give his hair the wind swept look.

Sadly we arrived at Bank Holiday Monday a little too quickly and it was time to head back to Dublin. We loved Puccinos so much that we went back and did breakfast all over again before hitting the road and heading back to reality.

Already counting down the days until Cork Jazz 2011!

 

Buh Bye Ireland – Hello Paradise!

As of tomorrow, I shall be here:

(Dubrovnik)

• Here comes one week of sun, sand, food, clear blue water, culture, wine, adventure and dancing.
• I’ll be leaving behind stress, the internet, TV, white noise, running for buses and my iPhone.

The week will finish spectacularly in London with this:

EXCITEMENT!!

I fell in love with the sound, oh I love to sing along with you.

The above photo is of one of my absolute favourite artists: Josh Ritter. For anyone who hasn’t heard of him, here‘s his website!

I first came across the song stylings of Josh when an ex boyfriend of mine gave me a mix CD with one of his songs on it. I fell completely in love with his soft vocals, enchanting guitar and magical lyrics. I had never been a fan of the “folk sound” – but with Josh it was different; I was hooked.

In fact, his album “Hello Starling” was played on repeat for the duration of my Leaving Cert.

I’ve seen Josh in concert four times now. He never fails to impress me onstage – not just musically – but as a person. He’s always so happy to be onstage and reacts so modestly to the excited crowd and how they sing all the words along with him. I’ve also met Josh a couple of times. He’s just one of those artists who takes the time to speak to every fan he can.

Once, I was in work and he was signing copies of his latest album in HMV. My boss told me I could take a quick break to run up to get my copy signed. Soon enough, a little break turned into an hour and a half and I knew I was in complete doody! I told Josh all about this and he took down a poster off the wall of the shop and signed it “To the lovely and patient staff of Karen Millen, I love you and Susan loves you too. Please be good to her. Love, Josh Ritter and Susan.” It didn’t get me out of trouble, but it didnt hurt either!

Last Friday night I saw Josh play a monumental, career making, sold out gig in Dublin’s Vicar Street. He was joined onstage by a full 24 piece orchestra and conductor – in addition to his band. The music sounded the way it was supposed to sound – and was given completely fresh life. Each song was better than the next – but my favourites were “The Temptaion of Adam” and “Rumours” where Josh crooned, “my orchestra is gigantic, this thing could sink the Titanic” – very true, Mr. Ritter.

I sang, I danced and I felt every note and lyric along the way. He just has that effect.

Here are some of my favourite lyrics:

We walked up in the fields alone
And the silence fell just like a stone
That got lost in the wild blue and the gravel grey

- Come and Find Me

And at last we saw some people huddled up against
The rain that was descending like railroad spikes and hammers
They were headed for the border—walking and then running
Then they were gone into the fog but Anne said underneath their jackets she saw wings

- Wings

Then one night you found me in my army issue cot
And you told me of your flash of inspiration
You said fusion was the broken heart that’s lonely’s only thought
And all night long you drove me wild with your equations

- The Temptation of Adam

You put a finger to my lips and then you kissed me once and once again
The crickets all leapt up and met the moon with a standing ovation

- Right Moves

The title quote is from a song entitled, “Good Man”.

Josh Ritter plays the Marquee in Cork – again with a full orchestra on July 4th, 2008. His most recent album “The Historical Conquests of Josh Ritter” is absolutely gorgeous – but for a real introduction to Josh’s music, I’d reccommend “Hello Starling”. It had me at “hello”.

Wanna feel Christmasy?

…then switch that dial over to 89.9 Christmas FM! Alternatively, if you’re not in Dublin then you can listen live online here!

I was having trouble getting into the holiday spirit – what with projects, assignments, work and being completely broke. I heard about this in college the other day and decided to check it out! Not only is it full of cheesy Christmas classics, but it’s for a great cause too. All proceeds from the broadcasts will go to the ISPCC!

The Christmasy radio-fest will go on 24 hours a day until the 26th of December at midnight – and sees radio vets from various Irish stations come together to produce magical, festive programmes. And guess what? These people are giving their time and energy for free!

Plus, people seem to be listening online from all over the world – and the presenters keep reading out international texts – how cool!

It’s great to see people doing something so positive . So, Wha bam to the recession blues!

mmm mmm….Christmas

 

This makes me melt…

I’ve always loved this song – but I never realised how sweet the video is!

Fuzziness.

Culture-ific

Ok, so admittedly my foray into the world of Dublin Culture wasn’t the jam-packed night I had previously envisioned – but it was definitely a night to remember!

Conor and I had looked through the “Culture Night” brochure, starred the events we wanted to see and narrowed it down to a few extra cool ones. However, post-graduate registration is a very long winded process and I didn’t get to Temple Bar until around 7pm! By then, Culture Night had been going for two hours!! Conor did get to see a few bits and pieces around Temple Bar while waiting though.

When I met up with Conor, he ushered me into The Ark, Temple Bar’s Cultural Centre for Children. There were screaming babies, bratty toddlers and lots of chaos. I was thinking, why are we wasting valueable culture-time on a kids demonstration? Boy, was I wrong!

We had the pleasure of seeing duo Robbie Harris and Mick Donegan in a two-man show designed to involve members of the audience of all ages! Robbie Harris played the bohdran and from the minute he came out on stage, every child in the room was entranced. One kid put it aptly when she screamed out, “you’re cool”. He responded, “YOU’RE cool!”. The show was even more amazing when Sean-nos dancer Mick Donegan joined the fun. I am, as always, in awe of people who can dance that way. He was absolutely amazing – and took elements of both Irish dancing and tap to do this rhythmic and exciting piece. The kids were enjoying every second of it. And, I have to admit, I watched the whole thing with a HUGE smile on my face!

Check out the pair in action:

After that, we tried to get into the RTE Symphony Orchestra’s concert at the National Concert Hall – but to no avail. The rest of the evening’s culture involved Indian food and half a bottle of wine. Excellent.

Although I didn’t get to see all the events I wanted to – it was great to see the city centre buzzing. There were loads of happy people about the place enjoying themselves and for once the weather was perfect. I’m looking forward to next year’s event already!

Nothin’ but your local DJ

Everyday is an exciting day at a major NY radio station.

…But some days just go beyond kerazy. Today was one of them.

I entered WPLJ at 3:15am (the usual..just enough time to have breakfast before actual work starts at 4!) and began a usual day. By 6:15am, all the prep sheets were in the right places, the phones were ringing off the hook and the DJs were doing their thang.

Suddenly, I think Im hallucinating. In walk a pair of oompa loompas! I mean, genuine Willy Wonka-esque guys, with orange faces and green hair! They were even carrying a huge bag of candy. I seriously did a double take.

..turns out not a hallucination.

(1) Me and my fellow intern Jenny with them, (2) Patti, Scott and Todd (the DJs!) with them

They were promoting some new candy for Wonka. It. Was. Class. Mmmm 7am sugar buzz!

Then, we got a bit of a blast from the past, when the group Foreigner came in to play live in the studio. Now… they were a little before my time – but they do that song “I Want to Know What Love Is”..which even I can sing along with. They were so cool and laid back in the studio (and why shouldnt they be?!). Their drummer, Jason Bonham is a ledge box who’s dad is John Bonham of Led Zepplin fame. He was amazing to watch live.

I even got to go get him a coffee from Starbucks. Venti low fat latte with four shots of expresso and 4 sugars. Whoops…just forgot that I never put in the sugars. ha. Oh well! 4 shots of expresso is pretty excessive, young man!

Just when I thought things couldnt get more hectic. The Jonas brothers show up. They’re so big here – they deserve their own post. Stay tuned.

Havana Good Time!

The Bray seafront may not be the most exotic place to party, but that’s where the caribbean vibes were last night as Havana Son took to the stage. As part of the 2008 Bray Jazz Festival, the band is made up of musicians from Ireland, Cuba, Spain and Italy – all of whom make it look easy! The band represents “a pleasingly diverse snapshot of Irish multiculturalism at work” – showcasing something truly new and different in the Irish music scene.

The venue, the nightclub behind Katies was packed to the brim with an eager audience of all ages and nationalities. Sitting at the back of the place I was able to have a chat about the music and listen contently, however the real fun began when we decided to move closer to the action! The bongos and cowbell provided the perfect backdrop to some impromtu “spanish” dancing from people of all shapes and sizes, individually and in couples or groups! You couldn’t help but shake your hips, or your invisible maracas, whichever was handier! This is one example of the music completely taking control.

If you get a chance, definitely check them out. They are a total blast to watch and dance to.