Last weekend, I brought my parents down to New York City on the occasion of my father's 60th birthday. I was hoping to give my parents the royal New York treatment, but successful planning was badly impaired by work - a constant thorn in my side, where I can't find time in my life to be nearly as thoughtful as I would like. On top of that, the weather was absolutely horrendous, below freezing, sleeting, with a pile-up of snow and ice making New York City streets hazardous. Add to that the holiday crowds, and a perfect weekend was quickly downgraded to just pretty nice.
We did get a chance to take in Aaron Sorkin's new Broadway production, The Farnsworth Invention. Starring Hank Azaria, the play relates the story of the invention of television, depicted as a competition between one of the first media moguls, NBC-founder David Sarnoff, and a genius-hayseed inventor from Utah, Philo T. Farnsworth. Immersed in its historical context, well-staged, generally light and funny, the play was good, worth your half-off TKTS admission, if you can get it. The only quibble I had was the very odd and over-the-top scene invented by David Sarnoff, which was both anti-climactic, off-beat, and insanely melodramatic.
As the weather prevented us from venturing to far afield in the city, we caught a Sunday afternoon matinee of Hairspray. What can you say about "Good Morning Baltimore," "The Nicest Kids in Town," and "You Can't Stop the Beat"? I dislike musicals, but if you're going to see a musical, I guess this one is the one to see. Even three ex-teen heart-throbs and a crowd full of fourteen year old girls wasn't enough to damn it.
We did get a chance to take in Aaron Sorkin's new Broadway production, The Farnsworth Invention. Starring Hank Azaria, the play relates the story of the invention of television, depicted as a competition between one of the first media moguls, NBC-founder David Sarnoff, and a genius-hayseed inventor from Utah, Philo T. Farnsworth. Immersed in its historical context, well-staged, generally light and funny, the play was good, worth your half-off TKTS admission, if you can get it. The only quibble I had was the very odd and over-the-top scene invented by David Sarnoff, which was both anti-climactic, off-beat, and insanely melodramatic.
As the weather prevented us from venturing to far afield in the city, we caught a Sunday afternoon matinee of Hairspray. What can you say about "Good Morning Baltimore," "The Nicest Kids in Town," and "You Can't Stop the Beat"? I dislike musicals, but if you're going to see a musical, I guess this one is the one to see. Even three ex-teen heart-throbs and a crowd full of fourteen year old girls wasn't enough to damn it.
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