The Rite of Spring: Christmas Auditions 2013 (Part 2)

And we’re back!

So where was I? New York, French bistro, Brussels sprouts, lunch, almost missed auditions, Christmas auditions nailed, “that time of year again,” a burger and a side of parmesan fries and a drink with friends, and then on to Broadway!

Despite the facts that for the past six years I have been cast in one of the most popular shows in New York during the Christmas season and countless trips there, I haven seen much Broadway. I saw Phantom of the Opera, just last year, and that’s thanks to the generosity of Frank and Denise (friends from the Music Hall). What can I say? I didn’t get the Broadway gene.

A spate of shows closed earlier this year and a few more opened. I decided to see either Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Cinderella or Motown the Musical. I loved the 1965 version of Cinderella with Lesley Ann Warren more than The Wizard of Oz. And the music of Motown was the soundtrack of my childhood and early adult years. I opted for the edgier Motown.

Ron, one of my dressers from the Christmas Spectacular, hooked me up with house seats for the show. The story centers around Berry Gordy (along with scores artists he developed) and how he founded the chart topping rhythm and blues record label, Motown. The casting is superb and the vocal performances are stupendous. Three performances moved me to tears—

• Jibreel Mawry’s rendition of Michael Jackson’s “I’ll Be There”
• Ryan Shaw’s version of Stevie Wonder’s “Happy Birthday”
• Brandon Victor Dixon’s (the actor who portrays Berry Gordy) last solo “Can I Close the Door” (an original song written specifically for the Broadway show)

Valisia LeKae’s Diana Ross is simply magical! The orchestrations, choreography, and the numbers of costumes and wigs are mind-blowing. And the audience was on its feet by the time curtain call came around.

Afterwards, Ron toured me around backstage for a closer look at changing corrals, costumes. It’s funny, after working at the Music Hall it seems miraculous that shows get done at all in other theaters. To say that the Lunt Fontanne theater’s backstage space is tiny is a gross understatement. That the show actually goes up nightly with space enough for the cast, crew, props, and sets is a miracle.

And of course, my last night in New York wouldn’t have been complete without some late night cheesecake at Junior’s. As you can see from the pictures on their homepage, the restaurant isn’t exactly a diner, but it has that 1950s decor that reminds me of the Disney Studios’ Prime Time Cafe, without the pushy wait staff. Ron and I talked over the rigors of opening his show and then called it a night.

I think by the time I awoke Thursday morning, the total number of calories I ingested surely fell short of 5,000,000. Another friend, Will (from the Music Hall Props department) and I ate a light lunch at the fabled Tremont in Greenwich Village. You’ve heard me rave about and post pictures from Tremont on Facebook in the past, and my last meal at Tremont left nothing to be desired—except Will’s fiancée Nina who was unable to join us due to work demands.

I downed most of an open-faced bacon sandwich, which was which was a variation on eggs Benedict, and an upscale version of a sidecar (poured by Tremont’s handsome manager, Billy).

Will and I chatted about recent events in our lives and the upcoming Christmas season. When the time came, Will rolled me into a cab and sent me off to the airport.

You know, all in all, my most recent trip to New York was a gastronomic gorge-fest, made possible and the better by a few of New York’s finest friends of mine. I’ve never been comfortable with huge groups of people. If given the choice, I’d much rather spend quality time engaged in stimulating conversation with one or two good friends, like those mentioned in this and the earlier post, noshing on good eats. Passing the time that way makes for one rite of spring I’ll never pass up.

(Now I need to put my carcass on a treadmill, before I’m able to wear that baby bear costume without the padding!)