New York City — Page 13

Hanging Out on 44th Street

March 22, 2017 at 8:32 am by Claudia

Hello. Here I sit, in my little pod in Midtown Manhattan. This is the most bizarre hotel room I’ve ever seen. It’s called a ‘cabin’ and the prototype was designed by the same people who design aircraft cabins. That means it’s tight, functional and small. A bit claustrophobic for me and five nights of it will undoubtedly drive me a bit crazy. But, it’s interesting and something I wouldn’t normally be exposed to, so I’m looking at it as an adventure.

Very hipster-type crowd here, though there are families as well. Am I the oldest? I hope not!

I have a great view out my window:

On the way back from the theater last night, I ran into an old friend who lives in the apartment building across the street. He was walking his dog. Big city, yes, but a small world.

The show is in great shape. We had a run-through last night, we’ll have another one this afternoon. Then an invited dress rehearsal tonight. Tomorrow: first preview. The theater is gorgeous and chockfull of theatrical history.

Our next-door neighbor is this show:

I would love, love, love to see it. But there will be no time this trip!

Our other neighbor is the long running Phantom of the Opera. And across the street is Sardis.

And here we are:

And here we are.

My schedule here is very, very full – it’s all about Anastasia, as it should be. I might not have time to respond to comments in a timely manner. I’ll do my best, but if I don’t reply to your comment it’s simply because I’m incredibly busy.

For those of you who are interested in yesterday’s giveaway, you have to leave your comment on the post itself. Sending me a return comment via the email version of the blog post doesn’t count. So make sure you go back and leave a comment on the post.

Don’s doing well. When I last spoke to him he was about to reach St. Louis and his goal was Tulsa. He’s really having fun, that guy, and I’m happy for him. But I miss him a whole lot.

Happy Wednesday.

Back And Forth Along the Hudson

February 15, 2017 at 5:38 am by Claudia

Life, lately. Back and forth along the Hudson River.

Yours truly is sleep deprived. I have to get up much earlier than is my norm to catch the train into the city. And then I get home at 7:30 or 8:00, eat some dinner, and try to go to sleep. Right now, I seem to be on a 5 hour sleep cycle and, trust me, that is not enough. Frustrating, but I know it will even out soon. I’ve been taking the train in the morning, because it’s more dependable. Then I run over to the bus station during lunch, buy a one-way ticket for my homeward journey, and ride the bus home at night. Don, the best guy in the world, is driving me to both the train station and the bus station.

It is so lovely reuniting with the cast of Anastasia – such a wonderful group of actors. There is an energy about this production that is rare. I am so honored to be a part of it. I like being paid, of course, but there is something about this musical and the people working on it that is rare. I wanted to be a part of it as it moved on to Broadway.

Theater is a small world. Terrence McNally, the esteemed playwright who has written the script for Anastasia, brought me greetings from Jim Parsons when I saw him on Monday morning. Jim had written Terrence that morning to tell him that he was excited that we would be working together and that I had been his teacher (and that he loved me.) That made me smile. We had someone take a picture of us so we could send it on to Jim.

And I rode in the elevator with Kevin Kline yesterday. He’s very nice.

I’m not going to be working on Heartbreak House at Hartford Stage. Darko and I talked it over and there really won’t be enough for me to do on the show. When it was going to be Saint Joan, it would have been a much bigger production and I would have had a lot to do. But now that it’s been changed to a smaller, more intimate show with a cast of mostly British actors who know how to do Shaw, I’d be twiddling my thumbs.

So. I was a bit disappointed, but only a bit. Obviously, the fee would have been appreciated, but Don will be working at that point, so we’ll be okay. And, truth be told, I was a bit stressed about how to juggle the responsibilities of the house and cleaning up the garden, planting seeds, and mowing the lawn while in Hartford. I would have had to come home on my day off and try to accomplish everything and I know from experience that it is exhausting.

The positive is that I’ll be home in the Spring – my favorite time of year. And maybe I can visit Don out in California not once, but twice. Hmmm.

In the meantime, I am loving being a part of the magic that is Anastasia. I’m just really tired!

No time to answer comments (but I’m reading them) or do much of anything other than travel and work. The only reason I’m posting this is that I woke up much too early!

I hope you’re well and I miss you!

Happy Wednesday.

Sunday

February 12, 2017 at 9:51 am by Claudia

It’s snowing again. 3 to 5 inches expected today, with the addition of sleet later in the day. Less than an inch overnight.

I have to get to NYC tomorrow. Non-negotiable. So, Don will be manning the snowblower, the car will get parked down at the end of the driveway, I’ll get up early and he will drive me to the train station. The train is better at moments like this because it’s more dependable. The bus travels on the thruway and goes through the Lincoln Tunnel, where there are often delays in bad weather. So, the train it is for tomorrow, which will take me to Grand Central Station with a quick shuttle ride to Times Square.

This snow has been nothing but a pain in the tush for yours truly, as it has fallen during key rehearsal days. But having said that, I’m grateful that the bulk of the snow is falling today, instead of tomorrow!

We watched Hannah And Her Sisters last night on TCM. It is one of our favorite movies. I think it’s Woody Allen at his very best. I’ve lost count of the number of times I’ve seen it, but I never grow tired of it. It was just as fresh last night as it was the first time I saw it in a movie theater. Wonderful performances by everyone but Dianne Wiest and Michael Caine are brilliant.

I miss Robert Osborne. TCM just isn’t the same without him. I know he’s had bouts of illness in the past, but this latest stretch without him at the helm of TCM has to have been a least a year. But every time I google the question “Where is Robert Osborne?” I’m referred to articles of 2 or 3 years ago. I assume he isn’t well. Do any of you TCM fans have an update?

As we’re stuck indoors today, I’ll do the usual Sunday chores: washing the sheets and towels, swiffering and vacuuming. I’ll go over my Russian pronunciations for tomorrow’s table work. And I’ll read, of course! The Sunday edition of New York Times and the Deborah Crombie – Garden of Lamentations.

What are you up to today?

Hanging Out on 44th Street

Back And Forth Along the Hudson

Sunday

Lambs Like to Party

A Note

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