Chatterbox - still talking nonsense

With Patti LuPone and Mia Farrow as the lead and only performers in this play by Jen Silverman,  I booked before I even landed in New York. In the Booth Theatre in the centre of the Hells Kitchen area of Broadway, the house was pretty much full.  As is the custom in New York we got handed our free Playbill/programme as we entered. I have to say that while it is nice to get a cast listing without spending the fiver it costs in the UK, I do miss the more considered articles giving context that can be found in the more serious end of the UK theatre programme. Another weird thing about the Broadway experience is the way that Farrow and LuPone came out first to receive an ovation before they actually even started the play.. And then the applause at the end of every single scene. This made it feel like a sitcom and broke up the flow a bit unnecessarily from my perspective.   Anyway, the play is based on an odd couple set up, with Farrow playing Sharon, who after her mid-li...

To paraphrase Taylor Swift, home is where the heart is, but god I love New York.  After I visited in March this year, I told all of my friends that I was up for another trip if they wanted, and to my delight I got another opportunity much more quickly than I expected.  After my second visit in a year I  still don’t feel I am done with this place, and don’t know if I ever will be.  Below are some jottings about this trip just so I don’t forget.    Day 1 - Tuesday: Flights and Times Square  An uneventful flight where I just binged films - Go here if you want my notes on what I watched At the airport I picked up a cab and had the one of the suite of classic NYC cab experiences.  In this case the driver smelt of weed and was looking at his phone as often as the road.  There was one interesting moment when the only reason he avoided backending the car in front was because I shouted at him.  After hitting the brakes he just held his hand up t...

 I had been talking about another trip to New York, and so when this new production of Romeo and Juliet was announced, it was the perfect excuse.   With Broadway virgins Kit Connor and Rachel Zegler in the leads, Sam Gold, the love him or hate him director at the helm,  and Jack Antonoff, the show off/genius music producer in charge of original score, it could all go spectacularly wrong or be brilliant.  I booked the tickets before anything else, and then realised that meant I was going to have to go back to NYC for the second time in a year.  I usually prefer not to read reviews before seeing any play, but it previewed for a month, and given the amount of Tik-tok excitement it's not surprising that many of the more unusual features were heavily spoilered beforehand. The play is a fresh, young, take on the well known story.  Walking in the theatre foyer, there is loud disco music and flashing lights to set the scene and that continues inside the intima...

Opening with a meet-not-very-cute at the airport, this sweet musical romcom squeezes in all the 'first visit to NYC' cliches and I am slightly embarrassed to note that I got nearly a full house, including the NYC snow globe.  This is a two hander with a couple of musicians and is a slight but highly enjoyable couple of hours as pretty much all of the romcom New York cliches are visited and lightly made fun of.   We had understudy Ellis Kirk playing Dougal as the wide eyed newbie who has seen far too many movies set in the city and assumes that NYC is just like in Home Alone.  Partnered with him is Robin (Duyonna Gift), the tired and hard bitten, cynical native.  During the 2 hours 15 minutes they do, unsurprisingly, carry a cake but have plenty of other adventures together and learn who and what really matters.   I enjoyed the very clever set made from piled up suitcases that turn into beds, wardrobes, fridges and any other props needed.  The song...