Females of the world, take note.
If you’ve ever wondered what would capture the attention of men young or old, married or single, here’s your answer:
BAZINGA t-shirt
I’ll explain.
I attended the matinee performance of the revival of The Normal Heart on Broadway yesterday. Jim Parsons — Dr. Sheldon Cooper in The Big Bang Theory — makes his Broadway debut in the play. That’s why I went. That’s why I wore the tee (with a black leather jacket). Girl’s gotta represent.
I certainly didn’t expect to get smiles and hellos from every guy I passed — some with their wives and girlfriends in tow.
I also never expected to be mesmerized by this play.
The Normal Heart takes place during the rise of the AIDS crisis in New York City, centering around the experience of writer/activist Ned Weeks, the gay Jewish founder of a prominent HIV advocacy group.
Joe Mantello, who plays Ned, gives a master class in acting. Joe normally spends his time behind the scenes, directing award-winning Broadway productions. Assassins. Wicked. Take Me Out. Angels in America: Millennium Approaches.
Yep. Those were all Joe.
He is surrounded by an amazing ensemble cast in The Normal Heart. John Benjamin Hickey (The Big C), who plays Ned’s lover Felix, is the heart of the play, and Ellen Barkin, as the doctor fighting this new unknown disease, is its backbone, strong and sure. (All three are nominated for Tony Awards, deservedly so.)
The Normal Heart is shades of light and dark, funny and sad, bitter and sweet. I learned a lot about New York City and its response — or lack there of — to the AIDS crisis. I saw some incredible performances. I shed a tear or two.
And I learned the power of a tee. Not a bad afternoon.
That rascally rabbit
I am amused when Broadway audiences applaud the set at the start of a show…as if the couch needs a boost in self-esteem.
About 20 minutes into the performance last night — as the home of Elwood P. Dowd transforms into the dread psychiatric hospital — a loud clunk was heard. The set shuddered. All action grinded to a halt.
And poor Jim Parsons, who was faux reading a book in the library, scurried away as they dropped the curtain.
The curtain dropped a lot last night; a cable snapped in the set mechanism that couldn’t be quickly repaired. So every time the set changed, the curtain dropped and the lights came up.
Harvey lasted almost three hours.
I intended to review the play today, but it wouldn’t be fair. While I found Jim Parsons’ Dowd utterly charming, the show itself didn’t get a fair shake because of the constant interruptions and expansive running time.
I was literally nodding off at the end. Bnd that wasn’t really Harvey’s fault…or was it?
Darn pooka.
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Posted in Animals, Broadway, Commentary, Entertainment, Humor, Life
Tagged animals, Broadway, Broadway audience, Broadway preview, Broadway review, Broadway set, celebrities, comedy, commentary, Elwood P Dowd, entertainment, Harvey, Harvey the invisible rabbit, Humor, Jim Parsons, life, Manhattan, New York City, pooka, psychiatric hospital, self-esteem, Television, TV