I saw the new musical Waitress on Wednesday.
A lot has already been written about that particular performance, since they had to stop the show twice to deal with scenery malfunction…but no one was complaining.
Sara Bareilles was the entertainment during the break.
It’s not the first time I have experienced stoppages like this on Broadway. When I saw Harvey starring Jim Parsons from “The Big Bang Theory,” they too had pesky set pieces that simply would not move.
That’s what you get when you go to early previews.
And with Waitress, you get a wonderful, heart-felt, truly hilarious take on one of my favorite films. Kudos to the casting director, because every role was spot-on — especially the male supporting characters, who stole the show every time they stepped out on stage.
Drew Gehling as Dr. Pomatter — a role originated by my man Nathan Fillion in the movie — has big shoes to fill and does it with unique comedic timing and fantastic chemistry with star Jessie Mueller. But the biggest ovation at curtain call — rightly so — went to Christopher Fitzgerald, who chews up the scenery (or should I say pie?) as the quirky Ogie the Elf.
The music is wonderful, and ya gotta love any set that features a cherry pie curtain, even if the darn thing doesn’t work all that well. Because the show?
Sweet!
An arm and a leg
I just spent three days at the Billie Jean King Tennis Center, my 10th consecutive year among the sport’s best and brightest at the US Open.
Although I’m tired from the trip, I returned home with all my limbs intact.
Unfortunately, many of the top players in the men’s draw can’t say the same thing.
In all my years faithfully watching professional tennis, I have never seen so many walkovers and retirements. And the fact that they predominate in the men’s tour makes me question the best-of-five format.
The ladies play best-of-three in all tournaments, whereas the men play best-of-five in all majors and many masters classics. The sport continues to become more physically demanding, and over the course of the year, these long matches can really takes their toll.
I love watching tennis; I hate watching men in tears as they are forced to withdraw due to injury.
The USTA pays men and women equally as they should — why not require them to play the same amount of tennis?
Who knows…it might lengthen some tennis careers and will definitely make the current tournaments more competitive.
Just one fan’s point of view…
Leave a comment
Posted in Commentary, Health, Humor, Life, New York City, Sports, tennis
Tagged best of five, Billie Jean King Tennis Center, equal pay, equal work, Health, Humor, injury, life, major tournaments, New York City, Sports, tennis, US Open