(Two gold stars for you if you recognize the lyrics in the title of this post.)

Of all the places I missed in the U.S. during my travels, New York City tops the list.

And that’s because of THEATER! I’d been so behind on the current plays, musicals, and revivals… until now. For the month of January, I’ve taken the train from Connecticut to Grand Central one day per week to catch up on shows and meet up with friends in the city. It’s been glorious.

Here’s an update on the theater, food, and friends I’ve enjoyed in NYC this past month!

I visited City Bakery near Union Square for lunch and drank a mug of their astoundingly tasty hot chocolate. The pumpkin veggie burger with avocado is decent too. And then Harvey Fierstein walked by!

I snagged a $49 rush ticket to the off-Broadway musical Natasha, Pierre, and the Great Comet of 1812, based on parts of Tolstoy’s War and Peace. It’s immersive theater set in a small Russian supper club where the action takes place all around the audience, and you can order food before the show or at intermission (I did not do this as I was on a budget and I find it distracting, but everyone around me was well-mannered and did not eat/drink during the show). I went in with modest expectations and thoroughly enjoyed myself. It’s a rock score with lots of energy and a couple of the songs got their hooks into me. The actors gave it their all — it’s getting late in the run and most of them have done this show hundreds of times, but they were intense, fresh, and in very good vocal shape. Great sets, lighting design, and costumes — all of which you’d expected from a show performed in such tight quarters, as audience members would notice imperfections in that proximity. Immersive or traditional, I dig theater in small spaces where you can see everything up close. The show closes in a few weeks and if you get a chance to see it, I suspect you’ll enjoy yourself. From my experience, rush tickets seem easy to get.

When I spotted $42 tickets on TDF to the current production of The Glass Menagerie, I grabbed one. (Their day-of rush tickets are $35.) Reviews hailed this as a noteworthy revival and praised the performances, direction, and set. Sure enough, the set is simple and glorious with water around the edges reflecting on-stage, quite appropriate for a memory play. And the performances are indeed memorable — Cherry Jones, Zachary Quinto, Celia Keenan-Bolger, and Brian J. Smith star. The southern accents are over-the-top (I’m looking at you, everyone except Celia Keenan-Bolger) but within a few minutes it stopped bothering me as I was too wrapped up in the story. I’ve enjoyed past productions but this was my favorite. John Tiffany (Once) directs with minimal yet effective touches, like Tom tripping into his past and the entrance of Amanda and Laura, the latter of whom literally emerges from the couch as Tom conjures her in his memory. The 30-minute interaction between Laura and the gentleman caller in Act II is the most tender scene I’ve ever witnessed on-stage. This show was just extended through mid-February. Definitely worth checking out. And if you haven’t seen this Tennessee Williams classic before, you’re in for a treat. This is a special revival.

The following week I went into the city with my cousin Julie! We tried the lottery for Matilda on Broadway…

And they called Julie’s name! We scored $27 tickets for the 8th row of the orchestra.

I’d raved about the hot chocolate at City Bakery from the previous week and Julie was excited to try it, so we hopped down to Union Square for lunch. I’d eat there every day if I could.

Back uptown for Matilda.

Matilda is a blast. I had not read the book or seen the movie as a child, so the story was all new to me. I downloaded the cast album around the Tonys last June and listened to it consistently while climbing to Mt. Everest Base Camp. The show features clever music & lyrics by Australian comedian Tim Minchin and delightful staging courtesy of U.K. director Matthew Warchus. The entire cast is excellent. The story celebrates knowledge, learning, and smart little girls. Matilda sings these lyrics in her first song:

“Just because you find that life’s not fair, it doesn’t mean you just have to grin and bare it. If you always take it on the chin and wear it, you might as well be saying that it’s okay… and that’s not right. And if it’s not right, you have to put it right. And nobody else is gonna put it right for me, nobody but me is gonna change my story. Sometimes you have to be a little bit naughty.”

It’s a very fun evening of theater for adults and children alike.

Then Julie and I wandered around near Bryant Park.

Julie needed a head shot for work so I snapped a few. So pretty!

On the way to dinner we walked past Paley Park on 53rd between 5th & Madison. It reminds me of lyrics in Stephen Sondheim’s Company, one of my favorite musicals. This dialogue is spoken during the song “Another Hundred People”:

“Imagine being in a tiny, quiet, little pocket of a park. Right here in the middle of the busy, noisy east 50’s. A park that’s simple, pretty. See that waterfall on the wall over there? It always makes me ache to be back at the Cape.”

As soon as I saw this park — and the waterfall — I realized those lyrics must’ve been written about this place.

We grab dinner at P.J. Clarke’s. Their burgers are delicious. And I order a side of Brussels sprouts with bacon… YUM.

Our evening show…

Pippin won the Tony for Best Revival of a Musical this past year. It’s a long-time favorite of mine. The story is abstract and different and I love it. This is the 4th production of Pippin I’ve seen over the past decade and the first to feature circus performers. It’s a magical night at the theater and I highly recommend this show.

Julie and I were lucky to snag $37 rush tickets for Pippin that morning, and even luckier that there happened to be a talk back with the composer Stephen Schwartz after the show. He’s also written the music for Wicked, Godspell, Working, and a number of Disney movies.

He’s very nice and well-spoken. In fact, I met him back in 2009 at a Wicked benefit in Los Angeles:

A few shots from the Pippin stage door:

The following week I met my friend Evan for lunch in Hell’s Kitchen:

And Evan won us $37 tickets through the Kinky Boots lottery!

Here’s a few photos that Evan snapped at lunch and during curtain call:

Of all the shows currently running in New York right now, Kinky Boots is the one I’m most excited to see. It does not disappoint. Cyndi Lauper’s music, Harvey Fierstein’s book, Jerry Mitchell’s choreography, and super impressive performances by Billy Porter and Stark Sands make this a show to remember. I’ve listened to the cast album for months and loved connecting the dots as the story unfolded on stage.

Evan and I waited around to meet the cast after the show:

It took a long time for Billy Porter to come outside and most of the crowd dispersed. But then a security guard allowed the 10 of us still waiting to come backstage to meet Billy! That was a first for me.

In the evening I saw The Bridges of Madison County, a new musical which just began previews on January 17th. I love this creative team — Jason Robert Brown is one of my favorite composers and Bartlett Sher is a highly lauded director. Stars Kelli O’Hara and Steven Pasquale are among the best on Broadway. But I feel luke-warm about this show. I wish I had more time to sit with JRB’s score before seeing Bridges, as I love nearly everything he’s written and suspect that once the cast album comes out I’ll wish I could see this show again just to re-experience the music. The pace of the show is different and it’s truly a romantic musical, which you don’t typically encounter on Broadway. I would’ve liked to see it play in an intimate theater downtown instead of a giant Broadway house. It’s not for everyone, but I’m glad I saw it.

And I grabbed dinner at The Grey Dog, a cozy coffeehouse downtown. My friend Carrie introduced me to it years ago and it’s a favorite spot. Their Mexican hot chocolate is my favorite item on the menu.

And this post is so current that I have photos to share with you from YESTERDAY. I saw A Gentleman’s Guide to Love & Murder followed by the off-Broadway production of Almost, Maine. Both are excellent.

Gentleman’s Guide is a rollicking good time — a young man discovers that he is eighth in line to become an earl, so he begins killing off those in front of him one by one until he’s next in line. An impressive Jefferson Mays plays all eight murdered characters. Bryce Pinkham plays the title character with aplomb. The music is fun and forgettable. I so enjoyed laughing at the antics of this crazy plot.

Almost, Maine is a compilation of scenes based on intersecting characters in a Maine town called, not surprisingly, Almost. The scenes vacillate between heartbreaking and funny, and all of them are steeped in romance. Playwright John Cariani is one of the four cast members in this tapered-down production. All of the actors are great.

And I got to catch up with college friend Matt, who I haven’t seen in maybe eight years! I dragged him back to The Grey Dog because one can never have too much Mexican hot chocolate.

A few other food shots from my time in the city:

And did you know that famed American playwright Eugene O’Neill was born in this Times Square Starbucks? It used to be the Barrett House hotel.

I love all the Broadway posters lining Shubert Alley:

Jordan Roth liked the above photo I posted on Instagram and it made my day.

I might have another excursion or two before my time on the East Coast runs out. Until next time, NYC.