Run! Run!

If you're going to be near NYC any time in the next several months, I'd recommend the following two shows I've seen recently:
1) The Drowsy Chaperone - a musical homage to the fluff musicals of the 1920s that's written and staged and performed with such wit and flair that you don't mind that you remember none of the songs. Funny, funny, funny show - from beginning to end. Sutton Foster gives a wonderful performance (would be surprised if she's not Tony nominated for this), and Bob Martin (who also wrote the book) is incredible as "Man In Chair". See this show. Seriously.
2) The Lieutenant of Inishmore - Holy shit. I saw this play this evening. From the nosebleeds. It's brilliantly funny, gory as all hell, it's like Pulp Fiction in Ireland. I cannot recommend it highly enough. If you know me, and you think my twisted sadistic sense of humor is funny, then you should really, really make your way to the Lyceum.

Clap Your Hands Say Blah!

So this past Friday was a busy night out with and our friend Tom - much fun was had by all. Here's a brief recap:
Dinner at Ocha (Japanese food on Restaurant Row) was excellent. I'm not much for Japanese usually, but we had a great time, the food was good, and we got out for less than $80 for the three of us. Not too shabby. (The sushi there is supposed to be alright, but I was a wuss and stuck with tuna rolls and tempura. Hooray wasabi!)

Off to the Lyceum Theatre for the first preview of The Caine Mutiny. Keeping in mind that this is the first preview, I can forgive the minor line flubs and mistakes, and the couple of moments where it seemed somebody went up on their lines (that's always a fun second or two, watching the actors exchange glances, each expecting the other to deliver a line). However, I don't remember this play being so funny. Each witness who took the stand, particularly those testifying for the prosecution in the latter stages of the first act, was some sort of character having some sort of schtick. To me, this seems to completely counter the argument that the play is trying to make. The play seems to be an indictment of those who would write fiction criticizing the war (WWII) and those who fought it, particularly the men in the "regular" military (as opposed to those in the reserves, or those who were drafted). In any event, the lack of tension in the first act negatively impacts what should be an extremely tense second act. I thought David Schwimmer did a good job resisting the urge to be funny, and he's really not a bad choice for the role. Zeljko Ivanek is alright as Queeq, he makes a nice transformation under pressure - a slightly different performance than Bogart's (to say the least).

From the Lyceum, we ventured out to the Bowery Ballroom for Clap Your Hands, Say Yeah. I'm a big fan of their CD (thanks ) and I thought they might be fun to see live. And the tickets were pretty cheap, always a good thing. By the time we got there, the second opening act was winding down, a band featuring a trumpet, a clarinet (both played poorly), a xylophone, and (for their final song) all the members wearing what looked like Mary-Kate (or Ashley) Olsen masks. They kinda sucked. So Clap Your Hands get on stage, and they're alright. The music is oddly similar to the studio recordings. I'm not saying they were using a backing track or anything, but usually a live show sounds a lot different than the CD. It just wasn't there for me. And then there were the other concertgoers. Let's just say that the show wasn't sponsored by Head and Shoulders. Or Right Guard. Young 20 somethings from Williamsburg so desperate to be cool. A good 70% of the men had gone through their closets to find their most ironic t-shirt for the occasion. Women were divided between trying to look like Natalie Merchant (if I see one more white floral print dress on a girl with hips, I'm going to have to say something) or trying to look like boys. But they were having a good time, trying to see who could sing the loudest without actually knowing any of the words. Good times.

So we left there before the end of the show, and I got back to my car in time to get a lower rate on parking. And the three of us had a blast hanging out together all night.

So a good time was had by all!

Long overdue

I saw Franz Ferdinand and Death Cab For Cutie at the Tweeter Center in scenic Camden last weekend.
Franz were again the energetic rocking funsters they were the last time I saw them in October.
This was the first time I saw Death Cab. I've often felt that Death Cab sung pop tunes for kids who cut themselves, and this show was further proof. There were teens aplenty. And there were parents. The entire row behind us seemed like the Real Housewives of Bucks County.
Death Cab were good, though I probably wouldn't see them again. I don't care how hard you hit your drums, high much you jump up and down during the songs, or if you're from Seattle - you ain't grunge. You ain't heavy. And maybe one of these days it wouldn't hurt to write a happy song. Something that you can do for an encore, as opposed to the current bummerfest choices, "I Will Follow You Into The Dark" and "Transatlantacism". Kids cheered as they heard the first chords of "I Will Follow You Into The Dark". Upon seeing the incredulous look on my face, my pal Tom said, "It's their suicide pact song."
Also - the fans are kind of annoying. All the camera phones and digital cameras being shoved up in the air in front of my face the whole time. Damn kids think that if they don't have a picture, they weren't really at the show.