DogsandBirds wrote:

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StockardFan wrote:

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LOL! The New Jersey accent doesn't bother me. Midwestern accents bother me the most.

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You don't mind Joisy accents? LOL!

 

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We lived in NJ for 1-1/2 years, and when our youngest child started talking Jersey talk, we decided it was time to move!

I do sound like I was born and raised in NYC, but I don't sound like the Nanny!

Marjory and I just got back from our first day in the city. Boy are we tired! But so much happened. Our first show of the day was Young Frankenstein and as we're approaching the theatre I see this man walking towards us who looks very familiar. I start to turn towards him thinking it was someone I knew but then I realized it was Roger Bart who plays Frankenstein in the show. So I kept on moving but he noticed me noticing him so it was pretty funny.

After that we went to dinner at the Irish Rogue and as we were walking to 44th Street to go to the theatre where Xanadu plays we saw Beth Leveal who plays Frau Blucher in Young Frankenstein.

We had to be at Xanadu early because we had stage seats so we had some time to kill. I sat down on the front stoop of the theatre and just chatted with Marjory. I happened to look up and see someone who looked VERY familiar walking down the street and I, again, thought it was someone I knew. Oh, it was someone I knew allright. It was Michael Rosenbaum of Smallville which happens to my favorite show. I'm trying to whisper to Marjory who it was but she doesn't watch the show and had no idea. He was on the phone and noticed me noticing him. Then a few minutes later he came walking back from the direction he had gone. Marjory said he walked by just so that he could see me again. So, Michael Rosenbaum is now stalking me.

Eventually they started letting people into the theatre and we were led to the stage. We were given a list of rules. No getting up. No talking. No gum chewing. No photographing. Etc. We were asked where we wanted to sit and I requested side seats since I'd heard it was easier to see there. The show is so much fun on stage...you're really involved. The cast is making faces at your and bringing you into the show. One woman was wearing a very giant necklace and Jackie Hoffman, who is notorious for her ad-libs, says "What is that a necklace or a dinner plate?" The show stopped cold for several minutes because everyone was laughing. At the end of the show for the "Xanadu" production number all the people sitting on stage stand up and wave glow sticks we'd been given at the beginning of the show. It was so fun! I made my Broadway debut!

After the show we went to the stage door and everyone came out! Two cast members even commented to us that they loved what great energy we had. Awesome!

Since Xanadu has no intermission and is only 90 minutes it was before 10pm when we were done at the stage door. So we decided to trek over to the Grease stage door. Marjory wanted to see Max (of course). Max and Laura were happy to see us and Max was so cute with Marjory!

Tomorrow's going to be such an emotional day. Marjory started tearing up a bit at the stage door and the train ride back to where I live. If she's teary now I can only imagine what'll happen when it really is the last show.

Well, I need to hop in the shower before I go to bed. I'm so sticky and sweaty from being in the city all day!

-- Edited by Eris at 08:57, 2008-07-20

Eris, what a great day! I didn't realize you would be right up on the stage during Xanadu.....how cool is that?

Have a great time!!! YIPPEE!

Hmmmmmm................I wonder who that MAY have been?

Way to go girls! Can't wait to hear your recap!

Sunday started a little bit earlier than Saturday did. Marjory wanted to make a few stops in the city before the 2pm performance of Grease so we left an hour earlier than we'd left on Saturday. The day was just as hot as the day before which was decidedly preferable to the thunderstorms that had been predicted.

We got to the theatre at around 1:30 and hopped in line. Marjory was bouncing all over the place and it was rather amusing. We were sitting in the mezzanine for the afternoon show so we trooped up the steps to our seats. Marjory got settled in her seat and took out the pack of tissues that she knew she was going to need.

I wish I'd known beforehand that Matt was also leaving yesterday but I didn't find out until after the second show when Robyn said something about it. The reveal of Greased Lightening when he's standing on the car posing is one of my favorite moments in the show. It was always such an amazing moment and I've heard people who didn't like the show comment about liking that particular moment.

Allie Schultz went on as Patty and her portrayal of the role is much different than Allison's. Allie's Patty has a harder edge - she's more grating and borderline nasty. Allison's Patty is less mean and more annoying. I'm not sure which portrayal I like better but it was certainly interesting to see such a different take on the role.

Janine is an amazing Rizzo. I don't know if I like her better than I like Jenny but she really made the role her own. She commands the stage. Marjory and I had both seen her as the dying sister of Mme DeFarge in Tale of Two Cities and it was nice to see her in a bigger role. She is very talented.

It's interesting that no matter how many times you see a show you see always something new. Matt's yell at the end of Greased Lightening was much more guttural than I'd ever heard it. During the drive in scene Max was mouthing the words of the movie and "acting" it out much to the delight of the audience. Right before they announce Jan as the winner of the song contest Allie's preparing herself to come up to accept her prize. They've added some more interaction between Kirsten and Taylor. During Beauty School Dropout she runs her fingers down his chest and says "I love you".

Marjory cried a little during the show which was only a preview of what was to come during the evening show. She wasn't very loud and she only sniffled once or twice. I thought it was totally cute and even I teared up a few times over the course of the performance. She, mostly, cried during key moments. Summer Nights, Hopelessly Devoted, Sandy, and the Sandy reprise.

After the show we made our way to the stage door and, even though we had been in the mezzanine, we scored a key spot. The security guards remembered us from the night before and were, playfully, teasing Marjory. The Max and Laura cutout was up and Marjory said she wanted to get her picture taken with it. So we put that on our "to do list".

We didn't have to wait long for the cast to start coming out. Ryan, Will, Lindsay, Kirsten, Janine, etc. I loved Will. He was so nice and friendly. I told Kirsten that I loved her little choreography during Raining on Prom Night. While Lindsay is singing Kirsten is mouthing the words and dancing along with her. It works for the character too because you know that while she's happy her friend won the contest she still wishes it was her up there instead. Kirsten told Lindsay that people liked her dancing and then Lindsay credited Kirsten with making the entire number work. She said she couldn't do anything without Kirsten.

Allie came out and spotted me almost right away. She smiled and waved before she started to sign. I'd just seen her at Georgia Stitt's Memorial Day concert at Birdland so it was nice to see her again.

Max and Laura came out and the crowd just went crazy for them. They came to outside first and Max spotted Marjory right away. When he came to where we were standing Marjory thanked him for mentioning her name on the video and he, in turn, thanked her for all of her support. Marjory first took a picture with Max and Laura and then just one with Max. Once the crowd was gone Marjory posed with the cuts alone and then we posed together where she had her arms around Max's waist and I was covering Laura's eyes. The plan is to caption the photo with "Marjory, what are you doing to Max? Laura, don't look!"

Once we were done with that we went to dinner. It was almost six by the time we got out of the restaurant and instead of heading straight to the theatre we walked along some of the tents vendors had set up. We walked along and I was tempted to buy a $20 D-G knock-off but I didn't have that much cash on me. The last thing I need is another purse anyway (my mom calls me a "bag lady").

We, finally, made our way into the theatre. We both bought posters to have signed to commemorate Max and Laura's final show. The person working the merchandise table told us that there MAY be stuff available with Derek and Ashley's pictures. She said she'd heard two different things regarding that. One that there would be a few items with their picture and, two, that they stuff would just say Grease. So, we'll see what happens there.

For the evening show Marjory and I sat in the orchestra and Marjory needed a booster seat to see over the person in front of her. This was the first time Marjory had ever sat in the orchestra for any show and she was very excited.

The show started up and there was thunderous applause for that first moment when Max and Laura were standing silhouetted by the "sunset". It was a great crowd and the energy was so high. Marjory, once again, teared up during Summer Nights and, this time, I joined her. Nearly every moment in the show was cheered for and applauded. Laura started crying during Hopelessly Devoted which set both me and Marjory off. Max, once again, acted out the movie during the drive in scene and Marjory and I both cried. As the car drove off the stage Max had is head down and we were almost positive that he was crying himself.

Right before Beauty School dropout Max makes an entrance in his little track suit and we'd been joking earlier about those short shorts. I told Marjory that this was her last chance to catcall the tiny shorts. So when Max came out she yelled "Nice legs!" which set off a series of "Whooos" throughout the audience. Then when Max put the pack of cigarettes back in his shorts Marjory said "Whooo!" and Max took extra time adjusting himself.

As the second act moved on the show got more and more emotional. In the basement scene Robyn was quite obviously crying which set me off again. When she said her line about helping Jan you could hear the tears in her voice. You could see Janine struggling to keep it together before There are Worse Things I Could do and Laura completely lost it during the Sandra Dee reprise. In fact, she was so emotional during the "goodbye to Sandra Dee" line that she had to stop.

The energy for "You're the One That I Want" and curtain calls was pretty high but when Kirsten says her line about feeling like she could cry she really was as was Lindsay when she says "Me too."

I was half-expected some sort of verbal announcement at the end of the show (I've been at shows where it was a cast member's last show and the audience was told after curtain calls) but no such announcement came. But there was a HUGE group hug on stage and everyone was crying and hugging.

We went back to the stage door to get our posters signed and to see Max and Laura one last time. Janine recognized us from earlier and said it was great to see us again. Daniel Everidge came out the stage door on his crutched and I was the only person to notice him so I called out "We miss Daniel!". He turned to look at me and just stared at me with this look of disbelief and as if I had totally made his day. He thanked me and hobbled away. I'd made a comment to Robyn about how her crying on stage set me off and she said it was so sad to lose three cast members. I had no idea what she was talking about and I asked her who the third cast member was

Marjory cried the whole time and there was no consoling her. I tried, the security guard tried, Max's dad tried, Matt Nolan tried, Nate tried, Laura tried, and Max tried. And her crying eventually set me off so we're both standing there crying. When Max and Laura finished signing Max came over to hug Marjory and he said "I love you, Marjory." That, as you can imagine, just made her cry more. Soon enough though hugs were passed around and goodbyes were said. We eventually made our way back to Penn Station tired and dehydrated.

-- Edited by Eris at 16:49, 2008-07-21

-- Edited by Eris at 17:45, 2008-07-21

Now I'm crying.

Great review, Eris!

I thoroughly enjoyed your description of your day and Max/Laura's last show. Love your sense of humor and personality that comes through in your writing! Thanks for being eyes and ears for those of us that couldn't be there in person. You and Andy are quite a team!

Thanks Eris for giving us a wonderful recap. I wish I could've been there, but you made it seem like I was!! Thanks again!

Eris wrote:

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Sunday started......and dehydrated.

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Thanks for the timely and well-written review, Eris.

Greaser Bill

I'm looking forward to seeing them! And pictures from tomorrow night!

It was a typo...I meant Sandra Dee reprise. I thought I had fixed that. I was so tired when I wrote that I messed up on some spelling and other things.

Eris wrote:

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I didn't do the catcall. I just came up with the idea to do it!

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Sounds like perfect theatre etiquette to me. Ah Eris....you crack me up!!!
I'm glad to hear that you and Andromytta had a great time and that you enjoyed yourself.