Tag Archives: Broadway

L: Literature

2020 A to Z Challenge, , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

A to Z Challenge: My theme this year is NYC before and during the COVID-19 pandemic.

LITERATURE: Just a tiny departure from my usual dual format because topics I kept coming up with all had to do with literature. Plus, literature is near and dear to me and now is the perfect time to load up on lit. A couple of my favorite literary-related L’s I came up with for the before part are Lear (as in King) and Library Lions (as in the stone sentinels of the New York City Public Library).

When a visiting friend had an extra ticket to see Glenda Jackson and Ruth Wilson in the Broadway production of King Lear, I jumped at the offering. Closing a month early, it wasn’t a hugely popular production, one critic calling it “confoundingly muddled,” and another describing it as a “hot, heavy mess.” Despite the reviews, I enjoyed it, marveling at how anyone can memorize and perform an entire Shakespeare play. It is no easy feat. Seeing Tony-winner (and 84-year-old!) Glenda Jackson on stage got checked off my to-see-in-life list that I didn’t even know was on there. I also got to score an autograph from Ruth Wilson, one of my favorite actresses.

The New York Public Library‘s stone lions are also a symbol of literary magic. Patience and Fortitude are the names of the two Tennessee marble lions seated outside the historic library since its opening in 1911. They didn’t get their monikers until the 1930s when Mayor Fiorello LaGuardia named them for the qualities he felt New Yorkers would need to survive the economic depression. Uh, sound familiar? These lions have seen a lot and just last year, were professionally cleaned and restored. I have to include a few shots I took last year of the beautiful library itself:

As for my current literature fix, I have a few to highly recommend:

I absolutely LOVED The Book of Delights and it’s the perfect antidote to feeling miserable. I’ve nearly finished White Fragility; every white person on the planet needs to read this book. I’ve learned a helluva lot about myself (talk about self-reflection). The Far Pavilions is probably my all-time favorite book and at 955 pages, it’s ideal for riding out a quarantine.

What are you reading? Please share!

B: Broadway & Bidets

2020 A to Z Challenge, , , , , , ,

A to Z Challenge: My theme this year is NYC before and during the COVID-19 pandemic.

BROADWAY: I’m up to 19 Broadway shows; 14 since we moved here last March. TKTS, the discounted ticket vendor had become my go-to app. With the exception of a few, I knew little to nothing about most of the performances before seeing them, which is I believe is half the fun.

Technically, Cyrano was off-Broadway, but up until the mid-1800s, the heart of Broadway was located at Union Square where we got to see Mr. Dinklage. Check out TheaterSeatStore for some fun facts about the history of Broadway, like this gem:

“During the back half of the century, there were fewer prostitutes in the audience which in turn increased the number of women who attended theater.”

Because performances are suspended, actors are finding ways to raise money AND still keep us entertained. The #BWayHandWashChallenge encourages Broadway stars to sing show tunes while washing their hands for 20 seconds, all the while raising money for theater charities.

On to another hygiene challenge . . .

BIDETS: That’s what in those boxes. Not one, but two bidets.

Do we need two? No. Do we need one? No. Does The Husband need to sleep at night? Yes. Not knowing where his next roll of toilet paper was going to come from, simply became too much–for us both.

Surprisingly, unlike a lot of places, it hasn’t been an issue getting tissue here in Brooklyn. I hope I can return these bidets.