In a New York State of Mind

Maybe it's because I saw Fancy Free the other night, which got me thinking about On The Town, and New York, New York, and Wonderful Town, and Shall We Dance...and maybe it's a sign that I really should use a portion of my bonus money to send myself to New York for a long weekend...but I just can't stop thinking about NYC today! I haven't been since senior year of high school, after all, and I didn't fall in love with it then. I think I should give it another chance.

Here's an article from the NY Times about taking children to Broadway shows. Personally, I feel that if you're spending that kind of money, they should be old enough to remember the experience, and hopefully old enough to appreciate it. But old enough to remember it at least, so if they don't fully appreciate it at age 10, at age 20, they can say, "Wow. My parents were awesome. They took me to some damn good theatre. I wish I had appreciated it more when I was younger. I'm going to do the same for my kids some day." Or, you know, something like that. My parents always took me and my sisters to theatre (the first performance I remember was a version of the King and I, performed in the round), dance, concerts...and coming from an artsy family, I always loved it. I can't remember a time when I felt I was being dragged against my will...but I know there are kids out there that do feel that way, and I hope they get to experience a show that will change the way they see theatre.

Off the soapbox.

The next article I read this morning that I really liked was this one about dressing room decoration. I've always found the backstage, behind-the-scenes world to be really fun and exciting, possibly my favorite part of the theatre (and not just 'cause you get to feel connected and like an insider and all that...which, admittedly, I do love). This article takes you inside the dressing rooms of several big-time performers, and it's really interesting to see how different they all are.