Les Miserables in NYC

We saw a couple (well, actually four) Broadway productions.  We tried to get NEWSIES, the Disney musical, but the best we could do was two seats at one end of a row and two at the other (so we picked MOTOWN, where we could all sit together instead). 

Anyone who reads my blogs is going to know that I love Les Miserables.  We had main floor center tickets months before we left for New York.  One of our main reasons for going to see it was that the star, playing Jean Valjean, would be Ramin Karimloo, who has become one of our favorite singers. 

The whole production was spectacular.  I put it at the top of all four that we saw last week, a bit ahead of Phantom (which I admit I enjoyed more on my second viewing than on my first - maybe if I get to twelve, I will put it up there with Les Mis) and solidly ahead of Motown and Mamma Mia (which we were seeing for about the fourth time). 

Ramin, in particular, was incredible.  The man has such a powerful voice and presence onstage.  His performance of BRING HIM HOME was especially wonderful.  You can see him  here on Katie Couric .  He sang the song on the show, but this clip doesn't include it.  I'm sure it will be on YouTube soon. 

He was also on CBS with Dana Tyler which you can see here.

The other cool thing was that as I reviewed the program, I found an actor playing some of the parts who I knew as a child and young man in my home town.  His name is Arbender J. Robinson, and I can recall talking to him and asking him if he was playing sports (because he was a good sized kid and I think his dad played), and him telling me that no, he was doing theater.  So it was with a lot of excitement and pride that I watched him performing a couple of decent roles in Les Mis.  He was terrific. 

Great shows, all of them, but Les Miserables was the tops.

*****

Central Park, New York's Theme Park

New Yorkers call Central Park their "gem" and they are right - it is an oasis of nature nestled among the skyscrapers of Manhattan.

Well, that's not strictly true - it's actually north of most of the biggest buildings, and it is mostly surrounded by the residences and museums of the city's Upper East and West Sides. But it is quite a place, beautifully sculpted into the landscape of Manhattan. Restful areas like the Turtle Pond and Strawberry Fields are hidden next to athletic fields, man-made lakes and streams, and lots of walking paths weaving through the mature woods.

Central Park was supposed to be more than simply an open, green space in the asphalt jungle - it was also intended to be a work of art, and I believe it does succeed on that level. A walk around it immerses you in the place, relaxes you and entertains you - all things that good artwork do.

Everyone knows about the puppet theater and the Central Park Zoo and the outdoor Shakespeare theater. There is also a small amusement park near the south end of the park, and there are rowboats available for rental so you can take a short float trip around the lake. There is a nice carousel and a chess/checkers pavilion. A couple of restaurants are in the park and others are right outside.

What I knew about Central Park I mostly learned from movies, like Disney's Enchanted among others. And as I walked through the park, I could almost see Amy Adams breaking out into song on one of the pathways, or the Prince leaping from a bridge only to cause a massive bicycle crash (with him at the center of it). Real life intruding on movie fantasy!

Though the weather was oppressively hot when we were there, this was a place where I would like to spend more time, and explore more thoroughly.

*****