BOY OH BOY WHAT A WEEK!!!!!!

I really don't even know where to begin. 

At the beginning I suppose!!

In my last post I talked about our experiences waiting in line for over 7 hours in Central Park for free tickets to HAIR. Well, initially I was NOT thrilled for several reasons. 1) HAIR is not one of my favorite shows, I saw it at the Mountain Play last ear and was not particularly thrilled. 2) getting up at 4 in the morning is not really my typical idea of "fun". Luckily though, the day turned out to be the best day here so far. Just sitting and hanging out with these INCREDIBLE people for seven hours was amazing. Afterwards, we came back to the dorm for a couple hours for homework, laundry, naps etc. then we made our way back uptown to Central Park. I mentioned before that HAIR is not particularly my favorite show, I can honestly say now that I was very, very wrong. This was the most incredible production of any show I have ever seen. I feel like I've used the phrase "the most incredible [insert word here]" while I've been here, but it is SO true. The show was so full of energy and unlike anything I have ever come into contact with. We had a talkback with the cast afterwards, and in our time here we have had A TON of talkbacks, but for some reason this one just sticks out, the ENTIRE cast came out they were fun, and even better, extremely informative. Not since SPRING AWAKENING last summer have I walked out of a show so excited. We talked about this show the entire train ride home, and then even more once we got back to the dorm. And my excitement about the show was ten-fold over what I felt towards SPRING AWAKENING. As I say, amazing.

Sunday ended up being pretty much just a "do what you will" kind of day, and it was pouring out, so we all basically stayed in and hung out all day, as hum-drum as it sounds, it was very nice to take a break from the craziness that is NYC. Monday was back to classes, and my scene partner and I finally ran our scene (from "Cowboy Mouth" see previous blog), and to our surprise, actually going through and doing it with movement completely changed our views on the piece, and both of us are now utterly in love with it. Tuesday was even more bootcamp, but instead of 3 hours of dance we only had an hour and a half, because on Tuesdays and Thursdays we have vocal technique and modern dance. I've grown to like modern dance, I love the fluidity of it. It is different from ballet and jazz etc. because it's really the only form of dance that lets you dance from the soul. It's a thigh killer for sure though. On an interesting point outside of this, initially instead of modern we were supposed to have a tap class, but a few weeks before we came they sent us an email saying that they were substituting modern. Well, I have finally found the reason for this. In view of the fact that musicals are very progressive in today's society, and that so-called "tap musicals" are being phased out and new, "more modern" shows are on the in, that tap is slowly going to be phased out. Not completely though, just not taught to the extent it is today. Weird, huh?

Tuesday night we saw SPRING AWAKENING. This was the third time I had seen it, the second time in two weeks, and I must say, as I mentioned in one of the other blogs, I was NOT impressed by the talent that I saw on that stage. Unfotunately, I have to say it again. It was a glorified high school musical. Don't get me wrong though, it wasn't awful, just not something I would pay $100+ to go see. We had another talkback afterwards, which was pretty weird seeing as how the kids in the cast were my age, but I guess they're doing something right....

Wednesday night we saw THE 39 STEPS, which is a slapstick comedy based on Alfred Hitchcock's film of the same name. However, the play is performed with 4 actors and hardly any sets/props. The play was brilliant, it was great to see a piece that relies so heavily on the actors, and it was even better to see the actors deliver. I REALLY enjoyed it.

Thursday night we saw the craziest, most off the wall, most exciting, most interactive theatrical performance of my short life. FUERZABRUTA. From spanish this translates to "Brute Force", and let me tell you, IT WAS. There is really no way to describe it, it was sort of a cross between a rave, theatre, synchronized swimming, and Cirque du Soleil. Like I said , crazy. However, I can tell you if you are ever in New York and you have the chance to see this, DO, but just make sure to bring clothes that can get soaked, and check your cell phones etc. at the door. It rains. I will say nothing more, but if you are interested check out www.fuerzabruta.net.

Friday was like every other day here at Musical theatre fat camp. We had three hours of dance in the morning, then Vocal Performance with the scariest man I know, David Hibbard. That night we saw GYPSY with Patti LuPone. I must say that GYPSY was my least favorite of the shows we've seen here. The first act dragged and dragged, but the second act (thank god!) went by much quicker, and I enjoyed it much more. However, the best part of all this was meeting Patti LuPone after the show. SHE IS SO TINY! The woman is probably no taller than 5 feet, and it's amazing to think of all she has accomplished, and she is about the size of my little finger. CRAZY!

Saturday was supposed to be our Staten Island day, but as fate would have it, it ended up pouring rain, so we ended up basically just hanging out at the dorms the whole day, which was great because we all desperately needed a day off. Sunday I went to the MoMA (Museum of Modern Art) and I had SOOO much fun, if anything during my time here I have become a total art whore. Some of my favorite times here have been spent at the museums, not to completely disregard and discredit everything else I've done here, but I really love art.

Well, the last week is officially here, and going by WAY too quickly. Expect another blog, very very soon. :))

Love, Love, Love

Patrick