The fries were crinkle cut, and just the perfect amount of crispy. I also had the double cheeseburger, which was SOOO juicy and delicious, and the peanut butter shake. The shake was so good, I ordered another one!
After lunch, Megan and Aaron went to see Billy Elliot, while Larissa and I walked all around and through Central Park. We spent at least 3 hours there. Our total mileage for the day? 15 miles!!! I hoped I wasn't slowing Larissa down too much, but I think I kept up pretty well. And since I've run two half-marathons (13.1 miles), 15 miles of walking was no big deal.
Later that night, we went to see How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, starring Daniel Radcliffe from Harry Potter, and John Laroquette from Night Court. This is the story of J. Pierrepont Finch, a window washer who reads a self-help book telling him how to move up the corporate ladder.
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| Notice the creepy guy in the background. |
Daniel Radcliffe was adorable in the role. He sort of had a pip-squeak speaking voice, but you could tell he worked hard on his singing. There were many moments when he would read the self-help book, and something serendipitous in business would happen to help him along. The spotlight would shine on Daniel's face, the orchestra would play a little "Ding", and Daniel had a HUGE grin on his face. SOOO cute!
John Laroquette as J. B. Biggley, was a comedic genius, with impeccable comic timing. He was the perfect mixture of a stern, intimidating boss, and a giddy Old Ivy alumni with a secret passion for knitting.
Favorite songs were "Happy to Keep His Dinner Warm," "Coffee Break," (picture 30 caffeine-starved employees fighting over the last cup of vending-machine coffee), "Been a Long Day," (which featured an adorable scene in an elevator), "A Secretary is Not a Toy," and "Grand Old Ivy."
"Grand Old Ivy" was a fun, very energetic number starring both Daniel Radcliffe and John Laroquette. Daniel did an amazing job dancing, keeping up well with the other very athletic chorus members. You could see the sweat pouring down his face, and his hair was drenched by the end. (Long sleeved costume + football helmet+stage lights=Million degree Sauna).
By the way, Daniel Radcliffe had a kissing scene is this play, and let's just say, he needs a little more practice. He looks like a HORRIBLE kisser. You can tell he hasn't done it that much. Though, that being said, what's Harrison Ford's excuse? I guess some people are naturally good kissers, and some are not. Here's hoping Daniel picks up a few tricks in his older years.
We tried to go to the stage door afterward to see if we could meet John or Daniel, but couldn't get near the stage door. Even if either of them HAD come out, we wouldn't have been able to see them over the crowd of people.
After the show, we traveled back to the China Town/Tribecca area to a dive-y little place called the Canal Room. Why on Earth were we traipsing around bad neighborhoods in the middle of the night? To see a little 80's cover band called Rubix Kube.
I basically went as a spy, because I am also in an 80's cover band called Channel Z. I wanted to see how good their show was, and how they incorporate their costumes and props. I spent the first 45 minutes there just studying their female singer's costume.
In this band, the female singer used her real hair, making it easy for her to just throw another wig on whenever she changed into a new costume. (I wear a wig all night, and bobby pin it on GOOD.) There is something to wearing a wig instead of your own hair (even if you CAN make you own hair look totally 80's). It helps you get into character, if you will, to become someone else, to embrace your inner rock-star.
I noticed there were a couple of songs sung by the male lead, when the female lead was completely off-stage. When his songs were finished, she would come on-stage in a new costume. This band had a little room off Stage Left, in which she could sneak to change costumes. Some of her costume changes were so quick, I think she must have had a dresser back there to help her. Logistically speaking this would be very difficult for our band to pull off, since the places we perform don't have a room off the stage.
This band had amazing energy, particularly the male and female leads. It made me wonder if they weren't under the influence of drugs. I'm not sure how long their set is (how late they play). They didn't start the show until 11:45 p.m., but they played straight through until 1:00 a.m. when we left. Perhaps they only play until 1:30. Our band starts around 9:00, 9:30-ish, and we play 45 minute sets with 10-15 minute breaks, until 1:00 a.m.
I did get a lot of ideas from watching them play. And their show was FANTASTIC! I liked their use of props, so I think I'll be incorporating some into our show. They even had some dance moves performed in-sync by the whole band, which is something that we have talked about doing as well.
I felt the male lead was very good, and had a lot of stage presence and charisma. That being said, our harmonies are a lot tighter and more interesting. The female singer did weird things to manipulate her voice to sound like the original artists, but it didn't work for me. She came across like a cartoon character. I have a better voice than she has, if I do say so myself. :)
At the end of the night, we were all pleasantly exhausted. It was a very good day!
Keep reading on to Part Four and Five.
Keep reading on to Part Four and Five.
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