Big Apple, here I come

The last time I set foot on good ‘ol New York City, I was still an eager child waiting to buy an arsenal of Nerf guns and PS1 games from F.A.O. Schwartz. Oh-so-many years later, that wonderland, second to Disney of course, has sadly reached the chopping block – that, in addition to the Plaza, and many other establishments in the area that have either gone under heavy renovation, demolition, or vile terrorism from the cult of Bin Laden. My memories of the Big Apple are so vague that they have been reduced to watching pay-per-view all the way up in Beakman Towers and seeing what I thought was my first vision of snow. I’m not even sure if that apartment building is still around, neither if the snow was not some cigarette ash from the veranda above ours. Definitively though, my memories of NYC are contained in a bubble of watching some of the finest Broadway musicals you can ever imagine. Do Miss Saigon, Phantom of the Opera, Beauty and the Beast, and The Lion King ring a bell? Unfortunately back then, coupled with early age and a restless desire to amass more toys for us small boys, these shows fell short of my enjoyment. And God-stab-me-now, this theater-goer succumbed to saliva-dripping slumber. Yes world, I am a fool for falling asleep in Phantom – a hypocrite whose fortune has gone from bad to worse. Thankfully fortune smiled. Last Wednesday, I flew a thousand miles to the Big Apple for two weeks of Broadway.

Home to Carrie Bradshaw, Donald Trump, Joey Tribianni, and many other big shots of television today, New York has always been a popular tourist destination for the world and beyond. Most people my age aspire to live in New York and study in NYU or Parson’s. Some would just love to shop in SoHo, or get a taste of Central Park’s famous hotdogs. Others would kill to be ano-NY-mous and chase on through the Big Apple’s fast-paced lifestyle. I don’t know about most people but I’m just dying to get a whiff of "that smell in the air and the American Dream" of Broadway.

While Fiddler on the Roof, Sweeney Todd, and other timeless classics are still essentially on the line-up, Broadway has since generated so much new blood into its increasing repertoire. Drawing from Webber and Sondheim tradition, new composers such as Stephen Schwartz and Jonathan Larson have joined the fray in producing some of the most fascinating musicals in theater today. From the eclectic to eccentric, these have all gained cult followings around the globe, and have etched a permanent mark into the ever-growing schema of performance art. It’s just like politics. While time-old institutions are highly revered, newbies are always a welcome addition. Move over Andrew Lloyd, here come the stars of tomorrow.

First on the Christmas list is Wicked – the theatrical adaptation of Gregory Maguire’s hit novel of the same title. The musical is about the two witches of Oz: Galinda (later contracted to be Glinda) and Elphaba, the emerald-skinned lady who we have all come to abhor since watching its predecessor, Wizard of Oz. The two hour and 45-minute production is an exposition of how the two met long before Dorothy dropped in from Kansas, and actually continues though the what-you-didn’t-see of Wizard’s original premise. The twist? Elphaba ain’t all bad, she is instead, misunderstood. And the good-witch Glinda, well let’s just say she’s not quite what we expected her to be. With Wicked having received powerful reviews from theater critiques worldwide and actress Idina Menzel bagging a Tony for her portrayal of Elphaba, it is absolutely ridiculous to miss this Oz-tounding musical extravaganza.

Next on the Christmas list is a funny yet heart-warming musical about monsters and humans all living together in one urban street, aptly named Avenue Q. Princeton, a recent college graduate, moves into the neighborhood with nothing short of an empty bank account and the hopes of hitting it big in the Big Apple. He is then acquainted with some of the ridiculously funny tenants of Avenue Q – all with their own quirks and mishaps of finding a job, a date, a good porn site, and their very own purpose in life. This hilarious comedy has pioneered the use of puppets and some of the catchiest tunes in theater today (It Sucks to be Me, and Everyone’s a Little Bit Racist) into its Tony Award-winning run, marking it the very first of its kind. For those who have a thing for out-of-the-box productions and Sesame Street-gone-bad, this is surely the musical to watch.

Third on the Christmas list is a musical about inventor Caractacus Potts, his children, Jeremy and Jemima, and their astounding car, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. Some of you may remember hearing its ever-famous songs, Truly Scrumptious, Chu-Chi Face, and Hushabye Mountain in your childhood. As Potts’s magical invention comes to life, he finds himself journeying to Bulgaria, and his children falling into the hands of the evil Baron and Baroness. Thus begins his mission to recover his kids, and restore their fellow captives to the terrified parents of Bulgaria. Originally staged for West-End spectators, the show has flown half the world and into Broadway Ave to revive the magic of the original 1968 film. Thirty-seven years later, Broadway has reworked the children’s classic into an enchanting plethora of tunes that will surely touch the kid in each one of us.

Last but not the least is a musical about the Knights of the Round Table and their quest of finding the Holy Grail. Adapted from the 1975 film, Monty Python and the Holy Grail, Spamalot has employed the talents of Tim Curry (The Rocky Horror Show), David Hyde Pierce of Frasier fame, and Hank Azaria (The Simpsons) to join its band of merry men. Under the direction of Tony-award winner Mike Nichols, the two hour and 20-minute show promises a smorgasbord of crazy antics, men in tights, a Lady of the Lake with her equally riotous Laker girls (pun-intended), and some of the most side-splitting production numbers you can think of. For a good laugh, good being an understatement, this is surely the show to watch.

With a newfound passion for song and dance, I’m sure my Broadway experience will be different this time around. These musicals are without a doubt, the perfect venue to collaborate both art forms into a mind-numbingly orgasmic experience. In fact, I can already see myself crying a river with goosebumps running across my spine as soon as the overture of Wicked starts to play. It’s an experience that words can’t express and something I definitely wouldn’t pass, not for a New York minute.

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Catch your breath and let me know what you think at chasingtoff@yahoo.com.