HERE & THERE - PART I
I'm sure everyone is tired of talk about the weather here in NYC - another 90+f day predicted for today - but being stuck here in my "luxurious" 10th floor office/bedroom on the Lower East Side, it is constantly on my mind. I was able to get to the barber shop yesterday buy leaving the house at 8:45 am while it was only 83f, stopping for groceries on the way back. But that was the sum total of my exercise since Monday night, when I braved the heat to go to THE TOWB HALL for the second night of the 4th ANNUAL SUMMER BROADWAY FESTIVAL.
A fortunate set of circumstances made the trek quite bearable - a bus arrived almost at the same time I arrived at the bus stop and when I had the choice of transferring at Sixth Avenue and 14th Street to go uptown, there was a bus just arriving there, and I opted for bus over subway (I could have taken the F train, but I spared myself any waiting time in the oven-like heat of the subway station).
It was another terrific show - BROADWAY'S RISING STARS, directed by Nightlife Award-winning vocalist Scott Coulter. The show featured performers chosen during auditions throughout the spring at theatrical institutions across the country, including as AMDA, CAP21, Julliard, Cincinnati Conservatory of Music, Carnegie Melon, Marymount and The New School. Once again host Scott Siegel (who conceived and wrote the series, and with wife Barbara took part in the auditions) was on hand with "witty insider tidbits". Each year Scott always seems to be a bit more excited hosting these Rising Star events - it must be a real thrill to present so many young people in their first full-blown NYC show.
You could see the excitement on their faces as they made their "Broadway Debut" in front of the totally sold-out THE TOWN HALL audience (1500!). Such spirit, such enthusiasm! As I mentioned at the 20th Anniversary Gala, my favorite cabaret shows are "debut" performances, and then I love to return to see the performers year after year to watch them perfect their craft. I could picture these youngsters 5 - 10 years from now, and pondered over what joys, challenges (and probably disappointments, too) that they would face.
The final show of the series - ALL SINGING, ALL DANCING - takes place at THE TOWN HALL next Monday night - details in the listings below.
By the time I headed for home there was a nice breeze and even the subway platform was a bit cooler than I expected. Once again fate was kind - a downtown F train rolled into the station minutes after I got downstairs, and when I we reached 14th Street, I retreated into the air conditioned WALGREEN'S at Union Square to wait for the bus home. Oh, they were having a sale on Gatorade! How's that for luck!
Time to catch up on news from Sammy Goldstein - last reported on here a few months ago having undergone open heart surgery with some complications. Well, here's part of his note, received last night:
"I returned to performing with Princess Cruises (http://www.princess.com/ ) a month ago, and wanted to say hello and send you an update. This ship is the Pacific Princess and is the smallest in the fleet of 17 ships. The original Pacific Princess, which was retired in 2006, was the ship that the "Love Boat" television series was fashioned after. This new Pacific Princess is similar in size...only 670 passengers. I've been performing my concert shows with the ship's showband each cruise and, also, performing in the piano lounge. As always, cruise ship audiences are wonderful and are comprised of many nationalities. Because of the variety of nationalities, I sing and play songs in Spanish, French, German and Italian, as well as my usual repertoire of classic standards of the Great American Songbook and Broadway showtunes. Needless to say, my repertoire is still growing, even after 33 years in the business!
"This current itinerary is among my favorites in the world. We're traveling to a number of ports in Italy, Sicily, Greece, France, Turkey, Bulgaria, the Ukraine, Croatia and Monaco. But, the main focus of the summer is our visits to Israel and Egypt. After this contract ends on September 12th, I'll be spending a week in Athens before transferring to the Star Princess, which will spend the fall in the Mediterranean before sailing trans-Atlantic to South America and Antarctica. In January, I'll get home to New York for two weeks before beginning a 3-month contract on the Diamond Princess around Asia. Hope to see you in January. And, again, Happy Anniversary and Happy Birthday! - Hugs, SAMMY"
"This current itinerary is among my favorites in the world. We're traveling to a number of ports in Italy, Sicily, Greece, France, Turkey, Bulgaria, the Ukraine, Croatia and Monaco. But, the main focus of the summer is our visits to Israel and Egypt. After this contract ends on September 12th, I'll be spending a week in Athens before transferring to the Star Princess, which will spend the fall in the Mediterranean before sailing trans-Atlantic to South America and Antarctica. In January, I'll get home to New York for two weeks before beginning a 3-month contract on the Diamond Princess around Asia. Hope to see you in January. And, again, Happy Anniversary and Happy Birthday! - Hugs, SAMMY"
Needless to say, I am jealous, and also a bit sorry that I quit taking piano lessons at age 13.
Things have returned a more stable atmosphere in NYC - Sue Matsuki has returned from Alaska, where she was on a free cruise with her husband (who is in the travel business). Welcome back!
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