03.02.03
Bar fights and good theater
3/2/03 11:06 AM
La Boheme was quite spectacular. I was afraid that being on Broadway they might not go for the full opera, but thankfully this was not so. The singers were full opera singers, with all the power and skill to manage the arias of La Boheme. What was simply spectacular was the sets. Luhrman being Luhrman could not be contented with building a simply spectacular set, but had to build a set of sets that were quickly re-dressed from one to the other by stage hands dressed in performance appropriate costume. The little secret that I do not tell many people is that I actually do not like La Boheme very much. Yes, I know the arias as beautiful and the story touching, but honestly there is not a single aria in that opera that I remember two days after hearing it. This performance of it was beautiful and worth repeating though.
After dinner we met up with some friends and went out to a very interesting Greek restaurant. The restaurant has a basement lounge with odd little nooks and crannies each hidden behind a small hallway and each with it?s own little candle-lit table… very romantic. Before going to dinner I got to play tech support for a few hours for Sara and for my dad.
In the evening we met up with an old friend of Sara?s called Elizabeth and her friend Lily. Liz works for Vibe magazine as their Hip-Hop editor and Lily for it?s sister publication Spin. There were some misses before we found a place to hang for the night. The firs place we went to was a happening joint down her Houston Street. The place was packed, way too loud and you could not see clearly across the room for all the smoke. My sore throat did not like the coughing nor the yelling. We went down the street to another establishment that seemed nice enough until the guy in the table next to us suddenly stood up and began beating (full strength) on a girl and a guy who were also at the table. I thought he was done when he picked up a chair and smashed it on top of the girl almost knocking her out. To make the event more sinister he ran outside to a Jeep that was waiting for him giving the assault a distasteful premeditated air. We left and walked to a third place that was reported to be another great place to be only to be turned at the door by the bouncer who said the club had reached occupancy limit. We finally settled for a calm and cute little restaurant next door that was just my speed. We had some beers, chips with guacamole and very good conversation.
Today has been designated Museum day. It is raining pretty heavily outside (36 degrees) so I am not sure we will do a lot of hopping of museums that are not right next to each other. In New York we can still do at least four good museums within two blocks of each other.