LUCKY GUY

On April 11th, I went to see Lucky Guy with two friends.  Hands down, this is one of the best plays I've ever seen.  Tom Hanks was stellar!!  While the tickets weren't cheap, they were worth every penny.  The entire cast was top notch and I'd see it again if there weren't so many shows out there. 

On a side note, I got to meet & get a picture with Courtney B. Vance.  He won for Best Performance By An Actor In A Featured Role In A Play, an honor which he TOTALLY deserved.  When the show was over, he was still crying and had me in tears. 

P.S.  He told me to "hurry up" while snapping this picture.  At least his wife wasn't in a rush.  She told me to take my time.

THE BIG KNIFE

On April 2nd, me, Stacey and Jill (#broadwaybuddy) went to see The Big Knife at the American Airlines Theatre.  Bobby Cannavale, Richard Kind and Chip Zien were great!! 

On a side note, I got to meet & take a picture with Richard Kind at the Tony Award after party.  What a nice man!!  That's not the first time I've heard that as several of my friends have met him before.  He deserved his Tony nomination for Best Performance By An Actor In A Featured Role In A Play.

REALLY REALLY

On March 26th, my #broadwaybuddy and I went to see MCC Theaters Really Really at The Lucille Lortel Theatre.  We "really" liked it!!  We spent $58 per ticket but found an offer for half the price after we had already purchased our tickets.  It was worth the money so it didn't matter.  Matt Lauria & Zosia Mamet were great!!  The supporting cast was really good too.  Overall, thumbs up!

YPC CHARITY-OKE (Benefiting Musicians On Call)

On March 21st, the YPC (Young Professionals Committee) of Musicians On Call held our first charity-oke fundraiser at Keats (842 2nd Ave).  Our MC & karaoke host Sean was fantastic.  We had a great crowd, Keats was nice enough to extend our drink special and even their staff donated money.  The show Forever Dusty was nice enough to donate tickets to a performance.  The best part of the night is that we raised $500 to start a new bedside program at a healthcare facility in NY. 

Way to go!!!

NY DRINKS NY - Astor Center

On Monday, March 18th, a group of us went to a wine tasting at Astor Center.  The event was called NY Drinks NY.  While we enjoyed ourselves, it was slightly too crowded.  The only plus is the event was in two separate rooms so at some points, you could be in a room with less people but that lasted minutes.  For $35 we got two hours of wine (200), cheese, charcuterie and hors d'oeuvres from the NY Wine & Culinary Center.

And the winner for all 4 of us was, SteamPunk Cider (seen below).  Brewed by Leonard Oakes Estate Winery.

THE RIDE - Times Square

On Sunday, March 17th, my friend Jen and I went on The Ride.  Jen was kind enough to invite me for this hysterical NY tourist adventure.  I would recommend this experience for a lot of laughs but at a discount price.  We were lucky enough to score $5 tickets but to pay full price is a total ripoff!!  I have zero regrets going as I learned a lot about NY!!

Terrior Wine Bar

A small group of us went to Terrior Wine Bar (439 Third Ave - Murray Hill) on March 15th for happy hour and ended up staying for at least 3 hours.  I have NEVER seen such a large drink menu before!!  We had a few small bites and a lot of wine.  I'd go back again and it wasn't all that expensive for NYC.

Wine List: http://restauranthearth.com/terrior/terroir_murraywine.pdf

Menu: http://restauranthearth.com/terrior/terroir_murray_menu.pdf

Megan Hilty at Joe's Pub

My #broadwaybuddy and I went to see Megan Hilty at Joe's Pub on April 23rd.  AWESOME!!  Although the show was about an hour, it was worth every penny and I would've paid more. She's fantastic!! 

Check out one of her performances from Joe's Pub:

"The Heart Of The Matter" - http://youtu.be/kMt-3iQ7S7Q

Josh Krajcik at Joe's Pub

My friend Kat and I went to see Josh Krajcik on March 4th at Joe's Pub.  I thought he should've won X-Factor but what do I know?  What a voice!!  We had the pleasure of meeting him afterwards and he couldn't have been nicer.

Check out two of his Joe's Pub performances:

"One Thing She'll Never Know": http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yHqL67hzjmE
"Wild Horses": http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mzq7Xpxm5sU

HANDS ON A HARD BODY

A large group of us went to see Hands on a Hard Body on March 6th.  I LOVED IT!!  Apparently, the critics and a lot of New Yorkers did not as the show closed on April 14th.  We sat front row and tapped our feet to each and every song.  Amanda Green (composer & lyricist) and Trey Anastasio (composer & orchestrations) did a great job!!  We were all baffled when we had heard the show was going to close and we had planned to see it the last week of April.  The songs were FANTASTIC!!  I will most certainly purchase the cast recording.  Norma Valverde was my favorite female performer and I really liked Sutton Foster's brother Hunter Foster and Keith Carradine.  Jacob Ming-Trent had a wonderful voice as well!!

CINDERELLA

Me, Jen and my #broadwaybuddy Jill went to see Cinderella in late February.  We were super excited to see Laura Osnes in action.  She did not disappoint.  She was a typical fairytale princess with a beautiful face and lovely voice.  However, we were totally bummed that this version of Cinderella did not have the classic songs.  I guess we should've done our research!!  The fairy Godmother played by Victoria Clark was my second favorite role and I rather liked one of her stepsisters played by Ann Harada.  I would recommend this version for children and families.  The kids laughed up a storm!!  If you're going to spend full price on a ticket, I'd go to Lion King!!  I can't thank Audience Rewards enough for our discount tickets.  It pays to play trivia every week to earn points!!

Nicoletta - East Village

I had been passing Nicoletta (160 Second Avenue) on my bus ride downtown for months.  I finally ate here after seeing Emeli Sande at Webster Hall.  It was well worth the wait!!  In fact, I went back 4 days later to have dinner with friends.  The pizza is worth every calorie and the salads are great.  On Thursday, we shared the tartufata and their salad special.  On Monday, three of us split the tartufata & calabrese as well as a salad and brussel sprouts.  DELICIOUS!!  For people that are gluten free, they've got g-free pizza.  Plus, it's open till 3AM on Fridays & Saturdays.  Enjoy!!

Idina Menzel at Carnegie Hall

After a hurricane and a snowstorm, Jill and I were finally able to see Idina Menzel at Carnegie Hall.  She was brilliant.  Having been lucky enough to see her a few years ago, I knew we were in for a magical night.  She sang such hit as "Defying Gravity", "Take Me or Leave Me", "What I Did for Love", "At the Ballet" and "Roxanne".  She laughed, she cursed, she told personal stories and she just exuded life.  I can't wait to see her again!!!
Check out a performance here:

Emeli Sande at Webster Hall

Jill and I went to see Emeli Sande at Webster Hall on January 17th.  FANTASTIC concert!!  Her voice & look are powerful, sexy, fresh and fun.  I liked every single song and she had some major fans in the audience that sang along & danced to every song.  Keep your eye on her!!

Here's an acoustic version of my favorite song ("Next to Me") as well as her most popular hit:

Aly Tadros at Rockwood Music Hall

Aly Tadros performed at Rockwood Music Hall on January 15th.  What a show!!  I had previously heard Aly sing at a YPC (Young Professionals Committee) event for Musicians On Call and everyone fell in love.  Her voice is mesmerizing.  The show at Rockwood was a free CD release party but I would've paid full price!

Here's her song "Sweet On Me":

FOREVER DUSTY

I went to see Forever Dusty all by myself two weekends ago.  It was my first show alone and not only did I get an autograph, I got a picture with Kirsten (see above).  I only paid $20 for my ticket having arrived 20 minutes before the show for Off-Broadway's 20at20 promotion.  My seat had a partial view of the stage but there wasn't anyone next to me so I was able to see perfectly by leaning forward.  Kirsten Holly Smith (Dusty) was wonderful and and Christina Sajous (Claire) was magnificent!!  Legendary songs such as "Wishin and Hopin", "Tell Him", "The Look of Love", "You Don't Have to Say You Love Me", "Son of a Preacher Man" and "I Just Don't Know What to Do With Myself" were all part of the show.  Superb voices!!!

Go see it if you get a chance!! 

THE HEIRESS

My #broadwaybuddy (Jill) and I went with three friends to see The Heiress on January 8th.  After waiting months to see this play, when we got there we realized that Jessica Chastain wasn't performing this night but the play itself was so enjoyable it didn't matter.  David Strathairn (Dr. Sloper) was fantastic and I really enjoyed Judith Ivey (Lavinia Penniman).  Dan Stevens (Morris Townsend) & Mairin Lee (understudy Catherine) were very good too.  Unfortunately, it closed on February 9th.

 

Blue Ribbon - Midtown West

A group of us went to Blue Ribbon (308 West 58th Street) sushi a couple of weeks ago and it was DELICIOUS!!  While it wasn't cheap, it's worth it if you truly love sushi. 

Shecky's Girl's Night Out

Katharine and I went to Shecky's Holiday Night Out for some last minute shopping before the big day!!  I love going to these events.  Not only are there great & unique vendors, there's free booze, a lot of free products in the goodie bags and the music the is always great.  Usually I go to this event at the Puck Building but this year it took place in a loft (82 Mercer).  Guests were able to get their makeup done, have an eyelash consultation and get their nails done.  I know I walked out of there with a new wallet, six necklaces, two bracelets and a pair of earrings.  HAPPY SHOPPER!!  Can't wait till next year!!

City Crab - Gramercy

Katharine and I went to City Crab (235 Park Ave South) to watch Sunday football.  Random but smart!!!  We were both craving seafood and our favorite spots don't have TV screens so I had remembered that City Crab has several TVs and a nice large dining room.  We had half price martinis, half price oysters & mussels and a few other 1/2 price lite bites.  How can you complain?  Any place with half price anything is a place I'll go back to!