Broadway | Newsies

I only lasted a few days back in NYC before heading to a Broadway show! I don’t plan on going every weekend like I did during my internship. One, I will have a much heavier workload, but I also need to be more frugal this time around. Last time I didn’t know if I would ever be returning to NYC, so I lived more in the moment. Now that I’ll be here for the long haul, I have to be more practical with my spending. But since this was my first weekend back and I’m stuck at home without any Internet or cable, I decided to treat myself. After a quick search on one of my favorite websites BradwayInformer.com using the Internet at gold old McDonalds, I decided that this was the day I would win the Newsies lottery! Boo. I didn’t win. Luckily, Newsies is one of the most popular shows on Broadway right now and has sell-out performances. That means they offer Standing Room Only (SRO) tickets for just $30. Yes, that is what it sounds like. With SRO tickets you must stand for the entire performance. At first I was pretty bummed, but it actually wasn’t all that bad. I got to stand right behind the orchestra seats that people pay a ton of money for. There was even a half wall with numbered areas. That means I got my own little space to lean on. This comes in handy for certain parts of the show. Even though I wasn’t exactly thrilled to be in SRO seats (or stands? Bad, I know), I was super excited to be seeing Newsies. I adore the movie, and I even went through this phase in high school where I listened to the soundtrack on repeat. I had heard from multiple friends that Newsies was amazing, and it definitely is! Of course, there are a few key differences between the show and the film, but I really didn’t mind them. The rewrite worked perfectly, and I enjoyed the new characters. I don’t want to say too much and ruin anything, but the news writer in this version is a young woman! Makes for some interesting twists and turns. All in all I thought Newsies was fabulous! The music is so catchy, the dancing is phenomenal (including a tap number!), and the cast is just awesome. The young men that perform in this show do an amazing job. You can tell they are having a great time as performers. They are full of smiles, and that just made me as an audience member have an even better time. There were a few spots that I found to be a bit slow, but they picked up again soon enough. My one complaint with SRO was that there were points in the show where I couldn’t see all of the action. The Newsies set is comprised of moving staircases, and when actors are on the top level, their heads get chopped off from view some of the time. If you’re lucky, you may be able to lean down on the ledge in front of you to get a better view. Being short like me really came in handy! At the end of the show I did go to the stage door to get autographs from the cast. You will want to exit the theater as soon as possible, as the barricades get filled up quickly. Just follow the exit signs that light up after the show. This stage door was very organized, and the actors came out rather quickly. I do have to say that part of it may be that these actors do not have to take off crazy costumes or makeup. Whatever the case may be, guys started coming out after about ten minutes, including the three lead males: Jack, Davey, & Les. None of the “older” actors or the lead female Katherine came out, but I was happy enough with the guys. They were all very gracious and posed for photos with anyone who asked. No need to bring your own Sharpie this time, as everyone had his own. I definitely suggest seeing Newsies! To enter the lottery, go to the theatre two and a half hours before the performance. Names are drawn a half hour after that, and tickets are $30 cash only and with a valid photo ID. SRO tickets are also $30 cash only. Look for the small sign that reads “Standing Room Line Forms Here.” You can enter the lottery while you are standing in line. The staff is very helpful and will repeat things if you cannot hear them from the line. Currently the show offers 28 lottery seats and 24 SRO tickets if the show is sold out. I can’t verify if this is true, but other Newsies fans that were standing in line with me told me SRO is actually a better view than lottery seats, which were on the outer edges of the orchestra. Truth be told, standing wasn’t bad at all and the view was better than many rush/lottery seats I’ve had. For $30, I am not complaining! Make sure to head over to the Nederlander Theatre to catch Newsies when you can!

Back in the New York Groove

I have officially moved back to NYC to attend law school, and things are a bit different this time around. Instead of living in the Bronx, I am literally over 180 blocks south of there in the East Village. My apartment is a bit smaller than I’d like it to be, but I guess that’s how things are here. I was super lucky last time to be living in such a nice house. Unfortunately, I won’t have internet or cable in my apartment until this Thursday (ugh!). Thankfully many restaurants and coffee places (like Starbucks on the corner) offer free wifi. At least I’m able to check my email every once in a while!

I also haven’t done much exploring of the neighborhood yet. The first day I moved in, I realized I forgot my phone charger. I desperately headed to McDonalds to use the internet so I could find where Kmart was located. Though not usually my favorite shopping place, I knew there was one nearby and that they would have chargers. That trip offered me a little peek of the area.

Yesterday, I needed to go grocery shopping. I’ll admit it -- I’m a little obsessed with Trader Joe’s. Compared to other NYC grocery stores, I have found the prices to be reasonable. Plus, they offer healthier selections and more vegetarian options for me. HopStop informed me that I could walk to the nearest location, which was about seventeen minutes away. Maybe this 0.87 mile trek is a bit much for groceries (especially when there are other stores much closer), but I just had to have Trader Joe’s! Once it stopped raining, I headed out.

Somehow I got a little lost along the way. Turns out I just didn’t walk far enough, but nonetheless I stumbled upon a Buffalo Exchange location in the process. I’m not sure if this is a good or bad thing, but more on that after my first visit there. Once I found Trader Joe’s, I couldn’t believe how packed it was! The lines literally reach the back of the store, but the cashiers move quickly. Almost everyone is buying just what they can carry, anyway. I’ll have to make frequent grocery store stops since I can only carry so much at one time. We’ll see how long it takes before I get sick of the walk to Trader Joe’s!

That’s it for now. Nothing really exciting to mention yet, except that the off-Broadway show Stomp is just a few blocks down from me. Classes don’t officially start for me until August 27^th, but I have a first week of meetings and such beginning Tuesday. I’m not sure how often I will be posting yet, but I’ll be sure to write about anything noteworthy. I’m excited to actually be living in NYC full time!