ARRIVING IN NEW YORK

In order to avoid flying on New Year's Day and starting work the next day (and also to give myself some time to see some shows) I arrived in New York City on Nov. 29th. This was actually "Plan B". Originally, I was going to fly on the 28th, but my visa approval only arrived in the Disney offices on the 27th, so it had to be FedEx'd to me on the 28th. Oddly enough, the 28th was also the day I finally secured myself an apartment, even though I'd been looking for one since October. Talk about things working out at the last minute. Though, from the beginning, I refused to be stressed by apartment hunting, adopting the attitude that everything would work out. And so it did.

I knew that which ever apartment I ended up getting probably wouldn't be available to me until Jan. 1, so I booked myself a room at the YMCA as a back-up plan. Knowing that I had a place to sleep and that I could cancel at any time provided a bit of security.

Now, at some point in history, I'm sure it probably was "...fun to stay at the Y.M.C.A....", but I think that train has left the station.....and derailed. At one point, it was probably also cheap to stay. That train is still running, barely, struggling to pull the weight of New York's prices. The YMCA is now co-ed, though bathrooms on each floor remain segregated. It is populated, particularly as New Year's Eve approaches, with young Asian and European couples, 'doing' a Times Square holiday on a budget. My single (that means NON-SHARE room) cost $105/nt, and it was the size of most modern apartment bathrooms.

This is what $105 buys you in NYC

(Bathroom down the hall)

Thankfully, it was only for 3 nights as I moved into my Upper East Side apartment on New Year's Day. Perhaps The Y was a good place to stay for a few days because it made my very small apartment look and feel like a well appointed palace by comparison.

And, no, in case you're wondering, I did NOT go to Times Square on New Year's Eve. The weather in New York was ridiculously warm which meant to me that there would be even more people than usual. Standing in a crowd of millions, on the pavement, for hours, waiting for them all to count together and then sing a song that they don't really understand is not my idea of a good time. No, I spent my evening in a tiny little bar in Greenwich Village called "Marie's Crisis" where the piano player offers nothing but show tunes and the whole bar sings along with every single song. Hilarious!

My rehearsal schedule has been pretty light so far, which isn't too surprising since it's not like the show is unfamiliar to me. My biggest challenge will be learning to work on a bigger stage with a bigger set.

(Riding Pride Rock as it rises out of the stage floor, telescoping itself up,

 is quite a trip  since Singapore's rock tracked on from the wings.) 

Over the week, I've gradually met more and more people, all of whom have been very open and welcoming.

First day of rehearsal

My new office

The performance schedule is a bit wonky because of the holidays, so my first performance is actually on a Monday, (the 16th) which is Martin Luther King Day, so it's a matinee!! Then, I will have the next day off. Odd.

I've gone out of my way to see as many shows as possible since it will be virtually impossible to see any once I start performing.
So far,the list looks like this:
FOLLIES (Sublime)
LION KING (3 times, but that's work)
SEMINAR (Brilliant writing. The whole cast was as good as Alan Rickman)
BILLY ELLIOT (Such heart. Loved it!)
SPIDERMAN (I saw the first preview a year ago. It's soul is gone now. Empty)
OTHER DESERT CITIES (Phenomenal acting. Judith Light and Stockard Channing WOW!)
LYSISTRATA JONES (Like an after-school special with a PG-13 rating. Yawn. Great music though)

I will probably have a little time next week to see some shows as well, though I may have to start selling blood, or other things, to pay for them.