Actor in Exile: UNIQUE NEW YORK

We have, finally, switched to the classic 'Broadway' schedule. That means no killer weekends where we do 5 shows in 3 days, the schedule that makes Sunday almost impossible to bear, knowing that, even though every fiber of your being is screaming for rest, there are STILL two more shows to get through.

Now, instead, we have the much more sensible two-show-Wednesday, two-show-Saturday, and one show on Sunday that starts at three p.m. !!! This means that Sunday mornings can be a leisurely affair, and Sunday evenings are fat with possibility since you're out of the theatre by six p.m. Why, it's almost like having two days off! After doing the horrible five-show-weekends for the entire run in Singapore, this Broadway schedule is like getting all you Christmas and birthday presents at once.

This is how I used to feel about Sunday...

This is how I feel about a Sunday matinee now...

It's worthy of a party. And party we did...

After our last two-show-Sunday, the boys down in dressing room A hosted a small, celebrational soiree, serving up Perfect Manhattans. (For the mixologists, that's equal parts sweet & dry vermouth and a good quality Bourbon. And if you're feeling wild, a splash of Cointreau for complexity).

Nothing says "Celebrate" like pizza and manhattans.

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New York continues to entertain me. I lucked into some tickets for "How To Succeed In Business...".

It's not one of the shows I would not have picked on my own, but I'm really glad I saw it. It's bright, fresh, energetic and just plain fun with some of the best choreography I've seen in a long time. Strong performances from everyone including, though I am loathe to admit it, Nick Jonas who was charming and funny, and Beau Bridges was hysterical and who knew he could sing and dance.

Through a series of connections, I also managed to score some tickets for the always-sold-out "Sleep No More". This is a kind of non-linear, non-verbal, movement-based, immersive, sensory-overloading theatrical installation event created by a company called Punchdrunk.

The experience, in which you follow characters around a HUGE environment to witness a loose re-telling of MacBeth, is difficult to explain. I found it to be like being lost in someone else's vast dreamscape. I couldn't stop thinking about it. Even the next day, I still couldn't get some of the images and theatrical moments out of my head. The more I think about it, still, the more I want to go back because I know there are lots of things that I missed.

For some great photos and a really well written explanation of the experience, click HERE to see another blogger's page about the show. If you're coming to New York and you don't mind a little leg-work with your entertainment, this is a must-see.

I also took myself to see the much-acclaimed "War Horse". There were no connections or luck involved with this ticket, just me forking over $125, but it was worth every penny and more. In decades of going to see live theatre, this is one of the most unique, intense, brilliant and beautiful productions I have ever seen. The craft of story-telling honed to it's finest. The end of Act I had me so gob-smacked that, when the house lights came up, I sat in my chair, mouth hanging open,breathless and unable to move.

This mad city also continues to provide plenty of free stimulation. My British friends might be interested to know that British Tourism has partnered with The New York Metro Transit Authority to promote culture-vulture holidays...