I missed Jake Gyllenhaal in his Broadway debut. I will not miss this opportunity to see him on stage.

This is a 13-week engagement. Previews begin on December 16 and the show opens January 13.

I WILL NOT miss him again!

Invisible Rabbit

The Roundabout Theatre Company's production of the Broadway revival opened in previews tonight at Studio 54. Sam went with Geoff and Karla.

Sam said she didn't buy that Jim Parsons, who stars as Elwood, actually saw Harvey. As such, she thought the show was just okay. Sam did think Carol Kane, who played Mrs. Chumley (the part that I played at The Stained Glass Playhouse) was hilarious.

Sam did save a program for me.

August: Osage County, My Review

Right on the side of the theatre, in big bold words, it says Best Play and Pulitzer Prize winning. Many people who have seen the show before me have loved it. So I went in with some pretty incredible expectations.

The set exceeded my expectations. Pictures just do not do it justice. You have to see the set live to really appreciate it. It's 3 levels and it is absolutely stunning. There is no doubt why it was last year's Tony winner.

Act One started out on an excellent foot. John Cullum, as patriarch Beverly Weston, delivered a very impressive drunken exposition monologue. Elizabeth Ashley, as Mattie Fae, looked and spoke like a garishly made up man in drag. At some point during the arrival of the Weston family, I caught myself falling asleep. I don't believe I was ever asleep long enough to snore, but it was my head falling forward that woke me up. Unfortunately, I was awake to see Estelle Parson's entrance, as the pill popping Violet Weston. The last thing I want to see, on Broadway no less, is an actor obviously acting to appear under the influence of drugs. She was terrible! Equally as bad was Sally Murphy as Ivey. Her weird voice inflections reminded me of nails on a chalkboard.

After the first intermission was over, I was a bit hesitant to return. I was worried about falling asleep and was not looking forward to Estelle Parson's or Sally Murphy's performances. I needn't have, other family members were spotlighted. I enjoyed watching Mariann Mayberry and Brian Kerwin, who played Karen Weston and Steve, her fiance. I was also impressed with Anne Berkowitz, who held her own as teenager Jean Fordham. But it was Johanna Day's portrayal of Barbara, the eldest daughter, that had me absolutely riveted. It wasn't until the house lights came up for the second intermission that I realized I was even in a theatre! And I was wide awake!

The remainder of the show was outstandingly owned by Johanna Day. I had completely forgotten a family secret from reading the script, so I was just as shocked as the rest of the audience. I was even able to forgive Sally Murphy's whiney reveal moment because Johanna Day was that damn good.

NYC, Day 1 - Sunday

The flight from Greensboro to LaGuardia was uneventful. I read the entire SkyMall catalog and was able to close my eyes and nap during the flight. I nearly froze standing on the tarmac waiting for my carry-on. It was chilly and very windy. While Ken retrieved his luggage, I went to the transportation kiosk to call our Blue Van. The attendant called for me, advised the driver would meet us inside, and directed me to chairs. Ken had a difficult time believing the van driver would meet us in the airport. After a 30 minute wait, sure enough, the driver walked in, announced our names, and we were on our way to Hotel Mela. Unfortunately, though not entirely unexpected, a room was not available. The hotel staff stored our luggage, and we were off explore and kill time before the matinee.

We decided to have lunch and ate at John's Pizzeria. Afterward we ducked into one of the souvenir shops. Due to the cold weather, I had to find something to keep me warm. I lucked out and found black sweatshirts on sale for $19.99. Instead of "if all the world's a stage, I want better lighting" I went with "almost famous". Ken rolled his eyes, but what did he expect for twenty bucks?

After checking again with the hotel, we headed over to the Music Box Theatre to see August: Osage County. We were seated in the 3rd row, and with a gorgeous 3 level set, it was almost too close to the stage. While reading the Playbill, I sent up a silent prayer that I wouldn't fall asleep during the production. I hadn't gotten much sleep the night before (too excited!) and only that brief cat-nap on the plane. I was worried about the 3 hour long show.

After the matinee we headed directly to Hotel Mela, and thankfully our room was ready. The room is certainly small, very European, but clean. And Joe Turner's Come And Gone is playing at the Belasco right across the street. We unpacked and decided to head to Serendipity for dinner. I got a burger and Ken ordered the Chicken Diva. Our food took forever to arrive. After finishing our dinner we were both in the mood for dessert. Instead of ordering one of their famous Frozen desserts (because it was too big for one person) I went with pecan pie. It was so good. I was grateful for the long walk back to the hotel.