samedi 19 mai 2012

NYC - 3 days in May (1)

My daughter’s graduation (Dominique) from NYU’s Gallatin School of Individualized Study brought us to NYC.
Took advantage of our visit to see a few plays: two revivals, Jesus Christ Superstar of course – a must for Cynthia and anyone closely associated with the Stratford Shakespeare Festival! Could not pass Des McAnuff ‘ s “flashy” – to use the expression of the NYT’s critic Isherwood – revival of Tim Rice’s and Andrew Lloyd Weber’s pop-rock musical of the 70s, brought down from Stratford. A JCS sans Nolan (replaced by his understudy today); I like Chilina Kennedy (she can’t do no wrong in my book!). Great performances also by Josh Young as Judas and, of course, by Bruce Dow as a very sassy and girly King Herod. All actors from the Stratford theatre company. Then Gore Vidal’s The Best Man, the latest revival of the 1960 Broadway hit (it had been “revived” once before in 2000). Quite dated but a fascinating political thriller, plus a few prescient “pearls of wisdom” – about TV and politics, polls, etc. – that are still ringing very true. Smashing performances by old pros such as Angela Lansbury (the consummate political convention operator) and James Earl Jones (as the relaxed, still conniving but dying former President); I like Larroquette as Secretary William Russell, the patrician candidate, less McCormack (Will in TV’s “Will & Grace”) as Senator Joseph Cantwell, the ruthless underdog. I hadn’t seen the play before, but I remember vividly the 1964 film, with Henry Fonda and Cliff Robertson (no need to say who played whom!) based on a screenplay by Vidal himself (a bit of trivia: Ronald Reagan would have been turned down for a role in the film because of lacking that necessary “presidential look”! Also Vidal would have apparently cheerfully admitted that he meant the character of William Russell, the upper class candidate, to remind people of Adlai Stevenson and that Joe Cantwell, the plebeian underdog, was based on Richard Nixon!) In between, oysters and lobster (with Cava and Sauvignon Blanc) at John Dory Oyster Bar, next to the hotel where we are staying. (Çà fait bien 30,000 mètres d’altitude, survolant le froid, la neige plus bas, le Groenland, ou la Mongolie…en route pour l’Asie…)
Staying at the ACE Hotel. Opened 2 or 3 years ago. Have stayed at the hotel of the same name in Portland (there are 4 of the same inspiration in the US – the first one at Seattle, and the latest one at Palm Springs). Same style, large room, with the turntable, even a guitar this time, and the NYC afternoon sun in, the marble top dining table, the separate WC. Perfect. Located not too far south of Times Square. Only issue, the room doorknob, the key – it does not work when we want it to work! A hotel run by younger (hipsters?) people, in a transformed building – the “Breslin, a grimy single-room-occupancy hotel at the corner of 29th Street and Broadway”.  (update: see very interesting article in the NYTimes magazine, Sunday Nov 11, 2012, about the hotel and its neighbourhood)
To describe the room, in the words of the New York Times travel critic: “…This (room) had the promised king (size bed), plus an old dining table, a collection of retro office chairs, a 1950s-style refrigerator filled with snacks and drinks, and even an Epiphone guitar. An indie band would have a great time jamming here, but I found the unadorned black and white walls and harsh lighting depressing. The bed was comfortable, except for the scratchy Pendleton blanket; the TV had an easy-to-use interface, though few premium channels….The bathroom: The one whimsical touch — a faux-Victorian mirror bearing the words “Love Is Meant to Make Us Glad” — wasn’t enough to break the brown-tile boredom. The tiny soap-on-a-rope over the sink was a smart way to avoid slimy bar syndrome. The shower — a brass head over a tub (not in our case - no tub!) — had plenty of water pressure… The lobby doubles as a bar... the Breslin, a new restaurant from the owners of the West Village gastropub Spotted Pig... Also adjoining the lobby is a branch of Stumptown Coffee Roasters, out of Portland, Ore. Wi-Fi is free throughout the hotel…” We probably enjoyed the place more than she or he did… Would I stay here again? Despite the $100 credited back because of the difficulty with the door? It remains to be seen…
NYC, May 16, 2012