Since the show was at 3pm, we decided to have brunch before
the show so that we could hop on the train and make our way back as soon as the
show was over. We chose Ca Va, a French
restaurant, because it was near the theatre and because Waiting for Godot first
premiered in 1953 in Paris, so it tied the meal and show together nicely.
The
atmosphere at Ca Va could be described as classy cozy. It was warm, casual, comfortable, and the
food was yummy.
Since it was our big meal for the day, we went with the
special prix-fixe menu that came with an appetizer, entrée and dessert for
$30.00 per person.
For
my appetizer, I chose the chicken meatballs.
They
were cooked in a sauce of truffled honey and preserved lemons, and were served
in a mason jar, so for me it was already a winner. The meatballs and sauce were
absolutely delicious. The savory
meatballs mixed with the citrus, and the sweetness of the honey was heavenly.
For
my meal, I ordered the honey roasted chicken with a bacon-Brussels sprout
hash. I happen to love Brussels sprouts,
so I was extra excited about the hash.
My chicken and the hash were very tasty.
My
husband got the seared scallops with sweet and sour eggplant. He let me have a bite of the eggplant and it
had a unique flavor that was quite wonderful.
I think I could have eaten an entire bowl of the eggplant.
For dessert we both chose the pear and fig
tart with vanilla gelato. It was not
that it was not good, but I would have preferred more pear and less figs. It was super figgy.
I should also
mention that the coffee was excellent, though I would not have expected less
from a French restaurant.
After our brunch, we made our way to the Cort Theatre to see
the play.
When
we purchased our tickets a few weeks prior, there were not many available seats
left. There were two seats available in
the second row and they were the same price as the seats in the first balcony. We thought this was a bit suspicious and
googled whatever we could find about the layout of the theatre to see if there
was something like an obstructed view, but everything seemed fine so we
purchased the seats. When we sat
down I could not believe how close we were to the stage.
I could have reached
out and touched Sir Patrick Stewart and/or Sir Ian McKellen several times.
They were right in front of us, together, alive, breathing, talking and
dancing!!! I think they may have even
looked at me once or twice, which lead to a whimsical fantasy where backstage
they said,
IM: Did you see that lovely red headed girl with the glasses in the
second row?
PS: Yes I did. She
seemed to be enjoying the play immensely.
IM: I quite agree. Perhaps we should invite her backstage so
she can discuss it with us?
PS: Splendid idea!
(Note: I promise that I
am in no way a crazy stalker. It’s just fun to have dreams)
Just a quick synopsis of the play- Waiting for Godot, by
Samuel Beckett, is about two men who have been great friends for at least 50
years. They meet together at a specific
place (everyday? It seems like there may be some sort of infinite time loop
going on but that is just my guess) to wait for Godot so that Godot can tell
them what life is all about. There is no information about who Godot actually
is, the characters themselves aren’t even sure.
The play is pretty much about what the two old gentlemen do to pass the
time while waiting. The action and dialogue shift from being slapstick comedic,
to wittily hilarious, to deep and contemplative, to downright dark and
depressing. In the end the play is up to
your own interpretation as far as what it all means.
The play by itself is fantastic, and when you add four great
actors and it is absolutely amazing! I
can only describe the experience of seeing Patrick Stewart and Ian McKellen
live right in front of me acting together as transcendent. The play is almost three hours long, but I
could have spent eight hours or more watching those two on stage. I’m getting
goose bumps just thinking about it again.
At one point in the play Patrick Stewart sings and does a little dance
and they both do a little soft shoeing a few times during the play (though it
is a straight play and not at all a musical).
I also have to give credit to the other two cast members,
Billy Crudup (yes Dr. Manhattan), and Shuler Hensley who also gave wonderful
performances. Out of the entire cast, I
think Billy Crudup had the most challenging role to play as Lucky. The role was quite physically demanding and I
spent a good amount of time watching him intently. He never broke character
once. His character is mostly non-verbal, but
at one point he launches into an insane mind boggling monologue. I’d like to get
my hands on a copy of the play because I would love to see exactly how that
monologue is written.
I enjoyed every nanosecond of the play, I was bursting with
pure joy the entire time, and it will rank as one of the best experiences I
have had ever!
When we walked out of the theatre, it had just started snowing. Walking
back to the train through Times Square in the gently
falling snow seemed to be the perfect ending to an incredible day.
No comments:
Post a Comment