Times Square

One of my part-time "survival jobs" I have while I look for creative work/projects/outlets is promoting Broadway shows in Times Square on the weekends to supplement my income. I do this on top of working full time 5 days a week in an office. Why do I sometimes work 7 days a week, you ask? Because no one can live comfortably on less than 30K a year in this city. Plus, the holidays are coming up very quickly, and I need some dough to buy my loved ones gifts that don't come from the Dollar Mart.

If you've never been to Times Square before, you know that it's one of the most iconic places in NYC, there are lights and people and billboards everywhere. It's quite overwhelming at first, but it's almost magical, especially at night.

If you have been to Times Square or are a New Yorker, you know that Times Square is like the 2nd circle of Hell. There are stupid tourists everywhere getting in your way, it's loud, it's dirty, it's smelly, and those damn comedy show guys are up in everybody's faces all the time.

As much as I truly hate Times Square sometimes, other times, I do have to admit, it has some charm. Like when you see crazy random shit that gives you stories to tell your friends for years to come, those are the best times.

I feel like I've "seen it all" most of the time, I've seen everything from celebrities, to crazy homeless guys, to bomb scares, to elderly couples in domestic disputes that turn violent. And nearly every time I'm in TS, I see something new that makes me say, "whoa."

-Not Currently Starving, but Looking Forward to Christmas Goodies

(To be continued...)

The City

There are days when I exit the train and walk up 6th ave to my office where I work and just breathe in the city. There are mornings like today when the air is crisp and the flow of the city just washes over me and I fall in love with New York all over again. The energy of the hustle and bustle pumps me up to face the day. On mornings like this one, I think, "Why would I want to leave this place?"


Then reality sets in. I go to my job; my job that wastes my talents and sucks out my soul ever-so-slowly, day-by-day. I put in my 8 hours, then get on the crowded subway full of cranky selfish people. I go home to my crappy apartment with the bills, the roach infestation, my broken couch, minimal cell phone reception, and the asshole landlord.


I try to look on the bright side: I'm employed, I have health insurance, I have a roof over my head, I have food in my kitchen, and I have people who love me in my life.

While I love NY, and I know that it's where I'm supposed to be right now, so I can't really see myself living anywhere else. However, the fantasies of living in a cabin in the woods for a couple of months or living near the beach for a while seem to pop into my head more frequently than they used to. Maybe, just maybe, it's time for a change...

-Not Currently Starving, But Wondering When Lunch is

Don't freak out!

I'm currently trying to tweak my blog design, and I will be busy having fun and tweeting at NYCC this weekend, so I may be on a hiatus for a while. Don't worry, I'll be back soon!

A Very Nerdy Review

(Broadwayworld.com)


Last night I attended a preview performance of Mangella, a play by Ken Ferrigni and directed by Joe Jung. In a nutshell, the play is a dark comedy for nerds, by nerds. I went into it not really knowing what to expect. Even based on the promo postcard’s description:

Ned is a low-rent hacker who uses his trusty computer, Gabriella, to shake down Asian websites with coordinated network attacks. He is hell-bent on restoring the memory of his stroke-ridden father who believes himself to be a fictional 1940’s black blues musician Mangella St. James. However, when Lily, a beautiful prostitute, arrives at Ned’s door battling an unseen tormentor, Ned is sucked into a life-and-death struggle to save his father, his desktop PC, and himself. Who will make it to tomorrow?

I don’t even know what to make of that description, even after seeing the show. The production was powerfully and brilliantly executed with wonderful use of multimedia even if I felt the script was (very briefly at times) lacking. The dialogue was smart, witty, ridiculous, and moving all at the appropriate (and inappropriate) times. There were some unfortunate coincidences in the script mentioning Apple products and pancreatic cancer with the very recent death of Steve Jobs, which sort of struck a nerve with me, but that was simply unfortunate timing with current events. While the dialogue was impressive, the plot dragged a little but also left lots of unanswered questions that it put forth. While you want to leave a good piece of theatre pondering a little, I don’t what to have to ask myself too many questions at the end of the night.
The desktop PC, Gabriella (portrayed by a very energetic and funny Ali Perlwitz) was definitely my favorite character. I love the fantastical anthropomorphizing characters in plays (such as Sylvia). I never knew a piece of technology could be so well-rounded. It’s going to make me look at my iPod and laptop differently now.
The overall story is moved forward by an unseen force that the audience does not learn about until late in the 2nd act, and even then, we still left the show asking, “What exactly happened, now?” Overall, the show was enjoyable, funny, and bizarre. It was an excellent piece of off-off-Broadway; just absurd enough to be what people have come to expect from O-O-B productions, but not so far “out there” that you start your story with, “Well, I went to my friend’s off-off-Broadway show last night…*sigh*…it was…well…” as so many of us in the NYC theatre scene know all too well. We’ve all uttered that phrase, and we’ve all probably been that friend the phrase refers to.
The show also stars Anthony Manna as Ned, Bob Austin McDonald as Mangella St. James, and Hannah Wilson as Lily. All are very talented actors with delightful chemistry. Mangella runs October 6-23 at The Drilling Company theatre 236 W 78th St @ Broadway. Recommended for theatre nerds, especially those who appreciate darker humor.





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