Snowy Days

Like I said yesterday, I was lucky enough to see 2 shows and one live taping while I was snowed in in New York.  Some of these things were better than others.

First up was Natasha, Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812.  Here's the thing.  I'm the one person in my theater friend group that's been promoting this show.  I'm the only one that actually wanted to see it.  I mean, it's based on War and Peace, so I was assuming it was going to be a hard sell.  But I thought Josh Groban would tip the scales for them.  Unfortunately, he didn't so that's why I bought one ticket for me. 

Of course, Josh Groban just happened to get a cold the day I finally would get to see it.  But understudies are usually fabulous too, so I was still positive.  Based on the stage alone, I would enjoy the show.  Have you seen a more beautiful Broadway stage ever?'

But even the wonderful understudy and the beautiful stage couldn't make me like this show. I hate to say it, but I hated it! I think it may have had something to do with it being just too giant.  There were actors everywhere - dancing on the stage, in the audience, on tables in people's faces.  There was so much going on, I never knew where to look.  Also, the music was so loud, I couldn't understand what anyone was saying. Every other review I've read has said this show was amazing, so I'm not sure what it was exactly that made it so terrible to me but I'm not willing to spend the money to try it again, just to see if Josh Groban would make it better.  

That was Wednesday - luckily, my fabulous experience at 54 Below erased most of the Great Comet disaster of that day.  On Thursday, the snows came which was no good since I had a ticket to see a Live with Kelly taping.  So after trudging through the snow, I finally arrived at the studio where I was ushered to my seat to see Jeffrey Dean Morgan co-host.  Of course, Kelly Ripa was there too.  But let's be honest, I was there to see JDM.  Anyway, aside from the frozen feet that were snow-logged, I had a blast.  It's so weird to see the behind the scenes action up close.  But for the most part, it all looks like it does on television.

I thought it was a little weird that the producers would instruct us when to clap and how loudly to clap.  Also, during commercial breaks I assumed the hosts would just chat to each other, but no.  They would chat with the audience and take pictures with people who asked.  It was all very interactive.  I had a blast and I would definitely do it again - hopefully on a day when it's not snowing 3 inches per hour...

After retreating to my hotel room to beat the cold, I bravely made a decision to go back out in the mess to see if could snag tickets to some show that evening for cheap.  It seemed a waste to just watch tv in Manhattan when Broadway was a block away.  The show I got luck with was In Transit.  This was something that I sort of wanted to see because a friend had seen it and said it was "kinda cute."  But it wasn't anything that I just had to get tickets too.  However, after seeing it, I'm totally in love with it!  It was fantastic and so much better than the Great Comet.  It's a musical that's totally sung Acapella - no band whatsoever, which is impressive enough. But add to that the sweet story and the great jokes, and you have a great little musical.  This was definitely one that I would see again.

Thank goodness I liked it, because after all that snow I think I was owed at least one win... : )

Oh, What a Weekend!

I'm positively beaming after this weekend.  I mean, I thought it would be a blast, but I can't even begin to say just how much of a blast!  Everyone was super nice and super creative and just unbelievably awesome!  All of the actors and the band have families and jobs, yet they absolutely look happy to be there, answering questions and interacting with the fans.  Not one of them seemed grumpy or even a bit touchy.  They joked and laughed and were a joy to watch.

I wasn't brave enough (or rich enough) to do any photo ops or autograph sessions, so I was resigned to watch them from my seat towards the back.  But I have to admit it was fun to hear everyone fangirling over their own photo op moments.  Apparently, the consensus is, they're just a dreamy (probably dreamier) in person.  And honestly they were pretty darn dreamy from afar!

Thanks to a seriously awesome lens, and some beginner knowledge of ISO on Manual setting, I actually got some decent shots between the heads of all the people in front of me. And one fan-darn-tastic shot of Jensen jumping that I will never be able to duplicate for as long as I live. 

I'll probably have loads more to share at a later time, after I've processed it, but for now here are a few shots to share.

 Rob Benedict!!  He wasn't there on Friday but was a welcome site on Saturday.  He's secretly my favorite!

 Master of Ceremonies: Richard Speight Jr. 

 Adorably charming Tahmoh Penikett

 Travis Aaron Wade: For someone who's been in so few episodes, he gets fandom.  And he's an all around genuine and hilarious dude!

 Osric Chau cosplaying something - not really my thing. 

 Mark Sheppard!!!  At one point he was about 4 feet from me.  Snarky and just as awesome as you'd assume he'd be.

 R2M: Richard Speight, Rob Benedict, and Matt Cohen - My stomach hurt from laughing so hard!  This picture pretty sums up their panel - 3 dudes telling ridiculous stories.

 Misha!!!  This is his "oh crap, there are kids in the audience maybe I shouldn't have said that face."  After that, it just got progressively more off color and very, very funny.

 Louden Swain Saturday Night Special Concert - They're just so good!

 Seven Bridges Road in 5 part harmony - unfortunately not including Jensen...

 Now, if I were a good photographer, Rob's head would be in focus.  However, it's still pretty cute.

 All the guys wore the Always Keep Fighting shirts today.  How sweet is that?!

 Alaina Huffman - Abaddon - She's awesome and and can kick some serious butt!

 Alaina Huffman being panel bombed by Jensen - Lucky Girl!

 I will never be able to recreate the luck of this photo for as long as I live...

 The Boys are here!! (Jensen Ackles and Jared Padalecki)

 Jensen and Rob: Aww!

If only for a few seconds, we finally got to hear Jensen sing the usual song "Your Love!"

#AlwaysKeepFighting

I could lie and tell you all the fabulously wonderful things I filled my Sunday with, however, let's be honest here.  Today was essentially a day full of sitting and live-streaming all the fabulously wonderful thing others people were doing at Comic Con.  It may not be crazy exciting, but you need one of those Sundays every once in a while and I enjoyed mine greatly.

So, all of that is to say, there's really not much to share about today that can't already be found on YouTube or any other entertainment site.  However, I will tell you the best thing I saw today, because I'm still shocked by the sheer awesomeness of some people, mainly Supernatural fans.  

I know I say it a lot, but there's just something about this fandom.  I'm not sure if it's the type of people that are drawn to the show or that the openness of the other fans just creates kindness or maybe it's the cast that may be the kindest and most talented cast to ever walk the planet. But the ability of these people to band together and help when they're needed is fascinating and something I've never quite seen before.  It's pretty awe-inspiring.

 And at Comic Con, it was no different.  

A group of fans, I'm not sure who to credit this to (I so wish I did!), got together and created these:

Then handed them out to the audience.  At the appointed time, everyone lit their candle surprising the cast who had no idea what was going on.  With most everyone knowing the story behind this awesome movement, I'm sure the entire audience was inspired by the gesture.  You can read about the cast reactions here.  Suffice it to say they were pretty impressed and touched by such an outpouring of love.

Wouldn't the world be a little nicer if we were all just a bit geeky like these awesome people sharing the love with some candles and a heartfelt message?