The Trip Up to New York and Kinky Boots

For once track work on the Metro worked to my advantage. Several stations above Rhode Island Avenue were closed due to track maintenance. That meant trains started running from Rhode Island. I got down to Union Station at about 7:20. More than enough time to catch the 8 am bus up to New York.

I met up with my friend, Christian, who I was going up with. There were actually two buses going up at about the same time (which would be similar on the way back and is there as story to go with that). So lots of people going to NYC. We got the seats with the extra room. They are across from the front stairwell in the bus so the seats in front of our seats aren't there. Talk about your extra leg room!

No problems going up at all. A little slow down with construction which is to be expected. The real slow point in the whole trip is usually the Lincoln Tunnel. No problems there either. Arrived just on time.

We wondered up toward Times Square and grabbed lunch. Then headed off to Kinky Boots at the Al Hirschfeld Theatre. It was neat that there were some of Hirscheld's cartoons in the upper lobby.

This is from Into the Woods

This is from Bye Bye Birdie

We had great seats in the center row T. And Kinky Boots was just fantastic from start to finish.

Here's a little of a review from the New York Times:

... sincerity comes through in “Kinky Boots.” So does the defiant quirkiness that made even Ms. Lauper’s gooier recordings palatable. The leading players here — notably Stark Sands, Billy Porter and Annaleigh Ashford — pick up on the trademark Lauper mix of sentimentality and eccentricity, but each makes it his or her own.

Under Mr. Mitchell’s precise and affectionate direction, they do what you want performers in musicals to do: they define specific characters by the way they sing and move. From their entrances, the cast members build up a bank of good vibrations.

Billy Porter is incredible and you understand exactly why he won the Tony for best lead in a musical with numbers like Land of Lola, Sex is in the Heel and especially Hold Me in Your Heart. And speaking of heart, the real heart of the show, at least to me, is Charlie played by Stark Sands. He's the emotional center of the story. It's his journey that we follow and his struggles that define the direction the story goes. In all everyone was fantastic. Just a wonderful fun show.