Snow Day!

It snowed in New York today. I have never been happier.

The city is gorgeous at the holidays. This is coming from someone who was transfixed by a picture of the Manhattan skyline when her age was still single digits (read: I've always loved New York). But the holidays make everything magical. (And stop laughing at me...I'm serious here. I have committed to describing the city as magical. Just go with it.) But my love for the holidays knows no bounds. As is evidenced by my need for a Christmas tree, at left.

Case in point: WHY DID I EVER AGREE TO LEAVE NEW YORK??? Nick and I were talking about this today. When we come back after graduation, we are going to need to find actual jobs, pay rent, be REAL ADULTS. This is both unacceptable and terrifying. And this is also assuming we graduate; I prefer to assume that time will slow down to an infinitely slow level and we can just stay in college forever.

But I'll be home pretty soon: two and a half weeks. Where did this semester go? Fastest three months of my entire life.

My classes are almost over, which is the most disappointing thing in the entire world. They were arguably the hardest thing I have ever done, but I think I needed the challenge. School has only moderately challenged me for a while, and it made me semi-lazy. Bad news bears.

Since Thanksgiving:

On Tuesday night at 8:00, Broadway dimmed its lights for World AIDS Day. Nick and I were very excited (not for AIDS, but for seeing the lights dimmed). However, we went to see Fela! instead. So we missed it. But they will dim again. People will die, AIDS research and care will still need awareness. There will be another chance. In the meantime, however, I am still devastated.

Fela! was really good. I didn't expect to like it as much as I did (which always made me feel slightly racist). Afrobeat music has never really been my thing. But what the show lacked in my taste in music, it seriously made up for in crazy technical things. There were gators. On the curtains. And their mouths opened up. (I know this sounds less exciting, but I was ENTHRALLED.)

Plus also...I saw Sting! He was at the show! And he seemed to enjoy it! And he had significantly more facial hair than I remember from the last time that I saw him! I considered telling him that Anne and I are probably the only two people under thirty who have seen The Police more than once in concert, but I (barely) refrained.

On Wednesday, Nick and I headed to Rockefeller Center for the Tree Lighting Ceremony. I got there at 5:00. There were already thousands of people. We could see the tree, but we were a block away from Rockefeller Center. We could not hear the announcers or performers. It was raining. The tree was not actually going to light up for four hours.

We bailed.

But we went back to get After pictures to go along with all the Befores. So we really did get the best of both worlds. I think that counts as a win?

On Thursday, we went to go see Race, David Mamet's other show on Broadway. SO MUCH BETTER THAN THE FIRST (Oleanna). It was really good. It was not about a competition to see who arrives somewhere first, but instead about the color of one's skin. It brought up a whole bunch of interesting topics about race, including how anything a white person says to a black person about race is automatically offensive, regardless of their intention. The link on the side of the page under the list of Shows I've Seen is an article in the Times about the purpose and themes of the show. (This is a useful link, instead of the other absurd and random ones, haha.)

This Mamet was performed much better than Oleanna as well. I think it helps that Mamet himself directed it, but the rhythm of the words was spot on in this production. James Spader was on point (as he is wont to be?) and Kerry Washington was nothing to shake a stick at either. The dynamics between the characters were very interesting. At the very beginning, I wasn't sure who Kerry Washington's character was but as soon as that became clear, her relationship towards everyone else in the play became very intriguing.

And then yesterday I was sick all day. I actually got up, got dressed and was about to leave for work when I realized that there was no way I could make it through. So I went back to sleep for about six hours. I need to start sleeping again.

Today was my introduction to the Young Actors at Strasberg program. Most effective form of birth control. I was in charge of the 7-9 year old group, and they all did a lot of screaming. Unnecessary screaming. Yikes.

But at the same time, it was a lot of fun. I wish when I was seven that I had been able to take legit acting classes. I remember taking a musical theatre class that was super fun, but not as legit as the musical theatre class I experienced today.

First, they did as expected: a song and dance routine to I'd Do Anything and You're Never Fully Dressed Without a Smile. But then they sat down and learned musical terms.

Teacher: Who can tell me what Legato means in Italian?

Student: To bind! (I didn't even know that!)

Teacher: Who can tell me where the emphasis on a word is placed in Italian?

Student: The second to last!

Teacher: And an exception to that rule?

Student: (thinks for a bit) Subito!

Teacher: And what does that mean?

Student: Immediately!

These are words I did not learn until I was significantly older than seven. Wow.

Another quote from the children: "You're a weirdo." "I'm not a weirdo! I'm Arabic!" Hahahaha.

My time in New York is winding down. I am currently four shows away from having seen everything on Broadway. (Superior Donuts, Ragtime, A Little Night Music and Billy Elliot.) Well, that's not exactly true - we didn't see Burn the Floor, but I've accepted that. It wasn't a theatre piece as much as it was a dance piece. So I've come to terms with it. So should you.

At this point, it just needs to be done. They all need to be seen. We already have tickets for A Little Night Music (Angela had betta not disappoint this time!) and hopefully the Ragtime lottery doesn't continue to break my heart night after night.

I'll be home soon...weird, right? Why did I agree to LEAVE???

Miss you! Love, Kelly

Thankful Day!

Long time, no blog. And I apologize, for the approximately two (one?) of you who wait with bated breath. Haha.

This weekend the Voigts Took Manhattan by a windstorm. South Pacific was seen, the Museum of Natural History was visited and Kelly was reunited with the people who are required to love her.

And, more importantly, I hailed a cab. Twice. SCORE.

I am writing this post in between filling out my Program and Seminar Evaluation forms. BANE OF MY EXISTENCE. Seriously. Feels like I have homework again. And different than the fun theatre and acting homework that I get at Strasberg.

Point of the story: I am looking for any excuse to distract myself. And it's been a while since I've updated you on my life.

Last week began with another trip to the Upright Citizen's Brigade, which became the best part of my adult life. I saw Amy Poehler perform improv, and Seth Myers touched me. I have never been happier. Seriously.

The week before Thanksgiving was busy at Strasberg. And I'm not sure why.

Wait, scratch that. I know exactly why.

Because Anna Strasberg wanted a Thanksgiving party, for which there was ACTUAL turkey, cranberry sauce and stuffing. None of which I ate. Though I provided the pumpkin muffins, and it was agreed that they were a smash. (I feel like there's a really terrible pun there, but I got nothin'.)

Nicholas and I also saw Wishful Drinking, which was AMAZING. Carrie Fisher, talking about her experience as Leia, her experience with being bipolar and her experience with Hollywood Inbreeding. A guaranteed HIGH-larious show. Carrie Fisher was hysterical and she also did the show barefoot.

That right there. That's my dream. Be hysterical and barefoot. Often at the same time.

And then my family arrived! Such fun, such laughs! We had a marvelous time. I was a tourist in my own town, which was fab.

Wednesday: Arrival of the Michigan Voigts. The night before their arrival, my sleep was punctuated by dreams that followed a general theme of me answering my phone and hearing, "Hey Kel, we thought we'd surprise you early at work, and we got off the train at the wrong stop. That sign says 'The Bronx' and some guy just offered us crack..." TERRIFYING. But they made it to Manhattan in one piece (well, three...) and we dined together. Allie saw Times Square for the first time the way it was meant to be seen for the first time...at night. And she experience her first Jamba Juice. She declared a Peanut Butter Moo'd to be delicious. Although, unfortunately Nick and my Jamba dealer, Jesus, was not working, so Al didn't get to meet him.

Thursday: Thanksgiving! I LOVE holidays! We woke up SUPER early to get to the Macy's Thanksgiving Parade; we left 305 at about 6:30 in the morning and were three rows in on 42nd St. and 7th Ave. LEGIT. And trying to stay away from my serious bias, I still say the Detroit Parade is better. (This is just like that time we saw the Fourth of July fireworks in Washington DC and the Detroit fireworks were better.) The balloons were really cool and GIANT and I got some awesome pictures, but there wasn't a Briefcase Brigade. SAD. But one day I will walk in this parade dressed as an egg on a tricycle. For no particular reason. Actually, I already have the costume so...

Thanksgiving dinner was also a rousing success, which is good because if it hadn't been, it would have been my fault because I planned it. But it was delish. And the snooty person who answered the phone when I made reservations was not there. Which is good, because I might have kicked him in the shins.

Friday: A bus tour was taken! And it was so fun! I had no idea. I need to get out of my little box of Midtown more often, because we took the downtown loop tour and I saw so many things I had never seen before. I heard someone say the other day, "Why would you voluntarily spend time above 14th St.?" And I might actually agree.

Friday night we saw South Pacific. It was PERFECT. They just don't write musicals like that anymore. Kelli O'Hara was a DREAM as Nellie and the whole production was absolutely marvelous. Even the people in the show who were slightly less than stellar (coughcoughCablecoughcough) - I was willing to forgive them because the rest of the show excellent. LOVED IT.

Saturday: A knee sprain on the part of my mother early in the morn put a damper on this day right quick, but we still managed to have fun with the uptown loop of the hop on/hop off bus tour. I managed to go above 66th St.! Hooray! I made it all the way up to Harlem and the Apollo Theatre. So far uptown! Look at me, takin' the town by a storm.

And then we headed over to North Bergen, NJ: The Restaurant Capital of the East Coast. Except NOT. We drove around for approximately 39823759187 hours before finding an Applebee's. I actually FELL ASLEEP during this process. That's how difficult it was to find a restaurant that wasn't an IHOP or something that doubled as a crackhouse once it got dark.

All in all, it was a successful visit. I had a super lot of fun. Except for the part where the fam was leaving and my mom said, "See you in three weeks, love you."

!!! <-- You are meant to regard this as that motion that I do where I flail my hands and look upset, confused, defiant and slightly indignant all at once.

Three weeks??? Where did the time go? I am NOT ready to go home. I am excited to see my friends and family and for Christmas and everything, but I want to do that for a while, and then move back to Manhattan. I can't wait two more years to be back here!

So I've decided to just deny that I'm going home for an extended period of time. Denial - not just a river in Egypt.

Yesterday, we also saw arguably the worst Broadway show EVER: After Miss Julie. Sienna Miller was so terrible that I want her to take the part of her bio that says, "Studied at the Lee Strasberg Institute" OUT. She was abysmal. Atrocious. A blight on the theatre community.

And there was basically nothing redeeming about the production. I could literally tear it apart, because it was awful. It was an hour and a half, and I walked out thinking it was at least three hours of my life down the drain.

Sum of my life: busy. And some of my classes end next week, which is CRAZY. I don't want it to end! I love my classes, and I love my teachers and I love Strasberg. But all good things come to an end. Sad news.

But I'll be back home soon, brimming with stories and Christmas cheer. Hooray!

Love, Kelly