NEW YORK! NEW YORK!

This is the next installment from our New York trip.  Every time  drive into the city I get so excited when I see this sign because I know I am going to my favorite city in the United States! This post is going to focus on something other than cupcakes!  New York is the theater capital of the world!

Two years ago, Becky and I were in New York for a convention and had tickets to see Wicked. We tried to get tickets for several years and you can imagine how disappointed we were when the stagehands went on strike and Broadway was dark.  However, this time we got tickets to Wicked. The male lead of Fiyero was played by this handsome actor and singer, Kevin Kern.
The role of Bok was played by Alex Brightman.  He is scheduled to appear soon on Comedy Central.  Alex has a"bright" (get it!)  smile and cheesed it up with Becky!
Although we didn't get to meet Glinda, the Good Witch, we were thrilled to meet this stunningly talented actress, Nicole Parker, who played Elphaba, the "wicked" witch.  She is absolutely amazing; her voice is incredible.  She is scheduled to appear in the soon-to-be released film, Funny People.  Wicked was definitely worth the wait!
Our favorite show of the week was Billy Elliot. I highly recommend it to EVERYONE!   The show is high energy and filled with an ultra-talented cast, especially the children.
Several children play the various lead roles, so you never know who will be the actor of the night.  We surely weren't disappointed in the two male leads.  Keean Johnson was fantastic in the role of Michael.  
The lead of Billy Elliot was played by 2009 Tony award winner, Kiril Kulish, who has been dancing for ten years and this is his first Broadway show.  He is the National Ballroom Dance Champion in the Junior Division for the last two years and in addition to dance, he is a concert pianist!  This fifteen year old has quite a future!
The very first play we saw was recommended by one of my students, Whitney, who is doing an internship in New York this summer - more on that on another post!  Next To Normal is a very intense musical about a mom who lost a child and suffers from bi-polar disease and the effects of that child's death years later.  I don't want to give away any more of the plot.  Suffice it to say, it is well worth seeing.  Thanks Whitney!

Kyle Dean Massey played Gabe, the son.  Yes, I know he is dead, but not to his mother.  His voice is awesome; he also played the role of Fiyero as an understudy in Wicked.  I am glad his talent is showcased in this role.

The Tony Award winning star of the show is Alice Ripley.  Her performance is amazing and I am so glad that Whitney suggested we see this show.  Since we have been going to New York and hanging out at the stage door, we have never been able to meet the entire cast until this show.  In a few days, check Becky's (Princessflufferbutt) blog - link is to the left - as I am sure she will have even more pictures of the actors!
Over the course of the next few days, I will provide more pictures about our trip!