New York
The New York trip went well. I'm *so* glad I got around to doing it. The hotel was awesome, the weather was gorgeous, we managed to fit in a nice variety of activities in our limited time, and the shows were *AWESOME*.
I'm not sure Lend Me a Tenor would have been quite as much fun if the three principles weren't "famous" people, since the humor was pretty much the sort you expect from this sort of slapstick show, but since they *were* famous, it added a bit of extra dimension to things. (Plus, I was sitting right across the aisle from Liev Schreiber and Naomi Watts, so... *squee* celebrity sighting! :) )
A Little Night Music makes me want to go back and watch it over and over and over. I mainly wanted to see this production because the lead male role, Fredrik, was played by an actor named Alexander Hanson. I've had a bit of a crush on him based solely on his voice for the last ten years, and since he's usually a West End actor, it was pretty exciting to have him show up a little closer to home. He *totally* didn't disappoint, and the trip was worth it just for this one show. He and Catherine Zeta-Jones had such wonderful chemistry, and the two of them sold this sort of wry amusement at their own foibles that it made me all wibbly and squishy with love. :) With the broader characters around them taking everything so *very* seriously, it gave the show such a genuine warmth at its center. (Plus, Mr. Hanson is quite pretty in a distinguished sort of way. *swoon* )
The train travel turned out to be a good idea, too. Convenient (despite a two-hour drive to get to the station), comfortable, and relatively stress-free compared to being stuck in a car for 8 hours or dealing with airport hassles. No question that this is how I'll be getting to NYC from now on.