Of course we all can book a hotel in New York City, browse the New York Times, select some plays and make a long weekend of it. Alan and I have done that several times and had great experiences each time.
But there’s an even better way to have a theater weekend in the Big Apple. Go with folks from the Clarence Brown Theatre and get an insider’s perspective. Clarence Brown’s artistic director, Cal MacLean, and his wife, Rebecca, led a group of Knoxvillians on such an excursion this past weekend. In addition to selecting the plays, MacLean also arranged for us to have lunch with a playwright, a casting director and a Broadway actor he knows.
“I only want to see plays that are in preview showings — when you can really see the actors figuring out the parts,” MacLean explained. “After several months or several years, it gets to be very slick. It’s not as much fun.” Our plays, all in preview: “Anything Goes” with Joel Grey, Sutton Foster and Jessica Walter; “Arcadia” by Tom Stoppard; and the outrageous “Priscilla, Queen of the Desert.” Two of them were great (more on that later).
Lunch on Friday featured chats with playwright Jeffrey Sweet, casting director Stephanie Klapper, and actor Tandy Cronyn, who happens to be the daughter of acting greats Jessica Tandy and Hume Cronyn. All three are personal friends of MacLean and had strong opinions about life in New York City and the theater scene in general.
Here are excerpts.
From Tandy Cronyn:
- The cost of real estate in New York has had a big influence on the cost of theater tickets. “They are too expensive,” Cronyn said. “I don’t go unless I can get discounted tickets.”
- Also, the cost of downtown lofts where many artists of all types used to live and intermingle with each other, has become prohibitive. “New York used to be a cheek-to-jowl melting pot,” she said. “But now the artists are scattered. Dance studios have vanished because struggling dancers can’t afford to pay enough to cover the studio’s rent.”
- Perhaps due to the cost of mounting a Broadway production, 90 percent of the shows on Broadway today are musicals, she said. “As an actor, the action is in regional theater.”
From Jeffrey Sweet, who described himself as “the best unknown playwright in the world:”
- Sweet attended NYU, where he had Martin Scorsese as a teacher. He got a B in the class. “I wasn’t good enough for him to notice me,” Sweet joked. “And I wasn’t bad enough for him to notice me.”
- He also lamented the cost of Broadway shows. “You used to have theater stars,” he said. “Now the shows have to have stars from TV or movies to draw a crowd.” Sweet said the high cost has resulted in “the death of pretty good plays,” meaning the plays now have to be blockbusters to recoup the costs. “The best writing today is on HBO,” the writer said.
- “You can’t be poor in New York anymore,” he said, adding that playwrights are “the brokest members of the theater” because they live on royalty checks. “I wish we had the Medicis back,” he cracked. “OK. So they poisoned some people. But they subsidized artists.”
Stephanie Klapper:
- She grew up in Greenwich Village where “art was all around” and attended State University of New York, which she called “art prison.” Edie Falco was a classmate.
- She enjoys being a casting director because she “loves putting people together.” She’s cast actors on Broadway, off-Broadway, regionally, internationally, on TV, film, the internet and on the radio.
- Her advice to anyone wanting to “make it” in theater is to be a part of the “theater scene” any way they can. She suggested volunteering to be a script reader as one way to get noticed. Sweet agreed with that advice. “The theater is a social profession,” he said. “You can’t sit in your room and get work. You have to be part of the social scene. Go to readings. Go to bars and restaurants.”
And, on that advice, here’s a quick look at our weekend in New York.
Then it was off to City Crab and Seafood Company for lunch with our invited guests.
After a quick nap, it was off to the Stephen Sondheim Theatre for “Anything Goes.”
Rather than wait in line, though, we ducked into Duvel BXL, a bustling little bar/restaurant across the street.
The play was fun. The dancing was outstanding. And Cal is right about previews — you can tell the actors are still getting used to the material. In fact, one dancer fell during a tap-dance number, but she picked herself up and went right back to it. And veteran Joel Grey seemed to still be learning his lines.
I love Times Square, so after the play, that’s where we headed.
Starved, we headed for a late dinner at a cute little spot, Saju Bistro, that Georgiana had spotted across the street from our hotel. It was great.
Lunch the next day was at the Glass House Tavern, which was located directly across the street from the Ethel Barrymore Theatre where we were to be at 2 p.m. for a matinee performance of “Arcadia,” which was still in previews.
I think I would really have liked “Arcadia” — if I could have understood the words. The acoustics were horrific. And in a long play (nearly three hours) with so many words, that’s important. If they don’t fix this, I predict a very short run for “Arcadia.”
We love Greek food so we popped into Kellari Taverna to split some saganaki (flaming cheese) and a big Greek salad. This is where we had the best wine of our trip.
And then, on to the Palace Theatre for “Priscilla, Queen of the Desert,” which was a rollicking good time!
OK. Here’s a new gimmick since I was last at a Broadway play. They let you bring drinks into the theater (listen up, Lucas Richman, my friend!) — but only if they are in a souvenir sippy cup, which you must purchase. A glass of wine and a rum and Coke cost $26 — but we got to keep the sippy cups!
A couple of other restaurants I wanted to mention. The Lambs Club was sophisticated and perfect for a nightcap. And Sunday brunch at Cafe Un Deux Trois was delish. I had crepes filled with Paris ham and drizzled with maple syrup. Yummy!
Anyone can go on these Clarence Brown Theatre trips, first come, first served. We highly recommend.
Note: Clarence Brown Theatre Advisory Board Chair Townes Osborn was on the trip, as well. For some reason, I missed taking a photo of her.
Looks like a great time had by all!! Thanks for posting!
Nancy, it was a ton of fun. We are ready to go again! Tell Cal to get to work on the next trip!
I put in a good word for Shafer Morgan with the casting director, but she said: “Who?”
When I lived in New York, visiting friends asked me, “I bet you go to see shows on Broadway all the time, right?!” Um, no. I couldn’t afford them!
I’ll be taking a trip to NYC in April to say “goodbye” to my last apartment there; my former roommate is finally giving up the lease after 13 years and moving to California. This post has me looking forward to one more long weekend in the city with a local!
What a great trip!! Thanks for sharing in the experience AND for recording it all so perfectly! SF
Becky: That sounds like a very special trip coming up. I really love visiting NYC. But three nights is enough. After that, the hassle factor overtakes the fun factor. Hope you have a great time! Susan: It was fun being with you all! Hope your Muppet likes it in Knoxville!
What a great journal of our trip!! Yes, if you love theatre, the Clarence Brown Theatre trip is the way to maximize the experience. Cal MacLean’s professional insights and group discussions really added a whole other level to just seeing the performances. There is nothing better than spending a long weekend with people who love theatre!! Knoxville is wonderfully blessed with a strong group of those who support and love the performing arts. Thank you, Cynthia, for preserving these lovely memories for all of us!
Cynthia, I loved this! Sounds like you guys had a wonderful time! So sorry to hear about the acoustics in “Arcadia.” I absolutely love that play AND Tom Stoppard. Hope they can get the problems worked out. Glad you had such a fabulous time! Thanks for sharing.
Thanks for the comments, Liz and Kim. Kim: I just KNEW I would love that play. You and I have a lot of the same tastes, I’ve noticed. Maybe I’ll get to see it again under better conditions.
So pleased you all made it to Cafe Un, Deux, Trois — fond memories of many a supper there before or after the theater!
Ellen: We really liked it. But it made us want to go to Paris!
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Cynthia,
Edmund and I were in NY this past weekend and got to “Anything Goes” and also see our friend (and UT Theatre grad) Laura Beth Wells playing the Green Goblin’s wife (Emily Osborne) in Spiderman 2.0. After seeing the shows, we went up the Hudson to Rhinebeck to participate in the festivities as Laura Beth married Metropolitan opera bass-baritone David Crawford at the Rhinecliff Hotel on that beautiful river! Our son William and girlfriend Laura Van Vleet went with us. Needless to say, we had a blast! The wedding guests were mostly all actors and opera people, so we were constantly being entertained.
Enjoyed reading about your trip to the Big Apple as well! Thanks for sharing….
Thanks, Susan, for sharing that! Can’t wait to get back to New York. Sure you feel the same way. (Although our friends aren’t quite as dramatic as yours! Ha.)
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