Free Outdoor Opera

Last night I scored last minute VIP seats to the Met Opera's free outdoor HD screening of Carmen on the Lincoln Center piazza.

It was great!  Here's a shot of our front row view:

The production sizzles with incredible talent, lovely sets, and wonderful dance pieces between each Act:

Thanks, A, for getting us the amazing view!!!

Sorry!!!

I am so sorry I've been a slacker on posting. I am in a show and it's taking up all my time.

I actually celebrated Macaron Day 2011 with friends, scoring freebie macarons all over the city. It was awesome - yay, Macaron Day!

Sorry I am not posting well. I will step back in and continue this in mid-April, but for now I have to focus on the show.

Speaking of which, please come to see me in HMS Pinafore! Here's the link:

www.bht.org

Thinking Theater

Slowly, but surely, the freebies are returning from the immediate post-holiday draught! Hooray!

Last week, cousin T brought me to see Encores! staged concert of Kurt Weill's "Lost in the Stars." It's a rarely-performed piece set in South Africa. Really heavy, serious material that weighs in on issues of class, race, culpability, and moral vs. legal judgment.

Though "Lost in the Stars" doesn't leave you humming any tunes, Encores! did a really nice job of casting and staging this tough piece, and bringing something onstage that wouldn't ever get a big buck revival in today's Broadway market.

Thanks, Cousin T, for a one-of-a-kind night out and some mentally challenging musical food for thought.

Intermission Freebie

Last night, the inimitable J and I attended Roundabout Theater Co's production of "The Importance of Being Earnest," by Oscar Wilde. We cemented our friendship as co-stars in a college production, so it was a wonderful, fun-filled excursion and traipse down memory lane.

And there was also a very nice freebie to be had.

About a week ago, the Roundabout sent me a letter that offered two complimentary cups of coffee or tea at the theater bar either before the show or at intermission. Of course, we availed ourselves of the coffee option: Thanks to J for taking such a graceful looking shot of my hand, and thanks to the Roundabout for the free coffee!

Free NYC Concert

As some of you may know, I am a member of a wonderful charitable theater troupe that specializes in Gilbert & Sullivan operettas, the Blue Hill Troupe.

Well, the Troupe is putting on a fantastic, FREE concert of Gilbert & Sullivan songs and other Broadway and opera hits this Wednesday on the UES.

It will be stacked with tremendous talent and surely entertaining.

When: Weds, Feb 2nd at 7pm (reception from 6-7pm)
Where: The Carter Burden Luncheon Club, 351 E 74th Street
RSVP: hustonm@burdencntr.org

I'll be there! Hope to see you then!

Signing off for Christmas...

Last night, C and I attended the aforementioned free reading of "A Christmas Carol" at All Souls Church in NYC. It was wonderful! They interspersed carols with the "chapters" of the novella, so it was overall a very entertaining, cozy, and seasonal evening.

Now I'm heading home for the holidays so I'll be off blogging for a few days, barring any unexpected freebie fun!

See you all next week...

Holiday Freebie: A Little Humbug

Bah Humbug!

Come support cousin M in a free reading of Charles Dickens' classic "A Christmas Carol!"

When: Monday, December 20th at 6pm

Where: All Souls Unitarian Church on 80th Street and Lexington Avenue

It should last about an hour, and has a bunch of actors playing the voices. Just the thing for the last few days of work before Christmas!

Museum Freebies

Last night was a delightful evening of NYC museum freebies!

At 6pm, I attended a free lecture at the Frick Collection: The lecture was called, "The Other Versailles: Where the Decorative Arts Became Modern" by Joan DeJean, a UPenn French professor. It was really interesting - all about the early palais at Versailles and the nascent years of the first "decorateurs interieux" (probably butchering that spelling). Thanks, L, for letting me return to my college days of Art History for an hour inside the blissfully decked out Frick Mansion!

But the best was yet to come.

UVA pal K had invited me to take her spare ticket to hear the Chanticleer Christmas concert at the Met Museum!

Chanticleer is an all-male a cappella group that sings rather classic/medieval songs in 4 part harmony.

The concert was in the medieval hall with the giant Met Museum Christmas tree, and it was fantastic! The group was really tight musically, and they sang some wonderful stuff.

And FAMOUS PERSON SPOTTING: Chelsea Clinton was there with her new husband, Marc Mezvinsky. I guess she's a fellow a cappella Christmas carol lover!

Here is a pic I took of K and me after the concert in front of the Christmas tree in all our blurry holiday joy:

And here's a better one of just the tree - gorgeous!

Famous Face Freebie

As anyone who currently lives in NYC will tell you, we're having a bit of a heat wave.

Highs in the 60s...and December is rapidly approaching.

So you can imagine my confusion when this sight met my eyes on the way to work yesterday:

It's faux snow! For a film shoot near the Flatiron Building. Several blocks looked like this, and it was real honest to goodness icy snow, made with ski slope machines or something.

The movie is Mr Popper's Penguins, starring Jim Carrey, who was there in the flesh shooting a scene.

Freebie snow is one thing, but I've had an interesting week in terms of another NYC free perk as well: celebrity sightings!

In the past WEEK, I have seen all of these people in the flesh:

Scott Adsit from 30 Rock eating lunch at City Bakery

Penn Badgley shooting Gossip Girl in Union Square

Stephen Baldwin eating Chinese food

Broadway legendary producer Hal Prince at the Bells Are Ringing dress rehearsal

Jim Carrey filming Mr. Popper's Penguins in the snow by the Flatiron Building

And, finally, at last night's performance of Brief Encounter, Brad from The Rachel Zoe Project!!

I literally saw all of these people IN ONE WEEK. Something's going on in the Big Apple...

Theater Freebies: Bells Are Ringing and Brief Encounter

My fever cold hellaciousness has been sandwiched by fantastic theatrical freebies.

It's only today that I've felt well enough to tell you of my exciting night at Encores! For those who don't know, Encores! stages readings/pared down performances of less-performed musicals in a two week whirlwind rehearsal and performance schedule, with big Broadway star casts. It's a great way to see musicals you've never seen before, and very exciting for actors and audience alike.

This was my first Encores! experience, and the show was Bells Are Ringing by Comden/Green/Styne. It was a wonderful piece, and cast members Kelli O'Hara, Will Chase, and more did not disappoint!

Cousin, T, let me be his "plus-one" to the dress rehearsal and it was full of Broadway personalities. Top on my list: I got to shake hands with Hal Prince! Life goal!!

...insert FIVE DAYS OF FEVER AND COUGHING...

And now tonight, T's fab daughter A is taking me and M to see Brief Encounter, which I have been dying to see!!!

Thanks to the whole C clan for singlehandedly making this the best fever freebie theater week ever. :)

Holiday Freebie: Elf on Broadway

M & I have a college friend who is actually a bona fide Broadway star! And I try to see him in all his productions, to support his skyrocketing career.

Anyhow, he is currently the star of Elf, a holiday Broadway musical based on the Will Ferrell movie.

Earlier in the week, Broadway cousin, T, invited us to tag along to a preview of the show! Free tickets to see our fellow alum sing in green tights and curly tipped shoes? Yes, please!

I don't think I'm allowed to write anything about the show, since it hasn't officially opened yet, but we had so much fun. Afterwards, we strongarmed our way backstage and got to congratulate our friend on his new role.

Ho ho ho! Two holiday shows already, and it's not even halfway through November. Overkill?

Who cares?!? Ho ho ho!

p.s. Fashionable cousin Z was also at the show, and she gave me a full blow-by-blow of her experience getting the aforementioned free $50 gift certificate at American Eagle earlier this week. She actually skinned a knee in the melee, but also managed to get a free shirt. Freebie Rockstar!

The Best-Laid Freebie Plans...

Yesterday was supposed to be a big day for freebies...and it was.

Just not in any of the ways I'd expected.

I found out from a colleague that Schnitzel and Things (a street food-vendor truck that serves Austrian/German food that's apparently delicious) had been booked by Austrian Airlines all week in a giveaway promotion.

Yesterday they were stationed at Park Ave and 26th, near our office, so we took a lunch break stroll to check it out. Here's a photo of the truck, covered in Austrian Airline wallpaper:

The schnitzel of the day was chicken, and it was delicious! Very thin pounded cutlet, lightly breaded, served with a giant lemon wedge. And a side of chipotle sauce that I wasn't sure how to use, but ended up dipping my chicken piece like a giant Austrian McNugget! Oh, and you get to enter a contest for a pair of free roundtrip tickets to Vienna too.

Today and tomorrow, the truck is in the 50s. Thursday: 52nd St between 6th & 7th Ave.
Friday: 52nd St & Lexington Ave. Hours each day will be from 11am-3pm, or until supplies run out.

After work, intrepid friend, J, and I headed to Williams-Sonoma at Columbus Circle for a book signing.

It was totally ill-attended, no wine (even though the book was a winemakers cookbook), and almost no food, except for a "display" of radicchio and blue cheese that I thought was samples and accidentally ate. AND I THEN GOT YELLED AT BY A PRICKLY W-S LADY! It was a huge serving platter of food on a counter - How was I supposed to know?!?

We fled the scene to the Lladro/Steiff event, which was event worse.

The entire Lladro showroom smelled like a heady floral air-freshener, and the place was packed with figurine collectors. J and I discovered a table set with wine glasses and another empty table that seemed to be a proper site for hors d'ouvres, but nary a beverage or nibble was to be seen.

FreebieFAIL. We fled Event #2 and got dinner at a very delicious, very not free establishment!

But all was not lost! As I left the Bloomingdales area, I checked my watch and reckoned it was perfect timing for me to walk 10 blocks north on Madison Ave to check out the aforementioned Ralph Lauren mystery light showing at 8:30pm.

It was, in a word, amazing.

First, the show:

RL used the new building on Madison as a projection screen for a 10-15 minute music and light show. These projections were creative and truly fun.

See photos below:

This is what it looked like as they projected the mansion "opening up" - kind of like a dollhouse, to show an interior "fashion show" on a descending staircase:


And then they went totally fantastical, projecting polo players and giant belts and all kinds of things. The coolest was when they had giant neckties flop over the mansion, as seen here:

Also, the scene:


As I walked up to 72nd St and Madison, there were police barriers around the older RL store, and all kinds of preppie people milling about. There was a party happening inside the older RL store, but it was by personal invitation only (Drat!). So I ensconced myself with a great view, directly under the awning and directly across from the new store where the show would be happening.


At about 8:28pm, all of a sudden paparazzi flashes started blinding me and I realized I'd inadvertently gotten a front-row spot beside the red carpet.


Why it was Ralph Lauren, in the flesh! Himself. The snow-haired, orange-skinned man. In a gorgeous light tan toggle coat. He brushed right by me, took his even better view front row spot, and the show began!

If you want to see what the light show was like, click here to watch a video.


FreebieSUCCESS, after all!

"This is better than church!" - J, during the Living Nativity scene

Congratulations to J, winner of the Radio City Music Hall Christmas Spectacular Quote Vote!

Almost-Free Opera Seats

I was recently tipped off that the Metropolitan Opera has reorganized its $25 rush seating policy for weekend performances. It's almost too good to be true!

Monday, you enter an online lottery for the coming weekend's performances. Tuesday, the winners are posted online.

There is also a wait list posted, and if the winners fail to claim their tickets, the wait list has a crack at grabbing them on Thursday.

These $25 seats are bona fide Orchestra and Grand Tier seats, not standing room in the rafters!

Enter here next Monday.

Too Many Events!

I have just been invited to this exciting lifestyle event on THIS Thursday, November 11th:

7 For All Mankind 10th Anniversary Celebration in Soho

Ah, 7 For All Mankind... Has it really been ten years? It feels like just yesterday that I tried on my first pair and my own personal jeandom was forever changed.

Unfortunately, I'll have to pass on the anniversary party since I'll be attending another fun freebie night of Holiday Theater: Elf on Broadway, courtesy of awesome Broadway cousin, T!

However, I promise a full report on tomorrow's lifestyle events at Lladro/Steiff and Williams-Sonoma!

Holly Jolly Freebie: Radio City Christmas Spectacular

What do you say when someone asks if you'd like to drink a huge swig straight from the fount of holiday cheer, you say "Of course!!!" and you gulp, gulp, gulp.

Well, that is precisely what incomparable pal, S, did when he gave me a free ticket to last night's dress rehearsal of the one...the only...

RADIO CITY MUSIC HALL CHRISTMAS SPECTACULAR!

Yes folks, I went every year with my grandma as a child. But Grandma never sprung for THIRD ROW TICKETS!!!! Our view before the curtain rose:

Needless to say, there is a sacred, cheesy place in my heart for this time-honored cornball NYC tradition.

And yes, I know it's only early November, but it felt like December 23rd once the fake snow started falling, the REAL fireworks started blasting onstage, the ice rink was rolled out for actual ice skating routines, live camels, sheep and donkeys traipsed the Living Nativity, and the Rockettes did their infamous tin soldier routine:

S invited lady friends T, J and moi. I arrived with bagged treats from Momofuku Milk Bar, which recently opened on 56th St. You must have sweets at the sweetest show in NYC!

There's ample fodder for comedy in a show that bastardizes "The Nutcracker" by having mascot-like bears dance the steps:

For more mockery, check out the QUOTE VOTE on the upper right hand corner of the blog. :)

But you'd have to have a heart of stone to not be at least partially charmed when the Rockettes do their NY at Christmas routine on a double decker tourbus!!

The seats and scale of this freebie were off the charts: A+ Did I mention we were in the THIRD ROW?!?! Let's just say I could tell which Santas were actually roly-poly and which were Rockettes dressed in padded Santa suits!

Thank you, S, for an amazing kick-off to the 2010 Holiday Season!