From yesterday's underwater access points, to two of our bridges high off the water - I figured I'd just minithon the other of my BNT magnetset from Fish's Eddy.
One of my favorite things to do in the city is walk across the Brooklyn Bridge, from one end to the other, stopping along the way to check out the amazing views, looking between the planks at the water and/or cars below, reading all the plaques by the caissons, and imagining all the freakin' work that went into building such an astounding bridge.
Oh, and it doesn't hurt that there's some really good pizza at Grimaldi's, or chocolate from Jacques Torres, and the really cool Brooklyn Bridge Park waiting on the other side. (Clearly, there's more to do in Brooklyn, but I'm saving some of it for an Explore Brooklyn Day, hopefully soon. Hmmm, maybe this Saturday. And yes, there's an Escape Home to NYC sequel in the works - yay!)
The Queensboro Bridge, (aka, the Ed Koch Queensboro Bridge or even, the 59th Street Bridge) on the other hand, I can't even remember if I've been across. I must have, right? I mean it's a major thoroughfare! I just know it's the bridge that's right beside the Roosevelt Island tram - everyone knows it - it's the tram where Spider-Man saves Mary Jane?
Yep, that's another fun thing to do in the city, especially, if you're my mother. It's her thing. She loves making everyone take the tram to the island, pop a quarter on the bus and ride it around the little island enclave, and ride the tram back. She seriously loves it.
In fact, I'm going downstairs right now to show her this Spider-Man/LEGO video below, because she will. love. it. And say, "When can we go again, Joy? Can we go there again when I go back to NY, Joy?
eta: Hah. I was wrong.
Mom: "That's smart! You should do that! Without copyright infringement, of course. I just love riding that thing - it's so exciting!"
I dunno why I've hit such a run of Broadway shows that I haven't liked, but this one was the capper. When they first announced a Spider-Man musical, I was pretty skeptical. Then people were saying, hey, it's Julie Taymor, look what she did for The Lion King, it can't be that bad. Plus, it's Bono and The Edge. It definitely couldn't be bad.
When cheap preview tickets became available back in November, I still wasn't sold. But when the preview troubles started, like everyone else, I decided to join the crowds to watch the train wreck last month.
So that's what you need to keep in mind, reading the below. Skeptic. Train-wreck watcher. Predisposed to not like it from the beginning.
And I didn't.
The good: So much praise and wonder for the set design. The sets are bigger than life, and they border on being the actual characters of the show, instead of the humans themselves. That said, the set design is gorgeous, truly fantastic, and well worthy of a comic book universe. In fact, they alone might have been worth sitting through the whole show.
The Cirque: I hate Cirque du anything. I know. Everyone loves it. It's a cultural phenom. But, I don't like when people are flying on stage, or curling themselves up in those ribbony fabrics or floating on and off stage, up and down and twisting around or whatever. I hated it in American Idiot, and I hated it here.
Only here, I cowered in my seat whenever anyone flew close to me, worried that they'd fall on me. Granted, I probably would have done that anyway, even without all the prior stunt incidents, so that's definitely on me.
But between you, me and the labor peeps? At one point, one character was flying and another was supposed to land atop his back for them to fly in sync. Dudes. I watched with bated breath as the one guy tried to land, and could not gain his footing to save his life. Ridiculous. And unsafe. And I swear, it added nothing to the story.
The story: I don't read the comics, so I dunno how much of the story comes from canon. I saw all the movies (and loved at least one of them), so some of it comes from there for sure. But this retelling was just disjointed, uneven and just plain boring.
The overall framework of three geeks and their stereotypical geeky Asian galpal didn't quite work for me, but I liked them oh so much better than the character of dreaded Arachne. She's totally a cross between Kiss of the Spider Woman from years ago, and Doctor Who's Racnoss. Actually Sarah Parrish would have kicked ass in that costume.
Also, even after they changed the ending, I still sat in my seat and said aloud to no one in particular, "Wait. That was the end?"
The music: I feel like I'm supposed to like it because it's Bono. And The Edge. And despite the fact that I don't really remember a single song from the show, I think that the music might be ok. If Bono were singing it. Because that's how the actors were singing it. Hard and gravelly and balls to the wall. And as if they were Bono.
But. Either the actors are trying to match Bono's voice, or, Peter Parker's and Mary Jane's voices are already supertired from the strain. (Which could damage both their voices for the rest of their careers! Or at least that's what I've learned from watching Andrew Lloyd Webber's UK West End casting reality shows.)
The cast sang their hearts out, you could almost feel how much they want this show to finally climb out of previews and become the success they signed on for. Meanwhile, the long wait to March 15th continues.
Do I think there's a weird conspiracy that they're using the "technical issues" as a ruse to shut down a $65-million show instead of admitting it's just bad? No.
Do I think it's the end of Julie Taymor? Oh, hell no.
Do I think less of Bono or The Edge? Please. Hello. It's Bono. And The Edge.
Do I think they opened to the public about six months too early? Yes.
Was it worth going? Well, I'm definitely glad I didn't pay full price for preview tickets. Though I probably made up the difference when I bought this $10 acrylic die-cut magnet.
Oh. I heard earlier today that they were doing more focus groups. Why? Why throw away another few thousand dollars?
Stop.
And lest ye think that I'm a total creep for posting how I feel about a show not out of previews yet, I actually waited to magnetblog on this until after bigger and better and more critic-y people posted their thoughts. To wit:
Oh, yes, Marvel. You included Daredevil in that Marvel magnets collectors set. Thanks for that.
I watched the movie along with a trillion other people, thinking it was gonna be awesome. I was slightly less than enthralled, but it could be because I never read the comics, nor knew the canon.
What I did like was that he was set in NYC, and for whatever reason - mock me if you must - I always think about Ben Affleck Daredevil, feeling a little safer whenever I find myself walking around Hell's Kitchen.
I missed yesterday's magnet, mostly because my wireless was out at home, but also because I saw another Marvel superhero in action last night: Spider-Man.
Ya'll know I hate being left out of anything, so of course, I jumped at the discounted preview tickets to see Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark.
But, apparently, to be taken seriously, the same rules apply to bloggers when it comes to reporting on previews. (Obviously, I didn't know that when I blogged on the Little Mermaid and Mary Poppins previews I went to a while ago. Oops.)
So, yeah, while I splurged for the $10 die-cut acrylic Spider-Man magnet, I will kindly wait til previews are over, supposedly on the Ides of March.
I will say a couple of things, though. The set design and costumes are to freakin' die for, and the actors are definitely working their hearts out.
Oh, and that Russell T Davies and Steven Moffat needs to come check out this version of the Racnoss.
Magnet #1180 - Queensboro and Brooklyn Bridges
