Day Something: Wonderland

Well, that didn't last long. I knew the days would get the better of me, and like an elephant before the army of ants, shear numbers would overrun and I'd be left fleshless (thankfully the calendar detests the taste of flesh). My reason for current NYC residence is work, and recently I have been very busy. I don't remember what day number it is, but that isn't the true reason for this blog, is it? So, without further ado, onto the flesh.

Tonight our NY internship group was treated to the cushy seats of the Marriott Marquis Broadway Theater. Our 15-person group tickets landed us upper mezzanine seats to Wonderland, the new-ish musical rendition of Lewis Carroll's most popular book, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. Despite mixed reviews I enjoyed it. If Les Mis is a lasagna with it's heavy ingredients and many layers and Wicked is sushi, popular and surprisingly fulfilling, Wonderland is like cotton candy ice cream with bubble-gum pieces.



Wonderland had fun, poppy songs with a likable cast and sweet little bits of the writers' wit to chew on after the velvet constitution of song and dance. It isn't trying to compete with Phantom or Cats or the self-deprecation of Rent (Glee is the new Rent and has enough self-deprecation for Broadway and the entire nation of France.) Wonderland, on the other hand, is casual cognition and a great way to spend Friday evening. My ticket was $32; not bad at all.

A middle-aged working Alice finds herself thrust into Wonderland during a stressful period in her personal life - her husband lost his job, her daughter doesn't like the brand new Queen's apartment and her marriage is on the rocks. Wonderland has a modern urban facelift, but the classic fun-house feel continues and the characters are endearing. Alice saves the day and family is the highlight in the end.

The White Knight and his boy-band backups were my favorites by far. I laughed audibly during their entire first song.



What I couldn't get enough of though were these Sir John Tenniel illustrations that were projected onto the curtain during the pre-show and intermission. The illustrations had little animations - the teacups would fly in the air and the Cheshire Cat would appear and disappear. It was so cool how they can manipulate the original illustrations like that. It was all so very Marauder's Map-esque. I would love a behind-the-scenes look.



I missed my better half when someone in the play sang, "Home is not a place to sleep, home is where you dream." Currently I'm streaming my dreams from my home server, but unfortunately they don't come in as clear as Netflix. I miss my wife, but I'm grateful she's coming out here in two weeks!



Afterward we all went to the Shake Shack. My review of there...I've had better.

Yesterday, before Marcus and I met up for Thai, I realized that I rely heavily on elevators. I live on the fifth floor of a maze and work on the 28th floor of a high rise. The four elevators at the I-House went down to two last weekend for maintenance reasons and I was about to go crazy. Now, my dad's probably thinking the classic Data reprimand from Goonies, "Use the stairs." But like the 80s Asian character, I couldn't help it. The I-House was designed by M.C. Escher who fancied the Penrose Stairs (Ah ha, that'll make 'em walk!), and 28 flights of stairs up 750 Seventh is just stupid. I was really grateful when they started running at full capacity again. It's what happens when you live in an 'up' world.

Here are some photos of the light fixtures at a Thai place Marcus and I went to the other day.