Bill & Harry's Excellent NY Adventure

A quick weekend adventure in New York City is always a good plan.

Bill

I caught the Vamoose bus on Saturday morning, and met up with my sister and her friends near Columbus Circle. After a little walk around Central Park, Megan and I headed to see the musical "Billy Elliot".

While I've never seen the movie, I had a general idea of what this would be about, but that didn't prepare me for the deep pain and struggle portrayed, and the beautiful juxtaposition of Billy's struggle with the struggle of the coal miners' strike in mid-1980's northern England.

Not ashamed to admit, I got teary-eyed at points during this one.

Two enthusiastic thumbs up, and three --somehow?-- if you're a history nerd like me.

Harry

Later that evening, we headed to see "How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying", starring Daniel Radcliffe (played J. Pierrepont Finch). You may know Daniel from a series of movies he played a small role in:

Harry Potter.

In the first act, the real stars were John Larroquette (J.B. Biggley) and Rose Hemingway (Rosemary Pilkington). John's comedic timing was spot on, and Rose made me believe her character.

Plus, the girl could sing it something fierce.

But in the second act, Daniel/Harry came into his own. Maybe he just needed some time to warm up the vocals and the dancing skills, but it was well worth the wait. The finale, Brotherhood of Man (see video above), was tremendous. If Daniel/Harry puts in that kind of effort going forward, he could have a long and prestigious career on Broadway.

Excellent NYC Adventure

Ok, this part of the title is a bit of a stretch. But I liked the allusion to Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure, so whatever. A semi-famous 80's cover band, Rubix Kube, was playing at the Canal Room, so we had to check 'em out.

They certainly did not disappoint. From the first song to the moment we left, they were singing and dancing and changing costumes and generally providing us with a grand old time.

Though it was a quick trip, we definitely managed to pack a lot of fun in.

Glad I got to see you, sis, and it was fun meeting your friends!