This year’s Mother’s Day itinerary on Broadway included two new shows and a return to our old stomping ground of the Marriott Marquis. As much as I abhor Times Square, and do I ever hate it, having a homebase there just a block or two from the restaurants and theaters where we were headed makes everything easier, especially when time is of the essence. It’s also nice to have a nearby location to go in-between shows, rather than having to trek out a few enormous blocks that are just slightly less than a subway ride away.
It looked to be a rainy weekend, but we managed to mostly avoid getting wet, even as showers threatened from the very first stage of journey – the train ride down along the Hudson River.
Clouds bracketed glimpses of blue sky and peeks of sun, and there were spells of rain the whole ray down. Once we entered Manhattan, the sun came out and it was warmer than the Albany climate we had just left. Our first show was ‘Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York)’ and it was the ideal NY-themed show to christen our weekend back on Broadway. Captivatingly charming, it’s a look at the earliest rumblings of possible love amid the pasts we all carry with us, done in a light-hearted and hilarious way.
The next day we went shopping at Bloomingdales and along Fifth Avenue – and by shopping I mean cologne sampling. I tried many – too many – before settling on a standard I’ve been flirting with for many years – details to come. Rain was scheduled to arrive that afternoon, so we walked back our hotel, stopping for a cafe culture moment outside while the weather was fair. (No, I did not purchase these exquisite shoes.)
Dinner was fortuitously scheduled for The View (the revolving restaurant on top of our hotel) so we didn’t have to brave the weather – a happy circumstance that found us skirting the last remnants of the rainstorm. Atop The View, we spun around slowly, taking in all sides of Manhattan as a dramatic cloudscape paraded before us. Not sure if there’s anything as kitschy as a revolving restaurant, and I loved it all the more for that. (The last time I was in a restaurant that revolved was on a childhood summer vacation with the family in Montreal – Mom recalled that and said that my brother and I had insisted on dining there, which rings true to what a kid would want.)
As dinner passed, and the city swirled beneath us, the clouds departed and a bit of blue sky appeared before turning shades of pink for the sunset. It made for an idyllic walk to the Palace Theatre, where our second show was playing. I hadn’t been to the theater since the last performance of this ‘Sunset Boulevard’ revival – and this was a totally different production.
A visually magnificent feat of theatrical wonder, ‘The Lost Boys’ literally flies, succeeding in its smoky atmosphere of ominously entertaining scenes – a fun romp that will have fans of the original film more than fulfilled. While it didn’t quite move me as much as ‘Two Strangers…’ it’s worth taking in for the effects and ambiance.
Our Mother’s Day tradition concluded for another season – next year will mark the 30th anniversary of our very first Broadway weekend tradition, so we will be going all out for that… stay tuned.
