Editing Maggie Haberman(!), Then Falling in Love With a Mind-Blowing ‘My Fair Lady’

I got to edit a Maggie Haberman story this morning! It's a Q&A in which she responds to readers’ questions about the value of Twitter, whether President Trump really hates The New York Times, and how she balances parenting three children with the demands of a 24-hour job. You can read it here: https://www.nytimes.com/2019/07/03/reader-center/maggie-haberman-trump-coverage.html.

The biggest surprise? Haberman only travels to Washington, D.C., “a few times a month.” I’d have thought she’d have been there much more often, but I suppose in the internet age, it isn’t really necessary.

Also, just thought I’d take a moment to reflect on the fact that I’m at the point in my journalistic career where I’m editing Maggie Haberman. *Takes a deep breath*

After work, I headed to the Vivian Beaumont Theater at Lincoln Center to see what is by far my favorite musical I’ve seen on Broadway, “My Fair Lady,” starring Laura Benanti.

I bought a student ticket through LincTix that was both the cheapest ticket I’ve scored for a Broadway production AND the best seat. Look how close I was to the action! It was just icing on the cake that it turned out to be my favorite production I've seen on Broadway (though it closes on Sunday, so it sadly won’t get to hold that title for long).

In addition to Benanti, a 91-year-old Rosemary Harris (Mrs. Higgins) and Harry Hadden-Paton, who originated the role of Henry Higgins in the current revival, also feature prominently. Well, Hadden-Paton normally features prominently. On Wednesdays, his alternate, Michael Halling, plays the role of Henry Higgins. I knew that when I bought the ticket, and based on YouTube clips, was intrigued to see his performance.

The verdict: Umm, I can’t believe he’s the ALTERNATE. I can’t imagine how an actor could better embody Henry Higgins. He and Benanti had electric chemistry on stage, and the audience was hanging on his every word. Tonight was his last performance as Henry Higgins, so I’m infinitely glad I had the chance to witness it.

As for Benanti, she was stellar. It was one of those cases in which an actress was born to play a role. She IS Eliza Doolittle, in appearance, voice, and personality. (How good was this production? I bought a window card at intermission!)

Set-wise, the stage makes liberal use of a Les Mis-esque turntable as Eliza and Henry walk through, slam, and listen at doors. And another standout is Alexander Gemignani, who is hilarious as Eliza’s father, Alfred P. Doolittle, especially in his big number, “Get Me to the Church On Time.” Harris is an exacting Mrs. Higgins, whose “Do without, I suppose” line is expertly delivered. She’s not about to waste time trying to reform her stubborn and intractable son.

“My Fair Lady” has a run time of nearly three hours, but it went by way too fast. I would definitely pay to see this again if it weren’t closing Sunday (and will likely soon be listening to the cast recording — thank goodness they made one! — on repeat).

I’ve now seen 14 plays, musicals, and ballets, both Broadway, Off Broadway, and non-Broadway. Of those, my top three productions are “My Fair Lady,” “Harry Potter and the Cursed Child,” and “Frankie and Johnny in the Clair de Lune.” Also good, but just below my top-three tier, are “Kiss Me, Kate” and “Toni Stone” to round out my top 5.

After the show, I went and checked out the stage door. I didn’t have high hopes that many actors would come out since they did two three-hour shows today (Wednesday is the production’s matinee day) and they’re one of the few shows doing a 4th of July matinee tomorrow, so everyone is probably pretty tired.

BUT I did get to meet the one actor I really wanted to congratulate, Michael Halling, whose performance as Higgins floored me. This was only the second time I’d waited at a stage door specifically for someone other than a well-known actor like Glenda Jackson or Adam Driver. It’s a testament to the power of his performance that I was blown away enough to seek him out! (The only other time I did this was for the West End standby phantom, Scott Davies, in Phantom of the Opera in London, who remains by far my all-time favorite phantom I’ve seen live. He’s also my second-favorite phantom ever, behind Michael Crawford.)

Benanti didn't come out after the show, but I had the chance to chat with her for an Indianapolis Star story last summer before her appearance at The Cabaret about her role as Melania Trump on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. She called Midwesterners "the nicest people in the world," earning herself instant brownie points. Since I already got my barrage of questions out then, I wasn't too disappointed.

So glad I got to see this show from such a great seat before it closed — it was truly “lover-ly!”

Today in food: Artichoke Basille’s Pizza. This East Village spot is the quintessential cheap eat — it’s $5 per slice, and you get one big enough to fill an entire pizza box! I got a crab slice, which had crab sauce, crab hunks, mozzarella, and a surimi (pollock — that’s what the white patches are) stuffing. I’ve heard some “That’s not pizza!” remarks, but whatever it was, it was both cheap and tasty: I approve.

Coming up tomorrow: I discovered today that they launch the famous Macy’s 4th of July fireworks about a mile from my apartment, so I’ll head down to my new favorite pier to watch!