Meeting Corbin Bleu and Kelli O’Hara, Seeing Two Broadway Musicals, and Eating More Octopus Salad

Today was a double show day that began with a performance of “Working: The Musical” at the New York City Center.

The production starred Helen Hunt, Christopher Jackson (who originated the role of George Washington in "Hamilton"), Javier Muñoz (who replaced Lin-Manuel Miranda in "Hamilton"), and others.

It was a concert performance, which meant there was limited staging and spare costumes and the actors sometimes had scripts in hand.

The standout number was Jackson’s rendition of “Lovin’ Al.” Jackson plays Al Calinda, a parking lot attendant who ruminates on the fact that he’ll probably be parking cars for the rest of his life. Jackson was the lightning rod in the cast and invigorated the stage every time he stepped on it.

"Working" tells the story of the lives of working people, in this case in the context of the New York City Center. The actors interviewed the employees they portray, from a bag attendant at the theater to a waitress (is it really a musical if you don’t have at least one of those?). The production is based on a 1974 Studs Terkel book, in which the historian interviewed people of various occupations from around the country.

The actors also did a Q&A after the show (the production closed tonight), and it was neat to hear whether they’d previously seen the musical and how they were recruited to be in the cast (Helen Hunt was cast first to set the bar of the quality of actor they wanted in this production, apparently).

There were a few flubs of lines because, as the actors noted in the Q&A, they had “no rehearsal time,” but everyone recovered nicely and went on with the show. It was a neat chance to see a show that isn’t performed all that often, particularly not with such esteemed actors.

Here’s something fun I ate today: Octopus salad from Margon Restaurant on 46th Street. It’s a small Cuban place that serves sandwiches and salads (octopus salad is their specialty). After recently discovering I rather enjoy said octopus salad, clearly I had to get some.

My salad was worlds better than the grocery-store version, of course. The meat was not at all tough, and was mixed with a delicious stew of red and green peppers and onions. Two thumbs up. You can also drink the juice out of the cup when you’re finished, which tastes like V8!

This evening, I headed to my second show of the day: “Kiss Me, Kate” at Studio 54, which closes tomorrow. It stars Kelli O’Hara, Will Chase, and Corbin Bleu, and in case you haven’t been following along, I’ve low-key been trying to get tickets to this show forever (I even waited in the cancellation line once).

I finally found a balcony seat I could afford — in the corner in the last row. However, this was fine because the theater only has about 1,000 seats (the “Cursed Child” theater, by comparison, has nearly 2,000)! As you can see, I was surprised to find I actually had a great view!

If you aren’t familiar with the musical, “Kiss Me, Kate” is about two divorced Broadway stars (Fred and Lilli) who are cast in a production of Shakespeare’s “The Taming of The Shrew” alongside two younger actors (Lois and Bill). As you can probably tell by the two male and two female characters, romantic escapades ensue (side plot: Bill is also an incurable gambler who gets mixed up with a pair of mobsters).

I’d previously seen this show at Butler University when the Indianapolis Chamber Orchestra did a semi-staged version for the show’s 70th anniversary in Spring 2018. That production starred one of my favorite local actors, Indy native Ben Davis.

The moment I was most looking forward to in this version was Kelli O’Hara’s rendition of “So In Love.” Here’s a YouTube video of her singing it — she did not disappoint! She has one of the clearest voices I’ve heard on stage, and this was my favorite solo by an actor in a Broadway musical I've seen in New York. And as you can see, she nailed it! The other standout performance was Stephanie Styles’ rendition of “Always True to You In My Fashion” as Lois Lane, whose speaking voice reminds me of Lina Lemont’s in “Singin’ in the Rain.”

And, of course, I couldn’t miss the chance to see Corbin Bleu tap dance! The choreography in this production was stellar and reminded me of the big dance sequences in “Holiday Inn” and “White Christmas.” The audience started leaping to their feet to give standing ovations mid-show — the one for the “Too Darn Hot” number went on for nearly four minutes.

After the show, I got to meet Kelli O’Hara, Will Chase, Corbin Bleu, and most of the other actors at the Stage Door. Corbin Bleu is shorter than I’d have predicted, as you can see (I'm 5'6").

This was the biggest stage door crowd I’ve seen for any show, but then again, the musical closes after tomorrow afternoon’s performance, so it’s one of the last chances to meet some of Broadway’s biggest names.

Finally, another food shout-out: It was a Halal Guys kind of night. There’s a Halal Guys restaurant on 14th Street by my apartment, but the cash-only cart on 53rd Street is cheaper. And since I was in the area anyway ...

Something fun coming up next week: I booked a Free Tours by Foot “Ghosts of Broadway” tour for Monday evening (I’m back to working days next week). It’s led by a veteran New York City talent agent and full of superstitions and ghost stories about all the various Broadway theaters. I can’t wait!