Since the cloud cover that's come up in the last hour is making it look like twilight outside and it's about 80 degrees in the office for some reason, I thought I'd quote some 110 in the Shade lyrics. The NY Times review was unreasonably bitchy (big surprise) about the production's quality (though they were right about the flimsiness of the songs not always meshing with the strong emotions of the story), but I went mostly to see Audra McDonald, who did not disappoint. I was also pleasantly surprised that John Cullum (Holling on Northern Exposure) was in it, and I wouldn't be surprised if it was a few awards for set design. My one big complaint is that Starbuck seemed completely miscast. For one thing, he was a large, muscular guy: maybe it's just because guys of that build are rare in the theater, but Starbuck is usually wiry, if not short, too -- the kind of guy who would need to live off his wits because he wasn't strong enough to survive through physical labor. But that might have been overcome if the costume designer hadn't put him in an outfit (complete with shoulder length hair and goatee) that would have looked right at home at the Country Music Awards, but seemed very off for 1930s Dust Bowl Texas. The chance to see Audra was certainly worth the discounted ticket price I got at work, but it's probably good this is a limited run production because I don't think it would survive without her.

After the show (which concluded with an actual on stage rainstorm, I don't envy the stage crew having to make sure all those wet costumes get properly dry), we came out to find it actually raining. I told Yan we have to stop seeing shows with weather, since there was a snowstorm in Edward Scissorhands -- which we saw the day of the snowstorm in March -- and now this. Perhaps we should stay away from any stage versions of The Wizard of Oz.

Sus was late returning her rental car at the airport, and didn't get to Penn Station until after 12:30 (we never did make it to Loo's), but we had fun anyway. Sunday we hung out in Sunset Park most of the afternoon, and then walked across the Brooklyn Bridge. Monday we went shopping. The weather was great, which was lucky since it doesn't look like it will be that nice this weekend. I hope I make it home before the downpour breaks the subway.