Broadway Show – David Mamet’s Race

I’m making another trip to New York City on January 23rd to see a play on Broadway, David Mamet’s “Race”. http://www.raceonbroadway.com This play is currently running at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre.

I plan to take several “daycations”to New York City next year until I have seen all the landmarks and done all the typical tourist activities. It is cheaper to travel to New York City than to any of the other cities I want to visit. It is a four hour drive to New York City from central PA so most of the day is taken up with travel. Although bus trips to New York City are popular with local residents, I don’t think many New Yorkers venture this far west when they want to travel.

I’ve bought all the guide books to New York City and I even created a custom help file for my notes. Yes, I’m putting a lot of effort into studying the city. It is surprising how muddled my knowledge of the Big Apple was considering how much I’ve heard about it over the years. I always get the Bronx and Brooklyn confused. I’ve never been real clear on the location of Staten Island, Long Island, and Coney Island either.

But I’m quite familiar with the work of playwright David Mamet. I have read six of his plays; The Duck Variations, Oleanna, Glengarry Glen Ross, Jolly, and American Buffalo. This production features the movie actors; James Spader, David Alan Grier, and Richard Thomas. I may even see a few celebrities in the audience. Although I’ve seen over a hundred local productions, I’ve never seen a play on Broadway so this will be a big thrill for me!

I have also been reading novels set in New York City and watching movies that were filmed there. There are hundreds of films set in New York City. Ghostbusters, Spiderman, Cloverfield, Godzilla, and many other movies have created a powerful mythos for this particular city. When Europeans dream of visiting the United States, they dream about New York City. Right now I’m reading the novel “Unlubricated“ by Arthur Nersesian. This New York author has written many novels about urban life in New York City.

“Unlubricated” is a novel about producing an Off-Off-Broadway play so it provides a glimpse of the performing arts community that exists in New York City. Although you hear a lot about neighborhoods in NYC that are populated by artists living in lofts, it is difficult to find any first hand accounts of the bohemian life in Greenwich Village or the Lower East Side. Arthur Nersesian seems to be famous for writing about this world.

If you are interested in learning more about Off-Broadway Theater, then I recommend the book, “Year Of The Pearl: The Life of a New York Repertory Company“ by David Hapgood. I read this book a long time ago back when I was more interested in theater. The Pearl Theatre Company used to be located in the East Village but now it is forced to move uptown. I did some research on this theater and added it to my notes. Visiting the theaters I’ve only read about may awaken my interest in theater but only as a new pastime.