Spamalot on Broadway

I was in New York city last week and had a good time, although my hotel room was so small, it was quite literally like sleeping in an IKEA display. When I sat down in the bathroom/closet, my knees would hit the wall--and I'm short! But I walked all over the place and got to see Spamalot. It cost a fortune but I figured since I was there alone I might as well splurge--and it was so worth it. The show is hilarious. David Hyde Pierce (from Frasier) is great, in a role that seems pretty quiet until an amazing song-and-dance number in the second act that shows everything he can do. And he was so funny--could make you laugh with just a facial expression or reaction. But my favorite part hands down was this singer with amazing pipes, Sara Ramirez. She skewers just about every pop, R&B and Broadway singing convention there is. Sometimes, as a singer, it's almost uncomfortable; I sat there at times going, "Do I do that?" But she also has the most beautiful voice I've heard live, with control that left me almost jealous. I never have this reaction, but I found myself wanting to accost her at the stage door and find out what her routine or regimen was as a singer--does she do an hour of warmups every day? Who were her teachers? I guess if there are two things I'd like to be able to do vocally that I still can't, it's a gospel-style high belt/wail, and some of the more challenging gospel or jazz melismas and runs. The song "Find Your Grail" is so funny, and she makes fun of some of that style of Whitney Houstonesque singing. Really, she's not making fun of the style, I guess, but more of the over-emoting that can happen in such music.

On my last day I went over to Lincoln Center, under the mistaken impression that I was going to see Winton Marsalis's new Jazz at Lincoln Center site that I'd read about some time ago. Turns out that's actually on a floor in the Time Warner building a few blocks away. Instead I went to the Public Library for the Performing Arts, which is right next to Julliard. I tried to find a French song I want to do, but the librarian couldn't help--it may not have ever been published as sheet music. But I did copy two other songs out of a fake book. Then I walked through Central Park for a few hours and then went to Carnegie Hall and did the tour. Unfortunately I had to leave early to catch my miserable 7-hour flight back home, so I missed going on to the stage. But it was so fun to walk in there and think, "Someday I'm going to play here."