Archive for the ‘Entertaining New Yorkers’ Category
Thursday, October 14th, 2010
Hubby Mark and I watched 30 Rock Live tonight, and I sure hope the West Coast version was better than the East Coast version. What a train wreck! And I say this as a huge fan of Alec Baldwin (who, like me, hails from the Massapequas) and of Tina Fey.
30 Rock Live — Limerick Review
By Madeleine Begun Kane
Disappointed in 30 Rock Live.
I kept waiting for jokes to arrive.
The cast looked uptight.
(And I’m being polite.)
If the critics applaud it’s just jive.
Tags: 30 Rock Live, Alec Baldwin, Massapequa, NBC, Sitcom Review, Television Review, Tina Fey, TV Humor
Posted in Entertaining New Yorkers, Limericks, Media Humor, Television (TV) Humor | 4 Comments »
Friday, August 20th, 2010
Last night hubby Mark and I had a wonderful theater experience. We saw Secrets of the Trade, starring Noah Robbins, Mark Nelson, Amy Aquino, John Glover, and Bill Brochtrup (whom you may recognize as “Gay John” from NYPD Blue.
The play, written by Jonathan Tolins and directed by Matt Shakman, centers around Andy Lipman. Who’s Andy Lipman? He’s a fictional (and yet somehow familiar) ambitious, Long Island kid who dreams of a career on Broadway and hopes to be helped by Martin Kerner, a theater legend whom he idolizes. I enjoyed it so much, that I felt compelled to review it in verse:
Saw Secrets of the Trade last night.
The play was great to our delight.
With cast so fine and script superb,
I had to pen this glowing blurb.
The playwright Tolins is new to me.
He made us giggle gleefully.
And Noah Robbins — he’s the star.
A mere nineteen and bound to go far.
The rest of the cast is just as strong.
I’d name them, but this poem’s too long.
So get yourself to Off-Broadway,
And see this fun, outstanding play.
Tags: Bill Brochtrup, Jonathan Tolins, Matt Shakman, New York City Verse, Noah Robbins, Off-Broadway, Play Reviews, Secrets Of The Trade, Shows
Posted in Authors & Playwrights, Entertaining New Yorkers, Limericks, New York Limericks & Haiku, Night On The Town, Theater Reviews | Comments Off on Secrets Of The Trade – Off-Broadway Play Review In Verse
Sunday, July 4th, 2010
If you enjoy Shakespeare performed beautifully in a magnificent setting, don’t miss the Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival at the Boscobel Restoration in Garrison, New York.
Troilus and Cressida opened July 3rd, and it was terrific.
We started the evening with a delightful picnic on Boscobel’s Hudson River grounds, then moved into the tent for an inventive performance of the baudy, Trojan tale.
Things got even more unusual in the Second Act, which began with a quirky, yet oddly fitting musical number. After the music, the audience members were welcomed to leave their seats temporarily, walk down to the Hudson River, and view the holiday fireworks display that was about to take place across the river at West Point.
Once the fireworks were over, we returned to our seats and the play continued. What fun!
And that brings me to my latest limerick:
Like Shakespeare performed in a tent?
Then see Troilus — it’s time quite well spent:
At the Boscobel joint—
Straight across from West Point.
Please don’t miss it — you’ll surely repent.
Tags: Boscobel, Fireworks, Hudson River, Hudson Valley, Leisure Time Humor, Literature, Movie & Play Humor, Outdoors, Theater Humor, Troilus And Cressida Review, West Point, William Shakespeare
Posted in Authors & Playwrights, Celebrations Poetry, Entertaining New Yorkers, Holiday Humor, Leisure Time Humor, Limericks, Movie & Play Humor, New York Limericks & Haiku, Night On The Town, Outdoors Humor, Recreation & Fun Humor, Theater Reviews, Travel Humor, Vacation Humor | 3 Comments »
Saturday, June 5th, 2010
My husband Mark and I had a wonderful time celebrating our 32nd wedding anniversary on Friday, June 4th in Manhattan. We saw a Broadway play — Ken Ludwig’s hilarious Lend Me A Tenor, which was directed by Stanley Tucci. (There’s more about the play in my two-verse limerick.) We also dined at Nocello and enjoyed attempting to dance the rumba at the Marriott Marquis’ Broadway Lounge.
And now, my limerick:
The Tenor Of Our Anniversary
By Madeleine Begun Kane
Hubby Mark and I partied last night.
(It’s been thirty-two years of delight.)
Saw a great Broadway play.
What a heavenly way
To celebrate marriage just right!
Shaloub and LaPaglia star.
(Both are Tony’s — you know who they are.)
Justin Bartha stars too.
We kept laughing on cue
At Lend Me A Tenor. Har, har!
Tags: Broadway Comedy, Holiday Poetry, Husband Wife Humor, June Holidays, Justin Bartha, Ken Ludwig, Lend Me A Tenor, New York City Verse, Stanley Tucci, Theater Review, Tony LaPaglia, Tony Shaloub, Wedding Anniversary Limerick
Posted in Celebrations Poetry, Celebrity Humor, Entertaining New Yorkers, Holiday Humor, Leisure Time Humor, Limericks, Marriage Humor, New York Limericks & Haiku, Night On The Town, Personal, Public Figures, Theater Reviews | 4 Comments »
Sunday, February 21st, 2010
I’ve been a Valerie Harper fan dating way back to her years as Mary’s best friend Rhoda in the Mary Tyler Moore Show. And now I’m even a bigger fan, after hubby Mark and I saw her on Broadway this weekend starring as Tallulah Bankhead in Looped.
All I can say is, “Wow!”
Okay, I can say a bit more and have even written Harper a limerick. But first some info: Looped, by Matthew Lombardo, is a very funny comedy about celebrity bad girl Tallulah Bankhead, an out-of-control actress trying to complete her final screen role (Die, Die My Darling).
The play, directed by Rob Ruggiero, takes place in a Los Angeles recording studio and also features Brian Hutchison and Michael Mulheren. These poor fellows are desperately trying to extract one good take from Tallulah, so they can re-record (or “loop”) a single line of dialogue.
Looped is in previews right now at the Lyceum Theatre and opens March 14, 2010.
And now, my limerick:
Limerick Ode To Valerie Harper
By Madeleine Begun Kane
Give Valerie Harper a hand.
She’s in Looped on Broadway and she’s grand.
As Tallulah she’s naughty,
Outrageous, and baudy.
At the end you will cheer as you stand.
Seeing Looped capped off a full and fun day in Manhattan. What else did we do? We walked up Fifth Avenue and wandered around the eclectic Japanese department store, Takashimaya, deciding to save its charming Tea Box restaurant and tea room for another day. Then we moved on to the Central Park Zoo, had drinks at The Oak Bar at the Plaza Hotel, and ate a scrumptious Northern Italian meal at Nocello. (We’d planned to go dancing after the play, but my knee was misbehaving, so we called it an early-for-us night and went home.)
By the way, I highly recommend the Central Park Zoo. People tend to overlook it because it’s so tiny. But it’s very charming, and we especially enjoyed watching one of the polar bears frolic, using a large square of Styrofoam as his floating toy.
The snow leopards, snow monkeys, penguins, and the Rainforest were fun too, as was watching harbor seals being fed and taught tricks.
Tags: Brian Hutchison, Broadway Play, Central Park Zoo, Looped, Lyceum Theatre, Mary Tyler Moore, Matthew Lombardo, Michael Mulheren, Nocello, Oak Bar, Plaza Hotel, Rob Ruggiero, Takashimaya, Tallulah Bankhead, Theater Review, Valerie Harper
Posted in Authors & Playwrights, Entertaining New Yorkers, Entertainment Humor, Leisure Time Humor, Movie & Play Humor, New York Limericks & Haiku, Night On The Town, Public Figures, Restaurant Reviews & Humor, Theater Reviews | 4 Comments »
Sunday, February 14th, 2010
As I’ve mentioned previously, Comix is one of my favorite New York City comedy clubs. And it sure didn’t disappoint Friday night when we saw the hilarious Ted Alexandro and “Friends” Pete Dominick, Joe Derosa, and Morgan Murphy.
Headliner Alexandro, a former elementary school music teacher, was the highlight of the evening. I love his comic sensibility, his pacing and his fearless use of silence. But hubby Mark and I also enjoyed the other comedians, especially Morgan Murphy, who somehow manages to sound both depressed and funny at the same time.
Getting back to Alexandro, in one segment of his routine Alexandro waxes funny about teaching little kids the recorder (presumably the children’s version, known as a flutophone.)
This comedy bit inspired me (an oboe performance major who once taught the oboe) to write a limerick in honor of Alexandro’s transition from music teacher to standup comic:
Limerick Ode To Ted Alexandro
By Madeleine Begun Kane
A funny young fellow named Ted,
Who majored in musical ed,
Taught kiddies recorduh.
An instrument? Sorta.
But now he’s a comic, instead.
UPDATE: Ted Alexandro inspired me to write him another limerick when he joined the Wall Street protests.
Tags: Comedy Limerick, Comix, Elementary School Music, Flutophone, Joe Derosa, Morgan Murphy, Musical Verse, New York City, Oboe Humor, Pete Dominick, Recorder, Ted Alexandro
Posted in Comedy Club Reviews, Entertaining New Yorkers, Entertainment Humor, Limericks, Music Humor & Verse, New York Limericks & Haiku, Night On The Town, Public Figures, Standup Comics | Comments Off on Limerick Ode To Ted Alexandro
Friday, December 25th, 2009
If you’ve ever fantasized about a career in the theater, you owe it to yourself to see playwright Theresa Rebeck’s The Understudy on Broadway. Actually, anybody who needs or wants a good laugh should see it. Hubby Mark and I caught it Wednesday night and loved its uproarious depiction of the theater world’s underbelly.
This Roundabout Theatre production is playing through January 17, 2010 at the Laura Pels Theatre. (It’s a limited engagement because the theater is booked after that date, and rumor has it that its great Broadway cast may be taking it on the road.)
Speaking of the cast, Justin Kirk (of Weeds fame) plays the title role. And while I really like him in Weeds, I had no idea what a wonderful comedic actor he is until I saw him in The Understudy.
Mark and I were already huge fans of co-star Julie White, who plays the stage manager. (We’d seen her in The Little Dog Laughed, for which she won well-deserved Tony and Obie Awards.)
Last, but certainly not least, is co-star Mark-Paul Gosselaar, well known to fans of Raising The Bar, NYPD Blue, and Saved By The Bell.
We’d planned to eat dinner after the show at our favorite Mexican restaurant, Tolache, which I wrote about in my Happy Birthday To Me post. But it was so damn cold out, that the thought of walking even a few measly blocks just wasn’t … well … appetizing. So we decided to give the restaurant next door a try.
Turns out it was a terrific decision. Indian food’s my favorite cuisine and the large and lovely Utsav is Indian food at its finest. Best of all, when you ask for extra spicy, you actually get extra spicy.
Okay, that was last night. But I never got a chance to post about our visit last weekend to the Comix Comedy Club. (New York City has lots of clubs featuring standup comedy, but Comix is quickly becoming a favorite.)
The reason for our latest Comix visit was headliner Kevin Pollak. After decades of seeing his comedy and impersonations on TV shows like The Tonight Show, we were eager to see him live. Wow! He was hilarious, and his impersonations of George W. Bush, Bill Clinton, William Shatner, Robert De Niro, and Christopher Walken were letter perfect.
The two warm-up acts, comedians Steve Patterson and Jon Fisch, were also good, especially Canadian Steve Patterson, whose dry delivery and idiosyncratic point of view were refreshingly funny.
After the show we had drinks at nearby Scarpetta, an Italian restaurant housed in a Greek revival townhouse. Its bar is lively and comfortable, and we would have tried its well-reviewed food, had we not already eaten burgers at Comix. Next time!
(Note to the FTC, which recently passed some annoying blogger regulations: I was neither paid nor comped for these reviews. Trust me, we spent way too much money on both nights.)
Tags: Broadway Play, Comix Comedy Club, FTC Blogger Regs, Indian Cuisine, Jon Fisch, Julie White, Justin Kirk, Kevin Pollak, Laura Pels Theatre, Mark-Paul Gosselaar, New York City Dining, Roundabout Theatre, Scarpetta, Steve Patterson, The Understudy, Theresa Rebeck, Utsav
Posted in Authors & Playwrights, Comedy Club Reviews, Entertaining New Yorkers, Night On The Town, Restaurant Reviews & Humor, Standup Comics, Theater Reviews | Comments Off on Two Nights of Big Apple Fun
Sunday, November 22nd, 2009
A period play about vibrators? It sounds like an unlikely theme for a Broadway play, but playwright Sarah Ruhl pulls it off in her In the Next Room or the vibrator play.
I highly recommend this funny and insightful comedy about hysteria, a “disease of the womb.” And so does New York Times theater critic Charles Isherwood. But Isherwood’s review is missing a limerick:
Vibrant Vibrator Play (Limerick)
By Madeleine Begun Kane
A “Vibrator Play” on Broadway?
Yes, it sounds just a little risqué.
But it’s witty — not crude.
(Though it ain’t for a prude.)
I just loved it, so book it today.
(The details: In the Next Room or the vibrator play is a Lincoln Center Theater production, directed by Les Waters and playing at the Lyceum Theater. It stars Laura Benanti, Michael Cerveris, Maria Dizzia, Thomas Jay Ryan, Chandler Williams, Quincy Tyler Bernstine, and Wendy Rich Stetson.)
Tags: Broadway Comedy, Charles Isherwood, Feminist Humor, Hysteria Disease, Les Waters, Lincoln Center Theater, Sarah Ruhl, Theater Review, Vibrator Play, Vibrators
Posted in Authors & Playwrights, Entertaining New Yorkers, Feminist Satire, Health & Medical Humor, History Humor, Leisure Time Humor, Limericks, Movie & Play Humor, New York Limericks & Haiku, Night On The Town, Social Satire | 1 Comment »
Friday, August 17th, 2007
Yesterday I wrote this post in my other blog: Selling Tickets To Brooke Astor’s Funeral: Scam Or Satire. My post includes a haiku, a limerick and a one-liner about Brooke Astor and the uproar over a Craigslist ad purporting to sell two tickets to Astor’s funeral for $500. My post also tells the saga of how I came to be quoted in this Gannett Journal News article, Ticket sales for Astor funeral branded a hoax.
Tags: Astor Funeral, Gannett Daily, Brooke Astor, Craigslist Ad, Funeral Tickets, News Journal Westchester
Posted in Celebrity Humor, Entertaining New Yorkers | 2 Comments »
Tuesday, May 29th, 2007
Without planning to, I seem to have launched an “Entertaining New Yorkers” series of limericks. (First there was O’Donnell V. The Donald, and next came my limerick about Stride Pianist Judy Carmichael.)
Today’s entertaining New Yorker limerick is a tribute to my good friend Fran Capo, an author, comedienne, motivational speaker, voiceover artist, actress, and adventurer. She’s also a Guinness world record holder — the world’s fastest talking female, clocking in at 603.32 words per minute:
Ode To The Can-Do Comic, Fran Capo (Limerick)
By Madeleine Begun Kane
Comic Capo (I know her as Fran)
Lives her life by the motto: “I can!”
She’s a fast-talking head.
(So the Guinness guys said.)
I’m a friend of hers—also a fan.
UPDATE: Here’s a recent four minute video clip of Fran Capo on CNN International.
Tags: Actresses, Adventurers, Authors & Playwrights, Comediennes, Comic Limericks, Fast Talking, Fran Capo, Guinness World Record Book, Motivational Speakers, New York Comic, Voiceover Artists
Posted in Celebrity Humor, Entertaining New Yorkers, Entertainment Humor, Limericks, New York Limericks & Haiku | Comments Off on Ode To The Can-Do Comic, Fran Capo (Entertaining New Yorkers Series) Updated
Sunday, May 6th, 2007
I live in New York City, so my husband Mark and I often catch great musical acts, plays, art shows, and other entertainment and cultural diversions in the Big Apple.
Why don’t I write about our New York fun? I keep meaning to, but quickly forget to. Blame ADD, a bad memory, or just being a wee bit disorganized.
Anyway, I’ve decided to launch a new posting category — Night On The Town — in which I’ll write more regularly about our Manhattan adventures … in theory, anyway.
And what better way to start, than with the wonderful Judy Carmichael! We caught her stride piano act Friday night at the Knickerbocker Bar and Grill, and she was excellent, as always. Mark and I own every one of her recordings!
For those who don’t know what stride piano is, it’s a musical style that originated in Harlem early in the 20th century. And nobody does it better than Judy Carmichael. In fact I love her playing so much, I’ve written her a limerick:
Ode To Judy Carmichael (Limerick)
By Madeleine Begun Kane
Judy Carmichael’s known for her stride.
She’s a pianist of note far and wide—
A female Fats Waller.
You’ll whoop and you’ll holler
With joy at her musical ride.
Tags: Art Shows, Big Apple, Entertainment, Fats Waller, Jazz Pianist, Judy Carmichael, Knickerbockers Bar and Grill, Musical Acts, New York City, Plays, Stride Piano
Posted in Celebrity Humor, Entertaining New Yorkers, Entertainment Humor, Leisure Time Humor, Limericks, Music Humor & Verse, New York Limericks & Haiku, Night On The Town, Recreation & Fun Humor | 1 Comment »
Tuesday, January 9th, 2007
Have you heard about the Rosie O’Donnell vs. Donald Trump feud? Yeah … like you could possibly avoid it. Those publicity-mongers deserve a limerick, don’t you think?
Rosie O’Donnell vs. The Donald
By Madeleine Begun Kane
Whenever publicity’s needed,
O’Donnell and Trump seem to feed it
By starting a feud
With each other. How rude!
To both I can only say, “Beat it!”
Tags: Celebrities, Celebrity Humor, Donald Trump, Feud, Publicity Humor, Rosie O'Donnell
Posted in Battle of the Sexes, Celebrity Humor, Donald Trump, Entertaining New Yorkers, Entertainment Humor, Limericks, Marketing Humor, Media Humor, Publicity Humor, Rosie O’Donnell | 3 Comments »
