Monday, October 20, 2008

Waking up to a beautiful sunny day was complete satisfaction. Getting ready for the 10am bus, I was excited to see both performances, A Man for All Seasons and Equus. The bus ride into the city seemed a lot longer than usual probably because I didn't sleep the whole way up and there was a bit more traffic.  Finally, the class ended up at the Port Authority and coming out onto 8th Avenue, there was a huge festival with stands everywhere. Anything you wanted or tried to look for was there. Before the shopping began, my classmates and I were starving so we ended up eating at Villa Pizza. To me, it wasn't the greatest thing I have tasted, but I was starving.

 After lunch, Paul and I started to explore 8th Avenue, and we had a ball. I ended up buying a scarf that I got for a really good deal. It was about 1:50pm and the performance of A Man for All Seasons began in ten minutes, so we ran to get to the theatre on time. Going into this play, I wasn't too excited because the plot based in the 16th century wasn't my "cup of tea". With the changing of the set and the incredible acting, Robert Bolt's production was phenomenal. It definitely changed my opinion of the play when it came to a close. Frank Langella put on an irresistible performance at the Roundabout Theatre. 

 After A Man for All Seasons, Paul, Anne and I made our rounds to 8th Avenue looking for an Obama t-shirt because Anne is a supporter, and she can't vote in the up coming election. Unfortunately, we weren't successful.  The streets in Times Square were loaded with people left and right. Doing all of this walking, made all three of us very tired and hungry so we decided to get a bite to eat at Ruby Tuesdays. I think every American has been there but Anne. So she was very excited to go there for the first time.

After grubbing, we headed to see Equus with Daniel Radcliff. When we were on our way to the theatre, these amazing musicians of about nine African-American guys grabbed our attention. They played intense beats with a drum set and instruments ranging from trumpets to trombones. We couldn't keep our eyes off of them. Time was running out, and we needed to get to the theatre.  Being a very big fan of Harry Potter, seeing Daniel Radcliff on a Broadway production was very exciting to me. Observing the stage with four box-like structures and a psychedelic mood was interesting. The play was a hit. Daniel Radcliff's performance was unbelievable. Before entering the theatre, I heard a security officer say, "If you wanted an autograph of Daniel Radcliff than you needed to leave before the performance was done." And that's what I did, followed by some of my classmates. We headed out the doors and there were hundreds of people just waiting to see Daniel Radcliff. We were pushed in the back of the crowd, and I wasn't going to have that. So I made sure my classmates and I got to meet and get Daniel Radcliff's autograph. I headed up the front, pushing my way through, and suddenly the security officer was yelling, "Tickets for tonight's show, come up!" I scrambled for my ticket, gave it to him and I was suddenly in front of everyone. I yelled to Anne, and she brought all the girls to the front. We waited, anxiously. Finally, in the matter of minutes, Daniel Radcliff comes out. He signs a few people's programs including all of ours. It was a dream come true.  After getting his autograph, it was time to hurry and get to the Port Authority to catch the bus. It felt like we were running a marathon. On top of everything, I have a torn ACL so I was aching, but my girls waited for me. Becoming out of breath, we made it to the bus in time. With excitement, we showed everyone the signed autograph and pictures of whom is known as Harry Potter. It was a night to remember.  

Heading my way back home with the class, I couldn't believe I just met a popular icon. This became one of the best experiences of my life. Thank you Dr. Shosh.

Jen Buck   /   2 comments