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From New York: A day’s work is never done
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Over the next few days, I will be filing reports from my tour of New York theater, but before I say a word about “The Little Mermaid” (which has its official opening on Thursday), I want to tell you about my day so far.
(See photos from the ‘Little Mermaid’ production.)
4 a.m. I get up and hurry to Hartsfield to catch my 6:45 a.m. flight. Make it on time, but as soon as I turn on my computer, I realize it’s out of gas. On deadline with a story, I take out a legal pad and write the piece out by hand.
9 a.m. Land at LaGuardia, after some turbulence and weather related delays. Get a call that the Broadway producer I’m supposed to meet at 11 a.m. is running behind and would like to meet at noon. Fine. This gives me time to type up the review.
11:45 a.m. File the piece and head to the office of Kevin McCollum, producer of “Rent,” “Avenue Q” and “Drowsy Chaperone.” You will hear more about “Drowsy Chaperone,” which begins at five-day run at the Fox Theatre on Jan. 22, later. Right now, McCollum is excited about his next musical project “In the Heights,” which he says is the first musical to treat the Latino population with the love and respect it deserves. McCollum played me sample songs from the show, which begins previews on Feb. 14. The musical — by Lin-Manuel Miranda with book by Quiara Hudes (“Eliot, A Soldier’s Fugue”) — has strong buzz, and unlike “Xanadu,” “Mermaid” and “Young Frankenstein,” the material is original - not based on a movie.
1 p.m. Interview over. Rush back to my hotel, the Paramount on 46th Street, and change rooms. I’ve decided the “smoking-optional” floor smells too much like a an ash tray for me.
2. p.m. Off to the Hilton Theatre, where a colleague joins me for Mel Brooks’ “Young Frankenstein.” You’ll be reading a lot more about that later. We decided the Brooks’ comedic writing is fool-proof, but the music is lacking.
5 p.m. After “Young Frankenstein,” I head over to Virgil’s Barbecue on 44th Street for what has become a first-day-in-New-York tradition. Onion rings and ribs. Will I have time for a 10-minute nap before the show?
8 p.m. Curtain rises on the “The Little Mermaid.” Hmmm. I wonder if I will like it.
Logon on late Thursday to read my review of “Little Mermaid.” And discover a few notable mentions of New York artists with Atlanta connections.
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