BWW:UK On Broadway

Morning, everybody, and I am waking up in New York City! I'm here for a short break and also to report from this weekend's Tony Awards, and am cramming in as many shows as possible in order to deliberate over what I think should be the next Broadway to West End transfers, because obviously show producers always listen to me when they're making these kinds of decisions.

No matter. After a rush across town from JFK to my hotel (the Hilton New York, on the Avenue of the Americas - very nice, everyone very friendly and efficient also), I ran down to West 45th to the Music Box to see Lend Me A Tenor, directed by Stanley Tucci. To be honest, I knew nothing about it, apart from the fact that we're having a production of it in the UK this summer with Sally-Ann Triplett, so thought it was worth seeing.

The other deciding factor was the appearance of Anthony LaPaglia, who was in Empire Records, one of my favourite films ever, and seeing as I saw his Empire Records co-star Maxwell Caulfield on stage a few weeks ago, I thought I'd add to the tally.

I'd forgotten that Broadway audiences applaud when a celebrity/renowned actor arrives on stage, and it always makes me look around in amazement. Still, a minor cultural difference is neither here nor there, and I'm happy to report everyone seemed to enjoy the show greatly, with a standing ovation at the end. If you like farce and double entendres (it's a play with a very British feel to it because of the kind of humour it involves), this is certainly for you - though the "blacking-up" made me feel incredibly uncomfortable, just as it does in the Carry On films. Cultural differences again, I guess, even though the play was only written 25 years ago, in the midst of "political correctness". Anyway, definitely worth a look, and it has one of the best curtain calls I have ever seen.

Stay tuned for more - and follow me on Twitter, @carriesparkle, to get more regular updates!

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