Bright Lights, Big Stars

Sometimes I forget that celebrities are real people too. It may sound dumb to say that, but when your only exposure to famous people is in magazines or movies, I think it's easy to forget that they actually exist in the real world.

So it's really nice to go to the theatre here and see - really see - famous people headlining some excellent shows.

Earlier this week I was fortunate to see "Good People" at the Samuel J. Friedman Theatre, starring Frances McDormand, Tate Donavan and even the old lady who played Roseanne's mother in "Roseanne" (her name is Estelle Parsons, for those of you playing along at home). The performances were so strong and I thought it was a really impressive show. I was so excited to see Frances McDormand but her character was ultimately so unlikable that I found myself forgetting about her being famous, but remembering about her being a fantastic actor. Naturally I was really sucked in to the show - so much so that when it ended really abruptly, I remember being quite disappointed because I wanted to know what happened next.

Today I managed to snag a discount ticket (four rows from the front no less!) to Ben Stiller's new production of "The House of Blue Leaves" around the corner from Times Square, at The Walter Kerr Theatre. The show is still in previews but I really wanted to see it, not just because of Ben but also because the play boasts a fantastic supporting cast including Edie Falco, Jennifer Jason Leigh and Allison Pill. Again, all the performances were excellent but honestly the story is a bit weird and somewhere along the way the plot gets quite ridiculous. Still, I have to tell you that Edie Falco has deserved every one of her awards; she is so talented and I think she really steals so many of her scenes. And PS, Ben Stiller is TOTALLY cute in real life.

To my mind there is something really great about suspending reality for a couple of hours to sit in the dark and invite amazing actors to tell you a fantastic story. Being able to do all that in the shadow of the fabulous Times Square is just the icing on the cake.