Manhattan Digest

Broadway Barks: A “Fluff” Piece

Tourists, residents, and Broadway aficionados all had reason to “paws” in the center of the theater district this past Saturday as celebrities and shelter animals took to Shubert alley for an event which left every spectator “feline” fine.

For the past 16 years, screen and stage star Bernadette Peters has spearheaded Broadway Barks , an event which raises awareness for shelter animals and encourages their adoption. Peters co-founded the organization with her long time friend and fellow celeb Mary Tyler Moore and was cheerfully present on Saturday afternoon, July 12th. She spoke briefly to Manhattan Digest, “It’s very important for everyone in the world to give attention where it is needed, and if something sparks your interest that needs help, I think you should try to do something about it.” Peters is the proud owner of a dog, Charlie, who apparently yodles at home with the songstress.While the rest of us beg, borrow, and steal to see this stage legend in concert, Charlie gets serenaded by Sondheim simply for showing up to food bowl- Lucky dog! Peters authored two children’s books based on her love for man’s best friend (“Broadway Barks” and “Stella is a Star”) and will release a third in Spring 2015.

Dogs weren’t the only four legged creatures hopeful to find a home. Bebe Neuwirth (Chicago) and James

Bebe Neuwirth. Photo courtesy of Ryan Leeds

Franco (Of Mice and Men) flaunted a “purr-fectly” adorable kitty, eager to live the rest of its lives (plural) in New York domesticity. Aladdin’s genie and recent Tony award winner James Monroe Iglehart was also on hand to aid in the cause. “This is my first year,” he told Manhattan Digest. “I’m a rookie, but I’m proud to be involved. I used to work at Memphis, which was here at the Shubert Theater, and I used to see the event happen. I thought it was so cool that they were doing it, so when they asked me to be a part of it, I jumped at the chance.” Iglehart is the proud owner of two finicky cats, Zoe and Missy. “They don’t even go outside when it’s cold. They just look and decide that they’ll stay inside to watch all the birds flying by.” Others, like Ciare Renee (Pippin) were there to show support , but were not pet owners themselves. “I don’t have any pets” she said. “I just pretend that Barnum (pictured below) is my dog.” When asked if she was taking any home with her, she said , “I wish! But I think my roomate would be mad!”

L-R Kyle Dean Massey, Ciara Renee, and Rachel Bay Jones with Barnum. Photo courtesy of Ryan Leeds

Zach Braff (Bullets Over Broadway), Jessie Mueller (Beautiful) , Justin Guarini and Mary Testa (Wicked) , Norm Lewis and Sierra Boggess (Phantom of the Opera), Audra McDonald (Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar and Grill) and many others offered their time and talents to the cause by performing at the notorious venue, located between 44th and 45th streets. While the summer sun poured onto the city streets, few found little to “growl” about as New York City shelters and adoption agencies found happy homes for many eternally grateful animals- and that’s no shih tzu! For now, this journalist must sign off. With all of these obviously tacky puns, this story has gone to the dogs. Groan!

Jessie Mueller. Photo courtesy of Ryan Leeds

Norm Lewis and Sierra Boggess. Phpto courtesy of Ryan Leeds

James Monroe Iglehart. Photo courtesy of Ryan Leeds

The Strain Is A Virus Stuck In A Useless Host

by Michael Tyminski

The Strain: Sundays at 10 Eastern on FX

Over the last couple of years, we’ve seen a ton of fantasy and horror on the airwaves – NBC has found a Friday night niche running out shows like Dracula, Hannibal, and Grimm. AMC scored a huge hit with The Walking Dead (which will be it’s last major tentpole standing after Mad Men leaves the air next year). HBO has found strong success off of shows like Game of Thrones and True Blood. Even Showtime has entered the fantasy game with Penny Dreadful. Now FX, which has made it’s name in drama off of gritty realistic dramas like The Shield, The Americans, Sons of Anarchy and Justified is getting into the supernatural game with The Strain.

The Strain, the brainchild of film director Guillermo Del Toro, follows the CDC Canary Team, a unit designated to handle to some of the world’s worst viral outbreaks. This time around, however, the outbreak is a virus that afflicts it’s hosts with an ancient strain of vampirism. As a result, Canary Team member Ephraim Goodweather (Corey Stoll) assembles a rag-tag army of New Yorkers to fight the vampires in a war that will determine the fate of humanity.

Let’s start with the positives: when The Strain wants to scare the pants off of you, it’s going to scare the pants off of you. This is particularly notable in the slower early portions of the pilot, where the episode lulls you into a false sense of security before using it’s jump scares judiciously. The show also manages to give off a couple of solid gore scares along the way for good measure, as you expect from a show that gives you large numbers of dead and undead bodies floating around at all times.

Unfortunately, those crystallized horror moments are lost in a bloated pilot. As is typical for FX, The Strain‘s premiere clocks in at around 100 minutes. Unfortunately, the pilot squanders most of it’s first half setting up awkward romance and divorce plots for Goodweather that feel tacked onto the show’s ultimate premise of good vs. evil. What makes these bloated moments particularly damning though, is that these moments don’t actually make me care about Goodweather (or any of the protagonists for that matter).

The flatness of the writing unfortunately extends out to much of the show, including the acting. It often seems like the actors are sleepwalking through their lines, even though the only characters with lines so far are the living ones. Similarly, while many horror movies tend to have their fun little moments (often when an undesirable character gets theirs), The Strain exists on being drab everywhere – even plucky moments where Goodweather and assistant Nora Martinez (Mia Maestro) are exchanging what one would assume would be banter are completely devoid of punchiness.

The Final Verdict: There’s a good show waiting in The Strain if it just cut out all the fat and focused on the primary plotline. Unfortunately, with the amount of filler in the show, it’s going to take a lot more than diet and exercise to slim down what felt like a grossly bloated pilot. I’d skip this one or wait until the season’s closer to over before looking at it– Sundays at 10 are prime real estate for dramas and this one has to be the weakest new offering in that time slot.

Theater Review: “The Religion Thing”

by Ryan Leeds

Rumspringa-the time frame when typically conservative Amish teens are permitted to taste all the debauchery the world can offer- is a punchline used by stand-up comedian Glick (Curran Conner) at the start of Renee Calarco’s The Religion Thing. After taunting and teasing the audience with the running joke, Glick adopts a more serious tone and observes how, despite their opportunity to permanently rebel , most Amish adolescents return to the fold. In the 90 minutes that follow, we are fortunate enough to witness a similar faith journey of all four characters in this extremely funny and contemplative dramatic comedy.

Mo (Katherine McLeod) and Brian (Jamie Geiger) are a seemingly succesful couple. She’s Catholic. He’s Jewish. Neither adhere closely to their own religions until Mo’s best friend Patti (Danielle O’Farrell) ,whom she has not seen in quite some time stops by the house with her new husband, Jeff (Andrew W. Smith) . Mo and Brian giggle at the fact that the two newlyweds met at their evangelical christian mega church. Once a “party girl”, Patti has now shunned her devilish ways and has decided to quit her career as a lawyer, all in pursuit of being the wife and mother she’s destined herself to be. Patti’s drastic life choice doesn’t bode well with Mo–primarily due to her unique of partnership with Jeff. More could be written on this, but why ruin the plot?

As the two-act play unfolds, we gain depth and insight into Calarco’s characters as they struggle to find peace and resolution in their own individuals faiths. Two scenes-one in which Jeff’s explains his path to eternal salvation- the other, Brian’s imagined dream visit from a Rabbi are endearing, charming, and redemptive.

While it floats like a breezy sitcom, The Religion Thing simultaneously cuts deeper to the core of spirituality with truths that must be explored by each couple. Director Douglas Hall has assembled an excellent cast that handles the material with a fine balance of thoughtfulness and hilarity. The dialogue is crisp, honest, and most importantly, respectful towards the impact that religion (or lack thereof) has on each of our adult lives. Its’ intention is not to sway us towards a particular dogma, but through its‘ clever writing, will grant us the opportunity to question the value we place on our spiritual doctrines.

The Religion Thing, presented by Project Y Theater. Now playing through August 1st, 2014 at the cell (338 W. 23rd Street between 8th and 9th ave.). For tickets and more information visit www.projectytheatre.org

Manhattan Solstice- Capturing Manhattanhenge

by Mark Giarrusso

The Manhattan Solstice, or Manhattanhenge, occurs when the sunsets directly on the streets of the New York traffic grid. It happens twice a year, in late May and mid July.
Today’s Manhattan solstice was no exception. The sun playing along the NYC streets tantalized photographers who congregated at each intersection to capture the sun as it melted into the horizon in perfect view.

Manhattanhenge 3 — Manhattan Solstice, NYC, Photo by Mark Giarrusso

Manhattanhenge 2 — Manhattan Solstice, NYC, Photo by Mark Giarrusso

Manhattanhenge 4 — Manhattan Solstice, NYC, Photo by Mark Giarrusso

Trends from This Years Emmy Nominations

by Michael Tyminski

Source: Emmys.com

Earlier this morning, Emmy Nominations were announced, and as typical there are some insights and trends that can be gleaned from the International Television Academy’s nominations for this year’s award show, being held on August 25th a Monday for the first time ever.

The Academy finally watched a big four comedy that wasn’t Modern Family: It’s been a rough few years for the big four networks in terms of nominations at the Emmys. However, the one consistent beacon of hope for the big four has been ABC’s Modern Family. It’s taken four straight best comedy awards and held half of the best supporting actor field last year. More often than not, it, The Big Bang Theory, and the token Amy Poehler best actress nomination are all the networks have seen on the comedy side of the ledger.This year, however, it seems like the networks have picked up a smidge of ground on the comedy side. In addition to the above, shows as diverse as Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Mike and Molly, and even Mom managed to score nominations from the academy.

Conversely, the only network dramas that even remotely register are The Good Wife and Scandal: Another year, and on the drama side, it feels like another set of the same nominations (except for Homeland disappearing from the ledger). The nominations are the same stew of Breaking Bad, Downton Abbey, Game of Thrones, Mad Men, and House of Cards. The networks continue to generally be locked out outside of the acting categories, and even then the nominees only come from Scandal and The Good Wife (the latter of which typically needs nominations like this to stay on the air).

Netflix held it’s gains from last year: Last year, the big story was Netflix’s breakthrough, as the web streaming service scored nominations for season four of Arrested Development and House of Cards. This year, we once again see the voters loving House of Cards, with the show picking up multiple nominations. While there was no new Arrested Development this year, the voters found room in their hearts for Orange is the New Black and even Derek scored a nomination for best actor in a comedy (Ricky Gervais).

The Academy needs to figure out what to do with anthology and limited series: The academy showed remarkable inconsistency with how it placed it’s anthology dramas in this years awards nominations. The most egregious example? American Horror Story, which while different stories is in it’s third season was placed in the outstanding miniseries category, while True Detective, which is slated to operate the exact same way is placed in the best drama category. With limited series (shows designed to be one season and done or one season and a total revamp) on the rise, it’s essential that shows like American Horror Story, True Detective, and Fargo are all being considered in the same category.

It’s the usual suspects for variety and reality: If you follow the Emmy nomination process, all of the variety program nominations should come as no surprise (I believe Jimmy Kimmel Live, The Daily Show, The Colbert Report, Real Time w/Bill Maher, and Saturday Night Live were all nominated last year). This is a similar case in the reality category where smart money usually calls on The Amazing Race to win until the TV academy thinks of something new to automatically check off in this box.

The 66^th Annual Prime Time Emmy Awards are Monday August 25^th (in order to avoid a conflict with NBC’s football contract AND the considerably less prestigious MTV Movie Awards) at 8 Eastern on NBC. Keep checking Manhattan Digest for more news and coverage of this event.

4 World Trade Center Photos

by Mark Giarrusso

12 and a half years after the tragic day of September 11th, 2001 the new World Trade Center has risen in the Financial District in New York City. These photos were taken this spring from 4 World Trade before the building was entirely open to the public. Does it replace what was lost? No. Can it’s mere presence erase that horrible day from history? It can and will not. But that is not its function. Nor should it be. With views that sweep across New Jersey, New York Harbor, the Freedom Tower, and uptown with the Empire State Building dead center on the horizon, it simply reminds us that We Will Rise.

Photographers note: All of the below photos were taken with an iPhone as I was unable to bring my camera into the building.

World Trade 7 — 4 World Trade, NYC, 2014 Photo by Mark Giarrusso

World Trade 6 — 4 World Trade, NYC, 2014 Photo by Mark Giarrusso

World Trade 1 — 4 World Trade, NYC, 2014 Photo by Mark Giarrusso

World Trade 2 — 4 World Trade, NYC, 2014 Photo by Mark Giarrusso

World Trade 5 — 4 World Trade, NYC, 2014 Photo by Mark Giarrusso

World Trade 4 — 4 World Trade, NYC, 2014 Photo by Mark Giarrusso

World Trade 3 — 4 World Trade, NYC, 2014 Photo by Mark Giarrusso

The Generation of Change

by Alex David Jimenez

Roughly six years ago, when my now fiancé and I had just moved in together, the United States Presidential election of 2008 made history. Just under a year earlier, when we began dating, I recall him saying that he didn’t believe that Barack Obama stood a chance of winning the election. He told me, though he hoped otherwise, that he didn’t believe that we would see a black U.S. president in our lifetime.

Ten months later it came to pass.

In the same respect, another remark my partner made, amid our many deep conversations during candlelight dinners and Sunday mornings-in, was that he didn’t wholly believe that we would see an America with full recognition and legal marriage equality among gay and lesbian couples. I argued otherwise. At that point of exchange, one state legally allowed and acknowledged same-sex couple’s right to marry. DOMA was however still constitutional – the federal government could legally overlook many of those rights.

Same Sex Marriage 2014 — via nbcnews.com

Today, six years later, nineteen states legally allow and acknowledge same-sex couple’s right to marry, and DOMA has been eradicated.

Same-sex marriage is easily one of the most controversial and bare-knuckled fights any group of any respective community has ever fought. In our lifetime, and stretching back into the history of American rights, the gay marriage campaign is quickly becoming as divisive and as landmark as those of the abolition of slavery and women’s rights. While many did concur with my partner in his vision of a limited America within the span of our lives, and while many still do believe as such, it can be said that the shift in favor of a tolerant America is certainly in occurrence – right before our very eyes.

Why?

Just over ten years ago there were no U.S. states that recognized marriage as anything but between a man and a woman. In the span of only one decade, that number has gone from zero to 19. In each state where gay marriage is still illegal, there are lawsuits pending to challenge the fundamental ethics of the bans enacted. In these past ten years, something has changed. Something came about in the broad scope of politics and the voice of the people. There are certainly many factors at play, and ultimately there is an avalanche of causes leading to the change in overall American attitude. Yet what I believe is simpler: one event largely began to create transformation. Just beyond the past decade, the millennials began to vote. The millennials began to join the workforce. And the millenials were far more unafraid to come out as openly gay and lesbian than those generations before them.

The statistics are simple and speak for themselves. Since about 2004 there has been a rapid shift in the public opinion across America. The popular opinion that gay marriage should be illegal in America has sharply dropped in the last ten years from 55% down to below 36%, and falling. Contrastingly, the opinion that it should be legal has risen from 41% in 2004 to over 58% today. And climbing.

Where is this opinion coming from? Well, according to statistics, the majority of the rise is attributed to America’s youth. The millennials contribute a staggering 81% in favor of the legality of gay marriage, as opposed to the 44% of those who are in favor over the age 65.

Do politics play a part? Certainly. As does religion of course. And yet regardless of conservatism and strict dogmatic ties, the youth is still bringing forth the turn of the tide. The generations over the years have been very clearly changing in their position and stance on the idea that all couples should be granted the fundamental and constitutional right to marry in this, a free country of tolerance and diversity.

via the Public Religion Research Institute

Many have no faith in the millennial generation. They believe that integrity and responsibility is veritably non-existent in the course of their futures. Yet it cannot be argued that they are certainly the generation of change, be it for the better or the worse. In the capacity of this particular argument, for those who have gay family and gay friends; for those who have been too afraid to come out of the closet in the past and have done so recently because of the upswing of acceptance nationwide; for those people, it is certainly for the better.

I for one believe that my country, the United States, will legalize and recognize gay marriages in each of its 50 states in my lifetime.

Colby Keller Does America, Canada & Maybe You… Ay

by Ryan Shea

I find a lot to be intriguing about one Colby Keller. For one, look at him (drool). Two, look at his beard (Ryan wants a ride). Three, his persona, wit and smarts are just downright fucking awesome. Colby has had an amazing five years with his uber successful blog Big Shoe Diaries which details everything from “I See Penis” pics to sex advice from one mister Colby Keller himself. So when I heard about his super awesome Indiegogo campaign that he was running in order to take his “Big Shoe Diaries” on the road, I had to interview him about it.

Colby has legit given everything away that he has and is taking his “act” on the road, where he is going across America in a van with a mattress and having sex with a guy in each state. Canada is somehow included in this (I feel bad that they are always left out, especially with a country that has wonders like Rob Ford & 1 Girl 5 Gays). He plans on documenting this and sharing it with his millions of fans across the world. According to the Indiegogo page, what he needs is pretty simple-

A van. Used but in good condition for some heavy mileage.

A mattress for the back of the van to serve as my bed and indoor studio.

A fancy camera, so you can see all the gritty details as clearly as possible.

Gas, food, mobile bandwidth so I can stay fueled and keep the transmissions cumming (oops, I meant coming!!!).

A hotel room in each state so I can take a shower and vary the up the filming locales.

All good things I would need if I was in his shoes. With having raised close to $32,000 and having a mere $3,000 left for this, I wanted to come in and interview him for Manhattan Digest for many reasons. For my viewers to get to know him and this campaign more. For them to hopefully click on the Indiegogo link and pledge at least $10 or more for this awesome campaign. And of course, for Colby to see what an AWESOME article this is going to turn out and then to make super hot love to me. A girl can dream. Below, Colby discusses not only this campaign but also how he has remained relevant in an industry that has a high amount of burnout, his art and what is ultimate hopes are. Take a look.

Hi Colby! So this indiegogo campaign you have is quite unique. Tell my readers about it.

I’m raising money to buy a van, a mattress and some camera equipment to film videos across the country.

What inspired you to do something like this?

After deciding to leave Baltimore and get rid of my worldly possessions, I thought it would be the perfect time to travel the US and Canada, meet artists and make porn.

You are known by thousands of your fans as a “Porn Star With A Brain”. How do you think you got to establish such a reputation?

I’m quite certain that all porn stars have brains. We just use them differently and because of social media, some of us have had the opportunity to share even more of our interests outside of the jizz biz with curious fans. You could just as easily say that social media has allowed the “Porn Fan With A Brain” to engage more creatively with some of the more socially engaged adult models.

Manhattan Digest, Colby Keller, Ryan Shea, Big Shoe Diaries — Credit to: Big Shoe Diaries

So sex with men in all 50 states. Hmmmm. From your porn scenes you have had the likes of twinks, cubs, men of color and daddies just to name a few. Will you keep it that diverse in each state? (including a cub from Long Island? Hehe).

My hope is to provide as much diversity as possible. Not only do I think we need greater diversity in the types of people having sex from race to ability, but also in terms of locations. So much of what I see in porn only happens in high end lofts/hotels and clean suburban homes or by contrast, raunchy sex clubs and gay bar bathrooms.

While I’m not opposed to those places as setting, I’d love to commune more with nature and film outside when possible and I’d like to film more in a variety of settings that don’t seem to be so directly class conscious, or at least with a greater diversity of class represented. I’m not sure what this will look like but I’m thinking about it. For example, I love watching good amateur porn in middle class homes where you notice details that are ordinarily scrubbed from the narrative of porn by conforming to a high class or low class narrative, mismatched bed sheets, family photos or original art on the walls in the background, etc. What I mean is that I want diversity in all the elements of storytelling, not just character.

I’ve seen a lot of your art on your Big Shoe Diaries page, can you tell me about your latest one called Pieces of 8?

I had a relationship end that I needed to make sense of. I invited everyone I knew to respond to a series of eight images that were important to the person I was with. I also made art in response and ultimately got ride of that work as part of the process of healing and moving on.

Overall how would you describe your art?

I was trained as a painter and have dabble in sculpture but my identity as Colby Keller has also added elements of conceptual art, performance art and video work to my practice. I’m incredibly shy, so this has been a surprise to me, but it’s the only way I have figured out how to reconcile being an artist and a porn performer.

With this campaign, besides the awesome sex what are you hoping to achieve?

I want to meet people, artists, both established and aspiring, musicians and sound artists, amateur pornographers and videographers, photographers and all types of curious people. I want to see how people live and fuck. I’m hoping there will be a lot of collaboration and that at the end of my trip there will an array of diverse new work for people to enjoy and feel proud of, that they contributed to something fun and sexy and stimulating.

How do you think you have achieved such longevity in the industry as you have been in it for 10 plus years?

Two things: I’ve been fortunate to have worked with a lot of wonderful people that have been invested in helping me to succeed. I try to be as professional as possible and I work hard both on and off the set and I think that has helped me to develop strong relationships where people want to work with me again.

Secondly, and this is open for debate with my fans I’m sure, but I’m not as conventionally attractive as someone might expect for a porn performer. While I’m certainly blessed with a great deal of body/size privilege, I think my boy next door looks (as opposed to sizzling super model looks I see on set all the time), helped me to realize I have to work hard and not rely on my looks alone. I think RuPaul, or maybe it’s Michelle Visage, says “stop relying on that body” at lot when providing critical feedback to their contestants. It’s criticism I think all of us in the porn industry should take to heart as well. Sex and fantasy involve the body and the mind and porn performers and porn producers would do well to remember that more often.

Anything else Colby related you want to chat about on here?

Thanks for the opportunity. I’m super excited to see #ColbyDoesAmerica doing so well in the funding campaign, but we’re not there yet, so head on over to https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/big-shoe-adventure-1-colby-does-america-and-canada-too/x/7939516 and see if there’s a perk that appeals to you for the project!

Places To Stay in New York City- Casablanca Hotel

by Ryan Shea

One of the main reasons why tourists and people come to New York City has to be the inevitable location of Times Square. Known for its glitz and glamour for historic locations such as FAO Schwartz & Radio City Music Hall to its seemingly gritty aspect that still remains over the course of its existence, it is one place that people love to check out, take photos in, and enjoy the day or two seeing the sights. As someone who works semi in this district, I find myself surrounded by a bevy of different hotels, both boutique and chain, offering many types of amenities for your upcoming stay. So which one should you choose when you are visiting New York City? I recommend the Casablanca Hotel, located right in the heart of Times Square on 43rd between 6th and 7th Avenue. As part of the fabulous Library Hotel Collection, this of the four boasts the most frequented of the four areas where the others are located and has a clever and unique aspect that drive the others to be some of the most successful hotels in New York City.

Casablanca Hotel, Manhattan Digest — Credit to: Casablanca Hotel

Just for our readers, here is a bit of history about the Casablanca Hotel. The hotel is of course inspired by the 1940’s Academy Award winning movie “Casablanca” starring screen legends Humphrey Bogart & Ingrid Berman. An oasis of luminous Moroccan glamour and hospitality, The Casablanca Times Square is only outshined by its talented and eager to please staff. I recently stayed for a night at Casablanca, and was truly impressed by the look and feel of the hotel, from its beautiful and vibrant colors, and what struck me the most was the true inspiration that this hotel gets from the movie of the same name. As someone who is big into hospitality, the staff couldn’t have been anymore gracious or helpful in my short stay there, from the check in to check out I felt like a valued customer who would come back at a moments notice.

The great thing about the Casablanca Hotel is that just like the other hotels in the Library Hotel Collection, they offer several great amenities that make it worth the stay for sure. Take a look at these fabulous offers-

A lavish continental breakfast including hot oatmeal, boiled eggs, bagels and cream cheese, fresh whole fruit and fruit salad with berries, assorted cereals, yogurt, pastries, muffins, juices, freshly brewed coffee, tea, espresso and cappuccino served daily in Rick’s Cafe;
The New York Times, the Daily News and the New York Post are also available each morning.
Cookies, fresh fruit, coffees and teas throughout the day.
Prosecco, fine wines, imported and domestic cheeses, and hors d’oeuvres each evening from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m.
Wireless High Speed Internet access throughout the hotel, with a computer for guest use in the Rick’s Cafe.
Daily passes to the nearby New York Sports Club, which features a full range of cardio and strength-training equipment; aerobic, cycling and body-sculpting classes; and sauna.

They also have some great offers outside of the fantastic ones listed above to enhance your stay while you are in New York City. Here are a couple of really awesome ones-

The American Museum of Natural History Package-

Skip the line with 2 VIP passes for the American Museum of Natural History including special exhibitions, the planetarium and IMAX, along with great savings on your prepaid accommodations.

Top Of The Rock Package-

Enhance your stay with a trip to the Top of the Rock and enjoy a bird’s eye view of NYC! Stay 3 nights or more in 2014 and receive up to 20% off our standard rates, plus 2 tickets to the Top of the Rock observation deck. Enjoy the breathtaking views of New York City from the 69th floor of this iconic New York City venue.

So the next time you are visiting New York City or have a friend or family member that is doing so, why not recommend The Casablanca Hotel? It will sure be an experience they won’t forget. To learn more about these special offers as well as rates and much more check out their official website.

Theater Review: “Deathtrap”

by Ryan Leeds

90 minutes from New York City, along the banks of the calm Delaware River, an intricate plan of murder is unfolding. The plan involves seasoned playwright and professor Sidney Bruhl (Saxon Palmer), his inspired protegé, Clifford Anderson (Raviv Ullman), Bruhl’s anxiety ridden wife, Myra (Angela Pierce), famous Dutch psychic Helga ten Dorp (Marsha Mason), and gold digging lawyer Porter Milgrim (David Wohl).

Deathtrap, the classic play from Ira Levin, is currently receiving a mostly fine treament-with a few minor missteps -in the Bucks County Playhouse production of this long running Broadway show. The original splattered onto the New York stage in 1978, and continued to delicately strike a balance between terror and amusement for 4 years. For theater geeks who care, Marian Seldes played Myra, and she performed in every single one of the 1,809 performances during the run.It earned her a mention in the Guinness Book of World Records. At this quaint theater in Pennsylvania, Pierce will only have to play opposite her mediocre counter-part, Palmer, a few more times before the show ends its’ run through July 13th.

Pierce adds the perfect amount of paranoia and fear to Myra, while Palmer’s interpretation of Sydney seems disengaged and distant; a stark contrast to what should be charming, yet diabolical. Ullman brings a boyish charm with underpinnings of the devil himself , and Mason provides a welcome breath of humor in this otherwise intense tale of jealously and greed.

To elaborate much on the plot would be to divulge the surprises, and there are plenty of twists and turns to hold playgoers in suspense. Evan Cabnet’s direction and staging could benefit from sharpening, as some of the moments intended to shock merely cause a mild reaction of curiosity. Still, it is easy to understand what made this show one of the biggest hits on Broadway and when the body count is done, it is fair to observe that Bucks County Playhouse is bringing justice to this gem of a thriller.

Deathtrap is now playing through July 13th at the Bucks County Playhouse in New Hope, PA. Several nearby shops and dining options make it an excellent day trip getaway from NYC. For tickets and information, visit http://bcptheater.org.

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