The Great White Way and 45th Street

My first reaction when I saw news reports showing the green Nissan and the bomb squad was "Whoa, I was just on that corner last week".  In fact, I think I remember the vendor because I had been impressed by his Disabled Vet sign (since my uncle was a disabled WWII vet).  Last Wednesday I went to a performance of Red on 45th Street and two weeks ago I went to a performance of Next To Normal also on 45th.  On the day I went to Red I waited for a long line of school children who were happily heading into The Lion King, exiting a school bus at the exact location that the car I had been parked.  I recount all these memories not just to illustrate the proximity of terrorism to any of us, but also because I've been thinking about Broadway plays and the Great White Way lately.

I'm sure it was a coincidence, but in Sunday's New York Times there was an fascinating article about the competition for theatre space on Broadway and the popularity of 45th and 44th streets because of the high foot traffic there.  Anyone who has been in Times Square recently, on any day of the week, is aware of the incredible crowds.  But in the hour before showtimes, the sidewalks are packed with theatregoers who frequently have to wait until the theatre opens up, often not until 30 minutes or less before showtime.  So when there are  five theatres on one side of the block between 7th and 8th (and four across the street) there are a lot of people standing around. 

On a happier note, I'm going to celebrate the 2010 Tony nominees, especially since I've been fortunate enough to see several of these shows and performers this year.  I've seen two of the four Best Play nominations (Red and Time Stands Still), one of the four Best Revival nominations (A View From the Bridge), two leading actors in a Play (Liev Schreiber in A View and Alfred Molina in Red)  Laura Linney as leading actress in a Play (in Time Stands Still), featured actor in a play (Eddie Redmayne in Red), two featured actresses in a play (Scarlett Johannson and Jessica Hecht in A View From the Bridge).  OK, this may bore you but it makes me happy with how I spent my theatre dollars and I'll be a lot more interested in this year's Tony Awards.