Review: "How 2 B A New Yorker"

...the one in which we learn how to be disdainful and rude...


Off-Broadway.

I used to think that meant anything that wasn't on the street/road/avenue/concrete slab they call "Broadway" in Manhattan. Makes sense, right?

Wrong.

I have learned that when a show is considered "off-Broadway", it means that the seating capacity is between 100 and 499 people. In doesn't mean where the show is located physically - but is totally based on the number of people they can seat.

For our Friday night entertainment in NYC, we attended a show that was off-Broadway...as I'd heard that these shows can sometimes be more fun than the big Broadway productions. The show was called, "How 2 B A New Yorker."



Their website promises, "You too can experience the privilege, respect and air of superiority enjoyed by millions who call themselves New Yorkers. But it requires training, even if you were born here. Let us show you how to develop the instincts for disdainful glances, peevish muttering and innate rudeness that distinguish true New Yorkers. Under the direction of OBIE Award winner Robert Ross Parker,the hilarious new comedy HOW 2 B A NEW YORKER shows audiences everything they ever needed to know about what it takes to be a real New Yorker, or at least not stand out as a tourist."

Well. After spending all this time in Manhattan, what better show to see? Because by this time, we considered ourselves NYC transplants, and this sounded like a lot of fun.

Tickets were approximately $55.00 per person, but this not included the show, but DINNER, as well - woot woot! How often can you get a show and dinner in New York City for practically $50 bucks??!! And an Italian dinner, no less!

So, we arrived at Sofie's Restaurant, a small little joint in the heart of Times Square, where we were led to the basement. There, we enjoyed a delicious buffet dinner of Italian offerings, in a tiny, intimate setting.

However.

Let me say that first, as someone who does NOT have a gallbladder...eating tomato sauce is not the smartest thing I can be doing. Or things with oil...as in salads, with olive oils or oil-based salad dressing.

Second...the restaurant was very, very dark...to the point that I really couldn't even see what I was putting on my plate, let alone eating. Although the food was good, I wondered...albeit briefly...if I would pay for this later.

And let's just say that, oh yes. I paid. But that's a story to be told in an upcoming installment. Gah.

Anywho, the show soon started...the show consists of an actor and an actress - going through a gazillion costume changes, prop changes, and backdrop changes - as they frenetically and humorously poke at what makes New Yorkers...so...unique. Think Saturday Night Live with a bit of Second City improv thrown in, and you get the gist of this show.

All of the typical stereotypes of New York are poked and explored, including subway adventures:




...the bad feelings between Brooklyn and Manhattan:




...and the ever-present construction workers that blanket the streets of New York:




There were dozens of times during the show that something the actors would say would hit close to home, and Hubby and I'd find ourselves looking at each other and nodding, saying, "Yup. That's SO true! That SO happened to us!!!" And laughing about it, because, really, there is NO other place in the world like New York City, and you can let it frustrate you - or you can laugh about it.

The show is fast-paced...it's witty...and it's hysterically funny, especially for anyone who's spent any amount of time dealing with the idiosyncrasies of New York. It was a fun way to spend the evening, and at the end of the show, we all got a special little button that said it all:



This show was originally scheduled for a short-run only, but because of popular demand, keeps getting extended and extended. I don't know how much longer it will run, but if you get a chance, you must go see for yourself "How 2 B A New Yorker!"