Two Nights at the fantastiC citizenM

                          

                                   An avant garde wall in the lobby of the citizen M
                                (at center an urban reimagining of "The Last Supper")

It was chance that led us to the citizenM Hotel on our trip to NYC last week. Geri VanAlstine, our terrific agent at AAA, did a search for reasonably priced places to stay in the Time Square area and came upon the citizenM. The citizenM where we booked our room is on 51 St. about 50 yards from Broadway. I know the name is odd. It sounds like the title of a dystopian novel or an old Peter Lorre movie. In fact, it is part of an international chain of “boutique” hotels.

Let me explain the philosophy of the citizenM. Simply, the citizenM folk believe that a hotel should be like your home. At home, you don’t spend a lot of time in your bedroom but rather in your living room or den. For this reason, the citizenM rooms are rather spartan, but their lobby is a joy to visit. The lobby is filled with comfortable furniture, desks for study, a refrigerator along one wall with snacks and cold drinks, an eating area, and a small, but well-stocked bar. The towering walls are covered with interesting art and shelves holding all sorts of unique stuff. This is a lobby designed for “hanging out.”

Also, when you go to the citizenM, you won’t bump into any management in 3-piece or power suits. You won’t see any bellhops, either. It appears that the hotel is staffed completely by great-looking young people of a variety of races all under the age of 30. They wear sort-of uniforms and are delightful to interact with to a person. Whether they are tending bar, being baristas, assisting at the check-in kiosk, or just walking around smiling and saying “hello,” these “kids” make the experience really special.

Now about your room at the citizenM. Staying there is your way of finding out whether you would be happy living in a tiny house like the ones that are the rage on HGTV. One end of your room is all big bed. There is only one side of the bed from which you can get out. This made it a little tough for older folks like us but will pose no problem for the spry. You can store your suitcase in the giant drawer under the bed. At the center of the room is a dresser of sorts which features a tiny sink for cleaning up and a really brightly-lit mirror. The bathroom chamber contains both toilet and hand shower or rain shower, with mood lighting. The water temperature is self-controlled by a thermostat built into the soap dish, basically. All of these necessities--lights, mood lights, heat, curtains, shades, media--are controlled by an easily operated iPad.

We hadn’t been to New York City in forever. Now I can’t wait to go back. . .like tomorrow. We saw great shows, had good food, and communed with wonderful friends. And I can’t wait to hang out in the lobby of the citizenM again.
Greg Ellstrom

Goodness, Gracious, Great Balls of Fire, A Rockin' Time at the Merry-go-Round Theater

I’m here to praise the Finger Lakes Theatre aka Merry-go-Round Playhouse again.  Yesterday we went to see “Million Dollar Quartet,” the musical about the one evening that Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Carl Perkins, and Jerry Lee Lewis were together at Sun Records with Sam Phillips, the man who had or would launch their careers.  It’s a really interesting story, but I’m not going to tell it now.  Because the greatness of this wonderful production is in the music!  From the first chord to the third encore, the audience is rapt and part of this rock roll moment that happened on a December night in 1956.

I want to rave about the performers/actors in this show.  Individually, each is fine, but this is a case of the whole being greater than the sum of its parts!  When these young men are rocking it together--I’m not sure how they keep the roof on the building out there in Auburn!  Noel Casey IS Jerry Lee Lewis.  This is THE performance of a cast full of terrific performances.  Casey brings the backwoods, piano-pounding Jerry Lee to life from the moment he enters the scene.  He pounds on the piano, plays it with his feet, his elbows, and his butt!  He climbs on it and dances on it, and it’s an upright.  Casey as Lewis is great as an actor, too.  He is a pain-in-the-ass country boy, 20 years old and already twice married, once to a cousin, who was 13.  James Bock’s Carl Perkins is nearly as fabulous as Casey’s Lewis.  He’s an occasionally brooding, pissed-off-at-how -success-has-failed-to-happen-in-his-world kind of young man.  He’s fearful that if something doesn’t come to him quickly, then the rest of his career will be spent playing gigs from the back of a flatbed truck at firemen’s carnival.  Bock’s a fine actor, but a better guitar player.  When his fingers launch into a lead guitar riff, the result is so powerful, yet so apparently effortless--one of those joys to behold!  Justin Figueroa as Johnny Cash is very good.  He’s got the voice, the, interestingly enough, innocence, and the gravitas I associate with Cash.  (I hate that word “gravitas,” but I couldn’t think of a better one.)  Then there’s Elvis as performed by Luke Linsteadt.  Elvis’ contract had been sold to RCA the year before so that Sam Phillips, owner of Sun Records could keep the studio alive.  This is a troubled, innocent, naive, very likable King of Rock and Roll come back to visit Phillips, the one man he feels really understands him.  Linstead is very good.  He can sing and shake and dance about in the Presley way.  The only thing that distracts from his performance, and I hate to mention as it’s not his fault, is he is too short to play the King surrounded by strapping six-footers.  I don’t think he’s more than 5’9’, and is dwarfed by those he shares the stage with.  The most iconic figure in rock and roll history has to tower!!

Oher performers I have to mention include Dana Parker as Dyanne, one of Elvis’ girlfriends.  When she sings “Fever,” well, as the old saying used to go, it’s hot enough to melt your zipper.  Luke Darnelle is a wonderful Sam Phillips, charismatic, wise beyond his years, and very content in the little musical world he has created.  The drum and stand up bass background musicians were marvelous.  It was fun to look away from the main performers once in a while to watch these pros at work.

If you can get out to Auburn to see this show do it!  It’s bright, and fast, and loud! I raved about “From Here to Eternity” this summer.  Again, the Merry-Go-Round has spun out a production equal to what you could find in New York.