Livin’ in New York City Post 8: Billy’s Still Got It
Billy Crystal stars as Buddy Young Jr. in Broadway’s “Mr. Saturday Night.” Crystal was nothing short of energetic, funny and charming in this wildly entertaining musical adaptation of Crystal’s 1992 film.
If there’s one thing I’ve learned being a New Yorker, it’s that you need to keep your mind open to different experiences. You just never truly know what each day will be like. In the morning, you think that all you’ve got to do is work a six hour shift. But that night, you could be out until midnight because you ended up working 12 hours and you’re now in the Village playing pool, drinking and listening to jazz with your friends. So, while I do plan out a lot of things in my life, you have to just live in the moment. Several nights this month have been like that.
For the first weekend of September, I went to see another Broadway show at the Nederlander Theatre. This time around, I saw the legendary Billy Crystal in “Mr. Saturday Night,” a musical adaptation of his 1992 dramedy film which was also directed and co-written by Crystal.
The show is about Buddy Young Jr. (Billy Crystal) a stand-up comedian who was incredibly popular in the 1950s and 60s, even having his own television show. Now in the early 1990s, Buddy is washed up with his comedy engagements being at retirement homes. However, when the Emmys mistakenly add Buddy to the In Memoriam section of the show, everyone is suddenly interested in him again after being mistakenly declared dead. With this newfound revival and encouragement from his wife Elaine (Randy Graff), Buddy teams up with ambitious agent Annie Wells (Chasten Harmon) and seeks to not only repair his career, but also repair his relationships with his brother Stan (David Paymer) and daughter Susan (Shoshana Bean).
I have loved Billy Crystal ever since I saw “Monsters Inc.” as a child and I’ve continued to admire his career in stand-up comedy as well as his many performances in “Saturday Night Live,” “When Harry Met Sally,” “The Princess Bride,” “City Slickers,” “Parental Guidance” and, of course, his stellar hosting of the Oscars. Seriously, there were three years where no one hosted and no one thought to call Billy Crystal.
In “Mr. Saturday Night,” he was terrific. I must admit, I’ve never seen the film but now I need to. His performance in this musical was absolutely wonderful and I was continuously joyous for the entire show. Since his character is a comedian, all of his funny quips and jokes are not out of character. When his character does stand-up, the entire audience was bursting into laughter especially when Buddy is doing a show at a retirement home and making some more racy jokes including telling a member of the audience that “Moses called and he said you were a great fuck.” Remember, these aren’t my words, they’re Billy’s words. But for the love of God, I wish I had come up with that line.
There was also some fantastic audience participation where Buddy was doing “Yiddish Scatsinging” which involved him doing Louis Armstrong-type Scatsinging but with Yiddish words and having the audience repeat after him. As a well-known Goy, Yiddish is not a language I’m familiar with but I did my best.
I was fortunate enough to catch the penultimate performance before the show closed and I sincerely hope that Billy Crystal will bring the show back to Broadway in a few years. But, in the meantime, I can watch the original film, listen to the soundtrack album and remember all of the fun I had that night.
But the night at the theater didn’t end there. After the show was over, I realized I had to go to the bathroom but I had left the theater already. But even if I could go back, I wouldn’t want to. There is nothing more treacherous than the line to the restroom at intermission or after a show has been let out. It’s a lawless wasteland where it’s everyone for themselves. So, I wandered throughout Times Square looking for a place to “relive myself.” But there were no locations available. CVS? Nothing. Walgreens? Nope. McDonald’s? The Bathroom was closed.
Finally I found a Margaritaville bar and grill, saw there was a restroom and did what I came to do. Then I thought for a split-second, should I get a drink? Then I remembered. I can’t think of anything more sad than me drinking alone at a Margaritaville in Times Square on a Saturday night. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve got nothing against Jimmy Buffett. He’s very talented, I like his music and I’m sure Margaritaville is a swell place. But I was not about to indulge in Times Square.
I was a little hungry and then I remembered that Joe’s Pizza has a location in Times Square. So I waited in a long line for a good slice of New York Pizza. How long was it? The line was so long that there were three different bachelorette parties. You can tell because they were wearing boas. And as we all know, the only other times to wear boas are at Mardi Gras and screenings of “The Rocky Horror Picture Show.” As much as I don’t approve of them going to Times Square for their party, I have nothing but respect for their choice of pizza.
My friends and I have been going out more and in a city like New York, there are so many great spots to check out for the night life. One night, my friends and I went to Greenwich Village to look at some cool places and we found an ice cream parlor. But it didn’t serve Vanilla or Chocolate or Strawberry. Instead, they served Peanut Butter and this ice cream which tastes like milk after cereal has been added. And it was delicious.
(From Right) Michael, Mikayla and I enjoy tacos in Greenwich Village following a screening of 1966’s “Daisies” at the IFC Center.
Right across the street was our next destination which was The Cellar Dog. This bar was the perfect combination of classy and low-key. On the one hand, there’s incredible live jazz performed every night with talented musicians performing before a congregation. I say congregation because the seating to watch the band is a bunch of church pews. On the other hand, the place also has about 20 pool tables, several ping pong tables and many place for people to play board games.
At we spent most of our time at these pool tables, playing regular pool as well as the three man game “Cut Throat.” The more we played, the more we drank. And the more we drank, the worse we got. Except for one of my friends. For some reason she got better. I can play pool fine with a couple of drinks in me but any more than that and I start to slip up. When I hit that stage, I figure it’s time I cut my losses and cut myself off for the night.
Before we headed back to Brooklyn, we had a slice at Joe’s and that Pizza sobers you up really quick. I had two slices and two Cokes and those slices were so big that I was starting to feel normal again. Once again, I have been saved by New York pizza.
Because it was Labor Day, the café was closed so my friends (who also had the day off) and I went to the IFC Center to see “Daisies,” a 1966 Czechoslovakian film which definitely ventures into arthouse surrealist territory. After the film was over, I just sat there in complete awe of what I just saw. In this film about two young women pulling pranks and doing whatever the hell they wanted in the name of nihilism, I saw a sharp critique of the Soviet government, a call for women’s liberation and an absolute evisceration of nihilism.
I absolutely love seeing foreign cinema because it’s always influencing what American filmmakers do. In particular, films of the European New Waves of the 50s and 60s not only have brilliant masterpieces in their ranks but also venture so close between being genius and pretentious. But when a film has something powerful to say, it can be inviting. “Daisies” was most certainly that film.
Besides checking out recent releases, I’ve continued to explore more theaters in New York and see classic films for the first time on the big screen. Just last week, I was able to see “The Godfather” at the Alamo Drafthouse in the Financial District of Manhattan. “The Godfather” is an absolute masterpiece and one of the greatest films ever made but it got even better seeing it in a theater with an audience.
It also didn’t hurt that the Alamo Drafthouse was an incredible theater. You can order food from your seat and they’ll bring it right to you. It’s not just popcorn and soda, there’s also burgers, salads and so many incredible foods. I have to recommend their Churro popcorn where they cover the popcorn in cinnamon, sugar and chunks of churros for a delicious snack to eat as you watch gangsters get shot, stabbed and beaten.
The Alamo Drafthouse was not only a great theater but also had a video rental store in the heart of it.
The Alamo Drafthouse also has a video rental store where you can rent DVDs or VHS tapes for five nights and their selection was pretty thorough. They had all of the classics as well as many great foreign films, bootlegged B-movies and underground films of nearly every genre.
As I walked out of the theater and wandered throughout the Financial District, it started to sprinkle a bit. There is nothing quite like walking on a rainy day in New York while you’re listening to the music of Carole King and Simon and Garfunkel. As I walked, I saw Trinity Church and the famous Charging Bull Statue of Wall Street. At this point, I don’t even try to run into this stuff. It just happens.
Later in the week, I went to Katz’s Deli with a friend. I hadn’t eaten there since July but I just couldn’t stop thinking about their food and that atmosphere that never becomes dated. Diners never age which is what I love about them so much. They were there in the 1920s, they haven’t changed much in the last 100 years and if we’re still here in 2122, we’re still going to be having coffee and sandwiches at diners. There’s all of these trendy restaurants throughout the city with overpriced food and chic clientele, but at the end of the day I just want some pastrami. I finally had Matzo ball soup for the first time at Katz’s and I’m never going back to chicken and dumplings. This soup was amazing and the Matzo ball was as big as a baseball.
Before I went inside for food, I got to check something off of my bucket list. Someone deliberately dropped their cigarette on the ground but didn’t extinguish it. Now, I’m not a historian but something small like that could have caused a massive, city wide fire which could claim many lives and do an ungodly amount of property damage. So, in the name of public safety, I crushed the cigarette with my boot like a badass which is something I’ve always wanted to do. I’ve never had the opportunity to crush a cigarette because I don’t smoke and most of my friends and family don’t. And the ones that do always use ashtrays like civilized people. Nevertheless, this act increased my enjoyment of the diner experience.
Another thing I love about diners is that you can talk in them. Many restaurants and bars are great to have fun and listen to live music but it’s hard to have a meaningful conversation. One thing I want to do while I’m still young and full of energy is go to one of those 24 hour diners, stay up all night and just write with a fresh supply of coffee, Coke, sandwiches, fried confections and slices of pie. Maybe I’ll even bring a friend for conversation. There’s got to be at least one person who’s willing to stay up all night eating BLTs and chugging milkshakes.
As a new New Yorker, I wanted to see what the city was going to do to honor the victims of 9/11 and it was nothing short of respectful. They closed off Ground Zero to everyone except public officials and the friends and family of the victims of the attack as the names of everyone who died were read. At dusk, the lights paying tribute to the original World Trade Center were lit and it’s truly a sight to see. They were so bright and stretched so far it looked like they hit the atmosphere. Because of how cloudy that day was, it was hard to see them from Brooklyn. However, I was able to see them clearly when I was in Greenwich Village after seeing “Taxi Driver” at the IFC Center. There’s nothing like it.
This year, New York lit the Tribute in Light to honor the victims of 9/11. The lights could be seen throughout the city.
