That Was the Fortnight That Was (Nov 8-20)

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On Monday November 8, the travel restrictions on Europeans and British people that had prevented us from travelling to the US for over 18 months was finally lifted — and the next day Tuesday November 9), I flew back to New York for my first visit in over two years.

This was my longest absence, bar none, since my very first trip trip at the end of my first year at university in 1983. I fell in love with it that first summer, and have been a regular visitor ever since — some years making up to six transatlantic crossings, sometimes for work, but mostly for pleasure. (My first post-university job was at Dewynters plc, during the heyday of the 80s British musical invasion of Broadway, and it took me to New York a few times to oversee souvenir brochures — or souvenir programs, as they call them there — for such Broadway imports as the short-lived Chess and the even-shorter lived Carrie, plus ongoing commitments to bigger hits like Cats, Les Mis and The Phantom of the Opera, amongst others) We also produced brochures for shows like Jerome Robbins’ Broadway and Black and Blue that originated on Broadway.

Anyway, to cut a long story short — I gradually expanded my friendship circle in New York and also my professional connections, becoming London correspondent to such US publications as the late and lamented theatre weeklies TheaterWeek (that ceased publication in 1997) and InTheater, as well as the still-publishing Backstage and Playbill.com, amongst others.

And eventually I not only got married in New York — in Central Park — but my husband and I also bought our own (tiny) apartment in Hell’s Kitchen in Manhattan — two blocks from Wicked (whose composer Stephen Schwartz lives on the same street, though in a penthouse while we’re in a fifth floor tenement walk-up!)

Arriving in New York two weeks ago:

Taking COVID Safety seriously

Other New York Tweets

My summary of my stay in numbers and highlights:

MY COLUMNS AND REVIEWS OF THE WEEK



REVIEWS AND REVIEW TWEETS OF THE WEEK

CONTROVERSIES OF THE WEEK

COVID NEWS TWEETS OF THE WEEK:

LONDON HEADLINES OF THE WEEK

INTERVIEWS OF THE WEEK

REGIONAL/ TOURING HEADLINES OF THE WEEK

BROADWAY (AND BEYOND) HEADLINES OF THE WEEK

CDS/VIDEO TRAILERS OF THE WEEK

EXECUTIVE AND BEHIND-THE-SCENES ANNOUNCEMENTS:

SOME THEATRE BIRTHDAYS OF THE WEEK:

FAREWELL OF THE WEEK:

HONOUR OF THE WEEK:

AND FINALLY, SOME FAVOURITE (AND SOME DESPAIRING) TWEETS OF THE WEEK

Stepping away from Twitter wars:

Appearing in Private Eye:


https://twitter.com/ShentonStage/status/1459642201907118089?s=20

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