[music - Try! John Mayer Trio]

So I had an absolutely fabulous time in NYC!!! I know its weird but I really could not have picked a better person to celebrate my b-day with other than my mom.....when it comes down to it she really is the best friend I have & I totally appreciate her for it.

So nite #1: RENT!

After much unnecessary drama with Ticketmaster, we finally made it to our 3rd row seats for RENT! There are absolutely no words for how amazing it was! I was pleasantly surprised how good it was cuz I knew I was gonna be kinda critical after seeing the originals in the movie. The guy who played Mark was PHENOMINAL! He was hilariously funny & had a really good voice & really made the part his own, he didn't try & do it exactly like Anthony Rapp & still did it well. The guy who played Roger sang SO much better than the orginial it was crazy!!! But they gave him a crappy blonde wig which made it kinda hard to believe he was supposed to be straight. But the best part is I got to take a pic with both of them! & after talking to him for awhile I no longer question his sexuality (lol)

nite #2: STOMP

So we shopped til we couldn't shop anymore today! I found an H&M which is the best clothing store EVER! I discovered it this summer while I was in Europe & had no idea they were in the US @ all so I was absolutely thrilled! Just so happens we run into this girl that goes to the U too & her mom! We eat dinner with them @ Chez Josephine & had a great time together. We catch a cab to STOMP & we're on the 2nd row! OH MY LORD were these guys beautiful!!! I mean drop dead gorgeous! They were hilarious & so so talented. One of them messed with my mom the entire show & for those who know my mom know she messed right back! It was the funniest thing! Only my mom gets away with talkin to a guy on stage during the entire show!!! lol good times

nite #3: The Color Purple
This show is so freakin amazing its CRAZY!!! It made me laugh, it made me cry (on more than one occasion! lol) The girl who played Ceily was the understudy & I was kinda sad & scared that she was gonna really suck but OMG! She blew it out the water!!! She was great! The singing was great & I loved that even tho the show is known for its singing there was dancing in it too! Not anything super dramatic but just enough that it fit & was so appropriate. I've never read the book so everything I know about the story is only what the movie tells so it was awesome to see what happens in between all the parts the movie cuts out. FANTASTIC! The only way to describe it.

nite #4: Menopause, the Musical
Today, I was feelin kinda under the weather so we skipped shoppin today & went to a movie, Tyler Perry's Madea's Family Reunion. It was funny, not as funny as Diary of a Mad Black Woman, but not as cheezy either. It was good to chill for a second. Then we saw Menopause, the Musical & it was definitely hilarious! "I'm havin a hot flash, a tropical hot flash!" The story of my mother's life! lol It was good to see her enjoying herself so much. Then for the finale they brought up women from the audience that were or are goin thru menopause so you know my mom was the first up there! It was hilarious! Too bad I didn't snap a pic of my mother's off broadway debut! (felt really stupid for that one) Afterwards we went to this jazz club, Birdland. It was beautiful but the band was less than impressive (I mean I didn't know people really payed to see jazz bands that don't have a brass section!) But I had me an apple martini to ring in my 21st b-day with a dose of green liquor, so all in all it served its purpose. The best part about it is the lady sitting @ the table next to us was hysterical funny! Her & my mom were cuttin up the entire set & she insisted on buying me a glass of champaigne @ the bar in her hotel once the set was done. We talked to her for about 2 hrs. & it just so happens she lives in Phoenix! She gave me her phone number & said to call her when I get out there cuz she has some connections & can probably get me a job out there! yippie for coincidences!! (or what I like to call divine appointments!)

nite #5: The Lion King

So I've come to the conclusion that for this musical balcony seats are definitely better. I was kinda dissappointed at this showing cuz I've seen the show before and was absolutely blown away by everyone's voice, but this time around I felt like adult Simba wanted too badly to be a popstar instead of an actor on broadway! Mom thinks its cuz he just thought he was too pretty. But adult Nala & young Nala were phenominal & definitely made up for other short comings. So the reason I made my mom see it again was cuz I was forced to miss the finale & A Place Called Hope used one of its songs for a finale in one of our productions so I was eager to see the original rendition of the song. Yeah, so dissappointed! Maybe I like things big or maybe I just have a bias but I think our finale was so much better than the actual showing of it! The song is so big & so powerful for it to just be Simba wondering around the stage by himself!!! He needed some back up dancers BAD!!! But in the end its still an awesome show. After the show Brittany met us for a b-day drink & dinner......

& so ended my trip to NYC!