Spring Awakening

I was down near the Meatpacking District and I needed to get back to Midtown.  I was hungry though, so I popped into a pizza joint for a quick slice.  The rain outside suddenly started to come down hard as I ate my pizza and drank my grape soda.  As I sat eating my pizza, others started to dart into the store for some refuge from the heavy downpour.  They would shake themselves off, then look at the pizza with an almost "why not" expression before buying a slice.  A New York slice seems so universal in this city, an activity that seems to be common to all.

I had bought a ticket to a show earlier that day, so once I finished eating I caught the subway back up to Broadway.  The options for entertainment in New York are so varied.  One of those options which is constantly available are the shows on Broardway.  I had been taught about the cheap ticket booth in Times Square and had bought a half priced ticket for "Spring Awakening".

My seats were fantastic, and I was only a few rows from the very front.  I sat down and waited for the show to start with almost no expectations about what I was going to see.  I didn't know this show, I didn't know the story or the background.  I was a true clean slate.  What I saw was incredible and inspiring.  The story and music in Spring Awakening are catchy and memorable, but this production was something different again.  Half of the cast was deaf and so the production was built around their dancing and movements, with other actors providing the singing as required.  It was seamlessly done and the additional actors didn't crowd or overwhelm the stage.   When the show finished, the entire theatre jumped to its feet in applause, with many people giving the sign language version of applause with their hands outstretched into the air and waving.

I walked back into the evening air, truly awed by what I had seen.  The talent of the performers was undeniable, but the courage and dedication of the deaf performers was as inspiring as anything I had seen for a long time.  Walking around outside, the noise and lights of Times Square seemed even bigger than normal.

It was getting late now, so I got the subway to head back up to Spanish Harlem.  When I got out of the station, I walked past the taqueria near the apartment.  It was still open, so I immediately went inside for a quick taco snack before bed.

Food and a show, it's an easy way to enjoy New York.