New York-y things

So the show last night was very funny. Very. It's been a while since I saw the Steve Martin/Michael Caine movie it was based on, so it didn't entirely feel telegraphed, though I'm sure I knew the twist before a lot of the out-of-towners in the audience. Jonathan Pryce had the Caine role, of the older gentleman con artist (which John Lithgow originated on Broadway), and was very good -- no traces of the last time I saw him in a musical, when I think he played Fagan in a West End production of "Oliver" -- which must have been over 10 years ago. But Norbert Leo Buts (what an unfortunate name!), who had the Steve Martin role, was really just about the funniest thing. It's a broad, broad role, very physical, and he sold every moment of it. His scene as Ruprecht, the crazy, locked-away-in-the-wine-cellar brother of Pryce's "prince", was guffaw-worthy. Seriously. (No, funnily. Or whatever.) I probably would have liked a few more big group song-and-dance numbers, but that's just what I like. It was written by the same composer/lyricist who did the stage verison of "The Full Monty," and I felt a few of the songs sounded somewhat similar, but not necessarily in a bad way. So, if you're in New York, consider this a recommendation!

Then, after dropping Mom off at Grand Central last night for a train home, I met her again this morning (almost exactly 12 hours later), and along with two of my sisters, we went on a tour of the terminal. Our tour guide was a little too verbose for our tastes -- we would have liked more touring, less talking -- but after the official tour, the four of us did a little wandering of our own, and found some neat little nooks and crannies, and I got a few good shots. Like so.
This was looking out a window in a tiny little door, like something out of "Being John Malkovich." The skylights you can see, like stout little glass pyramids, are these from above. The arched windows off to the side in the first picture look down on the main room, like so (only on a different wall).
Very cool, I tell you. And then, after lunch at Two Boots, we went over to Zaro's where they had pink-and-white cookies, as well as the usual black-and-whites, in honor of my birthday! Or Valentine's Day. Whichever one you choose to celebrate.