Had the best time in New York. We left on Thursday morning, nothing too brutal. We stayed with Frank Davis on West 10th Street. We went to New York because I was being interviewed on Friday for a new jazz dance documentary.
Thursday night we, of course had dinner at the Red Farm, a dim sum restaurant right around the corner from Frank’s apartment. It was as good as ever. We had, among other things, spicy crispy beef, a salad with arugula, mango and raspberries, pac man dumplings… and more. Les and I had vodka martinis and Frank had dewers and water.
It has been a hot summer in New York and Frank does not have air conditioning. He has some great fans and the sleeping was OK.
The interview went very well – about an hour.They were very prepared and had done a ton of research. The documentary is called Transmission – Roots to Branches. It was inspired by the recent anthology, Jazz Dance A History of the Roots and Branches, edited by Lindsay Guarino and Wendy Oliver. The documentary is being produced by Lisa Donmall-Reeve, LDM Inspiring the Bigger Picture. Here are some photos from the Interview. The photographer was Daryl Gatman.
I was exhausted. Went back to Frank’s and had a nap. I had gotten tickets to see Bette Midler in Hello Dolly at the Shubert Theater. We had dinner at Osteria el doge on 44th Street, one of my favorites.
We were on the mezzanine, not too bad. It was a thrilling experience. Ms. Midler was having the time of her life and the audience was sending waves of love her way. She and David Hyde Pierce had great chemistry together. I lost count about standing ovations during the show. The production itself was lavish and beautiful. Both the sets and costumes were designed by Santo Loquasto. In the Hello Dolly number, Ms. Midler began to improvise. At one point, she leaned against the wall on stage right and said, “I hope you like red because this goes on for a long time”. Eating chicken during the “trial” she waded into Bette Midler shtick. It almost became too much, stopping luckily just at the right time. It truly was a great night in the theater.
The $40 T-shirt!!! Have yet to wear it.
