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July 30, 2003

Sidewalk theater

Interesting tidbit in the Times newsletter on New York style: “The Show before the Show,” on the théâtre verité that occurs outside Broadway venues right before showtime. Here the cast is a bunch of theater-goers waiting to see Take Me Out at the Walter Kerr. The piece is ostensibly a musing on style, but it reads like the beginning of a short story. One of my favorite passages is this:

Four young men in a circle, each treacherously handsome in his own way, compared the sandals they had chosen for the evening with outstretched legs framed by shorts that may have looked casual, but seemed chosen with cold calculation.

Ooh, “treacherously handsome.” What a delicious phrase. Reading this whole thing reminds me that I really need to see Take Me Out. And get a new pair of sandals.

Manhunt

Boy Meets Boy wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be… if you just forget the cruel twist, i.e., some of the “mates” are straight, unbeknownst to the leading man, James. Yeah, the desert-island questions and answers were gimmicky and cheesy. I roll my eyes when people say things like, “That’s what life is all about” or “The most important thing in life is…” Stop speaking in vague absolutes like you’re some fortune cookie or something! However, I think what lulled me into the show is the fact that I got swept up in the search for Mr. Right, right along with him. And really, who doesn’t enjoy a good pool party?

I sincerely want James to find a nice guy, but periodically during the show, I keep forgetting that (dun dun dun) some of the guys aren’t even on his team. So in the end, it’s a cruel twist on all of us: the leading man and us vicarious viewers. Still, you better believe I’m tuning in next week. Did you see the previews? There are cowboy hats. And dancing!

In other TV news, Sex in the City is pulling out all the stops. Ballet icon Mikhail Baryshnikov will join the show as an artist who becomes a new love interest for Carrie. What was up with Berger this week? Punk.