"You’ve been humming in a daze forever, praying for Pavement to get back together. Nobody knows where you are living, nobody knows where you are. You’re so far around the bend, you’re so far around the bend. Now there’s no leaving New York. Now there’s no leaving New York. You’re so far around the bend, you’re so far around the bend. Now there’s no leaving New York. Now there’s no leaving New York. Now there’s no leaving New York. Now there’s no leaving New York." ~the national

Today I got up ridiculously early for a weekend and waited in line for 3 hours for rush tickets to A View From the Bridge. I was frozen while waiting in line, but I was the first person and so I ended up with a pair of front row orchestra seats. I had to go early because it's been so crowded after The New York Times (along with every other publication) gave the show a love letter of a rave. The show was well worth the wait. Oh my goodness, it was fabulous. First of all, I loved sitting in the front row because I could see the actors' faces so clearly. I could see every tear on their faces and every particle of spit that flew out of their mouths (I might have even gotten hit by some of Liev Schrieber's). What a beautiful production of a classic Arthur Miller play. The performances are what really make it special. Liev Schrieber proves that he really is one of the most talented stage actors of our day. He broke my heart. Scarlett Johansson was surprisingly wonderful. Here's some of Ben Brantley's NYTimes review:

"Mr. Schreiber is such a complete actor that he has often thrown productions into imbalance, highlighting the inadequacy of the performances around him. That is not a problem here. That the excellent stage veteran Ms. Hecht holds her own with Mr. Schreiber is no surprise. That Ms. Johansson does — with seeming effortlessness — is....Ms. Johansson melts into her character so thoroughly that her nimbus of celebrity disappears. Her Catherine is a girl on the cusp of womanhood, feeling her way down familiar paths that have suddenly been shrouded in unfamiliar shadows....

Without your being entirely aware of it, you have been ushered to exactly where Miller wants you to be: the realm of classical tragedy. And to the cast’s infinite credit you realize that these characters not only belong in this world at this moment, but that on some level they always have."

I cannot say enough good things about this production. Go see it if you are able to. One fun thing about being in the front row was locking eyes with ScarJo during curtain call. We were giving the show a standing ovation, and so I was standing directly in front of ScarJo while she was onstage, facing her. She was still crying (it's an Arthur Miller play, of course much of it involves crying), but she looked at me and smiled. It was a nice moment.

Tonight Nic and I are seeing The Pride, a play with Hugh Dancy (Mr. Claire Danes). I love him, so I'm sure I'll enjoy it.

Tomorrow evening I will be spending Valentine's Day at Lauren's. We're going out to dinner, I'm spending the night, and we leave for Miami very early the next morning. What a romantic Valentine's Day, right? Too bad we're both straight. At least I won't be spending it alone and will be with a single friend with whom I can commiserate. We're planning on watching lots of Gilmore Girls before we go off and spend a Florida vacation a la Rory and Paris.