By Hap Erstein
Whatever you’re doing today, you’re having a better day than I am, I assure you.
Today was my travel day, heading to New York for my annual end-of-season Broadway show trip. For the past month, I have been combing through the listings, strategizing, negotiating with press agents, planning eight days of theatergoing. And because I was starting with a Sunday matinee (Sister Act), I booked a 6:30 a.m. flight out of West Palm Beach.
All I had to do was arrive, bleary-eyed, in time for the flight. What could go wrong?
I got there in plenty of time, boarding was orderly and efficient, but soon the pilot came on the PA system reporting that there was faulty, inadequate water pressure to the lavatories. There were New Yorkers on the flight, however, so you could hear mutters that we would all cross our legs and defer our bathroom needs until after we landed, but that apparently cuts no ice with the FAA.
So mechanics were called, or rather the one mechanic on duty, because this is Easter Sunday. And anyway, the one mechanic was busy working on an American Airlines snafu. By the time he got around to us, an hour had passed, so the pilot had us all deplane to “stretch our legs.” Not a good sign. Whatever happened to Delta being ready when you are?
So much for my planned jaunt to Chinatown for dim sum brunch. But if the plane took off in the next hour or so, I would easily make the matinee, not to mention the 6:30 p.m. official opening of Born Yesterday, the revival with Jim Belushi.
And we waited, and we waited, or at least I did while other passengers started bolting, making reservations on alternative flights. Maybe they’ve flown on Easter before and know how scarce other seats can be. By the time I bailed out, all I could get that would get me to New York this day was – I’m not making this up – a 4:30 p.m. flight from West Palm to Atlanta, followed by one from Atlanta to Detroit – then Detroit to La Guardia, landing at 11:59 p.m. Oy.
Mind you, none of these flights have happened yet. I’m just supposed to be delighted that I got the rebound reservations.
So scratch Sister Act and Born Yesterday. Still to come – if I make it to Manhattan – is the Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS Easter Bonnet Competition, The Normal Heart, Arcadia, The People in the Picture, Jerusalem, The Book of Mormon, War Horse and Catch Me if You Can.
I’ll be blogging about these shows and whatever else I encounter in New York during the week, plus more complete reviews when I return home.
All I can say is, after this morning, things have to be looking up. Don’t they?