Following a pleasant train ride, and an enjoyable Italian meal, I spent my first evening in New York by attending my first Broadway musical on Broadway. I went to How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying starring Harry Potter’s Daniel Radcliffe and John Larroquette. It was at the Al Hirschfeld Theatre just on the other side of Times Square from my Hotel. It was great!
There was singing and dancing aplenty. I had seen the movie version decades ago, so I remembered the basic story. Dan Radcliffe was more than up to the task. While his voice wasn’t the strongest, he did a good job of singing and a great job of dancing. The staging and direction was very good and the whole show was a lot of fun. I have now experienced a show stopping theater moment. The best number of the show is the song near the end “The Brotherhood of Man.” It has the catchiest tune, and great dancing, and just builds with an infectious enthusiasm that made the audience erupt with applause. It just left you optimistic and happy. A great first play in New York.
As the show let out around 11:00 we poured out onto sidewalks which were unbelievably packed with people. I made my way thorough Times Square which was filled with people and throbbing despite the late hour. NY lived up to the “city that never sleeps” moniker.