Bye bye Howard Johnson's/Forbidden Broadway

A lot has been going on lately and I have been neglecting my blog and my readers. HAHA! Or should I say readeR. (Hi PJ! lol)

My friends PJ, Jonn, and Meredith and I ate at Howard Johnson's in Times Square for what is hopefully the last time. This relic of old Times Square is set to close some time this year now that it has been sold. It's one of the last left in the country and has been an NYC fixture since the 50's. If you go there to eat it seems as if the place has not changed one iota since it opened in 1955. Oh and by the way - bring some antacid and brace yourself for the strange waitstaff.

The food there has been notoriously greasy and - well - just all around crappy. It actually wasn't as bad as I remembered, But it definitely wasn't good. But we just had to visit one last time before the old thing retires. It's sad because it's always been there. As crappy as it can be people have still been eating there for decades, especially before and after a Broadway show. The kitchiness made it worthwhile. And the company of my friends made it a lot of fun. Snapped a few photos and that was that.

After HoJo's it was off to Forbidden Broadway. This show is for theater geeks only. I know the show books a lot of tourist groups and audience members of that nature. But I still feel that you have to be very familiar with Bway, the current season and past seasons of shows, insider gossip, etc to fully enjoy it. Meredith and I were in hysterics. The Wicked parody now replaces the Les Miz bit as the Act One closer. There were some old bits still in the show pertaining to long running shows. The Lion King and Phantom songs are still every bit as funny. Highlights were Movin' Out, Avenue Q (where Tom Hewitt, Stephen Schwartz and Brooke Shields argue over who it sucks more to be in "It Sucks To Be Me") and Wicked ("Defying Chenoweth" instead of "Defying Gravity" featuring the classic lyric "So strap me in harness and hoist me to the sky!")

I don't want to give away too many of the jokes. If you are as much of a theater geek as my friends and I - go see it!

http://www.forbiddenbroadway.com/