Work is currently "off the deep end" busy... so I will try to keep this short and maintain my sanity. As a self-employed person I should be thrilled since the more $$$ the company makes, the more $$$ I make... but at certain times I'd sacrifice one for the other... but alas, that is not the subject of today's post.
This past Saturday night we went to see Billy Crystal's one-man show 700 Sundays. Honestly, I was surprised when this popped up as one of our "bonus" shows... we don't often get "direct from Broadway" stars traipsing through Tempe, AZ... let alone stars in a one-person show. While seeing Crystal was not the most hip thing we've ever done (the audience did skew a tad older), it was still a really enjoyable evening of laughs.. and even a few tears, okay maybe lump or two in one's throat.
Crystal comes out onto the stage in front of a replica of his childhood Long Beach, NY home.. and tells stories of his youth. His family is filled with a lot of characters (what family isn't!?!), but they are very close. Not well-off by any means, Crystal's father has to work so hard to support his family that Sunday ends up being the only day of the week young Billy can spend any quality time with his father. When his father unexpectedly dies, the then 15-year old calculates that he had only 700 Sundays with his father.
While there were many family stories that Crystal shares that anyone could relate to, Crystal may have not had a "typical" childhood. I, for one, was not aware that his father was involved in the music business. So the likes of jazz legends Duke Ellington and Louis Armstrong might be around the house or at work... even Billie Holliday took him to his first movie.
So quite interesting and some nice creativity was show when Billy would share home pictures or movies (the "windows" of the house turned into screens). The first half of the show has most of the laughs while the second "act" gets a bit more serious, delving into his father's death as well as the his beloved mother who just passed away just few years ago.
My only complaint... and seemingly usual complaint when it comes to theater these days... is that it was a bit too long. Crystal did 90 minutes before breaking for a 15-minute intermission... then came back out for a second act that was nearly as long. But you definitely could not have complained that you didn't get your money's worth (though I would have achieved that even if the show was an hour less!).
I would most certainly recommend the show. However, Crystal is really taking it out the road. After taking some time off to spend with his grandchildren (one of them "new" I believe), his two-week stop here was just preparation as he takes the show to Australia and England. So while that might be a little long of a ways to go to see a show, you could likely to worse!
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