Turkey Day

I have always been a Macy's parade junkie. When I was younger, it was for all the reasons Lisa mentions. In my later high school years and into and beyond college, it's been mostly to catch the numbers from the latest Broadway shows I was excited about. So far in my life, I've been to New York twice. The first time, I was my son's age or maybe even a bit younger, so it doesn't count. I literally remember one thing, and -- as cliché as it sounds -- that was neon lights. The second time I was a senior in high school and we went for a choral festival. Of course, all of my friends in chorus were my friends from theatre, so we were in our element. We saw "Guys and Dolls" with Nathan Lane, Faith Prince, Peter Gallagher, and Patti LuPone and "Jelly's Last Jam" (R.I.P. Gregory Hines!) that week. Apart from that, any out-of-town tryouts in Chicago, and the Tony Awards in May (oh, okay, and my subscription to Playbill), the Macy's parade was really my only chance to catch Broadway fever. (This year, incidentally, it looks like it'll be Wicked -- again -- and Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, so not exactly a powerhouse year.)

Lately, I've been turning older and more cynical, of course, so the marketing really grates on me. The teasers I can handle; they're a part of what makes one sure the holidays have truly arrived. "Coming up: Zach Braff and the cast of 'Scrubs' sing on Times Square!" Cut to two hours later, when Zach and company lip synch with frozen lips to "Dance to the Music" with the lesser-known Sesame Street characters as the Big Bird balloon flails around just above and behind them. Priceless. But the cheesy-ass smiles on the faces of the "hosts" have got to go. I just watched three minutes of Hannah Storm and Cheesy McSmilestoomuch on CBS and almost threw the TV out the window. What the hell is their audience that needs a constant dose of saccharine aimed at their ears to enjoy this spectacle? I know I never related to it when I was a kid. "Shut up and show the float already!" Now, I want Stephen Colbert's take on the parade. Comedy Central should look into that.

Lisa is of course absolutely right about André Robinson playing the clarinet when the Tosa East band marched. I remember watching that year from my grandmother's house in Ypsilanti, Michigan (mere miles from where I was brought into this world), and I specifically recall taking pictures of the TV as they were shown. No idea where those pix are now, but I did just recently run across a picture of me, Lisa, and André. When I find it again, I'll scan it and post it here.

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!