Friday Night Out With An Old Flame

Friday, my old flame Steve and I braved the downpour to enjoy a night out in Times Square.

Our first stop was The Perfect Pint, a lively pub with charming bartenders who know how to mix a great cosmo. Steve filled me in about potential work-related travels in his future (Europe, the Middle East), which got us to talking about our mutual affinity for Sydney. I admitted that if Sydney was situated a little closer to home, it would be hard to resist the urge I felt back in January to move there again.

Saju Bistro: One of my favorite French restaurants in NYC. Delicieux!

Next, we walked over to French bistro Saju, where we shared a sublime plate of escargots in garlic and butter sauce and I enjoyed skirt steak cooked to perfection with pomme frites. Saju never disappoints, serving with panache French provencal fare so authentic that I wasn’t surprised to hear the couple next to us speaking en Français.

Over dinner, we talked about the enduring appeal of “Sex And The City,” and Steve laughed when I told him I only started watching the show during its sanitized TBS run. We agreed that, of the fabulous four, Samantha was the most over the top and the one we’d be least likely to share a cocktail with. After all, there’s only so much risqué talk you can take.

Up next…Tony Award winner Geoffrey Rush dazzles in “Exit The King,” and a friend makes the case for Botox.

A Look At Spring Awakening

On Friday, I went to see “Spring Awakening,” Duncan Sheik’s pop-infused Tony winning take on Frank Wedekind's coming of age story set in 19th century Germany.

According to Playbill magazine, many of Wedekind’s works were banned or performed in only censored versions. With “Spring Awakening,” it’s easy to see how controversial his work must have been back in 1891. Wedekind takes teenage angst to a new level, examining sex, abortion, homosexuality and suicide within the confines of a very repressed society.

Innocence Lost: Hunter Parrish (Melchior) and Alexandra Socha (Wendla) come of age together in “Spring Awakening”

The show’s young cast, many of whom are Broadway first timers, bring impressively raw emotion to the stage and perform Sheik’s score with heartfelt intensity.

Hunter Parrish, on a break from his role as Silas on Showtime’s “Weeds,” ably carries the show as rebellious Melchior. Alexandra Socha is affecting as Melchior’s innocent love Wendla. And original cast member Gerard Canonico brings the house down as the tormented Moritz, manically struggling with his adolescence yearnings.

Still, despite its talented cast, “Spring Awakening” often fails to live up to the pathos of Wedekind’s complicated tale -- mostly because of Sheik’s music. Though catchy, his brand of rock ‘n’ roll gets to be a bit much, as does the show’s very graphic content. Multiple sex acts are simulated on stage.

While I’m sure Wedekind would disagree with me, I think some things are better left to the imagination. Then again, I’m the girl who didn’t start watching “Sex and the City” until the sanitized TBS version came along.

A national tour of “Spring Awakening” recently launched. The show wraps up its Broadway run on January 18th.

The Art of Seduction

Much like letter writing and fructose-free food, the art of seduction seems to be a scarce commodity these days. A recent date’s clumsy attempt to hasten the level of intimacy between us got me to thinking about the increasing gap between romance and sex.

As we were kissing, he pressed himself against me and murmured--

“Come on, just the tip.”

Though I tried not to, I couldn’t help laughing as I turned down his artless request.

Years ago, my college dormmate Eduardo was just as brazen, albeit with more finesse, in his equally unsuccessful attempt to seduce me.

We had spent a few hours in his room, mildly flirting and engaging in conversation that included a rather lengthy tangent about all of the women Eduardo had deflowered in his Spanish hometown. He spoke with pride about the notches on his belt, and I couldn’t help wondering if he thought I would be next.

That question was answered when I returned after a brief trip to the bathroom. In the five minutes that I had been gone, Eduardo had transformed his tiny dorm room into a love den, complete with candlelight and pulsating Julio Iglesias ballads playing on his stereo. Beckoning me toward him, he sat me down and asked--

“Me-lee-ssa…will you give me your virginity?”

Eduardo had clearly anticipated a welcoming response to bragging about his past conquests. I happily informed him this wasn’t exactly my idea of foreplay.

The antics of both Eduardo and my recent date reinforced my feeling that, even in the post-“Sex and the City” age, sex is a much more inviting prospect when there’s at least some romance attached to it. Maybe I’m a traditionalist but I think a little innuendo goes a long way, both in and out of the bedroom. After all, isn’t that why there’s a TBS version of SATC?