It’s hard to believe that Sunday will be the decade mark for the attacks on September 11th, 2001. I still remember that sunny Tuesday. It was my second week of first grade. I was supposed to have my first dance lesson at my new dance studio, and walking home from the bus stop I was soo excited, until my mom told me it was cancelled. At that time I didn’t understand what was going on, but now that I’m older, and have heard so many stories it’s hard to remember a world without knowing what happened. Many of my friends’ parents came to school that day during lunch to pick them up and I just thought they were lucky and went about my day.

It’s weird the small details we remember when great tragedy strikes. It’s terrible to think about all the people that remember not only the small details, but the images of the burning towers forever imprinted in their minds. And to think that, Due to “lack of room,” NYC Police Officers, Port Authority Police Officers and FDNY Firefighters are not “invited” to the 10th anniversary of 9/11 at Ground Zero. Personally I think this is unconscionable. Any Politician, besides the Mayor of New York and The President Of the United States should give up their seat at the memorial, and do what’s right, they were not the ones risking their lives like these people were.

As the post that is going all over facebook states, The first responders weren’t invited when the towers were falling down either, but they still showed up and became major heros in our lives. We should forever be grateful to those who risked their lives, and we should forever remember those who tragically lost their lives. My heart goes out to everyone who is personally connected to this tragedy, this weekend especially, and thank you again to all those who put everything on the line to try and save those who were caught inside.

I do believe that I can officially say I have a favorite restaurant in NYC. The Plaza Hotel Food Court. The food there is truly superb. Just like the company. The great thing about NYC in general is that it’s easy to meet someone new, and in the food court-which is not a bunch of tables, but rather bars at open kitchen stations, the design makes it even easier. Though the other people in your party are sitting with you, people you have never met may be sitting with you as well. And, not only do you have other people sitting next to you, but you also have chefs standing in front of you and they make some great company. Quick shout out to James who is one of the Sous chefs there, he made for some great company (and food) when I was there with my family Monday night. See the way the food court is set-up is that there are different “stations” for different types of food, if you’ve been to Harrods in London you know what I am talking about. There is one big menu, so you can order from wherever you would like, it doesn’t matter where you’re sitting. They are on the more expensive side, but for what you get, it is SOO worth it. The food is spectacular and they have everything from burgers to sushi to pasta and plenty in between (don’t miss the Red Velvet cake!)-everyone will be happy. Plus it gives you a reason to visit the Plaza Hotel (visit Eloise). I say Run don’t walk to get something to eat there, you will not be sorry.

After sitting down to dinner with my parents, and talking about the future of Broadway, (after the latest disaster with another actor getting hurt in Spiderman ), it occurred to me that Broadway is in trouble and the only way to save Broadway is to force Disney out. We need to push the safe shows-the shows that are not “new”, but just copies of something else-out and encourage people to take a risk when it comes to choosing a show. Writers need to write again. Directors need to find their creativity again and not just reproduce something that is already a sensation in a different medium. Today, the shows that are going up are just competing to be another giant spectacle like the Disney shows are. What we really need is more creativity. We need a young Sondheim, a new Larson, another Lyn Manuel Miranda. We need to start supporting the play-writers, the lyricists and the composers! Anyone who saw Next to Normal understands the difference.

Show’s should not be built from a stencil. They should to be built by hand, from the ground up. Something new. Something creative. Broadway Theater goers (mainly tourists) should try to take a risk and see something that they can’t see at home, the way they can sit down on their couch and watch The Little Mermaid or Mary Poppins. When it comes to theater, people have the opportunity to step outside their comfort zone and pick a show that is unique, creative, challenging and thought provoking – just because it’s different doesn’t mean it won’t be entertaining. Broadway is Special! It used to be that when you walked down 42nd street you weren’t just hit with the lights, you were also hit with something new, something bold, something that had meaning behind it. Today, the only thing that’s new are the Obama condoms they hand out on the streets… and I’m not even sure they are new.

A perfect example of this is Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson. It was smart and witty, it was an historical story but had great relevance to the political discussions of today. They pushed the boundaries, and it wasn’t completely successful but at least it was unique, thought provoking, funny and entertaining. No one had ever heard of it, and because it was new and unknown and it was something that was outside of people’s comfort zones, seats didn’t fill and it closed.

The issue all seems to lead back to Disney and their shows, when they first made their appearance-with Beauty and the Beast-they made the show a giant spectacle, like a movie on stage and today, the “new” shows are just trying to live up to that grande performance. We can go to the movies for that!

Last weekend I saw a show called Momentum at the New Victory Theater on 42nd St., a theater devoted to the family theater experience. The show was put on by the Israeli troupe called Mayumana. They are a group of talented artists from all over the world. Some come from a background in dance, others from percussion, gymnastics, and music. And even though they all come from different backgrounds, they come together to learn and teach each other their personal styles. Then when they put on the show they work off each other together as well as allow everyone their time to shine in their own personal area of expertise. So in the end, the show has a little bit of everything. The show is all about movement. It is mainly dance, but it also has a lot of percussion (using odd things like boxes), as well as other real instruments and even some singing.

My favorite number was (I think) the second one. In the number there was this clock, and when the performers put the clock over their hearts it would play some type of beat or tune and it was different for each person. It represented to me the music in your soul. And what was most interesting was that each person had a different style of dance to go along with their own personal beat. Then later I realized that the dances they were doing seemed to relate to where the performers came from. So for instance, one girl from Spain had a very latin tune and was doing a sort of merengue. I really found this particular number to be absolutely wonderful.

I also really liked how they had audience partici-say it-pation. (Sorry, I’ve got Rocky Horror on the brain) and how they used a lot of interesting technology. In the very beginning before the show started they were taking pictures of the audience and video taping audience members beat boxing, and then later they had the pictures and the video clips in the show.

However, the show did have a one downfall, in my opinion. After a while the show became a little repetitive. They kept ending back up in these giant squares that were in like a 3X3 formation. And though it was cool to watch them inside the first time, after that it just became a little boring.

But besides that, I found the show to be creative and fun and I couldn’t take my eyes off the stage. This was actually my second Mayumana show, and now I can’t wait for my third. This really is a great show for families, however not young, young children, and I totally recommend it as a holiday show. They have 3 traveling troupes, so they may be coming to a city near you.

Now head over to Critics’ Corner for an interview with one of the performers.