Lerner and Loewe’s Gigi tells the coming-of-age story of a curious, free-spirited Parisian girl who transforms into the object of affection of an old friend. The show has not been seen on Broadway since its original production in 1973 and is most popularly remembered by its film adaption starring Leslie Caron in the title role. The newly envisioned revival features former High School Musical sweetheart Vanessa Hudgens as the naïve, vivacious Gigi. While, the production has a glimmer of charisma and charm brought on by the energetic cast, the powerful score, and the gorgeous high-class costumes, it lacks the oomph to propel it to be a notable competitor against its next-door Parisian neighbor.
Paris is aptly nicknamed the city of love and its elegance, haute couture, and respectability has been captured in the fantasies of Hollywood and the Great White Way. A romanticized vision of the French capitol sitting on the banks of the Seine is the perfect backdrop for dramatic stories and escapades of amour. Recently, two classic films set in Paris take to the theaters of the Big Apple: An American in Paris and Gigi. Both are immortalized for their portrayals and interactions with the city of lights. While An American in Paris is currently one of the best-selling musicals of the year and also the frontrunner for the Tony Awards this weekend, Gigi remains a mere revival in the shadows of a squeaky clean brand new show.
Lerner and Loewe’s Gigi tells the coming-of-age story of a curious, free-spirited Parisian girl who transforms into the object of affection of an old friend. The show has not been seen on Broadway since its original production in 1973 and is most popularly remembered by its film adaption starring Leslie Caron in the title role. The newly envisioned revival features former High School Musical sweetheart Vanessa Hudgens as the naïve, vivacious Gigi. While, the production has a glimmer of charisma and charm brought on by the energetic cast, the powerful score, and the gorgeous high-class costumes, it lacks the oomph to propel it to be a notable competitor against its next-door Parisian neighbor.
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These days, obtaining a summer internship as a college undergrad is like winning the lottery. Everyone wants one, but the chances of actually scoring one are so infinitely small. So many are eager to jump on the bandwagon of demonstrating summer productivity for the sake of their resume, which will dictate their future.
However, there is plenty they do not tell you about being an undergraduate student with a big longing for knowledge and even bigger dreams. They fail to mention that as a college student, you are stuck in a purgatory. You yet to have the skills to be hirable by professional companies, but you have more knowledge that the average blue collar worker…just not the same working experience that they do. You are not fully independent even if you live by yourself in a college dorm you think of as home or your apartment you share with your college cohorts. You can only make small and in the grand scheme of things, irrelevant monetary contributions to your life. Your parents most likely pick up most of the weight. In other words, you are useless and broke to the professional world. They also don’t tell you that as a college student, you often have to choose between your dreams and survival, especially when it comes to your summer plans. In a big city like New York, there are more people searching for internship opportunities than there are people hiring. I’d always thought it would be easier looking in the city for summer jobs, but in a fast-moving and impersonal place, finding a summer job is like a discovering a needle in a haystack. I am quite familiar with downtown Manhattan. My old high school is located there and for four years, I used to ride the subway for an hour each way in order to get to school. During those days, I hardly paid attention to the rich historical sites and the urban landscape of the area. I was sleep deprived and tired most mornings and trudged down Chamber Street in a complete daze. Having been released from the stress and pressure of high school, I can finally slow down whenever I walk through the financial sector and actually take in the sights. Lower Manhattan is a unique collection of neighborhoods. It was the first areas of the city that was actually inhabited when colonists first arrived- the real New Amsterdam. Furthermore, the rigid grid that engulfs the entire city does not really touch the very southern tip of the island. That means that traversing this area might be a bit tricky for first time visitors, though very much an actual adventure. Let’s get started. |
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