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Good books, old friends

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By Kara Kvasnicka

Tuesday, November 29, -0001

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I should have cleaned house. I should have planted flowers. I should have planted myself in front of my computer and churned out a book review. A recommendation for good reading material is, after all, what the headline promises.

But, when the daunting prospect of completing these chores loomed before me, like Mole in The Wind in the Willows, I was suddenly overcome by intense pangs of restlessness. I craved, no I needed, a change of scene.

So, I picked up Mom and set off for New York City to take in some Broadway shows.

(Okay, I confess. I planned this trip in February. Sometimes literary license makes for more interesting writing than the literal truth.)

I am by no means a travel writer. However, I have nothing to offer this month other than a few random observations from my roamings. Think of them as souvenirs.

As I am sure you know, the variety of things to see and do in the Big Apple would satisfy the appetites of any traveler. I go primarily to indulge my love for theater. This time I went specifically to see the Broadway revival of the 1987 Tony-award-winning musical "Into the Woods," with book and direction by James Lapine and words and music by Stephen Sondheim.

You may recall how strongly I connected with the themes from this show after Sept. 11. "Wishes come true not free," Sondheim and Lapine remind us. Preserving our happiness is as difficult as obtaining it.

I was struck anew by Sondheim's genius as his brilliantly conceived score was interpreted with intuitive understanding and wit by the musicians and actors in this production. Only Sondheim can write songs that simultaneously soothe and provoke.

His melodies alone were enough to cast a magical spell over me. Increasing the enchantment were gorgeous, larger-than-life storybooks that figured prominently into the scenery and a show-stopping dancing cow. (No, not a real cow but an actor wearing a cow costume.)

From the tantalizing list of other shows on Broadway this spring, we picked "Oklahoma!" and "Thoroughly Modern Millie."

When I am in the mood for their determinedly bright optimism, which is not all the time, I can find some of my favorite Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein songs in "Oklahoma!" — the starry-eyed "Out of My Dreams," the unabashedly corny "Surrey with the Fringe on Top" and the infectious "People Will Say We're in Love."

The highlight of the latest revival of this American classic is Susan Stroman's breathtaking acrobatic choreography, an effortless alternation of dramatic ballet and humorous high-stepping.

The conflicts between the farmers and the cowmen in the territory on the brink of statehood, as well as their common dreams, are expertly captured by Stroman's rugged yet romantic dances in combination with Rodgers and Hammerstein's sprightly score. So is the intense chemistry between young lovers on the verge of happy-ever-after.

Based on the 1967 movie of the same name, "Thoroughly Modern Millie" is thoroughly delightful. Its heroine, Millie Dillmount, is a small town girl who arrives in decadent 1920s New York with a "new-fangled" notion of how to secure her future. Simply put, she plans to marry a rich man.

You can imagine what comical complications ensue when she falls in love with a penniless drifter and tries in vain to resist his charms.

Bursting at the seams with enthusiastic stars, tireless tap-dancing, raucous jokes and clever sight gags, my only problem with "Millie" is that it strives more to be a hit than it does an unforgettable experience. You will not leave the theater humming any of its musical numbers because you will not remember any of them.

Between shows we fit in some sight-seeing.

While most tourists flock to such quintessential attractions as the Empire State Building and the Statue of Liberty, I always make a beeline for Fifth Avenue and 42nd Street. There my favorite landmarks majestically stand sentry over the entrance to the New York Public Library's Humanities and Social Sciences Branch.

I would not think of leaving Manhattan without first paying my respects to those imposing yet approachable marble lions, Patience and Fortitude.

Nor could I miss an opportunity to dash inside and admire the main reading room's luminous frescoed ceilings before making my requisite stop in the library's charmingly eclectic gift shop.

(Oh, look at the adorable library lion beanie babies! Wait, what is this? An innovative pop-up book of Brooklyn's monuments put together by the Brooklyn Public Library staff!)

Adjacent to the beautifully cultivated Bryant Park, this New York Public Library branch tops my list of fantasy libraries in which to work.

So does the system's main children's room on 53rd Street, permanent home to the original stuffed bear and other toys that inspired A.A. Milne's endearing Winnie-the-Pooh stories.

(There is a definite twinkle in Pooh bear's eye! I am positive he and his buddies come to life after hours and play!)

As if meeting these timeless literary friends was not enough of a treat, Mary Poppins' deactivated umbrella is on display just around the corner.

Libraries were a strangely recurring motif of this vacation. (I do my best to get away from it all!) When Mom and I found ourselves at 36th Street between Park and Madison we could not resist peeking inside the stately J. Pierpont Morgan Library.

Ironically, given the climactic scene in E.L. Doctorow's Pulitzer-prize-winning novel Ragtime, in which Coalhouse Walker Jr. threatens to blow up this turn-of-the-century symbol of money and power, this was the only library where we were not required to present our purses for inspection when we entered.

I was entranced by the gloriously illuminated medieval and Renaissance manuscripts Morgan collected. Just think of the patient, careful craftsmanship that went into the illustration and assembly of these treasures.

Cultural enlightenment was not all Mom and I had in mind as we wandered Midtown on foot. We popped into Saks and other Fifth Avenue stores to ogle over-priced merchandise.

We made it a point to "skibble" on over to the Plaza to see what ruckus Eloise might be raising. Surprisingly, given all the trouble she has given that place, it seems to celebrate her presence. A suitably sassy portrait of the irreverent heroine hangs right outside the elegant Palm Court dining area through which she would have eagerly run amuck.

Eloise rules!

Well, it is beginning to look like the giant from "Into the Woods" attacked my apartment. Time to unpack and tackle the projects that waited for my attention while I went off to play.

Time to start planning and saving for my next escape!

Kara Kvasnicka, a former East Village Magazine news editor, has been the magazine's contributing editor and research consultant since 1989. She is the librarian at the Genesee District Library's Goodrich Branch.

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