Angels in New York – Everyone’s Going To Notice. Visions versus reality.


Secrets and lives: Angels in New York  

I’ve just started watching this documentary on SBS and I am enthralled.  It tells the journey of a couple of Sydney-siders as they take their first major musical production to New York City – specifically for it to open on Broadway.  Culturally and physically, they seem to be the guys least likely.

The duo, Ken Lai and Marcus Chong have considerable talent and are self confessed geeks.  Their ambition and steely determination to reach their goal despite so many odds stacked against them makes compelling viewing.  Their families helped them fund their living expenses for their move to New York.  There were many touching scenes in Sydney – family dinners (at Marigold 🙂 ), the senior members of the family recognizing ‘Angels’ in the newspaper and curiously peering at the lap top images of the musical.

It would be tempting to google and find out what really happens, but I have promised myself not too.  Not that Mr SSG is really backing me up on this.  He’s taken to yelling out random facts he’s found out on his search.  Should I tell him to go listen to the cricket?

It’s a David and Goliath story and I so want it to happen for these boys.  I can see now that the visions and creative minds are going to collide with reality.  Solutions may not always be found.

As I’ve been watching, my mind drifted back to when the SSGs were in New York last year.  By day, Broadway and its surrounds are much like any other part of the city.  Grey, large buildings with blank facades – the colourful billboards erected on their walls the only hint of theatre in the streetscape. 
 
We caught a performance of Will Ferrell’s ‘tribute’ to George Bush.  It was a night of surprises and revealations.  New Yorkers are actually really sociable.  A man seated next to us introduced himself and had a chat to us.  He was a journalist with Baron’s, a financial magazine, I think.  I had no idea how deep the dissapointment and disenchantment with George W Bush ran in the US until I went to the production and spoke to the locals. We covered a lot of territory in the minutes that we spoke.  And the pattern continued wherever we went in the US.  People would extend a hand, offer a greeting and speak with us (as opposed to at us, as that nasty stereotype of American tourists would have you believe).  There were such fascinating stories to be shared.  I really hope we can return again soon, if only to just meet more people.
Happy Thursday evening folks. 

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