Verunka's Voice

Times Square is bustling with people at all hours of the day. I know because I walk through there every day to get to my temp job. I have to admit it is not my favorite part of the city and when people come to see it for the first time, I am never the first to volunteer to show them that area of New York. Unfortunately, my fiance gets stuck with that.

As I was walking to Theatre for One , many people were more focused on the lights of Times Square, passing by this wonderful black box. They had no idea what a wonderful experience they were missing.

That wonderful box is Theatre for One. It does exactly what it’s name says. You walk into a small theatre and you get a solo performance that lasts a few minutes long. You can see a picture of how it looks on their website: Theatre for One.

It is FREE and they only ask for donations. I was happy to hear that they have extended it for May 29th, 30th and 31st.

So,  definitely take advantage of it!
Here is a video of it (the music is Phyllis Chen’s composition “Carousel” -my favorite, you can even see a little of her in the video!)

Theatre For One from Theatre For One on Vimeo.

I was excited to see that, Phyllis Chen was performing there. I have known her for a few years now and she never ceases to amaze me!

As I was waiting in line, there was one of the performers keeping the energy up in front of the box.

He was a really outgoing, amazing magician.

As we were waiting in line there was a woman that was definitely a bit rough around the edges and she was loving his show. She kept saying, wow, that is “F&*()&*()& amazing.” I looked at her a few times because there was a little kid (about 6 years old or so), waiting with his mother in line and she was throwing profanity out like there was no tomorrow.  I KNOW.

It actually was pretty awkward and the magician was a good performer because he hid his annoyance pretty well. She even tried to get him to tell her how he did his tricks, in a pretty loud and obnoxious way. OK? Really?

I was glad when I saw that I was next in line (she was two behind me, but you never would have guessed, considering she was hovering at the front, bothering the magician).

Also, as I was waiting in line, a young teenager had just proposed to his girlfriend in front of LOTS of people. Random strangers were taking their picture and some people were screaming with excitement. I wish I could say that they were all together but I don’t think so.

The old me would have screamed ” Ahhh!!”, the new me was thinking, “Oh my God, they are both just babies.”

Don’t get me wrong, I am a hopeless romantic but…wow.

The truth is that at that age I would have said, ” I will love him FOREVER, you don’t know what you are talking about, you do not understand how deep this love is, he is THE ONE. I love him more than YOU know how to love. He is perfect. I hate you for doubting my love!”

Then, we would have broken up a week later.

Well, between the theatrical performances of the foul mouthed lady and the starry-eyed teenagers getting engaged, I was finally the next in line to watch the performance I came to see. Unfortunately, my friend, Phyllis Chen, got out to take a break.

Right at THAT moment.

I know, my luck. BUT the magician was going to go in and put on a show while she was taking a break.

Luckily, the people there said that I could watch him and then watch Phyllis right after when her break was over. So, I walked into watch the magician’s performance.

I felt a bit overwhelmed because it was really amazing inside. There is a lot of plush deep-red material on the inside and there was a board between me and the performer. It reminded me of a lot of the old movies with a carnival feel to it.

Suddenly, the board between us was pulled away.

There was the magician.

I felt bad for the magician because I was so nervous and excited being in this new space that I could not focus on the card game. I can guarantee that he was doing some great magic tricks but it was hard to for me to focus for so many reasons. He was nice enough to sign the numbers with his fingers for the card that I was supposed to be looking out for. I am pretty sure my confused stare said everything. He had great energy (which I noticed outside) and intensely expressive eyes.

Well, I may have been nervous but I was fascinated by the whole experience. I loved how a gritty blues song was playing in the background as he was performing his tricks and I loved how intense his energy was. That is rare in performers, especially the real intensity; fake is a lot easier to come by.

So when Phyllis’ break was done, I got a chance to hear her perform. Something that I was waiting for with excitement. When they pulled open the wall between us, she was sitting on the floor with her toy piano in front of her and her music box on the piano. She was playing my favorite piece that she has composed, “Carousel” (you can hear it in the video above). It is so beautiful! It was such an intimate moment and my eyes got watery. It was pretty emotional to have my own little performance in such a small space. It proves that a performance is just as good for one or many.

I was definitely more mentally prepared for her performance than the magician but I will try and go back again and see it this week. Maybe this time the magician will not have to sign the card I am looking for.

When she finished her piece, I stepped out of the theatre into the busy Times Square and darted from the crowd to find my train.

Despite the hectic rush of people in Times Square, everything stopped when I was in that little theatre.

It was just me and the performer.

Please, go and see this if you have the chance. You will not only have performances as you wait in line ( it is Times Square) but when you walk into the black box, it will be an experience that you will never forget.

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