Newsies at the Fox: a Review

After being on Christmas shutdown for the past month my customer started back production Tuesday and it was immediately busier, especially in the afternoon. The normally 15 minute meeting lasted over an hour. Since I had gotten to work 40 minutes early I left work 30 minutes early. Drove down to Howell Mill to eat dinner on the trendy Westside. We figured Taqueria would be crowded and we were in a hurry, so we ate next door at Yeah Burger.

Yeah Burger is supposed to be a healthy burger place, so I shouldn’t have been surprised at the bland French fries and onion rings (we shared a combo side dish – smart idea). Not oversalted for sure. The onion rings were fresh and lightly breaded, allowing for the sweet onion taste to come through – but it didn’t. Each burger was built with two small grass fed beef patties, which did provide more flavor and plenty of meat (Ceil took out one patty before chowing down). Plenty of pink on the inside of my medium well patty, though the outside was almost crunchy around the perimeter. Even with plenty of meat the “Artisian white roll” bun was much too big – some bites were like eating plain bread. Ceil’s wheat roll was smaller, but I was shooting for the tastiest burger possible. The service was relatively fast, considering we had to wait behind a mom with her two young daughters. For the price Yeah Burger ranks behind Fuddruckers, Moxie Burger, Smash Burger, Cheeseburger Bobby’s, and even Flip Burger. On par with Red Robin, but healthier.

Left the Westside at 6:45 and cut through Tech to North Avenue. Traffic wasn’t too bad past the Varsity, and we found plenty of parking spaces on West Peachtree. Got behind some slow walkers, but had no problem getting my tickets at the Fox Theater will call. Made it to our seats in time for the organ sing along. The Fox looked to be 80% full for the first of six shows.

NEWSIES encountered just a few Opening Night snags. In the first number one actor accidently dabbed shaving cream on another actor’s mic. In the first act most musical numbers featured strong vocals from the ensemble, but I noticed that in comparison the lead actor Dan DeLuca’s singing voice was relatively weak. Otherwise his performance went well. But during intermission it was announced the lead role would be played by the understudy Jon Hacker in the second act. Not sure if DeLuca got sick or was pulled like a quarterback for a poor first half performance. Based on the plot (newspaper delivery strike) I was surprised the AJC would ever sponsor a Broadway show like Newsies.

   

Didn’t feel too well earlier in the day – headache. Could be due to a tooth. Maybe today will be the day I make a doctor’s appointment (I did – next Thursday). Good having Will home some this weekend. He mulched the yard and blew the driveway. He went back to Athens this morning but will be back this weekend for his roommate’s bachelor party – burgers Friday night, breakfast buffet Saturday morning followed by a trip to that new golf facility in Alpharetta and dinner at Bones.

Anna came home from her two day sleepover and washed her Jeep – a first. She and M backed the cars into the garage so all four cars would fit in the driveway. Ceil cooked spaghetti and meatballs for dinner – one of Will and Matthew’s favorite meals. I did a little cleaning and worked on the computer. W, A, and C watched The Emperor’s New Groove – a good movie but I wasn’t in the mood, so I went to bed early.

Phone rang at 5:30 am – a problem. Should’ve been detected yesterday afternoon but wasn’t. Arrived at work at 6:25 but it took almost an hour to solve the problem. Will be leaving work early today – I won tickets to tonight’s opening night of the Broadway musical Newsies at the Fox.