On taking my little brother to the theater

Last weekend my 23 year-old brother, Michael, was visiting me in Brooklyn. He's this super straight, beer drinking, baseball playing guy with a penchant for musicals. He says things like, "Do you think we can hit a matinee before the Yankees/Sox game?"

He is also a big Harry Potter fan, so when I had to come up with a big, flashy musical matinee for Saturday, How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying won my money. It was also apropos, because Michael graduated from a business college last May and has had three entry level business positions in the past year. He would very much like to climb the corporate ladder quickly like J. Pierrepont Finch.

Michael eats up a theatrical outing like someone who loves the theater, but doesn't get to go often. He is consistently blown away by the theater's ceiling, the enthusiasm of the crowd and the quality of acting/singing. He is always impressed with our seats - we could be in the last row of the balcony and he would say, "It's awesome being so high up."

His favorite musical is In the Heights, but often when we see a new show he will declare it to be his second favorite. I first remember that happening when we saw A Chorus Line on tour in San Francisco. Then when we saw HAIR in Boston this spring, that became his second favorite. But I think it will be awhile before another show holds a candle to How to Succeed. We were both impressed by Daniel Radcliffe's comedic acting, his singing and his American accent. We agreed that he seemed to be obviously concentrating on the choreography. At intermission we had to google his height (5 feet, 5 inches), because he appeared to be the smallest person in the cast.

Michael had a ton of fun at the Yankees/Red Sox game, but surely his retelling of the weekend also included the experience of his sister taking him to see a highly satisfactory musical with a big movie star. It's such a pleasure to bring a guest to the theater who is so enthusiastic and easy to please. Michael is coming back to New York in August and I'm already planning what we should see.