Just returned last night from New York where we spent three days wandering around the great city, stopping at the Metropolitan Museum of Art where we tried to convince our 8 and 10 year old boys that art really does matter (had success with the 10 year old but the 8 year old found it challenging after the initial excitement over having an audio guide faded)– and the Museum of Natural History where they watched their mother go crazy over the Big Bang exhibit (next lifetime I am coming back as a cosmologist! ) The eight year old may have had difficulties accepting the soulfulness in the eyes of Velázquez’s portrait of Juan de Pareja but he had no such difficulties during the performance of The Lion King we took in the night before. It was truly wondrous to watch his face light up during the opening segment as Julie Taymor’s wonderful costumes came alive on the stage and we were treated to the parade of spectacular giraffes, elephants and lions supported by a wonderful African beat. I had known of Taymor through her design of The Magic Flute which was broadcast on PBS a couple of years ago and which captured the imagination of my son Will, then only eight years old. I was truly amazed at what a brilliant mind—combining with many other brilliant minds—can accomplish. It really speaks to the possibilities inherent in the art form.
The other great experience we had in New York was watching our sons Will and Andre bond with Sid and Stan, two boys from Australia who played soccer with them in Central Park, delighting in the fact that they shared the same soccer heroes (Fernando Torres and Cesc Fabregas). We later met the parents, Annette and Michael and their lovely older brother Joe for dinner and had a spectacular time at Tavern on the Green in Central Park.
Meeting Australians in Central Park seemed somehow fitting given our new connection to this country through Kevin and Victor.
Did I mention how much I am looking forward to the musical of The Mapmaker’s Opera? So much so I am already planning our New York trip when the musical hits Broadway there some day. What a wonder it would be to watch this work in such a setting—rounding our trip with more cosmology, soulful art and wonderful encounters with engaging new friends in Central Park!
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