When thinking about all the wonderful sights and sounds of the day it was a memorable day. Walking across the bridge on a wonderfully clear day it was beautiful. I was awe struck at the massive caissons; it was neat to put a visual to the book. That, I found was one of the most interesting parts of the book, as well as the most tragic, considering the caissons disease. Seeing Central Park was another awesome experience. The trees and bridges were peaceful. It was unusual to think in a city as large as New York, that two men would be inspired to build a wonderful getaway. As I write this blog at midnight one of the events from today that I felt would be most worthy to blog about was the Broadway show. Getting the opportunity to see Mary Poppins will be one of the most memorable jaunts of this trip. The entire experience of the show was memorable. The theater was the New Amsterdam and the inside was beautiful, a perfect setting for this turn of the century play. What struck me most as I listened to the songs of my childhood was not just the play, but all the underlying themes. Even though this play was set in England, it is so true to the experience of class relations here in the United States. The themes of banking and the impact of industrialization on the classes were well portrayed. Also the relation between the upper and lower classes was interestingly depicted.
As I began to think how could I bring this play into my classroom and make it relevant, I thought this would be an interesting opportunity for a research paper. Asking the students, as a group, to find all the themes in the play and then having them relate those to historical themes would be a good learning experience. The students could choose one theme to expand on in a paper. They could research in detail, for instance, class relations and evaluate if those were accurately portrayed in the play. There would be a multitude to choose from.
It is interesting that tonight when I went to my first Broadway show, I did so to experience this piece if iconic New York, and to relax. Instead I found myself evaluating if the play accurately portrayed historical themes. I fear I may need a vacation from my vacation.
