Secrets Every Smart Traveler Should Know

by Kelly Monaghan

This production has closed.

“Secrets Every Smart Traveler Should Know” began its life as an excellent book of travel tips by Wendy Perrin. (Disclaimer: Wendy says some nice things about my books in hers, so I might be biased.) Then Wendy's brother Scott got inspired, borrowed the title, rounded up a talented bunch of song and sketch writers, and produced a hit.

This is the kind of witty, sophisticated cabaret-style entertainment for which New York was once famous. Remember Julius Monk and Nichols & May? If not, you owe it to yourself to check out “Secrets ...” to see what the Big Apple has been missing.

Four talented and versatile performers, backed by a pianist and bassist, take us on a hilarious kaleidoscopic tour of the trials and tribulations and, yes, the joys of travel. Even if you've never been farther from home than, well, New York, you should find the show vastly amusing. But the well-traveled will find special fun in being able to nudge their companions at references to Uzbekistan, Montserrat, and the Salzburg festival and say, “I've been there.”

Some of the numbers are based on actual incidents cited in Wendy's book, like the hapless car renter who was zapped with a $7,000 drop-off charge, but most are wacky fantasies based on the all-too-common problems we've all faced at one time or another.

The inevitable reference to Montezuma's revenge gets a super hip twist in the jazz riff “Me and Margarita” sung in ultra-cool bistro style by bassist Jay Leonhart. Nick Santa Maria reveals almost all in “Naked in Pittsburgh,” a very funny lament about lost luggage that demands absolutely perfect timing. My favorite was “Buffet”, written by Santa Maria, in which the company appears as outrageous stereotypes of cruise passengers singing the praises of the endless bounty laid on for their delectation by the cruise line. The humor is sometimes risque but always PG-rated making this a show suitable for most of the family.

The show, which was originally located on the somewhat less convenient Upper West Side, now goes on at Ibis, an Egyptian restaurant at 327 West 44^th Street just west of Eighth Avenue and a short stroll from Times Square. Dinner is served prior to the show and the prices are moderate for Manhattan. I can't vouch for the main courses but can safely say that the desserts ($6.00) are okay.

The show, which recently posted its 500^th performance, runs Monday and Wednesday through Saturday at 8 p.m. There are matinees Wednesday at 2:30 and Sunday at 3, and there is a Sunday evening performance at 7:30. Tickets are $47.50 ($50 on Saturday night); student and senior (65+) tickets are just $20. Call (212) 239-6200 for reservations. On the day of the performance check the TKTS booth at the north end of Times Square (47^th and Broadway) for half-price tickets (a $2.50 per ticket service charge is added). Once at the Ibis, food and drink are a la carte and optional.

Didn't find what you were looking for? Try a Google search.

IF YOU FIND THIS WEB SITE HELPFUL, PLEASE CONSIDER
PURCHASING OUR BOOKS! THANKS.

“Secrets Every Smart Traveler Should Know” A Review

by Kelly Monaghan