I owe a lot to my friends. Not only are they smart, thoughtful, friendly, creative, and supportive, they also tell me when there are cool things going on that I should check out. Despite living on the opposite side of the country, one friend of mine manages to get the scoop on theater events here in NYC before I do sometimes.

Months ago she told me that Jason Robert Brown, who we both love for his show “The Last Five Years” (now a movie!), is doing a yearlong residency at SubCulture on Bleecker Street. When I found out that his January 26 show was going to feature Norbert Leo Butz, I knew I had to go. I’ve loved Norbert Leo Butz since high school, when I knew him only as “Fiyero sexy voice” on the “Wicked” soundtrack. I fell further in love when I listened to the original Off-Broadway cast recording of “The Last Five Years”, for which he originated Jamie. I saw him in “Big Fish” on Broadway (an interesting show, but not memorable, except for him), but was thrilled to get a chance to see him in a small setting.

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