Family

Hiring Moving Companies or Doing-It-Yourself – Which Will Be Your Pick?

Published

8 years ago

August 3, 2018

Writer

Moving is an extremely stressful event. Packing everything from big to small will be tedious enough and transporting the same will be nothing less than a nightmare. Here people have two choices- to hire a moving company or do it on their own. Some people prefer to handle everything by themselves, and this also includes packing and moving. But doing it by oneself will be the right choice only if one knows what he is doing. The truth is it will not make things easier. In fact, on the contrary, if you hire the services of a professional moving company for handling the hard part things will be simpler and organized. To organize the move yourself or hire movers is an age-old dilemma as a common headache associated with moving is to decide how to move to the new location or new home.

A person may prefer packing and moving by himself, rent a truck as well as hire movers. A moving companywill take care of everything. People have choices with regards to relocating. To use the services of a moving company at the first go may seem quite daunting but this is a crucial choice to consider when looking for a budget-friendly solution. To ensure that you are making the right decision or helping a loved one decide, take a look at the pros and cons of hiring a professional mover versus moving yourself.

Moving Yourself

If you have decided to handle the moving process in its entirety all by yourself, then you should be ready to face the extremely stressful experience. Even if you have a small house, you will have to move some bulky items which you cannot move through a sedan. Here it will be necessary for you to hire a truck. If your acquaintances refuse to let you utilize their vehicles, you will have no choice but to move via your own that too without hiring a truck which can be expensive and involve many hassles if it is a cross-country move. Besides, there are some additional considerations that you need to consider such as fuel and insurance.

If you hire a truck, it is important to get insurance for the same which again is an added expense. Moreover, the truck rental company will not pay for the fuel which means you will have to take care of the fuel costs as well. Although the perk of doing it yourself will be that you will be capable of retaining control over everything. The best part is you will have the flexibility of packing everything as you desire, move at a pace you wish and also adapt to amends in your moving plan easily. But the best moving companies being highly adept in this industry and knowing the ins and outs of the entire process will handle your belongings as if these were their own. In fact, their business model indeed is built on this promise.

Choosing a Moving Company

The stress to move by yourself often can become too much. Here the best choice will be to hire the services of a professional moving company. Along with helping you in transporting your goods to your new destination they will also help in packing and unpacking the same which means you can pay attention to other priorities at the time of transition. Especially in case of a cross-country move, joining hands with these companies will be an intelligent choice. However, every good thing has some form of a downside, and here it is the cost. Professional movers usually charge a good amount resting on the weight of the items, gratuity and also insurance. This, however, is worth it because the chore of packing and moving will no longer be on your shoulders. If you wish to save some money, do the packing on your own and hire the movers just for loading and unloading your goods.

Which to Choose?

Below are some factors which will help you in understanding both the choices and decide which to pick,

The Amount of Goods Matter-If your move is more significant and there a lot of things to pack, going with a professional mover will be an easy and better choice. On the other hand, if you have fewer things, then you can handle the packing and rent a truck. Learning both about the weight of the goods and the size of the home will work wonders in helping you in determining the size as well as the moving vehicle type that is ideal for you. Even in the case of a small home you are free to hire a moving company. But keep in mind that some companies have a specific working hour, and if it is below it, you cannot utilize their services. It means that the movers will not come merely to move your couch.
Check the Distance-When it comes to moving through a mover or yourself the choice will rest as per the circumstance. For instance, while shifting down the street doing it on your own will be a good choice, but if it is a cross-country move, it is best to leave it in the hands of a professional. Moving indeed has health risks while carrying and lifting home items. If you plan to move abroad, then there cannot be a better option than hiring the services of a professional moving company. So, it is you who needs to decide which will be a better choice to move yourself or hire a mover. Most importantly you need to consider the cost. Should you move an apartment of one-bedroom in the same city, the charge will be lesser compared to shifting to a new country altogether.
The Complexity of the Move-Your move will be complicated if you have several home appliances, expensive car, collections, valuable and breakable items, antiques and goods to dismantle or disconnect. By letting the pros handle your job, you can save a lot of effort, time and obligation. That means you can free yourself from getting your things dirty, lifting heavy objects, hesitating where to begin from, how to go about it, gathering people for handling a specific job or where to collect the equipment from. A professional moving company can offer you with a carpenter, locksmith and a handyman and every other thing that is needed so you will not require spending anything extra.
Packing-Being an amateur it is quite likely that you may not have the needed packing expertise or if there are fragile and delicate things that require packing it is best not to take any chances by trying your hands on it. After deciding what are things that you plan to move the next step will be in preparing the quantity and packing supplies. While juggling between the two choices of moving yourself or hiring a mover, always remember that a mover along with offering the packing service will also provide the packing supplies. This way you can remain stress-free because the moving company that you hire will come with all the boxes, tapes, wraps and other necessary materials and nicely pack your stuff in just no time.
Time needed for Relocation-If you take the responsibility of everything right from buying packing supplies, packing, carrying, loading, driving the truck, unloading to unpacking the entire process will take more time since you will be doing everything on your own. But when you hire a pro to take care of all this, things will be more organized, and the time required for completing the relocation will be less, after all, they have been doing it for ages. Experience can indeed make a difference.
Finding Helpers- The two options of doing it yourself versus hiring a moving company will put you in a contrary state- doing it on your means looking for people or helpers to assist you in the whole process of packing, loading, dismantling and disconnecting the goods. On the contrary, the moving labor has the equipment and the right tool and resources which mean they will do everything quicker.

Deciding amid moving yourself and hiring a mover are the two standard choices which you have while relocating. You may think doing it on your own can save you a lot of money, but this is a myth. That is so because you do not have much knowledge in this field, so you end up spending more in the process. Doing things on your own will include a lot of hidden costs which you may not be aware of.

So, the best choice will be to hire the services of a professional moving company. Ensure to find a mover that is trustworthy and experienced and can cater to your moving needs easily. Take suggestions, check for reviews and testimonials, compare the prices and then make the right choice. With a little bit of research and homework, your move will be much simpler than you can think.

Broadway

The Festival Day Two: RENT Reunites, Broadway Lets Loose and the Hudson Becomes Its Stage

Published

2 hours ago

August 19, 2026

Suzanna Bowling

If Friday was Broadway’s arrival in the country, Saturday was the moment it unpacked its bags and decided to stay awhile.

Photo by Austin Ruffer

Photo by Michaelah Reynolds

Photo by Austin Ruffer

Photo by Michaelah Reynolds

Day Two of The Festival, held Saturday, August 15 at Kingston’s Hutton Brickyards Riverfront Hotel + Venue, took the ambitious premise introduced on opening day—a destination festival devoted entirely to musical theatre—and turned up the volume. The Broadway Direct Stage filled with Tony winners and Broadway favorites, composers stepped out from behind their scores, unlikely musical moments appeared, and after dark the Hudson River became part nightclub, part theatrical summer camp.

But the emotional heart of Saturday belonged to a musical that changed Broadway 30 years ago.

Adam Pascal and Daphne Rubin-Vega. Photo by Austin Ruffer

Wilson Jermaine Heredia. Photo by Austin Ruffer

Fredi Walker-Brown. Photo by Austin Ruffer

No Day But Today: RENT at 30

Daphne Rubin-Vega. Photo by Austin Ruffer

Daphne Rubin-Vega and Kristen Lee Kelly. Photo by Austin Ruffer

Anthony Rapp. Photo by Austin Ruffer

Anthony Rapp, Fredi Walker-Brown, Gwen Stewart. Photo by Austin Ruffer

Three decades after RENT exploded onto Broadway and changed the sound, look and audience of the American musical, members of its original Broadway company reunited at The Festival. Anthony Rapp, Adam Pascal, Daphne Rubin-Vega and Taye Diggs came together again, transforming what could easily have become a nostalgia exercise into something considerably more moving.

Anthony Rapp and Taye Diggs. Photo by Austin Ruffer

Adam Pascal and Daphne Rubin-Vega. Photo by Austin Ruffer

Adam Pascal and Anthony Rapp. Photo by Austin Ruffer

Because RENT is no longer simply a Broadway musical.

Adam Pascal and Anthony Rapp. Photo by Austin Ruffer

Taye Diggs. Photo by Austin Ruffer

For an entire generation, Jonathan Larson’s work became a marker of time. It arrived speaking about AIDS, art, poverty, friendship, sexuality, chosen family and the terrifying uncertainty of whether tomorrow would arrive at all. Its young artists were trying to create lives in a city that increasingly seemed determined to price them out of existence. Thirty years later, some of those ideas feel less like period details than unfinished conversations.

RENT 30th Reunion. Photo by Austin Ruffer

Daphne Rubin-Vega. Photo by Austin Ruffer

Fredi Walker-Brown. Photo by Austin Ruffer

RENT 30th Reunion. Photo by Austin Ruffer

And there they were again…. Rapp,Pascal, Rubin-Vega, Diggs. Older, certainly. So was the audience that first loved them.

RENT 30th Reunion. Photo by Austin Ruffer

Fredi Walker-Brown and Lauren Patten. Photo by Austin Ruffer

But RENT has always contained that strange contradiction: a musical obsessed with mortality that somehow refuses to age. Hearing its music sung by the people who helped introduce it to the world created one of those rare theatrical collisions between memory and the present. The people onstage had lived 30 more years. So had many of the people watching them.

Five hundred twenty-five thousand six hundred minutes suddenly seemed like a very small unit of measurement.

Kelli O’Hara

Kelli O’Hara Raps. Because Apparently Anything Can Happen Upstate.

Kelli O’Hara Photo by Michaelah Reynolds

Kelli O’Hara and daughter, Charlotte Photo by Michaelah Reynolds

Saturday wasn’t entirely interested in reverence. One of The Festival’s strengths is its ability to remove Broadway performers from the carefully constructed environments in which audiences normally encounter them. Here there are no characters to disappear behind and no fourth wall demanding obedience. The artists can play. And Kelli O’Hara rapping certainly qualifies.

Kelli O’Hara Photo by Michaelah Reynolds

One of Broadway’s most exquisite singers—an artist associated with Rodgers and Hammerstein, Adam Guettel and some of the most beautifully controlled vocal performances of her generation—allowed herself to venture considerably outside the territory in which Broadway audiences usually encounter her. That sense of mischief is exactly what an event like The Festival should encourage. We already know what these performers can do eight times a week. The fun is discovering what they do when somebody hands them a microphone beside the Hudson and lets them loose.

Jason Robert Brown Photo by Michaelah Reynold

Norbert Leo Butz. Photo by Austin Ruffer

Norbert Leo Butz Photo by Michaelah Reynolds

Norbert Leo Butz offered a different kind of pleasure, returning to Big Fish, while Jason Robert Brown sat at the piano and performed selections from his own formidable catalogue. Brown remains one of contemporary musical theatre’s most distinctive composer-lyricists, and there is something particularly satisfying about hearing theatre songs stripped back to the person who first imagined them.

Jenn Colella. Photo by Austin Ruffer

Dasia Thomas, Jenn Colella and others to perform songs from Brown’s past and present shows.

Kelli O’Hara, Renee Elise Goldsberry

Renee Elise Goldsberry Photo by Michaelah Reynolds

Renee Elise Goldsberry & Kelli O’Hara

Kelli O’Hara, Renee Elise Goldsberry

Renee Elise Goldsberry

Lena Hall, Norbert Leo Butz, Renee Elise Goldsberry

The Saturday Big Show, featuring Renée Elise Goldsberry, Kelli O’Hara, Norbert Leo Butz, Jenn Collela,

Lena Hall. Photo by Michaelah Reynolds

Lena Hall. Photo by Austin Ruffer

and Lena Hall.

Solea Pfeiffer. Photo by Austin Ruffer

Solea Pfeiffer. Photo by Michaelah Reynolds

Solea Pfeiffer, Liisi LaFontaine, and Tyler Joseph Ellis. Photo by Michaelah Reynolds

Krystina Alabado and Isabelle McCalla. Photo by Michaelah Reynolds

A Preview of New Musicals, hosted by NY1’s Frank DiLella, highlighting seven new musicals in development: Autopilot, Bludline, Huzzah, Love Somebody, Regency Girls, Someday Soon, and Star Machine. The talented Solea Pfeiffer, Solea Pfeiffer, Liisi LaFontaine, Krystina Alabado, Isabelle McCalla and Tyler Joseph Ellis joined.

Some Broadway performances become permanently attached to the actor who introduced them, regardless of how many talented performers inherit the role. Angelica Schuyler’s breathtaking rewind through desire, sacrifice and split-second decision-making is one of those moments, and Goldsberry remains inseparable from it. Bringing “Satisfied” out of the Richard Rodgers Theatre and onto an open-air stage gave Saturday another jolt of Broadway history suddenly living in the present.

That mixture became the defining character of Day Two. This wasn’t merely a collection of performers singing their biggest numbers. The Festival was beginning to demonstrate the value of placing artists from different corners and generations of Broadway beside one another and seeing what happens when the usual theatrical architecture disappears.

When Broadway Goes to Camp

Lauren Patten. Photo by Michaelah Reynolds

Fredi Walker-Brown and Lauren Patten. Photo by Austin Ruffer

Jenn Colella, Lauren Patten, and Norbert Leo Butz. Photo by Michaelah Reynolds

Then the sun went down. This may ultimately be where The Festival separates itself most successfully from the endless parade of Broadway concerts, conventions and benefit evenings already filling the theatrical calendar. The programming didn’t simply end after the marquee performances. Instead, Broadway nightlife followed Broadway upstate. A cozy campfire set featuring performances from Kelli O’Hara, Jenn Colella, Lauren Patten, Norbert Leo Butz, and more.

Krystina Alabado and Isabelle McCalla. Photo by Michaelah Reynolds

A pop-up edition of Club Cumming, the East Village playground created by Alan Cumming and a gathering place for performers, musicians and assorted creatures of the night, brought some downtown Manhattan energy to Kingston. The elegant Hudson Valley retreat suddenly acquired a little glitter around the edges.

Elsewhere, Broadway performers gathered around campfires for acoustic music along the river.

Amber Ardolino. Photo by Austin Ruffer

That image may actually capture the entire weekend better than the “Coachella for Broadway” label that has followed The Festival since it was announced. Coachella suggests scale, spectacle and celebrity. The Festival certainly had all three. But Broadway is fundamentally a community of storytellers, musicians and performers, and some of the weekend’s most appealing moments came when the machinery disappeared.

Seth Rudetsky and Tommy Bracco. Photo by Austin Ruffer

A singer, a song, a fire, the Hudson and people listening. There is something wonderfully old-fashioned about that, particularly for an industry increasingly obsessed with grosses, celebrity casting, social-media engagement and whether a production can survive another week. Remove the commercial machinery for a moment and you’re left with the reason people entered this profession in the first place. They wanted to tell stories.

Photo by Michaelah Reynolds (

Hovering over Saturday was RENT, the musical that once told Broadway audiences that community could become family and that the meaningful measurement of a life wasn’t money, possessions or even time. It was love. Thirty years later, on the banks of the Hudson, the people who first delivered that message found themselves together again. Perhaps that is why the reunion belonged here.

The Festival was attempting to build something Broadway desperately needs and rarely has enough time to create: community without a curtain call waiting at the end of it. Saturday proved there may indeed be an audience for that. And there was still one day left.

Next: Day Three — Audra McDonald, Brian Stokes Mitchell and the finale of Broadway’s first weekend on the Hudson.

Food and Drink

Sushi by Bou: IYKYK

Published

2 hours ago

August 19, 2026

Andrea Allen

Tucked away on West 47th Street, smack dap in midtown, is a hidden sushi spot that should not be missed. But you can if you don’t know the secret entrance. Sushi by Bou at 132 West 47th Street, is an intimate hideaway that feels worlds away from the chaos of Times Square. Look for the door and staircase, next to the Sanctuary hotel. You may walk right past it, but please make sure you find it!

You might pass right by it … look for the wooden box …Street entrance

seriously…enter thru this door!

My dining partner and I went for a lunch and tried the traditional 12-course Signature Omakase, a chef’s-choice experience featuring some of the freshest fish of the season, sourced from Japan and Mexico.

Chef Jaimie

Our chef, Jaimie was knowledgeable, engaging and clearly loved what he was doing and loved feeding people. As you may know, omakase means “I’ll leave it up to you,” essentially putting the meal in the chef’s hands.

At Sushi by Bou, the experience is a carefully timed progression of sushi, with each piece prepared and served in sequence. The restaurant focuses on sustainably sourced seafood selected for freshness and flavor, plus a flair for theatrical presentation for the patrons.

And a good time was had by all

We made our way through all 12 courses, but several stood out as favorites. The Chopped Tuna was a delight, the Spotted Prawn had an unexpected wasabi kick, and the Miso Black Cod was so tender it melted in your mouth. Each piece offered something different, and part of the fun was not knowing what would come next. The last piece of BBQ eel turned out to be the unsung hero, but a burst of flavor from the sauce.. delish!

The other patrons dining alongside us were from Israel and were equally enthusiastic about the food, calling it some of the best sushi they had experienced in the city.

Lineup

What makes Sushi by Bou particularly special is the intimate setting. The Times Square location combines the artistry of traditional sushi with an “in the know” type of atmosphere. It is a great choice for a pre-theater dinner, a business meal, a celebration, or an after-Broadway bite. Impress your friends with being an insider in this foodie’s delight.

Sushi by Bou has locations throughout the country, but the Times Square location is the only one that serves lunch, making it an especially convenient option for a midday business meeting or client lunch.

For those looking for an even more indulgent experience, Sushi by Bou also offers its 17-course Bougie Omakase and 17-course Bou Reserve Omakase, which feature premium ingredients and special additions.

With its intimate counter, talented chefs and excellent fish, Sushi by Bou Times Square is a little bit of Japan in one of the busiest parts of Manhattan.

Be sure to make reservations ahead of time.

SUSHI BY BOU

132 West 47^th Street, NYC

Entertainment

Game On! Wonderama Takes Over Times Square With Wonder Games

Published

2 hours ago

August 19, 2026

Suzanna Bowling

Times Square has hosted almost everything imaginable, but on August 25 it is handing the controls to the kids.

@wonderamatv The Wonderama Wonder Games are back! Join in on the fun starting August 25th, live from Times Square! Join host @davidosmond and discover why The Wonderama Wonder Games are truly The Games That Everyone Can Play! #wonderamatv #timessquare #gaming #livemusicconcert ♬ original sound – Wonderama

Wonderama, America’s longest-running children’s television show, is bringing its inaugural Wonder Games to the Crossroads of the World for a day where music, gaming, emerging talent and some wonderfully old-school Wonderama fun collide with the digital generation.

David Osmond

Hosted by David Osmond, Wonderama Chuckie and Alisa Obrianova, Wonder Games is built around a rather irresistible premise: “The Games Everyone Can Play.” That means young gamers, musicians, creators and families won’t simply be watching the action—they’re part of it.

The event brings Wonderama together with FENIX360, AbleGamers and the Empire State Scholastic Esports Federation, with support from the Times Square Alliance and One Times Square/Jamestown. Expect live music, creator showcases, family activities and those classic Wonderama games alongside something that certainly wasn’t part of children’s television when Wonderama first hit the airwaves: competitive esports.

Student gamers will take center stage for exhibition matches in Rocket League and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, presented with the Empire State Scholastic Esports Federation. And while parents may still occasionally wonder how sitting in front of a screen became a team sport, scholastic esports has become an arena for strategy, communication, collaboration and community—and these students are coming to Times Square to show what they can do.

“Wonder Games is about much more than competition,” said Wonderama Executive Producer Charles Armstrong. “It is about creating a place where every child feels welcome, creativity is celebrated and young people can discover how their interests in music, gaming, technology and storytelling can open pathways to future opportunities.”

That idea of discovery has always been embedded in Wonderama’s DNA. Long before everyone with a phone could become a content creator, the show understood something television occasionally forgot: kids don’t merely want to be entertained. They want to participate. Wonder Games takes that philosophy into 2026.

Through FENIX360, a global platform designed to help musicians, performers, artists, gamers and other creators connect directly with audiences, Times Square will also become a showcase for emerging talent. Young performers and digital creators will have the chance not simply to appear before the live crowd but to reach FENIX360’s international creative community. In other words, the kid performing in Times Square on Tuesday could be reaching an audience halfway around the world by Wednesday. But perhaps the most important part of Wonder Games is contained in those four words: everyone can play.

Wonderama’s partnership with AbleGamers puts accessibility directly into the experience, highlighting adaptive gaming technology and approaches that allow players with disabilities to participate. Gaming is at its best when the controller isn’t a barrier to entry, and Wonder Games makes the argument that ability shouldn’t determine who gets invited into the game.

There is another side to growing up digitally, of course. Wonderama will also address creating safer and healthier online environments for children and families, supporting the goals behind the Kids Online Safety Act and recognizing Senator Richard Blumenthal’s work in pushing children’s online safety into the national conversation. It is a surprisingly broad agenda for a day of games—and that may be exactly what makes the concept work.

Wonderama has survived generations of childhood because childhood itself keeps changing. The games change. The technology changes. The screens certainly change. Today’s kids inhabit a world where performer, gamer, programmer, musician and digital creator increasingly overlap, and careers exist that their parents couldn’t have named when they were the same age.

What hasn’t changed is the desire to play, create, compete, belong and be seen. On August 25, Wonderama is taking all of that, putting it beneath the lights of Times Square and inviting New York to come play. Because Times Square may belong to Broadway most nights. But for one day, Player One is taking over.

Broadway

Broadway Heads Up the Hudson: The Festival Takes Over Hutton Brickyards

Published

1 day ago

August 18, 2026

Suzanna Bowling

Broadway packed a weekend bag, left Times Square behind and headed north. On Friday, August 14, the inaugural The Festival opened at Hutton Brickyards Riverfront Hotel + Venue in Kingston, New York, transforming the Hudson River waterfront into something Broadway has rarely attempted: a true destination festival built around the people, music and community of the theatre.

Photo by Michaelah Reynolds

Produced by Joshua Saltman and David B. Schwartz, The Festival ultimately drew 2,875 attendees from 48 states over its three-day debut, with 165 performers taking part in more than 30 programs. There were 30 musicians, 14 ensemble members and 13 apprentices, but numbers only begin to describe the ambition of what Saltman and Schwartz were attempting. This wasn’t Broadway presenting another concert. It was Broadway borrowing the language of the great music festivals and asking what happens when musical theatre gets out of the theatre.

Campfire Stage photo by Austin Ruffer

The answer, at least on Friday, was that it rather liked the fresh air. At the center of the sprawling weekend was the Broadway Direct Stage, an open-air covered venue surrounded by the Hudson Valley landscape. Instead of velvet seats, chandeliers and the compressed electricity of a Broadway house, audiences found themselves experiencing some of the theatre world’s most recognizable voices against water, sky and the industrial remnants of the historic brickyards. There was something wonderfully incongruous about it: Broadway glamour meeting Hudson Valley earthiness without either having to apologize to the other. The opening day’s lineup immediately established that this wasn’t going to be a modest experiment.

Gianmarco Soresi. Photo by Michaelah Reynolds

Comedian and actor Gianmarco Soresi hosted the inaugural “The Festival”(The Broadway Festival). He served as the host and emcee

Alex Newell. Photo by Austin Ruffer

Alex Newell

Mandy Gonzalez. Photo by Michaelah Reynolds

Mandy Gonzalez. Photo by Austin Ruffer

Mandy Gonzalez

Christopher Jackson. Photo by Austin Ruffer

Christopher Jackson and Mandy Gonzalez. Photo by Austin Ruffer

Christopher Jackson

Javier Muñoz. Photo by Austin Ruffer

Christopher Jackson and Javier Muñoz. Photo by Austin Ruffer

Javier Muñoz

Solea Pfeiffer. Photo by Austin Ruffer

Solea Pfeiffer. Photo by Michaelah Reynolds

Solea Pfeiffer

Jasmine Amy Rogers. Photo by Austin Ruffer

Jasmine Amy Rogers

Cara Rose DiPietro. Photo by Michaelah Reynolds

Cara Rose DiPietro

Tyler Joseph Ellis. Photo by Michaelah Reynolds

Tyler Joseph Ellis and Matt Rodin were among the artists helping launch the weekend, while SiriusXM’s Seth Rudetsky did what Rudetsky does particularly well—turn Broadway history, personalities and musical obsession into entertainment.

Tommy Bracco Photo by Michaelah Reynolds

One of Friday’s most charming ideas belonged to Tommy Bracco, the Newsies alum and Big Brother favorite, who hosted a celebration of Disney music. Bracco began with “Out There” from The Hunchback of Notre Dame, but it was Solea Pfeiffer who provided one of the afternoon’s genuine reminders of how much extraordinary music remains trapped inside Disney’s animated catalogue. Her performances of “Colors of the Wind” from Pocahontas and “Reflection” from Mulan made a fairly persuasive argument for why Broadway has yet to get its hands on either score.

Reeve Carney and Eva Noblezada. Photo by Austin Ruffer

Eva Noblezada. Photo by Austin Ruffer

Then came Reeve Carney and Eva Noblezada, whose musical and personal history has become its own little piece of contemporary Broadway mythology. They originated Orpheus and Eurydice together in Hadestown, fell in love, married, and have continued sharing stages since. At Hutton Brickyards, the scale shifted. Away from the machinery of a Broadway production, the two were able to offer something more intimate—a reminder that before scenery, costumes and theatrical spectacle arrive, musical theatre begins with people telling stories through music.

Campfire Stage 2 photo by Austin Ruffer

That intimacy was one of the more intriguing elements of The Festival’s concept. Broadway normally asks audiences to enter its buildings. Here, Broadway entered the audience’s world. People wandered between performances, conversations and events rather than sitting obediently in one seat for two and a half hours. Artists who normally disappear through stage doors after a performance were suddenly part of a larger weekend community.

By evening, however, subtlety was finished.

The Big Show. Photo by Austin Ruffer

The Big Show Night 1 Company photo by Austin Ruffer

Friday culminated with The Big Show, and the Broadway Direct Stage became exactly what its name promised: a full-scale concert designed to let Broadway voices loose. Cara Rose DiPietro, Tess Soltau and original Rent star Adam Pascal opened with an inspired piece of theatrical mischief, turning Stephen Sondheim’s “A Weekend in the Country” into a self-referential welcome to the weekend, accompanied by more than a dozen Broadway dancers.

It was an appropriate choice. Sondheim’s number is itself about people converging upon a destination carrying expectations, desires and complications with them. Here came thousands of Broadway devotees doing essentially the same thing, only their weekend in the country involved considerably more belting.

And that may be the cleverest thing about The Festival. Broadway has spent decades trying to expand beyond the geographic boundaries of Broadway while still treating the Broadway theatre as the center of the universe. Touring companies travel. Cast albums travel. Stars perform concerts. BroadwayCon created its own gathering place for fans. But the great American music-festival model—travel somewhere beautiful, stay for several days and immerse yourself in the music and the people who make it—has largely belonged to other genres.

Saltman and Schwartz decided musical theatre deserved one too.

They assembled an astonishing inaugural roster across the weekend: Audra McDonald, Kelli O’Hara, Renée Elise Goldsberry, Brian Stokes Mitchell, Norbert Leo Butz, Jason Robert Brown, Lena Hall, Tom Kitt, Andrea McArdle, Alex Newell, Adam Pascal, Anthony Rapp, Jenn Colella, Andrew Barth Feldman, Lauren Patten, Denée Benton and many more, culminating in something irresistible to Broadway devotees—a 30th anniversary reunion of the original Broadway cast of Rent.

Behind that amount of talent was an equally formidable creative operation. Tony winner Jerry Mitchell and Jon Rua choreographed the event, with Mitchell and D.B. Bonds directing. Dan Lipton handled musical supervision, Julie McBride served as musical director, and Michael Downs oversaw creative direction and experience design. David Rees provided lighting, Cody Spencer sound, Caite Hevner video and Ryan Park costumes, while Lana Schwartz directed The Festival Apprentices. Chris Gratton served as production manager, technical director and site manager, with Lisa Iacucci as production supervisor.

That is an enormous amount of Broadway infrastructure to transport to the banks of the Hudson, and Friday proved that the concept could actually work.

By the time the weekend ended Sunday, Saltman and Schwartz were already prepared to announce that The Festival will return in 2027.

“We are absolutely thrilled with how The Festival went this weekend,” the producers said following its conclusion, thanking both the fans who had created the weekend’s community and the artists who had filled it. “We couldn’t be prouder of the experience and the incredible team that put it all together. We can’t wait to see you in 2027!”

Neither, apparently, can Broadway. Friday was only the overture.

Next: Day Two of The Festival — when Broadway’s weekend in the country really got underway.

Family

Minimalist Interiors and Epoxy Furniture: A Perfect Match

Published

2 days ago

August 17, 2026

Writer

Minimalism has a reputation for being easy: paint the walls white, remove half the furniture, buy a simple lamp, and call the room finished. Anyone who has actually tried to make a sparse interior feel comfortable knows it is harder than that. When there are only a few important objects in a room, every one gets noticed. The table can’t hide behind accessories. The grain, finish, proportions, and even the way light hits the surface suddenly matter.

That is one reason natural timber works so well in pared-back rooms. It gives the eye something to linger on without adding clutter. Pieces such as maple epoxy tables can take that idea further. Maple is usually pale and relatively quiet, while a narrow resin section can introduce depth or contrast without turning the tabletop into a decorative spectacle. Used carefully, epoxy doesn’t have to shout. It can look more like a shadow, a seam, or a strip of water caught inside the wood.

Minimalism Is Not Emptiness

The best minimalist rooms rarely feel empty. They feel edited.

A dining room might contain a table, six chairs, one pendant, and a low cabinet. That sounds severe on paper, yet it can feel warmer than a crowded room if those few elements have strong material character. An oak floor, linen curtains, or the grain across a tabletop can provide enough texture on their own.

This is where epoxy either works beautifully or becomes too much. A bright electric-blue river through a slab will dominate a quiet room. Sometimes that is intentional. More often, a restrained interior benefits from clear resin, smoke grey, black, brown, or a faint transparent tint. The table still has personality. It simply does not ask for attention every second.

Let the Wood Do Most of the Work

Resin invites experimentation, and that can become a trap: more pigment, more shimmer, a wider river, another color. Minimalist interiors usually improve when the opposite instinct wins.

A good slab already contains plenty of detail. Grain changes direction. Knots interrupt the surface. Maple, ash, and oak can look quiet from across the room, then reveal much more when you sit beside them.

Resin can underline those features instead of covering them. A clear fill inside a split keeps the crack visible. A narrow dark channel can make the outline of two adjoining slabs easier to read. In some of the strongest designs, epoxy occupies only a small part of the top.

That restraint matters because the room has to live with the table every day. A dramatic piece can look fantastic in one photograph and feel exhausting at breakfast.

Why Pale Wood Often Works Better

Light timber is forgiving in small rooms and spaces without much daylight. It reflects light, sits comfortably beside warm white or grey walls, and does not create the visual weight of a very dark top.

Maple is particularly useful. Its grain is subtle enough for a simple room but not so uniform that it feels manufactured. Depending on the board, there may be soft ripples, pale streaks, or occasional darker markings. You notice them gradually.

Pair pale timber with clear resin and the table can feel almost airy. Pair it with charcoal resin and the result becomes more graphic. Neither choice is automatically better. The surrounding room decides.

If the kitchen already has black cabinets, a large black resin feature may be one dark element too many. In a room that is almost entirely pale and matte, the same black line might provide exactly the contrast that is missing.

One Interesting Piece Can Be Enough

Minimalist rooms often work best when one object carries more character than the rest.

Imagine a dining area with plain plaster walls, slim wooden chairs, and a linen pendant. Put a generic rectangular table in the middle and the space may feel unfinished. Add ten decorative objects and the room can quickly lose its calm.

A tabletop with an unusual grain pattern, natural edge, or restrained resin detail can solve the problem without adding more stuff.

This does not mean every minimalist home needs “statement furniture.” The phrase itself has become tired. The point is simpler: if fewer things are going into the room, one or two of them need enough presence to hold the space together.

Furniture is ideal for this because the visual interest is built into something the room already needs.

Gloss, Shape, and the Details People Forget

Finish can change the mood of an epoxy table more than expected. High-gloss resin catches windows, lamps, and movement. In an apartment with polished stone, glass, and sharp lines, that can feel right. In a softer space with limewashed walls, linen, wool, and pale timber, the same surface may look too formal.

Satin finishes sit more quietly. They still reveal the depth of resin but reflect less of the room.

Shape matters just as much. Minimalist architecture already contains plenty of straight lines—cabinets, windows, shelves, doorways. A table does not always have to repeat them. An oval top can soften a room full of corners. A gentle live edge introduces movement without another color or pattern.

The base needs the same restraint. Heavy, complicated supports can make even a modest table feel bulky. Simple wooden or metal legs usually leave more visual space around the top.

A Sparse Room Exposes Every Mistake

There is one downside to distinctive furniture in a minimalist room: nowhere to hide.

A rough transition between resin and wood becomes obvious. So does an awkward leg position or a tabletop that is slightly too big. In a heavily layered room, these problems can disappear among other objects. Minimalism offers no camouflage.

Measurements therefore matter as much as color. There should be enough room behind dining chairs. The table should make sense beside the kitchen island, rug, and pendant rather than merely fit between two walls.

Daily life matters too. Gloss shows fingerprints. Very dark resin can reveal dust. A sharp natural edge may be awkward in a home with small children. A beautiful table still has to survive breakfast, laptops, homework, spilled coffee, and dinner.

The Best Pairings Are Usually Quiet

Epoxy furniture and minimalism may seem like an odd match if epoxy brings to mind bright blue rivers and metallic swirls. But that is only one version of the material.

Clear fills, muted pigments, pale wood, simple bases, and carefully judged proportions can give a minimalist room character without clutter. The table does not have to behave like a sculpture on a pedestal. It can simply be a useful object with enough texture and variation to keep the space from feeling anonymous.

That is what good minimalism is really about. Not fewer things for the sake of having fewer things, but fewer compromises. When one table brings warmth, texture, function, and a small amount of visual surprise, there is less need to decorate around it. The room can stay calm without becoming bland.