IT proved to be an eventful trip to New York, with a fair share of drama.
Our party of travellers had been up for almost 24 hours by the time the cast left the stage at the end of the Broadway production of Chicago.
But it was worth all the sleep deprivation to see former Cheers star Bebe Neuwirth as Roxie Hart.
She played emotionally repressed psychiatrist Lilith in the Boston bar comedy, later to become Frasier Crane’s wife.
Bebe also guest starred alongside Kelsey Grammer in 11 episodes of spin-off Fraiser.
She was a revelation on stage in the high energy musical, having previously won a Tony Award for playing Velma Kelly in the same show.
Sadly, at the same time there was drama of a very different kind unfolding just a short distance away in Greenwich Village.

JUST about to head off on a flying visit to New York.
I had a gun pulled on me the first time I went there – but still fell in love with the city.

JOHN Thaw was one of TV’s biggest stars and a huge acting talent.
From The Sweeney to Inspector Morse via Goodnight Mister Tom and dozens of other roles, he gave pleasure to millions.
So it’s good to see that ITV are planning a celebration to mark the 20th anniversary of the arrival of Oxford detective Morse on screen.
Manchester-born and raised John, who died from cancer in 2002, would probably have been amused – and a little taken aback – by the thought of such a tribute.
It will include a special weekend of programmes on ITV3, including Morse Live At The Albert Hall, a spectacular evening of music at the London venue.
Hosted by Michael Parkinson, the concert will feature several opera stars, such as Lesley Garrett – taking a night off from her role in The Sound of Music.

THERE’S a lot to like about young Shameless actor Gerard Kearns.
I spoke to him about a new role at Channel 4’s spring programmes launch in London yesterday.
Known to millions as Chatsworth estate resident Ian Gallagher, Gerard plays an 18-year-old British soldier serving in Iraq in new drama Mark of Cain.
Filmed in Manchester and Tunisia, the Red Production Company film examines issues of friendship and the moral choices that people are forced to make in difficult situations.
There’s an interview with Gerard in today’s MEN – you can read the online version here.

SOMEONE has a sense of humour at the BBC.
A “lucky” 13 castaways are now making their home on an island off New Zealand for the return of what is billed as “the original TV reality show”.
Castaway is back on BBC1 at 9pm this Friday, seven years after the first series based on the Scottish island of Taransay.
The 13 chosen ones include just married Manchester model and lapdancer Erica Hurst, from Bolton, who you can read about in today’s MEN story here.
She’ll be hoping to avoid the fate of Salford builder Ray Bowyer, who was ordered off Taransay in 2000 after rows with the rest of the community.
Many journalists still have fond memories of the farcical tabloid chase which followed his departure from the island.
The new series has a different format to the original. For a start, it will last three months compared to a year, with weekly shows on BBC1 and added coverage on BBC3.

ARE Jane Austen novels just for girls?
That’s what Spooks actor Rupert Penry-Jones thought before he starred in a new ITV1 adaptation of Persuasion.
You might have read the interview with him here in yesterday’s MEN.
Well, below are just a few of his thoughts which I couldn’t squeeze into the feature.
“I have found with Austen that it’s lots of women going on about wanting to find a husband – as a man, it wasn’t something that interested me,” confessed Rupert.
But Jane Austen knew that a chap – just like a lady – can change his mind.
“When I saw the modern love story of the two characters in Persuasion – everybody’s been in a situation where there’s somebody that they love, who they don’t think loves them. I had it at drama school.

IT’S all hail to the ale as TV bosses order a second round of the magnificent Al Murray’s Happy Hour.
But some viewers have been mystified by one aspect of the Saturday night series starring everyone’s favourite pub landlord.
While Al has been a great success, ITV1 has called time on the commercial breaks during the show.
Two of the three breaks have consisted entirely of internal ads for other ITV programmes.
Last Saturday, for example, the first 90-second commercial break advertised forthcoming ITV1 drama Mobile and ITV4 American import Smith.
The second 60-second break was devoted to a trailer for tonight’s return of Manchester-filmed Cold Blood.
It was only during the third, four minute long, break that normal service was resumed, with ads for the likes of McDonalds, Peugeot, Tesco, BT and Norwich Union.