I took a quick trip to NYC and back this weekend with my friend Christian, leaving our wives and children behind. To celebrate this rare sip of freedom, Christian wore his very special glasses.

The occasion? Our best friend from college, David Turner, is starring in the Broadway musical On a Clear Day, You Can See Forever. The show is currently in previews, and we were both determined to see it before our respective wives give birth.

Here is David.

If you find yourself swooning, you are not alone. He is, by all accounts, a very successful actor and, by all accounts, rather dreamy.

No stranger to Broadway, David has appeared in Arcadia, Sunday in the Park With George, The Ritz, The Invention of Love, and In My Life in addition to a bunch of off-Broadway shows.

But I’m getting ahead of myself. Christian got to the city late afternoon with a mission in mind, to eat hand-pulled noodles in Chinatown at a place recommended by a friend of his.

We found it, a hole in the wall down a half-flight of steps.

We scanned the menu.

We found the selection–and the prices–to our liking. I ordered the most expensive item on the menu: Ox-Tail Hand-Pulled Noodle Soup, price $6. Christian chose the Fish Ball Hand-Pulled Noodle Soup, considerably more economical at $4.50. For yucks, we ordered some dumplings and some peanut butter noodles.

About three minutes later, the food arrived. Christian was excited.

I was just hungry.

We ate astonishing amounts of food, filling ourselves twice over. We were shocked when the bill came. $17.50 for the feast of ages. Given that my usual gripe with New York is having to take out a loan every time I visit, I was pleased.

We walked north for a long time, working off our suppers and enjoying the holiday window displays.

Eventually, we found ourselves in Times Square. It struck me how much it resembles Chestertown on a Saturday night.

Around 7:30, we wandered over to find the theater.

Did I mention that Harry Connick, Jr. is also starring in On a Clear Day?

For some reason, they put him on the marquee instead of David.

But right by the front door, there was our friend, larger than life.

Much larger.

On a Clear Day is a revival. The original opened in October of 1965 and earned three Tony nominations. A 1970 film version starred Barbara Streisand. The basic story remains the same this time around, but certain elements have been tweaked. David’s character was a woman in the original, for example.

For my money, David stole the show, evidenced by the fact that, afterward, throngs of hopeful fans waited for him by the stage door (ok, maybe a few of them were there to see Harry Connick, Jr.)

Christian and I waited as David signed autographs for his public.

When David was done, he ushered us inside, where we were adorned with VIP badges. It was pretty exciting.

We went up to his dressing room.

We admired his colorful, bell-bottom-laden wardrobe (the show is set in the mid-70’s, and the incredible costumes are reason enough to see it).

I just can’t say enough about David’s performance, how beautifully he sang, how well he danced, how masterfully he inhabited his character. He’s a comic genius, and this show is the perfect vehicle for his humor. Drawing inspiration from his muses Carol Channing and Bea Arthur, he had the audience on the edge of their seats and begging for more. It was such a genuine pleasure to see a friend thriving in his profession and exceeding his dreams.

When we got to the street, the crowd was starting to disperse. Harry Connick, Jr. was just pulling away from the curb–in a pickup truck, not a limo.

Apparently, that’s how he rolls.

It was fun seeing Harry Connick, Jr. up there. He’s a incredible singer and a great performer.

But as far as I’m concerned, the night belonged to David. I was so proud of him, and I let him know.