Rembrandt had a run for his money this week in NYC. The master was on show at The Frick with a privately owned painting aptly named Entertaining the Angels. But as art lovers flew through the doors in anticipation, there was a more earthly distraction awaiting. The ducks that return to the famous garden every Springtime were having an exhibition of their own. Ducklings! Noses were glued to the windows as these little darlings ducked and dived and paraded around the pool. Imprinting kept them close to their mother, a classic bonding, while downtown a thespian billing staged a totally different but equally endearing story.

Manhattan is a honey comb of stages and theaters tucked away in walk-ups and secret spaces. Open bars and lounge room comfort make more for a club than a playhouse. From the street you would be none the wiser of the talent and performances that bring life to the nooks and crannies of that vast hard earned world of Off Broadway. It’s the place where young talent finds an audience, and on Saturday night as a standout in a short play festival, ‘Quack’ was a fabulous find. Bailey Newman played the cute discovery and then the constant companion of a teaching professor, with the audience as bonded to her gorgeous energy, as we were to her loss when she realised she was a duck.

The Fricklings may not have to endure the heartbreak of their theatrical cousin – Central Park will be a welcome home for their aspirations. But watch for Bailey in the bright lights of Broadway, she won’t be a duckling forever…