A Very Mickey Christmas

Light the Lights

Working on lights for the final Jazz Ensemble concert of the year!

Mamma Drama

On Tuesday of Thanksgiving break, my daddy had tickets to a hockey match and was traveling to St. Louis to see the game; having received a notice from the Fabulous Fox Theatre in St. Louis about rush seats available for Mamma Mia, which started on Tuesday, I decided to go with him and try to get seats for the opening night performance. I talked Codi into going, and on her first student rush experience, we managed to get two orchestra seats!

A big fan of the movie, the show was everything I thought and wanted it to be: silly choreography, ridiculous situations, and bubbly, feel good Abba tunes. Kaye Tuckerman was fantastic as Donna Sheridan (wonderful voice!), and just a few notes into his main song, Christian Whelan blew me away with his smooth, controlled voice as Sam Carmichael. Also of note, Donna's best friend Rosie and Tayne, portrayed by Mary Callanan and Alison Ewing, were a hoot and a half and clearly the life of--not only the party--the show.

All in all, the show was a great time out, but that's not what this blog post is actually going to be about. While the main story was unfolding on stage, a little drama was taking place back in my corner of the theatre.

Let's start with this: when going to the theatre to see a show, people are paying money to hear the characters on stage... and not to hear a whiny preteen singing along with every song. Normally,  I try not to let these things bother me. I get it. She's clearly a fan. I enjoy singing along with Mamma Mia songs myself, but there is a time and a place for that (for me, it is when I'm driving around in my car--by myself--not disturbing anyone). But this girl? She didn't waste anytime and joined in on the first song signing loudly, bouncing in her seat, and ignorantly (perhaps blissfully?) unaware of all the heads turning her way and giving her only what I can assume to be death stares. Unfortunately immune to strangers' disapproving glares, she kept it up. She sang the second song, the third, and the fourth. Upon the start of the show's (and this girl's) eighth number, Codi sighs and throws another glance in the direction of the girl. Now I'm getting angry. I am fortunate enough to get to go to the theatre quite often, but I usually don't get to take my little sister (going to see a Broadway show with her was a big deal!). This was supposed to be a special evening out for us to spend time together, and it was being ruined by some ill-mannered girl. I had had enough. Fortunately, I was sitting on the aisle seat, so I slipped out and walked to the usher standing at the wall. I told her that a girl was singing very loudly in our section and would not stop, i.e. distracting everyone in the area. The usher said, "Sorry, but I cannot do anything about that. You need to go speak to the House Manager." So, I walked down the hallway to the House Manager's station. She was speaking with someone else, so after waiting a moment, I explained what was going on to her. She said she would take care of it and to show her the area, so I lead her to our section. After sitting back down and whispering in Codi's ear "I tattled," I felt a moment's panic because the girl was not singing (there wasn't a song playing then). I glanced over and saw the House Manager standing in the back, both waiting and watching. When the next song started, the girl started back up, and I saw the House Manager start over to her.  I noticed them speak, and then the girl did not sing along for the rest of the act.

While this should be the end of the story, it gets better. Come intermission, an old man sitting four seats down from me and basically behind the singing girl tapped her on the shoulder and said, "Hey, why did you stop singing? I thought it was lovely. Those actors are just so hard to understand, and you were really helping me out!"  The girl's mother (sitting the row ahead of her for some reason) then turned around and said, "You know what? You should go tell that stupid usher that! She came over here and told MY child to stop singing! What makes her think she can do that? It wasn't bothering anyone over here, and she thinks she can make her stop? What can they do? Throw us out? Please! We paid to see this show!" There are so many things wrong with what she said:

1. What makes your child think she sing during the show? 
2. The House Manager can tell her to stop. It is kind of her job.
3. If it comes to it, they can ask you to leave.
   
   And most importantly:
4. It was bothering pretty much everyone except you, your child, and this weird old man.

You should be happy to know that upon her saying "It wasn't bothering anyone," I  actually raised my hand and said, "It was bothering me and that's why I told the House Manager, and if you start singing in the next act, I'll go tell her again." I don't know if that lady heard me, being in mid-rant and all, but others around me did and nodded their heads in approval. I didn't notice her singing in the second act (Codi said she heard a few phrases every now and then, but nothing too bad), so I guess it was worth it to go tell, even if that means missing a whole musical number (and one of my favorites from the show).

Billy Elliot

As a part of an EIU Alumni gathering in St. Louis, I got to see Billy Elliot at the Fox! This is one show that I would recommend listening to before you go. I had not listened to it before I saw it, and I feel that I missed out on a lot (I have since listened to the recording quite a bit and I like more and more each time I hear it!). Our seats were pretty high up, but I am always thankful to just be in the theatre and able to see the show!

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Interested? Check out these two clips below:

Make a Wish!

Tossin' and Turnin'

Why yes, I did twirl two batons in my business school's conference room!

Doudna Season Thus Far

All the Doudna Premier events for 2011 have been completed! We had aerial acrobatic artists, Latin poetry,  gospel bands, Israeli musicians, military comedians, NPR readings, and so much more. Below are a few of the events that I managed to get signed posters of:

Check 1... 2...

Final sound and light check before DePue Brothers Band concert tonight.

High Art

Pendulum Aerial Arts present "High Art"

First Doudna Premier Event of the Season

A lot of tech work, neat aerial acrobatics, and they

even let me try to do a few tricks on their hanging silks!

What did I do this summer?

What I saw at Lincoln Center

What I saw on (and off) Broadway

Who I met at stage-doors!

Last Day at Lincoln Center

Sad as it is, my last day at Lincoln Center finally arrived. 

Does that mean it is ok to take silly photos around campus? 

Yes. Enjoy!

A New Season of Love

Normally when you try to lotto a show, you walk up to the table, they explain the rules, and then they hand you a slip. Is it a bad sign then when upon approaching the theatre while walking down the sidewalk, the girl running the lotto pulls out a slip, stretches it out towards you, and says “You know the drill?” Whether it is a good thing or not, my name was finally called—sixth time’s the charm!

What does winning the Rent lotto mean? Well, it means that I got the opportunity to sit in the front row of the new off-Broadway production for only $25! Yes, the new off-Broadway production.

A little background: Rent first opened in 1996 and ran on Broadway for over 12 years finally closing in late 2008. Only 3 years later, a group of producers decided to produce a new version off-Broadway. Why off? Mainly, it’s much cheaper. The house would also be smaller, and with (usually) cheaper tickets, the show could sell out every night easier than if it were on Broadway.  Now a little of my background going into this: my first encounter with Rent was seeing the Hollywood movie that was released in theatres in December of 2004. I actually pinpoint this experience as the start of my love (/interest/obsession) with musicals and all things Broadway. Now, I had already been to see my first Broadway show at this point, but seeing Rent really solidified everything. I then saw the original version while it was on tour at the Fox Theatre in Atlanta. When it was announced that the original Broadway production was closing, I was a little sad that I’d never see it at the Nederlander, but  was thrilled when they announced that they would film the final show, screen it in theatres nationwide, and release it on dvd. I, of course, saw it at the movie theatre and later bought the dvd.

Warning: This review will be much harsher and more in depth than most. Why? Because Rent means so much to me and (quite frankly) because familiarity with the subject matter allows it. If you are unfamiliar with Rent and wish to remain that way, stop reading now. I will thoroughly compare characters, scenes, actors, and production values between the original production (as I saw live and in the B’way filmed version) and this new version. 

Where to start? How about the actors? I’ll try to make this as short and sweet as possible, because I already know that this critique will be rather lengthy.

•    Mark (Adam Chanler-Berat): Loved, loved, loved! Adam pulls off the right amount of geeky cuteness and was everything I ever want my Mark to be. Did he seem like an obsessed filmmaker? Not entirely, but he charms his way through this role.
•    Roger (Matt Shingledecker): Absolutely hated. He seemed liked he didn’t want to be here. No connection with audience and no chemistry between him and Mimi whatsoever (which really hurts the production).
•    Mimi (Arianda Fernandez): She was decent. I was worried due to all the negative reviews of her swirling about on the internet, but honestly, she was fine. She tried so hard to make a connection with Roger, but it just wasn’t there (and I blame him).
•    Maureen (Annaleigh Ashford):  Finally, though many think she is miscast, I think casting directors finally got it right, and Annaleigh is the best Maureen I have seen. Everything she added and emphasized was perfect and scored tons of laughs. I also now finally believe Maureen when in “Take Me or Leave Me” she states that everyone stares and calls after her (do you really think that would happen to Idina or Eden? Come on.)
•    Joanne (Corbin Reid): Great! Her voice was lovely (one of the better of the Joanne’s I’ve experienced). She and Annaleigh had such a fantastic connection and I fully believed all of their emotional journey (can they give Roger a lesson, please?).
•    Benny (Ephraim Sykes): Such a smooth and wonderful voice. His scenes, though few, were marvelous and his lines, whether stern, threatening, or comedic, were all pulled off to great effect.
•    Collins (Nicholas Christopher): Fair, I feel his and Angel’s connection could’ve been stronger. It felt rushed, and I think I’ve seen better pairs, though I must point out that he did deliver a moving and heartfelt  “I’ll Cover You (Reprise)”
•    Angel (Michael Rodriguez): Ahhh, Angel. I usually love you to pieces, but…  I don’t think he did anything wrong. He did the best with what he was given (a lot of this goes under production values, I know, but it get’s hard to separate). Angel’s costumes were all changed for the worse, and when he is supposed to be in drag, his “wig” is just a blonde piece that seems slapped on.   I don’t think they fully established the “woman” aspect (that Angel acts ladylike and prefers being a “she”), and when Mark stumbles over the use of pronouns during the funeral, it loses impact because this Angel didn’t really present himself in that way.

Songs:  For the most part, everything was great and I’ll only discuss a few numbers here. The music is really what I love about Rent, and it seems to have been left in its original state--that is, expect for Christmas Bells.

•    Christmas Bells has many variants performed throughout the show, and they all remained intact; however, the original Christmas Bells track was not as lucky. The song was chopped up with many lines/whole sections missing, but if you were not extremely familiar with the original (meaning, if it wasn’t your second favorite song of the show that you know every line word for word), I don’t think you would’ve noticed.  I did like that it snowed a little bit every time they mentioned it was “beginning to snow,” as opposed to only snowing at the end. Nice change new version!
•    Today for U didn’t seem right without the Santa suit (Sorry, but something’s just shouldn’t change!).  (watch excerpt: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l7lS0ysONw0)
•    I’ll Cover You: What’s the deal with the cape? I know, this should fall under production, but really, what’s the deal with the cape? Instead of a Santa suit, Angel has been wearing a jeans and a tight red jacket complete with a frilly red bow and cape. He plays with the cape throughout this piece (readjusting it to make different outfits?) and then bequeaths it to Collins who wears it proudly for the remainder of the number.  Angel is supposed to be stylish, and honestly, my version of who Angel should be is too fabulous to ever wear a cape, especially this one.  (watch excerpt: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9jVZl36_tUY)
•    Out Tonight: My first thought was “Whoa! Look at how original they are being: They are having Mimi dance on railings a level up while wearing a blue top, as opposed to having Mimi dance on railings a level up while wearing blue pants!” Then Mimi pulled the “top” down to be a skirt which made them lose that originality (ha! though the outfit did look slightly better… watch  excerpt: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dusPSFO7d7s)
•    Another Day: I don’t know why, but this number just felt so uncomfortable.
•    Santa Fe: Nice deep voice moment from Angel which was hilarious (“a pleasure cruise”), but STOP playing with levels! We’ll get into this a little more in a minute.
•    Over the Moon: Annaleigh’s performance was perfect, but why was she so high up (curse those levels!)? Also, why did she plead that Joanne not forget her cowbell when she never rang it? Oh, and why were the sunglasses on a stand? That was awkward. Just let her wear them.
•    Seasons of Love is performed in the same manner, but is seriously lacking a strong female soloist (the male soloist was quite excellent though!). 
•    Take Me or Leave Me: I was worried after seeing them perform this at Broadway in Bryant Park, but this was fantastic! Keep up the good work ladies!
•    Contact was better by leaps and bounds. Thank you for getting rid of the awkward everyone-singing-under-a-parachute scene and replacing it with lively and very sexy choreography. 
•    I’ll Cover You (Reprise): While the talking at the funeral couldn’t have been more awkward (please don’t have people chant certain words/phrases at the same time) or unbelievable (all those heartfelt confessions/speeches just sounded fake or, in Mark’s case, didn’t seem supported by what you’ve presented), Nicholas’s emotions and voice were surperb.
•    What You Own: My favorite song.  Adam, we’ve already established that I loved you and your presence in this number was enough to overpower Matt’s awfulness. That being said, did we really need to be continually rotating (like on a turntable, but not) the entire number? No, we did not.

Part of what I love about Rent is the simplicity of it: actors on a pretty bare stage letting the music and the words shine. Dear new version: quit trying to drown them out with flashy video and running around the set like madmen. Let’s get into production values. What did I like? Your Christmas lights that you strung across the top of the stage, the snow in Christmas Bells, and some of the new costumes. Expect for Angel’s. You messed that up, and you messed that up good. You want me to believe that Angel is so stylish that we see his clothes mass produced at the Gap? Hells no! His outfits were all horrible, and no self respecting self proclaiming fabulous gay man/woman would be caught dead in them. The wigs were also an issue, but I believe I already ranted enough about that. Nope-- You see, the first time I saw Rent, my friends and I went to dinner afterwards. We took separate cars and I got there late because I went to the stage door to meet the actors. I arrived at our table, flipped my camera on, and said “Look we meet Angel!” A girl that had seen the show with us then proceeded to argue with me that I hadn’t meet Angel because this was a photo of a man and Angel had been a woman. While that remains one of the funniest theatre conversations I have been a part of (and while that girl completely missed the point of the show), Angel is supposed to give off the air that he is a woman, and in this version, he did not. *Sigh*

Moving on! Let’s discuss the set. It looks like a jungle gym and the actors are children who are very eager to play on it. They are constantly running around, climbing up and down ladders, changing levels, etc., and it is all so unnecessary. Do they think their audience has ADD and won’t pay attention if they stay still for longer than 30 seconds? Yes, the original Rent used levels, but they were stationary and used in a good way. Did I forget to mention the levels all move and spin? Sorry. They do, and it’s not necessary either. Besides the levels, there was one main staging choice that I took issue with: Life Support. In the original, the Life support group is up in the loft, Roger remains on his table in the dark (in his apt), and Gordon is in front on opposite side of stage.  When Gordon says “Because reason says I should’ve died” and the light rises on Roger who joins in singing with him, that moment always hit me in the gut (watch B’way version here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jiJ25zj7Dwg).  The new version has the life support kids scattered across the side front of the stage, Roger on his table but pulled back, and Gordon above the group, same side, and far back. I don’t know why, but this staging just made that moment lose all of its impact and was one of the let downs of the show for me.

Overall, I did enjoy going. I’ve read the reviews, and I agree that the actors seem like young children who are playing dress up in these roles and not fully owning them. Maybe in time they will get comfortable enough to take the roles on and make them their own, instead of cautiously playing what they think they should be.  If you want to hear Rent live, go. If you want to experience what Rent was, watch the Broadway filmed movie version.   

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Seeing this “Rent” is like meeting up with a former love after a few years and discovering that while he or she is essentially the same, you don’t like what they’ve done with their looks.
-Michael Sommers

Broadway in Bryant Park

On my last Thursday in New York City, I got to take my lunch break to go see Broadway in Bryant Park, an outdoor concert celebrating Broadway with performances from the show's current stars. I waited and asked to go on this day because of the roster: Jersey Boys, Lion King, Rent, and Wicked. Even though it was unbearably hot, I couldn't have asked for a better line-up or lunch time concert!

The Winter's Tale

Today, I went to the RSC's performance of The Winter's Tale. Not knowing this Shakespeare play before seeing it, I still thoroughly enjoyed it! It was much easier to follow than Lear and a great show to celebrate my time at Lincoln Center (the whole marketing department went together). 

Live from Lincoln Center

Tonight I went to a Mostly Mozart concert that was broadcast across the nation as a part of "Live from Lincoln Center." It turns out that I was given a seat that they couldn't sell due to a camera being in the row, and I had to actually climb over a tv camera to get to my seat!

 

FAO Schwarz photoshoot

Today, I was unwittingly a part of photoshoot at FAO Schwarz (taken by the other toy solider). After taking the 1st photo, he yelled "work it!" while walking forward, twisting the camera, and snapping photos. I honestly thought he was pretending, but when I checked my camera later, I had a lot of photos to go through!

A Sunny Afternoon at the Cloisters

CD Signing

Waiting until almost the last minute, I finally went back to the Book of Mormon stage door today and got the whole cast to sign my cast recording!

Silver Tassie

Today, I went to see the Silver Tassie, an Irish play that was a part of the Lincoln Center Festival. The show was different from most of the things I go to see, but I actually had a great time. The second of the four acts was my favorite. It featured all the soldiers singing, dancing, and playing music (almost like a musical!). I particularly liked the flutist who continued to play even after he was shot and fell down dying!

A Night of Fabulous

The last show on my "want to see" list that I made before coming to New York was Priscilla, Queen of the Desert. I had been waiting because unlike all the other shows, Priscilla had a lotto instead of a rush (no guarantee that you'd get to see a show that night). I had someone ask me to take a relative to see a Broadway show. With Priscilla as the last Broadway show on my list, I figured we could lotto it together (I heard the lotto was easy, and we'd have twice the chance of seeing it!). We entered our names and then I took Coco to the Disney store and Toys R Us in Times Square (a must see). We returned for the lotto drawing, and I was the second name called!  After grabbing a quick slice of pizza, we headed back to the theatre and were led through pink haze to our seats by a feather boa clad usher (nice job setting the mood!). The show was fabulous. With drag queens, loveable pop songs, and outrageous costumes, how could it not be? I was asked during intermission, quite cutely, if the main actor was really a woman (answer: no). Raining glitter confetti down on the audience more times than I have ever been a part of before, I must say that Priscilla was a very fun night at a show that was surprisingly heartfelt!  After the show, I took Coco to her first stage door experience (this was her first Broadway show too!). Every actor walked down the line, said hello, and signed our playbills. Hopefully, we created another fan of the great white way!

Gelato Rose and a Starry Night

For a laid back Sunday, I enjoyed a delicious gelato rose from Amorino and a relaxing night ferry ride with starry views of the city.

An Un-Jolly Holiday with Mary

Maybe the title is a bit unfair. I rushed Mary Poppins this morning, and it turned out to be a really easy rush. I got there at what I thought to be 40 minutes before the box office opened, but it was already open and had no line. The guy actually sold me a ticket right away--no waiting! I hadn't originally planned on seeing Mary Poppins. My mom loves it, saw it last time she was in New York, and insisted I must see it. I told her repeatedly that I had no desire to see it unless the original London cast stars Laura Michelle Kelly (Mary Poppins) and Gavin Lee (Bert) were in. As luck would have it, they were together in the show starting in the middle of July. I caved. I love everything Disney and Broadway musicals, so I figured it would be a fun night. Well, it could've been. Don't get me wrong. The show was fun, the cast was energetic, and Laura was perfect as Mary in every way. So, what was wrong? Well, Mary Poppins had the rudest audience that I have ever had the displeasure of being a part of. To my right, a foreign school group of kids who could have cared less that they were at a Broadway show and gabbed away in French the whole show. In front of me, a dad and two kids who got up twice during the fist act to go buy different snacks and then twice again during the second act (how hungry can you possibly be? Why didn't you buy snacks at intermission?). To my left, a guy who pulls out a can of sour cream and onion pringles and muches away on them during the show (I like them too, but they smelled up the whole area!). To top that all off, I was really excited to hear and see the staging of Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious. Right when the number started, I heard this sound that I swear sounded like someone ripping paper. In fact this noise got louder and faster and continued throughout the entire number (it tampered off a little after that but continued at odd moments throughout the rest of act 1). When intermission came around, I got up and tried to locate the sound. A few rows behind me under a seat with a child booster on it was a pile of shredded showbill (for those who don't know, Disney Broadway shows use "showbills" instead of "playbills"). What parent would allow their children to rip apart their showbill continuously and nosily throughout a show? This problem had an easy fix--take the showbill out of the kid's hands!!! Oh, and where were our ushers? This was a problem far more annoying and distracting then any of the people you yelled at for silently taking photos before the show even started. So, I was kind of pissed about my theatre experience. The show was great, but I just couldn't enjoy it.  Afterwards, I still went to the stage door. Little Jane and Michael were cute kids and couldn't seem to believe that people wanted to meet and talk to them. Gavin came out and spoke to us too. Then Laura Michelle Kelly came out, and I just want to say that Laura has to be the nicest, sweetest person I've ever seen at a stage door. She walked down the line and had genuine conversations with every child there. She inquired what they were into (dance, theatre, singing, the like), asked them various questions, offered advice, and seemed to genuinely care what they each had to say. While the experience inside made me initially regret my choice to rush this show (again, not on account of the show), my stage door encounter was the spoon full of sugar that made the horrible audience go down.

War Horse

Just in case I wanted to use it, I joined a program called LincTix at the beginning of the summer, and after debating in my mind for a bit, I decided to use it to purchase a ticket to War Horse (which turned out to be my most expensive Broadway ticket of the summer at $35). I was, after all, working at Lincoln Center and walking pass the venue every day; in fact, I had even been on two tours through the lovely Vivian Beaumont Theatre. So, what are my thoughts on the 2011 Tony Award winning Best Play? First of all, I am extremely glad I saw it. Having the show described to you (or reading about it in a blog post) does it absolutely no justice. This is one you have to see. And I mean you need to visually see it in order to understand all the fuss, all the brilliance, and all the magic that is the staging of War Horse. If I was a producer and you handed me the script of War Horse, I would’ve told you various things like: “No. I’m not going to do that show. It can’t be done. Horses? On-stage? How silly!” However, if I was a producer and you had me watch War Horse, I would’ve handed you my money and said “I’ll do whatever it takes to be even the smallest part of this project.” Can I really give the production more praise than that? They truly made their show, stories, and puppets come to life. I do want to make one final point. Many people, when talking about the show, say that it is so magical because within minutes you forget that they are puppets and believe that they are real horses. I disagree. You do not forget that they are puppets. You know that they are, but despite that you still are transported into their world and into their story, and that’s what makes the play magical.

I Met the Mets!

Walking Across the Brooklyn Bridge

  

  

Muppets at the Museum of the Moving Image

Upon hearing that the Museum of the Moving Image was going to have a Jim Henson exhibit all about the Muppets, I could not wait to go. In fact, when I found out that the opening day would include a screening of the Muppet Movie and a Q and A with a Muppets writer, I knew how I'd be spending my Saturday! I got there early and went straight to Jim Henson's Fantastic World before the movie. It was really neat seeing a film I grew up with in a theater and hearing people laugh along with something that I know so well. Craig Shemin, former Jim Henson Company staff writer and current secretary on the Board of Directors of The Jim Henson Legacy,  led the Q and A and did a great job. Ever wanted to know how a scene was done? He knew. He was also giving out books to people as they asked questions, and I got one! You want to know something funny? On the first Saturday that I planned to do absolutely nothing Broadway related, he turns to someone in the audience and says, "Will you help me pass these out? Everybody, this is my wife Stephanie D'Abruzzo!" So, I was handed my muppets book by Broadway's Stephanie D'Abruzzo  (Avenue Q)! After the talk, I went and explored the rest of the museum. They had a sound room where you could dub yourself into movies (I became Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz), an area where you could record yourself on the movie wall (turns video into flipbook), and a workstation where you could create a stop motion movie. If you are ever in Astoria, check it out!