Grease: Live! (I was wrong)

In a previous post, I had a lot to say about the live broadcast of Musicals on network television. I still stand behind my support and adoration for this, even as it works out some kinks. We can all agree that there is much to learn.

I was TERRIFIED when Fox announced that it was going to jump in the game with ‘Grease:Live’. I literally could not complain about it enough.

I was stone cold wrong.

I was so irritated by this idea of Grease being brought to the small screen for a lot of reasons, all of which I had mentioned, and I feel like the Fox executives read my post and said “He’s right, let's change these things”

While Grease will always be sexist AF, and it has been 9 months since I watched this event live, I want to say how wonderfully surprised I was at how much I truly enjoyed the production.

There was so much thought and care put into staging this. The sound stages and exteriors were in front a a live audience, that you COULD SEE on tv. The halls, the gym, the diner, everything looked great.

Also, for good measure, I loved the transition for Marty to singing in her room with the girls, to singing at the US show for “Freddy My Love”

Some of the more questionable lyrics were either omitted or made more family friendly, and most importantly, between Thomas Kail’s direction, and Aaron Tveit’s acting, Danny Zucko seemed like a guy who got sort of lost in a very real way, and tries to be a better guy. Its not implied, it's not awkward. Many have said that his performance in this production was bland, or lackluster (I admit, I did some research for this post) but I disagree. I remember distinctly thinking that there was a choice to soften him up during his "tough guy" Danny, and I thought it went a long way in the storyline. A fresh perspective on where Zucko was coming from. It made sense that Danny joined Doody in “Those Magic Changes”. It spoke more about their journey, particularly Danny's

The dance numbers were on point and actually focused on ALL the dancers, not just leads. That's always nice to see when the choreographer goes through so much work to have most of it scrapped in favor of “star time”

The supporting cast was amazingly well done. Vannessa Hudgens, who’s father had just passed, truly showed the meaning of the show must go on, and using your pain in your performance, Kether Donahue, an all around personal favorite, might have been the funniest thing that graced that sound stage, the boys, who were more or less forgettable, didn't irritate me as the “thunderbirds” or “Burger Palace Boys” (whichever version is your favorite) tend to do. And also, they were multi-racial, which made me very happy.

I was not a fan of Carly Rae Jepsen’s added song. I don't know why it was there. It was boring, it didn't show off her voice, we were all sad. I'm going to chalk it up to something important happening off stage...

Though I will have to gush a little about Boys II Men pulling out all the stops. I grinned ear to ear for one of my favorite numbers in this show. It was such a magical moment.

To be frank, the BEST thing was that race scene!! I appreciate they kept that intact from the film and they used every filming trick in the book to make that come alive, with literal smoke and mirrors. The imagination, and stagecraft (set craft?) behind making this pivotal moment come alive continuously blows my mind and is something that people always mention when discussing this event.

Mario Lopez was a shit show. Plain and simple. While I'm sure he's a lovely and competent man in real life, his performance was unbalanced and distracting. I really needed him to not be there.

Overall I hope this continues. I hope I continue to be surprised, and this format is enlightening children and families of all ages to how wonderful theatre can be. Cheers to the production team of Fox's Grease: Live! and cheers to all the Emmy's you won.

Next up, Hairspray: Live on NBC. will you be watching?

Everything I know about the bible I learned from musical theatre.

From Jesus Christ Superstar, Godspell, Children of Eden and Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. Also, I should probably say Prince of Egypt as well, even though that’s not technically a stage show, but still, learned so much from the music

I find it really odd to be a completely non-religious person and be so enamored with these musicals. I find them entertaining, and very worthwhile story telling.

I had the same experience as most being exposed to some of these shows. I watched the JCS movie really young, and it scared me, and then bored me. I sang "Any Dream Will Do" with a High School Ensemble, I heard "Day by Day" in Wet Hot American Summer, it did nothing for me, until I really started diving into theatre and I teched on Godspell, and then was in JCS a year later, and it hit me what a powerful story it was. It never did anything for me, theologically, but the drama hit home at my emotional core. The love, and the loss, it was great, also, great scores. As you may have read previously, I am not a big ALW fan, but Superstar is just the bees knees for me. Stephen Scwartz is good with me, and has always made me happy, and Godspell is a good example of why.

I'm totally out of the frame in this photo, but I was in this cast

Prince of Egypt was always something I was obsessed with. I saw the movie opening weekend, I got a boxed set with a picture, and tickets to the movie, I just love it. When you Believe, in all of its forms (Feature Length Film version or the ICONIC Pop Version with Whitney & Mariah) always makes me tear up, its just a composing, and great writing.

JATATD & Children of Eden came to me much later in life, and while i'm not as well versed in those scores & books, they are always a great listen, or a great show if i get a chance to catch them. I think its the accessibility of religion, and faith, mixed with the ease of music that makes these stories so grand to me. 
I did kick but at a Jeopardy category once, and it was on the bible, and I owe my streak to these shows.

Live Broadcast Musicals

The Wiz, Sound of Music, Peter Pan, Grease?

When NBC originally announced in 2013 that they would be airing a LIVE broadcast of The Sound of Music, the world side-eyed the Rodgers & Hammerstein musical so hard.

Once the casting got announced (Carrie Underwood, and Vampire Bill in the lead) the world rolled its eyes, and once the broadcast aired, live, as promised, the world laughed. It was a laughable occasion, although it was tremendously important.

Bringing live theatre into the home of millions of people who don't have the means, and maybe not even the desire to explore live entertainment was such a thrill to think about. Hopefully it's creating new theatre lovers, though you would never know it from the hate-filled live-tweeting, and the moment by moment recaps that while hysterical, were pretty defamatory. While i can admit the show had its flaws: Carrie Underwood can't act, Vampire Bill is not very good at…. anything, and it was the first glimpse into the unnerving sound quality that is produced when there isn't a live audience for something that was meant to be live, there was a lot of stuff that was truly wonderful about that evening.

People who never would have had the slightest idea who Audra McDonald, Christian Borle, or Laura Benati was, got a glimpse into their true Broadway Worth talents. They got to see an unmixed sound of raw, talented voices, and how to recover in a performance when something goes wrong. It wasn't perfect, but it was magical.

I think the second time out, in 2014, they were learning, but this one seemed a lot more off. The casting was poor, Allison Williams, while very talented, was a terrible choice for Peter, Christopher Walken was more interested in himself than the production, and some of the production magic was removed when you saw that rigs sometimes go wrong, and camera ops sometimes get the wrong information. Also, whoever picked this show may have forgotten that it's not Disney's Peter Pan, and it is so very boring. Christian Borle (and his biceps) gave the production some substance, as well as the gaggle of professional Broadway dancers including Ryan Steele and Alex Wong.

I was definitely more disappointed with this production. It was trying to hard to throw around its weight in being a big NBC production, and it really missed the mark.

Though, nothing prepared me for what 2015 brought. When they announced they were going to have the Wiz be live, I had mixed emotions. I like the music from that show, but a lot of the dialogue is dated, it would be awesome to see an all-black cast of a musical on a primetime network, but are they going to do an all-black cast? Are they going to half-ass it like they did with Sound of Music? Are they going to try TOO hard like they did with Peter Pan?

There wasn't a lot of history to look back on. As the months rolled by, and they announced casting and I got more and more excited: Mary J Blige, David Alan Grier, Amber Riley, Uzo Aduba, Ne-yo, Elijah Kelley, and also Queen Latifah as the Wiz… which I will get into later in the post, but I really was excited about. Also having an unknown Shanice Williams as the lead I feel was brilliant, and the cherry on the cake was having the original Dorothy, Stephanie Mills, playing Aunt Em. One of the important things about having the Wiz Live on a primetime network like NBC was the visibility and a representation of black actors. I was ready for this show. I feel it could be done. A great mix of respected performers and artists. I was not disappointed. This show had such a wonderful energy, and look to it. I think NBC really hit its stride with this. I hope to see more of this caliber of performances in the future, and I hope it fosters a new generation of performers and theatre lovers alike.

http://milasuniverse.bigcartel.com/product/representation-matters-12x12
"Photo taken by Kamila Powell of her 3 year old daughter as she is inspired by the talents of women who she can identify with. Spreading the message that representation matters."

This brings me to what I am truly dreading, The bandwagon effect has started and other networks are wanting to get on this ratings monster of live musicals, and leave it up to fox to riddle their new big production of “Grease Live!” with stunt casting and poor choices. Let me just rant for a minute here, but first off grease is a poor choice full or so much sexism it hurts my brain. Ladies, listen to men, and make sure you change every aspect of yourself to be liked. Being sexy is far more important than being yourself. Also, and this is the theatre geek in me getting pissed, they are doing a live production of the MOVIE version of this musical. Which irritates me immensely. I truly, honest to god will fight you on this, the music in the stage version is far superior to that of the movie. Let's talk about the casting of this atrocity as well. The only shining jewel in this crap hat is Aaron Tveit, whom I have mentioned many times before. He is a God among men, he made Les Miz the movie bearable, he brought us all to tears in next to normal, he made us all want to disguise ourselves in catch me if you can the musical, he is just perfect. I am assuming he will still be wonderful as Danny Zuko.

But Julianne Hough has never impressed me, even as a dancer, Vanessa Hudgens is still so full of promise but I also feel like she is horribly miscast as Rizzo, and I wonder if this choice was made to really set herself apart from her as Gigi when she lead the revival on Broadway (that really didn't do very well), Kether Donohue, whom I'm really loving on You’re the Worst, is continuously cast as “the fat one” in things, and she's not even fat! The thing that is cracking me up about the casting of Marty and Frenchie is that both Keke Palmer and Carly Rae Jepsen made their Broadway debut in the same role (The Cinderella Revival). Mario Lopez and Ana Gasteyer will be just fine in their respective roles, but once again, they are only lending their names to this production, and then having Jessie J perform an “updated” version of Grease is the Word… well… we’ll see. I am definitely going to watch this, but i doubt that it will be very good at all. I think that they are intentionally make a lot of choices that NBC was choosing to stay away from, and it seems like this will continue to dumb down the general audiences to what to expect from live shows.

Laura Osnes: A love letter

I can’t actually pinpoint the moment I learned who Laura Osnes was. I do know that one time I was listening to the Scott Alan: Live album, and the most heartbreaking song I ever heard was being sung so beautifully. “Now” is one of my favorite pieces, I have written before about it, as I am ALSO obsessed with J-Groff’s version that appears on Scott Alan’s Dreaming Wide Awake, but Laura’s voice on this, brought me to tears (I was on a city bus, too… so that was awesome).

From there, I officially entered the Osnes fandom when I heard her on the Bonnie & Clyde cast album. Some of the music affected me, made me dance a little, made me tap my toes, and adont get me wrong, I love Jeremy Jordan, it was really Laura Osnes singing “Dying Ain’t So Bad” that made me stop everything I was doing, and just listen, and feel. I thought about those words. I thought about the genius that is Frank Wildhorn, and I thought about the power behind her vocals, even when she was barely making sound. It was truly astounding. I was totally hooked!

When I listen to vocal performances, I look for something that is going to move me. I need something tender, or bombastic, or profound to stop me in my tracks, and to keep me coming back to a show, or a song again and again. I generally find these sorts of complexities in women’s voices more often then with men, and it’s why I am drawn to the likes of Sutton Foster, Audra McDonald, Lindsay Mendez, Kerry Butler and Laura Osnes. It’s not even the “screlting”, or the coloratura styled high notes that impress me, these women make me feel life when they sing. I cry, I laugh, I smile uncontrollably, and it’s like a drug-fueled high, that’s the dragon I find myself continuously chasing.

Laura Osnes and Patrick Hinds of the Theater People Podcast
 January 26, 2015, the Theater People Podcast their 30th episode which was recorded live at Fontana's Bar in New York City as part of the NYC Podfest

Well, shortly after my obsessive listening to the Bonnie & Clyde cast album on a loop did I discover the Theater People Podcast (that’s theater with an “E-R”) and listened to her be interviewed by my now personal idol, Patrick Hinds. Their interview was fun, funny, tender and above all else interesting. I listened to the Cinderella Revival which I love (Santino Fontana? Yes, please!) And rediscovered my love for Anything Goes!

I also found that she popped up in a few other musical theatre recordings that I love. Kerrigan and Lowdermilk’s “Our First Mistake” has her dueting with Meghann Fahy and also on the “K-L Live” album singing ‘The Girl Who Drove Away’. She’s everywhere!

As far as being with her from the beginning, the idea of the show “You’re the one that I want” as a tv show bugged me to begin with, so I kind of steered clear of it all together. I am a huge fan of the original stage version, but now that I know that Laura won, and also that Lindsay Mendez was in the cast, I regret my choices. I have since listened to the cast album, and relieved my personal connections with that score. I’m glad she was such a fan favorite, and I can totally see why.

Successful Shows

It’s weird to think about what actually makes a show successful.

Is it the awards that it wins? There are shows that won the Tony Award for Best Musical and are still fairly unknown by the public like Contact, or Passion, and Raisin are probably some of the best examples.

If those shows make money, or at the very least recoups on Broadway is it deemed a success?

Is it the fact that it makes it to Broadway at all, which is the dream, right?

These questions have been asked time and time again, and answered in all forms. When it comes to a producer, I think the bottom line is if it makes its investment back, those are cold numbers. For a creative team, a Director, or a Composer, I feel that opening on Broadway is the ultimate goal. It goes down in the books. Regardless of how it performs, the reviews it receives, you were at one time, at least, a Broadway show.

In my opinion, being a theatre lover outside of the New York bubble, the life after Broadway is what i feel makes a show a success. That it what the general public consumes. Does it get more than one national tour, does it get produced by high schools, colleges, churches, and community theatres, how popular is the cast album, is there accessible merchandise? I think about Spring Awakening, and Seussical the Musical, and of course Les Miz. These shows have had smashing success outside of Broadway.

My years in high school, the musicals were The Pajama Game, The Music Man, Once Upon A Mattress, and Anything Goes. All 4 of those shows have extremely easy visibility, and almost any Joe Schmoe you stop on the street will have heard of those shows. I have already talk extensively about Mattress, and Anything Goes, but I also wanted to point out that Pajama Game, and The Music Man both won the Tony the year they were nominated (1955 & 1958 respectively)

Recently my vocal ensemble put on a losers show. We highlighted a lot of shows that are popular but may have lost some major awards. Once on This Island (lost to the Will Roger’s Follies in ‘91), Mamma Mia (lost to Thoroughly Modern Millie in ‘02)

and Barnum (lost to Evita in ‘80) were some of the bigger highlights of the show. It was a fun show to research on a production level. To see these great shows that held such admiration and memories but may not have gotten the time and accolades they deserved. It was nice to give these shows a little bit of love on stage, in as grand of a way as we could.

What’s a favorite of yours that you feel was robbed? Do you think “lesser-known” shows should get a bigger life after Broadway?

The Great White Way

Going to New York City and seeing a Broadway show is every theatre fans dream. Whether its where the obsession started, or where it was cultivated, or where your end game resides, for most American theatre lovers, Broadway remains the pinnacle. I was able to elevate my musical mania on the week of my 21st birthday. I was able to drink alcohol legally for the first time, and I boarded a plane super hungover and landed in rainy New York City on April 9th, 2007.

So many wonderful shows were open at the time, and we saw most of them. We had tickets to 10 shows, so basically every slot time a show was playing, including a Monday night (when theatres usually don’t have a show).

My very first introduction was that very evening we landed. We saw Forbidden Broadway: SVU and It was awesome. Forbidden Broadway has a handful of shows including a ‘Greatest Hits’ that one could get the rights to, and is performed all over the place, but the off-Broadway performance I saw was making fun of the shows that were currently running or were very popular at the time like Ave. Q and Wicked. It was a fun start to the week.

Here's a fun fact: the section of Broadway containing the Theatre District was one of the first streets to be lit by electric lights, giving it the nickname The Great White Way

Walking out of the Walter Kerr Theatre with my head spinning after seeing Grey Gardens was probably my favorite experience. It was the most amazing show. It was pretty new on Broadway, and the Grey Gardens story had not been told as much then as it is part of the zeitgeist now, with the release of the movie with Drew Barrymore and references in popular culture.

Seeing Christine Ebersole (or as I referred to her, Richie Rich’s Mom) in such an amazingly complex role, well, two roles, was the thrill of a lifetime for an audience member. She was amazing, and she absolutely deserved the Tony that she won that year. I also was not able to get over the sets and lighting of that piece. It was so stunning. The first act was so opulent and affluent with grand staircases, and silk dresses, and the second act was a picture of so much squalor and destitution. It was more than a show, but an experience. I loved that show so very much.

Crying in public is something that I try to not do as much as possible as well, but during the funeral scene in Spring Awakening, I couldn’t help myself. I had to cover my mouth to keep from sobbing out loud at the moment Melchoir touches Mortiz’s father, and he crumbles into a heap of blubbering. It was such a powerful moment in the life of a musical. I have seen the show several times since then, and the moment is always powerful. Most of the original cast was on that stage when I saw the show; with the exception of one Lea Michele (pre-Glee) but her standby was none other than the now smashingly successful Krysta Rodriguez. Plus seeing Jonathan Groff’s ass is ALWAYS a good thing.

It is always such a surreal thing to talk about my experience with New York City. It wasn't the best time for me, on an emotional level. There were a lot of private, tumultuous things happening, and it also rained the entire time we were there, which was honestly just par for the course. However, I saw so much great theatre that touched me deeply.

Raul Esparza sobbing as he sung Being Alive alone on a perfectly lit stage in Stephen Sondheim’s Company Revival was one of the most touching interpretations of that song I have ever seen or heard. The technical design of the set of Disney’s Mary Poppins will forever remain true magic in my mind. I still have a hard time convincing myself of seeing a three-story house (with a floating top-floor nursery) on the stage at the New Amsterdam.

Like many other people I dream of going back, seeing those original shows, some that may not make it passed the great white way and some that may not every hold the same gravity that they did on the stages where they were originated. I love the idea of being there from the beginning, and seeing stars shine, new and old, fresh and established alike. The glitz and the glamour of Broadway shows holds its allure for a special reason, there is nothing quite like it. Those bright lights, and the history and charm of Times Square and the Theatre District have been written, and sung about for decades.

This is a complete list of the shows I saw April 9 - April 16, 2007

Spring Awakening

The Drowsy Chaperone

Disney’s Tarzan

Disney’s Mary Poppins

The Phantom of the Opera

Company 2006 Revival

Grey Gardens

Legally Blonde: The Musical

(Off-Broadway) Forbidden Broadway: SVU

(Off-Broadway) Altar Boyz

Have you been to NYC to see shows? What was your experience like?

Family and Leaving Behind a Legacy

Thinking about my family, it makes me smile to think about how different we are. Though we do have our own tendencies to become obsessed or addicted to certain things, performing, and musical theatre never got under anyone else’s skin like it did for me. My mom, I think enjoys it more that my dad, or my brother, but no where near to the obsessive depths I have taken it to (hello, you are reading this blog). I haven't heard about anyone in my extended family loving show tunes like I do either, but I know at least one of my cousins has been in a play or two, and my uncle used to do theatre when he was younger, as well.

Sutton Foster and her brother, Hunter, have both been on Broadway multiple times. Sutton Foster even has two Tonys under her belt (haha pun) and Hunter has starred in a bunch of things including Hands on a Hardbody, and Ordinary Days. Sutton married and divorced Broadway actor, Christian Borle and then dated another Broadway performer, Bobby Canavale. When Sutton was younger she performed in the same children’s troupe with actor siblings Celia Keenan-Bolger and Andrew Keenan-Bolger, and now playwright sister MaggieKeenan-Bolger. Celia Keenan-Bolger played one of the most complex children roles ever created (albeit at 27) in the 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee and raised the roof in “The I Love You Song” which is arguably one of the most gut-wrenching songs in musical theatre history.

These examples are just a drop in the bucket of performing families. I think the real legacies lie in some of the composing lineages. One of my favorites is that of Richard Rodgers (of Rodgers & Hammerstein fame) was the father of Mary Rodgers, who wrote the music for the classic Once Upon a Mattress, and she is the mother of Adam Guttel, the composer of Light In The Piazza (for which he won two Tony Awards, for Best Score and Best Orchestrations in 20015) among several other great works, including Floyd Collins.

Here’s a fun fact, Celia Keenan-Bolger was originally cast as Clara in Light in the Piazza, but was replaced by Kelli O’Hara for the Broadway opening. She then went on to do Spelling Bee, which got her a Tony nomination, against Kelli O’Hara in 2005 for that same show. They both, however, lost to now TV famous actor Sara Ramirez for her stunning performance As The Lady Of The Lake in Monty Python’s Spamalot!

In another fun legacy related anecdote, Oscar Hammerstein gave guidance and advice to a young Stephen Sondheim. Sondheim became friends with Oscar’s son, Jimmy, and spent a lot of time at the Hammerstein residence, and Oscar took him under his wing, and taught him about the industry help develop Sondheim’s love of musical theatre.

Do you think family, and legacy has a bigger impact on talent, or on industry?

Playing Favorites

The idea of playing favorites has always baffled me. When people find out that I really like show tunes, and Broadway, a lot of times they ask me what my all-time favorite show is. Which… how do you answer that? I can't even say which movie is my favorite… or which pair of shoes I love more than any other. I don’t play favorites well.

There are a lot of things that I could throw down as high on my list. One of my favorite songs from a musical I really like to listen to, and is timeless is Aquarius, from the American Tribal Love Rock Musical: Hair. To be clear, the 2009 Revival with Sasha Allen singing the opening solo is what makes me the happiest! I also really like to hear Heather Headley sing “Shadowlands” from the Lion King, and Sherie Renee Scott belt her face off in “Strongest Suit” if I feel like dancing around in my underwear.

There are several Broadway stars that I really like to listen to, and fawn over. I think Sutton Foster is pretty high up on the list. Her body of work is chock full of shows that hold a special place for me. I was in a production of thoroughly modern Millie, I am obsessed with the song “I Know it’s today” from Shrek:  the musical”, The Drowsy Chaperone was one of the first shows I saw on Broadway (with her still staring as Janet) and Little Women was a cast album that I was able to bond with some of my closest friends over.

Kerry Butler also falls in the same category with Sutton Foster for the body of work she has created is shows that I really enjoy. The original Broadway cast of Hairspray is one that I really enjoy, and her as Penny really makes me laugh, and I love her take on Kira in the cast album of Xanadu, and I have already mentioned how much I love Little Shop of Horrors, with her as Audrey. She recently did “Catch Me If You Can” which I recently discovered I really enjoy. She is a Broadway Treasure.

Sometimes I really just like to listen to a cast album from front to back, and those I guess go high up on my, for lack of a better term, favorites lists. Composer Frank Wildhorn wrote some truly stunning music for Bonnie & Clyde, starring Laura Osnes, and Jeremy Jordan. A go-to for me that I like to listen to if I am feeling melancholy, and don't want to be cheered up is ‘bare: a pop opera’ which is just so desperately sad, but I love so much of the music, and I love the performances by that studio cast. I have seen that show performed 3 times on stage, now… It makes me cry every single time. I also really like the structure and performances of Sherie Renee Scott and Norbert Leo Butz in Jason Robert Brown’s The Last Five Years. In the Heights was such a revelation of Hip-Hop and Latin infused music that I love to just put that cast album on and sing my heart out, and dance my face off, plus Lin-Manuel Miranda is notorious for being the nicest guy on Broadway, and I love that. I also really like listening to 2010 Pulitzer Prize winning drama Next to Normal. The heart-break and emotional maturity in that piece of musical theatre will always make me sit down and listen.

Composers will also get in my head and I will shuffle through some songs from Jeanine Tesori’s work with Fun Home, Shrek, Thoroughly Modern Millie, or Caroline or Change. Jason Robert Brown has some great shows with the previously mentioned The Last Five Years, Parade, Songs for a New World and also getting familiar with his new work on Bridges of Madison County, and Honeymoon in Vegas. I have largely stayed away from his musical 13. I don’t know why, but I just don’t like it.

Stephen Sondheim’s work is something I can always fall into. Company, Sweeney Todd, Into the Woods and Assassins are probably the shows I am most familiar with, and always try to listen to some tracks every month. They make me think, especially with some of the odd musical passages, and intricate lyrics patterns. I have never gotten super into Sunday in the Park with George, Merrily We Roll Along, Passions, Bounce, or Follies. I have seen and enjoy Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum but have found it's not easy to just dive into, personally.

I hate to say this but my vocal ensemble did a Sondheim show right before I joined the group, and I missed singing in it, and also in singing the material they covered and I will always lament that fact

I did, however, have the great joy of directing Into the Woods this past year, so I think that by default that show is really high on my list of shows I love, and maybe might qualify as an actual favorite just because of how intimately well I know it.

There are also several shows that I have been part of that I like to listen to, like All Shook Up. What a FUN score, I miss singing with that cast. Also Cabaret is another show that I love to listen to, and even though the memories of that show in particular were so bittersweet because of my personal life, that show was such a beacon of light for me. The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee was the last musical I did in Northern California before I left, so there are lots of great feelings tied to that show. Annie, which a lot of people don't like on principal, was a fantastic show to be in the chorus for. I played so many different characters!

So I don’t play favorites… I play everythings. I love the different emotions that story driven songs bring out in me, I love different interpretations of different casts for the same show, and I love how certain performers will bring you to a different place every time they sing. I love to find similarities in pieces when a composer writes a different show.

Do you have a favorite? Is it easier for you to throw down the gauntlet in what is the best, to you?

Another Openin': An Introduction

When I was 16 I was asked, and very aggressively suggested, to audition for the spring musical at my high school. I had been singing in the choir for several years, and my choir conductor needed tenors (and male bodies) to audition for the spring show.

That’s when the bug bit me. Yes, the performing bug, which… I’ll get into later, but this was a slowly growing tumor, as opposed to the zealous fever that comes with wanting to show-off in front of an audience.

I fell in love with theatre, and more importantly musical theatre, and I wanted to know more.

I was fairly small when my mom would introduce us to some of the Musical Theatre classics on film. I really only remember watching and loving West Side Story. I kind of remember watching some of the Rodgers and Hammerstein classics (Oklahoma, Carousel, Sound of Music, etc)


I even KIND of remember My Fair Lady, but I really remember West Side Story. It had to be the dancing. Also Russ Tamblyn…

I remember when I got cast in Once Upon a Mattress, and I wanted to find out more information about the show, this was back in the days before Google had the power it does now, and before Wikipedia, and LONG before IBDB.com, and I just wanted to know what I was getting myself into. 

I went to the local Tower Records, because exhaustive searches of Target, and Walmart were useless in trying to find ANY cast album, let alone one from 1959, and I eventually found it! Well, I thought I had found it and would later find out it was the revival cast album starring Sarah Jessica Parker. I was excited, though, because I knew who she was, and I heard of Jane Krakowski, who I thought was the mom in Malcolm in the middle (that would be Jane Kaczmarek).

I was CONVINCED that I had found the exact replica of what we were going to be performing, and listened to my little CD, and loved the music, and then got to my first rehearsal and found that almost EVERYTHING on the album was different then the script and score we were handed.

Distraught, I talked to my vocal director/choir conductor and she told me about the original cast album (starring the amazing Carol Burnett) and that it would be tough to find, and that she would burn a copy of it for me.

Chatting with her about theatre, performing, and show tunes was one of the highlights of performing in high school for me. Later, during my senior year of high school we did Anything Goes, and she once again was a wealth of knowledge about the 1962 production (which is what we would be performing), and the revival (starring Pattil LuPone) and would give me her opinions about things, and what she likes, and helped me foster my own opinions about things. 

The differences between those 2 revivals are vast as well, and also the television special with Ethel Merman and Bing Crosby that a friend of mine found as well. I remember going over to her house and watching it and pointing out the differences, and later obsessing all of those differences.

From then on, I started doing community theatre, and making friends who had the same passions. They would teach me, and we would discover new things together. It was always such a lovely time.

We would talk about themes of shows, then that would start a conversation about a composer, and then the Ingenue whose career was launched, and her body of work, and that choreographer... it would go on and on, and there was always something to talk about. Then and now, that knowledge gives me so much comfort.

Plus its just so fun to perform!

What about you? What introduced you to Musical Theatre?