NYC 9/25/10-American Idiot and Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson

So Kristin, Hayley, and Kim and I boarded the MegaBus in Providence @ 630 Saturday morning to head to NYC to see American Idiot. When we were up there, we also snagged tickets for previews of Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson(I am so glad they are theatre people and were willing to take a chance on the show! I was the only one who had remotely heard of it and had the soundtrack, so a million thanks to them for humoring me and taking a chance!) and we caught the box opening day of Elf, where they let us pck presents :) We all won Elf Dvd's! :) Hayley's friend Brian joined us for lunch at Tony's in Times Square. Tony's was awesome! We got two huge plates of pasta and paid $8 each! They had awesome caricatures on the walls of actors and certain Broadway shows, like Corbin Bleu in In The Heights and Sean Hayes and Kristin Chenoweth in Promises, Promises!

American Idiot.
I love the music, and LOVED the fact that John Gallagher Jr was the lead character! I couldn't grasp the storyline well, and had to go back and read the synopsis again. Basically, the storyline is 3 almost 30 yr old guys decide they want to head out in the world and get away from what they know. One guy's gf gets pregnant so he stays behind. Another guy joins the military so the 3rd guy is by himself and discovers drugs. Turns out his "dealer" is really his alter ego. He realizes his life has been screwed up so he decides to come clean and go home. That's essentially the story, and it is set to Green Day's music. The set was amazing, HUGE and had tv's built into the walls and secret windows and doors.

Cast:
Johnny: John Gallagher Jr
Will: Michael Esper
Tunny: Stark Sands
Heather: Mary Faber
Whatshername: Rebecca Naomi Jones
St.Jimmy: Tony Vincent
The Extraordinary Girl: Christina Sajous

The cast was great, I love John Gallagher Jr! Michael Esper and Stark Sands were amazing(And really nice! We met them at stage door!) And Tony Vincent was incredible! Rebecca Naomi Jones has an amazing voice and I can't wait to see her in future shows!
Mary Faber also has a pretty voice, I have seen her in Avenue Q. Christina Sajous did this wonderful aerial dance for a fantasy scene with Stark Sands that was just jaw dropping. I enjoyed the show, but I wouldn't put it in my top ten.

Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson.
First, I want to say that I LOVE THIS SHOW!!!!! I liked everything about it, the humor, the music, the lyrics, the set, the acting. I was really excited about this show! We didn't get to stage door because we had to run for the bus sadly! Synopsis: The life of Andrew Jackson, 7th President of the United States. That's pretty much you need to know! It is done very humorously!

Cast:
Andrew Jackson: Benjamin Walker
The Storyteller: Kristine Nielson
Elizabeth,Erica: Kate Cullen Roberts
Andrew Sr, Calhoun: Darren Goldstein
Cobbler, Messenger,John Quincy Adams, Tour Guide, Florida Man: Jeff Hiller
Woman, Female Ensemble: Nadia Quinn
Female Soloist, Announcer, Naomi: Emily Young
Monroe: Ben Steinfeld
Rachel, Florida Woman: Maria Elena Ramirez
Black Fox, Clay: Bryce Pinkham
Male Soloist, Citizen, Man: James Barry
Red Eagle, University President: Greg Hildreth
Keokuk, Van Buren: Lucas Near-Verbrugghe
Lyncoya: Cameron Ocasio

There was no one in the cast that I had seen before, but everyone was very talented! I look forward to seeing them in future shows!

We also stage doored for Next To Normal, and I got pics with Adam Chanler-Berat, Louis Hobson, Emma Hunton, Marin Mazzie, and Jeff Danieley. :)

Finally, we ate at Jekyll and Hyde's Club. It was a unique, fun restaurant with various horror movie elements spread amongst four floors!
We returned home around 2 am. Very fun day! Can't wait to go back!

Red Sox 09.22.2010

I went to the Sox on Sept 22 to see my last game of the season. SRO tickets, and I went with a friend from work who was a Fenway Virgin! He had never been there before, and I LOVED that, because it is sooo much fun for me to take someone who has never been before! He was amazed at how small Fenway is, and he had no idea that they play Sweet Caroline every game! We ended up eating up there, and I had warned him about the astronomical prices of the food! We ended up in the left field outfield area, and we were able to snag seats. I had such a good time with him at the game! AND the Sox won! I was wicked happy because the other two games of the series we had lost...to the ORIOLES...which is unacceptable! I will admit that I was a tad worried they would get the sweep because Buchholz had been pitching the night before and we lost horribly, and Lackey has been unpredictable this year so I was sure it was going to be a loss! So happy they won, as A-I always want my team to win, naturally! And B-since it was my friend's first time, I was hoping it was going to be a good one! Well he musta brought the first-timer luck with him! :) Over all, an excellent night, and I am already going through Fenway withdrawals! I will be back next year of course! :)

Everything Else

So I have covered all of my shows, this last blog is a culmination of the rest of the things I have been doing!

I have been to 4 Red Sox Games, the most notable was Opening Day with Front Row Monster Seats! I was spoiled and the Red Sox won that day, so it was great all in all! I Love going to Sox games, they are always a good time! Another one was on the 4th of July, It was BOILING out but the game was fun and they won that day too! The other two games were SRO games, and I LOVE SRO games! Great views, and I don't mind standing at all! Definitely worth the money if you are just a fan and want to be at the games! 3 games for $60! (the last game is coming up in a few weeks!)

I went to Fenway again for J. Geils Band/Aerosmith concert. That was amazing! I had sooo much fun! I went with my friend Brigid and it was a blast! Aerosmith is one of the best bands around, and they played all my favorite songs!

I have been to the Boston Pops three times so far, (One more is coming next weekend!) Most notably, I was at the Esplanade on the 4th of July. It was an experience! The Pops were excellent, of course, as was the fire works! What I didn't love was the almost million people who attended. It made for a difficult experience to try and get home, and they didn't run the subways past normal time which almost proved to be a problem! I will probably never do that again! The other two times had Idina Menzel as the guest performer, and she was AMAZING! I saw her at Symphony Hall and again in Hyannis for Pops By The Sea. Rachael Ray was the guest conductor for the Pops By The Sea. The big thing the Pops did this year was a Tribute To The Kennedys, which was amazing!

I went to the Vineyard, and sat by the dock in Edgartown for awhile, and then went back to Oak Bluffs for food and to check out the aquarium(where they gave us a free Betta fish! I named mine Wolfgang Von Colt!) And we ate at Giordano's. It was a beautiful day!

I also went to Provincetown, and climbed Pilgrim Monument(amazing views at the top!) and walked down the wharf, saw one of the Tall Ships, went to the Pilgrim Monument Museum and the Pirate Museum, ate at John Dough's(best tuna melt ever!) and then browsed the shops(very unique!) Wish we could have taken in a show, but I will definitely be back at least yearly! We also found a little beach(with ICE COLD water! I mean it was August 28!!!) and it was pretty and we took pictures!

I also went to Water Wizz this summer, which was fun, hadn't been since I was a kid! My only complaint? Raise the water level in the lazy river to be at LEAST 3 feet! It is not fun to go around and have your knees scrap the bottom!

So that is my summer in a nutshell! I will keep up with this more often for the future!

Rock Of Ages

On August 7 2010 I went to NYC with my friends Kristin and Mandi to see Rock of Ages(Mandi and I) and A Little Night Music(Kristin). While both shows were excellent, I will only be writing about Rock of Ages, as I didn't see A Little Night Music. Kristin loved it though!!

Synopsis:
LA in the 80's. Barboy Drew has dreams of becoming a rockstar and being famous. He meets Sherrie, a girl who traveled to the city from Kansas, who has aspirations of becoming an actress. They start developing a connection until Drew calls them "friends," which sends Sherrie into the arms of Stacie Jaxx, the lead singer of a band called Arsenal. Her affair with Stacie gets her fired from her job, and she seeks refuge at a Gentleman's Club. Meanwhile, Drew gets discovered and he quits his job, hoping he has finally gotten his break. In another part of the city, the mayor is about to sign an agreement with two men from Germany who want to fix the city. His secretary, Regina, is outraged at this, the mayor fires her and she begins to stage a protest to save the city. Turmoil ensues at the close of Act I. Act II shows Drew and Sherrie making up and reforming a connection, and Regina winning over the German son and finally being able to save the city AND get him his dream of standing up to his father so he can open a confectionary shop. Act II ends with no one quite as rich and famous as they were hoping, but with everyone happy!

This show has a rockin 80's soundtrack that goes along with it! This is a must see for anyone who is a fan of 80's music!!!

Cast(First Billed):

Lonny/Record Company Man: Mitchell Jarvis
Justice/Mother: Michele Mais
Dennis/Record Company Man: Adam Dannheisser
Drew: Constantine Maroulis
Sherrie: Emily Padgett
Father/Stacee Jaxx: James Carpinello
Regina/Candi: Josie Roberts
Mayor/Ja Keith Gill: Andre Ward
Hertz:Paul Schoeffler
Franz: Derek St Pierre
Waitress #1: Katie Webber
Reporter: Sarrah Strimel
Sleazy Producer/Joey Primo: Jeremy Woodard
Strip Club DJ: Matthew Stocke
Young Groupie: Julie Nelson

Mitchell Jarvis: He was hysterical! Dirty and funny and really the perfect role for the part!
Adam Dannheisser: Great actor, made a wonderful Dennis!
Constantine Maroulis: Let's start with HOW HOT he is!!!! My god he is gorgeous! And his voice...AMAZING!!!! I was happy I got to meet him after! He can sing for me any day!
Emily Padgett: Perky and cute as Sherrie, great singing voice and acting skills!
James Carpinello: Also hot, great actor, and very funny as Stacee!
Josie Roberts: Perfect Regina! Great Voice!
Paul Schoeffler: Epitome of how you would think a German father should be!
Derek St Pierre: Hilarious as Franz! Look forward to seeing him in future shows!

Promises, Promises

This was a special day! Went to NYC on July 3, 2010 with Kristin and her friends Sarah and Karen, and Sarah's cousin's husband worked the crew for Promises, Promises and got us backstage! We got to meet Kristin Chenoweth(and her dog Maddie!) and Sean Hayes and we got to take pictures of props and sets and see costumes and wigs, and the pit, and the computers and things that make the show run smoothly! It was very exciting and a once in a lifetime opportunity!

Synopsis:
Chuck Baxter is a low man on the totem pole at his job at Consolidated Life. Some of the guys who are higher up get wind of the fact that he is a bachelor with his own place, and promise Chuck that they will put in a good word for him in exchange for the use of his apartment one night a week. Chuck agrees, and the men put in their glowing letters of recommendation as they promised. A man who is very high up calls Chuck in to talk about how he has been brought to his attention, and promises to make him a vice president--as long as Chuck doesn't let anyone else use his apartment but him. Chuck happily agrees. While this is going on, Chuck has fallen for a woman named Fran Kubelick who works the executive dining room. Chuck asks Fran to a basketball game and she accepts, but she then stands Chuck up as she had a date with the same executive that Chuck is allowing to borrow his apartment! He had no idea that Fran was seeing him, or that he was cheating on his wife with Fran! Fran eventually finds out that he has done this to several women in the office and ends up taking sleeping pills as she is depressed, and passes out on Chuck's bed. Chuck comes home after a night of drinking and meeting a new girl, Marge McDoughall, to find Fran on his bed. He calls his next door neighbor who is a doctor and he saves her, pumps her stomach. Fran realizes that her affair was never going to be beneficial to her, and that Chuck is a good guy for her!

Cast(First Billed):
Chuck Baxter: Sean Hayes
JD Sheldrake: Tony Goldwyn
Fran Kubelik: Kristin Chenoweth
Eddie Roth: Keith Kuhl
Mr. Dobitch: Brooks Ashmanskas
Sylvia Gilhooley/Miss Polansky:Megan Sikora
Mike Kirkeby: Peter Benson
Ginger/Miss Della Hoya/Lum Ding Hostess: Cameron Adams
Mr. Eichelberger:Sean Martin Hingston
Vivien/Miss Wong: Mayumi Miguel
Dr. Dreyfuss: Dick Latessa
Jesse Vanderhof: Ken Land
Miss Kreplinski/Helen Sheldrake: Ashley Amber
Company doctor/Karl Kubelik: Brian OBrien
Miss Olson: Helen Anker
Kathy/Orchestra Voice: Sarah Jane Everman
Patsy/Orchestra Voice: Kristen Beth Williams
Barbara/Orchestra Voice: Nikki Renee Daniels
Sharon/Orchestra Voice: Chelsea Krombach
Night Watchman/New Young Executive: Ryan Watkinson
Lum Ding Waiter: Matt Loehr
Eugene: Adam Perry
Marge MacDougall: Katie Finneran

I am not going to run down everyone, and what I have to say about the four I will talk about is pretty much the same: amazing!

Sean Hayes: he was hysterical! I enjoyed seeing him in is Broadway Debut, and hope to see him in other shows. He was a nice guy in person, friendly and funny! Loved meeting him!
Kristin Chenoweth: AMAZING! I LOVE HEARING HER SING!!!! She was really nice in person also, and I am so grateful we had the opportunity to meet her also! She is wonderful in anything she does!
Dick Latessa: He was excellent in the role of the Doctor! He was funny, and he really made his stage presence known when he was on!
Katie Finneran: After seeing this show, it is easy to see why she had the Tony Nomination for best supporting actress! She stole the show for the whole 20 minutes she was on!!

I would see this show again and again!

Johnny Baseball

This was not a show I saw in NYC, but at the American Repertory Theater in Boston. I had been in anticipation of this show for over a year(when the Boston Pops promoted it at their Red Sox Album concert in May of 2009!), so I was excited the show was finally open!

I was not disappointed!

Synopsis:
This is the story of a young ball player, Johnny O Brien, who is on the Red Sox in the early 1900's, and befriends Babe Ruth. Ruth takes him to a night club where he falls in love with the singer, Daisy Wyatt, who is African-American. Being that it is the 1900's, white and black marriage is not acceptable in any way, but Johnny is prepared to deal with that as he proposes to Daisy. Daisy however, doesn't accept due to a deal she was given to NOT accept, so his career wouldn't suffer and for compensation, hers could take off. She couldn't turn that down, so she left town to save his career and start hers. About 20 years later, baseball and the world is changing and black ball players are being allowed to try out for the professional teams. Two black ball players try out for the Sox, and it turns out that one is the son of Johnny and Daisy. Daisy had implored to Johnny to help her son achieve his dream, finally admitting that her son is actually his son. His son doesn't make the team, and he turns to God, and says "God curse the Boston Red Sox, and all the boys who dream." The Red Sox(as everyone knows) does not win another game. Flash forward to 2004, all the fans are in the stands at Fenway hoping and praying the Sox are going to win. Right now, the prognosis is not good. An elderly black gentleman has been telling the story of Johnny O Brien to this little boy the entire game. The little boy questions the motive of the black ball player by asking why he cursed the team for the future players and fans. Here you learn the black gentleman WAS that ball player, and he lifts the curse by saying, "God bless the Boston Red Sox and all the boys who dream." And then David Ortiz gets that homer, and wins the game and the rest is history! I like the fact that the story goes back and forth between the 1920's and 2004. The songs are excellent also! And the acting was excellent! I would definitely see another show here! I just wish they had a soundtrack out!

La Cage Aux Folles

Our last show of the weekend was La Cage Aux Folles. This was the only show all four of us saw together! Again, I really enjoyed this show! I had The Birdcage on dvd, and loved it, so I I was pretty sure I would love this show! It was non-stop entertaining from the moment it opened! I would highly recommend this show!

Synopsis:
Georges runs a night club where drag queens perform. The star of the show is Albin, Georges' life partner. Georges has a son, Jean-Michel, who has been raised by himself and Albin. Jean-Michel has come home to announce that he is getting married, to the daughter of a notable man. They will be coming for dinner to meet them, but on one condition: Albin is not around and his real mother would be there. Albin is hurt, but when he gets the message from Jean-MIchel's real mother that she is unable to make it after all, Albin dresses up and states he is Jean-Michel's mother. Albin immediately begins to charm Anne's family, and they absolutely love him, until he loses his wig and the father is appalled and wants to leave. However, a reporter had been secretly tracking the family, and at this point the apartment and nightclub(which is just downstairs) are surrounded. Georges and Albin help them escape by dressing them all in drag and they leave undetected.

Cast(First Billed):

Georges: Kelsey Grammer
"Les Cagelles":
Angelique: Nick Adams
Bitelle: Logan Keslar
Chantal: Sean Patrick Doyle
Hanna: Nicholas Cunningham
Mercedes: Terry Lavell
Phaedra: Sean A. Carmon
Francis: Chris Hoch
Babette: Cheryl Stern
Jacob: Robin de Jesus
Albin: Douglas Hodge
Jean-Michel: AJ Shively
Anne: Elena Shadow
Colette: Heather Lindell
Etienne: David Nathan Perlow
Tabarro: Bill Nolte
Jacqueline: Christine Andreas
M. Renaud: Fred Applegate
Mme. Renaud: Veanne Cox
M. Dindon: Fred Applegate
Mme. Dindon: Veanne Cox
Waiter: Dale Hensley

Kelsey Grammer was awesome as Georges! I loved his voice, and his acting skils were as always superb! A true gentleman at the stage door also!
The Les Cagelles as a group were hysterical, they really stole the show in some sections!
Robin de Jesus was fantastic as Jacob! I really enjoyed watching him perform, and he was really really nice when I got my picture with him at the stage door!
Douglas Hodge was an awesome Albin! He was great, sweet and funny and played the part well!
AJ Shively was excellent as Jean-Michel! He made you feel why he wanted his family to be normal, but you could also feel the love he had for them!
Elena Shadow was great as Anne, she made the character understanding of Jean-Michel's family life.
Fred Applegate was a pleasure as the stuffy father of Anne. He came off as very conservative, but at the end showed just how liberal he could be!
Veanne Cox was good as Anne's mother, she was less conservative than her husband, and embraced jean-Michel's unusual family life a bit easier.

In The Heights

I finally got to see In The Heights! I had been dying to see this show since it came out, but never had the chance! I loved it, the music is upbeat and the choreography is amazing! Lots of latin beats and hip hop! This show is also coming to PPAC in the 10-11 season, and I can't wait to see it again!

Synopsis: 4th of July weekend in Washington Heights, NY. The shop owners are packing up and moving to other parts of the city, and some of the neighbors are leaving also. This show is about friendship and love, and having pride in where you come from, and learning to appreciate that what you wanted all along is right there. Usnavi is trying to find a way back home to the Dominican and also how to get Vanessa to date him, Nina is struggling with the fact she dropped out of school and came home to deal with that, and also finds love in Benny, Benny dreams of being a successful business man, Vanessa just wants a way out of the barrio, Camila and Kevin are Nina's parents and have sold their business, Daniela and Carla are moving their salon out of the neighborhood, and Abeula Claudia just won the lottery.

Cast: (First Billed)

Usnavi: Corbin Bleu
Grafitti Pete: William B. Wingfield
Piragua Guy: Eliseo Roman
Abuela Claudia: Olda Merediz
Carla: Courtney Reed
Daniela: Andrea Burns
Kevin: Rick Negron
Camila: Priscilla Lopez
Sonny: David Del Rio
Benny: Christopher Jackson
Vanessa: Marcy Harriell
Nina: Gabrielle Ruiz(Understudy for Janet Dacal)

Corbin Bleu was a really nice guy. As far as Usnavi, I was used to hearing Lin Manuel Miranda on the soundtrack, so obviously his voice was very different than Lin's. It took some getting used to for me, but he wasn't bad at all!
William B Wingfield was great as Grafitti Pete!
Eliseo Roman was an excellent Piragua Guy! Good voice!
Olga Merediz...what can I say about her? I just love her! she is really nice and she is perfect as Abuela Claudia! Her voice and acting are superb!
Courtney Reed was a good Carla! She had a nice voice!
Andrea Burns: I love her Daniela! She owns the part! She dances and sings well!
Rick Negron was a great Kevin, you could feel his feelings for Nina
Priscilla Lopez: Another great star! Can't sing her praises enough! She is very talented!
David Del Rio: He was great as Sonny!
Christopher Jackson: Excellent Benny! He has the singing and dancing down well, I love his voice! He was also nice when I met him!
Marcy Harriell: Was a great Vanessa, she had the part down pat!
Gabrielle Ruiz: Amazing voice, I feel happy that she was my understudy!

If you like upbeat shows, this is the show for you!

Next To Normal

Kristin and I saw Next To Normal on April 30, 2010. I LOVE this show! The story line, the music, the acting, the choreography--all amazing! This show is one of my top ten, and I would see it over and over!!!

Synopsis:
A middle aged mother is struggling with major depression issues since her son died 17 years earlier, but she is tormented by his ghost. Her daughter is learning how to cope with the stressors that she has to deal with with school and her mom and other things in her life, and her boyfriend is helping her by teaching her to get high. Meanwhile, her father is trying to find the best way to help his family that is falling apart.

Cast: (First Billed)

Diana: Jessica Phillips(Understudy for Alice Ripley)
Dan: J. Robert Spencer
Gabe: Kyle Dean Massey
Natalie: Jennifer Damiano
Dr. Madden/Dr. Fine: Louis Hobson
Henry: Tim Young(Understudy for Adam Chanler-Berat)

Jessica Phillips: I was disappointed at first that we got the understudy, as I had been DYING to see Alice Ripley, but Jessica was awesome! Her voice was really good, and her acting superb! Plus she came out at the stage door and was really sweet! :) I look forward to seeing her in future shows!
J. Robert Spencer: I was THRILLED to see him as Dan! (And even more excited to get a pic with him after!) He was fantastic as Dan, I love his voice and his acting! And I was happy I got to see him, as he has since left the show!
Kyle Dean Massey: Excellent as Gabe! He has a great voice, and he was awesome as the son! Also enjoyed getting a pic with him too!
Jennifer Damiano: Of course she was excellent as Natalie! She has since left the show to go on to play MJ in Spiderman the Musical. She did not come out at the stage door.
Louis Hobson: HOTTIE ALERT! He was gorgeous! His voice is good, one of my favorite scenes is when is a "rockstar!" Got to meet him too, and I was excited!
Tim Young: I liked his Henry better than Adam Chanler-Berats, actually! His voice to me was clearer and stronger, and he was excellent! I did get to meet him also!

I can't sing the praises of this show enough! It is coming to PPAC for the 10-11 season and I can't wait!

Mother-Daughter Weekend

So April 30-May 2 was a mother-daughter weekend in NYC! My mom and I went with my friend Kristin and her mom and stayed overnight in the city!

We were supposed to stay on 39th st at the hotel there, but that hotel ended up having pipes burst the day before we were supposed to go, and they moved us to a sister hotel in Long Island City, so we were farther away from the theatre district.
We got to the city and went to Macy's, and ate at Tad's Steakhouse(a favorite of my mom's and mine!) From there we walked to the King Tut exhibit at Times Square Discovery Center. It was an AWESOME exhibit! 13 rooms of artifacts, and videos, and posters! I think the jewelry and the containers and espohagus' were my favorite! After that, we went to our hotel and got ready for our first show! Kristin and I saw Next To Normal, and our moms saw Chicago. After the show, Kristin and I stage doored and got autographs and pictures with the cast! (Including Kyle Dean Massey, and J Robert Spencer!) We also picked up some Junior's Cheesecake to take back to the hotel(Red Velvet for me!)

On Saturday, we got up early to get to the city so we could go to Wicked: Behind the Emerald Curtain. This was a behind the scenes tour of Wicked where we got to meet two cast members(Anthony Galde and Sean McCourt) and see the original costumes that Idina Menzel and Kristin Chenoweth and Joel Gray wore, as well as how wigs are made and various props and how the staging works. After that, we walked over to Central Park and had gelato! Then we prepared for our shows. Kristin and our moms went to see Mary Poppins, and I saw In The Heights. I also stage doored and got pics with Corbin Bleu and Christopher Jackson! We were going to go back to the hotel but ended up at the Hershey Store and M&M World and ate at Ellen's Stardust Diner. We never made it back to the hotel, because when we were done with Ellen's we decided it wasn't worth it to go all the way back! We walked over for our final show, La Cage Aux Folles. After La Cage Aux Folles, We stage doored and I got my picture with Kelsey Grammer and the adorable Robin de Jesus!

After that, we headed back to our subway for the hotel, and we were barricaded at 45th St and could go no further. This was the night of the SUV bomb in Times Square! We had heard the sirens all night during the show but didn't think anything of it! We went to a cafe to figure out if we should take the subway or a taxi. At the cafe, a crazy guy came upstairs and stared at me, took his belt off and threw it at me, cursing! We decided a taxi NOW would be good!

Sunday, our last day in the city! :( No shows today, but we went to the Museum of Natural History, which I was kinda disappointed in! The dinosaur bones and gems were nice, but the ocean room didn't impress me as it was taxidermied animals and nothing hands on. I thought it was going to be more like a science museum I guess!

After that we got back on our bus and went home!

Stay tuned for blogs of the shows!

Addams Family Musical

So on April 24, Kristin and I went on a Barrington Community School bus trip to NYC to see the Addams Family Musical! I was excited to see it, as I have always loved the Addams Family! It was a great show! The songs were catchy, and I was laughing the entire time! We had great seats, and it was Original Broadway Cast that we saw. I honestly believe this show got the shaft, not winning any Tony Awards. I think the cast worked well as a group, and the dancing was awesome too! I thought Nathan Lane and Bebe Neuwirth should have been nominated for Best Actor(ress) in a Musical, with Krysta Roodriguez for Best Supporting Actress. But I digress.

Synopsis: Wednesday is all grown up at age 18, and has found true love. The only problem? He is the complete opposite of what the Addams family are! As the Addams Family and The Bieneke Family prepare to meet for the first time, a series of strange events occur throughout the night, events that would only happen in the home of the Addams Family! At the end, all is well, and Wednesday and Lucas are free to marry.

Cast: (First Billed)

Gomez Addams: Nathan Lane
Morticia Addams: Bebe Neuwirth
Uncle Fester: Kevin Chamberlin
Grandma: Jackie Hoffman
Wednesday Addams: Krysta Rodriguez
Pugsley Addams: Adam Riegler
Lurch: Zachary James

Mal Beineke: Terrence Mann
Alice Beineke: Carolee Carmello
Lucas Beineke: Wesley Taylor

Nathan Lane: Awesome Gomez! I was thrilled to see the incredible Nathan Lane in this role, I have been a HUGE fan of his for years, so this was thrilling for me! No one could have done it better!
Bebe Neuwirth: She was a good Morticia, she was sultry and dry humored but it fit the role well!
Kevin Chamberlin: Great Actor! Was a perfect Fester! He was funny and provided humor to the show.
Jackie Hoffman: HYSTERICAL as grandma! She was wonderful!
Krysta Rodriguez: I just love her, I was excited to see her also, as this was the first role I had gotten to see her in! She was great! Wonderful voice, can't wait to see what the future brings her!
Adam Riegler: Cute Pugsley! He was great! Also look forward to his future shows!
Lurch: Ok, first, I have to say that Zach James is HOT! The makeup the put on him to make him look like Lurch is a total transformation! he was great as Lurch though!
Terrence Mann: The character he was playing was a neurotic father. He did a great job!
Carolee Carmello: What a set of chops on her! Playing the sexually-deprived Alice, I honestly think she stole the show with the song she sang after she drank the acrimonium! That is one of my favorite songs in the show, actually!
Lucas Beineke: Also was excited to see him, and he played the part of Wednesday's boyfriend extremely well! He loved Wednesday and wasn't afraid to show it, his acting was great!

Over all, I would recommend this show. I was disappointed by two things: It was still relatively new, so no soundtracks or programs were available for purchase, and Nathan Lane and Bebe Neuwirth didn't come out to the stage door. I was hoping to get a pic with Nathan!

But the show was hysterical, and definitely shafted for a Tony! (Nathan, Bebe, and the rest of the cast--I loved you guys!!!)

It's Been Awhile!

So I haven't had much time to write!! I went back to school in January 2010 to take pre-reqs to hope to get into the nursing program. To be honest, I almost forgot I had a blog! But my friend Kristin just set up a blog for herself and inadvertantly reminded me I had one I had been neglecting! But anyway, a lot has been going on!

Let's start with school.

I went back to BCC, and was able to take Anatomy ad Physiology I and History from 1865 at the Attleboro Campus for the spring semester. It was a busy semester, but I managed to get A+'s in both subjects! I loved both my teachers, Susan Barrett for A&P I (she was awesome, funny and really nice and very organized in her lectures!) and Manny Vinhateiro for History. I have always loved history, but he made the subject more interesting. He taught us things HE cared about, so he was enthusiastic about the topics. He had a plethora of knowledge and tidbits that he imparted on to us, as well as lists of books and authors as suggestions to check out. I enjoyed talking to both teachers on a personal level as well.

In the summer, I took three classes in ten weeks.(Well, two were in ten weeks, the other was a 6 week accelerated.) I took Developmental Psych at 4 C's online, and Anatomy and Physiology II and Modern College Mathematics(also online) at BCC. I got a B+ in Developmental Psych and B's in A&P II and Math! My teachers were again, great. My developmental Psych teacher was Candy Schulenburg, who I had had before about 10 years earlier for child psych! She is a peach, I would take any class with her again! My A&P teacher was George Moniz, he was a really nice guy, pretty funny and really knew his stuff! He didn't mind answering any question we threw at him, and he always responded with interesting little things we didn't know! I loved hearing his stories about his experiences! My math teacher was Susan McCourt, and since it was an online class, I didn't get to know her on a personal level, but she was nice, had the online course set up nicely and very easy to use. She had a calming tone and explained things well in her videos.

Now I am about to begin micro biology in the fall. I am looking forward to getting three of the hardest courses done before the year is done! I am proud of all I have accomplished, and I am looking to apply to the nursing program at about 5 schools, hoping to get in for the fall 2011 semester.

So what else have I been doing while I haven't been at school? I have been going to NYC for shows and Fenway for Sox games, and to the Cape! I have seen 6 shows on Broadway so far this year, with plans to see 5 more! I have seen Addams Family, Next to Normal, In The Heights, La cage Aux Folles, Promises, Promises, and Rock of Ages. Coming up at the end of September is American Idiot. I have been to Fenway 5 times so far, 4 times for games, one time for Aerosmith, I have one more game this year! My first game was Opening Day, with front-row Monster Seats! I was spoiled! I have also seen the Boston Pops three times, Idina Menzel was the guest performer for two of the shows, with Rachael Ray as the guest conductor for one of them! The other show was the 4th of July at the Esplanade! It was a fun experience, but probably one that I won't do again as there were so many people! I have been to Martha's Vineyard and Provincetown also. I will write more detailed blogs about my adventures individually so it doesn't go on and on!

So now everyone is caught up with what has been going on! Hope you look forward to my show reviews!