NYC 9.3.11 HAIR and Rock of Ages

I said I fell in love with Hair lol I was not joking! 3 times in 7 weeks! That's not bad! This time I went with Alaina, we tried lottery again and lost, but got student tickets for $37 for mezz. But we still had the entire experience, including going on stage at the end! It was great! We had several cast changes this time, my favorite being Marshal Kennedy Carolan as Claude. Not only is he incredibly adorable, his voice is AMAZING!!! It was a wonderful choice for Claude!! We also stage doored. Not a bad show for Alaina's first Broadway show AND first time to NYC! I will miss Hair when it closes next week :( Fingers crossed it comes to PVD for the 2012-2013 season!
Cast:
Dionne: Tanesha Ross(This show)
Berger: Steel Burkhardt
Woof: Matt DeAngelis
Hud: Darius Nichols
Claude: Marshal Kennedy Carolan(This show)
Sheila: Caryn Lyn Tackett
Jeanie: Kacie Sheik
Crissy: Cailan Rose(This show)
Mother: Allison Guinn
Dad: Josh Lamon
Principal: Lee Zarrett
Margaret Mead: Josh Lamon
Hubert: Lee Zarrett
Abraham Lincoln: Lulu Fall
John Wilkes Booth: Lee Zarrett
Buddhadalirama: Allison Guinn
Tribe Members: Shaleah Adkisson, Nicholas Belton, Marshal Kennedy Carolan, Mike Evariste, Lulu Fall, Nkrumah Gatling, Allison Guinn, Sara King, Josh Lamon, John Moauro, Christine Nolan, Emmy Raver-Lampman, Arbender Robinson, Cailan Rose, Jen Sese, Lee Zarrett







After Hair, we walked next door to the Helen Hayes Theatre, where we snagged two student rush tickets @ $27. $64 for TWO shows is not bad at all! We had some time to kill, so we went to Madame Tussaud's for a couple hours before we went to the performance!











Then It was time for Rock of Ages. Rock of Ages is always a good time, and this time was no exception! Hysterical!!! (I have written a previous synopsis, so none will be included.)

Cast:
Lonny/Redord Company Man: MItchell Jarvis
Justice/Mother: Michele Mais
Dennis/Record Company Man: Adam Dannheisser
Drew: Dan Domenech
Sherrie: Rebecca Faulkenberry
Stacee Jaxx/Father: MiG Ayesa
Regina/Candy: Josephine Rose Roberts
Mayor/Ja Keith Gill/Strip Club DJ: Andre Ward
Hertz: Bret Tuomi
Franz: Cody Scott Lancaster
Waitress #1: Ericka Hunter
Reporter: Emily Williams
Sleazy Producer/Joey Primo: Jeremy Woodard
Young Groupie: Tessa Alves

NYC RENT and HAIR 8.20.11

Hayley, Kristin, and I went to see RENT revival(?) off Broadway at its new home at the New World Stages. I was excited to see RENT, as it closed after a 12 year run on Broadway in 2008. I was a little apprehensive though, because of the changes to the show: modernization, costume changes, technology, etc. I was MORE than happy with the changes! The costumes, though Mark's trademark scarf was gone and Maureen wore a skirt instead of jeans, and Angel was much more masculine,(and not comic relief anymore! I hated when they made her comic relief!) worked well. Mark's old video camera was replaced with a slightly more modern (albeit still old!) camera. The technology was added to include more video footage(including live footage at the end) and it snowed every time they sand "And it's beginning to snow." The cast was very talented, and young. The set was incredible, and modern.

Some people may miss the charm and the simplicity of the old RENT, but as a RENThead for at least 15 years now, I can't stop singing it's praises!

I am not going to include a synopsis, as I am sure I have done that already previously!

Cast:
Mark Cohen: Adam Chanler-Berat
Roger Davis: Matt Shingledecker
Mrs Cohen, Coat Vendor, Others: Morgan Weed
Tom Collins: Nicholas Christopher
Benjamin Coffin III: Ephraim Sykes
Joanne Jefferson: Corbin Reid
The Man, Mr Grey, Others: Ben Thompson
Angel Dumott Schunard: MJ Rodriguez
Mimi Marquez: Arianda Fernandez
Maureen Johnson: Annaleigh Ashford
Mr Jefferson, Paul, Others: Marcus Paul James
Mrs Jefferson, Homeless Woman, Others: Tamika Sonja Lawrence
Gordon, Waiter, Others: Michael Wartella
Alexi Darling, Mrs Davis, Others: Margot Bingham

Then, Kristin went to see Death Takes A Holiday, and Hayley and I went to try for the Hair lottery. We lost, but we got seats 3 rows from the front for $37 student rush! Can't beat that!

Hair was as fantastic as it was 3 weeks earlier! This time we had much more interaction because of our seats, and we got to go up on stage and dance with the cast after! Such a fun time! Fell a little more in love with Hair!

Cast:
Dionne: Phyre Hawkins
Berger: Steel Burkhardt
Woof: Matt DeAngelis
Hud: Darius Nichols
Claude: Paris Remillard
Sheila: Caryn Lyn Tackett
Jeanie: Kacie Sheik
Crissy: Kaitlin Kiyan
Mother: Allison Guinn
Dad: Tripp Fountain(This show)
Principal: Lee Zarrett
Margaret Mead: Tripp Fountain(This show)
Hubert: Lee Zarrett
Abraham Lincoln: Lulu Fall
John Wilkes Booth: Lee Zarrett
Buddhadalirama: Allison Guinn
Tribe Members: Shaleah Adkisson, Nicholas Belton, Marshal Kennedy Carolan, Mike Evariste, Lulu Fall, Nkrumah Gatling, Allison Guinn, Sara King, Josh Lamon, John Moauro, Christine Nolan, Emmy Raver-Lampman, Arbender Robinson, Cailan Rose, Jen Sese, Lee Zarrett

NYC Hair 7.16.11

Kristin and I went to see Hair today. It was PERFECT that Hair had decided to do a ten-week run at the St James Theatre this summer! I had just gotten into Hair, and was DYING to see it, so we grabbed tickets!

Quick Synopsis:
Hair is the story of a group or friends, (The Tribe) who are hippies in the 60's, and protest war and fighting and promote love. That's essentially the show, though it is much much more than that!

This show is fantastic! This was my first time seeing it(but not my last, as you will see!) There was much audience interaction, with the characters running through the aisles and playing with you hair and handing out flowers and Be-In posters, and dancing over your seats. We were in the Mezzanine for this show, and it was not nearly as fun as orchestra. I totally recommend orchestra seats for this show! One of the things I LOVE is they let you come on stage after curtain call and dance with them! It's super fun(didn't do that this time because I didn't know about it!) The whole atmosphere is very relaxed and just happy! You can't come out of this show not smiling! We did stage door for this show, but I put all the pics in my hard drive and I can't find them!

Cast:
Dionne: Phyre Hawkins
Berger: Steel Burkhardt
Woof: Matt DeAngelis
Hud: Darius Nichols
Claude: Paris Remillard
Sheila: Caryn Lyn Tackett
Jeanie: Kacie Sheik
Crissy: Kaitlin Kiyan
Mother: Allison Guinn
Dad: Tripp Fountain(This show)
Principal: Lee Zarrett
Margaret Mead: Tripp Fountain(This show)
Hubert: Lee Zarrett
Abraham Lincoln: Lulu Fall
John Wilkes Booth: Lee Zarrett
Buddhadalirama: Allison Guinn
Tribe Members: Shaleah Adkisson, Nicholas Belton, Marshal Kennedy Carolan, Mike Evariste, Lulu Fall, Nkrumah Gatling, Allison Guinn, Sara King, Josh Lamon, John Moauro, Christine Nolan, Emmy Raver-Lampman, Arbender Robinson, Cailan Rose, Jen Sese, Lee Zarrett

NYC, House of Blue Leaves 6.25.11

Today Kristin and I split up and saw two different shows, Baby It's You for her, and House of Blue Leaves, my second play, for me.

House of Blue Leaves is about a man who is married to a woman who is crazy, and he would like to leave her for the woman he has been seeing on the side. He has a son who is in the military, who we find out is MIA and is planning to blow up the Pope tonight when he comes to visit NYC(That plan gets foiled, and the son gets taken away to prison.) At the end, he doesn't end up leaving his wife, his fling ends up going off with his friend, and he finally puts his wife out of her (his?) misery by suffocating her.

I toyed a lot over what show to see. This show(Starring Ben Stiller), Chris Rock's the Motherf****r With The Hat, and Robin Williams' Bengal Tiger At The Baghdad Zoo were all plays that had the same close date. Originally, I was going to see Bengal Tiger, because I love Robin Williams, but then I read the synopsis and decided it wasn't for me. Same for Chris Rock's show, even though people promised it was hilarious, the synopsis just didn't appeal. So Blue Leaves won. I love Ben Stiller, so I was excited for it. The show was very good, it did not bore me in any way, so I made a great choice!

Cast:
Artie Shaughnessy: Ben Stiller
Ronnie Shaughnessy: Christopher Abbott
Bunny Flingus: Jennifer Jason Leigh
Bananas Shaughnessy: Edie Falco
Corrinna Stroller: Alison Pill
Head Nun: Mary Beth Hurt
Second Nun: Susan Bennett
Little Nun: Halley Feiffer
Policeman: Jimmy Davis
White Man: Tally Sessions
Billy Einhorn: Thomas Sadoski

NYC 5.28.11-People In The Picture

Originally, we wanted to see People in the Picture--or I wanted to see People in the Picture at least--because of the very gorgeous Louis Hobson, who I fell in love with in Next To Normal. I wasn't expecting to like the show much, but I went in open minded.

The People in the Picture is a show that switches back and forth between NYC in 1977 and Warsaw, Poland, in 1935-1946. It centers around a Jewish woman named Raisel(Bubbie to her granddaughter) who used to be in a performing circuit with a troupe of people before WWII hit. When WWII arrived, she had had a baby, and like most of the Jewish people in Warsaw, were sent to a ghetto. She managed to save her baby's life by sending her to live with the woman who had been nanny to the baby before they were sent away. Many of her friends were killed during this time, but she survived, and went back to find her baby and take her back. This was a hard thing to do, as her baby was now 6 and had known no other parents except the ones who had been raising her. Raisel gets her baby(Red) and moves to NYC.

In 1977, Red's daughter, Jenny, is interviewing Raisel to find out about her family history. Raisel tells her all about "The People In The Picture," and the stories they had. Jenny is fascinated by her family history, and listens intently. Red thinks her mother has Alzheimers, and worries that she "sees" the people who are no longer living. Raisel ends up dying at the end, but Red finally sees the spirits of the people now too, and realizes her mother wasn't crazy after all.

This was a great show! I have done a lot of studying on the Holocaust and WWII, and this in musical form was right up my alley. The music was phenomenal, as well as the acting. It was a tear jerker, too.

Cast:
Doovie Feldman: Hal Robinson
Moishe Rosenwald: Alexander Gemignani
Chayesel Fisher: Joyce Van Patten
Yossie Pinsker: Chip Zien
Avram Krinsky: Lewis J Stadlen
Chaim Bradovsky: Christopher Innvar
Jenny: Rachel Resheff
Bubbie/Raisel: Donna Murphy
Peasant: Jeffrey Schecter
Red: Nicole Parker
Hoodlums: Jeremy Davis, Jeffrey Schecter
Hollywood Girls: Emilee Dupree, Shannon Lewis, Jessica Lea Patty, Megan Reinking
Rabbi Velvel: Hal Robinson
Dobrisch: Megan Reinking
Dr Goldblum: Louis Hobson
Young Red: Andie Mechanic
Shmuel: Jeffrey Schecter
Jerzy: Paul Anthony Stewart
Rachel: Maya Goldman

NYC 3.31-4.3.11

This was my mom's birthday in NYC weekend! We had such a busy weekend! We came in on March 31, Thursday morning, and we checked into our hotel--2 blocks away from Times Square!! Our plan for the day was to relax, and then grab food at Carmine's, which was enough food for 4 people to share! We had penne and meatballs, and we made that food last 3 days!!
After Carmine's, we headed to our first show, My Big Gay Italian Wedding. It was an off-Broadway show, and it was promised to be hysterical! I enjoyed the show, but I think they could have cut out a huge chunk of it. It was very Jersey Shore reminiscent. Fun, but very Tony and Maria's Italian Wedding, which I have seen on dinner shows.


Then it was Friday, April 1. We got up early and hopped on the subway to go to the NY Aquarium. It was right next to Coney Island, so it was about a 45 minute subway ride. It was a rainy day, but most of the aquarium was indoors, so that was no problem! It was a nice aquarium, I enjoyed seeing the animals, especially the jellyfish!






At night we went to see Sister Act the Musical. All I have to say is, "Take Me To Heaven!" It was an amazing show, songs are up beat 70's/80's style songs, and it makes you want to get up out of your seat and dance!! For those who need a refresher, Sister Act is a movie starring Whoopi Goldberg as Deloris Van Cartier, a lounge singer in Vegas who gets in a pickle when she learns her boyfriend has murdered someone. Now they are looking for her! For her safety, she is placed in a convent and dressed as a nun to partake in daily nun activities so she can lay low awhile. Deloris is not great at laying low, and soon becomes the choir director, leading the other sisters in song and making a name for the church. Such a big name, that the church is headlining everywhere, and gives her ex boyfriend clues where to find her, and track her down. Eventually, the sisters band together to help Deloris, and she stays safe and her boyfriend and his goons end up going to jail.

Cast:
Deloris Van Cartier-Patina MIller
Michelle-Rashidra Scott
Tina-Alena Watters
Curtis Jackson-Kingsley Leggs
Joey-John Treacy Egan
Pablo-Ceasar Samayoa
TJ-Desmond Green
Eddie Souther-Chester Gregory
Mother Superior-Victoria Clark
Monsignor O Hara-Fred Applegate
Mary Robert-Marla Mindelle
Mary Patrick-Sarah Bolt
Mary Lazarus-Audrie Neenan

Fantastic show, I can definitely see why this one got a Best Musical Tony Nom!
I didn't stage door, it was raining too hard!




Saturday April 2, we had a busy busy day! We went to the Central Park Zoo, which I had never been to before and LOVED!! It was sunny today, finally! So it was nice to walk around outside! It was almost magical, being in the zoo in the middle of a giant city! You could ALMOST forget you were in a city! I loved the polar bears, they were my favorite!









After the Central Park Zoo, my mom went to see Phantom Of The Opera as her matinee, and I headed to my first Broadway PLAY, Lombardi. (For those who are confused and think I always see plays, I do not! I see MUSICALS. Musicals are not plays. Plays do not have music in them, and musicals do. So, 2 different animals!)
It was at the Circle in the Square Theatre, which I had never been in and liked. Small theatre, but it worked for this show!

It was the story of Vince Lombardi, Packers Football Coach.

Cast:
Vincent Lombardi-Dan Lauria
Michael McCormick-Keith Nobbs
Marie Lombardi-Judith Light
Dave Robinson-Robert Christopher Riley
Paul Hornung-Bill Dawes
Jim Taylor-Chris Sullivan

Did not stage door for this one as I could not find the Stage Door!



After Lombardi, we ended up going to Shake Shack and bringing back yummy burgers and shakes to our room! SOOO good!


Then we got ready for our evening show, Catch Me If You Can, The movie-turned-musical about Frank Abergnale, Jr, the con man! This show was another phenomenal show! The music was real Broadway, as were the sets! It was perfect! Another show I can see why it got a Tony nom! I did get to stage door for this show! I met Tom Wopat, Kerry Butler, and Aaron Tveit!

Cast:
Frank Abergnale Jr-Aaron Tveit
Agent Branton-Joe Cassidy
Agent Dollar-Brandon Wardell
Agent Carl Hanratty-Norbert Leo Butz
Agent Cod-Timothy McCuen Piggee
Frank Abergnale Sr-Tom Wopat
Paula Abergnale-Rachel de Benedet
Cheryl Ann-Rachelle Rak
Brenda Strong-Kerry Butler
Roger Strong-Nick Wyman
Carol Strong-Linda Hart




After the show, we stopped at Famiglia for Pizza! Such good pizza!!

Sunday we went to the Pompeii Exhibit at Discovery Center Times Square. It was a great exhibit, showed all artifacts from Pompeii, which was cool because I had been to Pompeii and it was nice to see! After that we went to Sardi's, and had dessert. I loved Sardi's! I had never been! I got some pictures of caricatures.




After that it was time to get our bus and go back home. What a great weekend!

March 25-26-27 2011

I normally only post shows I have seen in NYC here, but this weekend was amazing! Saw Next to Normal 3 times, 1 time a night, and we stage doored Saturday and Sunday, and we got to meet ALICE RIPLEY!!! Perry Sherman was an understudy in the cast, and on Sunday he came out and gave us all signed Playbills which was awesome! :)

New Year, Old Shows 1.08.11

Today was a bittersweet day. Let's first talk about the fact that it was snowy and chilly!!

Hayley, Kristin, and I went to see 3 shows between us that are closing this week and next. Hayley and Kristin went to see A Little Night Music as their matinee, and In The Heights at night. I went to see In The Heights for my matinee(I HAD to see Lin-Manuel Miranda perform as Usnavi!) And Next To Normal as my evening performance. We hung around the city in the morning visited our favorite show theatre's for the last time before they closed. We took some shots of the theatre, and posed with our favorite characters on the Booth Theatre doors for the last time. Hayley with Adam Chanler-Berat, who played Henry, Kristin with Kyle Dean Massey, who played Gabe, and Me with Louis Hobson, who was Dr Madden/Dr Fine.









After lunch, we went to our shows. In The Heights was phenomenal, I enjoyed it so much better than the first time, probably because Lin-Manuel Miranda was there, and to me he is the ONLY Usnavi!
The energy was amazing, and you almost really believed it was boiling outside and the middle of July, instead of freezing, snowing, and the beginning of January! I believe I gave a synopsis for this show and Next To Normal previously, so I will skip that and list the cast!

Cast:
Graffiti Pete-Daniel J Watts
Usnavi-Lin-Manuel Miranda
Piragua Guy-Ruben Flores
Abuela Claudia-Olga Merediz
Carla-Courtney Reed
Daniela-Andrea Burns
Kevin-Tony Chiroldes
Camila-Priscilla Lopez
Sonny-Shaun Taylor-Corbett
Benny-Christopher Jackson
Vanessa-Marcy Harriell
Nina-Arielle Jacobs

I did stage door, it was a crazy mad house, but I managed to get from the very last row in the theatre to the very front of the stage door barricades, and I was able to get a picture with Lin-Manuel Miranda, and tell him that his song, "Everything I Know," was an an integral part of my life in 08, when the show came out as my grandfather died that year and I re-wrote the lyrics to fit our family! He seemed very touched by that! It was sad that such a wonderful show was closing.



After the show, I had some time to kill, so I decided I would talk a walk up to FAO Schwartz and Dylan's Candy Bar. On the way, I passed by a still light Christmas Tree near Bloomingdales, and by Bloomingdales itself, which was still decorated as well. I had fun shopping and watching the Big Piano demonstration!














After FAO and Dylan's, it was time to see Next To Normal!
This show made me MORE sad than In The Heights that it was closing! I just love this show!! I saw it three times in NYC, stage doored 4 X, and The cast is small, so you feel like you can really connect with them!

Cast:
Diana: Marin Mazzie
Dan: Jason Danieley
Natalie: Meghann Fahy
Gabe:Kyle Dean Massey
Dr Madden/Dr Fine: Louis Hobson
Henry: Adam Chanler-Berat

I had great seats, 4 rows from the front! I did stage door for a few minutes after, while I waited for Kristin and Hayley to get out of ITH, and I did get a picture with Meghann Fahy, who I had never gotten at the Stage Door before, and my favorite, Louis Hobson.(Who I asked what his next show would be, and he said The People In The Picture, through Roundabout, and I told him I would definitely see anything he was in, so I will be seeing that show!) I also got a picture of the set. It was a long day, sort of sad, but very fun!