A Quick Recap of the Past Year

So I am a terrible blogger. I am awful at keeping my blog up to date. This is a recap of everything Ive done in the past year. To finish my California trip, we spent the last couple of days in Berkeley/Oakland/San Francisco area, visiting our relatives. It was a very nice visit! We went to Pier 39, and it was nice to see the sea lions and the shops and restaurants! They had an awesome carousel with a top level and a bottom level, which I had never seen before! We saw the Golden Gate Bridge, Alcatraz Island, and we went to eat at a restaurant/brewery in a very nice area! It went by so quick, but I enjoyed it and would like to go back! I loved California! On October 30, I went to see Memphis in NYC. Adam Pascal had joined the cast as Huey. I have been an Adam Pascal fan since RENT, so of course, I had to go see him. I had had no desire to see Memphis prior, even though I was told that it was great. The cast recording didn't suck me in at all. So we went,got student rush tickets, and I got my FIRST box seats! Box seats are NOT wonderful, like you may believe. The farther back you sit in the box, the less of the stage you see. I was lucky enough to be closest to the stage, but I can see how miserable it could be if you were sitting farther back. I LOVED MEMPHIS!! Adam was wonderful, and the show was upbeat, catchy, and created many emotions. It is a feel-good show for everyone! Unfortunately, Adam didn't come out at the stage door, but I am so glad I got on the Memphis bandwagon before it closed! On November 19, I saw Godspell in NYC. I hadn't seen Godspell since I was a kid, at Harwich Junior Theatre. I liked it, the songs were memorable, notably "Day by Day," the trademark song everyone knows. This production blew me away! It was modernized and very lively! The cast was young, relatively unknown(Most notable-Hunter Parrish as Jesus, and Telly Leung, Lindsay Mendez is a hot up-and-coming.) This show was amazing! They utilized water, trampolines, impromptu rap...not a dull moment in the show! When Jesus died, the scene was haunting and very well done. Sadly, this show did not have as long as a shelf life as it deserved. Very Glad I saw it! In the evening, I saw an Evening With Patti Lupone and Mandy Patinkin. I enjoyed this show very much, they performed many songs from Evita, Gypsy, South Pacific, and others. Always amazing performers! December 17 I remember being a hard day for a show decision. I had already obtained tickets to Balls the Musical at night, but what to see during the day? I finally decided on Follies. Bernadette Peters was in it, and one of my goals was to see her perform on Broadway. However, she was performing in a Stephen Sondheim show. I have SUCH an aversion to Stephen Sondheim shows. I never like them, they are long and boring to me, which is why I never saw Bernadette or Angela Lansbury in A Little Night Music. But I'd heard good things about Follies, so I decided to give it a go.(Aside from Bernadette, the show also had Danny Burstein, Ron Raines, Jan Maxwell, Terri White, and Betty Buckley...pretty notable!) I surprisingly liked Follies. It didn't make my top ten must sees or anything, but I didn't hate it/fall asleep. I liked the music the most. The way they had designed the theatre/set was spooky and eerie, which I loved. I didnt get to stage door and meet Bernadette as it was a matinee, but I did like and do recommend the show. My evening performance was Balls the Musical. I LOVED THIS!!! I had a waiter at Ellen's Stardust Diner a couple of years ago, named Brandon Ellis. He has an awesome voice, and a wonderful personality! So I tend to follow actors I like, and I had seen he was going to be in an off Broadway called Balls the Musical. Of course, I had to see it! It was about basically four (straight!) guys who like musical theatre, and wanted to act in it. They made parodies of popular Broadway songs, and they were just hysterical! One of the funniest show I had seen! I wish it had ran longer, I would have definitely gone back! Guys...if you come across this blog, I wish you had made a cd of the songs!(And a possible reappearance off Broadway? We need more humourous shows!) (and Brandon, I am a huge fan!!!) January 14, 2012. I went to NYC without a plan! I decided on Priscilla, Queen of the Desert. SUCH A FUN SHOW!!! Will Swenson, Nick Adams, and Tony Sheldon were FANTASTIC!! (And Nick Adams is simply adorable!) This show was a jukebox musical, with pop songs from the 80s, and based on the movie of the same name. I can't imagine anyone hating this show! It was great! Sadly, it also closed well before its time! January 25-27 I went to Paris, France(for one day) and London, England for two days. I went to the Louvre and saw the Mona Lisa(amongst other things) and we went to the Notre Dame Cathedral(GORGEOUS!!! Loved the Stained Glass Windows!) and we went to the Eiffel Tower(not super exciting, it was rainy and foggy, and we went to the second level(we weren't allowed to go to the top) and you couldn't see much because of the fog. Maybe it would have been better in the sun or at night. London, I LOVED!!! It was sooo nice! We took a bus tour for four hours all around England. We saw Buckingham Palace, the West End of theatres(unlike NYC the theatres are VERY spread out!), Trafalgar Square, Picadilly Circus, all the museums(not enough time to explore many of them though!) The London Eye, The London Bridge, The Gherkin, The Armadillo, The Tower Bridge, The London Tower, and many other things. Our guide, Robin, was fantastic! At night, we rushed Wicked in London...we paid 32 pounds each for tickets...12 rows from the front! Wicked in London was AMAZING!! Just as awesome if not better than NYC! The theatre itself, not as many ushers as NYC. No one shows you to your seat, which was weird. And you have to buy your Playbill(which is the size of our programs here) because when the cast changes, they create new Playbills in full color for each of them. Kind of nice, but at the same time Id rather have my free Playbill! There was some British teenybopper boy band member there that night, someone from a band called McFly, and people went absolutely crazy for him(he was in the audience.) After the show, he walked right by me...and I had no idea who he was, just thought he was a tool in his outfit.(looked military with decorations, but just a jacket with jeans=loser to me!) Shoulda guessed he was someone, as he had a blonde trophy on his arm! The last day in London, we went on The London Eye, Went to the London Tower Tour, saw the Royal Jewels, Went to the London Tower Bridge tour, and went on a London Bridge Tour. It was so nice, I didn't want to come home! And remarkably warm for January! (A week after we returned, they were hit with a huge snowstorm! We had luck this time!) January 29, a day after I returned, I had tickets to American Idiot in Boston. I had come back from England with a bad cold, but I refused to let that stop me! Matt DeAngelis, who I had liked from Hair, and Jake Epstein(Who I liked from Degrassi) were in it! I was excited to see Jake, who had done Spring Awakening tour after it had left Providence, and I was elated to see Matt again of course. I had really gotten into American Idiot since I had seen it in 2010, and I was really excited for this show! I loved every minute, and look forward to catching it in Providence in January 2013! February 19 I saw Mary Poppins at PPAC. Such an enjoyable show! I didn't like it much when I had seen it 5 years earlier in NYC on previews, but it was great this time! I had forgotten so many things, the show was enveloped in the magic of Disney! I would see it again! March 4 at PPAC I saw Come Fly Away. A show much like Movin Out, the story was told by songs, in this case Frank Sinatra songs, and dance. Glad I saw it, wouldn't bother again. I liked the music, but I need dialogue, dance is boring to me! March 10 I returned to NYC and saw Carrie the Musical off Broadway. Marin Mazzie was Carrie's mother, and Christy Altomare was the girl who wanted to be nice to Carrie, I forget her name. I love Marin and Christy! The show was great, Andy Mientus, who I loved in Spring Awakening tour(with Christy Altomare!) was also in it, as was Jen Sese(who I had seen in Hair!) I think this show should have gone to Broadway. The music was great, the effects were great, and the cast was awesome! Stage doored after and got pics with most of them. Christy was an absolute sweetheart. Every show I like I have come to the conclusion has a short shelf life! March 23, I went with Leah and some of her friends to Thunder From Down Under. It was...interesting. I dont know, I get bored easily with half naked men gyrating. It isnt that exciting, but my friends liked them and got pics with them. It was repetitive to me, and they only got down to shirts off and underwear, so I don't really get the appeal. I am also not into overly buff guys, so that may have been a factor. Women were shameless, throwing themselves at the guys and rubbing up against them(touching was allowed!) but it was only ok to me. Id prefer to spend my money on the Sox or Broadway. Went to NYC for a weekend from May 18-May 20. We did so much! We did the NYC Water Taxi, The 9/11 Memorial(Such a beautiful, serene area! The Memory Pools were so nice!), the 9/11 Museum(we did it well, and thoroughly. It was nice, but I do not need to do it again.),and I saw 5 shows--most off Broadway. I saw Fuerza Bruta, which was an experience! You stand for that show, and people run in front of you, smash through walls, run circles around you on foil walls, and even swim above you on a sheet of plastic that comes about 3 inches above your head! It was interesting! I am glad I saw it! I also got up early on Saturday, determined to FINALLY see Book of Mormon! I sat in line for 4.5 hours. I got my standing room ticket for $27!! However, my back ended up hurting at this point, and I don't think I enjoyed Book of Mormon as much as I would have in a seat. The show was funny, and I did get to see one of Andrew Rannells' last performances as Elder Price(love him! he is adorable!) Anyone who is a South Park fan will love this show, and I can't wait to see it again! Saturday at 5, I headed back off Broadway to see Potted Potter, a Harry Potter parody. It featured two British guys, one who played Harry Potter and the other played all the other characters. It was funny, a good family show! I enjoyed it! I would recommend this to all Harry Potter fans! Saturday evening I saw Peter and the Starcatcher! Such a great show! Had Adam Chanler Berat, Christian Borle(of Smash fame) and Celia Keenan Bolger. It was a pre-Peter Pan, about Peter as an orphan and how he eventually gets the name Peter Pan. I really enjoyed it, it was funny and well thought through. I liked the songs they had though it was technically a play and not a musical. Sadly, it will be closing soon, but I think it had a good run! Finally, on Sunday, I saw Silence! The Musical. This was back off Broadway. It was a parody of Silence of the Lambs. It was hysterical, and David Garrison(who played Steve Darcy on Married With Children was an excellent Hannibal Lector!) It was a great show! A must-see for any Silence of the Lambs fans! July 13 I saw Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson in Providence by the Wilbur Group. SUCH a great show!! They did a wonderful job! My ONLY complaint was that the show was put on in a warehouse, with no air conditioning. It was hot in there! But the talent was awesome! I was as pleased with this show as I was when I saw it on Broadway! July 14 I saw Spiderman the musical. I wasn't a fan at all. The music was ok, I liked like one song. I am not a Bono fan. I was turned off by the fact that I could see crew moving the walls of his bedroom when he first realized he was Spiderman. I think the harness strings should have been less visible. The only awesome effects were the unfolding of the Chrysler Building and when he turned into The Green Goblin. I love Rebecca Faulkenberry, she was flawless as always. We had an understudy for Reeve Carney, so I wasn't happy about that. We did see Patrick Page in one of his last times in this role, so I was happy about that--and he was wonderful! I think The Green Goblin was my favorite. I was also turned off by the fact we paid $79 for tickets. We had missed rush, and for a show I didnt want to see in the first place, $39 would have been more than enough. $79 made me want to cry. We also couldnt see them flying after a certain point in our seats. At night we saw Mamma Mia. Christy Altomare is now in this, as Sophie. Wonderful, feel-good classic show!!! Love this show, and this cast had amazing energy! Christy was fantastic, as always! She has been wonderful in anything I have seen her in! Mamma Mia made up for awful Spiderman! July 28 I took myself to N Kingstown to see Titanic the musical. I had always wanted to see this show. They adapted it, so it was 90 minutes. I liked the show, I can only imagine how it was on Broadway! The soundtrack wasnt something I would listen to over and over, but I am a fan of all things Titanic! It was a small, local theatre. Kind of far from me, but I would go again if they had something I REALLY wanted to see! August 18 I chose to not see a matinee performance. Instead, I chose to take myself to Governor's Island to see Figment, artistic creations of various things like a Statue of Liberty head coming out of the ground, a giant tv, a mini golf course with fun things like Mario Brothers courses, skeeball, clowns, etc. A giant tree house you could climb in and slide down, and other things. It was a half hour subway ride down, and a free boat ride over. There was also a Castle that you could tour, with awesome views of Manhattan and the Brooklyn Bridge and the Statue of Liberty. Also going on that day was an old timey baseball game, and a Jazz festival. Everyone was dressed as flappers and people from the Prohibition Era. Very Great Gatsby. Best of all, everything was free! I fell in love with Governor's Island! I will be doing this yearly! At night I saw Voca People(another off Broadway!) I LOVED THIS SHOW!!! I had so much fun, they were an alien acapella group who sang popular music in their show in order to get the energy needed to fix their ship to go home. Sadly, this show closed a couple weeks later(they had had a long run!) but I will be looking forward to catching it on tour again! September 9-16 I went to Alaska. I will write a separate blog on that. September 23 I was back in NYC for the Broadway Flea Market! I saw Honestly Abe at 11am. This was another off broadway. The cast tried hard, but I wasn't a huge fan. I was bored, actually. Some things were funny, but it wasn't for me. I love history, and I think I was expecting more of a Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson. I was sorely disappointed, and glad I only spent $15 on it. At 3 we saw Chaplin the Musical. This was such a good show! I really enjoyed this, it was the story of Charlie Chaplin, who he was, what he became, what he created. This had good music, fabulously talented actors. It wasn't boring in any way! However, because I liked it, it's not doing great on Broadway. Sadly. I hope it has a longer life than it's having so far. Soooo that brings us up to date. For the rest of the year: Pumpkins at the Zoo, Hopefully Salem, NYC (before Dec I would love to see Annie, Who's Afraid of Virginia Wolfe?, Mystery of Edwin Drood, a Christmas Story, and Nice Work If You Can Get IT (unless Matthew Broderick leaves, and then I will wait til tour!) I am also going to Ireland in December!