This is more for my reference than anything... While most people put up a list of movies that they've seen, I haven't seen a movie in a theater for years... live theatre, however, is a particular passion of mine. So, the following is a complete list of shows that I've seen so far (and the number of times I've seen each show...) (Last updated: November 15, 2009)

( COMPLETE LIST OF SHOWS I'VE EVER SEEN )

Performers I Have Seen in More Than One Show (Role)

This post will stay at the top of my journal and get updated whenever I see a new show. It's also here as glaring proof that I really have NO LIFE. ;)

Please scroll past this to see my recent entries. :)

Cooper's been working REALLY hard writing (and editing) this year's holiday newsletter ;), so if you'd like to receive one this year (and we'd love to send you one!!), please fill out the poll below with your name and address (fear not, I am the only one who can see the responses!)

And due to my former computer dying its horrible death on me this past January, I lost most of the addresses I had from last year. Even if you've given me your address in the past, if you could fill out the poll again, I'd be most grateful.

Thank you SO MUCH! (And Cooper thanks you, too!) ;)

Poll #1488737 2009 Holiday Card Address List
Open to: All, detailed results viewable to: None, participants: 16

Who should the card be addressed to?

What address should it be sent to?

...to my lovely hubby, my best friend, and the person I can talk to for hours on end about everything (and nothing) :) ♥ ♥


November 21, 1998 :)

http://www.playbill.com/multimedia/gallery/817.html

(The cast of MEMPHIS in the recording studio... YAY!)

I'm in need of some serious sleep! :) Need to be at work incredibly early tomorrow morning. Blech! I hate when RL ruins a perfectly nice vacation. ;P

Will be back to catch up on entries and the last of my trip posts tomorrow. HUGS!

Mark and I experienced two EXTREMELY wonderful cabaret's this week; on Sunday night, we went to La Mirada and saw Michael perform in Upright's American Icon Cabaret Series and last night we went to Ramsey's to see David Burnham's solo show. Both were AH-MAZING, each in their own way!

Michael Arden at Upright

I love anything that Michael does and I truly do love the way he draws audiences in to his performances with the heart and feeling he puts into his songs. He's real and genuine when he sings and bares all to his audience. When Michael sings in these cabaret settings, you really feel like he's showing you a piece of his heart. He sang a few Joni Mitchell songs for the first set ("California" - which he said was to celebrate his 1 year anniversary of moving to California :), "He Comes for Conversation," and "A Case of You.") :)

The second set were songs that mostly dealt with water (he explained that oddly enough, that's how it turned out.) :D Among them was the beautiful "River in the Rain" from Big River. Just amazing!! But I think the number that I enjoyed the most that he sang was "Not Afraid." :) :) :) "Not Afraid" was the song he wrote for his musical "Easter Rising" which he almost NEVER sings. It was gorgeous! And Michael sang it the way I'd always hoped to hear it -- and of course he should, it's his song after all! Just absolutely beautiful!!

Matt Cusson (who also is AMAZING!) and Valarie Pettiford also performed sets that night as well (and Ty Taylor appeared as a guest performer). It was an all-around amazing night!!

One last thing I have to mention about the concert... David Elzer was there, and the sweetheart that he is, he gave up his seats for us and we had AMAZING seats up front and had the best view of the show. David knows how much I like Michael and he was sweet enough to upgrade our seats...) How amazing is he? I love him! ♥

( Photos of Michael's concert! )

David Burnham at Ramsey's!

Last night Mark & I went to see David Burnham's concert at Ramsey's. David sang a mix a songs from standards to broadway songs, to things in between. What I really love about David, and his concert is that he's SO funny and entertaining. VERY different from Michael in presentation, David is a showman and he does it VERY well. He's likable, endearing, and just hilarious on stage.

Couple of my favorite moments - David sang "Run Away With Me" - which is one of my favorite songs -- EVER! It was gorgeous in his hands and he told me later that he was recording it for his new CD that will be coming out soon! I can't wait! :D Another favorite moment was when he brought out a little "King & I" prince doll and said it was modeled after him since he was the voice for the cartoon version of the character in the animated version. :) He sang a song from the show with the doll propped up on the chair and when it was done, he had the doll bow... VERY cute.

Probably the most touching moment was when he spoke about his mother, who passed away, but had (since he was 8) encouraged him to follow his dreams and to do what makes him happy. VERY touching and SO lovely... When he finished the song and blew a small kiss to heaven, I don't think there was a dry eye in the house.

The concert was AMAZING (in a much different way from Michael's...) It was entertaining, funny, and showcased, not only David's amazing vocals, but his personality and his showmanship as well. :) We enjoyed it SOOO much!! :)

( Photos of David Burnham's concert )

Two fabulous concert performances by two of my favorite musical theatre performers!! What a great way to start and end our fabulous trip here in LA! We have a couple more days here,... but no theatre left. Today I'm taking Mark to the Star Trek Exhibit on Hollywood & Highland and we're eating a nice long dinner at SoupPlantation. :) Should be an incredible last day in LA. :) Have a nice week, all! HUGS!

Saw a second showing of PARADE yesterday at the Taper and I have to say,... at first I was a little apprehensive about seeing the show again. The first time I saw it, on Friday night... it affected me so much (it was so morally disturbing to me...) that I knew I'd have a hard time seeing it again.

This time we were sitting in the front row, near center... SOOOO close that I could literally see the actors' make up. It was... a bit too close for me. For such a emotional show,... it may have been a bit TOO personal to be that close to the actors. But, I think being so close made the show even more incredible,... it was amazing.

For some reason, seeing it a second time made the show click for me. I'd always loved the music, and I knew the Leo / Lucille Frank / Parade story by heart, but I think it really took seeing it a second time for me to see the AMAZING-NESS (not I word, I know...) of the production. I was blown away the first time I'd seen it, but just seeing the starkness of the events portrayed on stage was a bit too much for me. I was morally disturbed (the only way I can put it...) images of the last few scenes haunted me for days afterward... I think seeing it a second time allowed me to get past the "events" and focus more on the AMAZING performances.

T.R. Knight was absolutely INCREDIBLE yesterday. I was able to get into his performance 100 times more than I did the first time I saw it - he was wonderful on Friday, but his vocals were SO amazing yesterday... He broke my heart. Lara Pulver is just radiant on stage as Lucille (and surprised me at the stage door with her British accent!) Will Collyer was a surprise understudy and went on (thankfully) the 1st time I saw the show on Friday, but wasn't in the show at all yesterday. I'm so glad I got to see both him and Curt Hansen in the role of Frankie Epps - both were so different in their approach to the role... The entire cast was pretty amazing!

The staging of the show, at first, was a little unsettling to me. Michael Berresee, for example, plays two pretty key characters (the Governor, and the reporter) in tandem. He'd exit the stage as one character and enter the stage the next minute as the other. This was a pretty common occurrence amongst the supporting cast (playing two or sometimes 3 key roles at once) and while I was never confused at who anyone was playing at any given time, it did (at first) disspell the image I had of the "community" of Parade... at first it was, "Oh look... there's Davis Gaines as the judge... oh look there he is again as the soldier..." Just a bit... distracting, maybe. It surprisingly didn't matter or concern me too much the second time I saw the show, though, and I could concentrate more on the AMAZING performances.

( Photos and Stage Door Stuff )

So glad I got to see the show twice! I really do think that it's one of the more amazing productions that I've seen recently! It closes this Sunday and it's a shame... such a talented cast... hope that it has a life outside of the Taper!

Still have to write about Michael's concert with Upright, BARE last night, Bonnie & Clyde at La Jolla, and seeing Bets in the Andrews Brothers (I'm slowly catching up!) Tonight is David Burnham's concert at Ramsey's!! SO excited!! :) Thanks for putting up with all my theatre babbling!! HUGS!

Mark & I went down to Long Beach on Thursday night to see the Musical Theatre West production of Meet Me In St. Louis. I'd heard such great things about the production, and really... I haven't missed a MTW production in quite a while - so it was something that I really was looking forward to seeing.

The show itself was adorable! Grace Kaufman, who plays little Tootie was just adorable and her performance alone was worth seeing the show for! :) The thing about MTW productions that I always love is the slick, gorgeous feel of everything, the lighting, the sets, the costumes, the choreography... Truly a class act in every way. Of particular note was the ice skating scene (which, I forgot to ask Steve about,... but I wondered what kind of surface was used because it LOOKED like ice and the actors wore real ice skates and skated over the surface like it was ice, but I know it wasn't...) It was really such a visually stunning production!

Got the chance to speak with Steve - which I always love! It's been a while since I've really gotten the chance to talk with him - so this was really nice.

One of the nicest surprises was getting to see Bets, Misty, Julie, and Susannah (the Laguna cast of the Winter Wonderettes) in the audience that evening - in fact their seats were right in front of us! It was SOOO nice to see them all!! In particular it was lovely to see Julie, who I hadn't seen in maybe 3 years or so (I haven't seen her since MW closed in NoHo) She and I spoke about Lily and how she's getting into musical theatre (like mother like daughter!), Beckett and how he's 7 now (I remember when she told me she was pregnant with him!) She showed me some pictures of them on her phone and they're SO gorgeous! And really, Beckett looks exactly the same as the 6 month old baby photo of him she sent me 7 years ago, only older. SOOO cute!

Got to speak with Misty which is always lovely! She said she got home about two weeks ago and is exhausted. We spoke about NYC and Wonderettes. It was just so lovely to see her! And what a pleasure it was seeing Bets twice on this trip! :) I also was introduced to Susannah, who is very sweet (and who said she played Cindy Lou 6 years or so ago in Winter Wonderettes in Milwaukee). I think the cast of Winter Wonderettes is going to be spectacular!! I just wish I was able to go out and see it! :(

Didn't take any photos after the show. As I've said before... sometimes I feel like pulling out the camera treads the fine line of "fan/friend" and lots of times when I see folks AT shows (instead of IN shows) I don't want to bring out the camera, since I feel they deserve their privacy too. :)

I will be back with my posts about seeing Michael perform at Upright, The Andrews Brothers, PARADE, and seeing Bonnie & Clyde at La Jolla last night (I feel so far behind!) ;) Today Mark & I are seeing PARADE a second time and tonight we're seeing BARE! I'm SOOOO excited about that!!

Thanks to a suggestion from Mark, we decided to spend the day today tracking down the infamous LA Grilled Cheese Truck which was supposed to be located at the Brentwood Country Mart from noon to 2pm today.

We got there with lots of time to spare and was shocked by the LONG line that had already formed! We stood in line for about 1/2 hr and eventually was able to order our precious grilled cheese sandwiches. I ordered the Cheesy Mac Melt (which is actually a grilled cheese sandwich with mac & cheese & cheddar) -- SOO good! I also ordered a Dessert Sandwich (which is a grilled sandwich with roasted banana puree, nutella, and marshmellow).

But instead of me explaining them, I'd rather post pictures!!

( Grilled Cheese Truck Photos!! )

So much more amazing food on this trip, but this post was a MUST! If you're in the LA area, go and seek out the Grilled Cheese Truck! It's amazing and they are such nice people! :)

So Mark & I also saw 2 showings of Jersey Boys on Tuesday night (the 6:30pm & 9:30pm) shows. Which officially makes it my 8th & 9th time seeing the show (4 on tour, 3 on broadway, and now 2 in Vegas.) And if it hadn't been for alligatorandme and shawk's wonderful account of just what was cut from the full length version, I might not have noticed too much.

Things that I did notice... "Short Shorts" was definitely cut short - the dancers literally had to RUN across the landing before Bob starts his speech. One verse of "My Boyfriend's Back" was definitely cut... People RUN on and off the stage, up and down those stairs unlike the hurried walk in the full length version. I felt Act I was really rushed (but maybe it's because I just saw the broadway company recently and it really felt like everyone in this cast was running on and off the stage.) By the second performance I think I got used to it a bit more. I know that I'll go back to NY, see the full length version and feel like it's dragging now. ;)

( Performances )

As soon as we got out of the 6:30pm show, we literally had to turn right back around to stand in line for the 9:30pm show. There was no down time or anything... It was exhausting just watching the two shows, I can't imagine what it must be like for the cast!

( Photo! )

I'm glad we got to see the Vegas cast and two different Frankies - now I need to go back to NY and see the broadway cast with Jarrod... and then I think I'll be good - Jersey Boys - wise. :)

I should REALLY be doing web work... or packing, but Facebook & Twitter are SUCH procrastination enablers. :P I must've spent the last couple of hours fiddling around there instead of what I really SHOULD be doing.

But one good thing that came out of all this is that I found this: http://bit.ly/2za59M - the photos from Michael's BLUE concert! It was on the night I didn't go, but I LOVE these so much because it really gives you an idea of how cozy and personal the concert was (and what a nice venue it is!) :)

To make matters worse, I got my "Every Little Step" dvd in the mail today... and I haven't seen it since April... it's taking every ounce of restraint I have not to throw it into my computer's drive and call it a night right now...

On a different note, hubby is experiencing travel stress already. He took out his suitcase this morning and immediately noticed he was feeling anxious and on edge. I seriously love traveling with Mark, but it's times like these that I remember why we don't always travel together. ;) I'm joking, of course. :) Mark's travel stress is really endearing. :)

Finally, saw photos from the "Rockers on Broadway" concert,... but not sure that Chad attended. Does anyone know of anyone who went? Can't find a single photo of him from that night. :P

So, I'm off to try to actually get some web work done... :) Hope you're all having a nice week. HUGS!! :)

Yes, Cooper had to get into the act... This year he's dressed as a HOCKA-DUDE (the term that was suggested as a possible name for fans of the broadway musical MEMPHIS...) ;)



Have a safe and fun Halloween, all! :) HUGS!!

To say that this was one of the most AMAZING musical experiences of my life, might actually be an understatement... Michael's concert was... just... BEYOND WORDS. But let me start at the beginning.

Needless to say, I've never actually had the pleasure of attending anything at Upright Cabaret, though I have admired both Chris and Shane for YEARS for successfully starting a classy cabaret to highlight gifted LA talent (much like the Joe's Pub and Birdland of NYC) here on the West Coast. I knew doors opened at 7pm, but Michael wouldn't start performing until 9pm...

I was a little apprehensive because I was going alone... I mean, what would I do for two hours in a cabaret setting by myself before the show started? Another thing that made me initially uneasy was that the Event page on FB had a list of attendees who were all industry people - which is fine - but industry people that I don't know.

So, I was a bit apprehensive as I made my way down to Hollywood... I had a hard time finding the place, because it was in the corner of a restaurant - and there was really no signage to identify it from the street. The venue itself turned out to be VERY cozy and quaint. There was a bar, tables, and couches on the side. I got seated at a couch near the far wall next to two other people who seemed to have come by themselves as well. We all started talking and found out that we were all fans of Michael's and we had all first seen him perform live at Pippin... We spent the time before the concert talking and getting to know each other - it was VERY nice!

Michael came out at about 9:05pm after Shane lit about 2 dozen candles on the stage (he was singing Joni Mitchell, after all!) :) He wore a VERY nice black shirt and jeans... and yes, he was barefoot! :D What I LOVE about Michael when he performs is that he really FEELS the music... You can see it in his performance. He never just sings the songs - you can tell the music gets inside him and what he shares with the audience is how HE feels each piece... SOOOOO amazing to be in a live audience to experience that... it's VERY... personal.

( Cut because I babble... )

Really, I don't think I can describe in words what an amazing experience it was... I have seen and loved watching others perform live before... Kevin for example... When Kevin hits those money notes in a live setting, it's like nothing else... But this was different... there was no acting here, no belting like he was singing for a theatre crowd... It was just Michael truly showing a small group of us his heart through songs that he loves. There's nothing that could possibly EVER beat this night for me...

( Photos! )

1. Just bought tickets to see "Bare" (with ANK in the cast!) in LA!! :D
   
2. Seeing Brian in "Children of a Lesser God" this weekend!!
   
3. Starting to think about planning my April NYC trip and hoping that the projected opening date for "Sondheim on Sondheim" doesn't change. :) :)
   
4. Seeing Michael's BLUE solo concert this weekend. :)
   
5. Spent time watching a video of Chad Kimball fake fainting on the red carpet of Memphis' opening night party. :D

After some of my depressing RL entries recently, I wanted to post some theatre things that have made me VERY happy. Hope you're all having a nice week! :)

...theatre wise. :)

First of all, it was the Opening Night of Memphis - anyone who is following me on Twitter, I apologize for the influx of Memphis-related tweets today,... they'll go away, I just needed to get them out of my system! ;)

SOOOO happy and excited that the show received SUCH a warm reception! :)

ETA: Oh.My.Gosh. How adorable are Chad & Montego in this?? http://twitpic.com/m7v5x - SOOO much emotion!!!

Then came the reviews,... and while some were great: http://bit.ly/ab7Vv, and some were so-so: http://bit.ly/KIsv2 (though this one had NICE things to say about Chad - except that he reminded them of George W. Bush... WTF?) ;) some were pretty harsh: http://bit.ly/3laNr5 (though this one had nice things to say about the performances)

ETA: After reading all the reviews in this morning,... it seems there are only a couple of real harsh ones, UGH on USA Today... :P the rest are pretty favorable! HOCKADOO!) ;)

Amidst all of this, the Los Angeles Ovation Noms came out and lo and behold, "Life Could Be A Dream" was nominated for Best Musical in an Intimate Theatre!! YAY for David and Roger!!! ♥

Also, Nick was nominated for directing "Kiss of the Spider Woman" and Will Collyer was nominated for "BIG: The Musical" (I ABSOLUTELY adored his performance!!!) Jim Holdridge also was nominated for Best Featured Actor for "Life Could Be A Dream" and "Louis & Keely Live at the Sahara" was nominated for Best Musical.

Lots of great, great news today and also,... some so-so news as well. I'm hoping that the good reviews for Memphis will outshine the so-so ones and that people will make their own judgements when they go to see the show.

...I wanted to thank all of you who commented in my last post and gave me your browser feedback for the fan site that I have been working on for Chad Kimball. :)

The one good thing about all the hours of work is that I got to read so many articles that I might not have found without the research... My favorite being one from Boston.Com in which Chad says he thinks they "digitally enhanced" his eyelashes in the MEMPHIS marquee photo! HAHA! I found that funny because when I first saw it, that was the first thing I thought! :)

And wow... found my old 2007 review of "Little Fish" when I saw it at the Blank Theatre. Of course, it was mostly me raving about Chad's performance (mostly his incredible acting...) but I'd forgotten exactly what I wrote and quite honestly, forgot much of the other parts of the show (outside of his performance...)

BUT, enough about Chad! Hubby and I have been planning an anniversary trip to LA / Vegas in November for our 11th anniversary! I always love traveling with him and it's the rare occasion that we both get to go, so it's VERY exciting for me! :)

We plan to spend two weekends away, go to LA and see Bets in "Andrews Brothers" down at the Welk, then head over to see Michael Arden, Ty Taylor, and Valarie Pettiford in the Cabaret "City of Angels" at La Mirada. Then we plan to drive to Vegas and catch my friend Kristi in "Phantom" and then "Jersey Boys" on Tuesday night and then drive back to LA to see "Parade," "Meet Me In St. Louis," "Life Could Be A Dream," the new MTG show in Thousand Oaks, etc. :) Should be a nice trip! I'm really looking forward to spending some away time with hubby! :)

We've got Cooper staying a weekend with my Mom and the rest of the time at our vet's boarding facility. We thought 10 days would be a bit too long to leave him with my Mom. He's adorable, but I do have to say that he can be a handful at times... We've been waiting for the puppy in him to grow up, and admittedly he's better than he used to be, but he's still a character and not sure if my Mom can handle him for longer than a weekend. :D

Okay,.. I admit to having been MIA recently... I was doing something I said I'd never do... another "FAN SITE." Damn. As if I don't have enough updates to do as it is for my paying clients, what in the world would possess me to give up my nights of sleep for this? Well, pretty simple... The fan sites that I do were created out of my admiration for the performers... I feel creatively fulfilled when I complete them... not that I don't for my paying clients, but my business really became a "job" more than a love of what I do.

And this is where I ask for your opinion and help. :)

Those of you who use browsers other than Safari or who use Macs, if you could help me view the site to make sure all my coding holds up and my iframes are rendering correctly, etc. I checked it over VERY early this morning to make sure the links were all correct, but it was at 3am and I was a bit bleary-eyed from examining the coding for a problem I was having. Any help on any of the above - plus general constructive criticism is always welcome! :)

Here's the link (in honor of MEMPHIS' Opening Weekend...):

http://shutterbug93.net/CK01.html

(it's not titled yet, but it's done AND sitting on my "trial" server... I know...):P

THANK YOU so much in advance!! And after this week, I'm officially Chad Kimball'd out. ;)

( I found this OLD post I wrote on Kevin's MB about Chad in 2002! )

Again, THANK YOU to anyone who can help me and give me their opinion about the above... it's been so long since I've done a site that wasn't being driven by someone else, that I fear I can no longer be objective.

Okay... so I'll never get to writing about all the amazing shows I saw AND if I tried to catch up and write about my trip now... I know I'll leave out a bunch of things (I blame my faulty memory on old age :)) So instead of writing about the shows, the amazing moments with friends, the delicious food... I thought I'd do a short "Best of... NYC!" post to encompass everything so I can finally move on (I know you must all be tired of hearing about NY!) :D

BEST SHOWS

1. Memphis - Really there's something about the music and the HEART of this show that just gets to me each time. I love it!! And Chad Kimball and Montego Glover are just AMAZING!! Plus there's something SOOOO special about a show that began 6 years ago with the SAME PRINCIPAL CAST that makes you really want it to succeed! I love them! And I love the show!!
   
2. Superior Donuts - Wonderful, heartfelt, and touching play about a down and out donut shop owner and his young, idealistic assistant. Sort of had a certain "Trying" feel to it. WONDERFUL, AMAZING performance by John Michael Hill!! It was so witty and SOOO moving that I was sobbing at the end. SOOOO touching!!
   
3. Brighton Beach Memoirs - Admittedly my favorite play in the Eugene trilogy, the story is the first in the saga of the Jerome family (loosely based on Neil Simon's life). The characters are SO well fleshed out (probably because it's autobiographical and he grew up with these people!) but the characters are REAL, the father (played with SO much heart by Dennis Boutsikaris) is one of the most touching literary characters that I have ever seen portrayed - WHO wouldn't want to have grown up with a father like Jack?? And Santino Fontana is SUPERB as Stan, the older brother. This play is a definite MUST SEE! I have been a fan of Neil Simon's FOREVER and the chance to see such an amazing production of this show was SUCH a treat. LOVED it!

( MOST AH-MAZING EXPERIENCES - Meeting Chad Kimball, running into Kevin & Julie, and seeing Trent, plus food and weird celeb sightings...:) )

Well, that FINALLY wraps up my NYC trip!! What an amazing week & a half! Thank you to everyone who has been putting up with all of my long-winded NY entries. :)

I ended my NYC trip seeing "Memphis" one last time on Sunday night. What a marvelous way to end my trip! The audience was SO warm that night, everyone laughed in all the right places,... the applause was deafening, and every single person was up on their feet the moment the curtain call began -- just the kind of audience I love to be a part of!!

( SOME CHANGES I NOTICED IN THE SHOW... )

MY FAVORITE MOMENTS

It's still the look that Chad has on his face in the final scene as Huey watches Felicia sing... it's sadness, happiness, familiarity, and regret all conveyed SOOO nicely in his longing look (and he usually has tears in his eyes... which gets me teary!)

AND they don't do it anymore because they walk off the stage together, but they used to part ways after the final curtain call and Chad would ALWAYS kiss Montego's hand tenderly and mouth "I love you" to her each night before they parted and walked off their separate ways. How ADORABLE!! I LOVED seeing that each night!!

STAGE DOOR

I was a little apprehensive about going to the stage door after the show, partially because I'd seen the show 4 times in a matter of a week & a half and thought the cast seeing me there 3 times was a bit excessive... but I stayed anyway - and stayed in the back...

There were a bunch of theatre students there that night who were in the front of the barracade asking for autographs and pictures and I kind of lagged and waited behind. After all, I got my pictures with everyone I'd wanted to... I just basically wanted to say, "Hi."

James Monroe Iglehart was so sweet, and gave me a hug when I saw him and said, "You're back!" Someone I had been talking with next to me asked me if this was the 2nd time I saw the show... and to my surprise, James said, "Forth!" before I could answer. He was a sweetheart and SUCH a talented singer and dancer!

One of the nicest moments, though came when I got my chance to say, "Hi" to Chad. We spoke for a bit and when I was leaving I thanked him by holding out my hand for a handshake and he pulled me into a big, long, FANTASTIC hug!! Yow! ♥ And then he inquired when I was flying back to Hawaii and told me to "Stay safe!" but to "Come back to see the show!" I can't say enough how much sincere admiration I have for the man... he's SO sweet!

( Some FINAL Memphis pictures! )

What a wonderful way to end my NYC theatre trip... with my favorite show and a great stage door experience! :) I'm definitely taking my Mom to see the show when we go back for her and my birthday trip in January! :D

I really have to say that this year has been a fantastic season for the NYMF! I've gone to NYMF shows in the past and sadly sometimes they're hit or miss... but this year, I have yet to go to a show that wasn't absolutely wonderful!

Under Fire

• Damn. LOVED this show - it was SO intense and dealt with my favorite subject - photojournalism ethics. As a former photojournalism major, this show completely intrigued me! It was set in El Mirador where a ruthless dictator leads and a small group of rebels fight for freedom. Jack Noseworthy played a US photojournalist, who must decide, in the heat of battle if he should "take sides" and ends up making an ethical decision that impacts the civil war around him. SOOO powerful and amazingly staged - using projection screens to show the audience what was being photographed. The cast was amazing - Jack Noseworthy was GREAT and who knew James DePaiva could sing? AMAZING PRODUCTION in every regard!

( 4 more shows under the cut... )

I've been VERY impressed by the shows this season in the festival... I haven't gone to one that I didn't think was great in its own way! Love the New York Musical Theatre Festival... it's the reason I plan my NY trip in September each year! :D

If you're my FB friend then you know what a theatre dork I truly am! A few months ago I began tracking the Billy rotation, in hopes of finding some sort of pattern so I could buy tickets to see the show on this trip. I know this is very UN-PC and will get me booed off many message boards, because all the boys are fabulous and it shouldn't matter who I see, but... really - I'm spending A LOT of money on tickets, have only one slot in which I can see the show, and I eventually wanted to see all three guys in the role before they all aged out. Kiril I saw in January... I REALLY wanted to see Trent.

Of course, there's no rhyme or reason to the Billy rotation, so I sucked it up and took my chances with the Wednesday afternoon matinee - hoping that Trent would be in that day (he's the one I REALLY wanted to see). Well, the moment I got into the Imperial, I looked at the board and lo and behold... it was TRENT! :) I was so happy, I couldn't tell you! :D

Trent was an AMAZING Billy! I truly think he's the one who "gets" Billy the most. His acting is SOOOO strong, he really embodies the role, the sadness, and the humor of Billy. To me (and this is completely un-PC, but what the heck...) he's my favorite Billy because of his incredible acting. And his dancing... Oh my word! Trent's a fabulous tap dancer (his feet are literally moving so fast during the tap sequences on stage that they were a blur) and his ballet is gorgeous. Trent has gotten VERY tall... almost too tall to be Billy, but his lines when he dances are just breathtakingly gorgeous!

Speaking of which, I got to see the new (or relatively new) "Michael" - Trevor Braun - who is considerably younger than Trent and LOOKS like the age that Trent was when he began the role. Their friendship on stage still works, though - despite their age difference, but I thought it was cute when Trevor had to kiss Trent, he literally had to take a hold of Trent's hair and pull his head down because Trent was so darn tall.

Kiril is leaving the cast on the 3rd, and I'm sure it won't be long before Trent has to as well. :( I'm just SO glad I got to see him before he left! :D :D :D

( Some photos of the ADORABLE Billy cast )

Getting to see Trent was my happiest surprise all trip!! :) LOVED his performance!!