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: May 20, 2012)

( 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. :)

So I've been VERY addicted to Brothers & Sisters recently... and if you know me on Twitter or Facebook, you know that I've been talking about it A LOT lately - I think, in part, because I'm SO surprised that I like it so much.

When the series first began, I watched the pilot and tried so hard to like it... I'd just come off of watching (and loving) Six Feet Under and was really looking for another show to watch. But after watching the pilot, I felt like B&S was just a watered down, network censored version of SFU and I really wasn't in to it...

Over the years I've heard people talking about the show, about Kevin & Scotty, Kevin & Jason, etc. and though it did peak my interest, I still didn't really feel like watching it. I saw some scenes (I think the K&S lobster scene) but I never felt the need to watch anything more. I even watched an episode live (it was the episode in which Robert has a heart attack...) and still I didn't really care for it.

It wasn't until just recently that I started watching it... REALLY watching it and... HELL, I love it. Yes, the Kevin & Scotty stuff drew me in initially, but I LOVE the writing so much! It's SO witty and real and the characters are SOOOO amazingly fleshed out. They're all flawed (and who of us isn't in some way?) but they all have such good hearts and what makes the show so special is their love for each other and their sense of family. I love that all of the characters NEVER fall into their stereotypes and that each one, no matter how flawed is lovable and redeemable in some way.

And of course I have to mention this, but I love the character of Kevin. He's smart, funny, very well educated and GREAT at what he does,... but he's also insecure, a bit neurotic, and very needy in his personal life. LOVE that the fact that he's gay is only one of his many facets. And I ADORE Matthew Rhys... I think he's an INCREDIBLE actor. And yes, I love him with Scotty, but because his character is much more than just one half of a couple, I love seeing him interact with his family even more, especially with his sisters.

( One of my favorite scenes... )

So I'm hooked... 5 years late on a show I said I'd NEVER watch. I always admit when I'm an idiot and in this case, I'm a HUGE one for not giving it more of a chance YEARS ago. ;)

(Copied exactly how it was in the original entry...)

I stole this from alligatorandme MANY years ago and have been updating it whenever I can remember... I've had to reconstruct the list a couple of times after my home was robbed, but I think this is pretty accurate.

What's kind of ridiculous is that within the eight years I have been traveling to see theatre, I have seen Kevin in 27 different productions, 8 concerts, and numerous, numerous repeats of the productions mentioned below...

And for some reason, though I don't do it intentionally, I'm always catching James Barbour in some kind of production.

(Last Edited: Feb 20, 2012)

( Read more... )

Sorry if it seems a bit disjointed as I was typing as I watching the telecast. :)

( Cut to prevent leaking spoilers )

Finally, it was an enjoyable awards show... and one thing's clear in my mind: Neil Patrick Harris must always host it! ;)

And you can look here to see how off my predictions were... Updated with the winners.

It's Tony season again and I can't think of an award show that I get more excited about... :) Every year I make my predictions and every year I'm WRONG. :) But I have to agree with everyone who says that this year's Best Actor in a Play category is one of the strongest that I've seen. I'm REALLY rooting for Mark Rylance, but ALL of this year's other nominees are incredibly strong.

( Here are my predictions for this year (and my choices for the awards) :) - Updated with winners )

And as always, I welcome all opinions of how wrong I am (as I usually am - I let my emotions get too much in the way of my predictions...) Well, I guess we'll just have to see on Sunday night. :)

I decided not to make this a sad post,... many of you who know me on FB and Twitter already know that my Grandma passed away on Monday,... just 3 days shy of her 98th birthday. And while we are all sad because she's gone, the one thing I wanted to do in this post was share some of the fun memories I have of her.

My Grandma was strong and stubborn and incredibly feisty... She lived independently until she was 94, still cooking meals for the entire family every Sunday night, making sushi and chocolate pies for the neighbors, and chasing wild chicken out of her yard with a broom. :) She had an amazing memory... She remembered things that we sometimes forgot - at a family gathering with my Dad's side of the family she asked my Dad's relatives (who she hadn't seen in YEARS) how their children were and remembered meeting them on specific occasions. Even on my Mom's last visit to see my Grandma, the one question she had for her was when I was going to think about having children. :) That woman never gave up hope that I would give her a great-grandchild. :)

Her hearing was the one thing that went in her old age. But being the stubborn person she was, she refused to wear a hearing aide. My favorite story that I remember my Mom telling me is that when my Grandma was still living at home, she could hear her phone ring, but not anyone speaking on the other end. So she'd pick up the phone and say HELLO, and the person would be YELLING on the other side of the phone, "GRANDMA!!!" She couldn't hear them,... so she'd say, "Well, why you call if you no like talk??" and hang up the phone, very disgusted. :D Hilarious.

( Her great sense of humor & learning to swear in Japanese! )

I know how fortunate I was to have had her in my life for as long as I did... Of course we are all sad that she's gone, but today, on what would have been her 98th birthday, I choose to remember all the wonderful and fun times. Thank you all SO much for all the lovely messages both on FB and Twitter, it's meant so much to me. ♥

It's been about a week since I was in the audience of the final performances of Douglas Hodge, Kelsey Grammer, Robin DeJesus, and Fred Applegate in LA CAGE, but it moved me and affected me so much that I'm actually only now able to fully write about it... It was truly one of the most emotional and memorable theatrical moments that I have ever been fortunate enough to experience!

What an emotional afternoon it was! The audience at the final show on Sunday was made up of die hard fans who had loved and supported the show for the entire year. There were folks who came over from London, tons of people who'd seen the show at least a dozen times throughout the year, and friends and family of the cast who filled the first several rows of the theatre. So when Kelsey came out to standing ovations and screams that wouldn't end,... he was so touched and overcome with emotion that he began to cry - which, of course, made us all cry... AND scream and applaud even louder. He looked out into the audience and saw all the familiar faces who have supported the show the entire year and he said, "Excuse me,... I'm going to have to take a moment here." It was the beginning of THE MOST heartfelt and memorable show I have EVER seen... anywhere.

Moments later, Doug was supposed to make his entrance with his opening line, "Who dares to call my name? I who have been SO wronged?" He usually says this line backstage, and then makes his entrance to applause each night. But on Sunday, he could barely get through "Who dares to call..." when the entire audience erupted in almost deafening screams and cheers. When he couldn't finish the line because of all the screaming, he walked out on stage to even louder cheers and when he saw the audience, all on our feet screaming for him,... he broke down in tears as well.

The screams and applauding lasted for several minutes. He looked over at Kelsey, who was watching him and tearing up himself seeing our admiration for Doug, and after a couple of minutes, Kelsey walked over to him and gave him a huge hug and kiss and the audience screamed and applauded even more - which is when I truly lost it... Doug wiped his tears and tried to compose himself and quiet the crowd down and said, "We're going to have to try to get through this somehow." And then asked if he could make his entrance again. It was SUCH a touching, heartfelt, and just AMAZING moment. I will never forget it.

The show went on pretty much the way it was supposed to,... until AJ Shively (who plays Jean-Michel) sang "Anne on My Arm". I noticed he was teary-eyed throughout the entire song, but when he got to his final, "I'm simply a man..." he paused... He looked over at Kelsey and just broke down into tears. The orchestra was sensitive enough to stop the show for a bit when it was clear that he needed time to compose himself and Kelsey mouthed "It's alright" to him and gave him a big hug. We were all in tears as we screamed and cheered for him - we loved that he was so overcome with emotion that he had to stop the show. It was so... human and wonderful to witness. After a few minutes of trying to compose himself, he ended "Anne on My Arm" stronger than I've ever heard him. LOVED it.

( Some other teary moments )

I will never, EVER forget the performance or be thankful enough that I was in the audience to see it. For me, having seen and fallen in love with the show and the cast for the first time during the final preview before opening night last April and having seen it a total of 15 times... including the night before the Tonys, it was just SOOOO emotional and SO wonderful to be in the audience to witness it all!!

I don't think I'll ever experience a more special or moving performance or, for that matter, a show or cast that I will hold closer to my heart. It was BY FAR the MOST AMAZING theatrical experience of my life!!

... I've been doing THE SAME year end meme for the past 7 years here in this LJ. It seemed almost wrong NOT to do it this year... so here it is... :P I think I'm getting this in just under the wire, here... It's about an hour or so before midnight... talk about procrastinating! :P

( 2010 - My Year End - Non-Theatre Related Meme )

Remember those past 7 years I talked about? Here's how things were in 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007 2008 and finally 2009

Have a wonderful New Year, and a blessed 2011, Everyone!! :)

So, I decided it just wouldn't feel like the New Year if I didn't do this post. I always say I should keep better track of the shows I see, so I don't have to spend three hours on the last few days of the year collecting all this information. ;) It's always nice, though to go back and remember the shows I saw throughout the year and the amazing performances.

It was a fabulous year in theatre, I was fortunate enough to see 99 shows; here locally, in LA and San Diego, and in NYC and New Jersey. Of those, 70 were musicals (I think... does anyone know if BRIEF ENCOUNTER is categorized as a musical... or is it a straight play with music? The leads don't sing, I think...), and the other 29 were straight plays.

( Shows seen in 2010: )

My Top 10 Theatre Experiences of 2010

My Favorite Performances of 2010:
1. Douglas Hodge - as Albin (La Cage)
2. Brian d'Arcy James - as Jaime (Time Stands Still)
3. Chad Borden - as Alvin (The Story of My Life)
4. Steve Glaudini - as John Adams (1776)
5. Matthew Scott Montgomery - as Kendall (Yellow)

What an incredible year in theatre!! Thanks to everyone for putting up with my theatre posts (and rants this year!)

Hope everyone has a safe and happy New Year!! HUGS!!