A LIGHT IN THE DARK

Welcome to a finally new and updated look here. This is what you get thanks to a few hours of procrastination.

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Not so long ago, I was concerned about the future of Broadway due to what seemed like a mass exodus as shows were closing right and left. Between September 28, 2008 - January 18, 2009, Broadway saw thirteen shows close. Though I knew some great new revivals were scheduled to open, I was concerned by the lack of a quality original piece. Would the Great White Way be deluged by yet another jukebox musical or another based on a movie, tv show?  Though I loved seeing some of my favorite shows revived, I was still interested in seeing stories that new writers could create.  Was it that tough to mount something original again and was our struggling economy to blame?  

Thanks to next to normal, I am no longer questioning the future of the American musical.  As excited as I was about my beloved [title of show] last season, I have to say I am even more thrilled about the spectacular musical, next to normal.  [title of show] was a quirky, fun and in some ways a nostalgic show that reminded us of who we are and what it takes to achieve our dreams, but next to normal which is an entirely different kind of show and yet is one that just excites me!

next to normal shows the lengths to which two parents will go to keep themselves sane and their family’s world intact. With a provocative contemporary score of more than 30 original songs, this groundbreaking new musical explores how one suburban household copes with crisis.

From the producer of WICKED and the director of RENT, and starring Tony Award® nominee Alice Ripley, next to normal arrives on Broadway straight from its sold-out engagements at both NY’s Second Stage Theatre and DC’s Arena Stage.

The above blurb from the show's website doesn't give away anything plot-wise, nor does it come close to accurately describing what next to normal is about.  What next to normal is, is an incredible small, story-driven show with electrifying talent and beautifully written music and lyrics.  In an era when both Hollywood and Broadway are keen on big, over-the-top money making films and shows, it is always refreshing when success finds a film/show because it is a quality piece of work from all angles.  Broadway (and Hollywood) are obviously businesses that need to make money in order to survive, but sometimes I am bothered when I think choices are made purely in terms of money instead of choosing something in which I wonder if artistic value was ever considered.  

I first discovered next to normal in its workshopped form, when it was called "Feeling Electric" (2002) which later moved to the NY Musical Theater Festival in 2005.  It was the 2002 workshop version that I fell in love with next to normal.  Back then, the story was so different and the dynamics between the family members weren't as flushed out or solid but the concept and storyline were apparent and the music was still beautiful.  A song I particularly appreciated -- Funny Love -- has since been cut from the Broadway version, but it was so beautiful and described the relationship between the couple, Dan & Diana (this was during a version of the show when I don't think the characters actually had names yet).  As much as I appreciated the song & miss it from the final version of the show, it just doesn't fit into this incarnation of the show.

On April 15,  next to normal  opened to great reviews with (mostly) the same cast as the Arena Theatre production.  Notably missing is Brian d'Arcy James (replaced by J. Robert Spencer) who had a previous engagement as the title role in Shrek the Musical.  Personally, I think the characters in  next to normal are so complex and meaty that it would be a shame to have to give up.  Though I love Brian d'Arcy James and was so sad to see him leave the role of Dan, I just  love the casting of  J. Robert Spencer and am more than pleased with his take on the role.  The casting of the other roles I think were well chosen and I can only say so much about it having not actually seen the show yet.  Having said that, I think it should be known that Alice Ripley undeniably deserves a Tony Award.

Alice Ripley is truly a force to be reckoned with.  She plays such a challenging character with such complex emotions between two opposite ends of the spectrum every night.  My god, just hearing her in the cast recording of this show not only moves me, but allows anyone to hear how powerful an actress she is.  In every single song on the cast recording, her pain, struggle, joys, fears, sorrows, quirkiness are all more than apparent and well performed. If I can get this from the audio, imagine how powerful she is in person?!  I've been a fan of her for years and to quote Hunter in [title of show] she really is "fierce!"

Need I say more?  If you need more proof, see the video preview courtesy of BroadwayWorld.com and then get tickets.

IT'S GONNA BE GOOD

Wow, who would have thought that there were so many bloggers of theater that an association of independent theater bloggers would be created? Yes, the Independent Association of Theater Bloggers (IATB) is the name of the game...and people, I certainly think my blog qualifies as being theater-centric!

Reading the announcement about IATB has inspired me to start writing again.  I have had a lot of thoughts swirling around as of late and have been taking meetings about my new quest.  For years (since 2001, imagine that?!) I have been blogging primarily about theater.  There was a time when I was reviewing theater in Los Angeles and then, I potentially was on the cusp of a lot of theater-oriented activities...some bigger than others.  For one reason or another, they fell by the way-side.  The time is now people to do something about it...and now I am working hard at creating something that I think is vitally important, something that doesn't really exist but I already have begun to carve a niche out.  Its not a secret, but its also not flushed out enough to discuss in this forum yet.  It has the potential to be big though and I have some very big supporters, so we'll just leave it at that.

Ok, I have a lot more to say about a theater experience and recent conversation, but I am too tired to do that right now.  Very excited about IATB though!  To be continued...

PART OF IT ALL

Happy 2008 everyone! So I'm quite terrible at posting on my blog (not a huge shocker) and am not going to claim a resolution to post more (because we know that won't happen...and I don't believe in those). And no, I'm not going to write some horrible cliche recap of 2007 -- the good, bad or ugly. Instead, I will share the two blogs/vlogs that have kept me entertained during those last two weeks of yucky 2007 while bored and busy at the place that pays me to "work." Be forewarned though that said blogs are extremely musical theatre heavy, so proceed at your own risk.

Let me preface my introduction by saying I'm almost embarrassed (ok, not really) that I am linking and mentioning the following blog, and I don't follow it religiously, but it made me laugh as I poked around it. I don't say this because its bad, but because its so silly! I obviously enjoy it because I keep coming back for more. So without further ado... Andrew's Blog is a compilation of "vlogs" (as he calls it) by musical theatre performer, Andrew Keenan-Bolger (currently on tour with The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee. Yes, his sister is Celia who was nominated for a Tony in the role of Olive Ostrovsky in the same show on Broadway) chronicles his life with his friends in NYC and on the road via entertaining YouTube videos. There really aren't any other words...just, don't blame me if you get the title song from his blog/vlog stuck in your head.  Seriously, I did for days...

[title of show] is an off-Broadway musical that I had heard little of (sorry guys) until recently. When I first heard of it, I was intrigued (by the title actually) and found out that it was "a new musical that documents its own journey from inception to opening night." I must have gotten side-tracked because that's where I left it. Time passed and somehow I happened upon a link to their blog and their video blogs on YouTube. Though (extremely) silly, I think the folks at [title of show] are kind of genius. In an effort to get their show to Broadway, they have created these "vlog" installments entitled the [title of show] show as a campaign to get [title of show] to the Great White Way. I think they post when they can, but these are really fun and include cameos by almost every Broadway performer you can think of. Compared to "Hollywood", the Broadway community is small and their fans represent a small population (comparatively speaking) so I think these the [title of show] shows are a great grass-roots marketing ploy. Heck, their blog and the [title of show] shows alone have intrigued me enough to want to go buy the CD (this weekend)!

Ok, those are my endorsements for now. Enjoy, laugh, roll-your-eyes, be grateful for what you have, embrace the unknown...and then support the Broadway community! :)

PUTTING IT TOGETHER

I've really been neglecting my blog. Life obviously took precedence over my desire to post. The thing is, I've been writing my entire life...and though I was on hiatus, I've wondered if I should stop blogging, but in one way, to stop now seems silly. My desire to create stories and connect people through common experiences has been what I've loved to do since I was a little girl. Some of my earliest memories include sitting with my mom at our kitchen table (as early as 3 years old), dictating my stories -- she'd write them down and I'd later add my illustrations. Writing became such an enjoyable way to spend my time that I wrote as often as I could about anything that interested me. During summer vacations from school, I could be found sitting in my dad's home office, typing away and creating stories more often than you would find me playing with my friends. I created my own story ideas and scripts of my favorite TV shows, fictionalized my fantasy life as an adolescent, hand wrote (at 170-some odd pages) my idea of a sequel to my favorite film and hoped to educate others through my writing.

In high school, I was lucky enough to be picked as a student staff writer for the leading newspapers in the county. I had the amazing opportunity to go on-set of some of my favorite TV shows to interview the talent that I idolized. While writing about Hollywood and TV were fantastic experiences, I was also given an opportunity to write about those subjects that weren't as "exciting" but were more important because they dealt with real people and real life.

I didn't expect the articles I wrote about young people who had handicaps to be life changing, nor did I expect that it would be the most widely read articles. I did know though that someone was reading it, someone had to be. I knew that in writing those articles, I was educating whoever was reading my work and that if one person read it, that was one person more who would be made more aware. Who though was benefiting most from my desire to write? Was it my readers or was it me? Was I writing purely for selfish reasons? I'm still not entirely clear on that motive because though I was educating people, I was educating myself by the research, the interviews and conversations and in formulating what to write. The process of and then the act itself of writing about "handicapped" people was almost more an education in empathy for myself than anything else.

My point? I'm not sure I have one. Though I have been AWOL on this blog for quite sometime now, I'm thinking that I am doing the biggest disservice to myself by not writing. Writing and singing are my favorite emotional releases and when I started this post, I was all wound up about other thoughts flailing around in my head...and while they are still there, I'm far less wound up because I've been able to write. My thoughts may sound disjointed in this post, but really I do have a point...and I think I've figured it out.

As someone I admire once wrote:

"Bit by bit, putting it together.
Piece by piece, working out the vision night and day.
All it takes is time and perseverance
And a little luck along the way."

BACK TO BASICS

First of all, going back to work in the week between Christmas and New Years is a complete waste (hence my first real post in ages). I'm like one of six people on my floor here and how have I been passing my time at work? Watching musicals on DVD with my office mate, reading magazines and surfing the internet. Its awfully hard to do any work when the people you need to interact with are all on vacation as well.

During my Christmas holiday, I had an interesting conversation with my father. Though short (we kept getting interrupted) I keep going back to things he said to me about returning to who we really are. Throughout my life, I've had dreams and goals I've had for myself...always holding tight to them particularly in high school and college. Then, I graduated, got a job and through I was on the right track, headed for what I wanted...or so I thought. Maybe what I thought I wanted was never really what I needed. Can I be more ambiguous? Sure, but I won't, not right now. :)

DANA REEVE

I was shocked and saddened to hear that Dana Reeve passed away yesterday. She was far too young (only 44) and had so much left to accomplish in her life particularly with her son, who at 13 years old lost both his parents within a 2 year span. I just read Billy Bush's Access Hollywood blog in which he stated his thoughts regarding Dana and his concern for her son Will. This pretty much sums up what not only I, but many others must be thinking as well.

Official Statement from The Christopher Reeve Foundation

I AM WHAT I AM...

I admit it...I've cheated...on my blog. After months and months of harrassment from a friend of mine, I finallly gave in and joined MySpace. I'm already on one of those other sites and didn't think I needed to waste my time on another one. There are many advantages to being on MySpace vs. the "other" site, but I have to say, the best thing about it (and the reason I cheated on this here blog) is the ability to list what you're reading, viewing or listening to and to not only show the art work but link it to Amazon. "Brilliant!" says I. Dear ole Blogger should do the same thing...then maybe I won't be so inclined to post on that blog vs. this one (the one I've had for YEARS).

My guilt for blogging on another site has kept me from blogging in general lately, so below...is an excerpt from my Linda-Eder-Rules-MySpace post:

Linda Eder had been often times compared to Barbara Streisand and yet I like Eder and not so much Streisand. I seem to have every one of Eder's albums (including the holiday one) and for the last 2 weeks, all I've been listening to is Broadway My Way. It's a great album of known Broadway songs as well as lesser known songs and isn't Frank Wildhorn heavy (for obvious reasons...they recently ended their marriage)! I don't love all of the arrangements (like "I Am What I Am" from La Cage Aux Folles) but do like her rendition of "Don't Rain on My Parade" from Funny Girl. Even I think it's a little ironic that I enjoy her take on this song...particularly considering how errily similar she sounds to Streisand...and of course is a song Streisand is famous for from her performance in the show.

Anyway...I'm sure I'll keep listening to this album until I get sick of it, then I'll move on to her newest album, By Myself: The Songs of Judy Garland.

Cheers!

WHO AM I?

Broadway.com's new column, True Confessions of A Broadway Actor is a great new feature written by an anonymous, real working Broadway performer! Check it out to get a peek into the life on the Great White Way!

WORDFALL, Part 2

Ok, so Maureen informed my list was incomplete...there were actually more questions...and since I'm so hard at work right now, I thought I'd break up the day and finish those off too. So...

Seven things that scare you:
1.) The unknown
2.) Bees
3.) Being alone
4.) Earthquakes
5.) Rats
6.) Andrew Lloyd Webber's new musicals
7.) Death

Seven things you love:
1.) My family
2.) My dog...RIP
3.) My friends
4.) My life
5.) Musical Theatre
6.) NYC
7.) The ocean

Seven things you hate:
1.) Bad drivers...SLOW drivers
2.) Ignorance
3.) Stupidity
4.) Constant indecisiveness
5.) Large crowds (typically, but not always)
6.) Bad smells
7.) Disregard for the elderly and or handicapped.

Seven things in your room:
1.) My bed
2.) Photos of my dog
3.) Bedside table
4.) Guitar
5.) Desk
6.) Laptop
7.) Chair

Seven random facts about you:
1.) I drink my coffee and tea straight up
2.) When I was a kid, I wanted to be a singer...and a journalist
3.) I stopped drinking soda (for the most part) last year.
4.) I am an alcoholic light-weight...1 drink and I'm drunk, 2 drinks...I have no control of my behavior after that!
5.) I'm still friends w/ people I've known since I was 7.
6.) Bees freak me out (and I've never been stung) yet when I was a kid, my friend and I used to hunt down and store bees in jars.
7.) I loved Barbara Streisand as a kid, but now I can't stand her.

Seven songs people should listen to (there are so many I could list though!):
1.) If I Told You Now (or anything by Jason Robert Brown)
2.) We Can Be Kind (by David Friedman)
3.) The Miller's Son (from "A Little Night Music" or anything by Sondheim)
4.) Summertime (from "Porgy & Bess")
5.) I Can't Believe My Heart (by Alan Menken/David Zippel)
6.) Dvorak's Symphony No. 9 for a "New World"
7.) Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini

Seven favorite movies:
1.) Brief Encounter
2.) Breakfast at Tiffany's
3.) Sunset Blvd.
4.) It's a Wonderful Life
5.) Beaches
6.) All About Eve
7.) Lost in Translation

SOMETHING GOOD

Wow, so I've had this blog for what, 4 years in which time my friends have read but really never commented on this thing. Within days, I'm noticing my friends are not only reading, but commenting on this blog...by choice! Hmmm, either I'm getting more interesting or the subliminal messages here are working!

WEDNESDAY

Ok, so geeky-me uses song titles from the musical theatre genre to title her posts (and she also enjoys writing in the 3rd person in this instance). And whilst looking through her ever-growing collection of showtunes, she saw the song title "Wednesday" from Bright Lights, Big City and she figured...today is Wednesday, hence the perfect title for today's entry. Yes, geeky-me knows it's lame, but it amusing to her, and she writes this blog, hence she deserve to be amused.

Writing in 3rd person isn't so interesting or entertaining, so forget that. What is interesting though is staring at walls. Sadly, I've been doing a lot of that lately -- at work, at home, out and about...obviously I have a lot to think about...but wall staring? I could spend hours just spacing out...day dreaming, figuring out what it is I'm supposed to do, because quite frankly where I am right now is not where I should be.

The other thing...nah, I can't write it without it sounding really bad, so I'll hold back. It is a generalization about other people in specific situations. So, I'll just say...nothing for now...**sigh**

So I was on my friend's computer the other night and when we logged onto this website, I noticed that the site didn't look the same on her computer as it did on mine. Spacing and color were different...and of course this perplexed me. I understand that fonts may sometime be different from computer to computer, but colors ?? I found it weird I guess. I'll have to investigate further into this whole thing. Weird to me. Hmmm. Anyhow...

Happy Valentine's Day to everyone!!!

ENOUGH IS ENOUGH

How do we know when "enough is enough?" I wish I knew...I wish I knew if I was just being impatient or wise. I'm not quite sure what to do these days. It's not so easy now to know if your decisions are hasty or thoughtful...you just have to trust yourself. The question is: can I trust myself? I know if I don't make a decision one of these days, I'll really be screwed. But I can't wait for the truth to come to me...I must face it head on and follow through. **sigh** I think I'm giving myself an ulcer.

Getting the blog was the easy part. The difficulty now is figuring how the heck to edit html code for someone who is completely html illiterate! Granted html code is pretty easy to understand once you get the hang of it, but that is a whole seperate issue. Speaking of issues...

Can I just publicly declare that I cannot stand indecisiveness and being under appreciated? Thank you, I suppose I just have.

CONFUSION

I'm so confused!!!!!

FIRST ATTACK

Who knew it was so easy to get a blog! Yea, I'm finally among the bloggers and blogees of the internet generation! Pardon me if this site is kinda lame and dusty, I'm just beginning to figure out how this all works. Stay tuned for more...when my brain isn't mush from having been at work until 11:30 PM in BUDGET HELL! Yikes! When will budget hell ever be over???