Something Rotten! Takes Baltimore

I saw the hilarious Something Rotten! in New York 3 times.  It's one of my all time faves thanks to the fabulous cast they compiled and the ridiculous number of inside theatre jokes they managed to pack in.  It really is a laugh a minute show!  So I was very excited to see it here in Baltimore with 3 of the fabulous actors that appeared in the Broadway version (just not when I saw it) - Adam Pascal, Rob McClure and John Grisetti.  

Now, I did actually see Rob McClure as Nick Bottom, my last time seeing the show.  And I thought he was so great.  He's like a mini Brian d'Arcy James. He's got the singing and the dancing and sounds and even looks a lot like Brian so he was perfect for the part.  I really liked him in this version as well. John Grisetti was a new Nigel to me and while he was no John Cariani, he brought his own neuroses and weirdness to the character that was also perfect.  Nigel wasn't as overly-worried this time around, but he was still very, very funny. 

My main problem with this version was Shakespeare.  Now, before I say anything I want to say that I love Adam Pascal and I loved him in RENT. He's amazing and has an amazing voice.  I just don't think he's so fabulous at comedy.  He's definitely not Christian Borle - who was perfect in that part!  Adam had all the swagger and rock-star-iness but none of the joke-telling.  He was also pretty terrible with his York accent which was a plot point.  In one paragraph, he was from York, then England then Ireland.  It was just a teensy bit distracting.

As for the rest of the cast and the show it was awesome as usual!  All of the fun and eggs were there.  I did notice one song though, changed from the original production which I'm a bit perplexed by.  I've never seen a touring cast just cut a song before.  But it didn't do much to the plot so I suppose it wasn't such a big deal. All in all, Something Rotten!  is the most fabulous way to spend Shakespeare's birthday!

No Day but Today

Every single time I see Rent, I turn into a blubbering mess. Every time! I know what's going to happen and exactly when it's going to happen, and yet it still kills me each time. Tonight's production was the 20th (!!!!) anniversary tour at the Hippodrome. And while it wasn't my favorite, it was pretty darn great! Even though it wasn't my favorite, tonight's show hit me a whole lot harder than usual. I'm still not sure why that happened but I was pretty much crying straight through the entire second act. I'm sure I'll be looking rough tomorrow...

But it's so worth it to have that experience again and to get the same chills in all the same places in the story. For anyone that's wondering - it still stands up and it's still absolutely beautiful from start to finish!

Monday: A Play in Three Parts

Part One: Morning
Monday morning was rough, because well, Monday mornings are always rough, aren't they? I hit the snooze button on my alarm a few more times than I had meant to, and was therefore behind before I even started the day.  Then I got to my car and there was ice on my windshield - never mind that it was the first day of spring... - that needed to be defrosted and my darn tire light was on which means I eventually need to get air in the flipping tire that loses air if you just look at it funny.  And all of this was before 6:30 am...

Part Two: Mid-Day
By mid-day, the frustrations had escalated to me yelling at Microsoft Word because it wouldn't do what I wanted it to.  That was pretty much the low point.  From there, things started looking up. I heard about the FBI investigation that was breaking news all day.  That definitely made me at least a little optimistic.  I also learned that BroadwayWorld was looking for someone to cover the upcoming RENT tour at the Hippodrome, and since I was the quickest email in the bunch, I got the free tickets and the assignment to write about one of my all time favorite shows. The Monday "blahs"started to disappear at that point.

Part Three: Evening
By the late afternoon, I learned that not only would I get one ticket, but I would get 2 so I could take the bestie with me - something she'd been hinting at all day.  I also learned that Andrew Rannells would be performing at 54 Below in May which may or may not have prompted me to buy yet another ticket to see a show there.  I mean, how could I not?  I was getting free tickets to RENT - tickets that are currently going for $200. Who was I not to spend $40 on a ticket to see someone lovely?

Anyway, there you have my Monday.  It sure sounds page-turning exciting doesn't it?  Here's hoping Tuesday is much calmer and contains a few of the happy surprises that this Monday did...

Before and After

Tonight can only be described as a study in Before and After.  

This is us before.  We're all dolled up heading to Annapolis after a delicious dinner at Vin 909.  In this photo it's about 98 degrees with, it felt at the time 330% humidity.  We were headed to Annapolis to watch an outdoor production of Rent produced by the Annapolis Summer Garden Theater.

This photo is us after - taken about 2 hours after the first.  The photo was taken when it was about 80 degrees with no humidity, after the biggest, sudden-est summer thunderstorm ever.  Because there was nowhere to go - seeing as our car was about a quarter mile away, we were forced to ride it out - getting eternally soaked in the process.

While it was nice to not be so hot anymore, after 2 hours of Rent, I was still soaked and freezing. Apparently there are no happy mediums in Maryland in the summer.

Thank goodness the production of Rent rocked.  The cast was awesome!  So awesome in fact that I cried harder than I have for any other production before.  Though that may have had something to do with me being soaking wet at the time...

Happy Birthday Rent!

Yesterday, Rent the musical turned 20 years old.  Words cannot express how happy and how sad that makes me.  Whenever I think of the show, I can't help but think of its playwright who worked so long and hard on a show that he never got to see on Broadway.  Jonathan Larson would have been 56 years old this year, and I can't even begin to imagine what he would have accomplished in the last 20 years since gaining success and acclaim for such a beautiful show as Rent. 

However, on the other hand, it's truly great to celebrate Rent for all that it is - joyful and heartbreaking.  I never really wanted to see it.  I knew it would be depressing and I knew I'd probably cry.  It is and I did, but I learned that it's also uplifting.  It shows the power of friendship and love and just pushing through. 20 years ago, the community these artists were living in was so very different than it is now, which makes the show seem a bit dated. However, the message is still the same and still very important today.  

You're never alone. No matter what you're going through, you will always have someone there to help you.  As long as you're surrounded by people that love you, you'll be fine. 

Happy Birthday Rent!  I love you and sing you constantly, even though you make me cry every time!  

And if this song doesn't at least give you goosebumps, then you have no soul at all... : ) 

Friday Five

1. Gilmore Girls Revival Scoop!: While I may not be a huge Melissa McCarthy Fan, the news that Sookie St. James is returning to the show makes me very happy.  How could you have possibly had Lorelei without her BFF Sookie?  And in other scoop news, the announcement of a Stars Hollow musical in one of the episodes is too delicious not to gush about!  Add to that Kerry Butler, Sutton Foster and Christian Borle, and you have the makings of an already perfect episode without a single moment being filmed yet. 

2. Aaron Tveit and Gavin Creel singing my "bad day sing to the top of my lungs song" Take me or Leave Me from RENT.  So amazing!  While this song is usually sung by 2 women, the guys completely pull it off, which is totally the point of the Miscast Benefit : )

3. A few years ago someone got the genius idea to take photographs of photographs in the same place the original photo was taken.  Hard to explain but you get the general idea.  Well a fabulous photographer has taken that general idea, and captured some beautiful photos of Paris then and now.  Every photo shows just far the city of light has come and how breath-taking it is now and was then.

4. I absolutely adore Masters week.  There's just so much pomp and circumstance that goes into making it the best event of the year.  And while, at the start of the day I was ready to see Mickelson make a run for another green jacket, it doesn't actually look like that'll be the case this year.  However, it's great to see Rory McIlroy and Jordan Spieth both battle for the win.  I love them both so either winning would just be icing on the cake!

5. Broadway casting this season is completely on point.  Every time I hear a new show or new concert, I'm blown away by how good the lineup for these events are in 2016.  Between "The Front Page" with Nathan Lane and Falsettos with Andrew Rannels and Christian Borle or Robber Bridegroom with Steven Pasquale, Fully Committed with Jesse Tyler Ferguson and even the return of God in Act of God with Sean Hayes - it's going to be a very, very expensive year!

Friday Five

1. "The Rosie Effect" by Graeme Simsion: I plowed through "The Rosie Project" in about 2 days and have been waiting eagerly to buy the sequel ever since it came out - it took a little longer because I needed it in paperback, because I'm insane.  It's just as good as the original. It's quirky and funny and very, very sweet.  I'm also fairly excited about the prospect of it becoming a movie though for the life of me I can't decide on who would make the perfect Don.

2. Another week, another fairly amazing Ham4Ham by Lin Manuel Miranda.  I'm in awe of this guy mostly because he's created this awesome career for himself and because of that, he gets to do all of these amazing things just because he is who he is.  So jealous!


3. This is the best news I've heard all week.  I love me some Gilmore Girls and now that it's most definitely coming back, I'm way too excited!  Also, Netflix's tweet about it, is completely and utterly too perfect for words!

4. The first time I saw Rent, even though I had no desire to see it going in, I cried like a baby. It's completely heartbreaking and amazingly uplifting all at the same time.  It's also gorgeous, funny and all together original.  I'm a total Rent-head and I just can't believe we're in its 20th year already.  Now that I know the story, I don't cry as much, because I know what's going to happen is going to happen. (No spoilers here!)  However, what does still get me every time I think about it, is the fact that Rent's creator never got to see his masterpiece on the stage. Jonathan Larson died just a few weeks before its Broadway debut.  That kills me every time.  This is why this Playbill interview with his family is just so beautiful. Everyone who loves theatre knows at least a little about Rent, but we don't know much about its inspiring creator.  Now we get to learn a little about this amazing man from the people that knew him best. 

5. So very appropriate for this blizzard filled week:

Geek Out!

I don't often have fan-girl moments.  Well when I say I don't often have fan girl moments, I mean I don't often have public fan-girl moments.  I usually geek out in private - usually about some British show or another.  But last night's geekfest of a 200th episode of Supernatural, was just too good to keep to myself.  It was one of the best episodes of television I've ever watched, which is saying something when you realize it's "just a CW show".

I was never a Supernatural fan.  As a ninny who hates all things horror-y or ghost-y or monster-y, I've shied away from scary movies, scary television and pretty much every other scary thing you can imagine, for as long as I can remember.  But a few months ago, curiosity got the best of me and I gave it a shot.  Not only did I give it a shot, I wound up binge watching all 195 episodes on Netflix.  I may have been a bit depressed when I started having to wait a week between each new episode.  

In the group, like in every series there was some good and some not so good.  The crazy thing was that while the good were often off the scale great, the not so good, were still good for special moments or quotes.  Some of the best lines came out of some pretty ridiculous story lines. The writing is often so sharp, so funny, so deep that I would give my right arm to have the imagination the writing staff has.  If they were on any other network, other than the CW, they would have won numerous awards by now. 

Then you have to take into account the acting.  You think you're about to watch a show about some very handsome dudes fighting monsters - and you'd be right.  But those guys and every single one of the guest cast members are phenomenal.  They can seemingly do it all - funny, scary, spooky, disturbing and everything in between.  Based on facial expressions alone, they deserve some serious praise.  I can't say enough about just how good they really are. Also, in person (based on copious amounts of YouTube research,) they may be even funnier, kinder and more of a family than they are on the show.  Their personal interviews are most of the time, funnier than some episodes of good comedies.

That brings us to last night's milestone 200th episode.  I'm fairly certain that my downstairs neighbor must now think I'm psychotic.  I talked to the television, laughed out loud and at one point literally yelled at the screen.  Through it all, I sat there with a big goofy grin on my face that I couldn't shake even after the episode was over.  The episode was basically a love letter to the fans.  They were able to bring in pretty much everything from the last 10 years that fans have loved and hated openly. They laughed at themselves and brought us along for the ride. They made references to RENT, Wicked, Oklahoma, Our Town and Streisand that would have turned any musical theatre nerd to mush. They had a bunch of girls in an all girls school performing in fake facial hair as men (as someone who went to an all girl's school, I will vouch for that happening in real life.) They went way meta.  They referenced SE Hinton's The Outsiders because she's a huge fan.  They even took a line from one of their directors that passed away in 2009 (Kim Manners who would always say "Kick it in the ass!" before each take) to honor an old friend.  They made fun of their truly terrible episodes and brought an old friend back for an all too brief but totally perfect (hence the yell at the TV) cameo.

Basically, I'm pretty sure that in years to come, this episode will be talked about as the perfect way to celebrate a successful show.  I just can't say enough good things about it, other than you have to see it to love it.  And you'll totally LOVE it!

So there it is, my fan girl moment.  I will gladly admit that I'm going home this evening to re-watch and I've already  bought the newly written songs that the cast performed during the episode. (How can you not love a musical episode!?)  Now, I promise to return to my private fan-girl roots.  Unless of course, you want to discuss and in that case, I'll most likely geek out with you all over again!

Friday Five

1. I've pretty much always felt this way, and I may or may not have said it before, but I adore Mamma Lucia's restaurant!  I'm there at least 1-2 times a month - this week alone it was twice.  Delicious!  Best Italian restaurant in Maryland, hands down.

2. I know it's not Halloween just yet, but these parent/child and dog costumes are super adorable.  I'm partial to the Dia de los Muertos of course and I dream of weenie.  It almost makes me want to buy a dog just so I can dress him up for Halloween.  

3. I'm a little too proud that I aced this quiz.  Though I've been pretty much singing the song since yesterday so it does have its downside.  But it's pretty much one of the best Broadway songs ever written so it's worth it : )
             

4. I love being busy and having paint nites, and Ravens games and craft days to go to.  But I have to admit, having nothing planned for the weekend is pretty darn enticing.  Sleeping in, here I come!

5. How great are these photos of older dogs?  What a fantastic idea!  I have to say that Elmo and Jackson may be the cutest dogs I've ever seen!

Friday Five

1. I've always loved this song.  Well, when I say always, I mean pretty much since "Love, Actually".  This version might actually stand up to the last 3 minutes of the best romantic comedy ever written!  Still not quite sure why they did it, but I'm happy they did.
           

2. The O's are currently playing in the ALCS championship!  We're down by one run, but we we were down by 4 so we're almost there.  #Wewon'tStop  Go O's! Update- We're now tied!

3. Absolutely anything RENT themed is pretty much perfect. How sweet is this?!

4. In the grand scheme of things, the fact that this inspiration is still around should be the top of my Friday Five list every single week.  But seeing as she rightfully won the Nobel Peace Prize should be sung from the rafters.  Malala Yousafzai  has been an inspiration pretty much her entire short life.  She's amazing and is proof that Pakistan's closed off regime won't silence the real revolutionaries.  Most of all she's someone the women and girls of that region can look up to and emulate.

5. Theatre on television is about the best invention ever.  While I would very much like to get to every show in NYC, it's a little impossible.  But now that Great Performances is screening some fabulous shows like "The Nance," I'm a very happy camper.  Speaking of "The Nance", Nathan Lane may be one of the most underrated actors in NYC and Hollywood together. How has he not won all of the awards!?

Currents

Watching:  A lot of USA network (Royal Pains, Burn Notice, Necessary Roughness, Graceland) King & Maxwell, The Glades
Listening: RENT soundtrack, "Sigh No More" (Much Ado About Nothing), FUN, Tim McGraw, Paul McCartney
Eating: Mexican food (lots and lots of it!), Watermelon, Cantaloupe, Fruit Loops
Drinking: Iced Tea, Arnold Palmers (so much better than Iced Tea)
Reading: "Toujours Provence", "44 Scotland Street" series, "The Brothers of Baker Street" series
Needing: A trip to anywhere (preferably Europe, but I'm not picky) and to figure out this darn camera (so much harder than I thought it would be!)
Wanting:  A job in London that comes with a work permit and a housing stipend
Crafting: Birthday bunting for a girl I work with and attempting to conceptualize a gallery wall
Enjoying: Using the new camera, spending summer days in Annapolis, Banana Ice Cream
Looking forward to: A day at the beach with the mama and of course (I think it may go without saying) October 9; otherwise known as the day I leave for the European adventure
Loving: The crazy busy turn this summer has taken

Once (Upon a Musical)

There are certain shows and musicals, that I simply must see as soon as I see a trailer - Wicked, The Producers, Jesus Christ Superstar. (Currently Macbeth with Alan Cumming falls into this category but gosh darn Cumming has to insist on only one show per day so matinees are out, ugh!  I'm sure playing every character in a major Shakespearean tragedy must take a lot out of you but really?!  Doesn't he care that I'd like to see it!? : )  Anyway, then there are other shows that I must be persuaded into - RENT majorly falls into this category. 

Before seeing RENT for the first time on Broadway, I was a bit annoyed that I was spending money to see such a depressing show (it was a friend's 21st birthday present so I really had no choice).  But after seeing it,  I finally "got" it!  I wouldn't go so far as to say it's "uplifting" like this particular friend describes it but it's certainly awesome in every sense of the word.  What Jonathan Larson accomplished with the score and the music and the story is something truly amazing.  I adored the show so much that I've seen it 2 additional times on Broadway, and I never cease to get goosebumps at all the same parts and of course there are tears as well.  So with this in mind, I find myself in this camp again, feeling hopeful for another RENT-like smash hit in my book. 

 I've been hearing nothing but good things about Once since it opened last year.  Everyone who attends raves about how beautiful and new the music and the characters are.  But it really wasn't appealing to me.  In the last few weeks though, it's been in the news for some new casting changes and I've actually listened to a bit of the music.  I've most definitely changed my tune.  So much so that the tickets have been acquired and I'm quite excited about it!  It will be my first show since quite possibly Mary Poppins which was most definitely a dud in my book (this coming from the girl who adores the Mary Poppins movie!  The fact that the musical sucked was utterly heartbreaking!)  I'm hearing fabulous things about the new Brits who have taken the lead. And if nothing else, I'm sure it will be a fantastic day in the city that I love sharing some yummy Cuban food with a great friend!  Once is just the icing on the cake!

Viva La Vie Boheme!

I have a friend who has seen RENT 11 times in the theatre. It's been a few years since I have gotten to experience it live, but it popped up on my iPod this week, and I got hooked again. I've been listening constantly for the last week and jamming along in traffic to the top of my lungs.  Before I saw it, I never understood why.  When there are so many musicals out there, why spend so much money on one show?  About 3 songs in I got it: the minute "One Song Glory" started, I was hooked.  Before seeing it, I read the plotline and came across the completely heartbreaking story of the show's writer and lyricist. 

Jonathan Larson spent years working on a modern day version of Puccini's opera, La Boheme.  It was the early 90s and his friends were dying of the AIDS virus so he chose to set his story in the housing projects of Alphabet City NYC, amidst the AIDS crisis.  RENT,the show that became his life's work was due to open in January 1996.  On the morning of the day the show was to open, Larson collapsed and died shortly thereafter of a brain aneurysm.  His vision went on to win Tony and Drama Desk Awards as well as the Pulitzer prize for drama.  But, he never got to experience what his vision became.  There are certain lines or notes in Larson's score and lyrics that just get to me. They (as cheesy as this sounds) hit me straight in the heart and I can't help but get goosebumps. When this happens I think of Jonathan Larson and how unfortunate it is that he never got to experience this for himself.

Now, you must know by now (if you've been paying attention), I cry at the drop of a hat.  So hearing that story, did nothing for my desire to see the show.  I tend to avoid movies/books/TV shows that I know will make me cry.  But, it was my friend's 21st birthday and we wanted to make it special for her so I sucked it up and bought the tickets.  Her go-to description was always "hearbreaking and uplifiting".  But I never understood how it could be both of those things, however, like I said earlier, until I saw it.  The moment I realized (spoiler alert!) Angel (the cross-dressing lover of Tom who was infected with HIV and the heart of the show) had died, I was an absolute mess. I cried like a baby. I tear up everytime it happens. I always know it's coming and I always cry.  But later, when Roger finally confesses his love to Mimi, I'm crying because I'm happy.  It's all very confusing. 

I've noticed that there are 2 types of peeps out there: those that have seen it and those that haven't.  If you haven't seen it, you're never going to understand why I would waste an entire post on my love for a musical that's almost 2 decades old. Until you see it, you're never going to get it. If I've piqued your interest even slightly and you have decided to see it, you can't cheat and see the terrible movie of the same name (with all the stars you'd think it would have been good: not so much!)  You need to see it live in a tiny dingy theatre surrounded by people who are mouthing the words with the actors.  Then you will truly become a RENT-head and you will be a better person for it (in my opinion anyway.)  After all, "there's no day but today", so "forget regret, or life is yours to miss!"

Viva La Vie Boheme!