August 2008 Archives

This year (in addition to doing Urinetown =S) I had the pleasure of doing the 5th Avenue Theatre's Musical Theatre Camp. It ran from August 11-23 at the Theatre Puget Sound facilities in the Seattle Center... which was quite convenient because Urinetown was just downstairs! There were 4 groups of "Seniors," and then one group of "Juniors." The Seniors had class from 10-6, while the Juniors had class from 10-3. It was SOO MUCH FUN!

The camp consisted of 5 classes every day (for the Seniors) with an hour break for lunch =) Some of the classes were Song Interpretation, Vocal Technique, Text Analysis, Fundamentals of Dance, and Broadway Dance! In addition to these classes, we were cast in four production numbers (with all the Juniors doing their own). I was in Paris Original (from How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying), but the other three numbers were The Three Bs from Best Foot Forward, The Ballad of Sweeney Todd from Sweeney Todd, and Jellicle Songs for Jellicle Cats from Cats!

I really love this camp because the final performance isn't open to parents or those who aren't involved in the camp. Unlike other theatre camps that I've been involved in, the pressure of the last performance isn't really there, making the process of putting these numbers together much more fun!

I definitely recommend the 5th Ave classes and workshops to anyone who is interested in musical theatre or even wants to make it their career, because they have amazing instructors and valuable information for anyone who loves to perform!

You should all come see me (Myrna Conn) in Seattle Children's Theatre's production of Urinetown the Musical! It opened on Friday at the Center House Theatre and had two performances on Saturday. Performances restart on Tuesday evening and the last performance (tear) will be on Saturday, August 23, 2008. So don't miss your chance to see a hilarious musical about a world in the future in which you must pay to pee because of a severe drop in the water table.

Directed by Don Fleming, this full length production ends Seattle Children's Theatre's Summer Season '08 on an incredibly funny but shockingly relevant note, addressing our dependance on water that is becoming more and more precious each day as our world population keeps growing. With such songs as "It's a Privilege to Pee," "Don't Be the Bunny," and "Run Freedom Run," you can't help but love this extremely strange but wonderful show.

So make sure you check it out! Here is an official information page on the performances. If you plan on buying tickets "at the door" you have to go to the Seattle Children's Theatre box office... Plus, I'm in it. So yeah! =)

One Singular Sensation! (lol tis a bit overused but WHATEVS)

Last week I saw the Saturday matinee performance of A CHORUS LINE's national tour at the Paramount Theatre. It was CRAMAZING! Oh my goodness, I think this was the best production of CHORUS LINE that I've ever seen. This tour opened in Denver, CO at the Buell Theatre on May 4, 2008. Seattle is the 5th stop on the tour.

The cast was stellar. Of course, my favorite was Hollie Howard as Maggie - see her bio here (scroll down). Notice how under "Favorites" there's the one, the only PLANE CRAZY! She was also fantastic as Holly Banks in the NYMF 2005 production of PLANE CRAZY. Other favorites included Jessica Latshaw as Kristine, Colt Prattes as Al and u/s Mike, Clyde Alves as Mike, Gabrielle Ruiz as Diana, and Kevin Santos as Paul! However, everyone was really good and brought a new dimension to their character that I had never seen in any A CHORUS LINE production before.

The set was the same as the Broadway revival that I saw in New York (which closes today... tear). Simple yet powerful. The choreography was old school CHORUS LINE (well of course) and... everything was just fabola. Paul's speech moved me (and my dad, the fantastic Microsoft employee and avid theatre fan Grad Conn) more than ever before, and What I Did For Love was even more poignant with Gabrielle Ruiz's spectacular performance as Diana Morales... who coincidentally sings my favorite song in the show, Nothing.

In conclusion, WOW. I would definitely count this show as one of my favorite theatre experiences ever, and you should definitely check it out if it's coming to a theatre near you! Check out the tour schedule here.

The above video is THE WORLD ANTHEM, created by Christopher Judges in an effort to save the world morally, psychologically, and environmentally. The slideshow that accompanies the song is touching, with pictures that encourage you to reach out with love and care for everyone. Especially the one that appears at 3 minutes and 18 seconds. 'Tis no other than our good friend Hollie Howard, in a Venus Flytrap-licious pose, in the NYMF 2005 production of Plane Crazy! w00t!

From the article on Playbill:

As previously announced, the new Broadway production of the landmark musical West Side Story, directed by librettist Arthur Laurents, will begin previews Feb. 23, 2009, at a Nederlander theatre to be announced.

The revival — produced by Kevin McCollum, James L. Nederlander and Jeffrey Seller — will officially open on Broadway March 19, 2009, according to an Aug. 8 press announcement.

A pre-Broadway engagement will play Dec. 16, 2008-Jan. 17, 2009, at Washington, DC's National Theatre, where the musical made its world premiere in 1957.

The production "will introduce the unprecedented element of selectively weaving Spanish throughout both the book and songs," according to a July 16 announcement.

Laurents, who earned solid reviews (and a 2008 Tony nomination) for staging the current Broadway run of Gypsy, stated, "This show will be radically different from any other production of West Side Story ever done. The musical theatre and cultural conventions of 1957 made it next to impossible for the characters to have authenticity. Every member of both gangs was always a potential killer even then. Now they actually will be. Only Tony and Maria try to live in a different world…"

Another one that I missed at the 5th Avenue Theatre - apparently last year's production was amazing. Unfortunately, had not moved yet. *sigh* And even though I always say that I hope to see this whenever I post something on the blog (see these previous posts lol!), I REALLY want to see this. West Side Story is an awesome show - the music and lyrics are beautiful and the story has managed to touch the hearts of many generations. So, get excited y'all!

Congratulations Trinity! She was so fantastic as the Lamb in Youth Theatre Northwest's summer production of CHARLOTTE'S WEB, which opened last Friday, August 1, and runs until this Sunday, August 10. It was quite fabulous! I loved every moment of it, although I loved the moments that Trinity was on stage a lot more. =)

The sets were really fantastic, especially the web which Charlotte and the baby spiders had to climb on... Goodness gracious! Everybody in the cast did a really good job, and did I mention Trinity Conn was super fantastic?? It was so much fun, and I recommend it to anyone who loves a good night/afternoon of theatre for a reasonable price. Which is kind of everyone... :D

To buy tickets, visit Youth Theatre Northwest's website here or call the box office at 206-232-4145. Get ready for an awesome time :D

From the article on Playbill:

Complete casting has been announced for the Broadway revival ofEquus, which co-stars the previously announced Daniel Radcliffe, Tony and Olivier Award winner Richard Griffiths and stage and screen veteran Kate Mulgrew.

The limited engagement of Peter Shaffer's Tony Award-winning play is scheduled to begin previews Sept. 5 at the Broadhurst Theatre prior to an official opening Sept. 25. The production will run through Feb. 8, 2009.

Radcliffe and Griffiths — who played to sold-out crowds in the London Equusrevival — will reprise their work for Broadway audiences. Radcliffe will star as Alan Strang with Griffiths as Dr. Martin Dysart. Ever-busy stage and screen actress Mulgrew will play Hesther Saloman, the role created on Broadway by Marian Seldes in 1974.

Newcomers to the cast include Anna Camp (The Country Girl), Carolyn McCormick (The Dinner Party, "Law & Order"), Lorenzo Pisoni (Henry IV), T. Ryder Smith (Dead Man's Cell Phone, She Stoops to Comedy), Graeme Malcolm (Translations, Aida) and Sandra Shipley (Pygmalion, Retreat from Moscow) with Collin Baja, Tyrone Jackson, Spencer Liff, Adesola Osakalumi and Marc Spaulding.

So this looks interesting. I mean, everybody loves Daniel Radcliffe. Pshaw! =D It's nice that they're sharing the London Equus revival love with the American audience in New York. However, this Broadway revival starts pretty soon and only plays until February 8, 2009, (okay that's a pretty long run, but time goes by quite quickly these days) so if I were you I'd get my ducks in a row... :-)

Take a backstage look at Forbidden Broadway: Dances with the Stars, the latest edition of off-Broadway's most popular musical comedy!

Contemporary Classics strikes again!

On Monday August 4 I had the great pleasure of attending NEW VOICES 5 at the Poncho Forum at the Seattle Repertory Theatre. Presented by Contemporary Classics (Artistic Director Brandon Ivie, who also hosted the evening), NEW VOICES 5 is the fifth (duh) in a series devoted to showcasing new up and coming musical theatre writing talent.

I love this kind of evening. For $20 you get to hear amazing talent sing cool new songs accompanied only by piano (amazing piano playing actually, by R.J.Tancioco). That’s a value equation that is hard to beat!

From the email I got:

“Now in it's fifth incarnation, the New Voices series is a concert showcasing the best of today's most promising young musical theatre composers. An exciting blend of Sondheim and pop/rock, this next generation of composers is turning Broadway on its ear with musicals about grunge bands, electroshock therapy, road trips, and Anna Nicole Smith. Performed by some of Seattle's hottest talent, join us for a break from the summer heat for an evening of brand new musical theatre songs.

Composers in this edition include Scott Alan, David A. Austin, Adam Gwon, Michael Kooman & Christopher Dimond, Brian Lowdermilk & Kait Kerrigan, Peter Mills, Orlando Morales, Jeremy Schonfeld, and more.

The young composers featured in New Voices have won such prestigious awards as the Jonathan Larson Foundation Award, the Richard Rodgers Award, Fred Ebb Award, Ed Kleban Award and have had readings, workshops, productions and concerts of the work at Ars Nova, Joe's Pub, The York Theatre, TheatreWorks, Second Stage, National Alliance of Musical Theatre and locally at Village Originals.”

The cast included Casey Craig, Kristin Culp, Antonia Darlene, Sarah Davis, Nick Desantis, Lindsey Hedberg, Diana Huey, Brandon Ivie, Mackenzie Miller, Ryah Nixon, Kat Ramsburg, Don Darryl Rivera, and Billie Wildrick. They were all totally amazing!

The song list included:

“A Way Back to Then” from [title of show]

“Climate Change” by Orlando Morales

“Exit Right” from Songs from an Unmade Bed

“For No Apparent Reason” from Room To Grow

“How Long” from Taxi Cabaret

“His Name” from Piece

“I’m a Star” by Scott Alan

“I’ve Gotta Get Out” from Ordinary Days

“Letting Go” from Writing Arthur

“Quiet” by Jonathan Reid Gealt

“Random Black Girl” from Homemade Fusion

“Say Goodbye” by Scott Alan

“See” from Writing Arthur

“The Sensitive Song” from Cops

“Simple Plan” from Dead Wives Club

“Walking Without You” from Homemade Fusion

“Way Ahead of My Time” from Taxi Cabaret

“Where I Dream” from Writing Arthur

“Why Can’t I Kiss You?” by Jeff Blumenkrantz

There were so many great performances, but some of the highlites for me were “Why Can’t I Kiss You”, “His Name” and “For No Apparent Reason” and “Way Ahead of My Time”.

I can’t wait until NEW VOICES 6, which is coming in December! Yeah!

Click here for this month's THE LEADING MEN on Playbill, which features Derek Keeling, Hunter Bell, and Dennis Parlato. Derek Keeling is currently starring as Danny in Grease on Broadway right now (see my previous post). Hunter Bell is, of course, in [title of show] on Broadway, and Dennis Parlato is reprising his role as El Gallo in The Fantasticks at the Snapple Theatre. We love you all =)

Super funny Broadway(!!!) Two Nobodies in New York Montage from our fave [title of show]! I'll be there soon guys (I hope... :S) In the meantime, all of you faithful readers should go buy tickets now!

From the article on Playbill:

Snow is expected on Broadway this fall.Irving Berlin's White Christmas, the stage musical packaged by a Broadway creative team since 2004 for such major markets as Los Angeles, Boston, Toronto and San Francisco, will make its Broadway debut this fall, producer Kevin McCollum announced Aug. 4.

White Christmas, directed by Tony Award winner Walter Bobbie and choreographed by Tony nominee and 42nd Street's Randy Skinner, will begin a limited engagement at the Marquis Theatre Nov. 14 and will continue to Jan. 4, 2009. Opening-night date, schedule and casting information will be announced shortly.

I love the movie White Christmas - who doesn't? - but I've never seen it on stage. The 5th Avenue Theatre had a production in 2006 that I missed, as I was still living in Toronto. However, I'm going to try to see this one because it's a limited run! I love Christmas haha :D

Okay, I know this a bit late, but I wanted to congratulate Stephanie Miller, one of my cast members from Last Exit at Village Theatre KIDSTAGE in March, who was seen on the TV show High School Musical: Get in the Picture auditioning for the west coast! That is so cool, and really brave for you to do! You rock, hon ;-)

Check out this ONSTAGE & BACKSTAGE on Playbill written by Seth Rudetsky about Autumn and Bailey (of Legally Blonde the Musical: The Search for Elle Woods fame) and [title of show]!

Today I had the pleasure of seeing my second Village Theatre Kidstage summer show (see my previous post) - THE SECRET GARDEN. Unlike THE SPITFIRE GRILL, this production was held at the Mainstage, and featured a larger cast of amazingly talented young performers. The costumes blew me AWAY. Plus, the sets were fantastic. They were the same quality that I would expect of a professional show. Flying in and sliding everywhere -- craziness.

The show is based on the novel, The Secret Garden, by Frances Hodgson Burnett, telling the story of a young girl orphaned by a cholera epidemic in India and is sent to live with her uncle who is still haunted by the death of his wife.

From the Director's Notes by Suzie Cameron Bixler in the program:

The Secret Garden is about the power and strength within each of us to deal with life's unexpected challenges. We can be faced with situations that require tremendous strength of spirit. It is not what is thrown at us but how we respond to it.

The Secret Garden is also a story of hope. It is about moving on and finding new life in the face of loss and tragedy. Happiness will come again.

I had never seen this show before, and I had only ever heard one song from it, so this was a brand new show to me. My favorite songs would have to be Winter's on the Wing; Come Spirit, Come Charm; and How Could I Ever Know. The cast was enormous, but I'd like to give a special shout-out to my friends who were in the show - Payton Barronian, Amy Gottlieb, Lindsey Hedberg, Emily Johnson, Alton Lind, Tyler Lord, Kenta Murakami, Emma O'Melia, Connor Russell, Tyler Sawers, Emili Scherrer, Sarah Uptagrafft, and Joell Weil. =D

This show was really amazing. I totally recommend this to anyone who has the ability to come see this show. It runs until the 10th of August and will be totally worth your $14!!!! =) For tickets call the Issaquah box office at (425) 392-2202.

Starting this Tuesday, August 5, the A Chorus Line national tour will open at the Paramount Theatre as part of its Broadway Across America series (I saw Avenue Q there in June). I saw the 2006 Broadway revival when I was last in New York (agh too long ago), and I've seen various community theatre productions + the movie. I love this show, it is so funny, smart, and fabola. I can't wait to see it.

There's a cool article in the Seattle Times that tells you more about the show and its revival, etc...

Extra bonus - long time friend of the show, (and by the show I mean PLANE CRAZY, as she played Holly Banks in Plane Crazy's NYMF production), Hollie Howard is starring as Maggie in the national tour! Yay, happiness! She is just amazing. Talk about your triple threat! And on top of that, she has the best head shot in the world. I can't wait to see Hollie in the show!

For ticket information, visit here. Quickly, A Chorus Line will only be at the Paramount Theatre until August 10!!! =S

Check out Megan Mullally's report on her year as Elizabeth in Young Frankenstein on Broadway.com! She is just so fantastic - I saw her in the pre-Broadway tryout of the show at the Paramount Theatre, and she has a cramazing voice. I also loved her as Karen Walker in Will & Grace. I mean, who didn't? Yay Megan! =D

Everybody loves [title of show]! I wish I had been at Borders when the [tos] gang was there singing and signing up a storm! However, here is some photo coverage on BroadwayWorld that I think captures the event well... Check it out =)

So I finally got to sing "Do You Know The Way To San Jose?" on a plane bound for San Jose! My oldest daughter and I went to see WISHING DRINKING, Carrie Fisher's one woman show (created and performed by Carrie Fisher) at the San Jose Repertory Theatre last weekend.

I have been a big fan of Carrie Fisher's since STAR WARS (eventhough I never really noticed the spotty British accent that fades in and out during the film until she pointed it out with a clip from STAR WARS!) I've loved her movies (WHEN HARRY MET SALLY, SHAMPOO), and books (POSTCARDS FROM THE EDGE, SURRENDER THE PINK).
The show was awesome -- so funny, even though it is full of tragic occurrences. Like they say, tragedy plus time equals comedy (or it equals a one woman show). It's like hanging out with Carrie Fisher at her house. She starts the show by singing "Happy Days Are Here Again" as the screen behind her shows newspaper mockups of all the crazy things that have happened to her and her mother, Debbie Reynolds, over the years. Yes, she is a survivor, although she doesn't like that term. Her first anecdote is about the death of a beloved friend that occurred about three years ago and has caused her renewed depression - she woke up next to his lifeless body (he had been staying at her place for a visit). But of course the andecdote includes the fact that she had planned to take tango lessons that morning with Hilary Swank and Ewan McGregor, but had to cancel at the last minute…

Then she went all the way back to her birth - since all doctors were fussing over Debbie Reynolds, and all the nurses were fussing over Eddie Fisher, after he fainted, Carrie feels that lack of attention at her birth is the reason she has done so many crazy things! I'll buy that!

She did a hilarious bit called "Hollywood Inbreeding 101" (see above picture) complete with a blackboard with photos showing the marital links and resulting offspring from her mother's marriages, her marriages (to Paul Simon and Bryan Lourd…the latter left her for another man) and her father's marriages. Very funny and bizarre.

She spent a fair bit of time talking about STAR WARS, wearing that iconic bagel-ear wig. Clearly it changed her life, good and bad. Did you know she isn't wearing a bra under that white Princess Leia dress, since George Lucas explained to her that there isn't any underwear in space? (Your body expands, so you would be strangled by our own bra, which she thought was a wonderful way to go!). Instead her breasts were "held in place" by gaffer tape. Ouch! And all those crazy Princess Leia likenesses - dolls, sculptures, shampoo bottles, pez dispenser, even a life size Princess Leia sex doll. Althought she couldn't figure out why it was called a sex doll…it looked more like Sailor Moon dressed up as Princess Leia…

Carrie Fisher is famous not only for her movies and books but for her addictions, her stays in mental institutions, electric shock therapy, and for her bipolar disorder, which was even written up in a medical journal, complete with Princess Leia picture next to the article. Yet what defines her for me is her humor, and her undeniable interest in the business of living.

The "Special Thanks" section in the program speaks volumes:

To Billie Lourd (her teenage daughter): for her intellect, imperturbability, fashion tips and eventual forgiveness.

To Debbie Reynolds (her mother): for her endless affection and her endless advice (some even solicited), and overall endlessness in general.

To Todd Fisher (her brother): for his even (and thus odd to me) disposition, shared history and co-dependence.

To Eddie Fisher (her father): Thanks for introducing me to his dealer.

To Elizabeth Taylor: Thanks for getting Eddie Fisher out of our house.

Nuff said!

WISHFUL DRINKING is coming to the Seattle Repertory Theatre in the spring. I'm pretty sure something "interesting" will happen to Carrie between now and then, so I'm going back to see it again!