Tuesdays With Morrie

Tuesdays with Morrie was a book written a few years ago. I remember it being such a big deal. Hearing about it on the news and on best seller lists wasn’t uncommon. However, even though I’m a reader, I never read that one.

So going into see a play based on the book (which was based on a true story), I wasn’t exactly sure what I had to expect. Other than what I’d heard about the show, of course. Several people had already told me that I needed to see the show.

In fact, I had one person tell me he saw it twice, and was thinking about seeing it a third time. And of course, I read the fantastic review by Jeffrey Ellis on BroadwayWorld.com. Being forewarned, I took some tissues in my purse. I’m glad I did. I needed them.

If you don’t know the premise of the story, let me give you a basic rundown. Mitch Albom gets close to his undergrad sociology professor and promises, upon graduation, to stay in touch. But he doesn’t. Many years pass and Mitch grows up to be a self-centered, career driven journalist who doesn’t seem to do anything but work.

One day he sees a special on Dateline that has his old professor on it. Morrie had Lou Gehrig’s disease. He’s dying. In an effort to make himself feel better, Mitch goes to visit Morrie. Over time, these visits become a weekly occurance and Morrie teaches his last class to Mitch. They cover love, life, death, family, and many other topics.

You’d think that a 90 minute play, with no intermission, that consists of only two characters on stage (a third is a nurse, who has no lines) could be boring. It wasn’t. Turns out the people I’d talk to, and Jeffery Ellis, who recommend it in his review, were right: I did need tissues.

Morrie was played by the amazing John Fionte. I can honestly say that his performance was one of the best I’ve seen. Ever. In any theatre, including on Broadway. He was nearly perfect in his role as the ageing man living with years of knowledge and dying from Lou Gehrig’s disease. At the different stages of the disease, Mr. Fionte changed. Although I don’t know much about Lou Gehrig’s, I get the feeling that his visual progression of the disease was right on.

Mitch Albom was played by Daniel Black. He was the perfect opposite of Fionte’s Morrie. He did a fantastic job of starting out the self-centered, work driven journalist who was trying to sooth his guilty conscious. And he seamlessly transitioned to a younger person learning from his mentor, and beginning to understand the real meaning of lives.

I wish that I could put into words how magnificent this show was. But I honestly don't think that I have the ability to do so. All I can say is that it was a truly moving experience for me.

Hollywood in Paris

Cumberland County Playhouse in Crossville, Tennessee has a pretty amazing education program. I’ve seen many of the children in productions at the playhouse, and I wish I had lived close enough/had enough money/had the knowledge to have taken advantage of the program when I was younger.

Every year they do their spring recitals and as a season ticket holder, I got to go this year. It’s the first time I had ever been to anything like it. The theme for this year was Hollywood in Paris. And while most of the performances were dance performances, there were some musical theatre performances as well.

Every age group and every type of talent was represented. Jazz, modern dance, tap, ballet, creative movement. By intermission, I sent a text to my mom asking her to come with me to see it the next day (Mother’s Day). I wanted her to see how great some of these groups were. Some of my favorite performances were by the pre-ballet class (Oh my, they were so little and so, so cute!), and the class made up completely of special needs people.

But I think my favorite of all of them were the adult tap and the adult hip hop classes. Um, seeing grown women do a hip hop number to Katy Perry’s “California Girls” = PRICELESS. It also makes me want to take those darn classes. And I haven’t had any dance classes unless you count a year of ballet when I was 7, and ballroom dance as my PE credit in college (and with no dance partner, you don’t learn much).

I took my mom back the next day and she was also impressed and loved seeing the children (and adults!) do their thing on stage. It makes me proud that there is the opportunity for these kids to learn and be exposed to the arts. I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again, I think that Cumberland County Playhouse is a true asset to the community and the communities that surround Cumberland County.

So, anyone wanna take a hip hop class with me next year?? Anyone?

The Silver Whistle

A few weeks ago I caught another Cumberland County Playhouse show on a closing night (I've really got to stop that. I need to see them sooner!). The Silver Whistle was a straight play. The first I've seen this year, and the first step in meeting one of my New Year's resolutions (to see more plays).

This three hour comedy was full of laughs and great acting (per usual with CCP productions). The show is set in the 1930's in an old people's home that is run by a church. Most of the residents are unhappy with their lives at the home.

Miss Hoadley, played to perfection by Carol Irvin, is a perfectly happy resident...because she consumes large amounts of alcohol (and won't share with fellow residents). Miss Sampler is the resident flirt who is always looking for attention from fellow residents Mr. Beebe and Mr. Cherry. Mrs. Hanmer, played by Weslie Webster (who is no where near as old as the character she played, but pulled it off with great talent), is a classic hypochondriac and continually the pessimist. Miss Tripp is the house mistress left to try to corral this rag-tag group of seniors, all while trying to deal with the Reverend Watson and his constant demands to "cut corners" because of money issues.

Then Oliver T. Erwenter, played by CCP's comedic genius, Jason Ross, shows up on the scene, claiming to be in his 70s and looking many decades younger. Quickly, Mr. Erwenter befriends Mr. Beebe and Mr. Cherry, all while charming the ladies of the house, including Miss Tripp.

In the midst of this, much comedy ensues and Mr. Erwenter helps the residents of the home, as well and Miss Tripp and Reverend Watson learn to find the joys in life no matter your surroundings or circumstances.

Although the entire show was wonderful, the best scene of the entire show was a scene in which Mr. Erwenter, Mr. Beebe, and Mr. Cherry find Miss Hoadley's stash of alcohol and indulge themselves. There were three chairs in the center of the stage and very little dialogue, but it was by far the funniest part of the entire show because of the actors' superb physical comedy. The entire theatre was in stitches the entire scene, and I'm almost sure I saw one of the actors come close to losing it a time or two as well.

The show was great comedy and a fun show all the way around. In general, exactly what I've come to expect from the Cumberland County Playhouse.

Death of a Salesman

First off, my apologies for this post being WAY overdue. The show is closed now. But I still feel like I needed to blog about it.

I love theater. All kinds of theater. But I'll admit this little fact: I prefer musical theater to straight plays. But in an effort to broaden my horizons, I made a New Year's resolution to see more plays. This past weekend was a huge start, since I saw two shows, both of which were plays.

A couple of weeks ago I returned to my alma mater with a friend of mine to see a show put on by their theatre department. Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller was a Pulitzer Prize winner and won the Tony for Best Play in 1949.

This show was very, very intense. It was long. Over 3 hours, with 2 intermissions. At this point in my very limited theatre watching career, it was the longest show I've ever seen. And the most exhausting.

The basic plot line is of Willy Loman, who has spent his life working and trying to provide for his family and raise them to the best of his ability. The show goes back in forth in time from when he and his wife bought their home, different times during the lives of his children, and present (well, 1940's) time.

Very quickly you realize that this man is slightly off his rocker. And that he's getting steadily worse. His wife has learned to deal with him, but his children are having issues. His sons are polar opposite, one trying desperately to please his father, the other doing everything in his power to do things that he knows his father will hate.

The lighting in the show was fantastic. It made obvious what time period the main character is in. And although the show was heavy and very serious, there were some comical moments, especially from next door neighbor Bernard and his son Charley. Those comedic moments kept you from becoming far too depressed.

Overall, it was worth seeing. And it was very much something that I'm not used to, which is a good thing because it is helping me to broaden my horizon. Because there's nothing I hate worse than people who won't attempt something new.


*I ushered this show, so I did not pay for a ticket. No one knew I was going to blog about it. No one asked me to blog about it. All opinions are my own.

This Is My Life

Saturday, April 9th, 2011 at 8:00 pm marked the last time I would ever see American Idiot on Broadway. My best friend (and fellow Idiot) and I went to NYC for less than a day. In fact, we only stayed for 14 hours. All to see our beloved show one more (TWO more!) times. We had tickets for the matinee, but did the lotto for evening (we didn't win, but if you don't, you can buy partial view seats for not much more money).

I could go into all the things that I think make the show special. I could give you another review (I mean, after all, it's nearly a completely new cast). But I won't go into too many details. Instead, I'll just say a few things.

1.) Seeing Billie Joe as St. Jimmy was pretty cool (but Tony Vincent still has my heart as the original St. Jimmy)

2.) Leslie McDonald as Heather = AMAZING! (She was in for Jenna de Waal in the evening performance)

3.) Libby Winters as Extraordinary Girl = DITTO! (Though I still say she was my favorite Heather, with Leslie pulling a VERY close second)

4.) Van Hughes as Johnny = Wow. Just wow. Angry Johnny works. I saw him as Tunny in January (Stark was on vacation) & loved him. I think I like him even better as Johnny. Also, he kind of looks like a late Mighty Ducks, early Dawson's Creek Joshua Jackson (thanks to my BFF for pointing this out). But that's fine by me. I've has a huge celebrity crush on Josh since the very first Mighty Ducks movie. :)

5.) Justin Guarini as Will = I had some fears. He laid them to rest. He acted the hell out of that role and his singing was fantastic (not to mention he ROCKED at the stage door after). Justin, I said I'd do it if I was wrong. This is my public apology. You were amazing. You do "emotionally disturbed" very well.  

6.) People who go to see American Idiot simply because Billie Joe is in it ANNOY ME! The story is amazing. Respect it. And respect the other actors as well. (Also, don't elbow people while trying to get Mr. Armstrong's autograph. And say thank you.)

If you want to read the things I've written about American Idiot, you can go HERE, HERE, HERE, or HERE. It's officially my most written about show.

Also, because Broadway Cares is raising money right now, they were selling the bus tickets from the show, autographed by cast members. Both my friend and I were able to get a ticket, signed by the original trio of Michael Esper, Stark Sands (squee!!!) and John Gallagher, Jr. Yay for fundraisers that let fans get great souvenirs!

 Jennifer Bowles (in Leslie's place, while Leslie played Heather) and Krystina Alabado.

Both super sweet and Jennifer is a fellow Southerner! :)

Ben Thompson (saw him play Favorite Son in January!). Also super sweet.

And I'll just be honest: I might have a teensy little B-way crush on him. He's a cutie!



I won't lie, seeing the show for the last time was hard. I literally sobbed through the last 20 minutes of the evening performance, causing the girls sitting next to me to make snide remarks (I won't say what I wanted to actually do to them...). Today was the first day I actually listened to the cast recording since last seeing the show. For anyone who knows me, that's a major deal. But it was nice to be able to say good-bye.

Johnny sums up the show for me best in the last line: This is my life.

Now onto the tour.

The Perils of Pinocchio

Something I’m discovering is that there are pluses & minuses to having season tickets to any theater. I love that I’m saving money. But I hate feeling like I’m rushed to see a show because I don’t want to waste a ticket.

Usually, finding time to see a show isn’t an issue for me. Most of the shows that run at Cumberland County Playhouse will run for a couple of months. This gives me time to find to see a show. However, their children’s productions have shorter runs (for good reason). I planned ahead of time to go see Camp Rock when it opened, so that wasn’t really an issue.

However, The Perils of Pinocchio snuck up on me. It opened March 17th and closed April 1st. Before I even realized it, it was Wednesday and I still hadn’t seen Pinocchio yet. So I quickly called and reserved my ticket for closing night.

I’ll be honest, I love children’s performances. I think it’s such a fantastic thing to see children being introduced to the wonderful world of theater, and getting the chance to be on stage at such a young age. The great part about The Perils of Pinocchio is that the oldest person in the whole cast was around 14 years old.

The show itself was written in 1958 and it closely follows the movie version that we all know & love. It was apparently written for a fundraiser for a school in Florida originally, but in 1963, Cumberland County produced it, before the Cumberland County Playhouse existed. This sparked such an interest in the community that is eventually developed into the Cumberland County Playhouse, which opened 19 months later. *

It is truly a children’s show. It has mostly group numbers (designed, I’m sure, to let children have a chance to participate without forcing them to do solos), which I thought was perfect, and only a few main characters.

Geppetto was played by Lenny Lively. And may I just say that he made a VERY convincing old man, especially since he’s only in his early teens. Someone needs to thank their make-up person. Not to take away from Lenny’s acting, which was very good a well.

Mary Kemp played the Cricket at the performance that I saw (the role, and several other roles were shared with other children). She had comedic timing and expressions DOWN. Cricket was good for a laugh all of the time. And Mary did a great job personifying the Cricket. The character wasn’t Jimminy Cricket from the Disney movie, and wasn’t supposed to be. And Mary did a great job giving the character its own personality.

The Blue Fairy was played by Katey Dailey (this role was also a shared role). She was, in one word, HILARIOUS. That is all I can say. If she keeps up the work, she’ll be a long time, fantastically talented actor.

The title character, Pinocchio, was played by Emily McMillen (a shared role). She made for a very stubborn Pinocchio (which is the point, of course). The insolence she gave her character was fun. As a grown-up, it’s easy to forget how crazy you think your parents are. But Pinocchio makes you look at it from a child’s view again. Why would you want to do things like go to school when you could have FUN?? And Pinocchio learns his lesson by trial and error (or perils, as the case may be).

There were so many scene changes in the show (a total of 13 to be exact) that I would have hated to have been on the stage crew. But it worked for the show, as there were many different scenes needed to tell the story.

Does anyone remember the Pleasure Island scene from the movie? That was by far my favorite scene in this play. The scenery was fantastic! It was done in mostly black & day-glo paint and a lot of it was lit with black lights. It made for a great look to the scene and really gave it a fun feeling (isn’t that what Pleasure Island is supposed to be??).

I won’t retell the entire story here (most of us know the tale anyway). But I will say that I was very glad I got to see the show. My only disappointment is that I can’t tell you to go see it with your children, since I was there on closing night. But if there is one thing I have come to learn about the Playhouse, it’s that their children’s productions are every bit as superb as their adult productions. So remember that, and catch on next time around!

*all info in this paragraph taken from the Playbill for the show

In the Heights

Spectacular. That is really the one word that can summarize In the Heights. The rest of this post will simply be about why the show was so spectacular. In the Heights is about a community in Washington Heights, Manhattan. If you’ve ever been to New York City, you may realize how easily you can get lost. Not directionally lost, but lost in the sense that you are alone, surrounded by a million people. I’ve often told people that New York is the only place in the world that I’ve ever been completely alone, yet surrounded by people at the same time. But as a tourist, it’s different. I imagine that if you live in New York that you can find little communities like the one portrayed in In the Heights. At least I hope there are. Because having a home and a community to be part of is such an important thing and becomes the ultimate theme of the whole show.

In the Heights focuses on a small area of Washington Heights that is mostly Latino. Many of the people are immigrants from South American countries, or first generation American-born. Because it focuses on such a small area, the history and culture of the area is distinct. There are the Rosario’s, who own the local taxi & limo service, who’s daughter Nina is home from her first year at Stanford University. There are Usnavi and his cousin Sonny who run the local bodega. Next to Usnavi’s shop, is the local hair salon, run by Daniela with the help of Carla and Vanessa. Daniela’s shop is closing & moving due to rent increases. Vanessa just wants out of Washington Heights.

The whole community almost seems to be held together by the local patriarch, Abuela Claudia, played beautifully by Elise Santora, who is much younger than her character but captures the love of Abuela so well. She’s taken care of all of the children as they’ve grown up. She cared for Usnavi after his parents passed away. And she’s been a constant source of community of the neighborhood. It’s like she’s the central person that they all gravitate toward. And rightly so. Abuela is such a caring, loving person. She reminded me so much of my own grandmother, always worrying about people and their well-being. Usnavi was played by Joseph Morales. He was fantastic. I thought he did a amazing job with the whole role, but I really loved his actions around Usnavi’s love interest, Vanessa. He was extremely convincing in his nervousness around her. And it was very endearing.

Vanessa was played by the lovely Lexi Lawson (who I saw in the role of Mimi in Rent on tour a few years ago). Vanessa reminded me so much of myself in her desire to just get out of where she’s at. She wants out of Washington Heights. She wants a better job. She wants more than what she’s got.

The set itself is so amazing. From the third row where I sat, I felt like I was actually in Washington Heights. And the lighting, especially during the number “Blackout” (a great number to end the first act) was fantastic. In watching this show, you spend three days with these people, in their community. And you leave feeling like you are friends with them. Like you could walk down the street and see them, and stop to have a conversation. I walked out of that show feeling invested in the characters, and the show.

Lin-Manuel Miranda, who began writing this show when he was a sophomore in college, managed to create a beautiful, touching piece of theatre. If he never did anything else in his life, he would have written one of the most amazing pieces of theatre I’ve ever seen. My only regret is that I didn’t get to see it on Broadway. I’m kicking myself for it now, but am eternally grateful to the tour cast for bringing the show to Nashville. On a side note, I want to specifically thank this cast for being so welcoming. Joseph Morales and Lexi Lawson both tweet. And both have tweeted me on several occasions when I tweeted questions. Including Joseph, who I tweeted at intermission and he tweeted back within a couple of minutes. That means a lot to fans. I don’t know if they realize how much. I won’t get into it all, but I will say that BroadwayGirlNYC wrote a fantastic post at Broadway World that covers it pretty well. I don’t know if they’ll read this, but I wanted to thank them for responding to their fans on Twitter.

Also, April Ortiz, who played the role of Daniela was totally awesome at the stage door. She was one of the last people out and stood around to talk with us. More than just the typical signing autographs and moving on. I was probably the oldest person at that stage door and it meant a lot to me. But the younger teens who were there… I’m sure that’s an experience they will never forget. Thank you for shaping their memories of the theater. And for shaping mine.