Category Archives: Broadway and NYC

The Clever Magic of Mean Girls On Broadway

I’m not a fan of movies being retooled for Broadway. Either they are too exacting in copying every last line, head nod, and costume, or change up the story so much they lose the magic of the original. And some movies are so iconic, they should be left to bathe in their original glory. Pleeease don’t ever make Back to the Future a musical.

So it was with great trepidation that I waited in the cancellation line and scored my ticket to Mean Girls. I loved Mean Girls the movie and saw no way the writers could meet those expectations, but then Tina Fey is the writer. To my delight, the Broadway production blew all expectations out of the water and delivered, a hilarious, brilliant retelling of the beloved story.

What I enjoyed most was the originality in taking Cady from the friendly wilds of Africa to the treacherous halls of North Shore High all within the confines of the August Wilson Theatre. The clever choreography included students zipping around on stage in rolling desks. It was like witnessing a water ballet, or perhaps the ice capades, as metal desks glided in and out of formation with the ease of a figure skater. There’s also a creative use of lunch trays and cafeteria tables. I’ll be shocked if Mean Girls doesn’t win the Tony for best choreography.

The cast is spot on, led by Erika Henningsen. She beautifully plays all the nuances of the innocent Cady, but after witnessing Henningsen’s performance in Signature Theatre’s world premiere of Diner, I felt there was a missed opportunity in showing off her stellar vocals. Taylor Louderman’s portrayal of Regina George steals the show. She is a sharp, quick witted, powerhouse the audience loves to hate. The entire cast is incredible with high energy and commitment.

Perhaps what captured my heart the most was that the musical didn’t rely on all the old jokes and gags from the movie. While enough were there to keep the essence of the movie, many new ones were inventively incorporated to brighten and update the story. If you have the opportunity to catch this top-selling show, I highly recommend it, but get your tickets early. Otherwise you’ll be trying your luck at the in-person lottery (I didn’t win), or standing in the cancellation line with your fingers crossed (that’s how I scored my seat).

And keep your eyes open, you may spot a celebrity. Recognize this guy?

I Love a Love Story! An American in Paris Interview with Kirsten and Matthew Scott

I recently had the treat of chatting with a delightful husband-wife team that performs with the Broadway Tour of An American in Paris. Now I can’t wait to see them in the show!

What could be more romantic than a trip to Paris with the love of your life? Perhaps it’s transporting an audience to Paris eight times a week, while touring the country. That is what married couple Kirsten and Matthew Scott are doing in the national tour of AN AMERICAN IN PARIS, which dances into Madison on February 28th.

Kirsten (Milo Davenport) and Matthew (Adam Hochberg) are a married couple on a real life adventure. After living in Midtown Manhattan and working on Broadway for the past ten years–most notably Kirsten in Big Fish, and Matthew in Jersey Boys, they made a life changing decision. Through hard work, talent, and a bit of serendipity, the couple was cast in their first national tour. They let go of their apartment and packed their belongings into storage so they could embark on this adventure of traveling the country while living the dream of performing.

Kirsten says, “We get to see a little slice of different parts of the country. There are times when I look at Matt and think we’re on vacation and forget this is a job.”

While they’ve marveled at the magnificent Kennedy Center Opera house, the history and food of New Orleans, and the unexpected charm of Albuquerque, most of their tour stops leave little time for sightseeing beyond exploring the local gyms, yoga studios, and coffee shops.

“Downtime is at a premium,” Matthew explains. “Most people don’t realize that we perform Tuesday through Sunday, and on Monday, which would be our day off in New York, becomes a travel day. Monday is the day we get up early and take two flights or a bus, arriving at a hotel at four or five in the afternoon and unpack. There may be a time to grab dinner, or see a little bit.”

Each night they report to one beautiful theatre after another to perform in the Tony Award winning musical. AN AMERICAN IN PARIS begins at the close of World War II in Paris. Inspired by the Academy-Award winning film, AN AMERICAN IN PARIS is the romantic story about an American soldier, a mysterious French girl and an indomitable European city, each yearning for a new beginning in the aftermath of war

The dance heavy show features three large ballet numbers, directed and choreographed by 2015 Tony Award-winner Christopher Wheeldon. “AN AMERICAN IN PARIS harkens back to the old school musical like Oklahoma,” Kirsten explains. “That show was the first to take a departure from the theatrical singing and acting and blend in a dream ballet that supports the plot.”

While the husband-wife team only share a couple of moments on stage, they do sing a duet together, albeit separate as they are singing about other people in other worlds.

A special moment each night for Kirsten, is when the main character Lise sings “The Man I Love.” Kirsten recalls fondly how the song brought her and Matthew together in college when they would meet at his apartment and he would help her break down the lyrically beautiful, yet difficult song. “I never felt that connected to a song before.”

When asked what their plans are when the couple steps out of AN AMERICAN IN PARIS in July, they are waiting to see where the wind blows them. Matthew says, “We realize how lucky we are on this glorious vacation.”

AN AMERICAN IN PARIS won four 2015 Tony Awards, four Drama Desk Awards, four Outer Critics Circle Awards, the Drama League Award for Best Musical, three Fred and Adele Astaire Awards, and two Theatre World Awards.

If your love of Broadway and musical theatre matches mine, please check out my latest novel, IF EVER, a Broadway love story.

Available from all online outlets.

Love of Broadway takes me back to RENT

I love musical theatre. More specifically I love Broadway. A lot.

These are the shows I saw last year. It’s a lot. Maybe I should be embarrassed by the volume, but I’m not. I write for BroadwayWorld.com, so I’m able to see the national touring shows when they roll into Madison. Tickets for Broadway, well, I’ve plenty tricks up my sleeve to find a deal, which I’ll share another time. In fact, I love Broadway so much, I wrote a book, IF EVER, where the hero is a Broadway Actor.

Last night I saw the 20^th Anniversary Tour of RENT. I immediately fell in love with the performers and their stellar vocals. There is nothing on this planet like a Broadway voice.

Sitting in the darkened theatre took me back to my first time seeing RENT at the Nederlander Theatre on Broadway with my daughter and some friends. The director of a local theatre group knew an actor in the ensemble and was able to snag us a backstage visit. Imagine taking two musical theatre-loving teenagers to RENT and then knocking on the stage door for a private backstage tour!

Our guide for the night was Telly Leung, a young actor with great ambitions. It turns out I’d already seen Telly in Chicago playing Boq in Wicked. He couldn’t have been kinder as he walked us onto the RENT stage and told us stories of joining the cast. We pestered him with questions about his dreams and goals. I recall him saying he hoped to stay with the show for five years and to play the role of Angel. I couldn’t imagine doing a show for that long, but his passion was inspiring.

I was happy to hear that Telly did eventually land the role of Angel. However about a year later, I learned that RENT was closing on Broadway, and I was disappointed for the young actor not quite reaching his goals. Little did I know, he was just getting started.

A few years later I was in New York on business and catching a couple of shows including GODSPELL. To my surprise, I recognized Telly Leung in the cast. He was amazing and his vocals were phenomenal. The rest of the cast wasn’t shabby either. It included Hunter Parrish from Weeds fame, Uzo Aduba before she hit it big in Orange is the New Black, and Lindsay Mendez who is quite theBroadway star in her own right. I saw the show twice!

My collection of Telly Leung playbills.

Over the years I spotted Telly on Glee and saw him in Madison doing a fundraiser for Capital City Theatre. Not long after that I heard he was back on Broadway starring in Allegiance alongside the legendary George Takai, from the original Star Trek, and Lea Salonga, who hit it big with Miss Saigon and Les Miserables. Of course, I saw Allegiance on my next visit.

I love how theatre overlaps and I’ve been introduced to so many actors whose careers intersect and I can follow as they go on to television, movies, and ideally more Broadway.

Photo courtesy of Matthew Murphy

So to Telly Leung, who currently stars on Broadway in the title role of Aladdin in Aladdin, congratulations on a fruitful career! You’ve come a long way since I met that kid with big dreams, and, yes, I’ll try to get to New York soon to see the show!

Telly Leung has a several other Broadway shows and tours on his resume as well.

Stay tuned for more of Angie’s stories of her experiences with Broadway, New York City, and the adventures that follow. Check out her latest book, IF EVER, which blends her love of reality dancing shows and Broadway.

Blizzard of 2016 ~ New York City’s Snowpocalypse

New York ~ Ah, the weekend!

Broadway and Pushing my Boundaries in Big Scary NYC

Looking Back on my First Visit to Broadway

Blizzard of 2016 ~ New York City’s Snowpocalypse

New York City during the January blizzard was an unexpected treat. I took the trip to attend the first ever Broadway Con and complete some book research, but what I got was an historic snow storm of nearly 30 inches that forced Broadway to go dark, something that rarely happens.

Blizzard of 2016

As a Wisconsin girl used to heavy snowfall, a friend and I tramped through blustery conditions down to Times Square where a team of city workers kept the iconic landmark accessible for the tourists who came out to play.

Despite being stranded in the city, most of the people I saw were eager to be a part of snowpocalypse. There were snowmen, snow angels and snowball fights.

Three little snowmen.

It’s hard to see, but this is a snowball fight in Times Square!

Most storefronts were locked up as roads had all been closed to traffic. The heavy snow created a muffled quiet. With no taxis or buses to dodge, we walked down Broadway unbothered while the lights of Times Square glowed dimly through the thick blanket of white.

The lights of Times Square in the distance. This was taken at 2:30 pm.

After playing in the snow, we discovered an off-the-beaten-path pub packed with boisterous folk who wanted to escape their hotel rooms. It was there we met the most adorable and funny British gals. They had stood in the cold for two hours to get their refund for the cancelled Les Mis, their dream show, when one gal nearly froze her toes off. While she sat on her stool with her bare feet up, her best friend dried her socks under the hand dryer in the “loo”. Much laughter ensued, dry boots were shared, and when it was time to say our goodbyes, email addresses exchanged. Later I learned their flight home was postponed, so they were able to see Les Mis after all.

Our sassy British friends.

Clean up crews were in full force the next day, and four days later, there was barely a trace of snow left to find. A few days after that the temps hit 54 degrees!

Clean up going strong outside, while we enjoyed Noises Off inside.

All that snow reminds me of writing my novella, Snowed Over.

If you haven’t read it yet, check it out!

New York – Ah, the Weekend!

Friday arrived along with one of my best friends and a whirlwind weekend. I left my rent a room and moved to my priceline.com four star hotel. Ah, what luxury in the form of a teeny, tiny room. We ditched out digs and had a leisurely lunch at the Brandt Park Cafe, a gorgeous outdoor restaurant I’ve always wanted to try.

Brandt Park Cafe

Afterward we when looking for a washroom, we used the public washroom in the park. Check it out. It’s this ancient old building. Inside was this huge bouquet of fresh flowers. Only in New York. 🙂

Park Bathroom 2013-09-20_16-08-47_257

Later we went to the TKTS line for show tickets and instead of the two hour wait of the day before, we were through in twenty minutes! And scored tickets to Big Fish. It’s a show that hasn’t even opened yet, which confuses me. How can a show not be open and yet sell tickets and put on a show? The show was fun, lots of fun production stuff, but pretty mellow.

Carmine's

The next day we lunched at Carmine’s, an Italian restaurant that serves huge platters of food to share. We loved the chicken marsala.

Rock of Ages

We rocked out the afternoon at Rock of Ages, one of my all time favorite shows. A fun surprise was one of the band members (the band performs on stage as part of the show). Angus, from Trans-siberian Orchestra was in the band! I’ve seen Trans-siberian Orchestra many times, so it was really fun to see Angus in Rock of Ages!

After that we took the subway to the World Trade Center Memorial site. It was enormous, beautiful and a very moving site to see.

WTC

For dinner we took the subway again (and I was getting pretty good at it, but I did keep a watch out for rats). We went to Little Italy. O.M.G. Is Little Italy ever awesome! I had no idea. It was all street booths and outdoor restaurants. Colored lights were strung across the street setting a gorgeous atmosphere for the huge throngs of people. The subway back to our hotel was packed tight with people and had a real party atmosphere. See, I finally got the hang of the subway.

The next day, my last, we walked many dozen blocks up to and through Central Park.

Central Park

By this time I’ve realized that New York has every kind of person. Every ethnicity, age, and income level who live and work in New York as well as tourists from around the globe. And everyone was tossed together like a colorful, perfect salad.

New York City, Harper Collins, and my Aching Feet – Day 2

I’m tired. That sums it all up. Navigating this city, facing the big scary subway and walking for miles when my feet are used to being up is exhausting.

My day started with a visit to my publisher, HarperCollins. What an entrance!

HarperCollins

I met an amazing team of women who are all working hard to get my books out. One might think it would be intimidating to sit in a meeting with seven publishing professionals, but not for me. Nope. I start blabbing about my near death experience on the subway, facing my first rat and they knew I was one tough cookie. Okay, maybe they figured out that I was a total fruit loop. Anyway, they laughed. I hope it was with me and not at me, but one never knows for sure.

And for those of you wondering where my next book is, I found it! Ta da! I think it needs a little more work before it hits the shelves.

Harper book

After I left the hardworking HarperCollins ladies behind I snuck into a restroom, changed out of my dress and heels, and into jeans and sport sandals. Problem is, my fancy shoes had rubbed my heel raw, so I readjusted the sandal strap so I was walking on it. That was fine for the first half mile, but after that my whole foot hurt and it was only 2 pm. I gimped through my tour of the majestic New York Public Library and then the ten blocks to the TKTS line to buy tickets for another show.

The ticket line was long, how long? How about two hours long! On my sore aching feet. But a bit of a miracle happened while I was in that line. A friend found me. And not just any friend. A fabulous woman from Australia, who I know from a Facebook group, and had never met in person, author Karly Blakemore-Mowle. We knew we’d both be in the city at the same time, but what are the odds that we actually found each other and in Times Square!

Karly & me

After a nice visit and a great show,

Jersey Boys

I hopped in a cab for a quick roller coaster ride back to my rent a room. But there’s one little thing about cabs. They want the address you’re going to. Hmm, kind of forgot that. I’m renting a room, not staying a hotel. I knew it was 27th Avenue and 6th Street. Or is it 6th Avenue and 27th Street? Which was the avenue and which was the street? I told him to drive south, but he didn’t seem happy about it. It’s on the corner by a Starbucks. Gee, that didn’t help either.

6th&27th

After a quick call to my lovely hostess, I was able to give him an exact address and poof I’m back. With my feet up!

New York and Pushing My Edges – Day 1

When I planned this trip, I thought I’d find a great deal on a hotel through Priceline.com, but nope. I picked one of the busiest weeks in NYC. Apparently there some huge U.N. thing going on. So, in my first act of pushing my edges and living outside my comfort zone, I booked a room in someone’s apartment. Yup. Sounds crazy. I agree. But a crazy friend of mine suggested it, (ahem, Killian McRae) and I checked it out.

So after waking at 4 am I landed on the doorstep of a lovely young Russian woman. At least I think she’s Russian, based on the books on her bookshelf that I can’t begin to decipher. She has a gorgeous apartment in midtown and the view from the rooftop is spectacular!

NY skyline

After debating whether to walk or cab to my lunch meeting with my agent, I opted for the ease of a cab. Heck, I was wearing a dress with a spanxy kind of slip underneath and a pair of low heels. Both these items are foreign to me. My normal attire consists of faded brown capri pants and whatever t-shirt my hands land on first. Anyway, my agent, Jane Dystel, was fabulous as were her colleagues who joined us. I truly believe I hit the jackpot with Jane and her team.

When our lunch was over, I snuck over to Union Square where an outdoor farmers’ market was going on and slipped sport sandals out of my over-sized handbag. It didn’t look classy, but I could walk comfortably. Except that my spanxy slip kept riding up my legs and threatened to hike up my hips. I was continually scooching it down on my mile plus walk back to my rented room at the apartment.

After a well deserved nap and a short wait in the TKTS line, I scored a ticket to Pippin! When I watched the Tony’s I was mesmerized by the lead guy’s voice. OMG! Seriously, this guy has stage presence and a voice that melts, well, anything. The show was amazing, unique and different than anything I’d seen. It’s definitely in the “I recommend it” file.

Now the big dilema. It’s 11:00 pm in New York City and I’m on 45th Street. I need to get to 28th Street. I’m feeling kind of cheap after two cab rides in one day already. So I ask three of New York’s finest if I’m safe to face the terror of the big city subway. While they wouldn’t guarantee that I’d live, they assured me it was generally as safe as crossing a city street. Again. I’m in New York City! Hello! People! Let me catch you up.

My first half dozen experiences in NYC while wonderful, happened long ago when the city wasn’t like walking into Disney land. While my friends and I never had a mishap, I saw more than my share of drug dealers, pimps, homeless people, and prostitutes. That was a very long time ago, but I have been scarred for life.

Well, tonight I took those cops advice and decided to follow the crowds to the subway station and push the edges of my comfort zone. Boy did I ever. I already had my Metro card and I didn’t embarrass myself sliding it through the slot. I smoothly entered the subway car and sat down only to look up and realize that I was on a line that didn’t stop at 28th street, my stop. Oh shit!

It’s after 11 pm and I’ll have to walk seven blocks alone in the big scary city by myself! So I get off at the next stop and decide not to panic. I realize that I can wait for the next subway train and it’ll stop at 28th. Great. There are a couple other women waiting, so I feel sort of safe. Then I look across the track and see a sign taped to the wall about treating for rats in the subway. Ha! Isn’t that funny? You always hear about rats in New York, but thank God they don’t exist. Thank god they treated to get rid of them.

But as I stood waiting that long ten minutes for the next subway train, I glanced down, and A RAT SCURRIED DOWN THE TRACKS!!!!! O.M.G.!!!!! I really did want to run the last seven blocks to my cute little room with the pretty view in some lovely Russian woman’s home. But I didn’t. Because I figured in the subway, they might stay down by the tracks, but up on the street they might run out in front of me. Eek!

Long story short. I lived. No one mugged or killed me. I am safe in my bed listening to the traffic, horns and sirens out my window and hoping I don’t dream of rats.

I love New York.

I ♥ NY

I heart NY

Next week I’ll be traveling to New York City to meet with my agent one day and with my team at HarperCollins on the next. I’m so excited as I’ve been working with people I’ve never met and I always feel that knowing someone in person is best.

New York City is one of my favorite places. When I was seventeen I spent a summer with my friend Sue who lived nearby in Parsippany, New Jersey. Her mom took us to the city several times that summer and more specifically to Broadway.

Sue, a girl from the show, and me!

My first Broadway shows that summer were A Chorus Line and 42nd Street. After the shows we raced to the stage door like Midwest fan girls, took pictures and begged for autographs. It remains a favorite memory.

Over the years I occasionally dig those programs out and take a peek. While I haven’t saved all my programs, here is a lovely selection. Even though there are duplicate programs, they are all from separate viewings.

Playbills

Clearly, I love Broadway shows. I’ve compiled a list of the shows I’ve seen. At least the ones I remember. These shows were all either on Broadway or Broadway touring casts in Chicago or Madison.

42nd Street (Starring Jerry Orbach, he’s known as the dad in Dirty Dancing)
A Chorus Line
Annie
Avenue Q
Book of Mormon
Catch Me If You Can
Cats
Death Trap
Evita
Godspell (Starring Hunter Parrish! And Telly Leung)
Me after waiting in the cold 30 minutes & Hunter Parrish
Gore Vidal’s The Best Man (Eric McCormack, James Earl Jones, Candice Bergen, John Larroquette and Angela Landsbury)
Guys and Dolls (Starring Nathan Lane, Peter Gallagher and Faith Prince)
How to Success in Business (Starring Daniel Radcliff and John Larroquette)
Jersey Boys
Jesus Christ Super Star
Joseph and the Technicolor Dream Coat (Starring Donny Osmond)
Kiss of the Spider Woman
Les Miserables
Lion King
Mama Mia
Mary Poppins
Miss Saigon
Phantom of the Opera
Priscilla Queen of the Desert
Rent (Starring TV Carpio, Frenchie Davis & Telly Leung)
Rock of Ages (Love this show!!)
Spamalot
The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee
Wicked (Ana Gasteyer from SNL fame, Telly Leung)

I love to try to figure out if I’ve seen the same actors in lots of shows. Turns out I’ve seen John Larroquette in two shows and Telly Leung in three. I saw Telly as Boc in Wicked – Chicago, in Rent, and in Godspell. Telly has also appeared on Glee.

So what do I want to see when I go to NY? Everything! Actually I’d love to see Pippin, Newsies and maybe Once. Repeats I’d like to see? Definitely Rock of Ages.

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