If 9 People Read This Blog...

I don't know how many people read this blog, probably not many, but I want to do my part to help the lovely cast of [title of show] reach its dream of playing packed houses until the show closes (far too soon) on October 12. If you need convincing, watch the [title of show] show and don't forget to watch it through episode 10, which is a doozy of a cliffhanger.

A little backstory: [title of show] is a musical about writing and putting on a musical, written by Jeff Bowen and Hunter Bell, who star as themselves in the show alongside their friends, Heidi Blickenstaff and Susan Blackwell. Yes, it is very theatre insider-y, but you don't need to get the references to enjoy the show (I don't know anybody who understood every reference). Everybody can relate to the concept of vampires, but if you want to know more about that, you have to see the show. So go see it. Tell 9 people. Or 90.

After that, go see Xanadu, which is also set to close on the 12th (incidentally, I became more interested in seeing Xanadu after seeing Cheyenne Jackson on the [title of show] show). It'll be a sad day for musical theatre lovers.

Edit: Xanadu is closing on Sunday now.

More Exciting Than a Hair Transfer

Read my interview with Hunter Parrish on Broadwayworld.com.*

I was able to see the show again (thanks Broadwayworld and Spring Awakening!) and was very impressed with Parrish. He and Alexandra Socha played Melchior and Wendla quite a bit differently than Jonathan Groff and Lea Michele, who originated the roles. They had great chemistry, as did Groff and Michele, but Socha came on much more aggressive, which worked, but made my question about whether the sex scene was a rape kind of a moot point (I had to submit my questions before I saw the show).

*That was kind of bossy. You don't have to read it if you don't want to.

Edit: I feel like a mini-celebrity now. I went to Barnes and Noble last night to see Steven Sater and Duncan Sheik speak about Spring Awakening and was recognized, so now there are more pictures of me on the site.

It's Official

So, I got to work a little early today and was checking Playbill.com because I'm a nerd, and it was finally announced--Hair is transferring to Broadway! The cast, theatre, and dates have yet to be announced, but I'm hoping the cast will be able to transfer. While I don't think the experience of seeing the show in the park can ever be recreated, I'm excited for a few reasons.
1) A cast album (I'm assuming).
2) Tony nominations (I'm assuming).
3) More people will be able to see this amazing production.
4) More exposure for the talented cast.

Goodbye, Love

I was around 13 or 14, visiting family in Cincinnati, Ohio. I was hanging out with my cousins at their house and they asked me if I heard of a new musical called RENT (the three of us were and still are musical theatre fans). I hadn't. They told me the plot of the show and the story of Jonathan Larson's tragic death and then played me the cast recording. I was blown away. My cousins had made a cassette tape for me of The Beatles Anthology 2, which I didn't have yet (we also share a love of the Beatles), and there was some room left at the end of the cassette, so they added a few RENT songs (I think they were "Rent," "One Song Glory," "Happy New Year," and "Seasons of Love"), which I listened to over and over again when I returned to California until I bought the complete album (I have also since bought the Beatles Anthology 2 on CD).



RENT will finally close this Sunday after a 12-year run, and I think it's time, but I can't help feeling a little emotional. Had I grown up in New York, I would probably have been a RENT-head, but I had to wait for the touring company before I was able to see the show and then I was blown away again. I felt like this show had been written for my generation, which seems a little silly now. What did I know then (or even to an extent now) about AIDS or loss or not having money to pay rent? Yet something about the show spoke to me. The characters felt so real to me. At that point, I had never met anyone who was openly gay, but the show made me sympathetic to gay rights. I loved the idea of no day but today.

I saw the show for a second and final time towards the end of high school with some friends, who used to sing RENT with me in between classes. I have never seen the show in New York and was considering going before it closed, but I am afraid that after such a long run, it won't be the same. I'd rather remember RENT when it was still new and groundbreaking. I can always listen to the soundtrack or watch the movie, which was a disappoint (how dare they live out "Christmas Bells"), but as close as I'd ever get to seeing the original cast. I'm glad RENT came around when it did, and I only hope they don't revive it in two years.