Creative Friends Creating - The Producer

Waaaaay back when, I talked about wanting to promote the many outstanding creative minds that surround me. Well, this is the moment! I would like to begin spreading the creative love and supporting the artistic endeavors of my cohorts in crime whom I respect so greatly.  Oh that reminds me...I saw Jekyll and Hyde on B'way this week. Deborah Cox is fierce. The end.

This month's edition is subtitled....

The Producer

Mr. Steven Midura....aka Florenz Ziegfeld The Third is starting his own production company of musical theater concerts and reviews to for corporate events, theaters, and cruise ships from the ground up.  How amazing is that? And what a massive endeavor at that. He does it all, directs, choreographs, bedazzles the costumes AND even styles wigs. He has the help of a wonderful support system in Springfield MA and has teamed up with the fabulous Sara Janik to create his masterpieces. I first met Steven working for Crystal Cruise Lines and we definitely bonded over an Evita wig gone bad. Here we are during his show that we put together just for the crew on board.

We are VERY serious about sequins and lashes.

Ok so last week he put up his first full fledged Broadway review and I was thrilled to be a part of it. It had everything from Dreamgirls, Wicked, Cabaret, Chicago, Rent, Smokey Joes Cafe, Sister Act, Legally Blonde, Fosse, and....Gypsy...twice.  PHEW! Got to love a good ol backstage cell phone pic that actually turns out quite fancy. As you can see his costumes are fantabulous. 

"Louise" from Gypsy. Dylan is just jealous of my outfit.

Backstage

Onstage

The week was so hilarious on so many levels and I met some pretty awesome people as always in the business of show. Very good times. :)

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A Small Summary...

...Before I am off on my next adventure. Spain, Portugal, Morocco, France, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Germany, Austria, and to top it off  ITALY!!!  Oh my! Only a few days in each place but I think it's safe to say my European dreams are coming true! 

A lot of sorting and packing and syncing going on in my last week home...remember when the coffee spilled on my computer and then a ladder fell on it? Being the brilliant tech guru that he is, Jason has come up with a solution for me with a refurbished Mac book Air and an enormous hard drive. So hot right? ;)

Speaking of hot...

Highlights of my week were seeing Evita on Broadway with my (let's just say) teenage crush Ricky Martin!

I think he's the best looking Che I've ever seen. No, I don't have a crush on him anymore, I am merely making an observation!!!

The other highlight was seeing my girl Jen sing Hansel in Hansel and Gretel with Bronx Opera. Get ticks here: http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/184327. I wish I could see the final performance because she is going to be just glorious in the role. Best upstage of the night award goes to the 10 year old gingerbread boy in the children's chorus who projectile vomited INTO the pit orchestra. I had no idea how dangerous being an instrumentalist is!!!

Off to Barcelona!!

Suggestions

This "suggestion" blog post will be divided into two sections. NYC and...the world.

NYC

Rock of Ages!! LOVED this show. LOVED IT. I reverted back to my youth...but this "youth" being the time that was post Muppets, but pre Vanilla Ice and Paula Abdul.

It was perfect going with Miles so we could see his friend Dan play the leading role in his last week with the production. And drink wine coolers. WICKED. (as in the 80's slang terminology for "fabulous". Not a reference to that other musical playing down the street.)


We went out with the whole cast after the show and we got to chill with Constantine Maroulis who was a finalist in American Idol. He is one uber talented dude. Rock and roll.

Silence the Musical!

Crazy hilarious parody of Silence of the Lambs playing in an old run down elementary school in the East village. Only in New York...

Chelsea Market. Forgot how fabulous this place was until I had yet another five hour date with my girl Jen here the other day! Love my long conversations with her.

The World

This super, Super salad.


I am on a superfoods kick and this salad kicks a skinny rear.

Spinach, raspberries, feta, almonds, cucumbers, dill, mozerella cheese, baked chicken, and no calorie raspberry vinaigrette dressing.
Other Superfoods to suggest: kiwi, sweet potatoes, greek yogurt and blueberries. Just put them in your grocery shopping thoughts and you will not be disappointed you did.

Hunger games.

Oh my gosh. So good!!!! Read the first book in two days and the only good thing about it being over is that the movie is out! Can't wait!

And The Envelope Please...

Tonight's show... The Envelope Please. A smorgasbord of award winning Film, TV and musical theater music. I sing everything from Judy Garland to Celene Dion and back again. It's one of those shows that with the costume changes you feel like you are being shot out of a cannon from the minute you step onto the stage. But they say what doesn't kill you makes you stronger. I concur.

Sooner or Later from Dick Tracy

Danger Zone

The Man that Got Away-A tribute to Judy Garland

Anything Goes-understudies are Delovely

I have put off seeing Anything Goes on the Broadway throughout my entire vacation so I could see it with Mama Mo for the following reasons.  
A. We are pretty much obsessed with Cole Porter.  
B. She has seen me in Anything Goes playing both Reno Sweeney and Hope Harcourt (not to worry it was not in the same production) And...
C. We saw Sutton Foster in her star is born musical moment, Thoroughly Modern Millie before she even won her first Tony award. We were revved UP.

Wellllll...as the little white paper understudy inserts fell out of our playbills we realized that neither she nor Joel Grey were performing that night. It's always a bummer to not see the original cast (we are spoiled) but I was SO happy to see a friend of mine and respected fellow Firesider take on the title role.  The Fireside legend Tari Kelly was FABULOUS and I was in awe of her and the whole cast of this wonderful, true classic musical. (The Fireside was my first equity theater job-great place...I will always have a soft spot in my heart for it.) I saw people returning their tickets before the show started and I could not help but think...is this not what happened to Sutton? plucked from the chorus and into stardom? New Yorkers are spoiled!!!
Main note: Go understudies.  Support them. They are overworked, underpaid and most of the time have to fill very big shoes.
Side note. BRING BACK TAPPING!!! That was a belted side note I apologize, but very necessary.

Follies and Room Service

Uh. My. GERSH. Remember how I saw Miss Bernadette in "A Little Night Music" last spring and fell in love with her even more than I already am? I am officially deeper in love after seeing her in Follies today.

I know it looks like we get paid just to prance about the stage having a good ol time as actors but let me tell you she deserves every comma in her paycheck because that woman has a complete nervous breakdown whilst having to carry a tune on stage 8 times a week. Brilliance though a belted breakdown. She and Sondheim are the reason I do theater, so when I see her do Sondheim I am totally and utterly inspired.

After the show we ate at a shabby chic Asian inspired Thai restaurant called Room Service.

 They don't have a web page I can find but here is the Yelp page.  So good, so affordable and the ambiance was a cross between a Buddhist temple and a trendy lounge with a giant Phantom of the Opera chandelier just chillin in the middle of the space. Apparently Buddha loves the bling. I love a blingy Buddha who giveth me coconut tempura calamari.

Prince Edward Island-I would highly recommend it

Here's the rest. Became addicted to this:

 Let me be more be more specific. This ice cream, COWS, is one of the best in the world. Having traveled the world I must agree.

Jason found a Scottish buddy.

Beautiful teahouses...

A bikeride along the northshore...

I am so tough with my fold-out bike.

 We ate seafood. LOTS of seafood.

But the highlight of our vacation for me was seeing our best man Greg Barry and his Full Monty... I mean, STAR in The Full Monty at the Charlottetown Festival!   He was amazing, and you really know you are on vacation when you don't have to be at the theater at half hour to curtain. 

We also got to see Anne of Green Gables, the Musical and it has made me obsessed with wanting to play Miss Stacey someday. In the meantime I will IMAGINE that I am Anne.

Taking Mama Mo Backstage

The show must go on even without a voice (what you can't see I didn't have in these pictures) and Mama Mo wanted to see the show going on backstage too. The shows are challenging onstage, but it's what happens behind the scenes that takes it to a whole new level. Here we are with the Kents after their full of crazy quick changes guest entertainer program.

Mama Barbie

I have no idea what we are laughing at here, but I swear I'm not trying to claw anyone.

The massive boots I wear under this massive skirt:

So onstage I look like this:

Until we meet again

Jason's last night on the ship coincided with my friend George's last night with the company. Jason and I had drinks in the Avenue Piano bar and exchanged birthday gifts...Givenchy Ange ou Demon Le Secret for me and let's cross our fingers not to loose them Aviator RayBans for my prince. We had a celebratory dinner in the main dinning room and a very sad "see you next time" to the boys. The last night of any cruise is so strangely depressing...I don't know what they do but they really make you sad it's over. Maybe it's the string quartet playing sad ballads in the atrium ala Titanic's end?? I don't know. But want I do know is after four long months I don't think the end of this next cruise is going to be so sad. NYC here I come!!!!!

Jason and Michael my other half in life and my other half on stage

Jason and Georgie

Jason, George, Penny and Michael

The whole cast!

Gorgeous sunset...kinda sad right? I swear they set these things up.

This is pretty cool...the woman in this picture is Ilene Graff and she was in charge of the Emerging Artist Progam onboard for that cruise. She is pretty big in the industry and played Sandy on Broadway in the original cast of Grease. She was so ecstatic to find out that we both went to Ithaca College and took this picture to put in the Quarterly so watch out for it! Such a pleasure to meet her and her husband. Her daughter is starring in Chicago in Broadway this week!