I Will Never Leave You

            Late last night, rumors began to spread around the theater blogs that the new revival of Side Show would close its doors on January 4^th. Today, the rumor was confirmed and I can’t help but feel a deep pain of sadness and disappointment over this news. I saw the show live for the first time on its third preview then again, a couple weeks later on opening night courtesy of newyork.com. I was transfixed from the moment the lights dimmed and the eerie beginning of the show opener “Come Look at the Freaks” to the final curtain.

         Side Show, which was originally done on Broadway in 1996, tells the true story of conjoined twins Daisy and Violet Hilton. For as long as they could remember they were placed in circuses and side shows to perform and be paraded around as “freaks.” The show vividly tells their story as star side show and vaudeville attractions and how the girls hope that the business men promoters that they are falling for can give them what they yearn for the most- Hollywood stardom for Daisy and stability and a family for Violet. The original production, which starred Broadway staples such as Emily Skinner and Alice Ripley as Daisy and Violet, Norm Lewis as their protector Jake and Hugh Panero as promoter Buddy Foster closed after playing only 91 regular performances, now the revival is poised to play an almost similar run.

         The fan base and impact of the show however has lived on creating a large fan following. Think of it as the 2004 flop the Boy George and Rosie O’Donnell show Taboo. It didn’t do too well with the press but it gained a cult following during its short run with fans that saw the show close to 100 times. The music is stunning and the story of the girls pulls at your heartstrings.

         When I was in my mid-teens about 15 or 16 I discovered Side Show through a day of random Google and YouTube searches-one click led to another and there you go! I was taken by the story and premise of the show and intrigued that this was in fact based around real events. I did research on the Hilton sisters and the original production and was stunned to discover what a short run it had. I’m guessing that it’s what probably drew me in the most about the show. For years I have been enamored with shows that have “flopped” on Broadway so to say-one of my favorite theater books in my personal collection is Ken Mandelbaum’s “Not Since Carrie” which is dedicated to unsuccessful shows. For some reason, I find those shows the most interesting to research and delve into so Side Show was of course no exception. Some of my favorite shows have been ones that have “flopped” in a sense such as Bonnie and Clyde- I was at the first preview, Big Fish and Bridges of Madison County. I dreamed to one day see this show for myself and when I did not too long ago it in no way disappointed me.

         Emily Padgett and Erin Davie who play the infamous twins in the new revival over at the St. James Theater are honest and heart-wrenching, Robert Joy who plays their grimy guardian Sir is ghoulish in all of the best ways and David St. Louis as the girls protector Jake is nothing but moving. Director Bill Condon opens up the troubled world of the twins to the audience allowing you to see the world from their eyes where you’re loved one moment but then rejected and tossed aside the next.

The words “emotional rollercoaster” cannot even begin to describe this incredible show. Without trying to get too much into my personal life, growing up with a learning disability, I often felt like an outcast. It’s a challenge as a child going through school when there is something a bit different about you. Often feeling alone and out of place I turned to my books and my own thoughts for comfort and solace. Shows like Side Show and Wicked, which contain characters who are different and unique but just want to be like everyone else is something that we need to see more of. Daisy and Violet Hilton had a rough upbringing as the show highlights wonderfully, but they just wanted to be like everyone else and who can’t relate to that at some point in their lives? As the girls sing in one of their beautiful, emotional numbers, we all want someone to love us as we are and will stand by us through thick and thin. To me, that is what makes this show so beautiful and touching.

However, it saddens me to think that this time next month, this incarnation will no longer be beckoning us in. While the upcoming cast recording will preserve it for future generations and I’m wishing for some well-deserved Tony nominations, I hope that one day this show can finally have a long run it deserves on Broadway. Sometimes I feel that shows that “flop” or close prematurely are ones that audiences weren’t ready for yet and we’ve lost some exquisite shows this way from Bonnie and Clyde to Hands on a Hardbody to Bridges of Madison County. I was hoping that this time people were ready for Side Show-it was praised by critics deemed a must see for many fellow theater enthusiasts and being put up in a time where American Horror Story dominates televisions. While it is clearly not Side Show’s time yet, I urge you if you can to go see this masterpiece before closing day on January 4^th to witness an extraordinary and touching theatrical experience. It’s saddening to see this production close, but its message and effect will linger and stay with many for years to come.

Bwaygirl828

Here I Go

After a successful day at Broadway Flea Market, I’m sitting on my bed resting my tired feet, sipping a Starbucks iced mocha while one of my favorite goodies from the day, an opening night gift from If/Then sits beside me as re-runs of NCIS play quietly in the background. During a commercial break an ad for If/Then plays. I’ve seen this add before on the USA channel a few times-I honestly think that it’s one of the best theater adds currently making the rounds on New York TV screens and for some weird reason it felt oddly different in a good way watching this add knowing that the opening night gift is literally a mere 2 inches from my hand. I can’t explain it or the odd feeling that I had-I mean it’s one of those labyrinth puzzles that always seemed as elusive to beating as a rubix cube that just happens to have the show title, opening night date and a quote from the show “working the problem” stamped on it. It’s a puzzle and a TV ad but for some reason it got me thinking. I know that I’ve shared my story about how I discovered Broadway and musical theater when I was younger but I can’t help but think about how Idina Menzel is part of that story and in a sense like her new brilliant show, my If/Then story.

The first time that I was introduced to the work of Idina Menzel was when I was about 13. Still relatively new to the world of theater my aunt had rented the just released on DVD film version of Rent for my cousin and I to watch. Just like Annaleigh Ashford mentions in first Show People Interview with Paul Wonterek, my aunt heard that was big hit on Broadway and thought that my cousin and I would like the movie. Well, we didn’t exactly make it all the way through, we didn’t understand most of the references and the plotline-I like to attribute that to the fact that it was past midnight and we were tired! We turned it off and back it went to Blockbuster. Later on though (to clarify not that same night but a while later) I was watching YouTube videos of Idina and Kristin and the rest of the original company of Wicked when I was going through my big Wicked phase. It was one of those days when I would watch one video and then keep clicking on other ones in the related videos and the next thing you know its hours later (and don’t tell me that you haven’t done that too!) I ended up watching many Idina videos and fell in love with her old solo music from the Rent-era. Like many in the theater world I was a major fan of Idina years before Frozen or before she was called “the wickedly talented Adele Dazeem!” To this day I’m one of the only people that I know who knows her song Minuet it’s one of my favorites next to her whole I Stand album which is just an incredible listen in case your wondering! Idina was one of my early favorite theater actors I loved all of her work and played her music on a constant loop with I Stand and Defying Gravity taking major precedence thankfully I had my own IPod-a shuffle at the time so I didn’t have to put my non-musical loving parents through having to listen to my music over and over and over again! I even wrote her a fan letter when I was a young teenager though I don’t remember if I mailed it or not!

Just like I said in my Les Mis piece, I wondered if I would be hear in New York sharing this and other stories with you all if I hadn’t went to see that show. While I’ll definitely say that Les Mis was the catalyst for my introduction to the theater I have to say that sometimes it’s not always just one thing but sometimes a few other occurrences that lead us to our passions, interests and things we love. I always think about how different things would be if I hadn’t went to that school production of Les Mis but what if I hadn’t watched part of the film adaptation of Rent either. I wouldn’t have been introduced to the work of Idina, I wouldn’t have been watching those YouTube videos that one day, I wouldn’t have seen the music video for Minuet or my favorite documentary Show Business:The Road to Broadway featuring Wicked which introduced me to the realm of short-running shows that I would become obsessed with and instigated the cogs turning in my head that I want to live in New York. While Les Mis was a major moment maybe watching that portion of Rent was my If/Then moment. It’s honestly something that we always don’t know as if you’ve seen the show that or those few moments can be ones that are so small and trivial in your mind that you don’t fully realize the magnitude that they’ve made in your life.

It’s true that one moment and one small choice can change your path in life and introduce you to a world of new things. It might’ve been Les Mis, but if I hadn’t watched the beginning of Rent with my cousin that one late summer night things would be different. I would still love musical theater but who knows what I wouldn’t have discovered because of that small decision.

When I was 12 I was introduced to Les Mis and it completely changed my life but a year later my cousin and I decided to watch Rent instead of another movie and I was introduced to Idina Menzel. If that hadn’t happened who knows what would’ve changed and to think that a puzzle and 30 second commercial sparked the remberance of that one small memory from years ago. Like the line from the show says I’m still “working on the puzzle” but “still here I go.”

Also in case you haven't seen it check out the music video to Minuet!

XOXO

-Bwaygirl828

Team Amber All The Way

I know that some of you are wondering why I’m writing this. I know that some of you feel differently. I know that some of you didn’t like Amber but I did-I really loved and enjoyed watching Amber the person in the game. Sometimes favorites from each BB season aren’t always based on gameplay solely; Amber was one of my favorites because of her personality and genuine goodness that is clearly seen.

I freaking LOVED Amber inside that house this season. I know that some of you are asking why and will probably tell me that she was a floater and/or a flip flopper. Amber was a comp beast- winning three comps in a two-week period that’s pretty impressive. But, ultimately her just not liking someone romantically in the house is what catapulted her downfall and it’s sad that something like that has to be at the root of the reason for why she went home. That personal issue played into her game and in my mind she really didn’t get the chance to play her game the way she wanted too. Now, I know that you’ll tell me that she tried to flip the house and form an alliance to get the guys evicted and they found out and targeted her. I know and she definitely made a mistake by saying too much too soon and working to attempt risky games moves when the timing just wasn’t right instead of laying low. She made a mistake early on in the game that quickly came back to bite her and honestly all players make mistakes in the game, I know my all-time favorite player Amanda from BB15 definitely did.  I said earlier on twitter but I’m sick of all these guys running the house-Amber wanted to change that and I was right there with her.

I liked Amber before all this drama started. I saw her as the always kind and caring person (who reminds me of my family from Tennessee as well). It’s always nice to see someone who is like that- hey she was even finding the good in being a have-not! She never spoke ill about anyone in the house on a personal level and was always objecting if somebody began to speak badly of someone else on a non-game level. She really worked to not play personal in a game where that often happens. She didn’t hold anything against anyone and it shows in how much she adores everyone in the house gameplay aside. Amber clearly wants to see the best in people and displayed what southern hospitality is which is being kind and accepting of others-she was making the house funnel cakes as they sat upstairs talking about her. She was that person that would be able to make game moves but still be kind to others at the same time and I liked that. Her constant positive attitude was always wonderful to see along with her attitude of appreciating what we have in life and not harping over what we don’t. Yes, she definitely made some mistakes I’ll be the first to tell you that and she openly said to people who she was targeting and it got back to them but that’s the game and honestly it was bound to happen at some point. She was the kindest and sweetest person in that house who did not deserve to have others in the game saying negative things about her on personal level. I know that we all have our favorites but in September only one person will win this game. I think that we all need to remember that these are people in this house too and as I have said before on other posts on here, we should embrace positivity. We all have and will criticize people’s games and poke a little fun at them and I mean sometimes you can’t resist a little dry humor!

On a different note, I can’t wait to interact with her on twitter and other social media outlets and I hope that she comes to NYC soon. Her future is bright and I can’t wait to see what comes next for her. She was a classy, fierce competitor and I’ll definitely miss the positive light that she brought to the house and the fact that I won’t get to see her beat Caleb in an endurance competition! #TeamAmber

XOXO

-Missy(bwaygirl828)

20 Things I've Learned from Big Brother

As we all know Big Brother is currently on right now! This show has been my summer show for years as I’m a BB superfan! There are a number of things-some funny some more serious that I wished I would’ve known my first go around. From the stress, sleep schedules to post-season. So here it is-the 20 Things I’ve Learned from Big Brother/What to Expect as a Newbie BB Viewer!

1. No matter how many times you’ll tell yourself you won’t you WILL get attached to certain HGs every season. You’ll defend them to the end and during future seasons.
2. Your sleep schedule will change-you’ll stay up late and sleep late as all of the good stuff usually happens at night-caffeine will be your savior!
3. The HGs sleep a lot during the day-you’ll use that time to catch up on flashbacks or maybe do other work outside of BB!
4. There might come a time when you really don’t care who wins HOH as long as your favorite(s) aren’t the target and are safe from the block.
5. You will stress out every Thursday leading up to the eviction even if your favorite isn’t on the block.
6. Just in general, you will stress out about the game on a daily basis and even more everytime you favorites name(s) are brought up for possible eviction.
7. You’ll spend time thinking up many possible scenarios for next week and how they’ll affect your picks.
8. While the weekends are some of the best times for the feeds with all the comps and meetings that have to happen during that time the feeds can be down for hours at a time which will drive you crazy.
9. When your favorite is on the block you’ll be constantly checking for updates to see how the veto went and who won. If your favorite did you’ll be over the moon!
10. When your favorite leaves you will be inconsolable for a while-but if they’re evicted before jury you’ll get to interact with them.
11. Hands down thurdsay night feeds are some of the best!
12. Post blind-sided eviction Thursday night feeds are even better!
13. Double eviction nights are one of the best nights but you WILL be on edge the entire hour knowing that your favorite might be evicted.
14. Everything in the house changes from day to day and week to week-take a lot of what HGs say about jury early on in the game as little or as much to heart as you want.
15. But you’ll live for the jury footage every season.
16. Everyone’s name is gonna come up for eviction at some point each week.
17. We really haven’t seen one yet this season but you’ll want a showmance to happen so bad and you’ll root for them to stay together after the show if you liked them!
18. You will meet some of the best people and form bonds outside of Big Brother talk with those that you tweeted with all summer-shout-out to my Royal Mafia Family! My TRM family are hands down my favorite people to talk BB game with and I love talking about life and what not with them!
19. Current HGs are usually always very interactive with fans after the show and will tweet with everyone about future seasons.
20. Sometimes post-season can be just as much fun as BB game season-with all the interviews that you’re favorites will do, interacting with them and possible meet and greets you’ll have a blast just getting to know them and hearing what they really have to say even more!


XOXO
-Bwaygirl828

In Defense of the Disney Princesses

Something struck me recently and no I don’t mean in the physical way. Over the past few months I’ve noticed a number of articles on the web that all focus on how awful the Disney Princesses are and all of the terrible things that they teach girls. Now, I’m not here to bash someone’s opinion but to politely disagree and say what I have to say. In my mind I believe that the Disney Princesses teach young girls many valuable qualities, morals and lessons through their films and on the Broadway stage.

         As I have stated a few times on here I was a child of the 90’s. Like most of you I grew up with the Disney Princesses and just Disney in general. The princesses were my favorite characters that I loved so much that I wanted to be them. As I mentioned in a few other posts there was even a point when I was about 5 or 6 that I actually wanted to be Belle at Disney World when I grew up-I showed up to career day in a full-out Belle costume I was that serious about it! When I watched the movies I never saw anything that I thought was wrong about how Disney presented these characters. I enjoyed watching the movies on a constant loop that drove my parents and well anyone around insane. These were positive, empowering female role models for me and many other young girls throughout childhood.

         Now, I don’t have kids but from how my parents raised me and knowing what I want to instill in my future children I know that I want them to be honest, kind, loyal, generous etc. Those are all qualities that we want our kids to have in them and we see them in every single Disney princess. One might argue that they sit around and do nothing and show little girls that they need to change this or that to be loved and accepted by others most notably by guys. But, when you look at it these princesses are in a way indicative to the time periods in which the films are released-you can definitely see it in the earlier princesses to the more recent ones. While they to an extent represent their time they are also ahead of their time in ways of showing that there is good and evil in this world, by standing for themselves and going out to find a way to get what they want, Yes, it might not be exactly like what we would say today but Cinderella wanted to go to that ball and hey, she found a way to get there.

         These are characters that are adored by millions of girls and they all emulate morals and traits that every parent wants to see in their child. We want our girls to kind, accepting, generous, patient and loyal. We want them to be courageous like Mulan, brave like Merida, curious like Aurora, adventurous like Pocahontas, assertive like Rapunzel, caring like Snow White, determined like Jasmine and to have the spirit of Ariel. We want them to follow their dreams whether it’s to become an entrepreneur like Tiana or to have a passion for books and learning like Belle. We want them to choose their path in life from what they do to who they marry-does this sound a bit familiar!?

         These women show that to little girls from a very young age. Will they necessarily get it from the first time they watch the films at the age of three-probably not. But as they grow older watching these movies and experiencing life they can and will relate them to real-life lessons. I always remember understanding as I got a little older around the age of 5 that Belle not only fell in love with the Beast but she accepted him for who he was-she was accepting something that we all want to have in ourselves and see in our kids. Elsa and Anna from Frozen teach them that not every fairytale needs to have a prince save a princess and they live happily ever after but sometimes you just need your sister and that it’s okay to be different and to do whatever you want(girl power anyone)!

These are important lessons that the princesses teach kids that we have and currently can see live on Broadway. The actresses who originated these roles and the ones who have succeeded them have continued to spread the messages and lessons that the princesses represent to young girls in a way that only a live musical staging can do. Susan Egan brought the kindness, intelligence and gentleness of Belle to life in the 90’s and Sierra Boggess gave the mermaid her voice, spirit and determination in 2007. Currently, Courtney Reed is bringing the independence, integrity and compassion of Jasmine live eight-times a week over at the New Amsterdam Theater.

It is these lessons that we remember, there is a reason why each little girl has a favorite princess throughout their life, I loved Belle because like me she loved to read, she showed me from a very early age that intelligence is amazing and to accept others for who they are. Each princess taught me something from the importance of kindness in Cinderella to instilling that I can be independent like Jasmine. There’s a reason why girls latch on to these characters through adulthood and you see them buying tiaras, dolls, little mementos and the DVDs. It’s not just because the movies and the characters are near and dear to them but because they taught them something as well. While we all want to be happy and find that fairytale ending where we ride off with our prince on a magic carpet to live out a tale that is old as time we also want it for our girls whether it’s our present ones or like mine the hypothetically speaking. We want them to have the princess ending but mostly we want them to kind, independent, intelligent, generous etc.-all of the things and more that the Disney Princesses show young girls every single day when a mother presses play on the remote.

XOXO

-Bwaygirl828

Photo credit:http://www.disney.com.au/iamaprincess/index.php/site/being_a_disney_princess