Time to get a little Philosophical … May 13, 2008

The semester has winded down and my blog posts required for my class have been ceased. However, this does NOT mean that this blog will die, no! I am happy to say that I will be continuing this blog because it truly has opened my eyes to more about the theater world, and I hope it has for all of you. I hope so far from this blog you all appreciate theater a little more.

Now I write that I am going to be philosophical right now, because in a way, I am, but this theory is partially not mine. I owe a lot of this theory to Kelly Morgan, my professor.

In one of our lectures recently in our Theatre History class, we discussed the whole idea of Theatre being truth. Theater is indeed truth. It shows how us as humans truly feel towards others…We have conflicts, and through different obstacles and tactics, we try to hurdle over these obstacles.

Morgan said in this lecture that he doesn’t understand why people “mask” their truths. I frankly don’t understand it either, yet I too am guilty of it myself.

When one masks, one is putting on a facade in a way. They are hiding their real emotions about something or someone. They hide.

We as humans face these conflicts every day. And Morgan sent us out in our theatre history class to observe people who wear these “masks” and to make observations in class about any “unmasking” we may have experienced.

Everyone had a story. Whether it was a roommate issue, revealing to someone how they romantically felt for someone, or revealing something secret to a friend, there were issues all around. When the mask is off, shouldn’t it be easier?

“You don’t hide behind the mask, you don’t decieve them, you don’t put on heirs. You have to be truthful and make them understand. You can’t hide behind the mask,” says Bridgette G., junior media studies major.

Bridgette has a point. If you mask what you really have to say, you get nowhere. I have learned this in several instances.

We all face objectives in life..We all have goals. To achieve these goals, we have to unmask ourselves and be a little vulnerable every once in awhile… If we can’t fail, then how can we succeed?

The point I am trying to get at is that Theater, what you see, read and hear on this blog, takes place in our daily lives. If one can appreciate the obstacles and hardships we face and the successes we face from conquering these hardships, one can learn to appreciate the work that goes behind theater: revealing truth.

Take any happy or sad play and you will find confrontation.. And if there is any masking, there will be times of vulnerability.

Vulnerability is powerful, especially in scenes. I myself have had several monologues performed in front of my acting class where I really had to unmask myself to let the true feelings come out in the monologue…This is what brings strength, power, and the will to succeed and accomplish anything.

A most recent play that uncovers truth that I talked about is “Whitewashed: A Rough Draft” performed and written by Quinnipiac students and even staff. Through this play they reveal the truths one has in their life. This project is continuing forth for the next few years, and I look forward to see what new stories are brought to the table.

I know this post isn’t “news,” but I’m writing it to reveal that what you’re reading in this blog may or may not exist in your own life. And hey, it’s okay to reveal truths… As the saying goes, “the truth shall set you free”!

I heard this great song on the radio today by John Mayer having to do with this topic, and I think you all may enjoy it! Here it is :

And next post, more Theatre news for you all! =)

What’s coming up at the Long Wharf Theatre?? April 23, 2008

Let me tell you!

The Long Wharf Theatre has had some exciting seasons over the past few years…I’ve gotten to experience several plays at this theatre, whether performing with the Quinnipiac Theatre for Community group on Stage II, or watching plays on either Stages I or II.

This season has had a large variety of shows, including Quinnipiac’s own “Medea “and “Whitewashed” on both the first and second stages… The next play coming to Stage II will be a CLASSIC hit, Rodgers and Hammerstein’s “Carousel”!

I’ve never seen this show before, but I am excited to see what it is like if I get the chance to take a look at it. All I know is that there are a few songs I happen to know from the show from hearing others sing them, such as “If I Loved You”, which coincidentally plays from the clock tower here at Quinnipiac, “You’ll Never Walk Alone” which I’ve sang in high school and “Soliloquy”. Other than that, I’ve had no idea what the plot line was or who the characters were.

But now I can tell you!

According to Long Wharf Theatre: “Set in a small New England town in the late 1800s, the story of impulsive, brash carnival barker Billy Bigelow and his bride, mill worker Julie Jordan, spans heaven and earth in its exploration of love, human frailty, and redemption.”

It sounds like it will be an amazing musical to go see! Last year, apparently the same director of this show put on “Man of La Mancha” at Long Wharf which I got to see! So I’m very excited about this show.

The show will officially open at the Long Wharf Theatre in New Haven, CT on May 14, 2008 and will close June 1, 2008.

If you would like to purchase tickets you can call the Box Office at the Long Wharf: (800) 782-8497 or (203) 787-4282.

The group sales number is (203) 787-4284 ext. 259.

The Long Wharf Theatre is a great theater to go to if you want to see a play in the New Haven area but don’t know where to go!

The theater is right off of I-95 too, which is great if you’re coming from somewhere outside the New Haven area.

To end this post:

1) Go see the show! =)

2) Here’s a video of the song “‘You’ll Never Walk Alone” from the movie version:

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((Pictures courtesy of longwharf.org, theatermania.com))

NEWSFLASH: NEW MUSICAL COMING TO BROADWAY THIS SUMMER..!! April 9, 2008

Yes, what you are reading is correct.

A show made from entirely new material, which had a very successful Off-Broadway run…is coming to Broadway this July.

What is it?

” [ title of show ] “ !

I heard about this play through my brother. He had seen it awhile back and fell in love with it…He got the CD and told me all about it. He played it for me in the car. Frankly, I fell in love too.

One thing i’ll tell you all: it’s one of those “show-within-a-show” plays.

It stars four people (pictured at left: Co-creators Jeff Bowen and Hunter Bell , as well as Susan Blackwell and Heidi Blickenstaff.) who are making a musical, with the hopes to take it literally to the top- Broadway.

The press notes on Playbill say the following: “[title of show], according to press notes, “takes a thoroughly unique and comical look at the pleasures and perils of the artistic process as two struggling writers [Bell and Bowen] and two struggling actresses [Blackwell and Bickenstaff] take on the seemingly impossible task of creating a new musical about creating a new musical. Now with Broadway as their destination, the quartet’s saga continues anew as they face mounting pressures and deadlines, and are nearly thrown off-track by disagreements, day jobs and insecurities in this funny and unforgettable look at the birth of a musical as it finally comes to life on the Great White Way.”

The show originally debuted in 2004 at the New York Musical Theatre Festival and then premiered in 2006 at the Vineyard Theatre.

It’ll be directed by Michael Berresse, who’s currently starring in “A Chorus Line.”

Tickets will start going on sale for the show April 21st…And if you want to see this, I’d recommend getting them now!

From just listening to the CD alone.. the show is excellent. It is very well written, and it conquers the process of making a musical and the ups and downs behind such a process. The singing is excellent..and I’m so excited to check this show out when it premieres!!

The creators worked very hard to get the show where it is today as well…They created a blog that showed their “process” to getting the show to where it is today. This is SO exciting.

This show is an example of my theory that has won the battle of fighting old material. We need more inspiring stories like this…How people develop a fresh new idea, work hard at it, take the necessary steps and even fallbacks, and then completely succeed.

For more information on this show (if you want to check it out!) , check out their website.

And to end this post, here’s the latest episode of the online video show of ” [title of show] “!

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((Pictures courtesy of blogwaybaby.com, nytimes.com, playbill.com))

Top 25 Movie-Musicals. April 2, 2008

As I’ve said before, musicals have been turned into movies several times…And while some turn out amazing…some don’t.

Tonight, however, I’m going to show you an article on EW.com I found that has the Top 25 best movie-musicals of all time.

Cool, right?

Well, I definitely agree with some on the list…and some, really, are they really considered musicals?

Please go check out this list! There are some interesting ones I’ve never heard of but you may have heard of them… But of the ones I know of, here are some notable movie-musicals I found from the list:

#25: Once.

This show is beautiful.. I fell in love with it quickly after watching it over this past winter break. It’s amazing how simple the storyline is too. The production crew had a VERY small budget (during the special features part on the DVD I found out they only used 1 camera to shoot the film!), and worked it well. The story revolves around a street musician (played by Irish musician Glen Hansard) and how he meets a girl (played by his actual longtime friend/musician Marketa Irglova) who changes his life forever. She basically gives him a push to kickstart his professional music career…By performing with him. The song “Falling Slowly” won the Academy Award this year for the best song! Go Glen & Marketa!  =)  The movie is mostly made up of Glen & Marketa singing their songs… If you want to see a “new” take on musical theatre in movies….Check this one out!

((Here’s a video of Glen & Marketa singing “When Your Mind’s Made Up”:))

#23: “The Music Man”

LOVE  this musical. In fact, this was the first show I was in my freshman year of high school. Wow… That feels like yesterday, yet it was almost 7 years ago!! Crazy huh?!  I think so. Anyway, this musical revolves around a traveling salesman, Harold Hill. The one stop he makes in River City, Iowa, changes his life when he meets a reserved, quirky librarian, Marian. Hill starts up a “boys band” in town. While his main intentions were to take the profits and run, he actually changes his mind when he falls in love with Marian. He decides to actually start the boy band and actually stay in town for once instead of running away. If you’re looking for an upbeat, feel-good musical, please check this musical out! You won’t regret it.

((Here’s a clip of Robert Preston singing “Ya Got Trouble”:))

#17 “Chicago”

Oh.My.Gosh. When this movie came out, it was MAYHEM. EVERYONE was at the movies seeing this when it came out in 2002. I remember seeing the play afterwards and it being very different from  the movie. Renee Zellweger and Catherine Zeta-Jones definitely shined as Roxie Hart and Velma Kelly. I was amazed by Renee, in particular. Renee has a pretty darn good singing voice , and it was really wonderful to see her shine on stage as the woman who kills the man she was having an affair with and gets all of the attention while in jail. If you haven’t seen this movie…where have you been?! Go watch it now!

((Here’s the cast singing “Cell Block Tango”:))

#4: “Cabaret”

Another classic musical. This was the show I did my senior year of high school… I was the “accordian player” in the opening number “Willkommen.” I love this show. It brings together raw, sultry songs; beautiful legato songs; comedic moments and very dramatic moments; and of course, several unforgettable moments in history when the Nazi’s were still in Germany. The character of Sally Bowles is strong, yet weakened with emotion at the same time. The title song, “Cabaret” is a showstopping, unforgettable power song she sings, and Liza Minnelli certainly takes the cake in this #4 movie musical.

((Speaking of Minnelli…here she is singing “Cabaret”:))

#2: “West Side Story”

This musical is another one that I must say, is unforgettable, and brings me nostalgia. This was my first high school play. My high school does summer shows and this was the summer before my freshman year. I’ll never forget that show, ever. My cast formed such a wonderful bond it was indescribable… And we ended up winning an award for our show afterwards! This show is classic: a more modern take on Romeo and Juliet where the character Tony falls in love with Maria. The only problem is: they’re both in separate “gangs”: the Jets and the Sharks. The story ends with a dramatic death scene and the power of love is projected to Maria’s peers during her final speech. Please go see this film! This one was especially beautifully done.

((Here’s Tony & Maria singing the classic song “Tonight”:))

And the #1 movie is!!!

“The Wizard of Oz.” 

This is like the “classic” of all classics. Judy Garland. “Somewhere Over the Rainbow.” I only found out this past year through doing a project on this movie for my English class that there were political themes behind the film that you may not realize until you actually sit and watch the movie. This movie is also very highly regarded in the homosexual community, making Dorothy a symbol. This movie, if you haven’t seen it yet, revolves around Dorothy who in a tornado gets sent to Munchkinland. She meets the Tin Man, Scarecrow and the Cowardly Lion and together they go on a quest to find the Wizard so they can achieve their hopes and dreams. This movie is VERY well done…The filming, the songs, the actors… This is quite the must see.

((Here’s the classic song “Somewhere Over the Rainbow”!))

I’m so happy I found this list. There are so many movie musicals that yes, while I do say in my theory that movie musicals kind of represent a lack of creativity in the theatre and movie departments…When done beatifully, it is the exception.

Bloggers: What’s your favorite movie musical of all time & why?

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(Pictures courtesy of ew.com)

“Peter Pan” Flying to TV Screens Near You!!!! March 31, 2008

 

I must say, the most interesting plays and movies have been appearing on Playbill lately.

Today’s find on Playbill is “Peter Pan.”

Remember that play/movie? About a magical boy named Peter Pan who takes three children in England to Never Never Land in his quest to not grow up. It’s a fun show. I remember seeing it way back when I was in elementary school as a stage play. Those were the days. Being young and carefree….you really cannot take that for granted, Bloggers. Childhood is something that comes and goes…And as much as you want to go back to it… Well, there’s no real “time machine” that’s been made just yet. But I feel that’s the message of this play/movie. While you’re growing older, remember the good times of the past and incorporate happiness and feeling “young” into your life everyday…And you’ll feel better…you’ll feel happier. I remember seeing the animated movie too and hearing the song “You Can Fly” and loving it. This show brings back a TON of nostalgia for me, and I’m wondering if it does for you all.

Now, what’s the news about “Peter Pan,” you ask?

Soon there will be a TV movie of the musical.

Interesting.

This show has had it’s full cycle of being a play, an animated film, and a live movie (without the musical aspect)…I guess it going to TV completes this cycle.

 Craig Zadan and Neil Meron have been announced as the producers for the upcoming movie…They’ve also produced award winning movie-musicals such as “Chicago.”

Apparently, according to Playbill, this project to make the show into a TV musical has spanned 15 years thus far…Variety saying it was the television production of “Gypsy”’s composer Jule Styne who suggested the idea.

To complete the preliminary stages of the project, Zadan and Meron must find a director and of course…a cast.

Once this happens, they hope to start filming by the end of this year!

Bloggers: Do you think you’d watch “Peter Pan” on TV when it comes out? Who do you think will be part of the cast? Make your predictions here!

For now…Here’s a video of one of my favorite songs “You Can Fly!”: 

And!! Here’s “I Won’t Grow Up”:

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(Pictures courtesy of favershamrugby.co.uk, media.movieweb.com, evalu8.org)

Yet another Movie-Musical…. March 30, 2008

I’ve been writing in this blog about my theory of how Broadway has had a trend of taking movies and turning them into musicals.

Tonight I have found another one being created, thanks to Playbill.

This may not be one you may automatically think of either: the 1983 movie “A Christmas Story.”

I really wasn’t expecting to find this on Playbill tonight of all movies.

Now don’t get me wrong, this is a great movie. If you don’t remember what it’s about, Playbill describes the movie’s synopsis well:

“A Christmas Story is a whimsical, slightly-twisted and beloved tribute to an all-American, nostalgic view of Christmastime. Set in Indiana during the 1940s, a young Ralphie dreams of his ideal gift for Christmas and is waging an all-out campaign to convince his reluctant parents. Ralphie mounts a full-scale, hint-dropping, Santa-begging campaign. He also endures all kids of childhood calamities from his brother’s snowsuit paralysis to the yellow-eyed Scotty Farkus affair to the dreaded tongue-on-a-frozen-flagpole stunt. A triple-dog-dare Christmas classic for the American stage.”

The one thing I remember about this movie is the flagpole stunt. I can’t imagine what it’d be like to get your tongue stuck to a pole like that. I’ve certainly gotten my tongue stuck to a freshly made ice cube several times…and that’s NOT FUN. It hurts when it gets ripped off, as I’m sure it hurt for Ralphie.

I bet this would make a wonderful musical. I could see Ralphie’s quest for his Christmas gift being extended into a two act musical. And I could see a TON of more comic stunts being added to make the play even funnier than the original movie!

However, this play does go along with my theory. There is a lack of creativity on Broadway, and this again proves it, and it brings the utmost question at hand: So, what movie’s next?!

Bloggers: What movie do you think will be turned into a musical next?

The musical will be produced by Gerald Goehring and Douglas C. Evans…who were the minds behind Off-Broadway’s latest production of Frankenstein.

The producers told Playbill.com that they want to get the musical running as early as 2008’s holiday season.

The lyricist, librettist and composer haven’t been announced yet…But will be soon.

An interesting fact I found through the Playbill article: apparently “A Christmas Story” actually does exist as a non-musical stage play…So maybe you bloggers out there may or may not have seen this as a play already! If you did…what did you think of it?

If you want to see more information about the play, visit their website!

And for all you fans of the movie (and for those looking to see more of what this movie’s about), here’s the famous tongue-sticking-to-the-pole-scene:

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(Pictures courtesy of questexperiences.com, playbill.com)

It Really Was Not Just “Another Vermeer…” March 29, 2008

Last night I had the pleasure of seeing the aforementioned play I said I was going to go see, “Another Vermeer.”

The whole day surrounding seeing the play was quite an adventure. Getting to the play itself can be almost as thrilling as going and seeing the play ! Myself, my co-host (Sarah) and our friend from drama class (Catie) went to the New Haven train station thinking we wouldn’t have too much traffic, but lo-and-behold, everyone cut us off and I had to get off at the exit after the one we wanted, which was FILLED with construction traffic! Yay…! But luckily we still made a good train

The play was at the Abingdon Theatre, which conveniently, is right by Penn Station. We had some trouble finding the theatre because of the sign that says “Abingdon” was only a couple feet tall and wasn’t lit up or anything. We did find it though, and we were able to walk up a back stair case to the show, where we were met by Kelly Morgan (my theatre professor and director of the show!).

My general reaction is that the show was very good. The actors were overall excellent. The story was moving. Kelly Morgan (pictured right) did a wonderful job at directing this show and making the show flow very well. However, because I saw a dress tech rehearsal, some elements took me away from actually concentrating on the actors words.

Austin Pendleton (pictured left) starred as Han Van Meegeren, the painter who forged a famous Vermeer painting and sold it to someone in Germany. The play revolves around Van Meegeren’s experiences while in his tiny, cramped jail cell, waiting to either be freed or to have the ultimate punishment: death.

The space where the play was was VERY intimate. I had the pleasure of being able to sit in the front row, which is RIGHT next to the actors. They literally cross 2 feet or less in front of you. At some points the actors made these big gestures where their arms flailed back and I jumped every time! But I was fine. It was wonderful to be able to experience what Van Meegeren was going through first hand.

Pendleton at the beginning of the play has a confrontation with Vermeer (played by Dan Cordle). Pendleton’s character is looking for inspiration. He needs to create the same exact painting or else he could die. The stakes were high. Life or death.

Pendleton’s interactions with the other characters were intriguing as well. Justin Grace (who played Bram, the guard) became almost a sidekick to Pendleton through the way they got to know each other in the jail cell. Bram became Meegeren’s “model” to portray Jesus Christ. So, I don’t want to give a very lovely part of the show away, but I definitely recommend this show to the ladies!

Bram and Meegeren’s interactions were the most powerful. Bram was an innocent, naive character. He knew nothing about Meegeren and only knew what he was told from his life experiences. It was only through listening in on the large confrontation between Thom Christopher’s character and Meegeren he was able to learn to make decisions for HIMSELF and not submit to others orders. Bram was not just the guard anymore…He became Bram, his own person. I was proud of him by the end of the play.

I was proud of Pendleton too. I haven’t seen him act in such length before. The last movie I saw him in was “Christmas With the Kranks” where he played a man who was a stranger to Jaime Lee Curtis’ character yet creepily knew a little too much about the family, but the family let him come to their Christmas party anyway, which turned out well. His character in “Another Vermeer” was a very interesting, challenging character to take on. Van Meegeren wanted to make a name for himself, so he forged a painting to help him earn some “fame.” But in the end, as the play truly projected this, it’s about being happy for who YOU are as an individual, and your accomplishments you complete yourself and not by using others around you. His character also happened to take a lot of drugs too, which in some ways definitely affected his characters “edginess” that he gave off while on stage.

Thom Christopher (pictured on right next to Pendleton) was another person I enjoyed. His character (whom I believe was Bradius?) was an art critic that knew Van Meegeren was right, but did not want him to get his way. He did not want his career to end because he did not report right. His character had a very strong guard, and was very successful in keeping that guard up with Van Meegeren. It was only when Pendleton truly built up all his courage to confront him in that moment his guard began to come down and gave in to Van Meegeren. Christopher’s loud, booming voice also made the character seem strong, and almost evil. But that made the character, and I truly enjoyed his performance.

Justin Grace (pictured left) was phenomenal as well. At the end I watched his eyes welling up with tears, and watched one single tear come out of his eye and just drip down his face. Bram was moved by Van Meegeren and in a way you could see that he wanted to be a part of his world.

The other guard, played by Christian Pedersen (pictured right), was wonderful as well. He moved me when he held the gun up to Van Meegeren. My heart was racing, and I thought he would have pulled the trigger on him…But thank goodness he didn’t! I enjoyed watching his transformation from the beginning of the play to the end of the play. By the end he finally realized, like Grace’s character, that maybe what others were saying about the painting were wrong. And even though he did not want to get too buddy-buddy with Pendleton afterwards, you got the sense that he realized this and he cared, even if it was only a bit.

Now one thing I must admit, I got distracted during the play by a few things. Because the space was very small, there were certain limitations to what you could see and couldn’t see. I didn’t get to really see the finished product of the replica Van Meegeren was working on, but I did get to see the postcard of the painting Van Meegeren was holding. It was very easy to hear the technical staff either typing or (very quietly) giving a cue. Because it was a tech-dress rehearsal, this is excusable and this should not effect anyone else seeing the play. But I also must say, I happened to be sitting next to the person who was on-book for the night (holding the script), so I got to see when the end was near and began to anticipate the end instead of just experiencing it for myself.

What was also wonderful about the performance in particular that night was that it was Austin Pendleton’s birthday (HAPPY BIRTHDAY AUSTIN!)!! So we all got to celebrate afterwards with a piece of cake. Yum!

Overall, I had a wonderful experience at the Abingdon. And I truly feel you all should experience this too! Bloggers: Definitely check this play out at the Abingdon Theatre Company (the actual play is at the Dorothy Strelsin within the space)!!

Here are the dates for the play:

March 29 - April 20, 2008 :

Tuesday - Saturday at 7:30

Saturday at 2:00

Sunday at 3:00

Art can affect your life in so many ways…The arts in general have definitely affected myself as a person (in a very good way!), and I hope they do for you too. Please check out this show to see the challenges Art can bring to onesself!

To end this post, here’s a slide show of Vermeer’s paintings!

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(Pictures courtesy of geocities.com, abingdontheatre.org, imdb.com, christianpedersen.com)

Today In Theatre History March 26, 2008

Here’s something I find really wonderful about Playbill:

They always write an article everyday telling the world what happened that day in theatre history.

Well, I thought I’d share what happened today in theatre history with you all as well, because hey, history can be fun sometimes, right…? Heh.

According to Playbill, here’s what happened today:

• Maurice Barrymore, actor (pictured right), dies in 1905. He was 57.

•   Thomas Lanier Williams, aka Tennessee Williams, (pictured left) was born today in 1911. Happy Birthday, Tennessee! He’s famous for works such as “A Streetcar Named Desire.”
  

• Barbra Streisand (pictured right) has her Broadway debut in “Funny Girl” in 1964. Through this play she debuts her “signature” song, “People.”

• Noel Coward, (pictured left) a composer, actor and playwright, dies today in 1973.
  

• The musical “Annie” celebrates its’ 20 year anniversary in 1997. The revival starred Nell Carter and opened at the Martin Beck Theatre.  

I hope you enjoyed these little tidbits!!

To see history “come alive,” here’s Barbra Streisand singing “People:”

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(Pictures courtesy of playbill.com,  wikipedia.com)

“Phantom” Sequel?!! NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! March 26, 2008

Oh.My.Gosh.!!!

On Playbill tonight I read news that Tim Rice has been named the lyricist of a new project of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s: creating a SEQUEL to “The Phantom of the Opera.”

When I first saw the headline for this article I was think “Oh, Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber are working on a project together, how nice!”

But then when I saw that they’re working on a “Phantom” sequel, i was seriously saying to myself “WHAT?!?!?! NOOOOOO!!!!”

Bloggers: I NEED TO KNOW YOUR OPINION ON THIS.

I mean really, why are they doing this? The first one is the longest running musical on Broadway right now… Which actually, must mean only one thing to their little minds, MONEY.

I understand making a sequel would raise more money for the show’s profits, but honestly, this is a show that is preserved. I personally felt the story ENDED in the first one, how could they possibly make a sequel? What else can possibly be explored?

Oh, here’s what they have in mind.

According to Playbill: “The sequel to the romantic musical spectacle has the title character reuniting with soprano Christine in America.”

If you think back to the plot of the original musical, Christine Daae, the lovely soprano, is encountered by the Phantom, who longs for her affection. He aggressively tries to take it by making her sing for him and him only, teaching her to sing, but in the end, she ends up finding love in Raoul and leaving the Opera Populaire with him, leaving the Phantom there. There is no recollection what happens to the Phantom at the end of the play because he vanishes.

So I see where they may be like “Hmm, maybe the characters can go to America where the Phantom will be waiting there.” But what will that do for Christine? Are we looking for Christine to fall in love with the Phantom and be with him and leave Raoul? I really don’t think so. I’m just trying to understand what plot there will be in this new America-based “Phantom” sequel.

Apparently the sequel, when finished, has a targeted completion for 2009.

I guess we’ll see what happens.

But for now, I must admit, I am not happy about this. I believe in keeping musicals like these strictly to one story. Musicals like this can be considered legends in musical theatre and should not be changed.

This to me shows there is a strong lack of fresh material in the musical theatre world. But really, is there that much of a lacking in this area? Or are people too lazy to think of anything because as said in an earlier post, investors don’t want to lose money.

I truly hope that isn’t the case. We need more fresh material on Broadway!!

Bloggers: Please let me know what you think of this!

To end this post I thought I’d share a clip from the 2004 film starring Emmy Rossum & Gerard Butler. This song has been stuck in my head ALL week. Here they are (as Christine & the Phantom) singing “The Point of No Return”:

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(Photos courtesy of destination360.com, theater.lohudblogs.com, canada.com)

Spotlight: Julie Andrews March 24, 2008

I got the inspiration for this blog post from watching “The Sound of Music” on ABC Family tonight. That movie is one of my all time FAVORITES, and I don’t say that about alot of films… If you happened to ask me what my favorite movie is, I wouldn’t have a clear answer.

But “The Sound of Music.” Wow. I could call this one a legend. I remember seeing this movie when I was a little girl. I remember LOVING the character of Maria (played by Julie Andrews) and having so much confidence and hope in her romance with Captain Von Trapp. I’m a romantic, what can I say?! Like many other girls, I hope someday to find that “Prince Charming.”

But enough about the movie. I must speak about Julie Andrews.

Julie has one of the most gorgeous soprano voices I have ever heard in my life. I think that’s another thing that attracted me to her as a singer and actress. She’s so poised, and so amazingly talented. Yet I truly believe she is not egotistic in any way. I truly feel seeing her in that one movie has impacted my life as a person, and as a singer/performer.

Julie has been in several movies and musicals. And up until now I got the chance to see her on film more and more. I found out she was one of the original Eliza Doolittles in “My Fair Lady” when I heard the soundtrack. You may have seen her in “Mary Poppins” and SEVERAL other films up to now, such as “The Princess Diaries” movies.

In 1997, the unimaginable happened. A throat surgery to remove nodules from her throat left her amazing four-octave voice silenced. This was devastating: such a good person losing such a wonderful asset of herself. I cannot imagine what it was like for her after that happened.

While she hasn’t gained her full voice back, as I have said, she can certainly overcome ANYTHING, especially this. In “The Princess Diaries,” she sings a song with the girls in the film. Which was SO exciting to see…And she did an amazing job!

I write this blog tonight because I love Julie Andrews. I admire her voice, and herself. I’ve never met her, but from what it seems, she has a personality that can win over anyone. I’m proud of her accomplishments thus far in life!

Bloggers: Do you love Julie Andrews? What’s your favorite film/play/musical she’s been in?

To end this post, here are some clips of her singing!

Here’s her title song from the movie I watched tonight, “The Sound of Music!”:

Here’s her singing in another movie I love of hers, “Mary Poppins:”

Here’s Julie singing in “The Princess Diaries:”

And for an extra bonus…here’s a link to me singing “My Favorite Things” on SingSnap from “The Sound of Music!“

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(Images courtest of fogcityjournal.com, teachwithmovies.org, art.com)