Musical Theatre Mondays

The walls in my mind are wallpapered with one question in bold, all caps font: WHAT SONG SHOULD I AUDITION WITH?!? I think about it obsessively. I talk to my husband about it constantly (sorry, honey), I've even tried to get some  tips  from the pros. And somehow still come up blank with each new audition. I'm gonna level with you. I haven't been cast in two years and I'm questioning everything. I'm honestly one audition away from singing the Ducktales theme song . (But like...don't you think in the right setting that this would be brilliant?) But since you've come here hopefully looking for advice and not to sulk with me about my song choice woes, here's what I know. The general rule I've learned from those who are much more wise and more successful at auditioning than I is this: Sing something that will help the production team cast you in this show. Okay... So what does that even  mean ? Do you sing a song from a show by the

WARNING: Grab one of those old timey fainting couches before watching this video or make sure you're sitting in a safe environment where swooning from romance won't endanger you. I unabashedly love Oklahoma . It was the first musical I was ever in and it's got some of the best Golden Age bops of the Rodgers and Hammerstein persuasion. It was also one of the very first posts on this here blogamajig. So when I heard it was being revived, I was pleased, but had no real desire to see it (just wait 3 months and a local high school will do it, amirite?). But this song? The OBC that dropped on Friday? Has me contemplating an impulse trip to NYC. First of all Damon Daunno: And secondly, Ali Stroker! I cried when she won. She's incredible and the video below proves it. It's pretty magical to me to see a show often deemed as cheesy and old be modernized without changing a single word. People are realizing how complex and emotional these s

This was going around Facebook a few months ago and I have thought about it probably every day since then. This is a tricky list and some of these change by the hour for me. I tried to limit myself to only one show per category - that was really hard on most. How would you answer this list? Musical I hate: The Phantom of the Opera Musical I think is overrated: Beauty and the Beast Musical I think is underrated: Parade Musical I love: Bright Star Musical I cherish: White Christmas Musical I would listen to on repeat: Waitress Musical that I still want to do: Sunday in the Park with George Musical that made me fall in love with musicals: Les Miserables Musical that changed my life: Curtains Guilty Pleasure: Legally Blonde Musical I should have seen by now but still haven’t: Falsettos

In May, I was lucky enough to attend two shows on the West End and they were both awesome. The first show I saw was Hamilton (I find it endlessly funny that I had to travel to another country to get affordable tickets) and let me tell you before you worry like I did: It lives up to the hype. I know everyone and their mother (including mine) has probably gotten to see Hamilton so pardon me if this is old news, but I fell in love with the show all over again. The set is genius (you can see it in the picture behind me and Mr. Musical Theatre Monday). The different stair cases that can move and attach at different points, the turntables that are used at just the right moments, and the beautiful lighting that brings it all to life. I tend to like more simple sets - those that are kind of deconstructed so you're dealing with simple, moveable pieces that can live in any world rather than clunky, period appropriate furniture. This is the epitome of that. It also set a nice neutr

*Read Part I and Part II * So I guess this series of posts was to give you, the reader, some context on where I've come from  and  why I went away for a  little  while. But these posts also serve as the official end to my unintentional hiatus.  I’m in a growing season of my life and I’m still figuring out what I want this space to be. I still have so much I want to talk about and I want people to connect with about it.  Looking back with a clearer head and little more thickness in my skin, I realize that these posts were always for me. I was the one who needed to learn how to get over rejection. It was me who needed to feel like the work behind the scenes can still be fulfilling. But most importantly I needed a place to talk about what I love, why I love it and hope that other people would feel the same way. So I hope that you’ll stick around and share your thoughts. I’ve learned so much from those who have been reading these posts and I look forward to continuing to grow

*Read Part I here * In late 2012 a Facebook friend “liked” a post about auditions at a local theatre for “My Fair Lady.” For some reason, I was obsessed with the idea of trying out for this show. Am I a soprano? No! Is there any logical role in this musical for me? No! But the idea consumed me and I mulled it over for weeks. In the end, I got scared and didn’t try out. So I did the next best thing instead: I set a goal to get onstage within the year and I got a voice teacher. Working with a voice teacher as an adult was humbling and incredibly educational. For once, I practiced daily. I learned a lot about my voice and focused all of my energy towards becoming really good at auditioning. And now I’m amazing and I ALWAYS GET CAST ALL THE TIME. Just kidding. Auditioning is still really hard for me and I think it always will be. I’m incredibly introverted, insecure and intimidated in any and all audition situations, but a big part of this journey has been less about improvin