Twitterings for the day, since WordPress doesn’t have a Twitter widget for me to use…

(NOTE: All times are EST. Sorry for the 24:00 format…)

16:50 Just finished a performance of Sorcerer in Jersey City, went pretty well. Tips and tricks post to come tomorrow! #

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~Mel

Twitterings for the day, since WordPress doesn’t have a Twitter widget for me to use…

(NOTE: All times are EST. Sorry for the 24:00 format…)

15:09 In nyc, seeing mamma mia tonight!!! But first, heading over to the 9th ave [food] festival. #

16:52 Having my hair done by my sister, sitting in my dad’s office. Then off to diner, maybe over to Virgin [a music store] before mamma mia. #

19:04 Saw a model dressed up in a window to advertise a new movie. Getting amazing portraits done now on corner of 7 and 47. #

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~Mel    [full report on the day tomorrow!]

I don’t know what to say right now….

My director for HSM just called me and told me that the actress who was playing the role of Kelsi had to drop out due to a new work schedule. As her understudy, I GET THE PART!!!!!!

Alright, enough freaking out. Now, off to homework and bed.

~Mel

Never do a musical at a community theatre that’s an hour away if you’re not getting paid for it.

At least, not while you’re in school. That’s what I’m doing right now with High School Musical ((I had a dance rehearsal tonight for “Status Quo”)), and it’s a little crazy. The rehearsals end at around 10:00pm, and then I have to drive for a good 45 minutes to an hour to get home, where I collapse into bed. Well, at least that’s what I will be doing as soon as I’m done typing this.   The ending time wouldn’t be so bad, if not for the fact that I have to leave before 6:00 to get to rehearsal by 7:00, which leaves me with three hours to do after school meetings, homework, and food.

Luckily for me, I’m not called every night for rehearsal.

So I’m not saying to rule out these shows because they can be great for a starting resume, and just plain fun. However, make sure you know the time and gas-money commitment that this will involve before you audition, ESPECIALLY if you are relying on a parent or sibling to drive you.

~Mel

I love that song, I really do. And it is an apt title for today’s post!!! ((this is why I love musical theatre so much- there are a billion good quotes to choose from))

Not only is this deliciously emotional and vocally-satisfying Beauty and the Beast song a good title, but it is a good segue into my next topic- SHOW REVUES!

Finally, after months of procrastination, I will be starting on my revues of musicals. These dedicated posts will contain a plot summary ((spoiler alert!)), character breakdowns, youtube links, production notes, pros and cons, and of course my own opinions on how things should (or shouldn’t) be done. But please be forewarned that my opinions might not always agree with popular opinion, and I will not like you very much if you decide to bash on my posts.

In other news, tonight I am off to one of the final dress rehearsals for a production of The Sorcerer that I am involved in with a local Gilbert and Sullivan Opera Company. The show itself is a comic operetta*, and the second show that I have been involved in with this specific company. I am a member of the female chorus as a peasant girl, and this time my costume actually fits! When I did The Pirates of Penzance with them in the fall I had to use quite a few safety pins to make my dress fit me.

As the youngest member of the cast for this show, I am part of a small group of special peasants in the show. We get to do pretty much all of the really cool stuff- featured actions and running around the dark stage with glowsticks.

On the downside, I am missing the first rehearsal for my next project, a production of High School Musical at a local theatre company… But my sister is there to grab any info I need, so it’s all good.

And now, I’m off. More from me later.

~Mel

Not really, but the lyric fits, don’t you think? It’s from Songs For A New World by Jason Robert Brown.

So, let’s take a look at some of the things that have gone on since I was gone, both in my life and in (recent) Broadway stuff:

- TONY NOMINATIONS!!! They were announced early Tuesday morning at 8:30 AM, with Billy Elliot tieing for the record for the most nominations ever recieved for one show (the other was The Producers). The number of nominations received by each show this season is listed below:

Billy Elliot, The Musical – 15
Next to Normal – 11
Hair – 8
Shrek The Musical – 8
Mary Stuart – 7
The Norman Conquests – 7
God of Carnage – 6
Joe Turner’s Come and Gone – 6
Rock of Ages – 5
33 Variations – 5
Exit the King - 4
9 to 5: The Musical – 4
Pal Joey – 4
West Side Story – 4
Reasons to Be Pretty – 3
Waiting for Godot – 3
Blithe Spirit – 2
Dividing the Estate – 2
Equus – 2
Guys and Dolls – 2
Irving Berlin’s White Christmas – 2
Liza’s at The Palace – 1
Slava’s Snowshow – 1
Soul of Shaolin – 1
Speed-the-Plow – 1
[Title of Show] - 1
You’re Welcome America. A Final Night with George W. Bush – 1

(for a full list of nominations, click here)

- Avenue Q Tour Wraps Up in Wisconsin. Yes, sadly all good things must come to an end. The long-running tour ends its run today in Appleton, Wisconsin after 721 performances.

- Love Never Dies, the sequel to Andrew Lloyd Webber’s The Phantom of the Opera has been delayed. Instead of opening in London at the end of this year, a new report says that it will instead open at the start of 2010.

- Casting has begun for the 2010 National Tour of Beauty and the Beast. The casting notice is available here. The actual auditions will take place this Monday thru Wednesday.

- And now we get to my life. Well, I’ve been doing alot of shows over the past few months, and am set to rehearse two musicals at once this summer. So, basically… I’ve been busy.

~Mel

…. and oh how I wish I could say that I was doing something vitally important during that time. But, alas, I have no substantial excuse besides school, rehearsals, and laziness.

Hopefully as we come closer to the summer I will be more regular with my posts. There will still be news updates from the Broadway world, but also alot of things from my experiences, as well as show reviews and such. Covering Broadway news explicitly would take up more time than I have to offer. For that, check up on Playbill.com.

~Mel

Twitterings for the day, since WordPress doesn’t have a Twitter widget for me to use…

(NOTE: All times are EST. Sorry for the 24:00 format…)

12:07 Way too hot out… It’s like Mother Nature woke up on Friday and said, ”Gee, I think I feel like spring this week.” #

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^^^ Love that site, by the way.

~Mel

Twitterings for the day, since WordPress doesn’t have a Twitter widget for me to use…

(NOTE: All times are EST. Sorry for the 24:00 format…)

18:56 The downside to being a good performer- your numbers aren’t done as often at rehearsal, leaving you with lots of free time… #

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^^^ Love that site, by the way.

~Mel

Congratulations to Disney’s newest Broadway musical adventure, The Little Mermaid, which celebrates its official 1 year anniversary today!

Coming up in future posts will be alot more tips and tricks, seeing as I’m headed into a new musical production at my school. Madness, accidents, and ideas are sure to follow! I’m also going to sart doing specific show reviews and summaries. First up: Beauty and the Beast!

~Mel <3