Thankful and Grateful

Last week I went to New York City and got a bit of my soul back watching some wonderful Theater. Hopefully I'll find it in me to talk about all my experiences, but I wanted to take this time before Thanksgiving to say thank you to a certain group of people that through the years, have, without knowing, made life wonderful for me. Who are these wonderful folks? Well easy to guess, actors, stage managers, producers, dancers, set designers and all of the other wonderful and talented folks that make theater happen. From Broadway to small professional to student shows, theater brings me joy and energizes me in a way I guess nothing else ever has. I've shared moments with types of families, individuals and events during centuries I'd never really ever know or be near (unless I had a Tardis that worked!) thanks to the magic of Theater. So on this Holiday, I do thank my family for making me a little crazy, but most of all I want to thank all of those who create those wonderful magic moments on Stage.

There's a huge list of performers I've enjoyed through the years but here are some highlights: Douglas Sills in The Scarlett Pimpernel ,whose pure joy of performing I have never seen matched on stage (well maybe Hugh Jackman this past weekend, but that's another blog); Elaine Paige in Sunset Boulevard who with the 2 1/2 decent songs she had to sing worked a miracle and created one of the most intense, "hair rising up on the back of my neck" moments in musical theater I've ever experienced; Mark Rylance and Martin Shaw respectively in Jerusalem and An Ideal Husband for showing why Brits really do have a monopoly (for the most part) on amazing actors. The set design team and director Nicholas Hytner for creating for me what is the most beautiful and haunting first 10 minutes of a musical theater piece ever with the 1994 revival of Carousel; Janet McTeer and Harriet Walters in Mary Stuart, Robert Cuccioli in Jekyll & Hyde for making trash electrifying, and Hugh Jackman (I'll always get back to Hugh) for making dreck (worse than just trash!) like The Boy from Oz watchable. Ah how can I not mention Patti LuPone in her one woman show and Gypsy; or Brian Stokes Mitchell in Ragtime (for that matter the entire amazing cast of the original production) This just scratches the surface, but you should begin to get the idea, so thank you to all. With it being Thanksgiving, let's make sure to give a little thanks to those that help bring a bit of magic and wonder in our lives! Happy Gobbles everyone!!!

Musical Theater Manna From Heaven....

Oh My God.... Today I just read the following on the TheaterMania website that a new Broadway musical based on the Pedro Almodovar movie Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown is scheduled for previews this October. And why should this be of importance? I'll tell you why, its going to star F'ing Patti LuPone & Brian Stokes Mitchell that's who, along with other great folks such as Sherie Rene Scott and Danny Burstein. But I mean, La LuPone AND Stokes in one musical. My good lord I can't take it!

How can I write about Muse one day (well okay not really write, but reference) and Musical Theater the next? Well that's how crazy I am. I mix it all up baby! I'm so giddy with this news, I really can't relate more.

For those unfamiliar with Musical Theater let me just say this is like an Ali & Frazier fight bill! If you do not know the work of Stokes or Ms. LuPone, know that they are by far and above some of the best actor/singers on Broadway. Stokes can make the phone book sound good, and Patti, well she's plain electrifying in everything she does. I could go on about seeing Stokes' last performance in Kiss Me Kate (truly a "raise the hair on the back of you neck" moment) or LuPone's command of the stage in the revival of Cole Porter's Anything Goes but for now, I just want to bask in the wonder of this news, and figure out when I'm going to NYC in the fall.

Here are a few videos to explain my wonder: