Counting Down to Les Misérables

The holiday season is upon us, and like many other musical theater lovers, I’m really looking forward to the film version of Les Misérables, out in theaters on Christmas Day. I haven’t actually seen the show, but I think the plot and the music are so iconic that most theater lovers seem to know them. The star-studded cast, including Hugh Jackman, Anne Hathaway, Russell Crowe, Amanda Seyfried, and Helena Bonham Carter, are sure to make the movie fantastic.

In honor of the upcoming release, this really cool YouTube video has gone viral, and I can’t wait to share it with you. This past May, a Danish couple was treated to the ultimate musical theater wedding gift: A flash mob of their family and friends singing “One Day More,” one of the show’s most famous songs. It’s a great way to pay tribute to a couple that loves theater as much as I do.

One of the best parts of my experience at Fordham was being a part of the Mimes and Mummers, and maybe we’ll do something like this at one of our weddings! 

Matt Doyle at Rockwood

Monday night, I headed down to the Lower East Side with my friend Chris to see Matt Doyle perform at Rockwood Music Hall. Matt is a singer-songwriter and Broadway performer, and I’ve been following his career for over five years. He got his start in Spring Awakening before moving on to Bye Bye Birdie and War Horse. He’s also been on Gossip Girl and starred in the film Private Romeo. Matt’s two EPs, Daylight and Constant, feature soulful and intimate songs that are based on his own experiences.

I’ve seen Matt perform many times, both on Broadway and in his own concerts, and every time I watch him, his talent blows me away. The harmony of the music and the emotion and power in his performance are both intoxicating. Matt is also incredibly sincere and grateful for those people (including me) who come out to see him again and again. He’s one of the sweetest people I’ve ever met, and I love going to support him in any endeavor he does. Check out some of the songs from Monday’s show below, with a special sighting of yours truly (the lime green in my shirt gives it away)!
 

Yesterday, Matt returned to Broadway as Elder Price in The Book of Mormon (AKA the hottest ticket on Broadway!), and I couldn’t be happier for him. It’s one of the most brilliant shows I’ve ever seen, and I know he’s going to be amazing! I’m going back to see the show again in January, and I can’t wait to see Matt's performance! Take a look at the new Elders courtesy of Matt's Instagram!

Cotton Club Parade: A Transforming Theatrical Experience

On Thursday, my friend Tim and I had the pleasure of attending a performance of Cotton Club Parade at New York City Center. The show is part of its Encores! program, which brings back very limited runs of classic musicals, and takes the audience into the world of 1920s jazz when Duke Ellington performed at the Cotton Club in Harlem. 

I initially bought the tickets so I could see Amber Riley perform in her New York stage debut. She’s best known as Mercedes Jones on Glee, and she has one of the most incredible voices I’ve ever heard. I’ve watched the show since the pilot and I’ve seen her live three times, but nothing prepared me for hearing her on Thursday. Amber was, in a word, FLAWLESS (the only word I ever really use to describe her). Her voice is perfect for the jazzy undertones and the soulfulness of the music, and her three songs were stunning. At one point towards the end of her first song, I leaned back into the headrest of my seat and just listened because I was so overwhelmed by the moment.

This overwhelming feeling carried me through the rest of the show. Before Thursday, I knew my way around 1920s jazz and Duke Ellington, but Cotton Club Parade served as my entrance into a new way to experience music. In my mind, the entire event was almost like a religious experience. The brassy music made me realize the transformative power jazz music has and the feeling of living in that world. I spent most of the show swaying in my seat and letting the drumbeats and horns pass through my body. That power was only emphasized by other outstanding performers like Adriane Lenox, Christopher Jackson (In The Heights), and Joshua Henry (American Idiot, The Scottsboro Boys). I left the theater feeling invigorated and energized. 

Our already fantastic evening got even better when we ran into Kevin McHale (AKA Artie Abrams, the kid in the wheelchair), who was there to support Amber and was sitting in the row behind us. Tim and I met Amber shortly after that, and both of them were really nice. Even though I’ve met or interacted with celebrities before, I was totally flustered and rendered speechless by the experience. It’s a completely different scenario when you’re talking to people you’ve watched on your television for almost four years (basically my entire span as a college student). If I ever met them again, I would tell them how amazingly talented they are instead of stumbling for words that were any bit meaningful. But aside from that, my time at Cotton Club Parade was outstanding. I was introduced to a brand new world of music and I got to meet two of my favorite celebrities. Not a bad way to end a pretty decent week!  

The Marvin Award – A New Family Tradition

It’s really amazing to me that Thanksgiving is eight days away, and I’m looking forward to spending the holiday watching the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade and eating a ton of food with my family. This year, our Thanksgiving dinner will have a new family tradition – the presentation of the Marvin Award.

The Marvin Award is affectionately named for my 85-year-old grandfather, who is still sharp as a tack and plays golf once a week (although rumor has it he sometimes takes the golf cart where it doesn’t belong). The idea for the award jokingly came about because Grandpa leaves crumbs around his seat every time he eats. It got to the point where my mom started to put towels on his chair so he wouldn’t stain her dining room furniture!

This summer, we finally decided to make the Marvin Award a legitimate competition just before our first all-inclusive Levy family cruise. It quickly became a highlight of the vacation. As the week passed, my family created a set of rules to help us decide who the nightly winner would be. Here are some of them:

• You’re not allowed to clean the area surrounding your plates/personal space as you go. That’s cheating!
•  Bread causes a lot of problems in terms of messiness, so we had to think up new ways to avoid crumbs flying around the table. Some of us buttered the top of the roll instead of opening it up, and others (like me) held it over our plates and were extra careful.
• If a waiter showed up after the meal with a crumb catcher, we had to evaluate the standings before he or she cleaned up the table.
• If someone spilled something in your space while attempting to fill their plate, that’s your problem. It’s your mess!
• Should the server make a mess in your space, that also counts as your mess. My mom won the Marvin Award at a Brazilian steakhouse because the guy holding the meat made a mess around her plate.

Different family members have different opinions of the Marvin Award. My cousin Jillian and my dad are proud repeat winners (or offenders), but others (my aunt, for example) weren’t too pleased about winning. As for me, I ALMOST won the coveted trophy once, but then someone turned out to be messier than me that night. I have a feeling I’ll win it eventually, though. It seems that, without reminder, the trophy shows up at every family gathering, regardless of location.

The Marvin Award is really a no holds barred competition, but I hope no one assumes that this is all that happens at family gatherings. After a while, most of us forget that there’s an ongoing competition in the middle of dinner. Everything about it is all in good fun, and it’ll certainly make Thanksgiving that much more exciting this year!

Chasing Pavements: Post-Sandy Adventure on NJ Transit

Now that Sandy’s come and gone, I hope that everyone is safe from her wrath. My thoughts and prayers are with those who lost everything, and hopefully they can start rebuilding their lives. I was extremely fortunate, as my house was one of the few that didn’t lose power, even though most of my town is still without it.

I came home for the weekend so I could vote, so Monday I had to take New Jersey Transit into Manhattan to get to my internship. I’m a seasoned commuter and have never experienced anything but a minor delay with the trains. However, Hurricane Sandy threw the mass transportation system into a tailspin. It was probably one of the greatest travel adventures I’ve ever experienced!

The rails just eroded away on this track!

The train I normally take was down because of lack of power, rail damage, and fallen trees, so I had to travel two towns over to catch the 7:23 AM train to Secaucus, where I would transfer to get to Penn Station. Everything was running smoothly until we were almost at Secaucus; the train stopped for a good 40 minutes waiting its turn to feed into the station! When we were finally able to exit the train, we were met with hundreds of other people who were trying to accomplish the same transfer. After a series of unfulfilled promises and an hour of waiting, an empty train finally arrived to take us to New York.

An incredibly crowded Penn Station.

By the time I arrived at my internship, it had been exactly THREE HOURS from when I began my journey! Thankfully, the ride home was uneventful, but the entire morning was a stressful experience to say the least. I appreciate that New Jersey Transit tried to open up as many lines as they could, but I think they underestimated the demands that would be placed on the system.

So where does Adele’s song “Chasing Pavements” come in? Sometime between when the mysterious empty train that was promised to us for a good hour showed up and when it left the station, I realized that it was the perfect theme song for the day. I longed to escape the rails and tunnels that held me hostage for the morning. I’m pretty sure I had it on repeat for a good ten minutes on the ride into New York. 

Finding Humor in Hurricane Sandy

Hurricane Sandy is tearing its way up the East Coast, and the entire tri-state area has been practically shut down. Governor Cuomo has suspended mass transportation services, roads and bridges are closed and Fordham has cancelled classes for the next two days.  I decided to wait out the storm at home.

My family and I all noticed that the Internet is turning the storm into a pop culture sensation. This unprecedented storm has also succeeded in flooding social media. In honor of Hurricane Sandy preparing to hit land at some point today, here are some of my favorite tweets and memes.

The funniest of these spoofs is the Twitter account @AHurricaneSandy, which portrays the storm as a gangster ready to destroy the East Coast. Most of the tweets are pretty vulgar, so I’m not putting them on here. But here’s two of the best ones. The second one’s my favorite!

	HURRICANE SANDY (@AHurricaneSandy)
10/28/12 2:23 PM JUS BLEW DA ROOF OFF A OLIVE GARDEN FREE BREADSTICKS 4 EVERYONE

	HURRICANE SANDY (@AHurricaneSandy)
10/27/12 9:20 PM JUST BLEW A LAPTOP INTO THE OCEAN. NOW A DELL IS ROLLING IN DA DEEP.

The hurricane has also brought us some new Internet memes and images that refer to some famous Sandys in popular culture, starting with plays on Sandy Cheeks from Spongebob Squarepants.

Of course, Hurricane Sandy can’t be properly parodied without throwing in Sandy from Grease. Broadway World found this Facebook photo of “Hurricane Sandra Dee”:

Some other websites created a new meme combining the danger of the hurricane with Grease lyrics. Check them out at Buzzfeed! Here’s one example you’ll see there:

Although these things make Hurricane Sandy look like fun and games, this could be one of the most dangerous storms the East Coast has seen in a century. Everyone please stay safe!

Tina Fey & Amy Poehler to Host Golden Globes

Now that midterm week is finally over and I have a lot more time on my hands, I’ve been able to catch up on some of the most recent entertainment news. Perhaps the most exciting news announcement last week revealed that Tina Fey and Amy Poehler would be hosting the 70^th Annual Golden Globe Awards on January 13, 2013. It’s some of the best news I’ve heard in a while, and now I really can’t wait for awards season!

The Golden Globes are presented by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association and honor the best in film and television. It’s my favorite award show of the year because everything about it is so relaxed. The ceremony is held in a hotel ballroom instead of a theater, so all the attendees get to sit at tables and enjoy dinner and plenty of champagne. And obviously there are also the great one-liners, after-parties, and all those dresses to judge!

Tina Fey and Amy Poehler are going to do a phenomenal job hosting the Golden Globes! They’ve been two of the funniest ladies on television for years, both in front of and behind the camera. I’m glad to get to see them hosting an awards show that has an unscripted format, so I know that anything can happen. I’m also really curious to see how their performance compares to Seth MacFarlane’s hosting gig at next year’s Oscars, especially since the three have very different senses of humor.

Based on the antics they’ve created in the past, I’m most looking forward to whatever Fey and Poehler have up their sleeves during the ceremony. Here are a few examples of what happens when these two stir up some fun at award shows.

Poehler and her fellow nominees played with glasses at the 2009 Emmys:

Two years later, Poehler led Fey and their competitors in a beauty pageant of sorts:

And, of course, there’s Tina Fey photobombing Amy Poehler at this year’s Golden Globes:

The only downside to this announcement is that I have to wait almost three months for the Globes. Perhaps that will give the NBC censors a chance to warm up their fingers for when they have to press the mute button. I have a feeling they might need it!

Time: Friend or Foe?

This past week, time was not my friend. Interning two days a week, writing an eight-page paper, cramming for midterms, and still trying to find time to have a social life caused me to have frequent momentary panic attacks. Somewhere amidst the panic, I’ve come to realize that not only are there not enough hours in the day, but also that time is passing way too quickly.

 

Perhaps it struck me most on Sunday after I gave tours to some of the 2,400 students and their families that came to Fordham’s Senior Open House. Weren’t these kids me four years ago? Or maybe it was reviewing my transcript to see what classes I still needed to take to graduate. Then again, it could have been updating my résumé in an attempt to secure the perfect spring internship. It doesn’t really matter what the cause was; the passage of time is something that is way beyond my control.

When I first arrived at Fordham, graduation was something I looked forward to. So now, why is it both exciting and terrifying at the same time? Why are there still so many things left to do before I leave? I still haven’t ridden the ram or gone to the Botanical Gardens!

So now that time is back on my side, I think my reflections of the past week have made me come to realize that time deserves more respect. Maybe I should stop worrying about where I’ve been and where I’m going and take the time to live in the here and now. I think this quote by Michael Alphsuler sums it up best:

“The bad news is time flies. The good news is you’re the pilot.” 

One of These Things Is Not Like the Other…

“One of these things just doesn’t belong. (Sing Along Time!) Can you tell which thing is not like the other by the time I finish this song?”

Ok, I’ll admit it. Growing up, I was obsessed with Sesame Street (perhaps you were, too!). In order to fuel my obsession, my parents recorded endless episodes on VCR tapes (do people still even know what these are?), which I watched over and over and over again. By the time I was three, I overcame this obsession, only to replace it with any and all things Disney.

The characters, even though now I know they aren’t real, were like members of my family. I loved them each for their idiosyncrasies, and even today, when I see them, I get that warm, fuzzy feeling in my heart (no pun intended).

So by now, you’re probably wondering what any of this has to do with the title of my blog entry. I frequently find myself in Times Square surrounded by a plethora of Disney and Sesame Street imposters. Most of them are harmless individuals just trying to make money (except for Nasty Elmo, who fortunately has been banished). My goal is not to pontificate on their “unauthorized representation” of Disney and Sesame Street, but instead to point out how their existence destroys my inner psyche. These imposters’ costumes are blatantly poor representations of the characters that I hold near and dear.

These are just so bad that I refuse to comment.

The real deal!

The two in the middle were obviously unhappy that I didn't pay to take their picture.

I try to rationalize that they provide happiness and excitement for young children who cannot differentiate between the real characters and the fake ones. Additionally, I feel that perhaps they fill a void for those who cannot afford or have no desire to visit them in Disney World or Sesame Place. But for me, it really doesn’t matter. Whatever logic I attempt to use to justify their existence just proves to be futile. Each time I come across an imposter, I feel betrayed, but for the most part, just sad.

This blog post was brought to you by the letters F, A, K & E.    

Playbill: The Ultimate Souvenir

In my last post, I shared my best find of the day at the BC/EFA Flea Market: a Funny Girl Playbill featuring a young Barbra Streisand from October 1964. Playbills are an essential part of the theater-going experience and one of my favorite parts of going to see shows. They are the ultimate souvenirs, and best of all, they’re free! I love opening a Playbill and reading about the people who make shows come to life. I keep all my Playbills to remind me of seeing the show long after my night at the theater has passed, and I cherish my ever-growing collection.



Part of my Playbill Collection. Beauty and the Beast was my first Broadway show!

Interestingly enough, I also find myself using Playbills to gauge a theatergoer’s reaction to the show he or she has just seen. When the shows end and hundreds of Playbill-carrying audience members converge upon Times Square, I love to watch their reaction to what they have just witnessed. Most often, it is the extremely animated or the most sullen that draw my attention. I immediately look at the Playbill they are carrying to determine which show caused their reaction.

Playbills have been an institution in the theater industry since the early beginnings of Broadway. They were first printed for one theater in 1884 but later were printed for every show on the Great White Way. What amazes me most about the Playbill is how little it has actually changed.

Funny Girl 1964  - Peter and the Starcatcher 2012

The most obvious difference, of course, is its outward appearance. Older Playbills are slightly larger than their modern counterparts, and they’re entirely in black and white. Modern Playbills are slightly shorter and narrower and are printed in color. Since the newer Playbills are smaller, they also have fewer pages; the older ones are over sixty pages long, including an amazing amount of advertisements!

However, the bones of the Playbill remain intact. The dining guide and Theater Quiz have been in Playbills for decades, and there are several articles about the trends and stars of Broadway at the time. Of course, every Playbill places the information about the show right in the center. These include the standard title page, cast list, a list of musical numbers, and descriptions of the scenes and songs in the show. The “Who’s Who in the Cast” is still one of the most important features in both, but the way it’s written has really changed over the past forty years or so. Modern biographies list an actor’s previous acting credits and other information in short, choppy phrases that sometimes have a splash of personality. Biographies written in the 1960s are longer and have a more formal tone.

Barbra Streisand’s biography combines a little bit of both styles. It’s long and written in complete sentences, but her tone and language is witty and playful. I think she probably had a lot of fun writing her bio, and it shows:

For theater enthusiasts like me, the Playbill is a little piece of history that reawakens so many wonderful memories. Each time I look through my collection, I recall the most special moments and incredible performances of the many shows I’ve seen. Additionally, to hold and read a Playbill from a show from long before I was born allows me to learn more about the industry I love. So the next time you see a Broadway show, don’t throw away your Playbills; you never know what kind of memories they’ll evoke!

If you want to see Playbills both old and new, check out www.playbillvault.com. It’s a great website that has information on hundreds of shows and thousands of performers including pictures, scans of Playbill images, and links to more information about these shows. 

Broadway Cares Flea Market: Great Day, Great Cause

This past Sunday, I joined thousands of other theater lovers and members of the theater community at the 26^th annual Broadway Flea Market and Grand Auction, which is held every year by Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS (BC/EFA). It was a beautiful fall day to hunt for treasures amongst the many tables that lined West 44^th Street and Times Square.

Broadway Cares is a not-for-profit AIDS fundraising and grant-making organization that provides essential services for people with AIDS and other illnesses across the country. Through the generous efforts of the theater industry, the twenty-six yearly flea markets have collectively raised approximately $9.9 million. It’s one of my favorite charities, and I love being able to support it by attending the flea market every year.

The treasures come from many Broadway shows (both past and present) and other theater-related organizations. Broadway and television celebrities come to sign autographs, and the day caps off with the Grand Auction, where special big-ticket items and unique experiences are sold to the highest bidder. This year’s flea market outdid all others, setting a new record by raising a phenomenal $681,892.

This was my sixth visit to the Broadway Cares Flea Market. I started going in 2007 when I first discovered Spring Awakening and the three lead actors (Jonathan Groff, Lea Michele, and John Gallagher, Jr.) were signing autographs. Of course, this was long before each of them became famous outside of Broadway! I’ve been coming back ever since.

Lea Michele, Jonathan Groff, me, and John Gallagher, Jr.
Can't believe how young we all looked in 2007!

I didn’t spend a ton of money this year, but I found a bunch of really great stuff. Here’s the list:

• Rent t-shirt from the Hollywood Bowl
• Tony Awards bag
• Spelling Bee luggage tag and magnet
• Collapsible box from Broadway Cares
• Once cast recording discounted to a really great price because the case is cracked
• The 2012 Tony Awards playbill
• Signed prop bus ticket from American Idiot
• Spring Awakening light-up pen
• Set of Newsies trading cards that were one of the last sets printed

But perhaps the best find came when I discovered a Funny Girl Playbill with a very young Barbra Streisand on the cover from October 1964. Her biography is so refreshingly charming and funny, especially knowing this was written only a few short years before she became a recording icon.

I had a great time at the BC/EFA Flea Market as always, and everyone was warm and friendly. I only wish that more of the current shows came to sell some of their memorabilia. The older stuff is great to find, but younger generations of theater fans also really enjoy finding things from shows that they’re fond of. But it’s still always nice to see hundreds of Broadway lovers and performers gather to celebrate their passion for theater and donate to an amazing cause. I can’t wait until next year!

The 2012-2013 Broadway Season: My Must-See Musicals

Every year as the Broadway theater season unfolds, I make it my mission to see as many new shows as I possibly can. I like to try and see a healthy mix of musicals and plays, but there are so many this year that I have to split the list in two. First up are the musicals at the top of my must-see list.

The Mystery of Edwin Drood: A musical based on Charles Dickens’ last novel. Because Dickens died before he could write the ending, the audience chooses their own version of how the story ends (it’s the first Broadway show with multiple endings). I’m on a quest to see people who I consider living legends of Broadway before they stop performing, and Drood has one of the best – the incomparable Chita Rivera as Princess Puffer. Opens November 13^th at Studio 54; previews begin October 19^th.

Bare: A rock musical/coming of age story focusing on Catholic high school students. This technically is Off-Broadway, but I’ve been waiting for this show for years. I bought a concept album of Bare about four years ago, and the music and story are both beautiful and haunting. I also know several members of the cast, and it’ll be great to see how they bring the show to life. Additionally, Travis Wall of So You Think You Can Dance fame is the choreographer, so the dancing is going to be incredible. Opens December 9^th at New World Stages; previews begin November 19^th.

Matilda: Based on Roald Dahl’s 1988 book and the 1996 film about a young girl with extraordinary magical powers. I’ve never read the book or seen the movie, but I know the premise of the story. Last year, I worked at a Broadway production company, and I got the chance to listen to the cast recording before the show premiered in London. I would drop everything to see the opening number performed live. It’s over ten minutes long, but its harmonies, orchestrations, and clever lyrics are fantastic! I’m so curious to see how this show does. Opens April 11, 2013 at the Shubert Theater; previews begin March 4^th.

Kinky Boots: Based on a 2005 British film about a shoemaker who maintains the family business’ success by making exotic footwear. It has an all-star creative team: music by Cyndi Lauper, book by Harvey Fierstein, and director/choreographer Jerry Mitchell. Stark Sands (who I loved in American Idiot) and Billy Porter star. Opens April 4, 2013 at the Al Hirschfeld Theater; previews begin March 5^th. 

Diner: Based on Barry Levinson’s 1982 film about a group of high school friends reuniting ten years after graduation as the second member of the group prepares to get married. I watched the movie for the first time recently, and I’m excited to watch the plot come to life on stage (and see who plays the Ellen Barkin part). Sheryl Crow is making her Broadway debut as a composer, and I’m really intrigued to see how her songs fit with the story. Plus, one of the cast members is one of my top five theater performers ever, but I can’t say who yet! Opens April 10^th, 2013 at a theater to be announced.

There are a few more I’m really interested in seeing, but these are my top five. I know they’ll all bring their own magic to the Theater District, and I hope that people come out to see these shows. It may be tough to get a ticket, but there’s no better way to discover new talent and new music.

Welcome Back, Andy!

Andy Cohen’s late night talk show Watch What Happens Live returned to Bravo this week after a short hiatus, and I couldn’t be more excited. My late night TV ritual wasn’t complete without his quick wit, hilarious games and bartenders, and guests who are willing and eager to participate in the mayhem of the clubhouse.

On Wednesday, Kevin Jonas and Lance Bass came on the show, and it quickly became a walk down boy band memory lane. The Jonas Brothers were popular once I stopped obsessing over boy bands, but I had a huge crush on Lance when I was younger, so I love when he pops back into the limelight.

Here, Andy, Kevin, and Lance play a game where they have to recreate five Jonas Brothers poses in 30 seconds. I DARE you not to laugh out loud!



 

 Glad to have you back, Andy. How I’ve missed you so!

An Unknown Star at Newsies

Right before classes started at the end of August, my mom and I went to go see Newsies, a Broadway musical about the Newsboys Strike of 1899 (and based on a Disney movie/cult classic). I was mostly there to see Jeremy Jordan before he left to continue filming Smash, and of course, the phenomenal Tony Award-winning choreography.
 

 

The first act was enjoyable, especially the incredible number “Seize the Day” when the cast dances on newspapers. If you haven’t seen it, check out their performance on the Tonys:

As intermission began, we quickly exited our seats in the mezzanine and headed for a much-needed bathroom break. Normally, going to the bathroom in a theater means everyone waits in a huge line for so long that some don’t make it back for the start of Act Two. At Newsies, the line for the bathroom snaked down two staircases and stopped in the middle of the orchestra level near the lobby! With a line at least fifty people deep, I started to get nervous that we’d be on line forever!

But then I was shocked to see how quickly the line started to move, and when I reached the top of the stairs, I discovered Nelson, one of the Nederlander Theatre’s employees. Nelson controlled the crowd at the ladies’ room with military precision that was as astonishing as the choreography on stage. He used his powerful personality and booming voice to make sure women went in one way and out the other or stayed to one side of the aisle so no one collided. Because of Nelson’s tremendous effort, I actually made it back to my seat well before the second act began.

Later that week, I was doing press clippings as a part of my internship (more on that later) when I came across this article in The New York Post. It’s about some of the best and worst restrooms in Broadway theaters. I stopped for a moment and thought of Nelson. Unfortunately, he and the Nederlander were not included in the writers’ reviews. If they were included, they would’ve undoubtedly received 4 out of 4 toilet paper rolls and would have topped the list of best theater restrooms. Although Nelson’s name doesn’t appear in the Playbill or on the call board, he truly is a star!

Well, Here Goes...

So it finally happened. I made a blog. I’ve considered the idea of blogging on and off for years, but any plans to start failed because I thought I wouldn’t have anything to blog about, no one would read it, or I chickened out (but usually a combination of the three).

But now here I am, blogging after months of procrastinating. The swift kick in the butt to actually start this blog came from a class I’m taking this semester that will ultimately teach me how to blog. I have a feeling that once the class ends, I’ll keep blogging just because there’s no point in stopping once I’ve gotten the hang of it.

The Chronicles of Katie is just as the name implies: a blog sharing the details of my life and everything that interests me. I’m a huge theater enthusiast and I love all things Broadway, from the shows themselves to certain people I would drop everything to watch perform at other venues. I also love pop culture of all kinds and have plenty of obsessions and guilty pleasures. But I won’t share those now; that’ll ruin all the fun!

I hope you enjoy and come along for the ride as I explore the random adventures that make up my life.