AN INCREDIBLE GIG

Yesterday was an interesting day for me. I woke up early to go get tickets for Lestat at the Curran Theatre Box Office, when driving there I was pulled over for speeding. Nice way to start the day. I did manage to get decent seats to the Janaury 10th performance of the show - can't wait.

Heather & I performed at the Little Store Restaurant to a sold-out crowd. We really didn't have any rehearsal time with each other or the pianist - but it was one of the best gigs I've ever had. It went beautifully and the audience loved us. There was a reporter there from the San Mateo Daily News who wants to do a story on Heather & I - pretty cool. We have been invited back to perform next year, but Heather will be in Seattle performing in Zinzanni so I will have to find a worthy replacement diva. Heather will be leaving for New Mexico this week to do a benefit concert so it was great to be able to perform with her and hang out after. We went to see the new Meyl Streep/Uma Thurman film Prime - which was lovely. Funny & moving.

Today, the first review came out for the shows at school and it was a rave! John Angell Grant from the Redwood City Daily News praised Linda's direction and mentioned some of the actors. He didn't really care for Babel's in Arms - but that's okay. We still love it.

I am off to my second costume fitting at TW and rehearsals officially start tomorrow!

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M.

A GREAT OPENING WEEKEND

I am so proud of the kids that are performing in my school's current productions. Both shows are really good. We had a wonderful opening night and two critics came to see our performances last night. If you want a good laugh come see the shows. There are three more performances. Thurs-Sat at 7:30 PM at the Canada College Flex Theatre. I promise you'll have a good time.

Tomorrow night my pal Heather Clemens & I will be singing at The Little Store restaurant in Woodside. I am a little scared (since it's sold out and it's been a long time since I have performed operatic material) but I think I'll just have fun with it.

That's all for now.

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M.

CAÑADA PRODUCTION OPENS TONIGHT!

The Cañada College Theatre Arts Department proudly presents two hilarious one-act comedies: For Whom The Southern Belle Tolls by Christopher Durang and Babel’s in Arms by David Ives. Directed by Linda Hoy. Performances will take place October 27, 28, 29 and November 3, 4, 5 at 7:30 PM at the Cañada College Flexible Theatre. 4200 Farmhill Blvd. Redwood City, CA 94061. Tickets are $10 for general admission, $9 for staff & seniors and $5 for all students. Tickets can be reserved by calling (650) 306-3396.

BABEL'S IN ARMS by David Ives: Two blue-collar Mesopotamian construction workers are handed a provocative task: Build the Tower of Babel—or else. How many stones does it take to get to heaven, anyway? Prominently featured are also a businesswoman, a priestess & a eunuch.

FOR WHOM THE SOUTHERN BELLE TOLLS by Christopher Durang is a parody of Tennessee Williams play The Glass Menagerie. In this version Amanda is frustrated with her over-sensitive, hypochondriac son named Lawrence. Lawrence refuses to leave the house or get a job; he’s too shy to ever met anyone; and he spends all his time playing with his collection of glass cocktail stirrers. ("This one is called string bean because it’s long and thin," he says. "I call this one thermometer because it looks like a thermometer." "All my children have such imagination," Amanda says with despair.) Lawrence’s more regular brother Tom brings home a "feminine caller" from the warehouse, and Lawrence is overwhelmed by the butch girl Ginny who is deaf and shouts all the time. Ginny and Lawrence eventually sort of hit it off, and she teaches him how to swagger and talk about baseball in a loud voice. But then she leaves, and Tom goes off to the movies (where he has a tendency to meet and bring home sailors who have missed their boat), and Amanda is stuck forever with hopeless Lawrence.

COMPLETE CAST/STAFF LIST:
Director: Linda Hoy
Assistant Director: Martin Rojas-Dietrich
Lighting Designer: Peter Gielow
Sound Designers: Juan Liborio & Tony Burrola
Featuring: Joey Axiaq, Josh Bryant, Kimi Carey, Kyla Gibboney, Kyle Hart, Allie Jones, David Lundell, David Roberts, Elizabeth Sachs

URINETOWN(s)

There will be three different Bay Area productions of Urinetown: The Musical in the coming year and my pal Mike Padilla was just cast as the evil Cladwell in FMT's production which will be the first one to be seen. Way to go Mike!

A DIVA AT THE PLUSH ROOM

Last night, I snuck out of tech rehearsal a little earlier so I could see my best friend and diva extraordinaire Heather Clemens perform her new cabaret show On The Sunny Side of the Street at the York Hotel's Plush Room. Heather was phenomenal and did not dissapoint. Her program was wonderful & eclectic and included a couple of powerhouse arias, Vanilla Ice Cream from She Loves Me, You Made Me Love You, All The Way and of course, the title song, On The Sunny Side of The Street. I was moved to tears when she dedicated her encore to me. We all hoped that she would continue singing. I love her so - go see her. She's playing one more night tonight at the Plush Room and has a series of shows around the Bay Area before joining the Seattle company of Teatro Zinzanni. Catch her while you still can.

THEATRE RESPONSE: THE LARAMIE PROJECT

Last night, I attended the opening night of Coastal Repertory Theatre's production of The Laramie Project. My friend, director Michael Lederman once again, doesn't fail to amaze me. As a director, Michael is often times drawn to material that is not just controversial but also inspires dialogue & commentary. I had the pleasure of being directed by him when I performed the role of Herr Schultz in Cabaret almost five years ago. He has assembled a great cast (almost 30 actors) that portray many different characters in the play. This play is very close to my heart, and I think one that everyone should see - despite their beliefs. The Laramie Project doesn't say that homosexuality is wrong or right, it just says that we are all human beings, and shouldn't we all have the same rights?

The play is a true ensemble piece but I was especially moved by the performances of Denise Colombo, Steve Marcotte (who was in Into The Woods with me years ago there) & my friend Maryann Moore. I was so proud of her - since I almost had to drag her to audition. She is a very promising young talent.

This story - what happened to young Matthew Shepard should never be forgotten. Michael & his cast tell this story with grace, compassion & great drama. Go see it.

SHE LOVES ME!

One of my dearest & oldest friends, Andrea St. Clair is performing one of the leads in Woodland Opera House's upcoming production of She Loves Me. Andrea & I were in a production of The Secret Garden at Coastal Rep (then called "This Side of The Hill Players") It was my first musical after graduating from high school. Andrea & I got to be great friends during the show. She played the role of Martha & I was Major Holmes. She is a great gal & an amazing talent. I can't believe how time flies - that was almost 10 years ago!!!


Andrea in She Loves Me (2005)





Andrea in The Secret Garden (1996)



Andrea & I backstage (1996 - check out the Steve Urkell glasses on me!)

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COMPLETE "WOODS" CAST LIST ANNOUNCED

Link to Playbill article.

All I can say is wow!

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M

WOODS - CASTING NEWS

I already know who some of the amazing talent that will be featured in TheatreWork's upcoming Into The Woods but I will wait to post the complete cast list. (If you're anything like me, you want to to know what the cast is for every show playing.) I can say that Broadway star Christiane Noll will be playing the role of the Baker's Wife. How awesome is that?! Details on the Playbill article. I love her voice on the Jekyll & Hyde Broadway cast CD and she was sensational in The Mambo Kings which played San Francisco a few months ago. I cannot wait to start rehearsals!!

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M

BUSY WEEK

I had a really crazy week trying to find props & costumes for the plays at school. Thankfully we were able to borrow some props from my pal Barbara Cannon (love her!) at Bus Barn Stage Company and some costumes from San Mateo High School. The plays are in great shape - if you get the chance go see them - on Saturday, October 29th, mention the Artsopolis discount at the box office and get in for $5. I will be around the first weekend of shows if you wanna say hi. Also, if you wanna support a theatre department that really needs community support - come see the plays. You'll have a good time - they're hilarious. E-mail me for more info.

I am excited to see my fellow classmate Maryann Moore perform in The Laramie Project over at Coastal Rep in Half Moon Bay on Friday.

My best friend & diva extraordinaire Heather Clemens will be performing her new one-woman show On The Sunny Side of The Street at The Plush Room in San Francisco on October 23rd & 24th. Check out her website for more info.

That's all I got right now =+) I am looking forward to a little rest this weekend and on that note - have a great weekend everyone!

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M

FAB RUTHLESS!

I just got back from Gilroy where my dear friend Hilary Little performed the lead in Ruthless! The Musical! with Oddysey Theatre. She was amazing!! She told me that they did not get enough people to see the show which is a shame since it was really good. It always saddens me when really good shows don't get full houses. This show was a hilarious parody of different shows & movies including Gypsy, Mame, All About Eve & Mommie Dearest. Total theatre queen stuff - and I loved it! This is a picture of Hil & I when we did Sweeney at FMT.

CAÑADA THEATRE ARTS DEPARMENT

On Thursday night, the Cañada College Theatre Arts department (where I study and work), raised $4500 at a special yearly fundaiser which featured a live performance by performance artists David Garibaldi. It was an awesome night. Yesterday, Linda Hoy & I were interviewed by Keith Kreitman on his Pen TV show Focus on the Arts. The segment should air throughout the month. The fall production (For Whom The Southern Belle Tolls and Babel's in Arms) at Cañada will perform on October 27, 28, 29 and November 3, 4, 5 at 7:30 PM at the Cañada College Flexible Theatre in Building 3 - 4200 Farmhill Blvd in Redwood City. Tickets are $10 for general admission, $9 for staff & seniors and $5 for all students. Come check it out!

THEATRE RESPONSE: BAY TAJ

I am always amazed at the talents TheatreWorks presents Bay Area audiences. The current treat they are presenting is Baby Taj - a wonderful play about self-discovery, love and parenthood. The play is written beautifully by playwright, travel writer & actress Tanya Shaffer who really knows what she's talking about. I was taken back with the inventive & gorgeous scenic design work by the brilliant Joe Ragey (who designed Sweeney at FMT) and the vibrant and colorful costumes by the always amazing Fumiko Bielefeldt. The cast is outstanding and lead by Lesley Fera as Rachel. I was blown away with her talents - so real in every sense of the word. Sam Younis does a terrific job as Rachel's love interest but the scene stealer of this production is Qurrat Ann Kadwani as Chandra - she is truly magnificent. I loved this production and I highly recommend it. Baby Taj presented by TheatreWorks will play at the Mountain View Center for the Performing Arts until October 23rd. Do not miss it.

TOTAL BLAST

I had the best time last night performing alongside divas Heather Clemens & Tammy Nelson (who will soon be releasing her CD - more info to come). Getting to perform on the same venue with those two - it just doesn't get any better than that. Heather will be out of town on October 18th and I will be filling in for her as host of the showcase. More info on that to come as well. Tonight I am seeing Baby Taj @ TheatreWorks. Have you ever had a really good week?

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M.

HAPPY MONDAY!

It has been a very happy afternoon - I just got cast in TheatreWorks' upcoming production of Stephen Sondheim's INTO THE WOODS. Since TheatreWorks announced their season all I could think of was WOODS! It was an unexpected surprise to be able to work on Harold & Maude but this was way unexpected. I'll be playing the role of Cinderella's Father. A small role, but I am ecstatic. I loved every minute of my last experience at TW and cannot wait for this show to begin rehearsals on November 1st. The last time I did this show was with Coastal Repertory Theatre (then called This Side of the Hill Players) where I played the role of Jack. I was 19 years old and still pretty heavy to be playing Jack - but I had a great time doing it and especially working with the director Chuck Danskin, choreographer Lee Ann Payne and musical directors Rebecca Acchenbach and John Elliot Kirk.

I kept my schedule clear for the rest of the year just in case they might consider me for TW's production and here we are. I couldn't be happier!

The show begins previews November 30th, opens December 3rd and runs until January 7th at the Lucie Stern Theatre in Palo Alto. I'll keep y'all posted on rehearsals and all that jazz.

On Friday, my boss Linda Hoy & I have been invited to appear on Keith Kreitman's TV show Focus on Arts. We will be discussing the upcoming production at Cañada College. I'll post more info on that as it comes available.

I'm hoping to see a couple of shows this week: Baby Taj @ TheatreWorks and my friend Hilary Little is starring in Ruthless @ Odyssey Theatre in Gilroy.

Okay, that's enough from me.

Big Mwah!
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M.

p.s. This is very last minute - tomorrow night I will performing in a showcase at the Miramar Restaurant in Half Moon Bay from 7- 9 PM hosted by my pal Heather Clemens and pianist Larry O'Leno. I will be doing a 25 minute set of Broadway, jazz & standards. The other guest star is Tammy Nelson of Beach Blanket Babylon. It should be fun - if you're in the Half Moon Bay area come see us- The restaurant is located 2.7 miles north of Half MoonBay and 1.3 miles south of Pillar Point Harbor just off Highway 1. There is no cover charge - for dinner reservations call (650) 726-9053