WICKED IN LA!!

As many of you probably know there will be a new long-running production of WICKED in Los Angeles and it was just announced that Eden Espinosa will play Elphaba! I AM SO FUCKING EXCITED. Now I know what I'll be doing spring break - I smell a ROAD TRIP!!!!!!!!!

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M.

CATCHING MY BREATH

This was a really long & at times difficult week - I am glad it's over. There are only a few more weeks left in the semester and I am ready for a little time off. I have also realized that seeing at least a show a week is really killing me. I don't quite recover from my busy Tuesday that by Thursday and Friday I am just exhausted. Next month I plan on seeing Bat Boy at Ray of Light Theatre, my friend Marisol's recital at school, Barber of Seville at San Francisco Opera and A Greater Tuna at San Jose Stage Company. I think that's plenty.

In other news my family is looking to adopt a puppy - I've never really been a dog person but recently my sister and I cared for a lost chihuahua and found its owner - in that process however we fell in love with the little devil. So now we are going to adopt a puppy - hopefully one that will get along with my beloved cat Henry who rules this kingdom.

There was a really nice article written on our school newspaper on Wesla's recent concert at school - here's the link.

This weekend I went to see two great films - Running with Scissors which is one of the best films I have seen all year - but a true drama in every sense of the word. Annette Bening gives a bravura performance (somebody PLEASE give this lady an Oscar already!) the rest of the cast is also amazing including young Joseph Cross, Rachel Evan Wood (in her best role yet), Alec Baldwin, Brian Cox, Joseph Fiennes, Kristin Chenoweth and an amazing Jill Clayburgh. I also saw The Departed - a brilliant ensemble piece directed by Martin Scorcese with Matt Damon, Leonardo DiCaprio, Alec Baldwin, Jack Nicholson & Mark Walhberg in the cast (reason enough to see it =+) but an edge of your seat film that takes you on a great ride - I highly recommend them both.

Okay that's all from me - have a great week y'all!

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M.

THEATRE RESPONSE: COLORADO

Last Thursday I drove to Berkeley to see my friend Klahr in a play called Colorado. The hour and a half drive was well worth it. Impact Theatre performs in the Subterrenean Theatre or the basement of La Vals' Pizza - when I first got there I said to myself "I'm in a fucking basement!" But as soon as the show started I thought how perfect of a space it really was. They turned the basement of this pizzeria into a black box theatre that seats 60. I was very impressed with the play itself - it had so many layers with tons of comedy - brilliantly written by Peter Sinn Nachtrieb.

My friend Klahr Thorsen was stunning. I told her there was a couple of parts in the play where she really scared the shit of out me. Just a brilliant performance. The other 3 cast members were terrific - Joshua Houston, Jon Nagel and Adrienne Papp. The play dealt with a lot of issues - family, the obsession to be famous and of course beauty pageants. I will have to check out more of Impact Theatre's upcoming shows. I recommend you check them out too!

WHAT DID YOU EXPECT IN AN OPERA - A HAPPY ENDING?!

Going in to school today I knew that the cast list of next year's opera THE MERRY WIVES OF WINDSOR would be posted and I had a flash back - remembering when I was back in high school and I would go see the cast list of the plays I auditioned for and I would always come home crying - either because I didn't get the part I wanted or sometimes because I didn't get in. It's amazing how things change - everything does change. Fast forward a decade and I see my name and the word Falstaff next to it. (For those of you who don't know - Sir John Falstaff is one of Shakespeare's most popular characters.)

It was an incredible feeling - so much that I don't think it's really hit me yet. To say the least I was very humbled - this is my first lead role and my first venture into the opera world (those of you who for years have wanted to see me in a opera - this is your chance!) My voice teacher was very surprised by my casting because after all I am a baritone who is working on being a tenor and now I have to work on a bass-baritone role that is by far the most demanding character I have done to date. Needless to say it will be a challenge and I welcome it with great enthusiasm.

Debra Lambert (who almost forced me to audition) and Donald Pippin (head of Pocket Opera) have entrusted me with an incredible opportunity and I am very grateful of their faith in me. My fellow classmates & friends were incredibly supportive and very happy for me. Today was also an extra special day because myself, and my friends Marisol, Courtney & Adia sang for the board of trustees of NDNU tonight and were accompanied on the piano by the amazing Billy Liberatore. It was a GREAT fucking day.

I do have the next six months not just to work on the vocal demands of the role but also creating a character that is more obscene than King Herod, The Beadle, Mr. Bumble combined. Never in a million years would I tell you that I, Mr. Musical Theatre would ever play a lead in an opera so it's very interesting to see where life leads you and the many roads one takes. Today I feel so honored, blessed & grateful.

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M.

CABARET RESPONSE: JENIFER LEWIS

What an amazing evening!! Even though my best friend's birthday was on September 24th I told her that I had the perfect birthday gift for her and she needed to trust me and all I told her was that we would celebrate her birthday on October 20th. Heather is not the kind of person you keep surprises from so we was very curious as to where we were going. She was so thrilled that I was taking her to see Jenifer Lewis at The Plush Room that the look on her face was priceless. I knew by beginning of the show that I did good.

If you don't know who Jenifer Lewis is go rent the movie "JACKIE'S BACK" - and if you are gay why the hell haven't you seen this movie?!! Ms. Lewis plays a lot of "Mothers" in films and was also in the television show Strong Medicine.

Heather & I love her and remember her mostly from Jackie's Back which is a parody documentary about a has-been Diva trying to make a comeback concert. It is camp heaven and there were a lot of Jackie Washington fans in the audience tonight including my fellow Urinetown cast mate Stephan Smith Collins and his partner Dan.

Ms. Lewis was a diva in every since of the word - notice how I say Ms. Lewis. She sang, told stories, jokes -a wonderful cabaret act. There is a wonderful mini-review of the show written by Richard Connema of Talkin' Broadway and what's interesting is that in his review Richard talks about a heckler who had to be removed and tonight there were two drunk women and Ms. Lewis asked that they leave.

I loved her stories about working with Meryl Streep in the recent revival of Mother Courage and her choice of songs - mostly songs that she composed herself.
The audience was so responsive to Ms. Lewis that they demanded that she come back for an encore. We kept clapping and were gonna keep clapping until she came out again. She really seemed overwhelmed by the applause as she scrambled to find something to sing for an encore. She did a soulful rendition of His Eye On The Sparrow. It was a wonderful, wonderful night.

Now I have to go watch Jackie's Back!

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Love

CoCo

AUDRA ON PBS

This is how busy I am - I forget to alert my friends when cool things are on TV. Audra McDonald's Build a Bridge Concert from Lincoln Center was televised last weekend. It was so wonderful to see it on TV but it was more thrilling seeing it live. She did that same concert here in San Francisco (minus guest stars) so I felt so blessed to have seen her here. Yay!! Tonight was a good night and I am at peace with myself. I still can't wait for this week to end. I have midterms in the morning (so I should probably get to bed since it's almost 2 AM!) and then 1 class on Thursday - Friday night I am ataking my best friend to celebrate her birthday (it was a few weeks ago but I am taking her to see someone we both like - it's a secret so I won't divulge it here)

Here is a link to the NY Times review of Audra's concert. Speaking of reviews - Mr. Bay Area Talkin' Broadway himself Richard Connema celebrated his 80th birthday yesterday - Happy Birthday Richard!! I alwasy run into him at opening night parties. He is the sweetest person & a damn good critic.

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M.

THE LAST FEW DAYS

To say the least it has been an interesting past few days. Let us start with Friday night when my haunted heart took a beating by having to say goodbye to someone very special to me. Who the fuck moves to Missouri anyway? I just hate the fact that so many people that I love & care for move away.

I was pretty emotional about that and then my sister turned 16 on Saturday which was nice - it's amazing how time flies. She is growing up to be a fine young woman.

On Sunday night I went to the general auditions at Willows Theatre. It was a long drive and I can't believe the fucking maniacs that drive in the East Bay. It's incredible. They drive so fucking fast and someone like me who likes to drive carefully gets really fucking agitated. I get there and I already see a friendly face - my pal Bill Olson so I calm down a little. I go to the person in charge of the audition forms and she tells me how much she enjoyed my performance in Urinetown. I take that as a good sign.

I went in to sing my song - Younger Than Springtime which is a song that I have wanted to sing for a long time and thanks to my voice lessons with Lee Strawn I am much more confident in pushing the boundaries of the material I select. But if I have learned anything in theatre is to TAKE RISKS! Life is too short to be fucking around you know? So I sang a song that showed off my voice and It paid off. They asked me if I was only interested in doing their closing show of next season and because of my fucked up school schedule and commitments I had to say "yes." Even though I would LOVE to do their first musical. I guess I miss performing. They already told me I would be called in to read for the show I want. I take a deep breath and smile.

I was going to write more about other personal stuff but If you are a close friend of mine - you already know. If you'd like to know more call me or e-mail me. I have to be careful because you never know who's reading your blog kids - well actually I do know but that's beside the point.

I can't wait for this fucking week to be over. And how are you doing?

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Martin

AAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!

Sorry just needed to vent some frustration. It's been an interesting few days. I will write a full report tomorrow.

THEATRE RESPONSE: LIL' DARLIN'

On Wednesday evening I went to see San Jose Stage Company's world premiere production of LIL' DARLIN' written by Bay Area actor Will Marchetti. The production was really funny & charming and full of amazing talent. Among the talented cast there are top-notch performances by Robert Ernst, Joe Bellan and Frances Lee McCain. The set design by John Harrison York was brilliant. I love going to SJSC because I loved every moment of doing Urinetown there. They are a close family and really embraced me with open arms. On Wednesday night it was so wonderful to see a lot of my SJSC favorites - Jamie, Mary, Chris, Theresa, Meredith. It was a wonderful night out despite the fact that I am currently enduring a gout attack on my right foot and even moving my foot is painful. I look forward in seeing their upcoming production of Greater Tuna which will star my pal Kevin Blackton.

CHLOE'S YARN STORE

My dear friend Chloe Sparkle Dydo (now Mrs. Kestermont) and two friends of hers are opening up a yarn store in Sunnyvale. Their grand opening is this Saturday, Oct. 14th at 10 AM. Please support them!!!! Y'all know how hard it is to start a new business so y'all get to the yarn store. I know I will have to take up knitting now. =+)
Here's their website:
http://www.purlescenceyarns.com/

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M.

THEATRE RESPONSE: DESSA ROSE

Last night I attended the final preview of TheatreWorks' west coast premiere of Dessa Rose. I was so exhausted from the school week that I really went because my beloved C. Kelly Wright was in it. Sitting through the first act was difficult not just because of the subject matter - slavery, beatings, rape, injustice, suffering or the production itself - everything was top notch. There was just way too much going on in the first act and nothing seemed to flow the way a musical should. Luckily things get better in the second act when the pace is great, the songs get better and there is some humor to help us escape the heavy drama.

The two leads Carly Hughes & Linda Mugleston are first rate and deliver wonderful performances. My dear C. Kelly has the best song in the show called "White Milk & Red Blood" and she makes the most of it. The rest of the cast also give fine performances including my pal Mary Melnick, Cathleen Riddley, and John Eric Parker.

I particularly liked the song "In the Bend of My Arm" which is a dream sequence of lovers - beautiful.

As with any TheatreWorks show, the production values are first rate especially the lighting design by Steven Mannshardt was brilliant and highly effective.

This is a very heavy, emotional musical and TheatreWorks presents a beautiful production of it.

OCTOBER SHOWS

I realized that with my insane school schedule I can no longer attend as many shows I have been recently. I am going to do my best to still see 1 show a week. This month I plan on seeing Dessa Rose at TheatreWorks, Lil' Darlin' at San Jose Stage Company, and a new play called Colorado which my pal Klhar Thorsen is in. That's October folks!

CONCERT RESPONSE: AUDRA MCDONALD

Tuesday night was one of the best evenings EVER. Not only was Ms. McDonald extraordinary but I had the most wonderful time with my dear friend Peter Tarter. We got to the city early because we wanted good seats and we got 'em - we were in the fourth table back in the front area. Audra was backed by her long-time musical director Ted Sperling and a band of 4 other musicians. Her concert was divine. She did everything - songs from her amazing new album Build a Bridge, Broadway songs both old & modern, standards and showstoppers.

I was so entranced with what an amazing performer she is - she is so connected to the material and you see it in her eyes. I remember the first time that I saw her live with the SF Symphony - I was with my best friend Heather and we were I think on the 7th row on the side. During one of her pauses, people started to shout "I Love You Audra!" and then my friend Heather who has a really loud voice (like me) shouted "Hi Audra I Love You Too - I'm Heather & this is Martin!" Then I heard the sound of 3,000 people laughing and then Audra McDonald waving back "Hi Heather, Hi Martin!" I was in Heaven. So we wanted to meet her after the show and as soon as she saw us she said "Are you two Heather & Martin?!" She was so sweet and signed my songbook of hers (Way Back To Paradise) with this inscription: "To Martin 'I Love You!' Much Love, Audra McDonald." It just doesn't get any better than that.

Some of my favorite songs she did on Tuesday night were: Stars & The Moon (you know I hear so many people try sing this song - it was so nice to hear her do it justice), Bein' Green, Tom Cat Goodbye, My Stupid Mouth, Wonderful You, When Lola Sings (written especially for her by Michael John LaChiusa) a cut version of The Glamorous Life from A Little Night Music (which I took as a sign of good luck - next month are auditions for it at school =+), Will He Like Me, and she closed her set with When Did I Fall In Love? She returned to sing only 1 encore - even though her public wanted more - a lovely acoustic/no microphone rendition of Edelweiss. Her rendition of I Won't Mind had me in tears.

What I really loved about this particular performance was that she showed a very human side to performing - she had to start over a couple of times - she hit a couple of funky notes - I mean that's life - that's real. No one can ever be 100% perfect. Who the fuck wants that? I would rather see my favorite performer say oops - than be flawless. Audra McDonald in my eyes is a flawless performer and I will always remember this particular concert. This was my third time seeing her perform live and I hope she continues to return to the Bay Area every year. I know I will be there.

INSPIRATION IN A BOTTLE

I wish I could just b0ttle Audra McDonald and have her around whenever I feel down - she'll be my inspiration in a bottle. I just got back from her concert and it was inspirational beyond words so I will write a full report in the morning. She still has one more performance tonight at 8 PM - do not miss her. It was an amazing event, one that I shall not forget.

ALREADY OCTOBER

Can you believe it's already October? I had a lovely weekend and on Sunday I went to see my fellow classmate Liz O'Neill's graduate recital at school - it was lovely and she did a great job. I am so psyched - tonight AUDRA!!!

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M