The Last Midnight: January

42nd Street
Theatre: Theatre Royal, Drury Lane (West End)
Opened: April 4, 2017
Closing: January 5, 2019
Olivier Awards:
Best Musical Revival [Nominated]
Best Theatre Choreographer for Randy Skinner [Nominated]
Best Costume Design for Roger Kirk [Nominated]

Bat Out of Hell
Theatre: Dominion Theatre (West End)
Opened: April 2, 2018
Closing: January 5, 2019
Olivier Awards: N/A

Chicago
Theatre: Phoenix Theatre (West End)
Opened: April 11, 2018
Closing: January 5, 2019
Olivier Awards: N/A

Head Over Heels
Theatre: Hudson Theatre (Broadway)
Opened: July 26, 2018
Closing: January 6, 2019
Tony Awards: N/A

Once On This Island
Theatre: Circle in the Square (Broadway)
Opened: December 3, 2018
Closing: January 6, 2019
Tony Awards:
Best Revival of a Musical
Best Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical for Hailey Kilgore [Nominated]
Best Direction of a Musical for Michael Arden [Nominated]
Best Scenic Design in a Musical for Dane Laffrey [Nominated]
Best Costume Design in a Musical for Clint Ramos [Nominated]
Best Lighting Design in a Musical for Jules Fisher and Peggy Eisenhauer [Nominated]
Best Sound Design in a Musical for Peter Hylesnki [Nominated]
Best Orchestrations for AnnMarie Millazo and Michael Starobin [Nominated]

The Play That Goes Wrong
Theatre: Lyceum Theatre (Broadway)
Opened: April 2, 2017
Closing: January 6, 2019
Tony Awards:
Best Scenic Design of a Play for Nigel Hook

Torch Song
Theatre: Helen Hayes Theatre (Broadway)
Opened: November 1, 2018
Closing: January 6, 2019
Tony Awards: N/A

Dreamgirls
Theatre: Savoy Theatre (West End)
Opened: December 14, 2016
Closing: January 12, 2019
Olivier Awards:
Best New Musical [Nominated]
Best Actress in a Musical for Amber Riley
Best Actor in a Supporting Actor in a Musical for Adam J. Bernard
Best Costume Design for Greg Barnes [Nominated]
Outstanding Achievement in Music for Henry Krieger [Nominated]

Kinky Boots
Theatre: Adelphi Theatre (West End)
Opened: September 15, 2015
Closing: January 12, 2019
Olivier Awards:
Best New Musical
Best Actor in a Musical for Killian Donnelly [Nominated]
Best Actor in a Musical for Matt Henry
Best Actress in a Supporting Role in a Musical for Amy Lennox [Nominated]
Best Theatre Choreographer for Jerry Mitchell [Nominated]
Best Costume Design for Greg Barnes
Outstanding Achievement in Music for Cyndi Lauper and Stephen Oremus [Nominated]

The Lifespan of a Fact
Theatre: Studio 54 (Broadway)
Opened: October 18, 2018
Closing: January 13, 2019
Tony Awards: N/A

The Inheritance
Theatre: Noël Coward Theatre (West End)
Opened: September 21, 2018
Closing: January 19, 2019
Olivier Awards: N/A

Summer and Smoke
Theatre: Duke of York's Theatre (West End)
Opened: November 10, 2018
Closing: January 19, 2019
Olivier Awards: N/A

School of Rock
Theatre: Winter Garden Theatre (Broadway)
Opened: December 6, 2015
Closing: January 20, 2019
Tony Awards:
Best Musical [Nominated]
Best Book of a Musical for Julian Fellowes [Nomianted]
Best Original Score for Andrew Lloyd Webber and Glenn Slater [Nominated]
Best Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical for Alex Brightman [Nominated]

American Son
Theatre: Booth Theatre (Broadway)
Opened: November 4, 2018
Closing: January 27, 2019
Tony Awards: N/A

The Waverly Gallery
Theatre: Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre (Broadway)
Opened: October 25, 2018
Closing: January 27, 2019
Tony Awards: N/A

The Last Midnight: December

The Height of the Storm
Theatre: Wyndham's Theatre (West End)
Opened: October 9, 2018
Closing: December 1, 2018
Olivier Awards: N/A

The Wipers Times
Theatre: Arts Theatre (West End)
Opened: October 18, 2018
Closing: December 1, 2018
Olivier Awards: N/A

Summer: The Donna Summer Musical
Theatre: Lunt-Fontanne Theatre (Broadway)
Opened: October 18, 2018
Closing: December 30, 2018
Tony Awards:
Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical for LaChanze [Nominated]
Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical for Ariana DeBose [Nominated]

The Last Midnight: November

The Jungle
Theatre: Playhouse Theatre (West End)
Opened: July 5, 2018
Closing: November 3, 2018
Olivier Awards: N/A

King Lear
Theatre: Duke of York's Theatre (West End)
Opened: July 11, 2018
Closing: November 3, 2018
Olivier Awards: N/A

Bernhardt/Hamlet
Theatre: American Airlines Theatre (Broadway)
Opened: September 25, 2018
Closing: November 11, 2018
Tony Awards: N/A

The Nap
Theatre: Samuel J. Friedman Theatre (Broadway)
Opened: September 27, 2018
Closing: November 11, 2018
Tony Awards: N/A

Heathers
Theatre: Theatre Royal Haymarket (West End)
Opened: September 3, 2018
Closing: November 24, 2018
Olivier Awards: N/A

Sunday in the Park with Amara Okereke

Amara Okereke as Maria in West Side Story
The National Youth Music Theatre

HELLO! This post has been delayed for months! My life got crazy and this is the first free time that I've had in a while. Earlier this year I had the wonderful opportunity of being able to interview Amara Okereke who is the current Cosette in Les Miserables and the first black principle Cosette in any production. The moment I heard of this casting I became obsessed and did as much online research on Amara as I could. Every video I saw of her singing made me fall in love with her voice even more. Her voice is absolutely beautiful and I look forward to seeing where her career goes because something tells me it will be one for the history books. Anyway, I apologize for how late this interview is being posted and thank you to InterTalent Rights Group for allowing me to interview your lovely client. This interview was conducted in June/July of 2018 so therefore the information may be a bit dated. As the same with my last interview, this was done over email and that is why it may seem a bit choppy with the transitions from question to question.

Paul: When and where were you born?
Amara: I was born in November 1996 in North Tyneside (near Newcastle) [This is in England.]
Paul: Did you grow up there?
Amara: We moved to Leeds when I was quite young so I grew up in Leeds.
Paul: Did you do any theatre while you were younger?
Amara: I did a couple of shows at my school, and have always done acting, singing and dance classes from a young age, but most of my theatre experience came from doing shows with the National Youth Music Theatre.
Paul: Who were the artists that you looked up to as a kid?
Amara: Like most young girls, I was always obsessed with Beyonce, her presence, confidence and work ethic was always something I admired and would be inspiring to any performer.
Paul: When/what was the moment you realized that you had to do theatre for a living?
Amara: After opening night of my first show with NYMT was the moment I caught the bug. Without sounding cheesy I knew that there was nothing that could replicate the feeling I felt that night.
Paul: Who are your favorite actors/actresses?

Amara as Cosette in Les Miserables
West End

Amara: I worship Audra McDonald! I’ve always looked up to her as an actress. I’m also a huge fan of Jenna Russell [Now I have to see Amara as Betty opposite Jenna as Norma in Sunset Boulevard and featuring Alistair Brammer as Joe Gillis] and Maxine Peak.
Paul: You’re attending/have attended Arts Educational Schools and you’ve done a wide variety of roles you’ve played a Diva in Priscilla Queen of the Desert, Dance Captain/Ensemble in Bullets Over Broadway and Nellie Lovett in Sweeney Todd. Do you think that these roles have prepared you for Les Miserables?
Amara: A lot of the roles I played at school were very different from Cosette however I do feel like they gave me the opportunity to explore and play in different ways that were far away from my comfort zone, allowing me to expand my ability as an actor and increase my confidence in what I can do, which then gave me the skills to approach Les Miserables with confidence and playfulness.

Paul: What I find most interesting though is that you were in a show called Winehouse and you played the role of Amy Winehouse was that a musical or a play? What was that experience like? Did that role come with any physical/mental strains on your body?
Amara: This was actually a dance project I performed in my second year. It was a thirty minute dance piece choreographed by Alistair David which told a story that was lightly based on Amy Winehouse’s life, the world she lived in and the relationships she had. The piece was also performed entirely to a medley of Amy Winehouse’s music. It was a wonderful and incredibly interesting project, and it was so exciting to research and understand her and then to try and embody that world she lived in. I shared the role with another girl who played Amy in the beginning of her relationship with Blake and then I took over halfway through the piece when the relationship starts to crumble and she begins to fall into a cycle of self harm, alcoholism and drug addiction. Of course it was physically and mentally quite exhausting trying perform difficult and beautiful choreography using all my physical technique as well as trying to tell the story and truthfully and respectfully as possible, however it was massively rewarding by the end of the process.
Paul: You are making history as the first black principle Cosette [There have been only 2 other black women, but both were understudies: Idara Victor in the 2006 Broadway revival and Morenike Fadayomi in Austria] Was this a dream show/role for you?
Amara: Absolutely! It has always been rare to see black women in legit roles, which is partly what attracted me so much to Audra McDonald. The idea of someone who looks like me singing the way I love to sing is something I always crave and the idea of there eventually being a principle black Cosette was very exciting so for that person to be me and for it to happen so early on in my career is really quite a special feeling. I’m absolutely over the moon.

Okereke as Emily in The Hired Man
The National Youth Music Theatre

Paul: Now, if I understand your Spotlight profile correctly you’re still in school? How does that work? Is it the same as over here in the U.S. you go to school during the days and then do the shows at night?
Amara: I was in my third and final year of drama school when I was offered the job and since we don’t graduate until September that technically still makes me a student. Fortunately, my school allows us to finish the course early if we have a job that starts after our final showcase (which was in late March) meaning I was able to leave slightly early to start rehearsals for the show. But now that I have left I don’t have to still go to classes in the day.
Paul: What was the audition process like for this role [Cosette]? What was the song you sang for the audition?
Amara: It started with a few of the creatives coming into my school and auditioning every one in my year. I think they gave each person a 5-minute slot so it was a very quick “in and out” kind of audition. I sang "My Lord and Master" from The King and I. A few days later I received an email from the principle of the school telling me I had been recalled [Callback] and was asked to learn some material for the recall which included some Cosette material and some Éponine material. About a week later I had my recall which was a much longer audition as it involved working with the resident director Sam Hiller on some of the acting and understanding of the characters which was incredibly helpful and good fun. I was then asked a few days later to come back and sing the same material again but the main focus this time would be on the Cosette material. This was quite similar to the last round, but with even more detail on acting choices and vocal choices and more time was spent on the Cosette material than the Éponine. Then that same day I got a call from my principal telling me I had been invited to finals at The Queen’s theatre for the role of Cosette which was the following morning! It was extremely exciting but also a bit of a blur as it happened so quickly. At the finals, we worked on the actual stage and sang the material but with blocking and with other actors auditioning for Marius and Éponine. The next day I received a call saying I’d been offered the role of Cosette.
Paul: When was the exact moment you got the call that you were cast as Cosette? Who was the first person you told after you got the part?
Amara: Saturday 2nd of March around 5pm. I rang my mum immediately after I found out. I couldn’t wait to tell her.

Okereke as Cassie in 13
Apollo Shaftesbury Avenue

Paul: How does it feel [Taking on this role] or has it not hit you yet?
Amara: I think it really hit me after opening night. I had a lot of friends and family in the audience and I think it wasn’t until everyone had witnessed it happen that my brain could fully comprehend it was real. It’s kind of an overwhelming feeling of butterflies in my stomach but quite an emotional feeling as well. As soon as I got home after my opening night I sat in my bed and cried (tears of joy) for about ten minutes.
Paul: You’ve only been in Les Miserables for about a month or so, but do you have any funny onstage mishaps so far?
Amara: Not yet! I think that might start to happen once I get more used to the show and start to get slightly more confident (but hopefully not!!)
Paul: What is your favorite part about being in Les Miserables? What is the moment in the show you look forward to doing each performance?
Amara: I love being around so many talented actors, creatives and crew. It’s wonderful to be constantly inspired by so many amazing people every day. Either "A Heart Full Of Love" or "The Wedding". Both of those scenes are such high energy moments for the character and I think the energy rubs off on me a little bit as I always tend to feel a little adrenaline rush coming off stage after those scenes.
Paul: Since Cosette doesn’t enter until mid-Act 1 you are a part of the ensemble for the first half of the show. Are there any moments after that change that you still wish you were a part of the ensemble? [Meaning would you want to be a part of the ABC Café scene or being on the barricade or some other scene that ensemble members are in, but since you are Cosette you can’t be a part of them.]
Amara: I would love to be a part of "Master of The House"! It looks like everyone is having so much fun on stage, and there are some wonderful ensemble characters in that number!
Paul: What are your favorite plays and musicals?
Amara: I read Much Ado About Nothing when I was about 12 or 13 and it was a brilliant introduction to Shakespeare and is still my favorite Shakespeare play. Edward Albee’s The Goat or Who is Sylvia is also a favorite. Favorite musical is either Sondheim’s Merrily We Roll Along or Ragtime by Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty.
Paul: Any other roles you want to tackle (Meaning dream roles)? Maybe the first black Christine in The Phantom of the Opera? First black principle Glinda in Wicked?
Amara: I would love to play both of those roles! Other dream roles would be Carrie Pipperidge in Carousel or Sarah in Ragtime.

Okereke in Bullet's Over Broadway
The Arts Educational Schools London

Paul: Any roles you’d want to gender bend?
Amara: Pirelli in Sweeney Todd, Prince Charming in Into The Woods and King George III in Hamilton.
Paul: If you couldn’t do theatre, then what would you be doing right now? (Job wise)
Amara: My initial plan before I knew I wanted to be an actor, back when it was just a hobby, was to go to medical school or dentistry school, so I’d probably be studying to be either a doctor or a dentist right now. (But I definitely wouldn’t be enjoying it).
Paul: Any words of advice for up and coming actors/actresses and wannabe Cosette’s?
Amara: I genuinely believe that if you put enough positive energy into something you want then you will get it because that drives you to keep working harder, keep getting better and continue to be persistent. So I would advise any upcoming actors, to work hard, keep pushing, stay positive and eventually, opportunity will come and when it does, you’ll be ready for it.

So takeaway: Amara is an incredibly talented woman and incredibly nice. She also needs to be cast in pretty much every soprano role on the planet.

Happy 29th Anniversary Miss Saigon!

29 years ago on this day, a show premiered in London.

4 years ago it was revived.
3 years ago I was suicidal.
3 years ago my life changed when I heard "Dream, the dream I long to find the movie in my mind." and I broke down crying. I had never felt that connected to a show before. I had never had something speak to me like that.
1 year ago I saw this production live on Broadway and I've never had a theatrical experience like that before. I cried during "Kim's Nightmare" and I cried at the end.
Today. Today I'm here and it's because of this show.
Happy 29th anniversary Miss Saigon. Thank you for everything you've done for me and the rest of the world.

BroadwayHD: The Play That Goes Wrong Live!

I started a petition to have BroadwayHD live stream the hilarious comedy The Play That Goes Wrong before it closes on Broadway January 2019. If you want to sign it please click this link and it will take you to Change.Org for you to sign the petition!

The Last Midnight: October

Six
Theatre: Arts Theatre (West End)
Opened: August 30, 2018
Closing: October 16, 2018
Olivier Awards: N/A

Foxfinder
Theatre: Ambassadors Theatre (West End)
Opened: September 13, 2018
Closing: October 20, 2018
Olivier Awards: N/A

The Importance of Being Earnest
Theatre: Vaudeville Theatre (West End)
Opened: August 2, 2018
Closing: October 20, 2018
Olivier Awards: N/A

Misty
Theatre: Trafalgar Studios (West End)
Opened: September 14, 2018
Closing: October 20, 2018
Olivier Awards: N/A

Strictly Ballroom
Theatre: Piccadilly Theatre(West End)
Opened: April 11, 2018
Closing: October 27, 2018
Olivier Awards: N/A

Thank You: A Moment of Reflection

With everything that is going on in the world right now I wanted to take a quick moment to reflect and say "Thank you." I started this blog in 2014 and it started with me being on vocal rest and my first ever post series The Vocal Rest Diaries and for some crazy reason, I decided to make a blog. I wasn't expecting much to come from it. I just wanted to try something new. I never, ever expected in a million years that it would turn into this. I just can't believe how much has happened.

• Over 24,000 views
• 282 posts
• Expanding into Tumblr and Twitter
• Getting fan emails saying how much they love my blog
• Professional actors saying they love my blog
• I've done interviews, reviews, opinion pieces
• I may even start a podcast (Would people be interested in that?)

I'm just amazed that all of this came from something as silly as me being pissed about being on vocal rest. I just want to appreciate anyone/everyone who have supported me in some way on this journey. I look forward to what comes next and I hope you will stay by my side.

Marin Mazzie

The wonderful and talented Marin Mazzie has passed away. Marin was a huge inspiration and a phenomenal actress with a career spanning over 4 decades. She was last seen on Broadway in the Lincoln Center revival of The King and I in 2015. Marin is survived by her husband Jason Danieley, currently starring in Pretty Woman on Broadway, and she will be missed dearly. Below I have attached a clip of my favorite performance she's done Margaret White in Carrie.

The Last Midnight: September

Pressure
Theatre: Ambassadors Theatre (West End)
Opened: June 6, 2018
Closing: September 1, 2018
Olivier Awards: N/A

Imperium
Theatre: Gielgud Theatre (West End)
Opened: July 3, 2018
Closing: September 8, 2018
Olivier Awards: N/A

The Lieutenant of Inishmore
Theatre: Noël Coward Theatre (West End)
Opened: July 4, 2018
Closing: September 8, 2018
Olivier Awards: N/A

Straight White Men
Theatre: Hayes Theatre (Broadway)
Opened: July 23, 2018
Closing: September 9, 2018
Tony Awards: N/A

Carousel
Theatre: Palace Theatre (Broadway)
Opened: April 12, 2018
Closing: September 16, 2018
Tony Awards:
Best Revival of a Musical [Nominated]
Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical for Joshua Henry [Nominated]
Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical for Jessie Mueller [Nominated]
Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Musical for Alexander Gemignani [Nominated]
Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical for Renée Fleming [Nominated]
Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical for Lindsay Mendez
Best Costume Design in a Musical for Ann Roth [Nominated]
Best Lighting Design in a Musical for Brian MacDevitt [Nominated]
Best Sound Design in a Musical for Scott Lehrer [Nominated]
Best Choreography for Justin Peck
Best Orchestrations for Jonathan Tunick [Nominated]

Gettin' the Band Back Together
Theatre: Belasco Theatre (Broadway)
Opened: August 13, 2018
Closing: September 16, 2018
Tony Awards: N/A

Spongebob Squarepants
Theatre: Palace Theatre (Broadway)
Opened: December 4, 2017
Closing: September 16, 2018
Tony Awards:
Best Musical [Nominated]
Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical for Ethan Slater [Nominated]
Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Musical for Gavin Creel [Nominated]
Best Book of a Musical for Kyle Jarrow [Nominated]
Best Original Score for Various Artists [Nominated]
Best Scenic Design in a Musical for David Zinn
Best Costume Design in a Musical for David Zinn [Nominated]
Best Lighting Design in a Musical for Kevin Adams [Nominated]
Best Sound Design in a Musical for Mike Dobson and Walter Trarbach [Nominated]
Best Direction of a Musical for Tina Landau [Nominated]
Best Choreography for Christopher Gattelli [Nominated]
Best Orchestrations for Tom Kitt [Nominated]

The King and I
Theatre: London Palladium (West End)
Opened: July 3, 2018
Closing: September 29, 2018
Olivier Awards: N/A

Moulin Rouge! is Moulin Ruined!

Okay, tacky titles aside... I am seriously not a fan of the stage adaption of Moulin Rouge! The film version of Moulin Rouge! was this beautiful piece of art directed by the genius Baz Luhrmann starring the fantastic Nicole Kidman as the sultry, Satine and Ewan McGregor as

Christian, the writer, the cast also features Jim Broadbent as Moulin Rouge owner Harold Zidler, Richard Roxburgh as the comedic, but very sleazy Duke of Monroth and John Leguizamo as Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec. When I first watched this film, I admit that my first thought was "What the f*ck is going on?" but gradually as the film progressed I started to see the genius of the film. It blended pop culture songs perfectly into a 19th-century setting and it was gorgeous. In my head I saw this film as a musical I could see it on stage and I was so excited when I saw that it was being adapted for the stage. Unfortunately, the cast list then came out... It was announced that Aaron Tveit and Karen Olivo would play the lovers Christian and Satine and I was so confused by this. Out of everyone in the world why would you pick these two people? Firstly, I don't think that Tveit has that naiveness to play Christian and I would have cast many people before him, (My first choice being Jake Gyllenhaal) and these men would have brought more of the Christian naiveness/charm from the film. I also figured that they would go with a woman of color for Satine, but Olivo wouldn't have been my first choice (We'll get into that later on.) Now, before I go any further I'm going to say that I have not seen the recent stage adaption taking place in Boston at the Emerson Colonial Theatre. I'm only going off from photos/videos I've seen and the audios I've heard. Anyway... What was so great about the film was how the songs used perfectly blended into the story and didn't come out as a tacky jukebox musical. All of the songs used helped support and progress the story. The film also had some absolutely gorgeous design elements (The film won 2 Oscars for Best Costume Design and Best Art Direction.) It was this gorgeous film that was filled with beautiful sets, lighting, costumes that gave this seductive and alluring feel. However, everything that was great about the movie was removed from the stage adaption. For example the gorgeous "Elephant Love Medley" which blended about 10+ different songs from an array of artists ranging from Kiss to The Beatles to Dolly Parton. In the stage

Nicole Kidman

adaption, they completely rewrote the song and it now sounds tacky and the transitions between songs are extremely rough. The only song that they added to the stage version of "Elephant Love Medley" that would have been a great addition to the original version was "What's Love Got to Do With It" by Tina Turner. Another major change they made was to Satine's entrance. In the movie, Kidman comes flying over the audience of the spectators of the Moulin Rouge and sings "Diamond's Are A Girl's Best Friend" from Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (With a snippet of "Material Girl" by Madonna) and Kidman sings it in her sultry voice that is so hypnotic and sexy. Unfortunately, the stage version was heavily rewritten and now includes "Diamonds Are Forever," "Single Ladies" by Beyoncé and "Diamonds" by Rihanna. Also, instead of it being this sultry number that lures you in Olivo belts her way through it and when the other girls join in it

Laura Mulcahy, Caroline O'Connor and Christine Anu

sounds more like a bachelorette party at karaoke. That has to be my major problem with Olivo being cast as Satine. Olivo is a belter and doesn't really seem to have that sultry, seductiveness that Kidman had. I think that is what made her Satine so great was of how gentle her voice was. That is why I would have cast Jessica Keenan Wynn in the role of Satine because her lower tone would have given Satine a new interpretation, but she also has that sultry tone to her voice. However, the most hurtful change, script-wise, has to be with what the creative team did to "El Tango de Roxanne." In the original, it is sung by the narcoleptic Argentian (Now given the name Santiago) and Nini Legs-in-the-Air dances to it while being manhandled by the different chorus men of the Moulin Rouge. This song is used to teach Christian a lesson about falling in love with Satine and it is also a way to taunt him for his "foolish mistake." In the stage adaption, they for some reason decided to change this to Christian singing the song and it loses everything, in my opinion. Other odd choices they made are changing Satine's song from "One Day I'll Fly Away" by Randy Crawford, a moving ballad about how she wants to get away from the life of being a courtesan and replaced it with "Firework" by Katy Perry which is a very odd choice and just seems to be an excuse for Olivo to belt. They also removed the incredibly powerful rendition of "The Show Must Go On" by Queen which again makes no sense because it's a perfect number. This is nothing compared to, what I consider the worst aspect of this production, the costume design by Catharine Zuber, I love

Zuber she usually creates absolutely gorgeous costumes, but I have no idea what happened. She had the chance to create these beautiful costumes and what would have definitely been another Tony in the bag, but instead, we got this (A dress of two different materials that don't even go together...) The film featured these gorgeous costumes as seen above-featuring dancers/actors of all shapes, sizes and colors. Each of the Moulin Rouge dancers has their own personality, name and style (A little bit like the Kit Kat Klub dancers from Cabaret), but the powers that be decided "F*ck this" and made them all ensemble members. Overly-sexualized and basic thin, pretty and mostly white ensemble members (As seen on the left). As always my question is why? Why does this need to be seen? Why do we have to have these overtly sexual costumes? Is it that hard for people to realize that it's possible to be sexy while wearing a decent amount of clothes. Probably the most skin you ever saw in the film version was a few guys wearing wife beaters and a guy wearing a vest with no shirt underneath it. The worst being a few of Nicole Kidman's costumes that exposed her legs and occasionally her stomach, but even then she wore them for no more than 15 minutes total. I don't see a valid reason as to why the costumes are like this. I really don't see the point of having these costumes except for having sexualness for the sake of having sexualness. The women in the film were just as beautiful and sexy and they all wore those big, poofy can-can dresses and mostly just showed off a lot of cleavage and only one or two of the women did that. Also, do we really need the codpieces on the men? Does that really need to be a thing? I just think that for numerous reasons that this show is a huge mistake. I think they had this amazing opportunity to create an absolutely amazing piece of theatre and they just went the wrong route. I'm hoping by the time it gets to Broadway they maybe recast and hire a new creative team, but otherwise Moulin Rouge! the musical is a huge let down to this fan of the original movie.

The Last Midnight: August

A Bronx Tale
Theatre: Longacre Theatre (Broadway)
Opened: December 1, 2016
Closing: August 5, 2018
Tony Awards: N/A

Consent
Theatre: Harold Pinter Theatre (West End)
Opened: May 29, 2018
Closing: August 11, 2018
Olivier Awards: N/A

The Boys in the Band
Theatre: Booth Theatre (Broadway)
Opened: May 31, 2018
Closing: August 12, 2018
Tony Awards: N/A

Killer Joe
Theatre: Trafalgar Studios (West End)
Opened: May 15, 2018
Closing: August 18, 2018
Olivier Awards: N/A

Hello, Dolly!
Theatre: Shubert Theatre (Broadway)
Opened: April 20, 2017
Closing: August 25, 2018
Tony Awards:
Best Revival of a Musical
Best Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical for David Hyde Pierce as Horace Vandergelder [Nominated]
Best Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical for Bette Middler as Dolly Levi
Best Actor in a Featured Role in a Musical for Gavin Creel as Cornelius Hackl
Best Actress in a Featured Role in a Musical for Kate Baldwin as Irene Malloy [Nominated]
Best Direction of a Musical for Jerry Zaks [Nominated]
Best Scenic Design of a Musical for Santo Loquasto [Nominated]
Best Costume Design of a Musical for Santo Loquasto
Best Lighting Design of a Musical for Natasha Katz [Nominated]
Best Orchestrations for Larry Hochman [Nomianted]

Young Frankenstein
Theatre: Garrick Theatre (West End)
Opened: October 10, 2017
Closing: August 25, 2018
Olivier Awards:
Best New Musical [Nominated]
Best Actor in a Supporting Role in a Musical for Ross Noble [Nominated]
Best Actress in a Supporting Role in a Musical for Lesley Joseph [Nominated]

Knights of the Rose
Theatre: Arts Theatre (West End)
Opened: July 5, 2018
Closing: August 26, 2018
Olivier Awards: N/A

Magic to Do: Thrill Me

This blog has been a passion of mine for some time now and I love working on it. It brings me so much joy and I'm glad for all the support I've been given over the years. As you know this past year has been explosive. I've expanded this blog to Twitter, Tumblr and several other social media platforms. Anyway, I'm trying to get together my first ever directorial job. I want to do this nifty show called Thrill Me: The Leopold and Loeb Story by Stephen Doglinoff. The only problem is that I have to come up with all the money myself. Now, I'm a college student and I don't have that much money. That is why I set up a GoFundMe page. I'm normally not one to ask strangers for money, but I really want to do this show. Even if you only donate $1 it would help.

Unexpected Song: Days and Days

About a month or so ago I saw Fun Home at Arden Theatre Company and I became obsessed with the character of Helen Bechdel, the matriarch of the family, but more specifically with her gorgeous solo "Days and Days" that is near the end of the show and is just such a poignant song which Jenine Tesori and Lisa Kron wrote so beautifully. P.S. Sorry couldn't find many full videos/audios of women singing this song.

Judy Kuhn (Off-Broadway, Broadway)

Rebecca Luker (Broadway)

To Cats or Not to Cats

Okay, so I've been well aware that a Cats movie has been in the works for a while now and I'm bored and figured I would share my opinion on this... WHY?!?!? When I was a little kid I would spend the afternoons at my Grandparents house and one day my Grandma had with

her the 1998 movie (On VHS) of Cats and I had never been so blown away by a show before. I became obsessed. I watched it so much that I ended up distorting the tapes. I eventually got the DVD and I watched that so much that the sound became distorted. Here is my question why do we have to remake when this TV Movie was literally perfect one every level? Costumes=Gorgeous, Set=Gorgeous, Lighting=Gorgeous, Dancing=Gorgeous, Vocals=Gorgeous and don't even get me started on the cast. It featured an all-star cast which includes Elaine Paige, Rosemarie Ford, Jonathan Partridge, Michael Gruber, Sir John Mills, Susan Jane Tanner and Ken Page along with many others. Everyone in this cast is absolutely amazing and they delivered rock star vocals. The creative team brought the best and the brightest from Cats cast members all over the world to play these roles. I think everyone was just absolutely perfect and I have never found a production that lived up to the 1998 movie. Now, the main reason that I believe Cats was

a huge success was because of Gillian Lynne's fantastic (and very erotic) choreography and that is why I refused to see the 2016 Broadway Revival because they brought Andy Blankenbuehler who absolutely ruined the choreography (in my opinion at least.) I didn't understand that because every single professional production of cats used Lynne's choreography except for the 2016 Broadway Revival. This brings us back to the movie which is NOT going to be choreographed by Gillian Lynne, but by Wayne McGregor. Again, I do not understand this because when you look at McGregor's background it's mostly ballet. This, to me, doesn't make much sense because Cats needs a choreographer with vast amounts of experience and someone with knowledge not only in ballet but also jazz, tap, and modern dances. What I also find weird is why for the second time are they replacing Lynne with a man? I'm not trying to call the producers sexist, but there are so many women choreographers out there who are underrated and would bring fresh and interesting takes to this show (Mainly talking about Fatima Robinson of The Wiz Live! or Camille A. Brown of Once On This Island) 

Besides the choreography, Andrew Lloyd Webber is writing new songs... Including one for the role of Victoria, which to me doesn't make any sense because Victoria is a dancing role and she has the beautiful solo dance at the beginning and does she really need her own song? I'm just confused as to why this is happening and more importantly why this needs to happen. I mean come on Andrew seriously? Instead of making a new movie why not just release the already amazing one in theatres for a limited time? Don't get me wrong I'm still gonna see it because Cats is an extremely guilty pleasure of mine, but also no matter how it's done this movie is going to be weird. (The only thing that could make it any weirder is if Joel Schumacher directed it.) Therefore, I have to see it.

Run and Tell That: Once On This Island (2017 Broadway Revival)

Note: Okay so I once again repeat that I'm terrible at organizing my thoughts and editing my reviews. Also, I had not originally planned to do a review for this show, but I changed my mind and so I'm doing most of this from memory because I didn't take notes during the show like I normally do. (I saw this show June 9th, AKA the day before the Tony Awards.) Therefore, this review isn't the greatest.

"I have to give props to set designer Dane Laffrey for his absolutely wonderful set design that fills the entire theatre and really makes you feel like you are on the island."

The reason for my visit to the island was because of a college event. I go to Ithaca College and one of its alumni is a producer for the show. So that's my intro for this review. Okay, so overall I really enjoyed this show. I did have a few problems with the book (written by Lynn Ahrens) here and there mainly as to why Ti Moune fell in love with Daniel so fast and why she was willing to give her life for a guy who hadn't said anything to her. I mean I get it he is cute and all, but that boy could have been Zac Efron for all I care, but if Papa Ge came to me and said "This boy is mine! I am his dying breath." the only response I will give is "Do you want some cheesecake too?" I am not dying for a boy who decided to drive super fast in the rain (Side Note: Did Daniel get his drivers license in New Jersey?) Besides that one plot point and a few other things which I won't get into I think this was a very solid show with gorgeous music by Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty. I think that Michael

Arden directed a brilliant production (Side Note: What was the point of having live goats and chickens? They only appeared in the pre-show and then were never seen again. Were they really needed?) and he should have won the Tony for Best Direction, although I'm happy for The Band's Visit. I think that what Arden and his design team did with the space given was absolutely gorgeous and I think this intimate space helped. However, this space also had its drawbacks... I had one minor problem which took place during the ball and that was the spacing of the scene. It felt very cramped because of everything that was on stage from the chairs and tables to the candelabras and also the fact that the women wore these huge, gorgeous dresses designed by Clint Ramos (Who I'll talk about later) when they were all on stage it made the space look so small and it made some of the crossing and staging seem odd. The most massive problem I had

Kenita R. Miller

was with the sound of this production. This production created its gorgeous music by using found instruments, created by John Bertles and Bash the Trash, along with the casts voices (And a tiny band) and these gorgeous arrangements were done by AnnMarie Milazzo and Michael Starobin. However, the problem was that because of this space and it being in the round the sound had no place to go like it does in a proscenium-style theatre. The sound would just bounce off the walls and echo and this became a massive problem when you had people singing/talking over one another and they would be saying different things and it just came across as garbled noise. Anyway, before I start talking about the different design areas of the show I want to give a huge shoutout to the massively Tony snubbed Camille A. Brown (I still think Carousel should have won, but she definitely should have been nominated) who came up with absolutely genius choreography that blended so well with Arden's direction that you don't know where one started and the other ended. I was specifically impressed by her choreography for "Ti Moune's Dance." Anyway,

The Cast

onto the designs first and foremost I have to give props to set designer Dane Laffrey for his absolutely wonderful set design that fills the entire theatre and really makes you feel like you are on the island. My favorite part about this set is that everything that is on stage is used by a cast member at one point or another. In fact, this brings us to Clint Ramos and his utterly brilliant costume designs from found objects (My particular favorite being Asaka wearing a sports jersey and a tablecloth to make a fabulous dress.) Ramos is an absolute genius and I just can't think of words to describe his genius. As much as I love Catherine Zuber and how she designs some gorgeous period clothes the Tony for Best Costume Design should have gone to Ramos. Finally, we have the fabulous lighting design by Jules Fisher and Peggy Eisenhauer who are just brilliant as always and create the most stunning images with their lighting. Onto the main event the actors/actresses! First, we have the role of Little Ti Moune portrayed by the adorable Mia Williamson who was really good. Williamson has chops and is a good actress for someone so young. I can't say much else because she was pretty much mute most of the show. Next, we have Andrea Deveraux, who I really thought was gonna be portrayed as a b*tch, but I was shocked when Alysha Deslorieux went on a different route. Deslorieux showed that

Isaac Cole Powell and Quentin Earl Darrington

Andrea didn't want to hurt Ti Moune, but she also wanted it to be clear that Daniel is hers. My two favorite characters were Tonton Julian and Mama Euralie portrayed by the fabulous Phillip Boykin and the wonderful Kenita R. Miller who have the most gorgeous chemistry I have ever seen. They were absolutely hilarious with their comedic moments during "One Small Girl" and they delivered heartfelt renditions of "Ti Moune" and "A Part of Us." This brings us to the mystical gods of Once On This Island who manipulate the entire story of this show. First, we have Tamyra Grey as Papa Ge "the sly demon of death" who delivered a vocally outstanding, albeit not necessarily terrifying performance. Following Papa Ge is her foil Erzulie portrayed by the vocally mesmerizing Lea Salonga. I went in not expecting much from Salonga considering the past performances I have seen from her, but I was thoroughly surprised. (I'm going to try and say this next part in the least b*tchy way, but here goes...) I think the reason for is because the role of Erzulie doesn't require these heart-wrenching ballads (I.E. Kim and Fantine) she simply has to use her gorgeous voice to sing a simple, yet touching rendition of "The Human Heart." She had some brilliant little moments at the beginning such as talking to a little girl in the audience and when the storytellers were choosing who would play the

Norm Lewis, Lea Salonga, Alex Newell,
Hailey Kilgore and Tamyra Gray

gods and when they came to Erzulie everyone looked at Lea and she gave a response of "Oh no... Come on... Please choose someone else." However, my favorite part of her performance though has to deal with an interview she had on Show People. In this interview, she says how Erzulie and Agwe are married and they had many little shared moments in the show that showed this relationship. Speaking of Agwe we have the fabulous Quentin Earl Darrington whose silky smooth voice was practically serenading the audience as he crooned out "Rain." (I mean they seriously need to cast Jesse L. Martin in this role.) The final god featured in this story is Asaka "Mother of the Earth" played by understudy Aurelia Williams who while having a powerful voice did not seem to be in sync with the rest of the production. She was also off beat with her main number "Mama Will Provide." My least favorite performance has to go to Isaac Cole Powell in the role of Daniel Beauxhomme whose acting choices only lived up to his character's last name, French for "beautiful man." I was actually rather bored with his performance.

Hailey Kilgore

Powell has a beautiful voice, but I found his acting quite bland and cardboardish. I couldn't really feel anything for this character. Was I supposed to hate him because he broke Ti Moune's heart or should I have felt sorry for him because he has to live up to societal expectations? I didn't know how to feel about his character because Powell didn't give me much to the role. His acting choices seemed strange and as I previously stated it came out as cardboardish. Last, but certainly not least we have newcomer and leading lady Hailey Kilgore who delivers a heart-pounding marathon of a performance as Ti Moune. Kilgore delivers a knockout performance that starts with her high belting solo "Waiting for Life" at and ends with a heartbreaking "Forever Yours (Reprise)." However, the only thing that confused me about her performance was the fact that she had an accent (I believe it was Haitian, but correct me if I'm wrong) and yet no one else had an accent... I felt that the accent hurt her performance because it made it a little hard to understand what she was saying at times. I also wish that she added a bit more dynamics in her big solo "Waiting For Life" because it is a beautiful song and while Kilgore has a gorgeous voice you get more of the "I'm so excited, but a little bit nervous" feeling with dynamics instead of it being belted the entire song. Anyway, besides that Kilgore delivered a stunning performance and I picture many great things from her in the future (Nettie in The Color Purple or Dorothy in The Wiz #CastingGoals) and this won't be the last of her I guarantee. Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed my time on the island and I am planning on going back because Cicily Daniels (AKA OG black Ursula from The Little Mermaid) joined the cast as understudy Mama Eueralie and Asaka and I have to see her because she is fantastic!

"So I hope that you will tell this tale tomorrow. It will help your heart remember and relive. It will help you feel the anger and the sorrow and forgive."

The Last Midnight: July

Escape to Margaritaville
Theatre: Marquis Theatre (Broadway)
Opened: March 15, 2018
Closing: July 1, 2018
Tony Awards: N/A

The Iceman Cometh
Theatre: Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre (Broadway)
Opened: April 26, 2018
Closing: July 1, 2018
Tony Awards:
Best Revival of a Play [Nominated]
Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Play for Denzel Washington as Theodore "Hickey" Hickman [Nominated]
Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Play for David Morse as Larry Slade [Nominated]
Best Scenic Design of a Play for Santo Loquasto [Nominated]
Best Costume Design of a Play for Ann Roth [Nominated]
Best Lighting Design of a Play for Jules Fisher and Peggy Eisenhauer [Nominated]
Best Sound Design of a Play for Dan Moses Schreier [Nominated]
Best Direction of a Play for George C. Wolfe [Nominated]

An Ideal Husband
Theatre: Vaudeville Theatre (West End)
Opened: May 3, 2018
Closing: July 14, 2018
Olivier Awards: N/A

Angels in America
Theatre: Neil Simon Theatre (Broadway)
Opened: March 21, 2018
Closing: July 15, 2018
Tony Awards:
Best Revival of a Play
Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Play for Andrew Garfield as Prior Walter
Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Play for Nathan Lane as Roy Cohn
Best Performance by  Featured Actress in a Play for Denise Gough as Harper Pitt [Nominated]
Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Play for Susan Brown as Various Characters [Nominated]
Best Original Score for Adrian Sutton [Nominated]
Best Set Design of a Play for Ian MacNeil and Edward Pierce [Nominated]
Best Costume Design of a Play for Nicky Gillibrand [Nominated]
Best Lighting Design of a Play for Paule Constable [Nominated]
Best Sound Design of a Play for Ian Dickson [Nominated]
Best Direction of a Play for Marianne Elliot [Nominated]

Red
Theatre: Wyndham's Theatre (West End)
Opened: May 15, 2018
Closing: July 28, 2018
Olivier Awards: N/A

Tartuffe
Theatre: Theatre Royal Haymarket (West End)
Opened: May 29, 2018
Closing: July 28, 2018
Olivier Awards: N/A

Carousel's Subtle Racism

Okay, so I'm bored and doing laundry and I figured why not make a post. First things first, I have not seen the revival of Carousel. When the revival of Carousel was first announced I immediately thought "why?" out of all the musicals in the world that deserve a revival why this one? Is this really the appropriate time to tell this story when we are in the #MeToo era? Then this news just got better when they decided to cast Joshua Henry, a large built black man, in the role of Billy Bigelow opposite Jessie Mueller, a (somewhat) tiny white woman, as Julie Jordan. (Now in case you're not aware of the story *SPOILER* Billy abuses Julie throughout their marriage *END

Joshua Henry

SPOILER*) Before you get all upset and say something like "Well why do you have to look at it as a race thing? Why are you making this a race thing?" I have two things to say 1) Great Comet 2) I am all for colorblind casting, but this show seems off with it. Considering the fact that except for Lindsay Mendez in her TONY WINNING turn as Carrie Pipperidge (#CastingGoals come true btw), John Douglas Thompson as The Starkeeper, Rosena M. Hill Jackson as Ensemble & u/s Nettie Fowler and a few other ensemble members all of the P.O.C.'s in this cast play the bad people. In case you don't know what I'm talking about: Billy Bigelow the *SPOILER* criminal and abusive husband who dies *END SPOILER* 2 of the 3 men who portray him are black (Joshua Henry and u/s Antoine L. Smith) and for Jigger Crain the *SPOILER* Guy who convinces Billy to go back into crime which eventually gets him killed *END SPOILER* 3 out of 4 of the men who portray him are M.O.C. Amar Ramasar (I'm not sure of his ethnicity), u/s Andrei Chagas (Brazilian) and u/s Ahmad Simmons (Black). Now, I'm not trying to call the producers racists because I'd like to believe that this is just something that they never thought about or realized. The reason why this bothers me so much is when you look at the rest of the cast, specifically the other principles, such as Jessie Mueller as Julie Jordan, Alexander Gemignani as Enoch Snow and Renée

Renée Fleming and Jessie Mueller

Fleming as Nettie Fowler it gives the show a racist undertone. A large, black man who beats his tiny, white wife... I'm the only one who sees a problem with this? This would have looked even worse had the producers had their first choice for Carrie Pipperidge, Betsy Wolfe (A white actress) and this would have made it even more uncomfortable for me. The reason that the casting of this show bothers me so much besides the #MeToo movement is also everything going on in the news right now and the hate crimes against black people. Does that make sense to anyone or am I just connecting dots that aren't there? Now, if the producers are trying to make some sort of political statement with this casting, then I'm at a loss, but if not then they should have rethought their casting. What I mean by that is add a few more P.O.C.'s in the show SPECIFICALLY in the roles of Julie Jordan and Nettie Fowler. There are many W.O.C. soprano's to choose from and all have gorgeous voices now just to name my own personal favorites for the role of Julie Jordan: Ali Ewoldt, Denée Benton and Phillipa Soo. Meanwhile for the role of Nettie Fowler: Audra McDonald (OBVIOUSLY I MEAN COME ON GUYS!!!) as well as Lea Salonga and Ruthie Ann Miles. In conclusion, I'm not attacking the people in this revival so don't try and make this article about that. I am simply saying that I find the casting choices made for this production a little odd that is all.