Less than a month since my last post. Hope you're not getting tired of hearing from me -- that's a joke, I hope.

Chorus Line didn't come through, so son is here for a couple of months doing Joseph. We're certainly happy with that.

More good news is that his agent called, and while it isn't official yet (no signed contract), it appears that he has been cast in an Off Broadway show that starts rehearsals the week after he is finished here.

Happy Holidays.

We never tire of hearing from you, DA. It must be nice to have your son home for a while!
You must be so proud of him. He's gone into something he loves and is managing to keep getting jobs in a tough business! He must be a very talented young man.

Happy Holidays to you as well.

I went to see the Dreamgirls premiere last night at the Apollo. A soror is Company Manager on the show, so it was great to support that. There were celebs there but I was up in nosebleed.

Funny - the Finian's Rainbow banner ad is also on the back of the playbill lol.

That's great- congratulations!

Delt Alum, how are things going with your son?
I just saw Wicked on Thursday night in San Francisco...fabulous!

Hi Jill,

Thanks for asking.

Wicked is a great show. Was Edin Espinoza playing Elphaba? She did in SF for a while, and I heard she was going back. I saw her in her first Broadway show, Brooklyn' The Musical both in New York and in its trial run here in Denver several years ago. She is absolutely amazing -- maybe even better than Idina was when I saw her in Wicked in NY, but that's saying an awful lot. Maybe I won't go quite that far.

The son got the part in "Yank, A World War II Love Story" Off Broadway.

We saw it last weekend. It was very good and so was he. He is a very talented young man.

The show is playing a limited engagement, but was just extended two weeks since it is selling well. Obviously, they hope it will move to a Broadway house, but the chances against that are astronomical due to costs, etc. It could also move to another Off Broadway venue.

He just turned down a regional Equity contract in St. Louis for this summer in hopes that he will find something better in New York. Scary, but it could happen. He's done pretty well so far. This is his fourth New York or New York area show. It would be great for him to get a Broadway show or a national tour. He's been very close to several, but the competition is staggering. He has done regional shows in Denver, Dallas, Boston, St. Louis, Oklahoma City and Wichita.

While we were in the city, we also saw Billy Elliott, Next to Normal and Memphis. The first two were good, Memphis was great! Today, we saw the National Tour of Mary Poppins here in Denver. Quite a theatre week for us.

I just saw Mary Poppins over Valentine's Day weekend - LOVED it! It was my boyfriend's first Broadway show, too. :-)

There is some potentially great news. The Off Broadway Show that he is appearing in (closes in a week or two) is moving on to Broadway next season.

That doesn't mean that he will go with it, but there's a pretty fair chance.

That's pretty exciting, and we're obviously hoping for the best for him.

That is amazing! Fingers crossed he gets to move with it!

My daughter is asking to go see Spring Awakening. Has anybody seen it? Any reviews?

Most. Amazing. Play. Ever.
Seriously. Question though, how old is your daughter? There is nudity and the whole subject of the play is about sex.


In other news, anyone dying to see "love never dies"? its the sequel to Phantom. IDK how i feel about it, but I'm listening to the music and its good. I'm just sad about the story though....

She's 16 but she is a pretty mature 16 and we maintain a pretty open dialogue about sexual issues. I think she can handle it. I'd rather watch things like that together so we can discuss questions that come up anyway. It looks like there is a suicide in it also?

yes. The original play also had a rape scene, but it was changed to consensual sex in the musical. Wikipedia actually has a pretty good synposis of the musical- if you don't mind finding out the spoilers. It would at least prepare you for the topics that come up.

I did end up reading that yesterday. I think she can handle it. She wants to bring a friend and I need to make sure her friend's parents also understand the topics covered.

Anyone seen American Idiot yet?

Haven't seen American Idiot but I am taking my daughter and her friend to see Spring Awakening on Sunday. I made sure the other girl's parents were aware of the content before purchasing the tickets. I didn't know I was going to still have my foot in a cast. What a pain it's going to be. So, now I'm more worried about navigating to my seat than excited about seeing it.

No, but it's one of three shows we're thinking about seeing when we visit New York (the others are Lion King and Promises Promises).

I cannot wait to see Love Never Dies. Love the music. Not thrilled with the ending. But I have "heard" that ALW might be having to "change" things before moving it to Broadway. I kind of hope if it's true he changes the ending. The ending kind of sucked (the soundtrack give basically the whole musical away, seriously if you don't want to be "spoiled" don't listen to the whole soundtrack).

I am dying to see spring awakening. My parents and I had season tickets the 08-09 season and it came to gammage. unfortunately i had a prior committment that day and missed the show. i'm kicking myself in the butt now.

From what I've read, American Idiots' getting rave reviews and is a front runner for the Tony's. Though I've also read that this year new batch of musicals has been meh.

Hi everyone,

Saw Memphis a couple of months ago in NY. Also nominated. I thought it was great. Also saw Billy Elliot and Next to Normal. Good, but didn't like them as much.

Saw the national tour of Spring Awakening a month or so ago, and it was real good. We saw it in New York a couple years ago with Lea Michelle and the new guy in GLEE (can't think of his name right now) It was outstanding.

Seeing the national tour of In The Heights tomrrow and am really looking forward to it. Another show I saw on Broadway when visiting the son, and it was great. Hope it is here as well.

(It's great to have a son with a Chelsea apartment so we have a place to stay in the city -- even if it means an air mattress)

Taking a Scandanavian cruise out of Southampton, UK for our 40th Anniversary in July and tagging a couple of days of tours and theatre in London on both sides. Planning to see Love Never Dies (I also hear it's getting a "tune up" before coming to New York), but the last two ALW shows I've seen there pretty much died in the US -- A Woman in White and Whistle Down the Wind. That last one had some great music, but zero plot.

Oldest daughter was just cast as the lead in Chicago at a very good community theatre here.

Son is in an Equity show in Westchester after turing down a couple of shows in Austin this summer. The Off Broadway he just closed in is still on track to open on Broadway next season (money permitting although looking strong) and, hopefully, he will be cast in it again. No guarantee, but at least a good chance.

Wife (BFA, Theatre) is teaching an adult ed class in the History of Musical theatre in the University of Denver continuing education program in our community and I am her audio visual boy playing DVD's and CD's for her. It's fun.

That's the entertainment news from Denver.

All of you be well.

I'm seeing Billy Elliot tomorrow. Those who have seen it in my office gave raves, I'm hoping that I agree. :)

I just got an email with the new season's shows listed. West Side Story, Les Miz, and... Rock of Ages!!!!!!!!!! Looks like I'm going to have to come up with some cash somehow.

Saw Rock of Ages in NY. It was fun! And loud.

Anniversary cruise to Scandinavia with a couple of days on London on either end in about three weeks.

We've decided not to see Love Never Dies because of reviews and word of mouth. Sounds like it's Broadway debut is being postponed.

Not seeing any musicals, but going to Warhorse, which is supposed to be fantastic, and coming to New York soon. Also seeing Henry VIII at The Globe Theatre.

Getting close.

Warhorse was great. Different. We'll see how it does in NY. Could be an award winner.

Good news. Our son is joining his first national tour today. He will be a swing -- covering all of the male chorus parts -- in Young Frankenstein for the next four months.

The Off Broadway show he did last year and this will sure help his resume.

Yea! Congrats to him!

And nice to see you.

That's great! And, ditto what MC said.. nice to see you :)

Sadly, theater is not in our budget these days...maybe soon.

Bumping this thread in hopes that DA is subscribed and will come back and give us an update on his son.

After my year at the NY Film Academy next year, It would be amazing to get to meet and work with DA's son!

You've decided to go? I knew you were contemplating it, but didn't realize you had made your decision. :D That's awesome, AF. I hope you have a blast!

Yep...I'm off to see the Wizard! Excited as can be, but nervous too. I'll probably have 10 years on most of my classmates (although I honestly don't look it, and I'm not telling...). I have several dance classes to pass, and I'm hoping they'll let me throw in another in lieu of taking music theory for the bajillionth time. :)

Hi again. It's been a while. Just saw the son in a musical review in Florida cast in NY.

But the news is that Andy Kelso, a high school classmate of our two daughters has just been cast in the national tour of Wicked.

He was Sky in Mama Mia on Broadway a few years ago.

Everybody take care.

Hi, DA! :D Glad to see you back (although I know it's very temporary, which I have issue with, but what can I say). Good to hear your updates, and that's exciting that your daughters' classmate is in the national Wicked tour.

I just saw Wicked on Broadway for the first time tonight (I've seen it three times now, but only this time on Broadway), and it was soooooo good. Donna Vivino was called in apparently to play Elphaba (she wasn't listed as an understudy), and she was amazing...just like the second time I saw the show (total coincidence that I've seen her in the role two out of three times). I wasn't crazy about Fiero in this production, but then I don't think I've ever loved any Fiero.

Saw "Love Never Dies" (Phantom Sequel) on TV yesterday. I can see why it's been nicknamed "Paint Never Dries". The score seemed closer musically to Les Mis than Phantom. One thing that ALW NAILED in the original was the recurring musical themes that drilled the melodies into your head. There was none of that, and so many missed opportunities to bring back hints of those melodies. Example: there was a monkey with cymbals on stage for a brief period - couldn't we have had a least a hint of "Masqurade"?


The costumes and sets were by far the best part. I also loved the actress that played Meg...beautiful voice and she was able to move gracefully through the dramatic acting range that role requires.

LOL.

Of course, that was always my feeling about "Phantom." :o

So true

The musical bored me to death, couldn't last first 3 songs. Unfortunately I saw it in London and didn't come back for the 2nd half.

My daughter is loving NYC and is taking full advantage of her easy access to Broadway. She got student rush tickets for Once and "had" to go see Porgy & Bess with a class.

And she got to meet Audra McDonald, Norm Lewis and Steve Kazee.

I'm resurrecting this thread because I bought the season subscription for Broadway in Detroit and saw my first show of the season today- Miss Saigon. The first half, I was thinking "Meh, this is good, but it's not blowing me away". The second Act though- wow, blown away. I didn't know the story going in.

I can only think of one part that ALW used the same "score" (lack of a better word) was in the song "Before the Performance" and its when Christine sings "Twisted Every Way". That was about it.

As I bought the score before I saw the recorded updated version of the Australia cast, I liked the changes that were made to the score. ALW cut a bunch of songs and made the characters a bit more likeable. But the reality is some fans hated how much he changed Rauol and Meg (which I didn't care about because I never liked those characters in the first place, plus as a realist, how many of us are the same as we were 10 years ago). But I HATED the ending of the musical. The ending bit the big one.

Even with all that said, if ALW ever decides to bring LND to the U.S. I would like to see it, as seeing a show on stage is different than watching a recording of it.

Bless her heart. I have absolutely nothing against her, but really, nobody ought to make Carrie Underwood share a theatrical stage with Audra McDonald. It's just not fair.