Next to Normal : Natalie

Drawing I just finished of  Jennifer Damiano as Natalie in Next To Normal. I have to urge to do a small series on the rest of the cast. 

Broadway & Photography : Gillian Laub

Gillian Laub

http://www.gillianlaub.com/

This is one of my favorite series centered around Broadway. It captures a day in life of Patti Lupone on her last nigh in Gypsy.  Gillian capture the whole experience for the fans to see. Moments on fans wish they could be there for. Gillian delicately capture each moment perfectly all showing a different yet important emotion.He doesn't need text to bring us through the day brought. We experience intimate moment  with Lupone and her cast mate and friends. ad the heartbreak of a show closing but also the celebration once the curtain comes down and fans are the waiting to great her. Gillians images are beautifully composed, the color is muted and balanced throughout the series and each image progresses the story. His images look to be more art photographs than the usual event photography and some might be even film which would be amazing and make my day! This series is simply amazing and wishing he will continue shooting in the theatre world!

http://nymag.com/arts/theater/features/53603/

7 23 09 Next to Normal

Day after day,

Wishing all our cares away.

Trying to fight the things we feel,

But some hurts never heal.

Some ghost are never gone,

But we go on,

We still go on

And you find some way to survive

And you find out you don't have to be happy at all,

To be happier alive.

Day after day,

Give me clouds, and rain and gray.

Give me pain, if that's what's real.     

It's the price we pay to feel.

The price of love is loss,

But still we pay.

We love anyway.

I have been following this show since its "Feeling Electric" days and have been dying to see it ever since. I am still kicking my self for not seeing it when Amy Spanger was involved. I would love to see her in a more serious role rather than another funny eighties chick. I have been putting off seeing the show simply because of my own childhood, growing up with 

a mother that resembles Diana. I listen to the cast recording constantly and i decided it was finally time for me to suck it up and see it. 

We ended up getting standing room (luckily there was no height restriction like WSS), I wasn't crazy about the idea of standing during this show but I was excited none the less. 

7 30 finally came around and we were inside the Booth Theatre. I have never been there and I must say it is a lot different than other theatre. It is tiny and warm and fit perfectly with the show. I also love the downstairs lounge, adorable! we took out 117 and 119 standing room spots. We had clear clear yet the top of the stage was cut off from the balcony but what can you expect when you pay only 26 dollars. The show began and I was already nervous I wouldn't be able to take it but fell in love with it from the start.

 Alice Ripley was incredible, I mean don't even think i have to say that since it is known shes

 incredible and now a well deserved Tony Award Winner.

 She made me love Diana even with her flaws and was not expecting that at all. I thought I was going to go in knowing her character having lived with someone like her. Ripley made Diana funny, vulnerable and real. I left thinking that even with her troubles she is still just person and needs people to listen and be there for her. I felt sorry for Diana at times and made me re-time a few thing in my life. Ripley is an incredible singer and just as good of an actress. 

Jennifer Damiano was also amazing. It was great having seen her in Spring Awakening and now a featured actress. She played such a real normal young

 girl just trying to make it out her house and onto college. I think many kid can relate to her character trying to impress and live up to your parents standards and having there life an problems carry over onto yours. I def related most to Natalie being scared you will one day end up like you mother who doesn't think about that. Jennifer had the teen angst but you also felt for her because most of the problems she was dealing with was not her fault at all. Damianos acting I felt out shinned her singing at some parts but it could have just been a off night or sound problems but for such a young girl she was terrific and so was her co star Adam Chanler Berat. Henry is just such a likable character and was pulling for him throughout the whole show. 

J.Robert Spencer and Kyle Dean Massey were also incredible, lets just say the whole cast was. I don't have one single bad thought on any of them. This show is about the struggles of a family. Its not your normal happy ending musical. It is much more than that. The set was shockingly beautiful, I will admit seeing photos I was in love with the art work or the Warhol looking graphic on stage such as the eyes but now seeing it in the show. I love it. It works so well with the feeling of the show and the lighting was the best Ive seen. It felt like concert lighting at times but than transitions between scenes or feelings the color background would drop and silhouette the performers it was beautiful! 

few high lights for me was Super boy and  the Invisible Girl, a favorite song and just a personal connection with how Natalie was feeling. Make up Your Mind/ Catch Me I'm fall, I Dreamed a Dance, Song of Forgetting, You Don't Know Reprise, light were just a few of my favorites. 

Why Stay was possibly my favorite part. When you saw both couples dealing with there problems. I loved how both Diana and Natalie where doing the same choreography due to her being scared she will end up like her mother. simple and very effective!

Overall I loved this show even if at some parts they were to close to comfort for me. I even felt I had said or thought a few of the same things Natalie was saying but in the end it was comforting to know there is a show out there that is addressing some more serious and could help people.

 I not use to seeing a show that was so much like my life. I tend to like shows that take me out of my life to escape for just two and half hours but Next to Normal was moving and I'm glad there is a musical out there like this!

I def plan to go back and have a seat next time. 

Broadway in Bryants Park : Vanities, Rock of Ages, Mary Poppins & Wicked.

I always try to make it out to Bryants park at least once a year. This year I went to see Rock of Ages and Next to Normal which was disappointing that they switched with wicked but It will give me another reason to go back and Wicked ended up being a lot of fun to watch. I got to the lawn around 10:30 and was excited to see the lawn the same as it has in the past. Stage right in front of the fountain, white background displaying Broadway in Bryants park and its sponsors with rows filled with the green wooden chairs and tables. We took a seat in the fourth row but not for long after we found our rock of age group and moved up a row. All of just chatted and listened to show tunes in till the sound check. Not knowing many people who are into theatre its a nice change being surrounded by fans. Vanities came on first. Honestly I was the show i was least looking forward to, I did not know much about this show. All i knew was it had three cheerleaders involved but it ended up being the show i left wanting to see.

Lauren Kennedy, Annelise Van Der Pol, Sarah Stiles

The Vanities girls formed three catchy and wonderful songs all of which i wanted on my ipod right after. I dont want to miss a thing  was a sweet and funny song that showed the girls before they left for college, their idea of what will happen once they are there. They all had funny and pretty good southern accents and all three of them had terrific voices. "I want to cook but never clean" " i want to make a jello mold" just to lines that make laugh a bit from I dont want to miss a thing. Lauren Kennedy performedFly into the Future another catchy song and than she was joined with her cast mates for one more song which i think is titled I cant imagine ?. I must say i was very surprised how great Annelise Voice was only knowing her from the disney channel. 

 

 Jeremy Jordan, Savannah Wise

 

James Carpinello, Katherine Tokarz

Rock of Ages was up next. I love this cast! I went mostly to see them. I have seen the show numerous times and it is always a party. The show is a different kind of experience on Broadway. Most of who was there was understudies but I guess it Bryant’s Parks so that is expected. I was excited to see Savannah Wise and Jeremy Jordan together. I have seen both of them in the show separately but have felt they would work better than savannah and Constantine or Amy and Jeremy. Coming from an Amy fan, I was glad Savannah was the one who replaced Amy, she is a wonderful Sherrie a bit different than Amy, and she is more 

Innocent where Amy had more humor, Savannah more natural and she can belt, I find my self-missing her solo in the Heaven Medley. The only thing that throws me off is she looks a lot younger than Constantine. I think her and Jeremy seem around the same age and Jeremy is a great Drew. I would love to see them both together in the show. They both belted out High Enough and than James Carpinello took the stage to sing Dead or Alive with his ladies backing him up. I can watch him perform this many more times and it will still be great! He is always into and seems to love playing Stacee and the fans love him as someone in the audience screamed " I love you Stacee" Next up was Dont Stop believing where James got the crowd going and told everyone to sing along. I must say it was odd not seeing them dance and I looked like they wanted to. The fans and the cast would do bit of dancing during dont stop believing. It just happens, its catchy and fun! It was also great seeing Katherine Tokar sing Reginas Parts. I would love to see her in this role after seeing her in A chorus line. This is why I love Bryant’s Park it gives you a chance to see the understudies! 

Mary Poppins Cast

Mary Poppins was up next. I dont have much to comment on them. It not my kind of show or maybe it just works on stage with costumes and props but on a stage with just show tee shirts it made me wanting another show to come on. They all had good vocals, the kids were adorable,the choreography made me dizzy and confused.

  

Dee Roscioli, Kevin Kern

  Laura Woyasz

Wicked was the last to take the stage with the announcer stating it’s her favorite show on Broadway yet she miss pronounced not only the performers names but the characters also. It was a funny mistake. I love Wicked because even though I thought I grew out of this show when ever I hear or see any song from this song I feel like a little giddy twelve year old. This musical will never change for me. I love it. It was my second show I ever got into but I think probably any young girl that was into theatre fell in love with it. I was expecting to hear, Popular, which we did, Wizard and I and Defy Gravity but was surprise when they did As long as you’re mine. I have not see the show in year and haven’t been following since Eden Espinosa was on Broadway and knew nothing of who was currently in the cast. Laura Woyasz was a joy to watch she was a terrific Galinda! She had me and my friend singing along laughing and getting excited over little lines in song where we could act like galinda! She was wonderful and made me want to take a trip to the Gershwin! Dee Roscioli was elphaba for the concert. I will admit im the hardest on who ever is in this role. I am biased because after seeing Idina in the role for me its hard to imagine anyone else. I know I know it’s been years since she played the green girl and I should just see the show for what is now and I am. I thought Dee was pretty good better in the actual concert than the sound check. Her Wizard and I was good, her acting was what I like out of her performance. Kevin Kern was Fiyero was nice seeing him since his Wedding Singer days. As Long as your mine was sweet and they seem to have good chemistry together. Seeing Wicked again made me feel like I was listening to songs from my childhood. I know it hasn’t been that long but When I was into I didn’t know many shows and now if feel like the start of my Broadway interest. It was just good fun knowing all the words and small choreography and singing with my friend just brought me back. It was the nicest surprise of the day finding something from my past, which I still love.

Thought id make a blog with all my broadway/photo/random thoughts. It will be a good way to get out all my excitement or just thought without boring the people around me.