On Your Feet...plus a brief out of body moment

So this week will be all about the Latinas of it all. I just came back from seeing "On Your Feet" in San Diego, and it blew me away. Before I get to the show, let me share just a brief out of body moment. I was sitting next to two theatre aficionados, and we started talking about shows they had seen, and the lady mentioned that she had seen Spamalot on Broadway with the original company because she had a friend in the show who had won a Tony award for playing the Lady of the Lake. Yeah, she went to Sara Ramirez, only my favorite person on "Grey's Anatomy" and "Madam Secretary". She even got a backstage photo with her. So yeah. That happened. Now, onto the show.

This was a party. This was the next best thing to seeing Gloria Estefan in the flesh. The band (which included 5 of her original band members) was awesome. The story was beautifully told. Some of the most poignant moments were with Gloria and her mother. Gloria and her mother had a very tempestuous relationship and they became estranged for about two years before the accident that nearly claimed Gloria's life brought them back together. One thing I have to say is that Gloria and Emilio represent many different things to many different people. They represent hope, they represent achieving your dreams, they represent fighting against adversity, and many other things. I'd like to give honorable mentions to the people who played Gloria's sister, her mother, her father, and her son Nayib. The actor who played Emilio, Ektor Rivera, joins the show direct from Broadway, and he was absolutely fabulous.

And now...

CHRISTIE PRADES!!! I know. I put her in all caps. There's a reason. I love her. She was fantastic. She embodied Gloria beyond any expectation I had. Her singing was flawless as was everything else about her portrayal. This was the best night that I've had at the theatre in a while.

Oh, and one more thing, as Emilio Estefan once said, "This is what an American looks like!"

Lastly, people talk about Selena Quintanilla all the time. There wouldn't be a Selena, a J. Lo, a Shakira, without Gloria. So many young women have looked to her for inspiration in the past, and many more will continue to do so in the years to come!

Won't You Be My Neighbor

Today I saw the most amazing documentary about Fred Rogers (the Mr. Rogers from Mr. Rogers Neighborhood). This man had a seminal role in my childhood as he did for so many others. He never talked down to children. He talked right to them. It was always a conversation. He never beat around the bush. When Bobby Kennedy was assassinated, he used the word assassination on his show. I just want to talk about one powerful moment and then we'll draw this to a close. There was a scene on his show where Mr Rogers was cooling his feet off in an inflatable swimming pool on a hot day. A local cop (who happens to be a black man) comes over and Mr Rogers invites him to join in. He declines because he doesn't have a towel. Mr Rogers wastes no time in offering to share his towel. That would be enough, but no. He goes further. He dries the man's foot. It is amazing how much a small gesture can have such an impact on a child.

Alright, now, we got off topic in these last couple posts. My next post will be up next Thursday night after I see "On Your Feet" on tour!

Mamma Mia: Here We Go Again

I just came back from seeing the highly anticipated Mamma Mia sequel. Let me tell you, this was worth waiting 10 years for. There was a lot of talk when the trailer cams out about the presence (or lack thereof) of Meryl Streep. There was speculation that Donna had died. Spoiler alert, the speculation is true. Donna died one year before the events of this movie. Lily James plays a young Donna and the film details how she met the three guys. In the present day, Sophie, the three guys, Rosie, and Tanya are still grappling with Donna's death while planning the reopening of the hotel that Donna had dreamt of. Sky is in NYC learning the hotel business. Early on in the movie, Sophie and Sky have an unpleasant phone conversation that leaves us wondering about the state of their marriage. After that, Sky won't answer her calls. He has a big surprise in store. Without giving away too much more, Sophie winds up pregnant and reunited with Sky and her grandmother (CHER!!!)!!! Now for some well deserved individual reviews.

Pierce Brosnan: He plays the fatherly role quite well. He is the only dad that lives full time on the island so he bears a lot of the brunt of helping Sophie through her mom's passing. She keeps wondering if it will get easier and he reminds her that only 12 months have gone by. I really enjoyed seeing him one on one with Sophie.

Colin Firth as Harry: There's not much to play off of with Harry so Colin did an awesome job with what he had.

Stellan Skarsgard as Bill: Again not much to play off of. He has a very sweet scene with Julie Walters. Watch out for his hysterical first scene in the movie.

Christine Baranski as Tanya: Still single and always ready to mingle. Christine plays Tanya as someone who has clearly been going through a dry spell on the sex front for a while. In fact, Tanya meets a man towards the end of the movie and her first thought is "I hope his wife is dead." A very comedic part, but she conveys a sweetness in dealing with Sophie.

Julie Walters as Rosie: Rosie is clearly taking Donna's death the hardest. Julie Walters had so much fun with this role and it shows.

Cher as Ruby Sheridan: What is there to say? Cher is legendary. Through her portrayal (which is brief), we learn that Donna is more like her mother than we had imagined. Oh, and she gets two songs. One is "Fernando", which details a steamy affair she had with Andy Garcia's character 50 years ago. The other is "Super Trooper" which she performs as an encore alongside the whole cast at the end of the film. The way they staged "Fernando" was Cher and Andy standing in the center and the rest of the cast around them, watching intently. I am so jealous that these people got a ringside seat to a performance by a living legend. Now, I will say, the legend has had a little maintenance over the years but she looks and sounds amazing.

Meryl Streep as Donna Sheridan: This is really more of an honorable mention because Meryl only appears briefly towards the end of the film. Her singing was amazing. She and Amanda Seyfried have a beautiful moment together at the end. Just as good as always.

Amanda Seyfried as Sophie Sheridan: This is Sophie 10 years later. Amanda has a lot of emotional material, dealing with some hurdles in her marriage, her mom's passing, the reopening of the hotel. It's a lot. Amanda plays Sophie really well. Amanda has gone through a lot in 10 years in her own life, including having a baby of her own, so she really puts a lot of that emotion into her portrayal. She is everything that a leading lady should be and so much more.

And now, speaking of leading ladies....

Lily James as Young Donna: She joined this company and I felt like she's been there from the very beginning. She played Donna so well. She had some emotional moments but some fun moments too. She is a welcome addition to the family.

Honorable mentions to Andy Garcia, Dominic Cooper, and everyone else.

Now, a little tease for my next post, which will be another movie review. If you're a fan of Mr. Rogers, check out my next post on Wednesday...

Children in the Theatre

Contrary to what you may think, this will not be about children in the audience. This will be about children performers, of which I have seen a lot. So what is it like to work with children? Let's dive in and take a look at a classic example: Young Simba in "The Lion King".

I recently watched an interview with a former adult Simba, and one of the topics brought up was working with the different young Simbas and how it felt to be able to mentor and be an example for young performers. He gave an interesting perspective. He said that, actually, the young ones have taught him an important lesson. Always stay on your toes as an actor. If the young Simba is more reserved, the adult has to be more reserved. If the young one is more rambunctious and athletic, the adult has to be more rambunctious and athletic. It's a natural progression. So remember, stay on your toes.

Now a personal note. I know I've been hit and miss with the blogs, but I've had a bit of a rough patch. Thankfully, it's over, and I will be blogging on a more regular basis. The next blog will come on Friday and will be a review of "Mamma Mia: Here We Go Again". Also, just a preview of reviews to come. "On Your Feet" in August. "Phantom" in August. "Wicked" in October. "Waitress" in November. "Aladdin" in February.

Standbys and Understudies, yes, again

I've been thinking a lot lately about standbys and understudies. I know, I have already posted about this, but I feel it bears repeating, these are the unsung heroes of the show. Before I go any further, a brief vocabulary lesson:

Standby: a performer, not on stage every show, will only appear onstage when covering the lead role they stand by for.

Understudy: A performer who performs in the ensemble every show, but also covers a lead role.

Swing: Covers an ensemble member when they are out or covering a lead role.

So, most of these cover at least one (if not more) roles. Why is this so remarkable? Take a 2 show day for example. If you're a standby, you could be sitting in your dressing room for the matinee, and production could come up and say, "You're on for the evening show." Or, even more remarkable, the lead could suddenly be taken ill and need to switch out ASAP. As a standby, they have to be at the ready for anything.

If you're an understudy, you could be on for your ensemble role one show and on for a principal the next. Or, you could be on for a principal one show, and then a completely different principal the next show.

The show does not happen without these folks willing to step in and save the day...

The Unsung Heroes

Yes, I know this is a double post week, but there's very important people that I want to acknowledge: standbys and understudies. This post will serve two purposes: one celebrating them and the other encouraging you to let them do what they do best. What is that, you ask? Let them have your back.

First off, let's celebrate them. They have the hardest job in the show. They have to learn their ensemble track and a principal track (sometimes more than one). No easy task.

What they do best is have your back. Some of you may have heard, but over the last few weeks, there has been talk in the theatre world about mental health, with one of the major spearheaders of the conversation (won't say who but let me drop a hint...for the first time in forever), admitted to calling out due to a massive anxiety attack. It's okay. If you feel like you can't do the show that day and you need to rest or you're having a health issue, you need to call out. Don't feel bad about it. This is why we have standbys and understudies. This is their job. Take the time you need to get better, even if you just wake up one day feeling like you need a day of rest. If you're just slightly fatigued, rest up, gauge yourself throughout the day and, as showtime nears, make the determination of how you wish to proceed that night. However, if you wake up, and you know there is simply no way you can do it, call out. Let your standby or understudy do what they've been trained to do.

The Arc of It All

Yes, I know it has been a while since my last post. I've been going through some life changes and I'm finally starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel so it is time to start blogging again. This week, the character arc.

Your arc is, for lack of a better word, your journey in the show. What do you learn? What do you accomplish? Also, your arc doesn't have to be for you. Your arc could be you helping someone else. Let me give you a perfect example...

Mrs Wormwood in "Matilda". She learns absolutely nothing in the show. She tells us exactly what she's all about in her act 1 number, "Loud". She is solely focused on outward appearances. By the end, she's the same. So what's her arc? Well, according to one of the actresses who played her on Broadway, if Mrs Wormwood did not abuse Matilda, Matilda would not end up where she needs to. So, if your character learns nothing, start thinking about your arc in another way. What do I help someone else to do?

To wrap up, and just for a little bit of fun, to quote Mrs Wormwood, "I look good. You don't "