Time to get this ball rolling again...
I have sadly been neglecting this thing! I think it's time I got back into the swing of things. I have no idea if any of you read this anymore. If you still do, great; if not, Oh well. I've decided recently that I like writing, and this gives me a good place to do that.
I don't feel like recapping the last 5-6 months. They were interesting to say the least. If you want to know about it I'll you in detail. For now, here's the most recent history:
Two days ago, Saturday, Theatre Guild performed a fundraiser show to celebrate the Guild's twenty year anniversary. This show consisted of bringing back alumni of all shapes and sizes to reprised music from all the musicals Rolf has directed over the years, from the his first show (Grease) to the most recent (Bells Are Ringing).
This was the kind of show I had been dreaming about for years. The thought of bring back everyone that has graduated during my tennuer (both when I was still in school and when I came back) was something I had been dreaming about for years. Rumors about could be heard here or there, but it wasn't until a few days before the show when I saw people rehearsing Carousel, Pippin, and Drood that I realized this was all finally happening. I realized this yet again when I walked into the auditorium for the dress rehearsal and saw everyone on stage as they did their vocal warm ups. On stage I saw people who graduated when I was freshman to people who graduated last year (not to mention everyone that was in the Guild before me). It was a surreal visual to watch. Even though there were no sets involved in the show, I was more than ready to sit back and let nostalgia take me away.
The day of the show poster boards were put up in the foyer showing pictures of all the shows. It was fun to take a look at pictures from all the shows, especially the shows I did in high school. Hell, it was even nice seeing pictures of Pippin, the bastard child of Theatre Guild shows.
I hung around the lobby as people slowly started to file in and buy tickets. In the midst of mingling with various alumni in the show, the line to get tickets got longer. Then it got longer. Then the line was out the door. And practically out to the street. This was the kind of turn out you would hope for, and imagine day in and day out. But holy fuck, this was happening. I sat there with Jason and Jim as members of Theatre Guild put folding chairs in the auditorium until there was no standing room available. The light booth and the catewalk were open to the public to meet demand- and those who showed up too late watched from the lobby without complaint. I even let a few late comers sit backstage to watch the show. Being a part of Theatre Guild I knew how important the Guild meant to so many, and this show was proof of it.
And not only did a crowd show up in droves but it was a who's who of THeatre Guild history. The crowd ranged from recent graduates like T-Money and Gill to the first few seniors I met when I joined in '01 like Lea and Heather, and everyone in the middle. It was great to meet up with some of them again, and in some cases I finally got the chance to tell some of the older people how much of an impact they had on me and how I viewed the Guild. After all they're the reason I'm where I am.
The show itself was a fantastic experience to live through. The show started with Bells Are Ringing and ran in desending order. I was happy from moment one, being able to hear the music from Bells Are Ringing again (after all Bradley, Jake, and Melissa were perfect for their parts). I took great joy in seeing some of the talented people that have come through TG singing again like Mike Ryan and Adam. It was satisfying to know that when they were performing "Thoroughly Modern Millie" Strachan was still a half step behind in the dance moves after all these years. Awesome. I almost couldn't contain myself when Brendan Hogan walked on stage and started singing "Magic To Do."
For the next four acts (my high school years) my eyes were glued to stage as I got to hear Amanda sing "Another Opning, Another Show" again; not to mention Dee reprising "Always True To You" and Hogan's "Too Darn Hot." Parker & Devlin nailing "Brush Up Your Shakespeare" one final time was amazing. Afterwards Hogan commented on how glad he was that he saw me and Jason dancing backstage like the good ol' days. Awesome. Though Evita lacked Max and Laurie it was still pleasant to hear "O What A Circus" live curtosey of Lacey. Of course, like so many years ago Kathleen and Lauren nail their solos from "Les Mis" out of the water, and the only time I got goosebumps during the show was when they started marching during "Do You Hear The People Sing?" I was brought back to the spring of '03 when I watched that for the first time. Seeing the dance moves and hearing the music of Carousel was awesome to hear. This production was the first show to show me how intense and awesome doing a show can be; reliving scenes from this show was a pleasure.
As for all the performances from shows before my time, I couldn't help but notice that those performances were damn tight. Even after so many years they still had their shit together. It was good to see tid bits of the Theatre Guild before my time, and watching all the video footage showed how TG progressed into the juggeraut that it is today. The show concluded with the entire company of the show singing a warm up favorite of Rolf's "The Ghost Of Tom," a finale that was both haunting and beautiful- a toast to the next twenty years of Theatre Guild. The night was concluded with a cast party of sorts at Uno's, a laid back way to end the night I had always hoped for.
All this excitment and nostalgia only gets more more reved up to tackle Rolf's next opus in September. Let's get this ball rolling again...
I don't feel like recapping the last 5-6 months. They were interesting to say the least. If you want to know about it I'll you in detail. For now, here's the most recent history:
Two days ago, Saturday, Theatre Guild performed a fundraiser show to celebrate the Guild's twenty year anniversary. This show consisted of bringing back alumni of all shapes and sizes to reprised music from all the musicals Rolf has directed over the years, from the his first show (Grease) to the most recent (Bells Are Ringing).
This was the kind of show I had been dreaming about for years. The thought of bring back everyone that has graduated during my tennuer (both when I was still in school and when I came back) was something I had been dreaming about for years. Rumors about could be heard here or there, but it wasn't until a few days before the show when I saw people rehearsing Carousel, Pippin, and Drood that I realized this was all finally happening. I realized this yet again when I walked into the auditorium for the dress rehearsal and saw everyone on stage as they did their vocal warm ups. On stage I saw people who graduated when I was freshman to people who graduated last year (not to mention everyone that was in the Guild before me). It was a surreal visual to watch. Even though there were no sets involved in the show, I was more than ready to sit back and let nostalgia take me away.
The day of the show poster boards were put up in the foyer showing pictures of all the shows. It was fun to take a look at pictures from all the shows, especially the shows I did in high school. Hell, it was even nice seeing pictures of Pippin, the bastard child of Theatre Guild shows.
I hung around the lobby as people slowly started to file in and buy tickets. In the midst of mingling with various alumni in the show, the line to get tickets got longer. Then it got longer. Then the line was out the door. And practically out to the street. This was the kind of turn out you would hope for, and imagine day in and day out. But holy fuck, this was happening. I sat there with Jason and Jim as members of Theatre Guild put folding chairs in the auditorium until there was no standing room available. The light booth and the catewalk were open to the public to meet demand- and those who showed up too late watched from the lobby without complaint. I even let a few late comers sit backstage to watch the show. Being a part of Theatre Guild I knew how important the Guild meant to so many, and this show was proof of it.
And not only did a crowd show up in droves but it was a who's who of THeatre Guild history. The crowd ranged from recent graduates like T-Money and Gill to the first few seniors I met when I joined in '01 like Lea and Heather, and everyone in the middle. It was great to meet up with some of them again, and in some cases I finally got the chance to tell some of the older people how much of an impact they had on me and how I viewed the Guild. After all they're the reason I'm where I am.
The show itself was a fantastic experience to live through. The show started with Bells Are Ringing and ran in desending order. I was happy from moment one, being able to hear the music from Bells Are Ringing again (after all Bradley, Jake, and Melissa were perfect for their parts). I took great joy in seeing some of the talented people that have come through TG singing again like Mike Ryan and Adam. It was satisfying to know that when they were performing "Thoroughly Modern Millie" Strachan was still a half step behind in the dance moves after all these years. Awesome. I almost couldn't contain myself when Brendan Hogan walked on stage and started singing "Magic To Do."
For the next four acts (my high school years) my eyes were glued to stage as I got to hear Amanda sing "Another Opning, Another Show" again; not to mention Dee reprising "Always True To You" and Hogan's "Too Darn Hot." Parker & Devlin nailing "Brush Up Your Shakespeare" one final time was amazing. Afterwards Hogan commented on how glad he was that he saw me and Jason dancing backstage like the good ol' days. Awesome. Though Evita lacked Max and Laurie it was still pleasant to hear "O What A Circus" live curtosey of Lacey. Of course, like so many years ago Kathleen and Lauren nail their solos from "Les Mis" out of the water, and the only time I got goosebumps during the show was when they started marching during "Do You Hear The People Sing?" I was brought back to the spring of '03 when I watched that for the first time. Seeing the dance moves and hearing the music of Carousel was awesome to hear. This production was the first show to show me how intense and awesome doing a show can be; reliving scenes from this show was a pleasure.
As for all the performances from shows before my time, I couldn't help but notice that those performances were damn tight. Even after so many years they still had their shit together. It was good to see tid bits of the Theatre Guild before my time, and watching all the video footage showed how TG progressed into the juggeraut that it is today. The show concluded with the entire company of the show singing a warm up favorite of Rolf's "The Ghost Of Tom," a finale that was both haunting and beautiful- a toast to the next twenty years of Theatre Guild. The night was concluded with a cast party of sorts at Uno's, a laid back way to end the night I had always hoped for.
All this excitment and nostalgia only gets more more reved up to tackle Rolf's next opus in September. Let's get this ball rolling again...