Hello everyone!
I know that it has been a long time since my last blog post. I will be posting a new, big post later this week. For now, I wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.
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Yesterday, for a personal record third time, I attented Matilda on Broadway. This is by far one of my favorite productions I have ever seen.
I first saw it before Anna and I were married. Just after our engagement, we took a vacation to NYC. We only bought tickets for two shows ahead of time, The Nance with Nathan Lane, and Matilda. Both shows were still in previews at the time (in fact, we were at the first preview for the new Lane show). The moment Tim Minchin's music began, I felt a joyus thrill go up my spine. The music has an elegance and a complexity to it that I love (some songs are Sondheim-esque in their complexity and competing melodies). The music takes you on this magical journey that is Matilda. Even after listening to the cast album many times over since first seeing the production in 2013, and the latest two times since moving to NYC, I am still emotionally moved by the music. Even thinking about it right now and recalling the musical themes, I have to hold back the tears in the Starbucks I am currently at. There is one song in particular that causes the greatest and rawest reaction for me. "When I Grow Up." This song starts with just a simple piano melody and the kids of the cast singing about what it will be like when they reach adulthood. Whenever I hear this song, I am personally reminded of my childhood and all of the hopes and dreams that I held dear to my heart. Even now, living in New York, following my dream of being an actor, I still hold on to those dreams. At the same time, when I hear the joy in the music, my heart yearns to return to that childlike state. My heart breaks a little everytime that song plays simply because I miss being a kid. The stage magic and technical craft are stellar. The transitions from scene to scene are elegant. It is by far one of the loudest productions (which I personally love), but I have heard some familes complain. The kids are, and I will say this to anyone who asks me about this production, "Stupidly talented." These kids are literally 1/2 my age and already kicking butt on broadway. Currently, the incredible Christopher Sieber is in the bust of Ms. Trunchbull. This was my second time seing him throw the hammer, and he nalied it. Honestly, I hope some day to work on this show as either the towering Ms. Trunchbull or as the skeezy Mr. Wormwood (Matilda's crook of a father). Until then, I will keep encouraging people to attend this heart-warming and awe-inspiring musical. I just hope that when I grow up, I will be good enough. Greetings everyone! Now that I am just a week over 25, I have some really fun updates for your reading pleasure. Number one....I am now 25. Hooray! I had a terrific birthday hanging out with my lovely wife and some of my amazing NYC friends. The day after, I went to see Avenue Q for my (personal) record-breaking fourth time. The current off-Broadway cast was tremendous. The jokes were still as funny this time around as the last several, and the topical updates made to the lyrics were wonderful. Yes, the lyrics reminded us that "Donald Trump...(is) only for now." We scored some amazing rush tickets...literally front row center. Also, as I predicted to my friends, I was the loudest laugher in the house (as is often the case). Number two...I am learning more about wine! I have an additional part time job at the Columbia Wine Company which is literally blocks away from my apartment. The nicest part is they are willing to let me work nights so that I can attend auditions during the day. The people are great, the wine selection is tremendous, and I am having a great time there. Number three...I'll bet you're a little curious about the picture above. Well, this past Monday night I had the privilege to be featured in The Actor's Project NYC's latest showcase. TAP's main mission is to help members of the company land representation. There were some amazing agents and managers in the house on Monday, and I hope they liked me! The monologue I performed entitled, Peaceful Bank Robber, was about a dude robbing a bank for the first time mainly so he can donate to his favorite charities. Hence the dirty hippy shirt of "Save the Cats." Unfortunately for him, the robbery doesn't go quite as planed, and the gun accidentally goes off striking the teller who was being so nice. ...oops. Number four...auditions and callbacks have been happening. I don't want to give too much away about some of the crazy-awesome things that I have been working on/towards, but let's just say I am super excited for the days to come. My fingers are crossed, and I am working my butt off to get ready for some great things. More information will be forthcoming about these. Well, that about does it for this info-blast. As always, if you have any comments or questions, feel free to post one. Thank you all. Until next time! Hi All!
As the title suggests, this is going to be a brief blog as today is my birthday! Be on the lookout for a new blog post very soon. Till then! Hello All!!! I am so sorry that I have left you hanging for (cough) two months. Sorry! But I have been doing some amazing things. Here is the lowdown. Parking Lot 63 opened and closed. We had a good run with it. The cast was great, the script was good to perform, the design and directorial team kicked butt. A WHOLE bunch of auditions have happened. Most recently I auditioned for SpongeBob Squarepants the Musical. I feel like I have been giving these calls my all. Which is all I can do. Just keep your fingers crossed that I'll be called in for a callback! TAP NYC is in high gear. Last night, we had our monologue challenge! That was super fun and crazy stressful (in a good way). Showcases are coming up in a matter of weeks! AAAHHH. As you can see, I have also gotten some new headshots. Huge thank you to Sara Edwards! Finally, and most importantly, I WENT ON MY HONEYMOON!!!! Anna and I went on a week long vacation to Florida, then a Cruise, then to the Bahamas and back. We had such a good time at the ocean. Here is the downside. Aside from them trying on our second day to get us to buy a timeshare, I developed a cold. Now it has grown into God knows what. I write this from my room in NYC (still can't believe I can say that), trying to rest and recover. Please send good vibes. Well, I guess that is all for now. Look for more updates in the (not too distant) future. Thank you! Greetings all! I hope that July has been a wonderful month thus far....Hard to believe that we are well over the 1/2 way point. As promised, here are the details of my upcoming show. Parking Lot 63 is an original one-act drama by Carol W. Berman based on real events set in 1963. 13-year-old Sara has discovered that there is a girl trapped in a car at the lot where her father Irv works. The young Sara is eager to help this girl, but her efforts are blocked by her father and the other lot employee Louis. There is also a lot of drama that happens back at home. I play Sara's brother, David Baum. A very bright 17-year-old in college, David rebels against his father and leaves home. This is a show that deals with a lot of heavy issues, with some moments of humor thrown in to ease the tension. As part of the Thespis Theatre Festival, performances are scheduled for August 13th (9:00pm), 15th (1:00pm), and 16th (6:00pm). For ticket information, click here. Other fun and exciting things are happening too! On July 13th, I started working with TAPNYC, also known at The Actor's Project. Being a very new actor to the NYC scene, I was not sure if they would even consider a guy like me to join their troop, but the did and joined I am. From now until our Off-Broadway showcase in October, I will be working on perfecting a monologue with the opportunity to audition for a sketch comedy team and/or a musical theatre troop. (I can audition for both, but I must pick one!) I have the honor to be working with the founder of the company Bobby Holder. The main goal of TAP is to help actors land representation in NYC to help further their career. Having an agent in this city is an important step to landing some of the best roles in the city in TV, film, commercials, and theatre. Even if I don't make it into either the sketch comedy or musical troop, I am still thrilled by this opportunity to show my stuff with a crazy-fun monologue. Information about TAP, and their showcases, can be found here. I've had the chance to see some great shows lately. Hand to God, Matilda, Mrs. Smith's Broadway Cat-tacular, and last night I saw the Encore's! production of Andrew Lippa's Wild Party with the amazing Sutton Foster. I've also been auditioning like crazy...let's hope something sticks! Other than that, not much else. Be on the lookout for more updates here and on my wife's website too. For more Anna Lewein, click here. Times Square. The cultural center of New York City. The lights, the shows, the food, and the people are all here. And now, I am too (four days a week)! No, I have not gotten my name on a marquee next to Brian d'Arcy James, but I am helping people get to see Broadway shows. I started working with a company called TKTBook (different from TKTS) who help theatre attendees get the best seats available. While I have only been there for three days thus far, I have already helped over a dozen people see amazing shows. In other news, I began rehearsals for my first show in NYC this past Tuesday. I won't be giving too much detail as of yet, but I wanted to entice you! Last week, Anna and I went and did amazing things! We each had a CityPass, which allowed us access to some of the biggest tourist destinations in New York for either free or for a huge discount. We went to the Guggenheim Museum, the 9/11 Memorial and Museum, the Empire State Building (twice in one day), Liberty and Ellis Islands, the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Cloisters, the Museum of Natural History, and an art tour of Rockefeller Center. It was crazy, but fantastic. If you plan to visit NYC, click here for details on how to get one. Hi all! I promise a more detailed blog soon, but I want you to know I didn't forget about all of you! A full update of all the fun, exciting, and new things soon to come.
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And other stuff too. Hi All! How are you? Good? That's good. How am I, you ask? I am pretty dang good! Lots of things have been happening, so I will get started with the most recent events. Anna and I have moved! I loved our time in Bushwick, but our Brooklyn stay had to come to an end. We made our way uptown to Washington Heights, Manhattan! The place we found is sweet (especially since we have a washer/dryer in unit...an NYC win). We moved this past weekend with the aid of my father-in-law Jay. It was his first time in NYC, so we got to take him to some fun sights. Times Square, Rockefeller Center, Central Park; many miles of walking were accomplished. We HAD to make sure that Jay saw a Broadway show, and the show we chose was perfection! We attended the Saturday evening performance of Something Rotten. It was incredible!!! Anna and I were definitely the loudest laughers in the house. I also had the thrill of getting to see one of my Broadway idols, the incredible Brian d'Arcy James. In other news, I haven't been auditioning too much as of late, but I have been attending plenty of callbacks! Last week, I was called for the Educational Tour team with George Street Playhouse. While I didn't land the contract, I had a terrific time working with the team out there in New Brunswick. I also found out that I have made it to the third (that's right, third!) round of callback for the tour of Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas, which will happen in a couple of weeks! Till then, I have a few more auditions to attend! Also, did you happen to notice that it is now June!?!? How did that happen!?! For those of you interested, a friendly reminder that it is TONY weekend! The awards are this Sunday at 8:00pm (EST). As always, remember to check out my wife's website too! Click here! More updates and musings soon! Many Minnesotans have seen the article from the StarTribune about the Minnesota Centennial Showboat having a dark summer. The article, in my humble opinion, is a little too brief to fully and accurately explain the entire situation.
I had the honor to perform for three seasons on the Showboat and loved it. Last season's "Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde" suffered from flooding that occurred on the Mississippi. Unfortunately, despite the departments best attempts to revive the season, the loss of about 1/5 of the productions due to mother nature was very substantial. The show was terrific and filled with the joys that the Showboat provided. Humorous olios, an over the top and honestly performed melodrama, the booing, the cheering, and the impossibly crafty stage tech. While I understand from a business standpoint why the boat is closed rhia season, I am saddened by the hiatus. The Showboat will be back again, but it needs the chance to rehabilitate and rejuvenate. As I wrote earlier, I had the privilege of performing on that little stage for three consecutive seasons. I did over 230 shows over those three years with some truly incredible artists. I am sad that this year, a group of students will not have the ability to perform a long run with eight shows a week. I am, however, hopeful for the future. People will miss the boat this year, but it will come back...puffin' along as always. |
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