Life is around you and in you.

Since I was too wrapped up in dancing onstage to get my camera out during the dance party at the end, I'll let BroadwayWorld.com's photo coverage show you what the scene was like.

Down to the gutter, up to the glitter

Oh, and just so you don't miss it, my BroadwayWorld.com debut:
























I feel like the title of this blog post, a lyric from The Flesh Failures/Let the Sunshine In (which ends the show) perfectly describes this image.

Let me express my feelings with a picture:

This will be me in 30 minutes.



I have never been so ready for 6:00 p.m. on a Friday.

Viva la weekend!

Welcome to my weekend.

I love a good lazy Sunday. Actually, I've had quite the lazy weekend, though I'd like to think it was pretty productive as well.

Though Andy Samberg might think that Mr. Pibb + Red Vines = crazy delicious, my favorite combination is Pretzels + White-Chocolate-Cherry Dip from the Biltmore. And instead of watching the Chronicles of Narnia, I've been filling my entertainment quota with an America's Next Top Model marathon.

Plus, I'm now watching the movie Billy Elliot for the second time this weekend. You know how I am, I get on these kicks where I want to watch/listen to/sing/etc. the same thing over and over again. And I certainly do love Billy Elliot. The musical might just be my favorite thing on Broadway right now.

If you haven't heard me gush about how talented these kids are, then consider yourself lucky, because I could go on and on. Plus, they're just adorable. There are 3 original boys who play Billy on Broadway - Trent Kowalik, Kiril Kulish and David Alvarez. Brownie points to anyone who can guess my favorite!


Also, I've been working on a couple of new projects. I've been getting involved with a theater organization here by volunteering my time with a mailing project and with some graphic design work. The event is called the New York Musical Theatre Festival, and it's basically pretty awesome. You should check it out!

I've also spent a significant amount of time this weekend downloading new musical recordings. (If you know what I mean... Megan.) Gotta love it, but I'm probably going to need more space to save things on my computer if I keep things up at this rate.

That's my update for now. This week is certain to be crazy at work, similar to the end of last week (consider this my feeble attempt at an apology for the delayed posting once again), so there's a good chance that my next update will be coming from Tennessee! I am excited to get to visit some of my family next weekend during my sister's spring break.

Until next time, hope you're enjoying a lazy Sunday, or at least having a good one.

100

I've been putting off posting because I didn't know what to do to make my 100th post awesome. It's a lot of pressure, you know? I had several ideas, all of which involved me coming up with 100 of something. And try as I might, I didn't have the patience or the interest in writing 100 facts, blah blah blah... and you wouldn't have wanted to read that either.

So, instead I decided to share with you some of my favorite time wasters - since you're already reading blogs online anyway. With no further ado, in honor of all that is my 100th post of awesomeness, here are my current favorite YouTube videos. Some are really old favorites, and others are newer loves. (And ok, so a few of them are Spring Awakening related...)



(This one might not make sense to you if you haven't actually seen Spring Awakening. In fact, it doesn't really make any sense even if you have.)



(Kyle Riabko is currently on tour with SA as Melchior. He's a strange kid, but funny! And a great singer.)



(Oh, come one. You really haven't seen this?)



(Blake played Ernst in SA. He also has a beautiful voice. This song is great, too bad the band isn't together anymore.)



(This is one of those classics. It reminds me of sitting on the couch with Ross at Phi Delt and watching YouTube videos for hours. Actually, this whole post reminds me of that.)



(Kayleigh introduced me to this video. "It's like she thinks she's the dictionary..." That part is my favorite. You should watch the sequel, too.)



(Combining the comedy of Leave Britney Alone and I Just Wanted To Make It Snow. Brilliant.)



(Erin and I fell in love with this little precious.)



(I wish there was someone who looked like Tedward working in my office.)



(Another really old one, but it never gets old. Though the song kind of has by now.)


There were many other classics that didn't get posted on here, but that's for another day. Maybe in another 100 posts?

Anyway, you're welcome. Now get back to work.

Best. Weekend. Ever.

I had seriously the best weekend ever. If I tried to sum it up in words, it would be all wrong for two reasons: 1) I would ramble on forever and you'd get bored, 2) It would still not accurately capture it. So, they say a picture is worth 1,000 words, so here's a more succinct version.

After work, some of the girls went out for dinner on the Upper West Side. This restaurant is great. Yummy Chinese food yes, but the best part is the free wine. Sure, it's just Franzia, but that makes it so much better.

During dinner, we decided to play the role of "douchey frat guys" and so what better place to go than "Bro-J's"? It's the land of boat shoes, croakies, pastel polos and '80s rock. Brings me back to South Greek days.

While wandering the UWS, we came to my favorite bakery, Crumbs. So Christa and I just had to have a cupcake. Those are some of my favorite NYC treats, and it had been way too long since I had eaten one!

Saturday, I slept in gloriously. I think I got 12 hours of sleep. Then I spent the day lounging about watching Season 2 of Dexter. Love that show SO much! Oh, and I nearly forgot to mention that it was snowing steadily all day, creating a beautiful backdrop to my lazy day from the window.

That night, Kayleigh and I braved the elements to go see a movie. While waiting in line at the 42nd St. theater, we saw the singer Adele. I was just saying how I felt like I was due for another celebrity sighting.

Though we initially intended to see Milk, we ended up going to Benjamin Button. I seriously loved this movie. The moment Brad Pitt comes on the screen on the motorcycle, I remembered exactly why he's always on the top sexiest men lists.

Sunday, I woke up relatively early and headed out for the day. At the suggestion of my mom, I paid a visit to Henri Bendel's, and I am beyond glad that I went out on that whim. They were having a massive sale - as in 80% off some things! I ended up getting several things that I would never have even considered buying before, at a total that would have been over $1,000 if I had payed original price. Luckily, I paid less for the grand total than one item would originally have cost. I have never experienced a sale that rewarding. Seriously.

And then, something that always makes a weekend great: I went to a Broadway show. And even better, when that show is Spring Awakening. I seriously cannot believe that it's closing next week, but it has been an amazing run.

Oh, and as if I was already having a phenomenal weekend, it just got better. Matt Doyle, who happens to be just my absolute favorite, was (to my pleasant surprise) playing the lead role this afternoon! I absolutely adore his voice and his portrayal of Melchior. I got a great discount ticket, which happened to be an amazing seat. The fifth row, on the left aisle! And of course, I stayed after at the stage door, and I got to chat with him for a couple of minutes. (This photo is from the last time I saw the show.)

And then I'm ending my weekend now, having just watched the Golden Globe awards. It reminded me of how many movies I still need to see from this year. Also, worth noting - the Old Hollywood look is back; everyone was so classy tonight!

And that's the way I like things: classy. I hope your weekend was even somewhat as amazing as mine, though I'm not sure if much else could compete with how great the weekend was for me.

OMFGG.

"Just tell me G.G.
Three words, eight letters
Wanna be your rock, girl
Be your steps at the Metters"

This is entirely too funny. If you're as big a fan of The Greatest Show of Our Time as I am, you will love this. At least I hope. See how many references you can catch.



And you know that I most certainly do love this show entirely too much. I wanted to point a couple of things out. First, the Pinkberry that is a frequent setting for last night's episode is the very same one my friends and I frequent on 2nd Avenue in the 50s (55th, I think?). Also, I was bored on my way home from work yesterday and decided to watch an episode on my iPhone while en route. It was simply beautiful and poetic that as I passed the Met, the girls were gathering for their breakfast on the steps in GG world. Love it.

FREEDOM!

I'm about 40 minutes away from Christmas vacation. I do have to work from home on Monday/Tuesday, but it's a little different when I'm in the comforts of my mom's house instead of in the office. I don't really have time for a thought-provoking insightful post, so here's more linkage and video!

OU people, if you haven't seen this yet... Well, there are no words really.





And I'm in love with this guy:

Can it just be Christmas yet?

We're obviously working very hard. Clearly, Christmas break needs to get here soon.

In case you were wondering, here's what we're discussing.

Also... this makes me smile:

Let's talk about our feelings.

Or, more specifically, since this is my blog, let's talk about MY feelings.

A) Excited
There are two very good reasons for this feeling. First, I am going to the Apple store today to get my Christmas present - an iPhone! Prepare to hear me speaking in my "iPhone voice" all Christmas break. You love it. The second reason is that in one week I will be at my mom's house for the first half of my holidays.

B) Annoyed
I think it's a good sign that I need a break when everything around here starts to annoy me. I honestly am not feeling annoyed at this particular moment; however, it has cropped up a lot this week. However, if you know me, you know the best way for me to cure a bad mood. Last night I checked another Broadway show off my list, "All My Sons."

C) Nostalgic
This is solely due to the fact that Jordan did his annual "reflection on the last year of my life" post on his blog today and I just finished reading it. But it did make me think about how much things have changed from January 1st until now.

D) Christmas-y
Come on, y'all. It's the most wonderful time of the year. How could I not be in a Christmas spirit?!

Let's also talk about the fact that in order to hit and/or surpass 100 posts, I need 14 more. Totally doable, as long as I don't forget while my brain is shut down over break and I'm not looking for distractions. So maybe I'll do a little double duty this next week as a precaution.

P.S. How awesomely creepy are those pictures?

All I want for Christmas...

I feel like since Christmas is just over two weeks away, I should probably fill you guys in on my wish list. I mean, that way you have time to scour the stores to find the best deals. Here are my top three Christmas wishes:

3.




















2.















1.



















Thanks in advance. I mean, I have been so good this year. And just remember:

Christmas is in fashion.

You guys. Ashanti stole my look.
I totally have (and rock) that hat. Though you'd never catch me in boots or a coat that hideous. I wore my awesome beanie to the Rockefeller Center tree lighting tonight. Four hours in the cold to see some sparkly lights... so worth it.

Pictures are worth a thousand girl talks...

There's going to be a massive Facebook picture post going on this week. Hopefully it'll get done later tonight. For now, here's a preview:

"With my by myself..."

Vote today.

"Today we begin in earnest the work of making sure that the world we leave our children is just a little bit better than the one we inhabit today." - Barack Obama






























If nothing else, do it for the free Ben & Jerry's, Starbucks, and Krispy Kremes. But you should do it because the future of our country depends on it.

And if that doesn't convince you, then maybe Zac Efron can.














"We need men who can dream of things that never were." - JFK

Samantha will be proud.

I'm going to this tonight. It benefits Bette Midler's NY Restoration Project, so I hope she's there. That would be ah-mazing. I think it's going to be pretty great anyway. Now, I've railed and ranted about how I refuse to go to Wicked on Broadway. That's because the tickets are way too expensive and are never available on my discount site or at tkts, I've been listening to the music for 5 years and I think I wore it out, and I saw the touring company and was slightly disappointed (not with their performances so much as the show itself). I still feel this way, and I will not pay my own money to go sit through a regular performance alongside every crazy 14-year-old fangirl who thinks she can sing "Defying Gravity" well enough to get her big Broadway break and will argue about which Elphaba is better, and who is rude to fans at the stage door. (Those crazies do exist, sadly.) However, I am so excited about this event, because it's all about the music. And let's face it, that's what I love the most anyway. I am very excited to hear the popular songs in their early incarnations, and to be privy to music that got cut from the show. I'll report back on it (as well as the rest of my recent Broadway outings) soon.

Yellow Brick Road Not Taken Will Celebrate Wicked's Fifth Anniversary

By Andrew Gans
August 21, 2008

The Yellow Brick Road Not Taken, a selection of scenes and songs cut from early drafts of the hit musical Wicked, will be presented Oct. 27 at the Gershwin Theatre, the home of the Stephen Schwartz-Winnie Holzman musical.

A portion of the proceeds from the 7:30 PM concert, which celebrates the fifth Broadway anniversary of Wicked, will benefit the New York Restoration Project. An all-star cast will be announced shortly; Matt Lenz will direct.

In the upcoming concert, press notes state, "Wicked composer/lyricist Stephen Schwartz and book writer Winnie Holzman will share some of the scenes and songs from early drafts of the musical blockbuster. . . .Featuring never-before-seen material performed publicly for the first time, as well as songs cut during the show's development and pre-Broadway engagement, this one-night-only event will tell the story of Wicked the way it's never been told before and will illuminate the various paths the writers took in creating what has become one of the most popular Broadway musicals."

Buy this Limited Collector's Edition

Tickets will go on sale to the general public Sept. 5 by calling (212) 307-4100 or by visiting www.ticketmaster.com.

Based on Gregory Maguire's novel, which turned every Oz myth inside out, Wicked explores the early life of the witches of Oz: Glinda and Elphaba. The two main characters meet at Shiz, a school where both hope to take up sorcery. Glinda is madly popular and Elphaba is, well, green. By a misunderstanding, they wind up roommates and, after an initial period of mutual loathing, begin to learn something about each other. Their life paths continue to intersect through a shared love, entry into the Emerald City and interaction with the Wizard himself. Eventually, their choices and convictions take them on widely different paths.

Wicked features a score by Stephen Schwartz, a book by Winnie Holzman, direction by Joe Mantello and musical staging by Wayne Cilento. The creative team also includes scenic design by Eugene Lee, costume design by Susan Hilferty, lighting design by Kenneth Posner, sound design by Tony Meola, projections by Elaine J. McCarthy, wig and hair design by Tom Watson, music supervision and arrangements by Stephen Oremus, orchestrations by William David Brohn and dance arrangements by James Lynn Abbott.

For more information visit www.wickedthemusical.com.

Joyeux anniversaire, mon ami!

"You say it's your birthday It's my birthday too, yeah They say it's your birthday We're gonna have a good time I'm glad it's your birthday Happy birthday to you." -- Beatles, "Birthday"

Today marks the birthday of one of my most favorite people in the whole entire world. Just a couple of years ago, we became friends because we liked the sound of each other's voice (no kidding, we met in choir). And then we discovered more things we like about each other (and a few weird things too). It's a good thing we take cute pictures together too, because there certainly are a lot of them.

From date parties dressed as kids on Christmas to decked out in our semi-formal finest, rooting for the Sooners in Norman or in the West End, being in Scandals or just being scandalous, and all the random times in between, Kely is one of my most beloved friends. And today, I'm celebrating him!

Happy birthday, little K. Love ya!

I couldn't adequately express it in my current state of mind.

After a great weekend...
I'm back on an island far-far away.

Why didn't someone nail my feet to the ground?

Weekend Wars

"Twisted diamond heart, I'm the weekend warrior.
My predictions are the only things I have.
I can amplify the sound and light and love."
-- MGMT, Weekend Wars

It feels like every weekend around here is absolute non-stop craziness. There's always something going on. It's a nice change from the routine of the week: get up, go to work, stay at work until God-knows-when, come home, prepare for the next day at work, go to bed, repeat. The time frame from 6:00 p.m. Friday until bedtime on Sunday is brimming with opportunity to take in what the city has to offer, revitalize myself and to spend time with my friends, so I try my hardest to take advantage of it. I mean, really, who doesn't love the weekend?

Highlights from this one:

• My first Rudy's experience with the TFA crowd. $7 pitchers, free hotdogs, a jukebox, and a crowd of suits unwinding. Seems pretty good to me.
• College: The Musical. It is part of the New York Musical Theater Festival, and was pretty entertaining, if lacking much of a plot besides a party. I guess that's pretty accurate, though. Right?
• The New York Public Library. Justin and I wandered around the extremely gorgeous, famous campus, and then checked out books from the Mid-Manhattan branch.
• A little foray down Fifth Avenue is always welcome. And I even impressed myself with my restraint at Bendel's.
  
• [Title of Show] from the second row. Amazing, of course.
• Hanging out with the [tos] cast afterwards, and hearing about a great idea Jeff has coming up. (Check out their blog for more updates.)
• Meeting the incredibly talented and extremely sweet Beth Leavel.
• Junior's cheesecake. I know, it's lame that cheesecake is a highlight, but it's so good.
• Spending a lazy, quiet day at home today, preparing for the week and packing for my trip to Norman.
  

(P.S. This picture is of the crowd on 44th St, waiting outside the theater where Equus is playing. They are gathered up here waiting to catch a glimpse of Daniel Radcliffe coming out of the stage door. Out of control.)

Happy 1DL!

Today is the 1st application deadline for Teach For America. (You potential applicants, be sure to get your application completed by 2:59 a.m. EST tonight!) This means that there's a different vibe around the office. Some people are going nuts with things to finish, others are more chill, but everyone's excited to see how many people apply to be a part of the movement.

In the meantime, everyone is sending around fun little "inspirational" links, myself included. It started when one of our directors, Rachel, Rick-Rolled our cohort, and it got passed along to the entire RT. So, not to be outdone, I passed a link to this lovely video. Try not to fall out of your chair or pee your pants.

Happy 1DL everyone, and watch out for the Bobby Batroniks out there.

CQDBTIOE

Last night I went to the first preview for the new musical 13, with music and lyrics by Jason Robert Brown, of whom we all know I am a huge fan. The general excitement of being at the first Broadway performance of a show aside, I was particularly excited about seeing this, pretty much just because of the JRB connection. And it definitely did not disappoint. (Disclaimer: I'm no theater critic - I pretty much like everything I go see, so don't take my word as any legitimate review. I'm easy to please, as long as they sing well and make me laugh or cry.)

The kids were amazing singers - I was especially impressed with the girl who played Lucy, whose parents I happened to be sitting next to. While some of the actors sounded like they were 13 (good for 13, but still young voices), hers was much more mature. Plus she was the sassy, bitchy character, the kind you love to hate. She was definitely a scene-stealer, in the best possible way. I also loved the group of boys who followed the tween-heartthrob Brett around. They sang a campy little song called "Bad, Bad News" and the audience, myself included, just ate it up.

The dancing was just a bit U-Sing for my taste, but then again, I'm always there for the voices more than the moves. I was amused by the "playing your leg as a guitar" move that seemed to be ubiquitous in U-Sing/Scandals last year. (And I have a feeling these songs will make their way into future shows as soon as the sheet music becomes available.)

I recommend that you check it out if you're in NYC. And if you're not, I recommend that you come visit me and we can go see it again once it officially opens and they've worked out all the little kinks. For now, here's a link to their music video from the website www.13themusical.com:



P.S. The title of this post is in reference to a line from the show that cracked me up. Patrice enters, telling Archie she came after she got his text, but is confused about what "CQDBTIOE" means. He, in exasperation, explains that it's obviously: "Come Quick, Danger Beckons, Time Is Our Enemy." LAWL.