GLEE on DVD

Just thought I'd mention that Vol. 1 of Season 1 (entitled "Road to Sectionals") comes out on DVD this Tuesday! And it relates to this blog not only because of the awesome show tunes that are used (Don't Rain on My Parade is a song I like to listen to on more than one occasion), but it stars Broadway alumni Lea Michele, Matthew Morrison! And that's only this Volume! The second half of Season 1 will feature Idina Menzel and Jonathan Groff as the coach and head student of Vocal Adrenaline, respectively. Prepare your checkbooks for this Tuesday!

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Cast Recordings

Looking to buff up your knowledge of showtunes without splurging on itunes? There are a few ways to do it.

A) Listen to playbill radio. You can stream it live on your computer from playbill.com. They play showtunes all day, and occasionally their playbill podcasts. These are basically how I keep in touch with the Broadway world. They're very informative, very up to date- you'll be up to the moment on Broadway news by subscribing on itunes (for free).

B) Hit your library!! Librarys usually have incredible amounts of untapped, beautiful cast recordings just waiting for you. I just returned the cast recordings for Rags, The Wild Party, and Bye Bye Birdie and grabbed Footloose, A Little Night Music, solo CDs by Audra McDonald and Kristin Chenoweth, and a concert showcasing the music of William finn. Obviously you can't download these onto your ipod legally, but they're great to try out to see if you'd like to buy the album or just increasing your knowledge in general.

Happy listening. :)

Jess

Give it up!...for Superman!

Ah! I haven't posted on here in forever! Must do it! Now! Thanks Jess for the arrangement-thingy.

Anyway, the latest I have to give this week about the current season at the Dallas Theatre Center in Dallas, TX. Those silly regional theatres seem to be having a ball with the shows they are performing (including the Yale Repertory Theatre performing POP! in it's world premiere). And included in Dallas' lineup this season is there own world premiere. Give It Up! is about a college and their cheerleading squad's attempt to break the basketball team's 30-year losing curse. Yeah, it's like a weird HSM for adults, (I mean the pictures look like it) but show is backed up by a host of Xanadu alumni, including the director, the playwright for the book, and the leading lady. And Xanadu wasn't the most amazing show to hit the Great White Way, but it's not terrible (and don't say Glory Days was...there is a special place in my heart for that show).

So give it up for Give It Up! to hit the Dallas stage January 15th. Along with the Beauty Plays (The Shape of Things, Fat Pig, and reasons to be pretty) to open in late February, Death of a Salesman opening in mid-April, and finally It's a Bird...It's a Plane...It's Superman to close out the season in mid-June. That show is one I would love to see, personally. Superman was a show to satisfy the theatre-goers of the 60's when Superman exploded into the American pastime. The show didn't last long on Broadway...at all...but it is one show that cannot go without a revival. Break a leg, Dallas!

As for myself, the Edge theatre in Rock Hill, South Carolina (a community theatre where I have established roots during my time at Winthrop) is putting on the play, The History Boys February 4-7. It's about a group of boys in who are studying to pass the tests for Oxford and Cambridge as they are graduating in a semester. Oh, and it takes place in England. That means accents for all of us! My character is Posner. For more info, the play was made into a movie in 2006 with the original Broadway cast of the show. It's pretty good, but leaves a lot out of the staged production. The last show I did there, bare: a pop opera went very well with a great review from Creative Loafing in Charlotte. Thanks to everyone who came! Go see The History Boys! Until next time.

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http://www.dallastheatercenter.org/
Dallas!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=45OsKkHhv90
trailer to The History Boys

http://tinyurl.com/yh79onp
review of bare: a pop opera by Creative Loafing

New Arrangement

Philip and I have a new arrangement! He's going to post every Wednesday and I'm posting ever weekend. We might actually remember to update this way. :)

Random thought of the week: Julia Murney is amazing. The end.

Right now, if you are reading this, go to youtube and watch her sing "Raise the Roof" from the Wild Party. You may recognize her name because she's played ELphaba on Broadway. One of the few people, in my expert opinion, that is convincing during "As Long as You're Mine." Go watch her ALAYM with Sebastian Arcelus too. Right now. (Best alaym award goes to Stephanie J. Block and Sebastian- defo cheaters cause they're married, but Julia's and Seb's is also amaazing.)

Second random thought of the week: Kelli O'Hara is amazing.

Kelli is playing Nellie Forbush in South Pacific currently, opposite Paolo Szot. She's recently been in The Pajama Game- based on the old movie- and Light in the Piazza opposite Matt Morrison. Matt Morrison was part of the original revival (paradox?) cast of South Pacific as well- as Lt. Cable- before going off to be some big, famous TV star in Glee. But we all love him anyways. Soo back to Kelli. She also has a solo album out that is on my Christmas list. Judging by the 30 second clips on itunes, I may not be able to go on with out it.

The end. :) More randomness next week.

Love,
Jess