Getting closer and closer to the end each week

So You Think You Can Dance Week 7 Summary

Nobody went home last week which means double elimination this week. Last week's bottom 3 was Jose Billy and Robert. All three have been in the bottom 3 at least once before.. perhaps twice. Billy isn't going anywhere near the bottom this week no way no how! He had his best week yet this week and I think he has solid chances of winning. Kent and Robert have definitley grown on me since the beginning of the compettion and ever since Alex Wong was eliminated they definitley began to shine through especially in the past two weeks. Lauren is definitley a contender and I wouldn't be surprised if it ends up being her and Billy in the finale. Adechekie has been in the middle of my ratings list all season so all of his performances tend to even out. Jose has pretty much used up all his chances. He is just as talented as any of the other dancers in the compettion but when it comes to versatility that is where he lacks. He is only good in his genre and struggles with everything else his is assigned to dance.

Ratings:

Adechekie Dance 1; 5 Dance 2:7 Solo: 5 Total 17

Billy Dance 1 and Dance 2: 8 Solo: 5 Total 21

Jose Dance 1: 7 Dance 2 6 Solo 4 Tota1 17

Kent Dance 1 6.5 Dance 2 7 Solo 5 Total 18

Lauren Dance 1: 6 Dance 2 7 Solo 4 Total 17

Robert Dance 1 and Dance 2 8 Solo 7 Total 23

Each dancer was paired up with an all star and then paired up with each other. I will divide the break down of my anaylsis by genre

Bollywood This week Robert and Billy got this genre and I must say it's fast becoming on my favorites. It's always interesing to watch. They did a really good job with it.

Broadway

Lauren and allstar Allison They danced to Who's Got The Pain from Damn Yankees. Very energetic routine. I very much enjoyed it.

Kent and Jose danced to a song from Kiss Me Kate. The title of the song escapes me right now. This is Kent's strongest genre and Jose's weakest. Jose did a little bit better with showing emotion then he did in last week's Mr. Cellophane routine but overall I think Kent definitley outshone him.

Contemporary

In one routine Billy was paired up with all star Ade and they danced a beautiful routine to Mad World. Stacey Tookey is starting to become a pretty talented chreographer... right up there with Mia Michaels and Travis Wall. The story behind the piece was that two men from two different worlds. Ade was a business man who was really well off and Billy was a homeless person. They discover later on in the story that they are old friends. Just a really powerful story about the power struggle between people from different walks of life. The second contemporary routine was also choreographed by Stacey Tookey and was performed by Robert and all star Kathryn another very well matched pair..though I must say they have done a pretty good job this season of matching up the alll stars with the contestats. Kathryn and Robert has amazing chemistry and I almost cried by the end of their piece. Both contemporary pieces were absoulutely gorgeous and well excueted.

Foxtrot

This routine was performed by Adecheieke and Lauren and it pretty much stole the show. I think that was the best pairing Adechieke has had all season. Very sultry and sexy. I have similar opinions of Kent and Anya's Cha- Cha

Hip Hop I didn't care for this week's hip hop performance. I don't know what I didn't like about it but something was off about it.

Results

Bottom 3 Billy Jose Lauren Eliminated: Billy and Jose

The double elimination would have not left a sour note with me if someone else other than Billy had been eliminated. Whille the three other boys have grown in leaps and bounds since the beginning of the compettion in all honesty when you look at big picture and not just this week's performances Adecheike has been the weakest. Other opinions may vary but that's honestly how I feel. I feel like there were some genres he could have done a lot better in but to balance things out he did have his shining moments. I was very happy Jose went home tonight. He should have gone home three weeks ago.

The finale can be anyone's game now that Billy's out. Lauren definitley has a good chance. As for the reamaining guys I'm rooting for either Robert or Kent.

Next week I am bypassing watching so I can be surprised with who gets into the finale.. either that or I have just interest in the show all together now that all the good dancers are gone and only sub par/mediocre dancers remian.

Excerpt from My Latest Fanfiction

Chapter 4: I Can See Through Him.. I Wish She Could
Ronette's POV

Excerpt from a recent Little Shop of Horrors Fan Fiction Abuse Reactions which chronicles the thoughts the other characters have about Audrey and Orin's abusive relationships

I've grown up on Skid Row. I know these streets, I know these people. I've known Orin longer than Audrey has and I know for a fact he's a little out there. I know he comes from a broken home with an abusive father. I can see he resembles his dad in the way he beats up Audrey. A lot of his patients and even his secretaries frequent the restaurant Crystal Chiffon and I work at and we hear all the about the strange ways he practices. It sounds real sketchy to us, almost illegal. It's like he has this bizarre fascination with other people's pain. It makes me sick to my stomach. I feel like he should be sued for malpractice. That would sure teach him a lesson.
When Audrey started to date Orin I warned her about how strange he is. I don't think she fully listened to me. I want her to be happy and safe. I know she is trying to be strong for her little sisters so she can be a good role model to them. How much pain does she have to go through in the meanwhile? I can see Mr. Mushnik and Seymour are worried about her too. We all share equal confusion. Why is Audrey putting herself in this situation? Does she not realize she is torturing herself physically and emotionally by staying in it?
Mascara can only cover up the physical bruises. Nothing can cover up the negative emotions I know she must feel inside about herself.
I can see through right to the core of Orin's evil. I really wish she could. Things would be better for all of us that way. She would be happier. We'd be less worried. I really wish she could see that Seymour cares about her. I really want them to end up together because I know they'd be happy.

Read this other Little Shop fan fics and fan fics inspired by other musicals at http://fanfiction.net/~showtunediva

PS My professional blog can be found on my website http://theatretechdiva.weebly.com This blog is mainly used for theatre reviews,theatre related commentary and fanfiction. To keep up to date on all current projects I am working on direct your attention to my website and be sure to book mark it to your favorites list. If this link doesn't work for some reason you can also find a link in my My favorite websites section of this blog on the right hand side of all the entries.

Instead of summarizing I rant

Normally I would be watching So You Think You Can Dance right now but I have no interest in doing so. Billy Bell is injured and he was honestly the main reason I have been watching all season. It is so annoying that the good dancers keep getting injured. First Alex, then Ashley now Billy. Makes me wonder who could be next if anyone. The people who remain are Kent, Lauren, Robert,Adecheieke and Jose. The only one I feel could make it to the finale is Robert though Kent has grown in leaps and bounds since the start of the compettion. Haven't been a huge fan of Lauren and Jose. Jose seems to have an issue with breaking out of his comfort zone and I'm really surprised he has made it this far. Last week's perfromance of Mister Cellophane from Chicago was horrible and he showed no emotion what soever. His hip hop routine with all-star Dominic was what kept him in. I have a feeling the tour this year will have the same fate as the American Idol tour. The fact that the top dancers have been injured will definitley have a negative affect on ticket sales.



Seriously I am not even voting this week.. if I do I will vote for Robert.



Here is a list of my favorite BWAY routines from the past 3 seasons

This Season

Kent and AS Niel Shoeless Joe from Hanniabal Missouri Damn Yankees

Billy Macavity CATS
Alex Fossse Fosse




Last Season

Ryan and Ellenore Razzle Dazzle Chicago

Nathan and Kathryn Chreography White Christmas

Jakob and Mollee Easy Street Annie

Season 5

Ade and Melissa Aquarius HAIR

Kayla and Kupono Dance At The Gym West Side Story

Randi and Evan Get Me To The Church on Time My Fair Lady

Week 5 So You Think You Can Dance

I am getting really bored with So You Think You Can Dance to be perfectly honest. This season has not had very many standout performances for me.. though there were a few this week that were amazing. I'll cut to the chase on the results so I do not have to talk about it at the end of the entry. Bottom 3: Billy Ashley Jose. Once again we lose another great dancer due to injury. Last week it was Alex. This week it was Ashley. Hopefully Ashley will still get to go on the tour. I understand the circumstances which led to Ashley's departure since she didn't perform and it would have been unfair for her to continue but Jose was horrible last night and he has been weak for mostly the whole compettion. He has made great strides recently but overall he is not up to par with the other men in the compettion Billy Robert and Adechekie. Lauren is the only girl left and I think she has a good chance of making top 5.

2 broadway numbers 1 which was amazing and one which was not so amazing. The first was done by Jose and Courtney and they did a routine to Mr. Cellophane from Chicago in which Courtney played the show girl and Jose played the lovesick stagehand. This by far was Jose's weakest performane of all the ones he has done. He showed no emotion what so ever. (Side note- I will be seeing Chicago @ Summer Theatre in Meredith Village on the 31st and I CANNOT WAIT TO SEE THE SHOW! ) The second Broadway number was done by Kent and all star Neil. They did a routine to Shoeless Joe from Hannibal Missouri from Damn Yankees. I found this song ironically approriate because the owner of the NY Yankees George Steinbrenner died of a heart attack on Tuesday and this song is from a musical about the Yankees. The routine was very energetic and fun to watch.
Billy still remains one of my top favorites and I really hope he wins or at least makes it to the top 5. He has been in the bottom 3 for the past 2 weeks which isn't really a good sign. His two genres were Jive and Contemporary. The Jive is always fun to watch and the contemp was very enjoyable. Robert danced a very powerful contemporay piece chreographed by Travis Wall (my second favorite contemp choreographer aside from Mia Michaels whose choreography I greatly miss.) which was about a mother who is suffering from cancer and her son having to deal with it. I was almost crying by the end of the dance for sure. For his second number he did disco which was very enjoyable to watch.

Ratings
Jose Dance 1 4 Dance 2 6 Total 10
Lauren (missed her 1st performance) Dance 2 7
Adechekie (missed his first performance) Dance 2 8
Robert Dance 1/Dance 2 9 Total Score 18
Billy Dance 1 7 Dance 2 6.5 Total 13.5
Kent Dance 1 8 Dance 2 7.5 Total 15.5

Ashley did not perform because of injury.


Happy Birthday today to fellow Thespians Jon Weinstien Nate Atkinson Erik Duchesne and Caroline Massagee :D

Draft of chapter of a fanfiction I am working on

Below is a draft to a chapter of a Little Shop of Horrors fan fiction I am collaborating on with a person on my fan fiction website who goes by the pen name Star's Snowflake. To read to complete fan fic which is still in progress go to http://fanfiction.net/~showtunediva
Coming Clean


Disclaimer: Neither Star’s Snowflake nor I own the rights to any characters or settings from Little Shop of Horrors. The only character we have created on our own is Mr. Smederick.



Audrey was shaken by the scene she had seen with Mr. Smederick and couldn’t believe that Mr. Mushnik would even consider feeding Seymour to Audrey II especially after how Seymour had saved his life. She took a day off from work because she felt she could not effectively focus on her tasks at work. The phone rang at about 2:30. Ronette was on the other end.
“Hey girl.. I stopped by the store at around noon to ask you if you wanted to go out tonight to go dancing. Are you doing alright?”

“Not really. However, I wouldn’t mind going out tonight. It might help me get my mind off things.”

“Why, did you and Seymour get in a fight or something?

“No, it’s nothing like that. Mr. Smederick and I were spying on Mr. Mushnik last night when he was feeding Audrey II and he way saying something about feeding Seymour to it.”

Ronette noticed by the tone on her friend’s voice that she sounded somewhat hysterical and was shocked to hear about this allegation.
“Calm down Audrey, you’re not thinking straight. You were probably imagining things.”
“No, I wasn’t imagining things. Mr. Smederick is my witness. He heard Mr. Mushnik say those awful things too. Seymour wasn’t too off base when he said the plant fed off of human blood.”
“So you weren’t at work today because you didn’t think you would be able to focus because you were too freaked out?”
“Yes.”
“Are you going to talk to Seymour about it?”
“Yeah. Mr. Smederick said he’d talk to Mr. Mushnik about it too”
“Do you really think Mr. Mushnik would feed Seymour to Audrey II after how he saved his life?”
Audrey remembered Seymour telling the heroic story about how he had saved Mr. Mushnik from being eaten by the Audrey II.
“I honestly don’t know if I can trust Mr. Mushnik. The whole plot of killing off the Audrey II seems strange to begin with”
“Well, talk to Seymour about it and then call me back or talk to me about it tonight.”
“Okay. What time will you guys be picking me up?”
“Around 7.”
“Okay see you then.” Audrey hung up the phone. She was slightly less nervous about confronting Seymour about was bothering her now that she had talked to Ronette.

Ding Dong!

‘I wonder who that could be.’ Audrey thought.

As if by some ironic fate Seymour was at her door step.

“Hey baby. I missed you at work today. Are you alright?”

Audrey ushered her boyfriend inside. “Not really. We need to talk.”
“Yes we do. About Audrey II.”
Audrey felt as if Seymour read her every thought. “Can I get you some water?”
“Sure.”
Audrey went into the kitchen and poured two classes of water.

“Audrey, I am having second thoughts about killing the Audrey II.”

“How come?”

“Well as dangerous as it is to keep the plant alive. I feel it be more risky to kill it. I mean look at how good the store has been doing. We’ve been racking in the dough.”

Audrey bristled.

“What about the safety of the general public? I thought you were concerned about that and about my safety too?”

Seymour had not intended to start a fight with his girlfriend. “Well yes, our safety is very important but so are our jobs.”

“Which do you think is more important? Safety or money?”

Seymour was wondering where this conversation was going to lead.

“Why what’s going on?”

Seymour noticed that Audrey had a very grim look on her face. She was silent for a good fifteen minutes while she gathered her thoughts.
“Mr. Smederick and I were were spying on Mr. Mushnik last night.”

“Spying?”
“Yes. Spying”

And what exactly did you see or hear?”

“That Mr. Mushmik was going to feed you to Audrey II.”

A wave of emotions came crashing down on Seymour. He didn’t know which one to feel first.
“Are you positively sure he said that? Maybe you were imagining things.”

Audrey could not believe that Seymour had the exact same reaction to this information as Ronette had and had even more trouble believing that her own boyfriend didn’t seem to trust her.

“Mr. Smederick is my witness. He was standing there right next to me. Oh Seymour, what are we going to do? “

Seymour could see his girlfriend was in a state of emotional distress so he pulled her into his arms and rocked her.

“Audrey I know you’re scared. I think I am too, but don’t be afraid we’ll get through this.”

Seymour vowed to himself to straighten out this situation for Audrey’s sake and his own even if it meant potentially losing his job.



The next morning on his way into work Mr. Mushnik stopped by Al Smederick’s meat shop to replenish his supply of rotting meat. He couldn’t believe his current supply was half gone already.

“Mornin Al. Came to get more meat to feed the plant with.”
Mr. Smederick had a stone cold expression on his face.
“Oh really?”

“Yes really. You do know of Seymour’s and my plan to demolish the Audrey II don’t you?
“Yes I do and to be honest with you Gervais it is rather disturbing.”

Mr. Mushnik looked back at his friend slightly confused.

“What do you mean disturbing?”

“Oh don’t deny it. Audrey and I saw you feeding the plant and talking to it last night.. Don’t act like you don’t know anything.”

Mr. Mushnik was shocked that his friend had admitted to spying.

“Why would you spy on me and better yet why would get one of my co-workers to spy on me?”

“To be blunt Gervias we did it because we’re worried for the safety of the general public. Do realize how dangerous this plant really is?”

“Yes, why do you think me and Seymour are going to kill it?”

“Are the two of you really going to kill it together or you just going to kill Seymour off?”

Mr. Mushnik was appalled by this accusation.

“Why would I kill Seymour for? He’s like my son.”
“Is he really or is he more like your pawn to get more revenue for your store?”
Mr. Mushnik had not expected an argument. ‘What a great way to start of a new work day.’ He thought to himself. He was silent for about 10 minutes

“Well?” Mr. Smederick prodded.

Mr. Mushnik let out a frusturated sigh.

“I only meant what I said partially about feeding Seymour to the plant. I’m not sure I have enough heart to do that. After all he did save my life when the plant tried to eat me.”

“ Gervais, as your friend I think you should rethink wanting to kill Seymour. He’s a good kid. Plus Audrey was really freaked out when she heard you say that.”

Mr. Mushnik was too wrapped up in all this wanting to kill the plant and wanting to potentially kill Seymour that he didn’t even think of they way Audrey would react.

“Was that why she wasn’t at work yesterday?”

“That’s exactly why she wasn’t at work yesterday.”

“Do you think I should talk to her?”

“I think you should talk to Seymour first.”

“Alright. Am I getting my meat or what?”
“I’m not giving you anything until you thoroughly think out what you’re going to do. I honestly do not think you are thinking clearly.”

Mr. Mushnik left the meat shop without responding.


When Mr. Mushnik got to the store. No customers were there. He found Seymour in the back room doing inventory.

“Morning Mr. Mushnik.”

“Good Morning Seymour.”

Seymour was silent as he gathered his thoughts. He was afraid to face his boss and even more afraid to find out if Audrey’s accusations were true.

“Boychick, we need to talk.”

“Yes we do sir.”

Seymour did not look as cheery as he usually did when he came to work.

Before Mr. Mushnik could say anything Seymour dropped a bombshell.

Mr. Mushnik, is it true that you told Audrey II you were going to feed me to it? Audrey talked about this yesterday when I went over her house after work.”
Mr. Mushnik looked incredibly uneasy.

“Yes my boy I did say that to the plant but I said it out of haste and do not know if I sincerely meant it.”

Seymour was surprised by his boss’s admission. The man who had been like a father to him for so long and to Audrey too was a liar.

“Why would you even consider doing that? Especially after I saved you from being eaten by Audrey II.”

“As I said I said it out of haste and perhaps should have said that anything at all.”

“Mr Mushnik do you really consider me to be your son?”

“Yes my boy. That is proven in the adoption papers.”
“Are you sure you’re not using me as a scapegoat to make more money for your store?”

This was something new Mr. Mushnik had never considered.. though Mr. Smederick had asked a similar question even though he didn’t use the word scapegoat. He was silent. His eyes met Seymour’s for the first time since the conversation started. He noticed they were filled with tears.
“I do admit … before the adoption papers were signed I was a bit money hungry and perhaps I still am but know deep down inside that I really do love you.”
Seymour was silent unable to fully trust what Mr. Mushnik was saying to him,

Dick Tracy

Andy's Summer Playhouse kicked off their 40th Anniversary season with the muscial comedy Dick Tracy which ran July 1-10th.

Dick Tracy is based on the comic strip of yesteryear about a detective. The show had its moments of pin drop suspense and humor. One minute you were at the end of seat in anticipation of what trouble was going to happen and the next minute you're in a fit of side splitting laugher.
One thing that sets this production apart from others is the use of multimedia. The tech crew constructed a tv into the set so you could see where the characters were headed.
Dick Tracy (Caleb Partin) and his partner Pat Putnam (Matt Osborne) are out to capture the ever elusive criminal Black Pearl who is trying to shrink big buildings all over the country to fit on her Monopoly game board. Adding to the heart of the matter is Dick's relationship with Tess (Lara Mathis) who moves half way across the country but is reunited with Dick by the end of the show.
The show was filled with lots of energetic musical numbers including Tess and Dick's Song,Tough and Army Rap.

The rest of Andy's Summer Playhouse 40th season includes Swiss Family Robinson, The Day The Earth Stood Still,The John C Russell Playwriting and Director's Lab and Cheap Cabaret. Come out to Wilton and partake and a theatrical adventure you won't want to miss.

Upcoming Performances

1. Prusuit of Happiness Milford Area Players 7/24
2. Chicago Summer Theatre in Meredith Village 7/31
3. Almost Maine Peacock Players 8/6
4. Shout The MOD Musical Arundel Barn Playhouse 8/14
5. As You Like It NEC Open Door Theatre September 18

Pending CATS Palace Theatre Youth Company

The theatre related update

To note I have a personal blog too hence why the title of this entry is The Theatre Related update.

A few weeks ago I went to the Charlotte Avenue School in Nashua NH with my mom to go see a production of the play based on her book Bravery Soup . This play holds a very special in my heart because I assitant directed it when I interned at the Barn Playhouse three summers ago. They added a few new characters but the script was still pretty much the same. My favorite line is still "Cuz I'm a mocking bird genius." It was a cute play and as much as I am supposed to be moving on from stuff related to the Barn Playhouse nostaglia couldn't help but just slightly overcome me. My first magazine piece on Summer Stock theatre was published in NH To Do Magazine's July Issue which I am very excited about. The good thing about writing this article is that it gives me exposure to information about theatres in NH which I have never seen shows at before.. such as Andy's Summer Playhouse in Wilton. Thursday night I went to see Dick Tracy with my sister. I thought it was creative how they turned a comic strip into a musical. I won't say much else though since I plan on writing a review for the Encore Section of the Telegraph and posting it here at a later date. On June 27th I went to Wellsley College to see ther summer stock theatre company production of A Trip To Bountiful. It was a great play with a wonderful message behind it about accepting how things change. I can relate to the character of the older woman because she is trying to go back to her old hometown before she dies just to see how much has changed between my transitions of both moving on from New England College and the Barn Playhouse it's pretty easy for me to relate to the character.
On Friday I was on the radio at UMASS Lowell again.. this time I had more air time then I did before so I was able to read more poems. I read three poems all related to the subject of transition. The first poem I read was called Railway and I wrote about four months after graduating from New England College. The second poem is called Escape from Skid Row and is inspired by the song Skid Row (Downtown) from Little Shop of Horrors. It is basically about how I am trying to break away from small town life and find my own place in the world. The thrid poem is called Rebirth and it is basically about my Barn Playhouse depression and how I have sucessfully overcome it. I wrote it a few weeks after Maggie Politi emailed my mom tellling her that she and all my other friends from my intern company were worried about me. It is basically my message to them let them know I'm okay because I know that they have been worried about me.

Rebirth

Spring and early summer are times of rebirth

regeneration
not only for plants
but for people like me.
Negativity no longer impacts me
Memories are not lost
just locked awayin a special corner of my mind.
Senseles fears and childish insecurites
they have all flowed away downstream
Time heals all wounds and God forgives us for all misgivings
I have found that prayer has gotten
me through this tough time
and that overall I just need
to let things go and forgive myself
Whisper words of wisdom
let it be.

Last night I went to karaoke and I had a bit of a nostalgic flashback with one of the songs I sanf. The first song I sang was called Side by Side by Kay Star and it was a musical number in a play I saw at NEC called Murder of The Crows. I happen to like that song a lot and have made it the unofficial theme song of my friends from NEC. Murder of The Crows was an absurdist play by Eugene Ionesco that I saw the fall of my sophomore year at NEC. It was one of the funniest plays I saw when I was there. The other play that was part of the two part series of plays was called The Bald Soprano and to this day I still find certain aspects of it confusing.

And... I'm spent.

So You Think You Can Dance Summary

Weeks 3 and 4 So You Think You Can Dance

Who has been eliminated up to this point: Alexie Christina and Melinda
A double dose of SYTYCD since I forgot to update last week. Last week I missed half the show because I was conducting interviews for my most recent Milford Cabinet Article about the MAP Play The Pursuit of Happiness. I can't recall everyone who was in the bottom 3 last week but what I do remember was that Melinda went home and that made me happy because she never impressed me from the beginning. This week there were not very many outstanding performances with the exception of Billy's Broadway # (Macavity from CATS) and Ashley's hip hop # (Ninjas).

Here are my performance rankings for this week
Alex missed hus performance
Ashley 8
Adecheke 5
Billy 9
Jose 7.5
Kent 5.5
Lauren 6
Robert 8

Bottom 3: Ashley Alex Billy
Alex was not eliminated due to # of votes he was injured during his performance and has to leave the show to get surgury and rehab and that eliminated him for the rest of the season. I hope he comes back next season because he was a force to be reckoned with and will go all the way to win. As for who I think will be in the top 5. It will be something like this
1. Ashley
2. Billy
3. Robert
4. Jose
5. Lauren