1960s Baltimore comes to Life in Meredith

I should note that Hairspray is in my top list of favorite musicals so when I found out that Summer Theatre in Meredith Village was doing it this summer I was thrilled. I saw the national tour of Hairspray in Boston my senior year in high school and fell in love with the music. Hairspray runs through July 31st and was directed and chreographed by Brian Feehan.









Hairspray is set in 1960s Balitmore during the times when segregation was a hot issue The lead character Tracy Turnblad *Catherine Gallagher has dreams of being a star. Her dream comes true when she gets on the popular tv show The Corny Collins Show. Once on the show her main goal is to intergrate it so she can dance alongside Seawead (Koashine Dupont) Tracy falls in love with Link Larkin ( Corey Campercholi) who in the beginning has eye set on Amber Von Tussle (Macaela Sears) but then falls in love with Tracy. Seawead falls for Tracy's best friend Penny (Caitlin Thurnaeiur). I honestly had to resist the temptaton do get up and danc during such infectious numbers as You Can't Stop The Beat and Nicest Kids In Town. Other notable musical numbers included It Takes Two, You're Timeless To Me, Run and Tell That and Welcome To The 60s. I Know Where I've Been truly brought down the house.

Congrats to the cast and crew on an amazing performance. It was the highlight of the week for my realitives who were visiting from Italy.


Don't miss out on Cabaret (August 2nd-14th) and Buddy The Buddy Holly Story (August 16-21st) Another event not to be missed is the performance of Gypsy to benefit the non-profit entitly of Interlakes Summer Theatre on Monday August 8th!

Crazy Busy

So these next couple weeks will be incredibly busy for me theatre viewing wise between movies and plays. Look forward to all of it. MY cousin from Italy and her husband are visiting us this week so we are going up to Newfound Lake for a few days and taking them to Interlakes Summer Theatre to see Hairspray on Thursday. I am ao excited about seeing that show again. I saw the national tour in Boston my senior year in high school on a school field trip and absolutely loved it. I wonder if that club is still active at Souhegan.. Arts and Culture Club I beleive it was called. August 5th I am seeing Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows Part II with Julie. I am excited but also very sad. I have been the biggest Harry Potter freak since the books forst came out when I was in high school (my friends and I actually started our own unofficial Harry Potter fan club.) I read all the books religiuously but admit to lagging a bit behind on the movies.. spent the first few weeks of summer catching up.. There will be part of heart empty once I leave the theatre that day. I have an itching to see How To Succeed In Business Withoit Even Trying on Broadway simply BECAUSE Daniel Radcliffe in it. August 7th I will be going to see Cabaret at Interlakes Summer Theatre. Cabaret is not one of my favorite musicaks of all time but it is pretty up there. This will be my third tome seeing it First two times were in high school and at the Barn Playhouse when I interned there four years ago. It will be interesting to see how the Interlakes Theatre Company will take on this production. August 13th I will be taking my mom to see The Producers at The Amato Center for her birthday. I have seen the movie and saw the play on Broadway in 2003 and can't wait to see Riverbend's production.. they always do such a great job. :) August 19th I will be sseeing The Smurf's for Julie's birthday. Needless to say I was more of a Care Bears kid growing up but I am excited about this movie. On August 21st Interlakes Summer Theatre wraps up their season with Buddy Holly Story. I am especially excited about seeing did because when they did it the first time around I missed it because I was in Italy on vacation. It should be a great show.,

Life is a Cabaret in Meredith

Come To The Cabaret In Meredith
By Janine Leffler

The Kander and Ebb classic Cabaret will hit the Interlakes Summer Theatre Stage this August. This musical is set in 1930’s Berlin during the rise of the Third Reich. In the play, an American writer, Clifford Bradshaw, travels to Berlin to write a novel. It is there that he meets and eventually falls in love with, Sally Bowles, a British cabaret singer at the seedy Kit Kat Club. This show is a wonderful mixture of powerful songs and entertaining dance numbers.

The role of Sally Bowles will be played by Dara Hartman. In terms of developing her character, Hartman finds research important. She has been reading Christopher Isherwood’s Berlin Stories for the past month, gaining insight into her character, Sally Bowels. What stands out to Hartman about the character is, “Her air of not caring what people think, her attempts to shock and stimulate. It's going to be a lot of fun!” She looks most forward to singing the finale song Cabaret, which she says, “… is at an integral point of the character's emotional journey.”
Sue Boland makes her Interlakes Theatre debut as Fraulein Schneider, the owner of the boarding house where Clifford Bradshaw stays. She looks forward to playing this role. “I’ve been lucky enough to see several fine actresses tackle the role in both the original and revised version, but I’ve always wanted to see more realism, more understanding of what was behind Schneider’s (song) So What!”. When it comes to developing her character Boland explained “I’ve been reading the “Berlin Stories” and have basically learned three different versions of the script. Each version has given a slightly different emphasis to the story, so I’ve been lucky enough to have already been presented with several different sides to Fraulein Schneider.” She continued by saying “I’ve played with numerous ways to get a particular thought across to the audience, thought about how I might look, what age I’ll be, etc and then I try to erase everything and allow my director and the relationships I have with my fellow actors to shape, in this case, the Fraulein Schneider that you will see and get to know better.”
The show will also feature Matthew Rickard as the Emcee, the role made famous by Joel Grey in the film and Broadway stage production. Rickard is well known for playing Richie Valens in The Buddy Holly Story and will reprise that role later this summer.

Cabaret will be performed at Interlakes Summer Theatre at 1 Laker Lane in Meredith August 2nd-14th. Come out and enjoy a love story like you’ve never seen before. Featuring such show stopping numbers as Cabaret, The Money Song and Two Ladies. Other popular songs include Willkommen and Maybe This Time.

Gay Bride Joe's Pub

So due to scheduling conflicts I actually did not get to see Gay Bride of Frakenstien when it was at Seacoast Rep last year. Kind of a bummer. I have downloaded some of the songs from the original workshop recording to my Itunes and they are awesome. This song is pretty fierce. Having not gotten the chance to see it I am actually intrigued to know what it's about. Interesting concept. :)


PS For the rest of the summer I will be featuring one video from my youtube favorites list per week. Some may have already been previously featured so to avoid double postings I will not post the same video twice. I am getting rid of my youtube account after Labor Day because of lack of use.

OMG OMG OMG YAY

Further proof that my friends/co-workers from the Barn Playhouse are doing amazing things!

Obviously by the title of the entry you can tell I am very excited! :)


Nic Rouleau was cast in The Book of Mormon. I couldn't possibly be more excited for him. That show looks absolutely fabulous. I am hoping to go to New York in the fall with my mom so we can meet some of Toby's friends and talk to them about the Princess KIM play and try to get them to come see it. One of Toby's friends owns an Off- Broadway theatre and it would be neat if we could work toward getting Princess KIM produced there...

I am rambling ...sorry about that... back to the main point.

As I was just saying I couldn't be more excited/ happy for Nic. It's so great to have broadway connectionss. If I end up getting the time off from work to go to Neew York with my mom then I am definitley seeing if we can get tickets to go see that. A backstage tour mught be possible. First of all I have to figure if I can even get the time off to go to New York! :)

Congrats Nic! :)

Hopefully I can predict that I will see others on Broadway sooner or later. Who knowa? Actually Nic is not the first person to be in a Braodway show Ramona Mallory has been in The Fantasticls and A Little Night Music!

Perfectly Marvelous - Cabaret

In a few weeks Cabaret opens at Interlakes Summer Theatre.(August 2nd- 14th) Cabaret may not be one of my top favorite musicals but it's still up there. My favorite songs have always been Maybe This Time (not in this version of the show sadly), The Money Song and naturally Cabaret
This will be my third time seeing Cabaret and I hope this will be the best performance yet...maybeit will top the Barn's production.. or be just as good.
Enjoy the above video! I always do. :)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY CAROLINE MASSAGEE!! :) (7/16)


PS If you are in the Lake Winnipauskee are be sure to go see Hairspray which opens tomorrow and runs through July 31st! :)

Upcoming viewing schedule

Upcoming Shows I Will Be Seeing/ Reviewing

*Tenative based on budget and schedule

Stay tuned for reviews of the following shows!

July 28th Hairsprary Interlakes Summer Theatre

August 7th: Cabaret Interlakes Summer Theatre

August 13th The Producers Riverbend Youth Company

August 21st The Buddy Holly Story Interlakes Summer Theatre

*Sept 16 North of Boston NEC Open Door Theatre

Sept 25th I Love You You're Perfect Now Change Palace Theate

Movies

August 5th Harry Potter and The Deathly Hollows Part II

August 19th The Smurfs

TBA The Help

So You Think You Can Dance Top 12

First let's update who;s been elimiated since I haven't really kept track of that very well
Week 1: Wadi and Missy
Week 2: Robert and Melinda
Last Week: Ashley and Chris
My prediction for who will go home this week: Caitlyn and Mitchell. They really redeemed themseleves with their second routine but their first routine was the weakest of the season. OVerall they rate a 14 out of a possible score of 20. Their individual performances rated a 6 and an 8.

Tonight each couple preformed two routines. Here is how they rated.
(Listed by Genre in alphabetical order)
Broadway
Ryan and Ricky 7,5/10 This dance was pretty decent but not my favorite Broadway number that's been done on the show. Routines in this category must be FLAWLESS.
Jordan and Tadd 10/10 Great song choice and interesting interperatation of the song
Cha Cha
Ryan and Ricky: 8/10 Very sexy! Total:18
Contemporary
Jordan and Tadd 8/10 Interesting choice of song. Really liked this dance a lot Total: 18
Melanie and Markko 10.10 Beautiful
Hip Hop
Clarice and Jess 9/10 Dance was very well excecuted. Song was not well suited for the genre.
Caitlynn and Mitchell 6/10 100% in agreeance with Sonya's comments.
Jazz
Caitlynn and Mitchell 8/10 This performance could potentially save them from the bottom three. It all depends on how America votes
Sasha and Alexander 10/10 Nothing more to say about this routine other than it was beautiful.
Jive
Clarice and Jess 10/10 These routines are always high energy,entertaining and fun to watch.
Total: 19
The two latin numbers tonight were performed by Sasha and Alexander (Pase Doble, 7/10 Total: 17) and Melanie and Marrko (Tango, 8/10, Total: 18) Both were very intense,powerful and wonderful to watch.

Top Tier performances (if in blue it means I voted for them: Sasha and Alexander ,Clarice and Jess, Markko and Melaine
Middle Tier Perfomances : Jordan and Tadd, Ryan and Ricky
Bottom Tier Performance: Caitlynn and Mitchell


Please note: I will be away on vacation on July 28th so after next week the next time I will update will be August 3rd.

General Thoughts-

So if followers of this blog haven't been noticing I have been doing freelance work for Summer Theatre in Meredith Village (Interlakes Summer Theatre) this summer. Things have been going extremely well and it's a bonus that I got passes for the summer season. The first two shows of this season have been absolutely amazing. Like in past seasons the acting company this year are incredibly talented. :) The fact that Nancy has hired people from my Barn Playhouse intern company for various shows in the past couple years has been awesome because it has really helped me to keep my connections with them strong while making new connections with the other actors who are working at STMV. I have also been able to reconnect with two people I did theatre with in high school Brady Lynch and Macaela Sears. Brady and Macaela were three years younger than me and recently graduated from Plymouth State and Pace. When I came back from college to see the SHS shows I watched them grow and they have become such talented actresses since they've been in college. I'm interested to see where their post college careers take them.


It's real hard to imagine that at this point last year I was going to counseling for my Barn Playhouse depression. What took me so long to move on from the Barn I haven't the slightest idea. All I can say is that I am wicked happy to be over that bump in the road and working for Nancy again at Interlakes Summer Theatre. Sunday at Man of La Mancha I was talking to Danny Chavez one of the kids that I directed in Bravery Soup four years ago. It's hard to believe all the kids I directed are either in college or going off to college soon.. time flies by so fast honestly. We talked about how much the Barn has changed since we left there. We came to a general consensus that it's not same place it was when our intern company worked there. At one point I thought I could stop those changes from happening but looking back on it I realize there was no way I could have. Sometimes you just need to let time take its course. I am so grateful that the Barn Playhouse gave me the baseline for both acting and PR work and will cherish all the memories from that summer. Truth is the Barn has changed and so have I.

SO yes VIVA STMV! :)

Next Summer..

So every year around this time they start putting out a survey at Summer Theatre In Meredith Village asking theatre goers what shows they'd like to see done next year. I already sent Nancy my suggestions but I figured I would share them here as well. For those who are interested feel free to weigh in.
My number one choice is of course Little Shop of Horrors. Out of the shows from our season at the Barn in 2007 this was my favorite. I heard there was an earlier version with a character for Mrs. Shiva in it so that one might be interesting to see just to compare it to the one I saw at the Barn.
The Music Man Ok so maybe I'm slightly impartial to this one because of the fact I was just in it but I think it would be a very fun show for Summer Theatre In Meredith Village to do. With the fact that its set around the 4th of July it would be a good show to start off the season with :)
RENT This is my favorite show of all time. I saw it on Broadway in 2008 and I have been dying to see it again since it closed. The songs in this show are amazing (well except Over The Moon I never really cared for that one)
(If Anything Goes wasn't on Broadway right now that would be one of my top choicea since I missed seeing it the first season.. would most likely be real hard to get the rights.)
Suessical The Musical I saw this at Peacock Players in May and thought it was awesome. It was really cool to see the characters from some of my children's books brought to life.

and as a huge Roger and Hammerstien fan I would probably go with either South Pacific or The King and I. West Side Story or Bye Bye Birdie would also be real fun to see.



Let's see where the chips fall with selection!

Man of La Mancha Reviiew

My on going goal is introduce myself to one new show be it a play or a musical and that goal presses foward with Man Of La Mancha which is the 2nd show in Interlake's Summer Theatre's Summer Season. I continue to be blown away by the talent of this yesr's intern company.

Man of La Mancha is set during the Spanish Inquistion and tells the story of Cervantes who set to go to trial. He tells the fellow cell mates the story of Don Quixote De La Mancha who goes on a quest. Along the way he stops at an inn where he falls in love with a the inn's servant Aldonza who he refers to as Donciera. This is truly a beautfiul story! Sheira Furstein and Scott Sowinski stole the show as Aldonza and Don Quioxte. Other memorable performances included Cody Strand as Sancho, Mikey Labolsamo as The Barber and Koshaine Dupont and Ava Hil as Moorish Dancers. Memorable Musical Numbers included The Impossible Dream, Little Bird Little Bird. I Really Like Him and A Little Gossip.
Man of Lamancha was directed and choregraophed by Norb Joerder and runs til July 17th at Interlakes Summer Theatre in Meredith



Upcoming Shows
Mainstage
Hairspray Jully 19-31st
Cabaret August 2nd- 14th
The Buddy Holly Story August 16-31st
Youth Theatre
The Aristocats July 22 & 23
Tinkerbell August 5& 6
Peter and The Wolf Aug 19th&20th

SPECIAL EVENT Fundraising Gala August 8th 6pm Gypsy In Concert

Richard Gere - Inside the Actor's Studio (Part 2/3)

He is one of my favoeite actor's of all time and my favorite movie of his is probably Chicago. Fun fact: I went to college at NEC with his neice.

Hairspray Press Release

Hairspray to be performed at Interlakes Summer Theatre
By Janine Leffler



Get ready for a toe-tapping timewarp to 1960s Baltimore as Interlakes Summer Theatre presents Hairspray. The show will feature Catherine Gallagher as Tracy Turnblad, Cory Campercholi as Link Larkin and Caitlin Thurnauer as Penny Pingleton. The cast also features Interlakes Summer Theatre favorites Katie Clark and Cary Mitchell as Velma Von Tussle and Corny Collins. Hairspray which is a commentary on social injustices in parts of the US in the 1960s features such high energy numbers as Welcome To the 60s, Nicest Kids In Town and You Can’t Stop The Beat.
All three actors are making their Interlakes Summer Theatre debut in Hairspray and could not be more excited. Caitlin Gallagher is a recent graduate of Point Park University in Pittsburgh and looks forward to playing one of her dream roles. “Tracy is a role played by a true triple threat. It is also a niche role that can only be played by a specific type of actor. To be considered among these few talented women is an honor.”She continued by saying “Playing Tracy is absolutely thrilling, because she's such a take-charge person. She's optimistic about everything and completely colorblind - she just wants the world to dance.” Caitlin Thurnauer is excited to be part of such of such a talented cast that will be bringing such an energetic show to the Meredith community. “I think the most exciting thing about being in Hairspray is getting to sing a phenomenal score and deliver such hysterical material. “ She looks forward to playing Penny because she is so full of life and energy and in love. “It doesn't get much better than playing a character that is falling in love for the first time. I also look forward to the transformation and growth she experiences throughout the show.”

Corey Campercholi looks forward to bringing Hairspray to the Meredith Community “They have been so supportive of Guys and Dolls, and Man of La Mancha, and I have a feeling they are going to go CRAZY for Hairspray!” He went on to say “
I am most excited to sing “You Can’t Stop the Beat” with the rest of the company! It’s the finale of the show and it’s a nonstop five minutes of dancing and singing for the entire company.”
Hairspray is sponsored by Middleton Lumber.

Hairspray will be performed at Interlakes Summer Theatre 1 Laker Lane in Meredith July 19-31. Show times are Tuesday- Saturday 7:30pm and Sundays at 7:00pm with matinees on Wednesday and Thursday at 2:00pm. You won’t want to miss this colorful high energy show with tons of fun dance numbers!

Looking Ahead

Summer has officially kicked off. However in terms of going to see plays I am already starting to think about what shows I want to see in the fall. Budget and scheduling might be an issue as Matt and I slowly working toward the goal of moving in to an aparment in Nashua by next spring or early summer. With the graduation of this years senior class from NEC I have no connections in the theatre department anymore though depending on what shows they are doing I still may go see them. I want to open my options to theatres at other colleges in New Hampshire and Boston Plymouth State, Keene State, Boston Conservatory, Emerson. I am also continuing my on going goal of going to see plays in local theatres in New Hampshire I have not seen plays at yet. That goal continues on September 25th when I go see I Love You You're Perfect Now Change at The Palace Theatre in Manchester. The Majestic Theatre, Stockbridge Theatre at Pinkerton Academy in Derry and Stagecoach Productions are also top options. As far as next summer is concerned I hope to go see shows at Maine State Music Theatre, Summer Theatre In Meredith Village, Andy's Summer Playhouse. NLBP and Arundel Barn Playhouse. Caroline Kittrell is going to be in national tour of Beauty and The Beast so I hope to see that when it's in Boston.

Of course everything is determined by budget.

August Osage County to be performed at the Amato Center
By Janine Leffler




The 2008 Pulitzer prize winning dark comedy August Osage County by Tracy Letts will be performed at the Amato Center for The Performing Arts In Milford. The play is set in modern day Oklahoma and is the story of how a dysfunctional family deals with the mysterious disappearance of the family patriarch, Bill Weston. Come see this powerful story of dealing with past and present.

According to Len Deming who plays Bill Weston, “It has to be the most compelling portrayal of the "reality" of a dysfunctional family that I have seen in a long time. The characters are all real and all have their own problems and agendas. There are few, if any, "flat" characters. Even the sheriff has a story.” For Mitch Fortier who plays Little Charles the show’s complexity is the most interesting aspect. “It is so rich in its dialogue and really exposes the lives of these characters that will touch everyone in some way.”

Isis Lee who makes her acting debut in August Osage County as Jean, the 14 year old daughter of Bill and Barbara, is excited to be performing with such a talented cast. “I think my favorite part has just been watching it all come together and go from the early rough stage to where we are now. It's been a great experience seeing how everyone develops their character and how well everyone interacts with each other.” She continued by explaining the most interesting aspect of playing her character “ Jean's personality is pretty similar in a lot of ways to my own at 14 and in some ways even now, but her experiences and choices are very different from mine as a teenager.”


When it comes to character development, Deborah Shaw, who plays Ivy the middle Weston daughter, the key aspect is analysis “With a well-written script like this, almost everything an actor needs is in the words, but it's just taking the time to explore what she feels about her given circumstances and about the other characters. I think about the challenges she's faced, the obstacles she's overcome, her personality, etc. and then turn all the analysis into behavior. I get overly absorbed in the analysis, and then memorize the words.” She went on to say that she looks forward to the performances as they approach. “I'm honored to be part of such an amazing show and its regional premiere. Ivy is a strong woman and it is a rewarding challenge to play a role like this.”


Director Vick Bennison looks forward to seeing the actors respond to an audience. “It usually brings everything up a notch or two. I also am very excited about seeing the audience reaction to the play. This is such a great play. But you never know how they are going to react. I can't wait to find out. “


August Osage County will be performed July 15-24 at the Amato Center for The Performing Arts in Milford located at 56 Mt Vernon Street. Show times are Friday and Saturday at 8pm and Sundays at 2pm. Tickets are $12 for adults and $7 for students and seniors. You won’t want to miss this show!

So You Think You Can Dance Top 14 Recap

So You Think You Can Dance Top 14 Recap

Top Routines
Caitlynn and Mitchell Contemporary. They compliment eachother amazingly well and this dance was one of my favorite Mandy Moore routine of all seasons on this show! Rating 10
Markko and Melanie Jazz Once again they have a flawless routine. Very enjoyable. Rating 10
Clarice and Jess Comtemp Beuatiful Rating 10
Midde Ground Routines
Sasha and Alexander Hip Hop Not sure how I feel about this routine. It definitley wasn't my favorite of thiers and I think they could actually end up being in the Bottom Rating 7.5
Ryan and Ricky Jazz Really loved this routine and the uniqueness of the choreography. I thought it was creative. Rating 9
Jordan and Tadd This was a very emotional piece and another very much enjoyed. Rating 10
Bottom Routine
Ashley and Chris I found this to be this to be the weakest and least interesting performance. Didn;t care for it much at all. Rating 6

Thoughts

*13 days til Harry Potter and The Deathly Hollows Part II comes out WHO ELSE IS EXCITED? Part one was so intense and had me on the edge of my seat.

*For all thespians looking for a good summer read check out And Furthurmore Jud Densch;s biography. Very interesting and insigtful with bit of humor laced in. I gave it a B+. I am currently reading Tina Fey's biography Bossypants and can't stop laughing. Rating to come soon.


* I am happy to be going on hiatus from writing fan ficition in a few weeks so I can focus on my gay bullying play and the Princess Kim Play (http://princesskimthemusical.blogspot.com) I have actually grown kind of tiresome of writing fan fiction at this point and really need a change of pace. Perhaps I will even write some poetry again. Haven't written any of that in a long time.

*Just when I thought I was getting bored with super hero movies BAM! Something amazing comes along. I had minimal expectations going in to see Green Lantern but I came out pleasnantly surprised. It gets a B- in my book.