A Glowing Review from the Orangeville Citizen!

I hadn't realized how much time had flown by when suddenly - tech week hits!  Our dress rehearsal's Thursday, and that snuck up on me!  Time flies when you're having fun, don't it?

Again and again, the Orangeville Citizen delivers on spreading the word of Shout!  Dan Pelton, our biggest fan it seems, won't be able to see the actual production, but managed to stop by a rehearsal and watch a run of the show.  He loved it!

My favourite quote from the article is what he had to say about my castmate, Abi Adekoya:  "It is said silk has the same tensile strength as steel. From a musical standpoint, Ms. Adekoya proves the point with poignant, yet powerful, vocals that must be heard."

Oh, he called my character a 'manslayer', too.  It is very accurate ... the character, I mean.  Either way, you must read this review and call the number on the bottom to reserve tickets - we've only got a one-weekend run!

Blogger's note:  I would like to kindly correct that the role of The Red Girl is played by Justine Christie, and the role of The Blue Girl is played by Samantha Russell.  Everything else is dandy!

The Book of Mormon! The Musical: Worth the 20-hour road trip

Author's note: The following post will contain mature language and themes.  Just warning you!

I might be going to Hell for this, but I loved The Book of Mormon: The Musical!

Myself and three friends left Brampton, Ontario on Friday evening, to arrive in New York City on Saturday early evening to see something that could only be witnessed in person.  Jenna, one of the loveliest people you will ever meet - and the biggest Broadway geek in the universe - had this idea earlier this year to take a roadtrip for her birthday to see this show.  I have the privilege of being introduced to some of the best works in musical theatre by this wonderful woman, so this was something I really couldn't pass up.

I must take a moment to give a big 'thank you' to Jenna, Graham and Lisa for being such great friends in helping me out on this trip - especially this being a trip to celebrate Jenna's birthday.  I'm currently in between careers without much money for myself these days, and had earlier politely retract on a matter of making sure I was fed and had a roof over my head.  They had told me that it wouldn't have been the same if I wasn't with them, and they would help me out for this trip.  They knew my personal strain, and wanted to help relieve the pressure and have some fun.  I'm very glad to have this support system, and I had a great time, despite the consistent travel and motion sickness.  The company made it bearable, thankfully - I couldn't think of anybody else I'd rather be stuck in a car with for 20 hours.  Dan Savage podcasts, Cosmo magazines, the surprising 'Americanized' portion of the extra-large Timmies, all-day breakfasts and getting lost in a really scary part of Newark and dealing with actual traffic in New York City.  (At least it was slow enough for me to take some pictures, the tourist that I am!)  That's all part of the magic of the roadtrip, baby!  I must give credit to the beautiful scenery in upstate New York, I had abandoned an already-defunct knitting project and admired what I could while the car zipped by.  Some of these photos were taken by Jenna, our navigator riding shotgun.  Map-reading skills are tricky, so I have to give her credit for 'getting us lost' on really unique scenic routes both on the highways and in the city.  We were just too concentrated on finding road signs to take pictures at times.