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September 27th, 2009
08:49 pm - The post where Melanie lets herself be a geek.
I am going over my beautiful Itunes library and seeing some great songs in this list I've lovingly entitled "IHSMix" and I want to share them to anyone who wants alternative music to Andrew Lloyd Webber's score of The Woman in White and which songs would totally work in that context!
(aka all songs I've listened to religiously whilst writing, and are partially responsible for my revision, character associations listed too!)
1. Death and All His Friends/The Escapist
Colplay: Viva La Vida
Marian
2. Yes
Coldplay: Viva La Vida
Walter
**Almost every track on Viva is hugely inspirational to IHS, so I'll just say that rather than end up writing the whole album!**
3. Walk On
U2
Marian
4. Whatever it Takes
Sinaed Lohan
Marian
5. The Letter
Natalie Merchant
Marian
6. Say Goodbye
Fleetwood Mac
Marian/Laura
7. Psychobabble
Frou Frou
Everyone
8. Dare You to Move
Switchfoot
Marian
9. Stop and Stare
One Republic
Marian
10. The Chairman's Waltz
John Williams; Memoirs of a Geisha soundtrack
Whole of Book 2
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September 11th, 2009
10:57 pm - OMGFINGSQUUE
You are looking at
RONA PIRETTI (2) for URI'S production of THE 25TH ANNUAL PUTNAM COUNTY SPELLING BEE!
The second cast will have 4-5 shows!
YES!
YES!
YES!
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July 25th, 2009
11:22 am - Teehee
I find that two of the most quintessentially English singers (Lesley Garrett and Maria Friedman) singing "A Boy Like That" complete with the Puerto Rican accent (Maria at least) to be more than unusually hilarious. And badass at the same time.
Oh yeah, and I'm home. Been home for a week, lots of hugs, talks, already started working, and today going to Mishnock for the weekend with my parents.
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July 16th, 2009
07:57 pm - Final West End Theatre Tally
Ta da! Ladies and gentleman I give you, ![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif) ladylizaelliott's tally of West End shows of the last six weeks.
1. The King and I (4 times)
2. The Woman in Black
3. As You Like It
4. Phedre
5. Priscilla: Queen of the Desert
6. Forbidden Broadway
7. The Importance of Being Ernest
8. La Cage aux Folles
9. The Cherry Orchard
10. A Little Night Music
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July 8th, 2009
09:14 am - Forbidden Broadway (Menier Chocolate Factory)
I don't think I'll have time this morning or today to write out the hilarity that ensued last night at the Menier, all I have to say is that I did not stop laughing the whole show and I was maybe the only American who got all of the West End jokes and laughed at practically everything.
You name a current show, they made fun of it, and thensome. All I'll say about the loudest bit of laughing I did was that it involved Elaine Paige talking on her radio show, than handing it over to two 4 feet high wood flats painted to look like the bodies of MARIA AND DANIEL from KING AND I and the two actors with their faces through it shouting this to each other:
"You promised me a house, your majesty!"
"All women are bowls of rice!"
-looks- "WHAT WAS THAT YOUR MAJESTY!?
"BOWLS OF RICE!"
"I want my house!"
"WHAT?!"
The two of them were way on the opposite sides of the theatre screaming this to each other, completely making fun of the Royal Albert Hall and its epic size. The next dig they made into the show was Elaine saying it was going to transfer to WEMBLEY STADIUM, and they brought out this replicate of the stage there with little wood figurines bobbing up and down on paddles to show how small and how far away and huge us the audience would be compared to the little show.
I WAS HOWLING. I can't begin to describe the other great parodies (Les Mis probably the most brilliant, all the actors constantly walking around in a circle like they were on the turntable!) They did EVERYTHING (even a little lyrical dig at Woman in White for the projected set)
Totally hysterical. And the perfect show for me to have seen since it was not really "Broadway" persay, all the jokes were West End Based which just made it ten times funnier to me.
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June 24th, 2009
12:35 pm - Costume Analysis; The Designer Emerges
ladylizaelliott as designer/costumer student throws in her two cents (more like 1 dollar)
The King and I: Royal Albert Hall June 2009
Starring; Maria Friedman, Daniel Dae Kim
Directed by: Jeremy Sams
Set/Costumes: Robert Jones
**Added note from the Sunday June 28th Final show**
Now in the case with most classic plays/musicals, it seems each show has had an iconic look or single designer whose work on the original production has made its impact into later revivals and incarnations (it can run the gamut from other major Bway/West End revivals, to regional and high school etc) The King and I does fall in this catagory of being one of the major musicals in the Rodgers and Hammerstein (and musical theatre ether) of having iconic costumes thanks to the beauty, simplicity and splendor of the original designs by Irene Sharaff in 1951. Sharaff was also hired to costume the Hollywood production in 1955-6, so her look between Gertrude Lawrence and Deborah Kerr's differed only in technical detail and not overall design presentation.
( It's under a cut, yes, it's that long. )
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June 21st, 2009
10:56 am - My my first weekend morning
I am in the process of my first weekend in London. I have since learned the secret to never expect anybody to be around early, or want to get things done early, people are asleep or the facilities where I would want to get work done don't open till 12!
And to expect girls in various states of inebriation to come back in a clutter of noise around 2 in the morning.
Blech.
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June 20th, 2009
01:46 pm - Second King and I Review
Highlights written here and from my journal, June 19th, 2009
( More, more, more, if that is even possible )
It is so remarkable, if you go back to 2002-3 and read my post performance reviews, the maturity is startling me. Like I said, this trip is really making me reevaluate myself and find my own as I reach my 21st birthday.
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June 18th, 2009
07:44 pm - Some highlights of King and I's performance. Purely opinion format.
So some great moments in last nights show from everyone (not just Maria but she took up a good chunk of my attention on the first viewing!)
The first thing I noticed was the design of the set, which is vast and huge and beautiful, but in the left area of the round was a garden section where it was a toppled over statue of a god with vines wrapped all around it pulling it down towards the earth. I thought it was a beautiful symbolic choice, whether anyone else picked it up I've no clue.
What made Maria's Anna different and completely surprising was how much more zest and feisty indignation she had, which made her have absolutely no sense of superiority in the way she conducted herself. There was not as much uprightness in her conduct in the way you might think of Deborah Kerr in the film. I think the one moment that illustrated this perfectly, the individual take on Anna she made, was that Anna was much less of an Anna who needed to have control. When the children protested about believing in snow, instead of reacting how I would have expected (trying desperately to control the children and becoming more reprimanding) Maria simply let the pointer go slack and laughed at all the children, letting them be just that, children. There was so much love and warmth there that never for a moment seemed artificial.
Daniel Dae Kim did a beautiful job as the King. His best moment came when after his quarrel with Anna about the house, he is left alone onstage with the discarded map of the world on the two poles. He delivers his thoughts on whether he needs this new Western influence (and even Anna) whilst holding the crumpled map in his fingers. Also the sequence with Tuptim where we don't just get one attempt to lash Tuptim, but three, before he finally breaks and walks off with almost a lifeless face, completely absent from what he was or what he wants to be.
And beautiful supporting performances by Ethan Le Phong (as Lun Tha) and the two ladies, Tuptim and Lady Thiang. Ethan's We Kiss in A Shadow was at once perfectly sung, and given the perfect amount of anger and intensity to make the song lose some of its romanticized qualities and really be more about the frustration of secrecy and public scrutiny.
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June 16th, 2009
08:56 am - Accompanies the last post
My sketch of Marian on the bridge
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June 12th, 2009
10:39 am - Strange is it not?
I have always wanted to go to Paris, like always, and if you ever wanted to really mess with my head and make me go crazy here's how you would do it...have a major opening like this happen in London at the exact same time.
Oy.
Everything going on will probably not drop out of my mind until I'm on the train.
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June 11th, 2009
03:03 pm - Media Update 11/6/09
Published today on Radio 4's Women's Hour page, today Maria Friedman came on to talk about the forthcoming opening!
Radio Interview: http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/womanshour/04/2009_23_thu.shtml
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June 6th, 2009
06:13 pm - Phew
I'm here, and as of right now, maybe its because I'm too konked out from jet lag and lack of food and sleep, but remarkably calm.
This place is so beautiful. Ok I need to go I'm getting dizzy I need food!
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June 5th, 2009
11:05 am - So here we are folks
It's 11 o clock. My plane leaves at 7:30 and I've got to be at the airport by four. I want to have some clam chowder in Boston if my stomach can handle it, which I'm surprised I was able to eat breakfast but that's just me.
-Sigh-
I just spent an extra few (or ten) minutes in bed, enjoying the coziness before I embark upon this crazy epic journey of nutsness.
My sister is going to set me up with a Twitter for my phone. I'll try to keep updating here and on Facebook as often as possible, but if not I'm going to be keeping a detailed notebook that I'm sure to type up as soon as I start settling back in home again. If I'm not drowning in TJ Maxx hours trying to earn back all of the money I spend.
Here's to working on my dash, taking a chance, and holding my head up and crying out BRING IT ON BIOTCH!!!
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May 5th, 2009
02:49 pm - Doooo wop yeah baby.
I'm back.
Nuff said.
Current Mood: ![[mood icon]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/mood/charitycam/stars/happy.gif) chipper
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April 12th, 2009
10:27 pm
This woman is the definition of shameless performance, as ladyvivien and I discussed today. Oh my god, just nuts and completely delightful!
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April 2nd, 2009
12:29 pm - OMG
Two-time Tony Award-winning actress LuPone returns to the Ravinia Festival (her booking was previously mentioned), having presented her performances of Mama Rose and Mrs. Lovett there in previous seasons, for an evening of Kurt Weill music on Aug. 8. Joining LuPone are Hudson Shad and James Conlon leading the Chicago Symphony Orchestra for selections from The Seven Deadly Sins and Lady in the Dark.
WWW.PLAYBILL.COM
YAY another Liza I've always wanted to hear!! Patti rules even more now!
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March 7th, 2009
04:24 pm - Guhhhhh
Seat number 68, Row ONE, ON THE AISLE, stalls, ROYAL ALBERT HALL
This production is going to be incredible. I hope if they do entrances and exits from the aisle that I get whiplashed by a hoopskirt!
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March 1st, 2009
02:04 pm - OH MY GOD
POSTING SO EVERYONE CAN SEE MY ICON
THANK YOU glimmeringlight
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February 15th, 2009
12:26 am - Because I know my theatre chair and staff have a great sense of humour
I printed the completely filled out Play Proposal form I wrote out as a freshman for LADY IN THE DARK
I know it will probably just make it to the big list and cut in the first pack, but hey, I know at least Paula will read it and go HERE MELANIE GOES, and if it gets more people to read the play or listen to the music. AWESOME!
Even though if it was going to happen, here is the list of people who would KILL ME
1. Set designer for having a partial anyerism for reading that it went best with FOUR turntables.
2. Costume Designer for reading about the Glamour dream with a college budget
3 Musical Director for trying to teach 8 part harmonies to the ensemble which is ALL OVER WEILLS score!
4. Orchestrator for Weill's INSANE arrangements
5. Whoever plays Liza Elliott if it isn't me
6. I will kill myself from exhaustion and throwing up every other second if the above is ME
7. The choreographer over what-the-fuck to do with Dance of the Tumblers
8. The psychology department for its unbelievably fast cure of Liza with psychoanalysis.
9. The actor playing Charlie for being called a sexist asshole outside of rehearsals.
10. The women's studies/history department.
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