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A Conversation with Honeymoon In Vegas Cast and Creatives

By Jenna Bawer

Honeymoon in Vegas, based off of a movie of the same name, is a fresh face this Broadway season. The musical comedy is a collaboration between Andrew Bergman, the movie’s original writer and director, and Tony-winning composer Jason Robert Brown, starring Rob McClure and Brynn O’Malley as the young couple awaiting their marriage in Vegas and the famous Tony Danza as a conniving widower millionaire. These five, as well as director Gary Griffin (The Color Purple, The Apple Tree) and choreographer Denis Jones (Legally Blonde, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels) appeared on March 15 to give the audience of the 92Y a look at how the musical took the stages of Broadway and how the show is adapting. When asked if they had seen the musical, almost everyone in the audience raised their hands, some having just come and even carrying Playbills and cups from the theater; I was in the minority. It was this talk, however, that convinced me this show would be hilarious and unique onstage (flash forward a few days – I was right!).

Brown wanted to write a Broadway musical comedy, and decided Bergman’s Honeymoon would be suitable. Although he could not initially acquire the rights to the show to start it on his own, Bergman invited him to the script reading. Bergman recalled flying to Brown’s house , listening to his music ideas and working with him. Brown also worked on Bridges of Madison County, and says writing for this musical was very different, since it “didn’t bear any resemblance to Bridges” and it was much harder to throw material out. “Comedy writing is Chinese water torture…” Brown admitted, “It’s a horrible thing to spend your life doing.” Regardless, he says it’s rewarding to watch the songs get a laugh, though the songs also have to “move the story ahead” as well, as Bergman notes. He admits he had trouble writing songs without Brown’s help. When they finished, they handed it to director Gary Griffin, who found the first draft already in great shape. Griffin compared his work directing as being a magician: you can’t let anybody know how you do your work and you only let them see the results. He did reveal that “a lot of the process [of developing Honeymoon] was cleaning and editing in very small ways.”

The cast also recalled how they first became involved in the show. Television, film, and theater celebrity Tony Danza remembered Brown offering him the opportunity: “Jason came to my house…I thought he was going to have me sing,” Danza recalled. However, Danza was surprised when Brownbegan to sing Danza’s character’s lament for his deceased wife, “Out of the Sun” (which Danza later performed that night). Danza was moved, Brown told him about the movie, and now he gets rapturous applause every night as Tommy Korman. After not having seen him for years, Brown was glad Danza had aged perfectly for the part.

Rob McClure, on the other hand, was captured by the book. When an agent sent McClure, newly free from his title role in Chaplin: The Musical, he laughed out loud at a line on the third page and was convinced to audition. He landed the role of the meek and lovestruck Jack Singer, who struggles to propose to his girlfriend Betsy (played by O’Malley) due to the memory of his dead mother, who made him swear years ago to never marry, plaguing him; he and Betsy decide Las Vegas would be a good place to finally get hitched and comedy ensues. McClure later performed for us the romantic opening song, “I Love Betsy”, with accompanying vocals from the rest of the cast. He was enthusiastic as he sang, and later said this song makes him feel like “champagne” with its energy. Apparently, it had taken a long time to settle on such a great opening, and it paid off; McClure’s sample alone introduced me to how awkwardly sweet Jack singer is.

Brynn O’Malley is especially proud of how her character, the eager fiancee Betsy Nolan, is written in the show. She thinks the plot is “tricky” for Betsy, and “it would be very easy for her to become a victim or a damsel in distress, and what woman wants to see that?” Many people were surprised to see that O’Malley is not a natural blonde as Betsy is in the show; this is, of course, due to the use of wigs for quick style changes. O’Malley was glad she played a nice mix of blondes and brunettes.

Though Griffin found the show’s comedy “hard to read in traditional reading and get the energy”, the staging process was quick and easy. “It’s very inspiring to create choreography for this kind of score,” Denis Jones commented. McClure commended Jones’s ability to make his character’s choreography fit “like a tailored suit”, despite admittedly not being a skilled dancer. In workshop, Jones breezed through the choreography so quickly, when Brown rewrote the finale, they didn’t have time to rewrite what was already staged for the original song. They had to use a sidestep until they figured things out, which they did by the time Honeymoon hit the Nederlander.

The cast and crew are very impressed with how the show has turned out and all plan to work towards making it better. O’Malley expands upon the idea of the show including everyone in the story. “…Every person has at least one big moment”, she told the 92Y audience. She enjoys the way the cast experiments with the story, which the newness of the show gives them liberty to do. “[We’re] still experimenting until we hit the bullseye” is how she described this process. She prefers scenes that are still being improvised to scenes that are set in stone. Danza also likes his liberty in originating a character rather than just filling in a role that’s been solidified by many actors before him (he was Max late in the run of The Producers), as he has more opportunity. The system for testing the waters or entertainment for the Honeymoon cast is to wait while the audience laughs and note what made them laugh.

The most interesting thing I heard all night about the show was the revelation that the orchestra was not hidden in a pit, but visible to the audience upstage. Though Brown believes the best place for the orchestra is the pit, “nobody seems to know or care that they’re there”. His decision was made with the hope that the audience would pay attention to the orchestra on stage, and he took measures to include them in the story (when the setting changes to Hawaii, for example, they all don Hawaiian shirts for the entr’acte).

The group took questions from the audience near the end of the night. One audience member asked the cast for advice for young actors. Danza, who gives child students acting lessons, said, “Learn as much as you can and put yourself where acting is, persevere, believe no one else can do what you do.” McClure advises to be unique and stop imitating other celebrities. O’Malley informs young ones that they’re going to have to grow up and “become president of [their] own business”, and so they should become self motivated and get a work ethic. Another question was what plans the crew have for the future. Brown is planning to collaborate with Bergman on a movie, while Griffin will work on a new musical called Moonshine. Brown also will write music for an upcoming show about New York’s music in the seventies.

Honeymoon in Vegas is still evolving, and being new, it has yet to solidify anything. Brown noted he was pleasantly surprised to see how well-liked the show was: “People are screaming, there’s absolute hysteria going on around us and I thought, ‘This show is great.’” With all the care that went into this spectacle and how it’s adapting to please the audience as much as it can, this Honeymoon hopefully won’t end very soon.

Theatre Festivals Are The Greatest Places On Earth

Post author By Camp Broadway
Post date April 3, 2015
Categories In Uncategorized

King of New York phone case

Photo of Isaac’s King of New York iPhone case.

by Isaac Grivett

Last weekend, I had the privilege to attend our local theatre festival at Fullerton College. Although I have been heavily involved in theatre for a while, somehow I’ve never found myself at a festival until this year. After going to one this year, I really wish that I had made the time to go before.

I was fortunate enough to work with my school’s tech team for months to prepare for this festival. Since most of us were already pretty good at a lot of the events and had been practicing since November, I thought we might do well at the competition but nothing could have prepared me for how incredibly quick and accurate some of the techies were. I’ve never seen someone tie a trucker’s hitch in less than 15 seconds or actually know the names to obscure, random tools. Although I was there to compete for the Tech Olympics, my experience went far beyond that.

I am somewhat unfortunate enough to go to a school that has a theatre program full of people who aren’t very interested in discussing Broadway shows and actors. Coupling that with the fact that I am a technician who has gotten used to the expectation that I shouldn’t care about performing and actors as much as others, it was incredible being around so many other people who do care as much as I do. I’ve never been in a setting where I could attract friends simply by having a Newsies-inspired phone case or where someone just breaks out into a Spring Awakening song and people join in until they could play out the entire scene in the middle of the cafeteria. I’ve played sports and have been in bands my entire life and I’ve never been to a tournament or competition where there were so many people who have completely dedicated their lives to what they love and only want to find others who share the same passion. Those competitions are so much more about being with your team and don’t focus on making friends who love the same thing as you or having a good time. It also felt so good to see all of the people in the Tech Olympics and design rooms who were not only amazing at what they do but care about their work just as much as any actor there. It was the first time that I felt as much a part of my own company as well as the entire community as anyone else.

One of the most amazing parts of the entire weekend was seeing that with all of the talent that was there, hardly any schoolreally cared if they won or not. Everyone was either excited about winning or respectful to the groups that won. People from all schools spent at least 15 minutes after the awards ceremony congratulating each other. When watching each other perform, we didn’t hope that the judges graded them low and us high or pray that they would mess up so we would have a chance. Instead we watched incredible performances in awe, wondering how we could bring ourselves up to their level and supported those who may not have done well but had the courage to try. People were constantly coming up to us and telling us how well we did and how much our school is respected; I probably haven’t gotten so many compliments in my entire lifetime than I did in just two days.

Theatre has always felt like the safest and most accepting place to go. Last weekend only strengthened that thought and showed me that there is so much more to theatre beyond my school’s stage. I got to spend a weekend surrounded by people just like me doing everything that I love to do. It made me love theatre even more than I already did and I wish I could spend much more time than I did there. Theatre festivals are truly the greatest places on Earth!

Method Acting – Why and How?

By Emma Filosa

We’ve all heard directors request that actors “get into character”. For a number of actors and actresses, a character begins on stage and ends off stage. However, some performers use the technique commonly known as “method acting” to not only get into character, but to literally become a character. Method acting was originated by Russian actor Konstantin Stanislavsky who wanted his acting to appear to audiences as real rather than a fictional depiction of a character. The method forces actors to appeal to the characters past emotions and experiences creating a continuous character on and off stage. Many of the world’s greatest actors have used this method, some taking it to the next level resulting in injuries and illness all for the greater good of their character. Three time Academy Award Winner Daniel-Day Lewis did not want to disappoint viewers when he took on the role of beloved United States president Abraham Lincoln in the 2012 film “Lincoln”. The English actor would only talk in an American accent throughout the filming period. Similarly, in the 1989 film “My Left Foot”, Lewis remained in a wheelchair both on and off camera in order to successfully portray a man born with cerebral palsy. Lewis’s extensive time spent in a wheelchair resulted in injury of his ribs from being hunched over for so long. But Lewis isn’t the only actor to go above and beyond in order to give audiences a real-life experience. Actress Anne Hathaway ate dried oatmeal paste for two weeks in order to play the heart-wrenching character Fantine in the film adaptation of the Broadway classic Les Miserables. Hathaway even cut off all her hair for the role. Though she was strongly advised to leave her hair be, she was determined to fully understand what it was like to be a mother who will go to the ends of the earth to keep her daughter safe. Method acting isn’t restricted to only film actors though – in the first episode of the Broadway.com video blog “The Book of Rory: Backstage at ‘The Book of Mormon’ with Rory O’Malley”, O’Malley shows viewers a bag of licorice roots on the stage left prop shelf at the Eugene O’Neill Theatre which are used by one the cast members who uses method acting and developed a character who loves to chew licorice root.

Though many screen actors seem to disagree, it is possible to achieve method acting without spending months in a wheelchair or losing an extreme amount of weight. Method acting is all about developing and creating a continuous character to not only help you personally become a better actor but also to assist audience members in truly becoming invested in your performance. Start by making a list of all the senses your character has experienced in his/her past. What has he/she seen? What emotions has your character experienced? What events has your character had to overcome? What are his/her likes or dislikes? After covering the basics, fill in all the gaps. Imagine the little details such as a childhood best friend, a favorite scent, or a favorite taste. Who knows, maybe you’ll find your character is keen on licorice root! The important thing to remember is that this is your time to explore another individual and really put yourself in someone elses shoes. Method Acting is all about imagination and discovery. It’s just as much about the audience as it is about you. While the audience may not know all the tiny little details of your character, they will respond to how realistic your character is giving them the beautiful experience that every audience member should leave a show with.

Respect the Tech: It’s Not as Easy as it Looks

By Hailie Gold

I have been involved in theatre for as long as I can remember, but last year was the first time I was highly involved in backstage happenings. I quickly realized, it’s not only the actors that make the show happen, it’s the crew too! Actors are wonderful, and you wouldn’t have a show without them, but if we didn’t have the techs, we would just have actors standing on a blank, dark stage in street clothes, with no direction. Also, techs aren’t just the people who wear all black and pull sets around; teching is much more involved than that. I found the crew to be divided into three branches; the production team, the design team, and the technical team.

First, in the production team, we have the director, who is the head of what goes on onstage. Their word is law. Their job is to make sure the actors look and sound their absolute best Sometimes, they may seem a bit harsh, but they don’t mean it personally. They just want the production to be great and enjoyable to audiences. Honestly, it’s a really tough job, and I can never appreciate them enough. Next, is the production assistant (or PA), the director’s second in command. The PA is responsible for scheduling; maintaining communication with the entire cast and crew; taking notes and keeping the director on track and up to date. The PA keeps everyone on the same page during the entire rehearsal process.

Next, the design team is the group of creative people who make the actors look and feel like their assigned characters. The costume designer is in charge of pulling costumes and wigs from the costume shop/department; designing and making new costumes, and more. Many costume designers also help with makeup and hair design and props. The costume designer works alongside the prop master, who acquires and/or creates every prop. Every object that the actors hold or manipulate is the prop master’s domain. Another important component of the design team are the set designers, whose job it is to sketch out, build and paint the set. This can be one of the most difficult jobs on the crew, as they are often responsible for large, involved pieces that help tell the story by showing a location, a time period, and different feelings for the actors and audiences. By that, I mean what kind of a room is it, or is it an outdoor space? Does it give off a warm, lively feeling, or a more industrial or dark vibe? All members of this team (and all teams for that matter), put so much time and hard work into their creations, so please, please treat your set, costumes, and props with respect.

Finally, the technical team, who is responsible for everything that goes on backstage, and who makes sure everyone and everything remains in order. There is the technical director (and assistants), who usually sit in the booth at the back of the theatre and run lights and sounds. They also have to hang lights and mics, and if you’ve never seen it before, it’s kind of terrifying. They climb on giant ladders and lift and haul heavy lights up and down. I have to give them so much credit! Also, we can’t forget the stage manager, who is the chief of backstage and the lead set mover. The SM remains on headset with the tech director, and is responsible for pulling curtain, calling places, and helping anyone who has a problem during a show. They really do it all, and are kind of like the backstage version of the production assistant.

It’s important to remember that no one is more important than anyone else, onstage or backstage. We’re like tiny gears and screws in one big machine, that work together and help each other out. If one piece isn’t giving 100%, the machine can’t work its best. If you ever get the chance, thank your crew, they make everything look a lot easier than it is, and they will appreciate it- I can vouch for that!

Catchiest Broadway Songs

By Sami DeSocio

One of the greatest things about seeing a musical is getting the unforgettable songs stuck in your head for days at a time. Sometimes those songs even become audition songs for those of us that are pursuing theater as a career. There are some that take no prompting at all, and then there are those that some might have to think of for a second.

Here are a few of the catchiest Broadway songs that I know I have stuck in my head:

1) RENT– “Another Day”- this is the part of the show when the mantra “No Day But Today” is first introduced in song. At the end of the show, they repeat these words until the curtain comes down, and I have seen first hand at Anthony Rapp and Adam Pascal concerts, the trance like way in which RENTHeads will sing these words. It’s hauntingly beautiful and brings comfort to all that do it.

2) A Chorus Line– “I Hope I get it”- Really? The theme song to every performer who ever lived! We all have those moments of “I hope I get it” and once its in your head, there’s no getting it out

3) Les Miserables– “Do you hear the People Sing?”- The battle cry of the French revolution at its finest! I have fond chorus memories, sitting on busses with my peers, singing this song at the top of our lungs before and after competitions.

4) Wicked– “Defying Gravity”- The song where Elphaba draws her line in the sand, and decides to be bad. It’s been an audition song so many times (along with “Popular”) that I’ve now seen audition posts asking people not to sing the song!

5) Curtains– “Show People”-While this show was never overly popular, Kander and Ebb did right on this one when they wrote this song. It is the greatest explanation of why actors do what they do, and the feelings and emotions of what’s going on in their heads.

6) CATS– “Memory”- Any female musical theatre performer worth her salt can pull this from the sky at any audition! The one that’s been spoofed the most, and the one that brings tears to peoples’ eyes.

7) The Phantom of the Opera– “Phantom of the Opera”- This is almost the theme song for the show. Everyone knows the opening chords, and everyone knows this song. I’ve even seen it done at karaoke! Beautifully haunting and absolutely memorable.

8) Annie– “Tomorrow”- Just like any adult female musical theatre performer can do “Memory”, any little girl can perform “Tomorrow”. Its synonymous with the show and every little girl learning to sing knows the song!

9) Beauty and the Beast– “Be Our Guest”-whether it be the cartoon or the Broadway show this song has been the to represent it for the past twenty or so years. It’s big. It’s loud, and its great!

10) Memphis– “Memphis Lives in Me”- The show’s theme song, and Huey’s explanation for not wanting to leave the only home he’s ever known.

What are some songs from shows that you haven’t been able to get out of your head?

Book of Mormon Master Class

By Harley Ann Kulp

Who hasn’t heard of Book of Mormon? It won the 2011 Tony Award for Best Musical (and eight other Tony’s) and it truly deserved it! Book of Mormon is a hilarious musical with the most clever – and inappropriate – lyrics possibly ever written. Though that’s some of the charms. Not only is it on Broadway, but there are two national tours traveling around the United States, and production on West End. I’ve seen the show three times. The first time on Broadway (awkwardly squished between my mother and grandmother, no less), another time when it came to Orlando, Florida, and finally when it came back to Orlando recently. (If you know the show, you know Orlando is a very special place in Book of Mormon.)

I have to say that out of all three companies of the show I’ve seen, the second national tour is my favorite! There was something about the show that just made it sparkle (more than usual, I mean). Part of this was because of the incredible Daxton Bloomquist. Bloomquist played Elder McKinley, the fabulous, pink-loving, closeted Mormon who urged his fellow Mormons to just “Turn It Off”. While this was only his second week on tour, he definitely had his role down. He truly was spectacular. I could go on and on about Bloomquist, but I’ll just leave it at this – I’ve never seen a better McKinley and I doubt anyone could surpass his incredible performance.

Fortunately, when I attended the Book of Mormon Master Class held at the newly opened Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts, Daxton Bloomquist was teaching along with phenomenal ensemble member Cessalee Stovall who also shines brightly on the stage. Every time she appeared, my eyes were glued to her. I’m not going to lie, when I see a performer I like on stage, I talk about it. A lot. And I’m pretty sure my parents had gotten annoyed with me blabbing about Elder McKinley. So when I showed up to the Master Class, wondering what incredible Mormon or member of an African tribe would lead us, I nearly flipped out seeing the actor I’d been talking about walk-in along with my favorite Ugandan woman.

The Master Class began and I sat in a semicircle, internally fangirling to the extreme. After being asked a few questions by the Director of Education at Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts, Dana Brazil, they began the showcase (after I expressed how impressed I was about their performance). There are several different types of Master Classes. There are dance Master Classes, acting Master Classes, singing Master Classes, and audition Master Classes. This one was one of the latter types. One at a time, the students of the class make their way to the center of the room and present a piece, monologue, or sixteen bars of a song, to the class.

The mood of the room was tense and I could tell everybody was nervous. Bloomquist and Stovall did their best to make everyone as comfortable as possible. One by one each student gave their books to the pianist, stood directly in front of the tables and slated their pieces. There wasn’t an untalented person in that room. Every performer had excellent pitch and could hold a tune. Simple problems were pointed out and corrected kindly. For example, one performer moves their hands too much so they sat on their hands and sang again, this time using their face to show the story. Another student didn’t move enough, so they had him run from another girl, belting “Kiss of the Spider Woman”. While this was hilarious, it was incredibly effective. The next time he sang the song, he came alive with excitement in his eyes. It was brilliant!

I decided it was my turn to perform. Instead of singing, I brought a monologue I had been working on and I happened to be the first to perform a monologue in the class. The piece was Blanche’s “Death Monologue” from A Streetcar Named Desire by Tennessee Williams. It’s a very serious piece in which Blanche attempts to put the blame for her troubles on her sister, Stella. I performed the monologue for them and they had some amazing advice. Of course, a lot of it had to do with the way I personally presented the monologue. However, something they said could be applied to every performance and was some of the best advice I’d ever heard.

Bloomquist asked how I related to the monologue personally. After helping me realize why I picked this monologue in the first place, I was transported to a place I’d never experienced. I took the monologue to a level I’d never taken a monologue. A part of me was put into that performance. Since then, I’ve taken a moment to find where I lie within a piece before anything I perform and I feel like I’ve grown because of it. That’s something every performer should do. Putting yourself into your performances will help you connect to your audience. They will be able to tell the pain, love, or joy is authentic.

The Master Class was one of the best experiences I’ve ever had. I feel so privileged to be able to have done this! The Book of Mormon second national tour is currently making its way across the country. Some upcoming stops are Tampa, Florida, Jacksonville, Florida, Birmingham, Alabama, and more. If you’re interested in Master Classes at your local performing arts center and theaters, look on their websites for more information. If you have the opportunity, take it! And definitely see the show if it’s coming to your town (sixteen and older, explicit language is involved).

Peter Pan: The Journey of the Boy Who Wouldn’t Grow up

Peter Pan: The Boy Who Wouldn’t Grow Up.
By Sami DeSocio

When you hear the name Peter Pan, images of a young boy with a sword who flies through the night sky and into Neverland flash across one’s imagination. But with so many tellings of the story, it seems that every generation has their own version at this point. Since I’m in the process of getting my own, darker version off the ground in a new play I’m having mounted in April, I’m finding myself thinking more and more about the boy who won’t grow up.

Written by J.M Barrie in 1902, the story is told about Peter Pan, the boy who refused to grow up and stumbled into the lives of Wendy, John and Michael Darling one night when he followed his shadow through their nursery window. Peter takes them on a wild, unforgettable adventure to Neverland, where growing up was something to be scoffed at.

There are, of course a lot of actresses associated with playing the role: Mary Martin and Cathy Rigby to name a few. Their performances are iconic and their styles absolutely flawless as they are lifted into the air to embody the boy.

The role, onstage, is most often played by women for a few reasons. One, we are dynamically lighter to be able to fly so effortlessly attached to the wires required. And secondly, only a small, slender, adult woman could have the silhouette of a boy. Onscreen though, it is mostly played by boys or young men as far for the most part.

Of course, then Disney did its own cartoon version of it in 1953, introducing children to it in the only way Disney knew how-musically! Forever putting songs like “The Second Star to the Right”, and “Following the Leader” into childrens’ heads, even to today.

A few other live-action versions having taken place as well, the one most recent was the one produced in 2003 that swept audiences off its feet by telling it in a new, dazzling way!

My favorite telling though is the Robin Williams, Dustin Hoffman, and Bob Hoskins version, Hook. In it, we see Peter as an adult with two children of his own, who traded his life in Neverland for the life of a father, marrying Wendy’s daughter and calling her “granny wendy”. He is challenged by Hook to come back when Hook sneaks into the nursery and kidnaps Peter’s children, forcing him to return to his childhood home of Neverland to retrieve them.

And where would Peter be without his wonderful author, J.M Barrie. Mr. Barrie got his own movie, explaining the origins of Peter Pan in Finding Neverland, a soon to be a musical on Broadway with Matthew Morrison playing the leading role.

Peter Pan will live on forever, in the hearts and minds of everyone who is ever told the story. He will also live forever at the Great Ormond Street Hospital in London. A children’s hospital, that was given sole rights to the story of Peter Pan upon Barrie’s death. Today, that hospital receives royalties every time Peter is put up -anywhere. Including the most recent production seen on NBC starring Christopher Walken as Captain Hook.

No matter what version of Peter Pan you know, we all know and love the boy who won’t grow up.

Opening and Closing Night Gifts

By Sami DeSocio

A great theater tradition is the giving and receiving of gifts for opening and closing nights! But what if you have no clue what to get everyone? Who gets a gift? How much is this going to cost? Here’s some ideas and guidelines to help you out.

First – try to make them as personal as you can! For example, when I was in Into the Woods, we took a group photo backstage, put them in picture frames, and decorated the frames with stickers that reminded us of the show. We gave one to the director, one to the stage manager, and one to the producer as our ‘thank you’ for their hard work in helping us.

If you can’t make it so personal, everyone should chip in and purchase gift cards. You can really never go wrong with things like Dunkin Donuts gift cards or even a Visa gift card. Those are always more appreciated than you would think!

If you want to give gifts to your fellow actors, that’s always a little different since there’s more of you guys than there are of the production staff you need to purchase gifts for. When I just closed the one-act show I was part of, one of the other actors was a big fan of the Power Rangers, so I crocheted hackie sacks for him, one for each power ranger color. I’ve always found home made gifts are always appreciated among my cast members.

Cards are always good too if you’re tight on money. A package of ‘Thank You’ cards can go a LONG way if you write a personal message in each of them for the cast member. I always make sure to do this, whether I do other gifts or not. Everyone deserves a ‘thank you’ for their hard work, whether you’re being paid to be in the production or not.

But who gets the bigger gifts? Obviously the director would get a big cast gift. Often times the stage manager does as well, as well as the producer of the show. Those are the people that get gifts like gift cards or something like that-as much work as the actor did, these people made sure the production went up at all and they deserve to get a big thank you for it!

In terms of budget, everyone has one, and nobody wants to break theirs for a show. Chances are, you’ve spent some money on a costume, food, transportation and other things associated with the show. Usually somewhere between five and ten dollars seems to be enough. If the cast is big, five dollars a person can add up to a lot of money!

Whether or not you want to get a gift for another cast member, it’s up to you! How close did you get with the cast? How many real friendships did you make? Again, a package of ‘Thank You’ cards with a heartfelt note inside is always good. A pack of cards are hardly more than ten dollars.

Remember, applause is great, but a ‘thank you’ gift from your peers is always better!

Disney’s Newsies on Tour

By Harley Ann Kulp

Every theater-lover out there has that one show that just makes our heart flutter in excitement whenever we think about it. Mine is Disney’s Newsies. I’ve always had a special connection to the show since the very beginning.

I discovered Newsies when the cast performed on the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in 2012 (which happened to be my birthday). The cast tapped their way into my heart with “King of New York”, which is still one of my favorite numbers, to this day. I quickly became obsessed to the cast album, teaching myself the harmonies to every song. When I was given a trip to New York City for Christmas that year, I knew immediately what show I wanted to see most.

I’ve seen Newsies twice on Broadway. Once on my first trip to the Big Apple. The second time was three weeks before it closed. I had seen the news online and cried for three days straight. It took a lot of convincing, but my parents took me up to my favorite city to see my favorite show one last time.

Luckily, I had already bought tickets for Disney’s Newsies on tour at that point and knew I’d see the show at least one more time in my life. This was the last time. And boy, was it an emotional roller coaster.

The month leading up to the show date made me excited. I was super pumped to be seeing the show again! Until I had the revelation that it was likely the last time I’ll see the show in my life. Then the week before the show, I was sad whenever I thought about it. I didn’t want it to end. But all good things must come to an end.

As I arrive at the glorious and shiny new Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts at noon on Sunday, February 1st, a mixture of feelings clouded my mind. Sadness, excitement, and nervousness were just a few that I felt. I knew I’d be comparing the Broadway Jacks (Jeremy Jordan and Corey Cott) to the tour Jack (Dan DeLuca) and the Broadway Katherines (Kara Lindsay and Liana Hunt) to the tour Katherine (Stephanie Styles) and so on. But as soon as the hopeful “Santa Fe (Prologue)” began atop the Newsboys Lodging House rooftop, all comparisons flew away. It was astonishingly clear this production had a life and light of it’s own.

Of course the set, costumes, and music were absolutely splendid as they were on Broadway, but it was the actors that brought the new light to the table.

Stephanie Styles, for example, showed the audience a whole new side to Katherine. While Kara Lindsay and Liana Hunt played the sassy, independent girl, Styles was more of a sweet, clever Katherine. While the fiery banter and strength was still there, it was toned down. It gave a Katherine a few more layers and they were noticed and appreciated by the audience.

Dan DeLuca, on the other hand, played Jack completely different than Jeremy Jordan or Corey Cott. Less of a jokester, and more of a young boy who had no clue what he was doing as leader. Of course DeLuca’s Jack got a hang of it by the end of the show, stepping up to finish the strike as a man. His chemistry with Zachary Sayle’s Crutchie was incredible and real – you could feel the brotherhood from a mile away.

Ben Fankhauser, the original Davey from the Broadway Production was a fan favorite, so there was hesitation with seeing a different Davey. However, Jacob Kemp delivers above and beyond! He brings a new element to Davey, creating a worried aurora around the already cautious newsboy. When Davey gave a speech, Kemp gave the impression Davey was riding on a wave of adrenaline. The more he spoke, the more excited and confident he got. This was a really nice touch on Kemp’s part!

Nine year-old Vincent Crocilla was playing Les at this particular Matinee (he alternates with Anthony Rosenthal) and was a crowd favorite! This adorable little newsboy captured the hearts of the audience as soon as he threw out the famous “Les Puppy Dog Face”.

Surprisingly, the performer that captured the attention of the audience most was Miss Angela Grovey. As soon as this woman stepped on stage in that hot pink dress of Medda Larkin’s, eyes were glued to her. Her voice was smooth and rich, giving the song “That’s Rich” a real sparkle. It was an incredible performance! This woman is a star!

Everyone in the cast was simply spectacular! (Also, welcome to the tour cast, Molly Jobe, who had previously been in the Broadway production. She joined the tour cast during this matinee.) This show has a wonderful light on it’s own, but the actors really make the show. I don’t think I’ve ever clapped so hard in my life. If you have a chance to see this production of Newsies, definitely do! Upcoming tour locations are Miami, Florida, San Fransisco, California, and Las Vegas, Nevada. Don’t miss your chance to see Newsies on tour!