that girl allison

Some people travel for movie premieres for actors they love, others travel for concerts, and other people travel for theatre and for that last offense I am guilty as charged. When I first heard American Idiot was going on tour, I knew I wanted to see it. Unfortunately the closest the tour was coming to New York was Boston (no DC or Philly?!) so Matt and I groaned, debated possibly bussing it up to Toronto instead and resigned to the fact that it was easiest to head up to Boston, rather than any other stop on their tour schedule.  

Two weeks ago we booked seats on the 7am AMTRAK train to Boston and we concluded today that it was a much better idea two weeks ago rather than when we had to show up to Penn Station at 6:15am on a Sunday. But we made it and after coffee and bagels, we boarded the train and took the four hour ride up north.

The train was definitely a good idea. The extra space allowed for maximum sleeping. The last time I was in Boston, I believe, was in September 2007 to see the out-of-town try-out of High Fidelity (which was, unfortunately, better than what was seen onstage in New York).  We got to South Station, found our way quite easily to the Boston Opera House, picked up tickets and then went to find food.  

I think Boston still follows what are called ‘Blue Laws’ which means nothing is open before noon. This was unfortunate because we were hungry and it was before noon. The restaurant next to the Boston Opera House seemed to be the only one open for several blocks in either direction so we split a margarita pizza and chicken fingers (like the adults we are) before we heading next door for the show. The theatre was beautiful, and enormous. We were sitting in row G and it felt like sitting in Row N at the St. James. 

Totally reminiscent of the lobby at the St. James, right? Luckily we had no understudies and the house was packed (literally sold out). And there were color Playbills! I couldn’t remember the last time I’d seen a color playbill at American Idiot.

And now my thoughts on the show…

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Over the past few years I’ve really had to work on what relaxes me and gets me to sleep. I had three weeks of free time after graduating from college before I went off on a 3 week trip around Europe and because I had no job prospects lined up after that, I was incredibly anxious and had a lot of trouble sleeping. I think there were three consecutive nights where I didn’t get more than 3 hours of sleep. I saw my doctor; I saw a psychologist; and I was prescribed Xanax to relax me and get to sleep.

Well, I went to Europe, made friends with the strangers I was traveling with, and had the time of my life. I took the Xanax every now and then to help me get to sleep after I returned to the states but not consistently.

Over the last few years I’ve dealt with sleeping issues (I basically just had issues falling asleep - I have an overactive mind) a number of different ways and have no issues anymore.  It’s pretty awesome and I thought I’d write the ways I relax and/or fall asleep here:

1. Candles: They’re a really fantastic way to wind down more than falling asleep. My favorite scents are lavender and vanilla.  

2. Meditation: I know you’re not supposed to fall asleep during meditation but I do use meditation MP3’s nightly to help myself to fall asleep. Gabrielle Bernstein has a quick (free) 5 minute MP3 that you can download on iTunes that’s pretty great and concentrates a lot on your breath, and I have another longer MP3 that my aunt sent me a year or so ago that’s a type of meditation called Yoga Nidra - that’s specifically for intense relaxation.  It’s fantastic and I’m not sure I even know what the end of the MP3 sounds like because I always doze off before it’s over.

3. Lavender spray: I learned at my yoga studio last year that lavender promotes relaxation. This excited me, even if it maybe worked more because I thought it would relax me rather than it actually having any real effect on my relaxation (does that make sense?). So I bought a bottle from Bath and Body Works and spray it on my pillow and a bit on my wrist every night before I go to sleep.

4. Sleepytime Teas: I’m also obsessed with this tea. I love tea and drink 2-4 cups a day and I almost always drink this before I go to bed (especially on a Sunday night when my sleeping pattern has been a bit disrupted because of the weekend). Again, I’m not sure if it works because I think it should or it actually does, but it has elderflower and chamomile in it both of which are supposed to promote sleep.  Celestial makes a few, and Trader Joe’s also makes one that’s pretty great.

5. Peppermint Tea: If you’re at work and need to de-stress (like me) but don’t want to fall asleep on you desk with the above tea, I’d recommend peppermint tea. Trader Joe’s candy cane green tea is a personal favorite of mine (although it’s seasonal you can find it year-round on ebay) but any peppermint tea will work. Peppermint is a natural anti-inflammatory. I also recently tried Yogi’s Stress-Relief Tea but it tastes similar to what I imagine ass would taste like so I wouldn’t recommend it first.  

6. Music: In one of my yoga classes, there was a sub teacher who used a bunch of songs that I really liked already and I’ve made a playlist of songs that make me happy and bring relaxation (and yoga) to mind. Those songs include The Verve’s Bittersweet Symphony, Semisonic’s Closing Time, Weezer’s Only in Dreams, Eagle Eye Cherry’s Save Tonight, and Green Day’s Wake Me Up When September Ends (though I put the cast album version on the playlist because the harmonies make it more relaxing - to me at least), among others. 

7. Yoga: Last but not least is yoga. I’ve been practicing for about two years and I started out doing a “winding down” podcast from YogaJournal (also available for free download on iTunes) which is specifically for for stretching and relaxing at the end of your day. It’s awesome. Restorative yoga is magnificent for relaxation too.

I haven’t take any kind of medication (prescribed or over-the-counter) in years because of the above natural remedies. I also bought a bunch of dried lavender and have placed it in a vase next to the couch in my apartment. I’m kind of obsessed with the scent of dried lavender now.  During my almost-anxiety attacks last week I googled other things that promote relaxation and they included: Black tea, bananas, and sugar! Good to know for next time.

Namaste.

Full Disclosure: The night I wrote this I slept like total crap, despite yoga, meditation, and sleepytime tea so I felt like a total sham for having just written this. Tonight I’m double-bagging it. 

Emma Hunton Is Maureen in Off-Broadway’s Rent, Starting Jan. 13

So, the off-Broadway revival of Rent welcomed some new (and old) cast members this week. I wonder how Ms. Hunton is in the role of Maureen. Anna Leigh Ashford was pretty much the only cast member to get across-the-board great reviews when the revival first opened, so Hunton has huge shoes to fill. 

In my opinion, the best members of the company were Adam Chanler-Berat, as Mark, and Matt Shingledecker, as Roger, and unfortunately these two will also depart the company in about a week to be replaced by Josh Grisetti and Justin Johnston respectively.

Wait. What? Justin Johnston is playing Roger?  At first I thought, Well, maybe it’s a different Justin Johnston… but it’s not.  Justin Johnston played the role of Angel in multiple casts when the show was on Broadway and touring. Don’t get me wrong, he was a fantastic Angel and an unbelievable dancer. But he is not who I would’ve imagined to succeed Shingledecker (who was a breath of life into the role).  I think he’s a tad too old to be Roger and he doesn’t have the look or grimace that actor’s playing Roger usually have.

Who knows though. I might be totally wrong and he might be amazing. I’m not sure I’m  ready to sit through the show again to take that chance though. If you’ve seen him in the role though, be sure to let me know how he is! I will now leave you all with a picture of Mr. Johnston and I from the summer of 2002 when I was 16.

The second half the 2011-2012 Broadway officially begins tomorrow! Some could say that it began when Porgy and Bess began previews in December (and opened last week), but I guess it depends on who you talk to. The second half of a Broadway season always begins in January, in my opinion.

Anyways, I digress. Let’s get back onto the topic, shall well?  Wit, starring the incomparable Cynthia Nixon, started previews last week and it’s on the top of my list of things to see.  Luckily, it’s being produced by the Manhattan Theatre Club, so you can volunteer to usher or you can score a $30 ticket via their 30-Under-30 ticket program (if you’re under 30, that is).  

Another revival of Death of a Salesman is starting previews on February 13th and although it seems that this production was a rush job (or a lot of schedules coincided serendipitously), the cast is pretty fantastic (Philip Seymour Hoffman as Willy, and Andrew Garfield as Willy’s son Biff). It feels like the last revival of Salesman was incredibly recent (it only kind of was - it was last revived in 1999), but since I missed out on seeing that one, I’ll definitely be making an effort to see this one.

The next nine shows of the season all open in March. March is going to be an exhausting month of critics and photographers alike. The two musicals I’m most looking forward to open on in March on the 1st and the 12th, those musicals being Jesus Christ Superstar and Evita, respectively. I’m excited for JCS because it has an incredible score, but aside from that I cannot imagine why they’re bringing this back to Broadway after the 2000 revival (staring Glenn Carter and Tony Vincent - the only reason to have seen that revival) didn’t do very well.  It was apparently acclaimed at the Stratford Festival last year and I’m excited to see what changes have been made by director Des McAnuff. If I’m being honest, I don’t have very high hopes because as previously stated, despite the score being top-notch, I think the book of the show is kind of unable to be saved despite anyone’s attempts to breathe life into it.  

The only exposure I have to Evita is the movie starring Madonna in 1996 and after watching it again recently I have to admit that Madge doesn’t do the score justice at all.  I love the score and I love theatre that’s historical, so I’m assuming I’ll love Evita.  I’m very excited to finally see this show come to life onstage.

The other productions opening in March include the beloved Newsies (I finally got around to watching it and it has a great score an interesting story - it was apparently very, very good at Papermill last year), The Best Man, Rebecca, End of the World, Ghost (based on the movie), Nice Work If You Can Get It, and Don’t Dress For Dinner. I know Sierra Boggess is starring in Rebecca and the score to Ghost is pretty incredible, but aside from that there hasn’t been a lot of buzz on any of the other shows.

On April 3rd, the recently announced Broadway production of a new musical called Leap of Faith (based on the Steve Martin movie) will begin previews starring Kendra Kassebaum and  Raul Esparza. The next night The Columnist, produced by Manhattan Theatre Club, will begin previews. The Columnist is a political drama about a Washington journalist and I think it sounds pretty interesting. (Again, check out MTC’s 30 Under 30 program!).

The last two shows of the season (as slated for now) are One Man, Two Guvnors on April 6th and Harvey (about a grown man who has an invisible rabbit friend) on May 18th.  Harvey is being produced by Roundabout so cheap ticket options will be available, though One Man.. is being produced commercially, so the most we can hope for is a $40 rush or a ticket off TDF.

If I had to pick my top five shows of the winter/spring, I’d say that Evita, Jesus Christ Superstar, Leap of Faith, Death of a Salesman, and Wit are it. What are your top five?

This was an interesting read!

In late 2011, I decided to rid myself of friends who didn’t make me feel good about myself, or talk to them and explain to them that I wasn’t happy with our friendship and how I wanted it to change. That sounds demanding but it was for the best for both of us (whoever the other person happened to be). One “friend” who I made the decision to completely cut off was someone who threatened to sue me after I did a[n admittedly bitchy] thing. But no matter what you do  - short of trying to murder your friend or their family - friends don’t threaten to sue each other. Plain and simple.

Well, the latest conundrum was a guy who I met a few weeks ago - we never dated, for the record - and we hung out twice, but he always seemed to be doing it out of pity. There definitely always seemed to be somewhere he’d rather be - at least that’s the impression his body language gave me. He’s also super arrogant, which he doesn’t deny at all. “Who has the time to be modest?” he says. I’m all for being proud of one’s accomplishments but I don’t think there’s a reason to be arrogant. Well, I sick of him always acting like it was a chore to talk to me so I took him off my Gchat list and that was that.

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I’ve always thought New Years resolutions are stupid, and I’ve never written any but I felt the urge to do one this year so I did. I spent last night at two apartment parties for two different sets of friends. They were both great parties; the first more mellow than the second. My champagne intake was way too high, and I ended up making out with a guest at the second party. That’s something I haven’t done in quite a long time, and not something I’d like to repeat. Next year remind me to skip the champagne. Overall, it was a good New Years Eve.

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It’s always hard to pick just five moments of New York theatre a to wrap up a year. But it’s especially difficult when you’ve seen and processed the most recent season so I thought I’d do a Top 10 list.

1. First on this list is obviously Sleep No More, presented by Punchdrunk. I’m glad I got in on this before people caught on to what was going on down in Chelsea. If you’ve gone to see Sleep No More, you know what it’s like and if you haven’t seen it, there’s really no way to explain it without sounding like a crazy person about why it was such an amazing experience. Save up your money and go buy yourself a ticket for 2012.

2. The next thing that instantly came to mind was Once, currently showing at the New York Theatre Workshop. Based on the indie movie of the same name, it’s a touching story of how one girl helps a musician achieve his dreams (and they kinda-sorta fall in love too). This was such a unique piece of theatre because it starts an hour before “curtain” time. The cast, who doubles as the band, is playing, singing, and dancing onstage for an hour before the actually story starts (and don’t worry, you’ll know when the show starts). They announced their transfer to Broadway hours before they opened off-Broadway, which is pretty amazing. It’s Spring Awakening for adults and it’s theme is to not live your life without pursuing your dreams - which is a pretty important one, if you ask me.

3. Next up comes The Hallway Trilogy presented by the Rattlestick Playwrights Theatre and written by my favorite, Adam Rapp, which I just realized I never actually wrote about and that’s probably because there was no way to translate the experience into words. This was a hundred year history of this one hallway from the time of Eugene O’Neil to a time 50 years in the future when New York was disease free and now financially strapped individuals could make money being injected with ‘old fashioned’ diseases in a museum for the rich to come and witness.

4. I still can’t believe that American Idiot closed only this year; it all seems like so much longer ago. Whenever I think back to one of the most ridiculously energetic performances I saw, I immediately think back to February 27th, 2011 - the night John Gallagher Jr., Michael Esper, and Billie Joe Armstrong left the show. It felt like every single person in that theatre was there for those three guys and you could hear the love pouring out from them. It was just a ridiculous and amazing night, one that I will not soon forget.

5. An incredible moment that makes this list happened only last week. A benefit for Royal Family Productions, Anthony Rapp performed a reading of his brother Adam Rapp’s script Nocturne at Symphony Space, a few blocks from where I live on the Upper West Side in a night titled “Rapp Reads Rapp.” Nocturne was one of the few plays of Rapp’s that I had no familiarity with but oh boy is it amazing, and Anthony did an incredible job with it. By the end he was in tears.

6. I thought Thomas Sadowski was pretty good in 2009’s reasons to be pretty but he left me speechless in this season’s Broadway transfer of Other Desert Cities. His character was so complicated and went through so many emotions that I was absolutely exhausted and heart broken watching him from the front row. 

7. When you try to think of the most fantastic actress discovered out-of-the-blue in the last five years, you’d be hard pressed to think of someone more talented of Nina Arianda and her performance in Venus in Fur. Her performance is a tour-de-force and isn’t to be missed. I’m not sure how to use words to describe it actually. It has to be seen and not described. She crashes through the door ten minutes into the script and the whirlwind that she creates onstage never stops.

8. When I think of Norbert Leo Butz, I will always think of him as my first Roger in Rent in 1998. The next moment I’ll think of is his performance in this year’s Catch Me If You Can. Catch Me was a [mostly] bore of a show that had all the makings of what should’ve been a great musical, but the only reason I saw it twice was to watch Mr. Butz. He danced and moved in ways that I didn’t think he could during the song “Breaking All the Rules.” Watching him on the Tony’s, and then win his second Tony, it was a great thing.

9. I missed Boeing Boeing a few years ago and after seeing Mark Rylance in both La Bete and Jerusalem this year, that will forever be one of my great theatre-related regrets. I will still stand my ground that Mark Rylance was even better in La Bete than in Jerusalem, but for the purposes of doing a review of the year of 2011, I’ll talk about his performance in Jerusalem.  Playing a modern day pied piper in England, you loved him, you felt bad for him, you loved listening to his rambling. Like I said back in April, Rylance might be one of the great actors of our day.

10. I’ve been a fan of Jan Maxwell since I worked at Chitty Chitty, Bang Bang in 2005 and I’ve seen almost everything she’s done since. She’s never won a Tony but this just might be her year with her mouth-dropping turn in this season’s revival of Follies. She brings down the house in Act 2 like I’ve never seen her do. I never knew she could dance like she does, and she’s absolutely heartbreaking. Follies isn’t my cup of tea when it comes to musical theatre, but I’d see it again to watch her onstage.   

So, I think that’s it. Honorable mentions go to War Horse (breathtaking, just absolutely mind-blowing), The Normal Heart (after the 2010 reading, this production was magnificent), The Book of Mormon (I’m glad I saw this in previews), How To Succeed in Business Without Really Trying (Mr. Radcliffe blew me away with his moves, and after wanting to see this show revived again for so many years, this is a great production), and The Amoralists (a fantastic theatre company that produces really unique theatrical experiences such as this one and this one). 

I won’t deny the fact that there was a ton of crap produced on and off-Broadway this year, but it’d be silly to neglect to acknowledge the amazing moments that I was fortunate enough to see too. We’ll see what 2012 holds.

photo taken in April 2011