My Broadway Bucket List

Many people have some kind of a bucket list, a list of things they want to accomplish in their lifetime. Some people might have ambitious lists that include sailing across the Atlantic Ocean or climbing Mount Everest. Others may have more reasonable lists that include goals like losing a few pounds, reconnecting with old friends, or running a marathon.

While my bucket list contains a mix of ambitious and reasonable goals, there's one theme that consistently appears over and over again on my list: Broadway. Though my list of Broadway dreams and goals goes on and on, today I've picked my top four Broadway goals to share.

1. The opportunity to work on Broadway. I'll start with the obvious. I think this one is probably on just about every Broadway enthusiast's list, but I have to throw it out there. I'm not a singer or an actress, so I don't have the dream to perform on stage. But I do have the dream to have a hand in making the performances happen. I think my dream role would be something along the lines of assisting a director. I'd love to be around to help with all the rehearsals, the ups and downs, the changes. Some people might think this is crazy, but I would love just about every minute of this kind of work.

2. A Broadway-themed bar in my basement. My husband and I have been talking about this one for years. I can picture the whole bar in my mind... Playbills under the glass-top bar, show posters decorating the walls, and maybe even a tiny stage. I have all the details ready to go, right down to the little menus featuring drinks with Broadway-themed names.

Just a little sample of what my Broadway-themed drink menu might look like

3. To start some kind of organization that would give more people the opportunity to enjoy Broadway. I don't have this one quite as planned out as the bar, but it's a thought growing in my mind. As we all know, seeing a Broadway show can be an expensive experience. While there are definitely ways to make it somewhat affordable, I think a lot of people don't even entertain the idea of going to New York City to see a show on Broadway because of the cost. I would love to somehow change this. 

4. The chance to bring a show to Broadway. I guess this is the Mount Everest of my list. I know it's extremely ambitious, but I have so many ideas floating around in my head, some that I've even felt are worthy of putting down on paper. There are a few movies that I know would do amazing on Broadway. There's a show that I would love to see revived. And I even have an idea for an original musical. I also have some creative, out-of-the-box marketing ideas that would almost guarantee the success of these shows. I just need to find the right people or partners to help get them there.

Well, there you have it. I told you some of these were ambitious. In fact, I probably stand a better chance of sailing across the Atlantic Ocean than I do of actually taking a show to Broadway. But I can still dream and hope and try. And who knows... Maybe one day I'll be sitting in my basement Broadway bar, working with that director that I've been assisting to bring our own musical to Broadway. In the meantime, I think I'll go enjoy a Magical Frog Martini.

REVIEW: Aladdin (Broadway)

My husband and I recently took our two sons (ages 4 and 6) to see Aladdin on Broadway. While I could go on and on about the impressive sets, infectiously energetic and talented Genie, and truly magical carpet ride in the Broadway production of Disney's Aladdin, I thought I'd leave this review up to the real critic: my 4-year-old son, Chase!

Alec and Chase getting ready to experience "a whole new world" at Aladdin on Broadway

In his first (un)official review, here's what Chase had to say about Aladdin:

Me: What did you think of the show?
C: It was awesome!

Me: What was awesome about it?
C: That the genie was so funny. He was different than the one in the movie.

Me: What did he do that you thought was funny?
C: I liked when he was singing the no no no no no song.

Me: Who was your favorite person?
C: Aladdin! Was your favorite Aladdin too, Mommy?
(Me: I liked Aladdin and Genie the best).

Me: What was your favorite part?
C: I liked the part when the bad guy said "Prince A Boo Boo."

Me: What did you think of Jasmine?
C: I liked her because I wanted to play with her hair.
(Side-note since this response probably sounds pretty weird to most people: Chase loves to twirl my hair and suck his thumb when he gets sleepy. Pretty much any girl with long hair who is within a foot of Chase is at risk for having their hair twirled!)

Me: Was she pretty?
C: Yes. I even loved her!

Me: What did you think of the carpet ride?
C: I liked when they were singing "A Whole New World." And I liked when the carpet saved Aladdin when he was just about going to fall and Princess Jasmine said "How did you do that?".

Me: Was there anything that scared you?
C: No.

Since apparently nine questions is about the attention span of a 4-year-old, I'll fill in a few details with my own thoughts.

First, I'll share what I was impressed with:  

• I loved the carpet ride scene. Watching Aladdin and Jasmine float through the air right in front of our eyes was an amazing experience.

• The choreography, dancing and sets were all very impressive.

• The Genie definitely stole the show. While my heart sank when I saw that Tony-winner James Monroe Iglehart was not going to be the Genie at this performance, I was very pleasantly surprised and impressed with the equally talented stand-in Michael James Scott. He owned the stage and didn't miss a beat in this role. I still would have loved to have seen Iglehart in this role (and maybe even met him at the stage door); however, I have nothing but good things to say about Scott's performance.

• Speaking of the stage door, my boys and I loved meeting Adam Jacobs, who played Aladdin, after the show (ok, so I probably enjoyed this part more than they did, but it will be a good photo for them to look back on when they're older!). Jacobs did a great job in the show. He looked the part, and had the voice to match.

Aladdin (Adam Jacobs) was more than happy to pose for a photo after the show.

While I'd like to say that I found the whole show to be "awesome" like Chase did, I have to admit that there were a few aspects that I found to be a little less than awesome. For anyone expecting to see the movie version brought to life on stage, I'd recommend changing your expectations. I certainly didn't expect the stage version to be exactly like the movie; however, I think Disney missed the mark with this one. They really took a lot of the kid-friendly aspects out, which resulted in a performance that was not quite fun enough for kids but not quite impressive enough for adults.

At 4 and 6 years old, my kids did great during the show. But I've been taking my kids to the theatre since they were 2. If I'm being totally honest, for someone who's considering taking young children for their first Broadway experience, I wouldn't recommend Aladdin as their first show. It just didn't live up to the "magic" that Disney is known for.

Here are just a few examples of things that I feel would have made for a much better show.

• The animals: There were no animals in the show at all, and I think this was a huge mistake. The role of Aladdin's monkey, Abu, was instead turned into three sidekick friends of Aladdin. While they added some humor to the show, they just weren't the same as Abu. The same went for Jafar's parrot, Iago, who was turned into a parrot-like human sidekick. Jasmine's tiger, Raja, was completely omitted. And really Disney, couldn't you have at least borrowed the elephant from The Lion King for when Prince Ali makes his big appearance?

• The magic carpet: Yes, I did love the carpet scene. But I would have loved it even more if the carpet had been more of a character like in the movie. Again, I don't expect the stage version to be exactly the same as the movie, but I really think Disney messed up by leaving out the animals and the magic carpet as characters.

• The humor: There were definitely some funny parts to the show. Some were carried over from the movie while others were original to the stage. But most of the humor went right over my kids' heads. Sure my kids are only 4 and 6, but I think even older kids would have trouble following the humor in most of the show.

So while we all found the show to be entertaining (and even "awesome" according to Chase), I have to admit I was a bit disappointed in the overall production. The show definitely had some high points, but I also found it lacking in several areas. It felt like Disney was trying to please everyone, which we all know isn't possible. So instead of a fascinating and magical show for kids or a spectacular show for adults, the end result was a mediocre show for anyone.

Overall I give this production 4 out of 10 standing ovations.

Central PA Man Attends 2014 Tony Awards

On Sunday evening, most central PA theatre fans were huddled in front of their TVs, eyes glued to the Tony Awards, waiting in anticipation to see who of Broadway's finest would take home one of the coveted awards. Would Audra McDonald make Tony Award history by winning her sixth Tony Award? Would four-time past Tony host Neil Patrick Harris take home a Tony of his own? Which show would win the prestigious title of Best Musical?

But one central PA theatre professional was a little bit closer to the Broadway action.

Dennis Norton, who handles the programming for the Hershey Theatre, just completed his first year as a judge for the Tony Awards, and on Sunday he had the opportunity to attend his first Tony Awards ceremony. Dennis joined over 6,000 other members of the theatre community at Radio City Music Hall in New York City to celebrate the best of the best on Broadway.

Upon arriving at Radio City Music Hall just before 6:00pm, Dennis was immediately impressed. "Seeing 6,000 people dressed to the nines was a very emotional experience," he said. He also stated that, "The operational aspect was amazing in itself," noting that the way Radio City Music Hall handled moving so many people through its theatre was very impressive. Since it was a live event, the doors were locked at 7:00pm, and there was absolutely no late seating.

Dennis was one of approximately 6,000 people who attended the 2014 Tony Awards at Radio City Music Hall.

As for the ceremony itself, it didn't disappoint. Dennis described the evening as an "emotional roller coaster," pointing out the variety of emotions in the evening's performances, from the suffering in Les Misérables, to the upbeat Aladdin, to the inspiring story of Beautiful - The Carol King Musical. "Each Broadway show comes with its own very emotional experience," he said. "It was like looking through a photo book of emotions."

One of the things Dennis found interesting was watching the audience respond to each award. He very quickly realized that there were groups of people from each show seated together, and it was easy to tell who was with each show. Dennis happened to be seated near a group with the musical, A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder, which ended up winning the Tony Award for Best Musical. While this was one of the most anticipated awards, the whole evening was really a celebration Dennis said. "Just being present to witness this celebration was such a thrill."

Dennis was thrilled to be a part of this year's Tony Awards, which proved to be an evening filled with emotion and celebration.

Through his programming role with Hershey Theatre, Dennis is a member of The Broadway League, the national trade association for the Broadway industry. The Broadway League and the American Theatre Wing are the presenters of the Tony Awards, so through Dennis's affiliation with the League, he is able to serve as a judge. In order to vote in a category, a judge must have seen every production in that category. This year, Dennis was qualified to vote for 11 out of 26 categories.

Though this year's Tony Awards are over, Dennis said that work on next year's Awards is already beginning. Holler if Ya Hear Me, a musical based on the music of Tupac Shukar, opens next week and will be the first musical of the 2015 Tony Awards season.

Hershey Entertainment and Resorts Company, together with the M.S. Hershey Foundation, is dedicated to continuing Milton Hershey's legacy through the Hershey Theatre by presenting Broadway in Central PA. For more information on the Hershey Theatre and upcoming performances, please visit www.hersheytheatre.com.

And the 2014 Tony Awards Go To...

The curtain has gone down. The red carpet is all rolled up. And the Tony Awards are over until next year.

Last week I made my predictions of who would go home with a Tony Award. Out of 26 categories, I got 12 right, and I have to say that I'm pretty pleased with that result considering this was my first time making picks!

Here's a rundown of the results (the asterisks indicate my picks and the italics indicate the winners):

Musical
After Midnight
Aladdin
Beautiful: The Carol King Musical
*A Gentleman's Guide to Love & Murder

Play
Act One
All the Way
Casa Valentina
*Mothers and Sons
Outside Mullinger

Musical Revival
Hedwig and the Angry Inch
Les Miserables
*Violet

Play Revival
The Cripple of an Inishmaan
The Glass Menagerie
A Raisin in the Sun
*Twelfth Night

Actor (Musical)
*Neil Patrick Harris (Hedwig and the Angry Inch)
Ramin Karimloo (Les Miserables)
Andy Karl (Rocky)
Jefferson Mays (A Gentleman's Guide to Love & Murder)
Bryce Pinkham (A Gentleman's Guide to Love & Murder)

Actress (Musical)
Mary Bridget Davies (A Night with Janis Joplin)
Sutton Foster (Violet)
Idina Menzel (If/Then)
*Jessie Mueller (Beautiful: The Carol King Musical)
Kelli O'Hara (The Bridges of Madison County)

Actor (Play)
Samuel Barnett (Twelfth Night)
Bryan Cranston (All the Way)
*Chris O'Dowd (Of Mice and Men)

Mark Rylance (Richard III)

Tony Shalhoub (Act One)

Actress (Play)

Tyne Daly (Mothers and Sons)

LaTanya Richardson Jackson (A Raisin in the Sun)

Cherry Jones (The Glass Menagerie)

*Audra McDonald (Lady Day at Emerson's Bar and Grill)

Estelle Parsons (The Velocity of Autumn)

Featured Actor (Musical)

Danny Burstein (Cabaret)

Nick Cordero (Bullets Over Broadway: The Musical)

Joshua Henry (Violet)

*James Monroe Iglehart (Aladdin)

Jarrod Spector (Beautiful: The Carole King Musical)

Featured Actress (Musical)

*Linda Emond (Cabaret)

Lena Hall (Hedwig and the Angry Inch)

Anika Larsen (Beautiful: The Carole King Musical)

Adriane Lenox (After Midnight)

Lauren Worsham (A Gentleman’s Guide to Love & Murder)

Featured Actor (Play)

Reed Birney (Casa Valentina)

Paul Chahidi (Twelfth Night)

Stephen Fry (Twelfth Night)

Mark Rylance (Twelfth Night)

*Brian J. Smith (The Glass Menagerie)

Featured Actress (Play)

Sarah Greene (The Cripple of Inishmaan)

Celia Keenan-Bolger (The Glass Menagerie)

Sophie Okonedo (A Raisin in the Sun)

*Anika Noni Rose (A Raisin in the Sun)

Mare Winningham (Casa Valentina)

Score

Aladdin (Alan Menken, Howard Ashman, Tim Rice and Chad Beguelin)

*The Bridges of Madison County (Jason Robert Brown)

A Gentleman’s Guide to Love & Murder (Steven Lutvak and Robert L. Freedman)

If/Then (Tom Kitt and Brian Yorkey)

Book of a Musical

*Aladdin (Chad Beguelin)

Beautiful: The Carole King Musical (Douglas McGrath)

Bullets Over Broadway: The Musical (Woody Allen)

A Gentleman’s Guide to Love & Murder (Robert L. Freedman)

Direction (Musical)

Warren Carlyle (After Midnight)

Michael Mayer (Hedwig and the Angry Inch)

Leigh Silverman (Violet)

*Darko Tresnjak (A Gentleman’s Guide to Love & Murder)

Direction (Play)

*Tim Carroll (Twelfth Night)

Michael Grandage (The Cripple of Inishmaan)

Kenny Leon (A Raisin in the Sun)

John Tiffany (The Glass Menagerie)

Choreography

*Warren Carlyle (After Midnight)

Steven Hoggett and Kelly Devine (Rocky)

Casey Nicholaw (Aladdin)

Susan Stroman (Bullets Over Broadway: The Musical)

Orchestrations

Doug Besterman (Bullets Over Broadway: The Musical)

*Jason Robert Brown (The Bridges of Madison County)

Steve Sidwell (Beautiful: The Carole King Musical)

Jonathan Tunick (A Gentleman’s Guide to Love & Murder)

Scenic Design (Musical)

*Christopher Barreca (Rocky)

Julian Crouch (Hedwig and the Angry Inch)

Alexander Dodge (A Gentleman’s Guide to Love & Murder)

Santo Loquasto (Bullets Over Broadway: The Musical)

Scenic Design (Play)

Beowulf Boritt (Act One)

Bob Crowley (The Glass Menagerie)

Es Devlin (Machinal)

*Christopher Oram (The Cripple of Inishmaan)

Costume Design (Musical)

Linda Cho (A Gentleman’s Guide to Love & Murder)

William Ivey Long (Bullets Over Broadway: The Musical)

*Arianne Phillips (Hedwig and the Angry Inch)

Isabel Toledo (After Midnight)

Costume Design (Play)

Jane Greenwood (Act One)

Michael Krass (Machinal)

Rita Ryack (Casa Valentina)

*Jenny Tiramani (Twelfth Night)

Sound Design (Musical)

Peter Hylenski (After Midnight)

Tim O'Heir (Hedwig and the Angry Inch)

*Mick Potter (Les Misérables)

Brian Ronan (Beautiful: The Carole King Musical)

Sound Design (Play)

Alex Baranowski (The Cripple of Inishmaan)

Steve Canyon Kennedy (Lady Day at Emerson's Bar and Grill)

Dan Moses Schreier (Act One)

*Matt Tierney (Machinal)

Lighting Design (Musical)

Kevin Adams (Hedwig and the Angry Inch)

*Christopher Akerlind (Rocky)

Howell Binkley (After Midnight)

Donald Holder (The Bridges of Madison County)

Lighting Design (Play)

Paule Constable (The Cripple of Inishmaan)

Jane Cox (Machinal)

*Natasha Katz (The Glass Menagerie)

Japhy Weideman (Of Mice and Men)

My 2014 Tony Award Predictions

It's almost time for the 2014 Tony Awards! That means it's time for theatre-obsessed folks like myself to make our best guesses as to who will go home with one of the shiny statues on Sunday night.

As I was going through the 26 categories making my picks, I couldn't help but feel like I was back in high school taking one of those dreaded multiple choice tests (or as I liked to refer to them, "multiple guess" tests). For almost every category, I was really torn between two choices. Since I was forced to make only one pick for each category, I am now left feeling the same uncertainty that I always felt after those tests. And if the results are anything like my high school test results, the winner will probably be the one that I didn't choose (especially for those ones where I went back and changed my answer!).

In particular, I found the categories of Musical Revival, Best Actor in a Musical, Best Actress in a Musical, and Score to have extremely tough match-ups. I probably changed my picks 10 times for these categories. But the good thing about tough match-ups is that it means there is a ton of talent on Broadway this year (which sadly isn't always the case).

So since the school bell is ringing, I guess it's time to put my pencil down and turn in my test. We'll find out my score on Sunday night!

Musical
After Midnight
Aladdin
Beautiful: The Carol King Musical
*A Gentleman's Guide to Love & Murder

Play
Act One
All the Way
Casa Valentina
*Mothers and Sons
Outside Mullinger

Musical Revival
Hedwig and the Angry Inch
Les Miserables
*Violet

Play Revival
The Cripple of an Inishmaan
The Glass Menagerie
A Raisin in the Sun
*Twelfth Night

Actor (Musical)
*Neil Patrick Harris (Hedwig and the Angry Inch)
Ramin Karimloo (Les Miserables)
Andy Karl (Rocky)
Jefferson Mays (A Gentleman's Guide to Love & Murder)
Bryce Pinkham (A Gentleman's Guide to Love & Murder)

Actress (Musical)
Mary Bridget Davies (A Night with Janis Joplin)
Sutton Foster (Violet)
Idina Menzel (If/Then)
*Jessie Mueller (Beautiful: The Carol King Musical)
Kelli O'Hara (The Bridges of Madison County)

Actor (Play)
Samuel Barnett (Twelfth Night)
Bryan Cranston (All the Way)
*Chris O'Dowd (Of Mice and Men)

Mark Rylance (Richard III)

Tony Shalhoub (Act One)

Actress (Play)

Tyne Daly (Mothers and Sons)

LaTanya Richardson Jackson (A Raisin in the Sun)

Cherry Jones (The Glass Menagerie)

*Audra McDonald (Lady Day at Emerson's Bar and Grill)

Estelle Parsons (The Velocity of Autumn)

Featured Actor (Musical)

Danny Burstein (Cabaret)

Nick Cordero (Bullets Over Broadway: The Musical)

Joshua Henry (Violet)

*James Monroe Iglehart (Aladdin)

Jarrod Spector (Beautiful: The Carole King Musical)

Featured Actress (Musical)

*Linda Emond (Cabaret)

Lena Hall (Hedwig and the Angry Inch)

Anika Larsen (Beautiful: The Carole King Musical)

Adriane Lenox (After Midnight)

Lauren Worsham (A Gentleman’s Guide to Love & Murder)

Featured Actor (Play)

Reed Birney (Casa Valentina)

Paul Chahidi (Twelfth Night)

Stephen Fry (Twelfth Night)

Mark Rylance (Twelfth Night)

*Brian J. Smith (The Glass Menagerie)

Featured Actress (Play)

Sarah Greene (The Cripple of Inishmaan)

Celia Keenan-Bolger (The Glass Menagerie)

Sophie Okonedo (A Raisin in the Sun)

*Anika Noni Rose (A Raisin in the Sun)

Mare Winningham (Casa Valentina)

Score

Aladdin (Alan Menken, Howard Ashman, Tim Rice and Chad Beguelin)

*The Bridges of Madison County (Jason Robert Brown)

A Gentleman’s Guide to Love & Murder (Steven Lutvak and Robert L. Freedman)

If/Then (Tom Kitt and Brian Yorkey)

Book of a Musical

*Aladdin (Chad Beguelin)

Beautiful: The Carole King Musical (Douglas McGrath)

Bullets Over Broadway: The Musical (Woody Allen)

A Gentleman’s Guide to Love & Murder (Robert L. Freedman)

Direction (Musical)

Warren Carlyle (After Midnight)

Michael Mayer (Hedwig and the Angry Inch)

Leigh Silverman (Violet)

*Darko Tresnjak (A Gentleman’s Guide to Love & Murder)

Direction (Play)

*Tim Carroll (Twelfth Night)

Michael Grandage (The Cripple of Inishmaan)

Kenny Leon (A Raisin in the Sun)

John Tiffany (The Glass Menagerie)

Choreography

*Warren Carlyle (After Midnight)

Steven Hoggett and Kelly Devine (Rocky)

Casey Nicholaw (Aladdin)

Susan Stroman (Bullets Over Broadway: The Musical)

Orchestrations

Doug Besterman (Bullets Over Broadway: The Musical)

*Jason Robert Brown (The Bridges of Madison County)

Steve Sidwell (Beautiful: The Carole King Musical)

Jonathan Tunick (A Gentleman’s Guide to Love & Murder)

Scenic Design (Musical)

*Christopher Barreca (Rocky)

Julian Crouch (Hedwig and the Angry Inch)

Alexander Dodge (A Gentleman’s Guide to Love & Murder)

Santo Loquasto (Bullets Over Broadway: The Musical)

Scenic Design (Play)

Beowulf Boritt (Act One)

Bob Crowley (The Glass Menagerie)

Es Devlin (Machinal)

*Christopher Oram (The Cripple of Inishmaan)

Costume Design (Musical)

Linda Cho (A Gentleman’s Guide to Love & Murder)

William Ivey Long (Bullets Over Broadway: The Musical)

*Arianne Phillips (Hedwig and the Angry Inch)

Isabel Toledo (After Midnight)

Costume Design (Play)

Jane Greenwood (Act One)

Michael Krass (Machinal)

Rita Ryack (Casa Valentina)

*Jenny Tiramani (Twelfth Night)

Sound Design (Musical)

Peter Hylenski (After Midnight)

Tim O'Heir (Hedwig and the Angry Inch)

*Mick Potter (Les Misérables)

Brian Ronan (Beautiful: The Carole King Musical)

Sound Design (Play)

Alex Baranowski (The Cripple of Inishmaan)

Steve Canyon Kennedy (Lady Day at Emerson's Bar and Grill)

Dan Moses Schreier (Act One)

*Matt Tierney (Machinal)

Lighting Design (Musical)

Kevin Adams (Hedwig and the Angry Inch)

*Christopher Akerlind (Rocky)

Howell Binkley (After Midnight)

Donald Holder (The Bridges of Madison County)

Lighting Design (Play)

Paule Constable (The Cripple of Inishmaan)

Jane Cox (Machinal)

*Natasha Katz (The Glass Menagerie)

Japhy Weideman (Of Mice and Men)

Well, this has been fun (in an end-of-school-year-this-was-my-last-final kind of way). To make your own Tony picks, The NY Times has a great ballot you can use.

And make sure to tune in to The Tony Awards on CBS on Sunday at 8:00pm!

REVIEW: 80's Re-Lived at PRiMA Theatre

PRiMA's production of 80's Re-Lived was an entertaining cabaret/concert style performance filled with tons of energy, talent and neon. The second I entered the Chameleon Club in Lancaster, PA (where the performance was being held), I felt like I had been transported back to the 1980s. From the gigantic Rubik's cube on the stage to the ushers with big hair and bright clothes, the entire atmosphere screamed 80s party.

When the show started, the talent of this group of performers was immediately obvious. Every single member of the cast was a natural born performer. They filled the club with powerful voices, infectious energy, and pure talent. All the voices blended beautifully to provide quality duets and group numbers, covering hit after hit from Tommy Tutone's "867-5309/Jenny" to Bon Jovi's "Livin' on a Prayer" and everything in between.

I was amazed at how many songs they fit into just a little over an hour of performing. In fact, one of the things I loved about this production was that the performers only sang a part of most of the songs, rather than the entire song. This allowed for them to fit even more 80s favorites into the show. (And the parts they did sing were the parts everyone loves to sing along to anyway!) The transitions from one song to the next were seamless, and there were some very creative and well-done mash-ups included.

Props were minimal, but weren't missed since the outfits and venue were enough to set the mood for the evening. The gigantic Rubik's cube on the side of the stage was the main prop, and in staying true to the 80s there was also a brief appearance by a trapper-keeper. The smaller venue allowed for the cast to sing their way through the aisle, making the audience feel even more a part of the show.  

This was my first introduction to PRiMA, and I'm so glad that I discovered them. I first heard of this Lancaster-based group a year or two ago, and after seeing this production, I'm regretting waiting until now to check them out! They've been around since 2010, and their production history includes a unique blend of performances that fit right in with my personal theatre taste, including a Tim Rice cabaret, a Billy Joel cabaret, Chess, and one of my all-time favorite musicals, Aida.

While 80's Re-Lived has finished its run, PRiMA has some great shows planned for the upcoming months. Jason Robert Brown will be taking the stage on June 22 for a master class and concert (yes, THE Jason Robert Brown!). And later this year they will be offering a "Guilty Pleasures" cabaret, a "Rockin' Rodgers and Hammerstein" cabaret, and "Oz in Concert." For more information, please visit the PRiMA website.

Everything I Need To Know I Learned From A Broadway Contest

When I entered NewYork.com's Ultimate Broadway Fan contest, I honestly didn't expect to ever hear anything about the contest again. Sure I hoped I would win - that's why I entered! I mean, the prize included round trip transportation to NYC, a two-nights stay at the Crowne Plaza hotel, chauffeur service to/from the hotel, and dinner at NYY Steak. Oh, and did I mention tickets to the Tony Awards rehearsal?! So what did I have to lose?

But come one, I was one of thousands of people who submitted a photo portraying why they are Broadway's biggest fan, so really what were my chances?

Actually, it turns out that my chances were better than I expected. When the first round of the contest ended, I was notified that I was one of 30 finalists to go on to the next round of the contest!

When I found out I was a finalist to win this Broadway lover's dream prize, you can bet I was prepared to go to war. I mean, tickets to the Tony Awards rehearsal were enough to get me on board... The rest was just icing on the cake.

So go to war is what I did. For 10 days straight, I put everything I had into this contest, working 24 hours a day, neglecting my family and house, and persistently annoying all of my friends, all to try to win a contest. (Who does that?) It was an extremely exhausting 10 days, which I'm glad are now over.

(Bonus points if you can name the musicals that these photos are from!)

Sadly, all I had just wasn't enough. It basically came down to a popularity contest, and, well, I've never really been the popular kid. Ultimately I think I came in 4th place, which if you think about it really isn't too shabby out of thousands of entrants.

Now that the contest has ended, I've spent some time reflecting on my experience. Here's what I've learned:

1. I have amazing friends and family. Ok, so I pretty much knew this already, but this contest only reinforced this fact. I had friends and family voting every hour of every day. I had a friend voting in the middle of the night while feeding her baby. I had a friend set her alarm to remind her to vote every hour. I had a friend vote from a stepper at the gym. And I had friends sharing my photo like crazy! Hey, just because I'm not Ms. Popular, doesn't mean I don't have great friends.

2. People can be surprising. In a good way. Some of the people who were the most supportive of me were people who I really don't see much. Friends from high school. Parents of friends from high school. People I haven't talked to (other than Facebook) in years. People I've only met a few times. I was amazed at the support that showed up in the most unexpected places.

3. I really AM Broadway's biggest fan. Again, this is another one that I already knew. But the amount of time, energy and resources I used on this contest has left me with no question of this fact. I'm just not Broadway's most popular fan.

4. I am never entering another contest like this again. Ever! (So any friends who may have blocked me during this contest, feel free to unblock me so that you can go back to seeing my other awesome posts about what I ate for breakfast or what one of my kids shoved up his nose. I guarantee there will be no more begging for votes!) Some day I will make it to see the Tony Awards and/or the rehearsal. It's definitely a bucket list item. Maybe I'll win the lottery. Maybe I'll win another kind of contest. But a contest like this just isn't going to be the way for me to get there.

Now that this contest is behind me (us), I can rest easy knowing I did everything I could and tried my best. Lots of contestants gave up in the first few days after one contestant took a substantial lead early in the contest. Others obviously stopped trying about half way through when previously mentioned contestant took an even bigger lead. But I kept on going. I put every ounce of energy into this contest, clinging to the hope that somehow enough people would get on board and I would have a huge comeback. There were a few times when I thought I stood a chance. But I just didn't have the connections and amount of social media followers that the winner has.

And let's not forget one of the best things to come out of this contest. I'm happy to have had the chance to partner with the American Cancer Society's Making Strides Against Breast Cancer. I hope that you will consider joining a team to walk or making a contribution of your own. The true fighters are the people fighting monsters like cancer...not the ones fighting to win a contest.

For anyone still reading who helped me by voting, sharing the link/photo, tweeting, contacting people you thought could help, or just encouraging me, thank you just isn't enough. I really have no words to express my gratitude for all the support I received during this contest. I feel like I've let a lot of people down by not winning, as I know there were a lot of people rooting for me, and even several people who invested almost as much time as I did into this contest. I'm sorry I couldn't pull off the win, and I truly appreciate every single person who helped me get as far as I did. So from the bottom of my heart, thank you!