2015 Tony Award Predictions

Hurray! It's Tony Awards weekend!!! I have Sunday's menu planned, the specialty cocktail selected, and most importantly, my picks for this year's winners.

Tonight my kids and I had fun going through the list of nominees and picking our favorites. Now that's what I call quality family time. :) My boys put some serious thought into their decisions, struggling over whether a play with a puppet sounds better than a play with the word "Dog" or "Wolf" in the title. That's a tough choice for a 5- and 7-year-old to make! We're all looking forward to tallying up our scores tomorrow night to see how many we picked correctly!

My boys and I had fun filling out this year's Tony Awards ballot!

I've listed my picks below, and I have to say I think it's going to be a good night with a few surprises. I think Curious Incident is going to dominate the play category, with Hand to God coming in a close second. As for musicals, I think it's going to be a three-way toss up between Fun Home, Something Rotten!, and An American in Paris all bringing in several awards. We'll see!

* My pick for the winners

Play
* The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Simon Stephens
Disgraced by Ayad Akhtar
Hand to God by Robert Askins
Wolf Hall Parts One & Two by Hilary Mantel and Mike Poulton

Musical
An American in Paris
* Fun Home
Something Rotten!
The Visit

Book of a Musical
An American in Paris - Craig Lucas
Fun Home - Lisa Kron
* Something Rotten! - Karey Kirkpatrick and John O'Farrell
The Visit - Terrence McNally

Score
Fun Home, Music: Jeanine Tesori, Lyrics: Lisa Kron
* The Last Ship, Music & Lyrics: Sting
Something Rotten!, Music & Lyrics: Wayne Kirkpatrick and Karey Kirkpatrick
The Visit, Music: John Kander, Lyrics, Fred Ebb

Play Revival
The Elephant Man
Skylight
* This Is Our Youth
You Can't Take It with You

Musical Revival
The King and I
* On the Town
On the Twentieth Century

Actor (Play)
Steven Boyer, Hand to God
Bradley Cooper, The Elephant Man
Ben Miles, Wolf Hall Parts One & Two
Bill Nighy, Skylight
* Alex Sharp, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time

Actress (Play)
Geneva Carr, Hand to God
* Helen Mirren, The Audience
Elisabeth Moss, The Heidi Chronicles
Carey Mulligan, Skylight
Ruth Wilson, Constellations

Actor (Musical)
Michael Cerveris, Fun Home
Robert Fairchild, An American in Paris
* Brian d'Arcy James, Something Rotten!
Ken Watanabe, The King and I
Tony Yazbeck, On the Town

Actress (Musical)
Kristin Chenoweth, On the Twentieth Century
Leanne Cope, An American in Paris
Beth Malone, Fun Home
Kelli O'Hara, The King and I
* Chita Rivera, The Visit

Featured Actor (Play)
Matthew Beard, Skylight
K.Todd Freeman, Airline Highway
Richard McCabe, The Audience
Alessandro Nivola, The Elephant Man
* Nathaniel Parker, Wolf Hall Parts One & Two
Micah Stock, It's Only a Play

Featured Actress (Play)
Annaleigh Ashford, You Can't Take it with You
Patricia Clarkson, The Elephant Man
Lydia Leonard, Wolf Hall Parts One & Two
* Sarah Stiles, Hand to God
Julie White, Airline Highway

Featured Actor (Musical)
* Christian Borle, Something Rotten!
Andy Karl, On the Twentieth Century
Brad Oscar, Something Rotten!
Brandon Uranowitz, An American in Paris
Max von Essan, An American in Paris

Featured Actress (Musical)
Victoria Clark, Gigi
Judy Kuhn, Fun Home
* Sydney Lucas, Fun Home
Ruthie Ann Miles, The King and I
Emily Skeggs, Fun Home

Scenic Design (Play)
* Bunny Christie and Finn Ross, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time
Bob Crowley, Skylight
Christopher Oram, Wolf Hall Parts One & Two
David Rockwell, You Can't Take it with You

Scenic Design (Musical)
* Bob Crowley and 59 Productions, An American in Paris
David Rockwell, On the Twentieth Century
Michael Yeargan, The King and I
David Zinn, Fun Home

Costume Design (Play)
Bob Crowley, The Audience
Janea Greenwood, You Can't Take it with You
* Christopher Oram, Wolf Hall Parts One & Two
David Zinn, Airline Highway

Costume Design (Musical)
Gregg Barnes, Something Rotten!
Bob Crowley, An American in Paris
William Ivey Long, On the Twentieth Century
* Catherine Zuber, The King and I

Lighting Design (Play)
* Paule Constable, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time
Paule Constable and David Plater, Wolf Hall Parts One & Two
Natasha Katz, Skylight
Japhy Weideman, Airline  Highway

Lighting Design (Musical)
Donald Holder, The King and I
Natasha Katz, An American in Paris
* Ben Stanton, Fun Home
Japhy Weideman, The Visit

Direction (Play)
Stephen Daldry, Skylight
* Marianne Elliott, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time
Scott Ellis, You Can't Take it with You
Jeremy Herrin, Wolf Hall Parts One & Two
Moritz von Stuelpnagel, Hand to God

Direction (Musical)
* Sam Gold, Fun Home
Casey Nicholaw, Something Rotten!
John Rando, On the Town
Bartlett Sher, The King and I
Christopher Wheeldon, An American in Paris

Choreography
Joshua Bergasse, On the Town
Christopher Gattelli, The King and I
Scott Graham & Steven  Hoggett for Frantic Assembly, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time
Casey Nicholaw, Something Rotten!
* Christopher Wheeldon, An American in Paris

Orchestrations
* Christopher Austin, Dan Sebesky, Bill Elliott, An American in Paris
John Clancy, Fun Home
Larry Hochman, Something Rotten!
Rob Mathes, The Last Ship

If you'd like to fill out your own ballot, you can print one out through the Tony Awards website at http://www.tonyawards.com/en_US/nominees/2015_Printable_Ballot.pdf.

Words Cannot Describe the Magic of Matilda on Broadway

 

I have to admit that I didn't know what I was getting myself into when I got tickets for my family to see Roald Dahl's Matilda the Musical on Broadway. I'm usually pretty familiar with a musical before I go to see it, but this time I really didn't know much about the show other than the 60-second promotional video that I watched with my sons before buying the tickets. I think I read the book when I was younger, and maybe I saw the movie too, but I really don't remember much of either.

I had done my research on the show, so I knew it would be a decent show for the whole family, including my 4- and 7-year-old boys. I expected some fun songs. I expected maybe a few cute and talented kids. I expected a neat effect or two. What I didn't expect was to see one of the best productions I've ever seen. Quite possibly the best production. And I've seen a lot of productions.

The story follows a smart little girl, Matilda, who doesn't have the kindest of parents. Mrs. Wormwood is too focused on her appearance and her dancing career to be bothered with a daughter. Mr. Wormwood is busy scamming people. And both parents much prefer their son, Michael, who mindlessly stares at a TV all day, to their intellectual and (mostly) well-behaved daughter. I'm far from the perfect parent, but these parents make me look like mom of the year!

When Matilda starts school, she befriends her kind teacher, Miss Honey. Miss Honey recognizes that Matilda is special and is determined to help her succeed. But the brute of a headmaster, Miss Trunchbull, has different plans for Matilda (and all the other children for that matter).

At the performance I saw, the title role of Matilda was played by Eliza Holland Madore. Little Eliza puts most actors - even adult ones - to shame with her extraordinary talent. I have never seen someone so relaxed and natural on stage. She didn't miss a beat. Her diction was impeccable. She even spoke Russian in one scene! From her loveable yet powerful voice to her appropriately childish movement and mannerisms, I can't imagine anyone playing this role better (though there are three other girls who also play this role at different performances). At only 8 years old, Madore has a very bright future ahead of her!

The rest of the cast is nothing short of magnificent as well. Both adults and children alike are perfect fits for their roles. From the sweet voice of Alison Luff (Miss Honey), to the obnoxiousness of Lesli Margherita (Mrs. Wormwood) and Matt Harrington (Mr. Wormwood), to the mischievous innocence of the children, the cast is a gold mine of talent. Even the glazed-over looks and one-word grunts of "Telly!" and "Backwards!" from Alex Brightman (Michael) are perfectly and hilariously executed. Also impressive was Sean Montgomery, the understudy for Miss Trunchbull. At one point I was amused to see my 7-year-old frantically looking through his program after Montgomery came on stage. I knew exactly what he was looking for, and at intermission I made a point to answer his unspoken question that Miss Trunchbull was in fact played by a man.

Tim Minchin's music provides a perfect blend of power rock songs like "Revolting Children," sweet melodies like "This Little Girl," and upbeat childish tunes like "Naughty." The choreography by Peter Darling also stands out, especially in the energetic numbers with the children performing all over the stage (and even throughout the theatre). Other notable movement scenes include a scene done on swings a scene with children doing gymnastic-type bouncing and tumbling.

And oh the set! The amazing set! The second I walked into the theatre I was immediately impressed. The theatre is filled with letters. Letters to the left, letters to the right, letters everywhere! The letters are similar to scrabble letters, only they almost give the feel of another world. It really transported me into the show before the show even started. Once the show begins, the set changes countless times to become a birthday party, a hospital room, a home, a school, and more. Desks come up from the stage. Swings come down from the ceiling. A chalkboard comes from the back of the stage.  Everywhere you look something new is coming out of somewhere. It was truly amazing. (And as a side note, I'm still clueless as to how the chalk wrote on the board by itself!)

This is one of the rare shows where I enjoyed the second half more than the first. It's kind of like enjoying a sequel better than the original. It doesn't happen very often. But this show just keeps getting better and better every second. Just when I thought it couldn't possibly get any better, it did. The show is full of energy and also contains a good bit of humor scattered in for both adults and children.

And speaking of children, my kids really enjoyed the show as well. Both of my boys sat mesmerized through the entire production. Usually close to the end of a show they start to get a little wiggly and I start getting questions about how much longer or when can they have a snack. Not this time. Don't tell Disney, but my 7-year-old even said he liked Matilda more than The Lion King on Broadway...and I agree with him!

If you want to see a musical that has everything, a musical that has that special "something," go see Matilda! Everything about this unforgettable production is spot on. The story. The casting. The acting. The singing. The set. The lighting. The choreography. The special effects. I feel like I could talk all day about how incredible this production is and it still wouldn't accurately portray how magical Matilda is. It's just something you have to experience for yourself to fully understand and appreciate.

For the first time in Row L Seat 1 history, I'm giving a production 10 out of 10 standing ovations!

This review is based on the January 25, 2015 performance of Matilda the Musical. Matilda is currently playing at the Shubert Theatre on Broadway. For show details, photos, videos, and ticket information, please visit us.matildathemusical.com. (Photos were obtained from the show website at us.matildathemusical.com/gallery/photos.)

Extreme Makeover: Broadway Edition (Part 2)

So I had a conversation with my husband a few months ago that went a little something like this:

Me: You know what would be a really cool idea for a musical?

Chad: <rolling eyes> Here we go again…

Me: What if there was some kind of show that changed every time you saw it?
Chad: What do you mean?
Me: Like the ending changed or certain things in the show changed. So someone who saw the show one night would have a completely different experience than someone who saw it a different night.

Chad: Ok, that’s actually a decent idea.

Me: I mean, can you imagine the buzz this would generate? Not only would people want to know what happened in the show when others saw it, but some people would probably go to see the show a second (or even third or fourth) time.

And then I think he tuned me out while I rambled for another hour or so about the possibilities this idea could lead to and how it could actually work.

In my introductory Extreme Makeover: Broadway Edition post, I talked about the trend of Broadway shows closing, and how I feel like Broadway needs to make some changes to prevent this from happening. This trend has continued over the past weeks with the closing announcements of quality shows like Once and Pippin. And I think the conversation I had with my husband is a perfect example of one of the changes Broadway could make to keep shows around a little bit longer.

Once will play its last show on Broadway on January 4, 2015.

Sadly, good quality just isn’t enough to keep a show running anymore. Sure there are exceptions, like Wicked or The Lion King, but for the most part, a Broadway show is lucky if it makes it past a year or two on Broadway. This year's Tony-hopeful Holler if Ya Hear Me only lasted six weeks on Broadway before closing. SIX WEEKS! I realize that there are a limited number of theatres on Broadway, and one show needs to close in order for another to open. But six weeks (or even 1-2 years) is just too short of a run.

I've always felt like theatre should be more than a show. It should be an experience. The better the experience, the more successful the show. Shows like Cats and Les Misérables provided enough of an experience to keep the last generation of theatre-goers going to see them year after year, but today’s generation of theatre-goers want more. Maybe "more" isn't the right word to use; maybe "different" would be better. Either way, Broadway just isn't catching on to this. Flawless voices, moving music, a hot celebrity leading the opening cast for a month or two, and a few martinis with the right people will get a show to Broadway, but keeping it there now takes a more modern approach.

I’ve seen a few theatres testing out more modern approaches, and I like what I'm seeing. For example, London-based Punchdrunk's Sleep No More has been around for a while now. In this immersive theatre experience, audience members freely move through different rooms, going on a unique journey based on Shakespeare's Macbeth. And a new production called Blank! The Musical recently opened off-Broadway, where the audience chooses the plot by voting on their smartphones.

Now Broadway just needs to catch on to this trend. Call it what you want: immersive theatre, interactive theatre, modern theatre. Whatever you decide to call it, I think it's a huge -- and necessary -- step in the theatre world. In order to succeed, a show still needs a solid base of talent, of course. But adding some kind of interactive element to a show really brings it to a new level...a level that Broadway needs to find.

Extreme Makeover: Broadway Edition

So there's this trend going on right now. A trend that's been going on for a while now, and it's getting kind of old. Do you know what I'm talking about?

I bet you guessed the ice bucket challenge, didn't you? Well, although I agree, I happen to be talking about a different trend. (Don't get me wrong... I had an aunt pass away from the slow-progressing form of ALS. I saw first-hand how the disease took its toll on her and slowly took over her body, muscle by muscle. And I'm glad something has been done to increase awareness and funding of this horrible disease. But enough is enough. Just make your donation or don't. And then use the ice to chill a bottle of wine.)

But the trend I'm talking about is one in the theatre world. And like the dumping of the ice buckets, it's been going on just a little too long. The trend I'm talking about is the trend of closing shows.

Let's get back to using ice buckets for their original purpose. Champagne anyone?

I understand that the closing of shows is a necessary evil that can't be avoided. I mean, as much as I'd like to build a theatre for every single musical ever written, it just doesn't work that way. But it just seems like more musicals than ever are closing not long after they open, and even good shows just don't seem to be sticking around like they used to.

Sure there are a few current musicals that have managed to stay on Broadway for the long haul (The Lion King, The Book of Mormon, Wicked, etc.), but for the most part Broadway shows seem to be following what I'll call the door trend. Open and close. Open and close. It seems like every time I browse through my Twitter news, I'm reading about another show closing. And I'm not talking just small shows. I'm talking big, expensive-to-produce shows with Tony-winning casts and music.

The shows that make it to Broadway are amazing. They include the best of the best from directors, to cast, to composers and everything in between that makes up a musical. So why are these amazing shows closing after so few runs?

Well, my guess is that there is a wealth of statistics, numbers, and research that attempt to answer this exact question. But I'm not much of a statistics girl. Or a numbers girl. Or a researcher. What I am is a rare species. I'm in my 30s and love the theatre. I love going to Broadway; I love going to my local theatres; and I'll see any show anywhere at least once. But many of the shows that I see, both locally and on Broadway, don't have too many of my species in the audience. And that's a shame. I'd really hate to see my species go extinct.

So the obvious next question is: how do we prevent the extinction of this rare species of "young" theatre-goers? (And by young I mean anyone who knows what twerking is or who owns an iPad.) Well, again, I'm sure there's plenty of research that tries to answer this question. But again I'm not a researcher. So for me to answer this question, I'm going with my gut instinct. And my gut tells me that Broadway hasn't been keeping up with the times.

Broadway needs to step it up a notch when it comes to filling their seats. What they've done for years is great, but it's only enough to fill those seats for a few months at best. It's only enough to get the same people back to Broadway who have been going for years. For the most part, the people filling Broadway theatres are the same ones who were filling the seats 20, 30, and 40 years ago. And yes, that includes myself. But remember, I'm a rare species.

Broadway, and theatre in general, needs to think about marketing to a new audience. An audience who knows about twerking and tweeting. That's right. It's time for Broadway to undergo an extreme makeover. Sure people want to see great talent, but in order to keep up with the times, that's just not enough anymore.

So what is enough? What would bring more people to Broadway shows? What would keep these amazing shows from closing?

In this series, which I'm calling Extreme Makeover: Broadway Edition, I'm going to cover a few ideas I have that I think would help the success of new shows.

In my next post in this series, I cover a topic that I think could play a huge role in generating sales, filling seats, and attracting new (and returning) audiences to Broadway.

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.

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!

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!

Help Send Me to the Tony Awards!

Please vote for my photo to  help me win a trip to the Tony Awards rehearsal!

If voting by phone: http://bit.ly/SendKimToTheTonys

If voting by computer: www.newyork.com/ultimatefancontest

And then click "VOTE" for this photo:

 

Thank you for your help! Read on for more of the story... :)

Last week I was doing a quick email check. I was prepared for my usual ritual of deleting about 50 spam emails and catching up on one or two emails from friends and family. But as soon as I logged in to my account, my eyes were immediately drawn to one particular email. It wasn't from any of my friends. It wasn't from any of my family members. It wasn't even spam.

It was from the team at NewYork.com. This email wasn't just any email. This was an email congratulating me on being a finalist for the "Ultimate Broadway Fan Contest," which I entered a few weeks ago!

Now, you might be thinking that this doesn't really sound like a big deal. It's just a silly contest, right? Wrong!

The winner of this contest will receive a two-night stay at the Crown Plaza Hotel in Times Square, a free dinner for two provided by NYY Steak, and roundtrip airfare for two (complete with limo transportation to and from the airport/hotel, provided by ExecuCar). Oh, and did I mention it includes two tickets to the Tony Awards Rehearsal, provided by the Broadway League? Yes, you read that right... Tickets to see the rehearsal for THE TONY AWARDS!!!!

So that's why I freaked out just a little bit when I found out I am a finalist to win this prize package. Ok, maybe I freaked out a lot. Ok fine, I did a ridiculously embarrassing happy dance and screamed like a 12-year-old girl at a One Direction concert.

Anyone who wanted to enter the contest had to submit a photo stating why they are Broadway's Biggest Fan. Here's what I submitted:

Yes, I used my kids. No, I don't feel guilty about it.

My photo was one of 30 selected as a finalist. But now the hard part starts. It's basically a popularity contest at this point, with the photos displayed for voting at www.newyork.com/ultimatefancontest. Whichever photo receives the most votes by 5pm EST on Friday, May 16 will be the winning photo. And that person will get to go to the rehearsal for the Tony Awards, along with all the other perks mentioned above!

So I have to resort to begging here. Please vote for my photo! Please? I'm completely batting my eyelashes at you and giving you my dazzling smile right now. Is it working?

You can vote once an hour for the entire duration of the contest, so please vote as often as you can. This would absolutely be the experience of a lifetime for an extreme Broadway enthusiast like myself!

Over the next 10 days, I plan to have no shame. I'll be on my hands and knees begging for votes. Just think how happy these two little boys will be if their mommy got to go to the Tony Awards rehearsal! (Yes, I'm using my kids again. No, I still don't feel guilty about it.)

Thank you in advance for your support and helping me over the next week and a half!!!

My Tony Nominee Predictions

If you're reading this or if you're a follower of my blog, I'm guessing you've figured out that I love theatre and all things Broadway. But you may not know that I'm also a big football fan (Go Steelers!!).

Every year, Chad and I throw a Superbowl party. We look forward to the day of the Big Game, when we can gather all our friends and root for which team we want to win.

Our Superbowl party tradition of half-time Jell-O shots has been going strong for 10 years now!

If you're a Broadway fan yourself, then you know that the Tony Awards® are basically the Superbowl of Broadway. Just like I had my calendar marked for the Superbowl back in February, I have a nice big red circle on Sunday, June 8, when Broadway's best will be awarded with one of these well-deserved coveted statues.

No big deal... only a Tony award!

But before we find out who will take home a Tony, we first need to find out who will be nominated... And that happens TOMORROW!

Tomorrow morning, starting at 8:30am, past Tony-nominee Jonathan Groff, along with actress Lucy Liu, will announce the nominations for the American Theatre Wing's 2014 Tony Awards®. It's basically the NFL Draft of Broadway, and I can't wait!

I'm anxious to find out who this year's nominees will be, and I thought I'd have a little fun by making some predictions of my own. So without further ado, here are my predictions of which plays and musicals will hear their name called tomorrow morning:

Best Play Nominee Predictions
Bronx Bombers
Casa Valentina
Mothers and Sons
Outside Mullingar

Best Musical Nominee Predictions
Aladdin
The Bridges of Madison County
If/Then
Rocky

A few of these shows I'm almost certain will receive a nomination... But there were a few tough calls, and I had to leave out a few that I still think stand a good chance of receiving a nomination. There were some great shows this year, so I can't wait to find out how my predictions pan out!

There will be a total of 26 categories announced tomorrow, but I thought I'd keep it short and sweet and just predict these two categories for now. (Come on, did you really feel like reading 26 predictions from little old me? I mean, by the time you finished reading all that, the nominations would probably be over!)

I'll also be making my predictions for the winners once the nominees have been announced and closer to June 8, so stay tuned! Until then, I'll be anxiously awaiting tomorrow morning to see which players are drafted to Broadway's all-star team in hopes of taking home a Tony in a few weeks.

From Movie to Musical

Today, the Oscar-winning Best Picture Rocky opens as a musical on Broadway.

I have to be honest here and say that I've never seen the movie (gasp!). In fact, really my only involvement with Rocky at all was when my college marching band got to play on the "Rocky Steps" at the Philadelphia Museum of Art.

The infamous "Rocky Steps" at the Philadelphia Museum of Art

The fact that I've never seen the movie won't keep me from seeing Rocky on Broadway... If you know me, you know that I'll see any musical at least once. But this got me thinking about movies that I have seen that I would love to see on stage. Here are two that I've thought for years would make great musicals:

Disney's Pirates of the Caribbean  

Sure I love the traditional Disney musicals like The Lion King and Beauty and the Beast. And I really can't wait to take my boys to see Aladdin in a few months. And I really really hope that Frozen does make its way to Broadway because I think it would be amazing. But I think Disney has a gem here that they haven't yet realized. I'll call it buried treasure. Can you just imagine the costumes and effects for this one? So Disney - can you get on this?

 

National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation 

There have been plenty of holiday movies made into musicals, from A Christmas Story to Elf. But wouldn't it be epic to see the Griswold's holiday disasters unfold on stage? I'd sure pay to see that! I mean, can you just imagine watching the whole lights scene in person? I'm laughing just thinking about it!










Like I mentioned, I've thought for years that these two movies would make great musicals. I've even written to Disney to make the Pirates suggestion (though I'm sure my note never made it past the intern). In fact, if I had the money or the connections, I'd produce both of these shows myself! (Side note - if anyone reading this has any money or connections that they would like to share with me to make either of these shows happen, please let me know!) I don't mean to sound full of myself, but I think I have a pretty good sense of what would work on Broadway and what wouldn't. I can pretty much smell a Tony-winner before it even makes it to previews. But I've digressed; that's a post for another day...

So back to the topic at hand, what movies would you like to see made into musicals?

Which Broadway Musical Are You?

Have you noticed that the Internet is currently flooded with all sorts of online quizzes? Yeah, I've noticed that too.

Want to know which Disney princess you are? There's a quiz for that. Want to kmow what kind of drink you are? Yep, there's a quiz for that too. (In case you're wondering, I'm a fine glass of wine.) Want to know what city you should live in? Well, if for some reason you can't figure that out on your own, there's a quiz that will help you. And I'm guessing there's even a quiz to tell you which quizzes you should take.

So with all these quizzes floating around the Internet, I figure what's one more? That's right... In addition to blogging, playing the vibra-slap, and touching my nose with my tongue, I can now add "quiz making" to my résumé of incredibly useful skills that I'm sure will help me succeed in life.

Without further ado, I present to you the "Which Broadway Musical Are You?" quiz. Whether you've lost countless hours of precious sleep pondering this very question, or whether you're just trying to pass some time at work, this quiz will help you out. Happy quizzing!



Ok, admit it... you tried to touch your nose with your tongue. (And yes, I really can do it.)

The Name of the (Blog) Game

A few years ago, my husband Chad and I took a "vacation" to New York City. We've both been to NYC plenty of times, but usually it's just a quick train ride in to see a show, have dinner, maybe spend the night and then head home. This time we decided to go and "live" in the city for a whole week.

We didn't want to do the touristy things. We didn't want to eat at the popular restaurants. We just wanted to spend some time there and enjoy the city as if we lived there (which I would love to do). We saw a few shows, had dinner at little restaurants, and just enjoyed being there without having to rush back home. We had a great time, and that week in New York still ranks up there with a Mediterranean cruise as one of my all-time favorite vacations.

When we returned, our son Alec (who was three at the time) immediately started asking when he could go to New York City. I don't think he had a clue what New York City was, but he knew that Mom and Dad had just gone there and had a great time, so he wanted to go too. We told him that when he turned five we would take him.

As the months went by, he didn't forget about this. Every time he heard any mention of NYC, he would light up and ask about going. As his fifth birthday started getting closer, Chad and I decided that we would give him his trip to NYC for his birthday.

So the planning started. Where would we stay? What would we do? I was used to planning trips around adults, not a 5-year-old boy!

We knew that we wanted to take him to a show, so the obvious choice for a 5-year-old boy was The Lion King. He'd seen the movie; he likes the music; and he's been to local theatres before, so I had no worries about him sitting still during the show. After the tickets were purchased, the rest of our activities fell right into place: a train ride, some street cart food, the show, some dinner and ice cream, a night in a hotel (a big deal for little boy!), and stops at F.A.O. Schwarz, the M&M store, Rockefeller Center, and the Ferris wheel at Toys R Us.

I was so excited! I was counting down the days until his birthday so that I could tell him all about our big plans. I had to keep reminding myself that this trip was for Alec, not me! Finally the day came. He was very excited to hear about his special birthday trip! He was especially excited to know that this was just for him and that his little brother wasn't going to be coming with us.

Alec trying to figure out why we gave him a piece of paper for his birthday

 We just had to wait a few more weekends until it was time to go (his birthday is in January, but our tickets were for February). Finally we were just days away from the trip. Everyone was excited. We were all talking about all the fun things we would be doing in just a few short days.

And then it came. Nemo. No, not Nemo like "Finding Nemo." Nemo as in the big winter storm that shut down the entire northeast for a weekend. Our weekend.

Trains were stopped. NYC was a big snowy mess. We were snowed in in PA with somewhere to go and no way to get there. Alec was so disappointed that we couldn't get there, and honestly I was pretty heart-broken myself (more so because Alec was disappointed, but I had really been looking forward to our weekend too).

Mother Nature was NOT my friend this weekend

Fortunately we were able to trade in our show tickets for a different date. We also were able to switch our train tickets and our hotel room. But the different date was three months away in May. See, I could have gotten tickets for a closer date, but I had fallen in love with the seats that we were supposed to have in February. I wanted to get those same seats, and the next time those seats were available wasn't until May. (The seats were about 10 rows back, on the left side, right on the aisle so that Alec would have a great view and no one's head right in front of him. Plus, since I'd seen the show before, I knew it was right where the giraffe walked by, so I knew that would be a really cool experience for him.)

So the waiting began again. The weeks went by, and finally May came. Again we were a few days away from the big trip. Again everyone was excited. Again we were talking about all the fun things we would be doing in just a few short days.

And then it came. Dumbo. No, not Dumbo as in the elephant with big ears. Dumbo as in the nasty virus that Alec decided to come down with. (Hey, if we're naming winter storms here, I figured I could name childhood illnesses too.) So we could either take our sick little boy and make him trudge around the city with no energy and not enjoying himself at all. Or we could reschedule everything. Again. We chose the second option.

My sick little boy would not have had a good time in NYC like this

Again we were very lucky that we could exchange everything. But again I wanted those same seats, and again it was a few more months until I could get them again. So again the waiting began. Third time has to be a charm, right?

Finally the weekend was almost here. The big trip was a few days away. And then it... Ok, just kidding. This time everything went perfectly.

Right off the subway, seeing Times Square for the first time

Getting ready to see his first Broadway musical!

Even though it was five months later than we had planned, we made it to New York, and Alec couldn't have had a better time. He loved everything about the weekend, right down to the big "ice hunt" he went on with Chad in the hotel. To this day he still talks about everything he got to do, and he loves to look through the photo book that I made him of our adventures in NYC.

This Friday, that little 5-year-old turns six! While we didn't plan another big trip for him, I know this year will be filled with lots of fun things for him with some theatre thrown in there for sure.

Oh, and what was his seat for his very first Broadway musical? The one that I just wasn't willing to give up? You guessed it... row L seat1! :)

Enjoying the "Big" piano at F.A.O. Schwarz

No, E.T. is not giving us the finger on the Toys R Us Ferris wheel

The ice hunt was a highlight of the trip