Monthly Archives: July 2012

Comparison: Theatre-on-the-Hill’s Back to the 80s (Original Song List)

It is no secret that Theatre-on-the-Hill’s latest summer endeavor was the jukebox musical: Back to the 80s. Originally created in 2004 in Sydney, Australia written by Neil Gooding with original musical adaptation by Scott Copeman, Back to the 80s features pop songs and music from the 80s. Knowing this, I decided to take the time to breakdown all the songs as listed on the original website and provide a U.S. release date with additional notes (if necessary). Also where available I have included music videos of the songs from YouTube:

Song Title Original Artist Year Released Notes
ACT ONE
Wake Me Up Before You Go Go Wham! 1984 Recorded 1984
Kids In America Kim Wilde 1982 Recorded 1980
Girls Just Want To Have Fun Cyndi Lauper 1983 Recorded 1983
Footloose Kenny Loggins 1984 Recorded 1983
Mickey Toni Basil 1982 Recorded 1981
** Note: Mickey was originally a cover for Kitty by Racey that was released in 1979.
Video Killed the Radio Star The Buggles 1979 Recorded 1979
** Note: Video Killed the Radio Star was widely known as the first music video to premiere on MTV in the U.S. in 1981 despite the video having been released in the U.K. in 1979.
Believe It or Not Peter Cetera 1981 Theme Song: The Greatest American Hero
Let’s Hear It For The Boy Deniece Williams 1984 Recorded 1984
I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles) The Proclaimers 1993 Recorded 1988; Released 1988 in U.K.
** Note: Since it was released in the U.K. in 1988 it fit the 80s fold, however it was not officially released in the U.S. until 1993.
You Give Love A Bad Name Bon Jovi 1986 Recorded 1986
Man In The Mirror Michael Jackson 1988 Recorded 1987
ACT TWO
Nothing’s Gonna Stop Us Now Starship 1987 Recorded 1986
Love Shack The B-52s 1989
Total Eclipse of the Heart Bonnie Tyler 1983 Recorded 1982
Walking On Sunshine Katrina and the Waves 1985 Recorded 1983 / 1985
Get Outta My Dreams
(Get Into My Car) 		Billy Ocean 1988 Recorded 1987
Centerfold J. Geils Band 1981 Recorded 1981
Lost in Your Eyes Debbie Gibson 1989 Recorded 1988; Released 1988 in the U.K.
Never Gonna Give You Up Rick Astley 1987 Recorded 1987
Material Girl Madonna 1985 Recorded 1984
Don’t Worry, Be Happy Bobby McFerrin 1988 Recorded 1988
Come on Eileen Dexy’s Midnight Runners 1982 Recorded 1981 / 1982
(I’ve Had) The Time of My Life Bill Medley /
Jennifer Warnes 		1987

Fleeting: Life’s Greatest Irony – Death

Over the weekend I finally sat down and watched: Dirty Step Upstage, a mockumentary about an aspiring actress who finds herself sucked into a world of intrigue and fame that threatens to devour her if she gets in too deep.

I was just in a ‘blink and you miss it’ moment, but essentially I died in the movie.

Later in the weekend I sat down and wrote a few ten minute plays, one of the plays involves a character meeting her end in a car accident… Well technically she is in a coma, still able to breath and beat on her own, but the moment she stops breathing and her heart beat stops when the doctors go to attempt resuscitation it is then realized that she has a DNR (Do Not Resuscitate) on file.

Ironically, the ten minute play was in a way a re-imaging of a particular scene I wrote at Currents, the online soap opera… except there was no DNR in that case, but some of the storyline is rather similar, the fight, the aftermath, but not the cause. When showing the first draft to a couple of friends one of the things that came out was that they were not able to sympathize with the male lead. He had a chance to make amends and yet he continuously pulls himself away to the point that when he finally figures out what he wanted in his life he loses his chance due to death.

In fact one of those beta readers went so far as to ask: why use death as a final result when you could achieve the same kind of emotional turnout with the ex-girlfriend dating someone else. To be honest, that would have been the most realistic way to work through things… however to me killing off the ex-girlfriend was far more definitive than having her move on. To me keeping someone alive and moved on to someone else only invites the possibility that she and him could get back together further down the road. Whileas when you kill off the character (as long as the story is still realistic) that ends any possibility of a reconciliation for anyone and the living have to live with any regrets they may end up having.

That kind of got me thinking… Why do we fear death? What is it about the concept of death that forces us to ignore its existence.
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Review: Fanaticly Website and App for SYTYCD

About a month and a half ago I was approached to review a website and corresponding app for iPhone. Interesting proposition to be sure, but something I don’t usually do… I can be harsh with my reviews, blunt and to the point. I have no qualms in exposing what I do not like about something, but at the same time I will acknowledge when something is done right.

This is no different, there are some aspects of either the website or the app that I dislike, but there are also some aspects of the website or app that I truly liked…

So beyond the break I will provide my impressions in regards to the app and the website. After my impressions there will be a quick line or two for the positives, negatives and the bottom line for both the app and the website. At the end of this post will be my final thoughts and what I would love to see down the road… preferably sooner than later.
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Review: Natural Talent Productions’ Into the Woods

Show: INTO THE WOODS
Music and Lyrics: Stephen Sondheim
Book: James Lapine 		Location: Natural Talent Productions
Director: Raegan Kotz
Music Director: Harrison Ashley

Straight from Music Theatre International:

An ambivalent Cinderella? A blood-thirsty Little Red Ridinghood? A Prince Charming with a roving eye? A Witch…who raps? They’re all among the cockeyed characters in James Lapine and Stephen Sondheim’s fractured fairy tale. When a Baker and his Wife learn they’ve been cursed with childlessness by the Witch next door, they embark on a quest for the special objects required to break the spell, swindling, lying to and stealing from Cinderella, Little Red, Rapunzel and Jack (the one who climbed the beanstalk). Everyone’s wish is granted at the end of Act One, but the consequences of their actions return to haunt them later, with disastrous results. What begins a lively irreverent fantasy in the style of The Princess Bride becomes a moving lesson about community responsibility and the stories we tell our children.

Stephen Sondheim’s Into the Woods was Natural Talent Productions third show at the Arcada Theatre (the first two being Little Shop of Horrors and Jesus Christ SuperStar). With the intent of having a Junior version of the show in the mornings and the original production on afternoons and evenings over the course of the weekends… a bit overkill in my opinion but I can understand the intent for the most part. Me and my friends that went with me all kind of agreed that a more effective way of using both the original production and the junior version would be to have the junior version be the matinee shows and the original production be the evening shows all over the course of the weekend. Would seem to make the most sense, but I digress.

Let’s start with the set, I was pleasantly surprised with what they decided to do for set pieces when introducing the characters… rather ingenious in a way. I really liked seeing the curtains open and you see three life-sized books there that actually open up to reveal the actors in their individual scenes, very well done. When the books closed and were moved off to the side I was a bit put off kilter when I saw the set for the actual “woods”. Though using a video backdrop of the woods was one thing, and it flowed well with the individual trees in the foreground… two massive trees on either side of the stage seemed rather out of place until you realize their primary uses. The tree on stage right was where Milky White the Cow was primarily placed against while the tree on stage left was used to cover up the tower that Rapunzel stayed and later Jack and the Baker would perch while waiting for the giant.
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Fleeting: Weathering the Storms

Earlier this summer, I was conversing with an old friend of mine (old for me meaning close to seven years now), about my current emotional situation… She proposed a scenario that immediately reminded me of two other instances where friends intervened to mediate.

Before I go on, here is a bit of what my friend said:

[…] I’m starting to think he doesn’t have the balls to talk to you or pursue you whether it be in terms of a friendship or relationship. And the fact that you spoke your mind to him is a good thing. If he can’t handle a little fire, he needs to get out of the kitchen. Cause anyone in a relationship knows that if there aren’t a few fires or conflicts to overcome, I’m not so sure it’s worth being in that relationship. If anything, [overcoming conflicts] shows just how strong the bond is between friends or lovers.

Now, normally I would agree… but I can’t help but think about his past, or mine… and how difficult it can be to open and trust someone in such a way that you know you are doing nothing but leaving your heart open for someone to simply stab through with a sword. Especially knowing that it has been stabbed, repeatedly before.

Though he’s been burned, it’s up to him to muster up his courage and take the chance of getting burned again for that one chance to find something real with a person who he can open up to. He’s got to try.

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Review: Theatre-on-the-Hill’s Back to the 80s

Show: BACK TO THE 80s
Music and Lyrics: Neil Gooding
Original Musical Adaption: Scott Copeman 		Location: Theatre-on-the-Hill
Director: Michael Fudala
Vocal Director: Sharon Hand

Theatre-on-the-Hill‘s latest summer foray is the family friendly musical Back to the 80s. At first glance one would say that Back to the 80s is Grease set to the 80s and using popular 80s music. With a storyline revolving around various cliques that would be familiar to any audience member:

Set in the USA, Back To The 80’s tells the story of the senior class of William Ocean High School that graduated in the 1980’s, as remembered and seen through the eyes of middle-aged Corey Palmer (Scott Bovaird).

The then 17-year-old Corey (Caleb Hand) is madly in love with his next-door neighbour, Tiffany Houston (Kristina Parro), one of the coolest girls in the school. However, she barely notices this, as she is too busy mooning over Michael Feldman (Victor Rachal), the hottest guy around. Michael and his friends (Jon Worlton, Jonathan O’Brien, Kayaun Pierce) are athletic and good-looking – the kind of guys that Corey and his two best friends (Jon Slowik and Troy Schaeflein) dream of being. However, while they may not be the coolest guys in school, they are still one up on Feargal McFerrin III (Kevin Nepomuceno), whose best friend is his computer, and who believes the crazy notion that one day CD’s will replace cassette tapes.

Several new students arrive at the school – Mel and Kim Easton (the all-singing, all-dancing twin cheerleaders played by Rachel Slowik and Teri Karl respectively) and Eileen Reagan (Deana Vazquez), who tries desperately to fit in.

Meanwhile the teachers are having issues of their own: Mr Cocker (Scott Boland), after being in a relationship for a year with the apparently conservative English teacher, Miss Sheena Brannigan (Guinevere McGahan), confiscates an old edition of Penthouse from a student, only to discover a wedge that could drive them apart.

Throw in a Star Wars dream sequence complete with Yoda (Joseph Bovaird), high-energy dance routines, the obligatory 80’s party scene, copious amounts of blue eye-shadow, twenty cans of hairspray, as well as some of the most popular songs ever written, and the result is a musical that will not only delight and amuse an audience of any age, but will also inspire any young cast.

Scott Bovaird, the narrator going through his memories of his senior year probably had the one of, if not the most, difficult part in the whole show. Being a narrator is one thing, the fact that what he says or does pretty much cues everyone else in the cast, well that’s a different thing entirely. Scott has been strong and consistent through every viewing of the production. Though he didn’t have much to do as an actor, he does some measure of singing that was not just respectable, but well-done. Singing songs like “Wake Me Up Before You Go Go” made famous by Wham!, “Shot Through the Heart” aka “You Give Love A Bad Name” by Bon Jovi, and “Love Stinks” from the J Geils Band.
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UPDATES!: Blogging in General and Beyond

So… I haven’t blogged on my personal site as much as I would have liked… and I have been busy… very very busy.

For the most part I just comment on what I see, where I went and what I do… I purposely avoid anything extremely personal mainly because that’s something that should remain close to my heart… In time that might change, I just haven’t decided how or when quite yet.

Until then this is what I have been up to and what to expect from me down the road.

PureTVNetwork: PureDWTS, PureSYTYCD and PureAmericasGotTalent
Blogging… probably one of the major things that is really keeping me busy during my current sabbatical from the theatre world. Since the summer is where two of the more popular shows: So You Think You Can Dance and America’s Got Talent are on and as thus I’ve been focusing the majority of my free time in creating new pages so there are references for the readers to follow… the majority of that work is almost complete so I could go back and focus on a few projects that I have had planned for the past couple of months for Pure Dancing With the Stars… hopefully that will wrap up within a few weeks.

In the Fall when NBC’s The Voice returns I will be adding that to my blogging dance card over at Pure TV Network. There are rumors of another blogging opening within the network… but I can’t reveal the exact nature until a later date. But I can say that it is SYTYCD related.

Working behind the Scenes:
Granted I jump away from the stage to be working on adapting a short story for the stage and learning about the technical side of the theatre… but as for actually being on stage… let’s just say there are quite a few shows I’m looking into possibly auditioning.

In the meantime I am learning about sound design/engineering from a technically advanced guy in the field and am learning alot… hopefully, overtime, I’ll learn a bit about lighting design as well as stage management from that group in the upcoming months.

Writing, Writing, Writing:
Well… I submitted a movie proposal earlier in the summer and was gently rejected due to other plum projects… which is ok, I didn’t expect anything to happen. In the mean time I am working on adapting a work from Ray Bradbury’s The Illustrated Man for the stage… as for when that is going to be put onto the stage is anyone’s guess.

There are a few other writing projects that are on hold or in the editing stages, time permitting. But considering my six week sabbatical from theatre is almost up… who knows if I’ll ever get to them in time.

Outings and Reviews:
There have been quite a few audiobooks that I recently listened to and will be re-listening to soon. So expect a long list of Literary Reviews to be posted in the coming months. Also I have seen a few shows in the community theatre world so I will be posting my impressions on those productions in due time as well.

I think that’s it… Yes, I’ve been busy. Yes I am planning on traveling… Yes, I am now working two jobs. But you don’t see me complaining do you?

Reflection: US Men’s Olympic Gymnastics in Beijing 2008

For anyone that remembers what happened back in 2008… after the U.S. Olympics Trials the following Men’s Olympic Team was announced for the Beijing Olympics that year:
– Paul Hamm
– Morgan Hamm
– Joe Hagerty
– Jonathan Horton
– Justin Spring
– Kai Wen Tan

Though Paul did not compete, he did however did enough to earn a spot on the Olympic team. Eventually though Paul had to drop out of the games due to his injuries unable to heal enough in time for the games and the first alternate was called up to the plate: Raj Bhavsar. Just to give a quick recap: Raj was an alternate on the 2004 U.S. Mens Gymnastics Olympics Team and was originally once again the alternate in 2008, but due to Paul’s withdrawal he was called up to fill the spot. He grew between the two Olympics, not only as a gymnast but also as a person, taking that “devastation” of being an alternate in 2004 and learning how to come to terms with it in 2008.

Originally with the Hamm brothers, the United States Gymnastics Team was expected to contend for the gold medal, and though with Raj the gold was a possibility it wasn’t nearly as strong as it were with Paul Hamm. They, after all still had the other Hamm brother: Morgan, who heard questions only about his brother who was considering a trip to Beijing.

Then the unthinkable happened: Morgan Hamm had to withdraw having injured during training at Beijing. Suddenly the idea of the United States Mens Gymnastics Team capturing a medal at Beijing seemed more like a pipe dream… still the United States moved forward, trying to decide whom to bring up to the plate David Durante or Alexander Artemev. Knowing that they needed help on pommel horse they went to the one guy who had the talent and skill set to fill that void: Alexander Artemev.

Now back during the United States Olympic Trials, Alexander placed fifth in the all-around and was passed over for the Olympic Team due to consistency issues, even though he is largely known to have the most pure talent of any of the Olympians. However, what he is capable to bring onto to the table didn’t just give him the chance to put his magic on his apparatus of choice: the pommel horse, he is expected to put his talented magic to good use on all six apparatus giving him the chance to qualify for the individual all-around. Who knew?

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Entertainment: Final Fantasy in Concert 25th Anniversary

Yes I am a geek… I am a full fledged geek. I LOVE the Final Fantasy series, but not for the gaming aspect of it, but for the graphics and the music. Oh. Em. Gee. the music… I am so in love with the music. In fact I am such a lover of music that I have been to almost every Final Fantasy Concert that have come through Chicago. Now that there is a 25th Anniversary Concert of the Final Fantasy Concert Series coming to Chicago in December…? Let’s just say I was so excited that I got my ticket already.

The first concert to come through Chicago was aptly named: Dear Friends – Music from Final Fantasy. In fact it was the second Final Fantasy related concert to grace North America, and it was a big deal… the biggest ticket in town for those of us who were major fans of the series. So in 2005 on February 19th, out in the Rosemont Theatre (now the Akoo Theatre) the Chicagoland Pops Orchestra perform the following pieces from the Final Fantasy repetoire:

SET ORDER SONG TITLE FINAL FANTASY GAME
1. “Liberi Fatali” Final Fantasy VIII
2. “At Zanarkand” Final Fantasy X
3. “Terra” Final Fantasy VI
4. “Theme of Love” Final Fantasy IV
5. “Dear Friends” Final Fantasy V
6. “Vamo’ Alla Flamenco” Final Fantasy IX
7. “Love Grows” Final Fantasy VIII
INTERMISSION
8. “Aerith’s Theme” Final Fantasy VII
9. “You are not Alone” Final Fantasy IX
10. “Ronfaure” Final Fantasy XI
11. “Medley” Final Fantasy I, II, III
12. “Cloud Smiles” Final Fantasy VII Advent Children
13. “Final Fantasy Theme” Final Fantasy series
ENCORE
14. “One-Winged Angel” Final Fantasy VII

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Personal Endeavors: Working Backstage

As much as I love the arts, I grew up with a problem solving, mathematics, theoretical mindset… so during the last show that I participated in as ensemble I grew to truly appreciate the stage management, the sound design/engineering and lighting design/engineering.

I never really had a chance to truly work behind the scenes, mainly because I prefer being on stage as opposed to behind the scenes… but when I spent some time with the Sound Designer in learning what goes into determining the pieces of equipment, microphones, antennas etc needless to say I was hooked… or rather hooked enough.

Eventually I would love to learn about lighting design/engineering as well… but without working with someone with not only the love and passion of lighting design but also an engineering mindset, well then… that’s a no go. I much prefer to be the kind of designer/engineer that not only understands the technical side of the spectrum but also the artistic side and marrying those two sides would, hopefully, allow me to be a much more valuable player behind the scenes than the average person. But we’ll see.

So I’ve been researching around and looking to see if perhaps I could find a suitable apprenticeship or internship in the city theatres that I could work with in the interim years, but with so many things on my plate currently… who knows how that would work.

But there has got to be some way to marry what I learned in college and my otherworldly pursuits so I don’t feel terribly overwhelmed.

One step at a time.

Entertainment: New Sailor Moon Anime Debuts Summer 2013

Honestly, I don’t know how I feel about this. I love the original comic/manga series from Japan, was glad that as bad the original English translation was it wasn’t anywhere near as bad as how the Americanized translation treated the Japanese animation. Ugh.

In fact it was so bad that I don’t think I ever really watched many of the individual episodes, however, I really liked the films/movies that came out of the series… to the point that I actually have the original VHS/DVDs somewhere.

So is it with some amount of cautious optimism that I will look at this theoretical Sailor Moon Anime series. I mean, the updated Sailor Moon manga series I am very glad to see… so yeah, we’ll see.

Conventions: FablesCon aka Fabletown and Beyond

A lover of fairytales, folklore, mythology, etc I found it rather interesting that I didn’t pick up this series sooner. In fact if you head on over to the Entertainment link in the upper right hand corner and on the drop down menu click on Literary you’ll see that the Fables series is one of the book series that I highly recommend reading.

Fables
For anyone that really enjoys fairytales and nursery rhymes and are open minded to the seeing them in a new light would really pick up this series. Taking many of the beloved fairytale characters and re-imaging them while staying true to their roots (roots as in the original Grimm stories and those from Hans Christian Anderson, etc… none of the Disnified versions).

A very strong example of this is the story of Snow White, while everyone knows of the tale of Snow White and the Seven Dwarves the tale of Snow White and Rose Red. Bill Willingham masterfully combines the two “Snow Whites” and created a full and colorful backstory that not only is unique, colorful, and truthful.

The Fables world eventually expanded into Jack of Fables, The Literals and the Great Fables Crossover, the Cinderella mini-series which includes: From Fabletown with Love and Fables are Forever and most recently Fairest.

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Literary Review: Lover Avenged (Book 7) by J R Ward

Note: I actually listened to all the books in the series straight through and will be re-listening to them in order in another week or two. Since I didn’t review all the books from the beginning, a lot of these will be out of order but eventually I will get to all of them.

Title: Lover Avenged
Author: J R Ward
Series: Book Seven
Format: Audiobook

Rehvenge was slowly gaining steam in the Black Dagger Brotherhood series as more than just a passing mention. Even though we’ve had glimpses of him in the first two books (Dark Lover and Lover Eternal) we didn’t really know how he is connected to the Brotherhood if at all until Book Three: Lover Awakened. Since then we’ve learned the following
– owner of the club ZeroSum a regular hunting ground of the Brotherhood
– major drug supplier in the Caldwell area
– brother of Bella shellan (wife) of the Brother Zsadist
– lover of the Symphath princess

As of the end of Lover Enshrined, Rehvenge was also tapped to be the “Princeps Leahdyre” the leader of the council run by the aristocrats of the vampire society… similar to the “House of Lords” in Britain. Even though we know bits and pieces of the kind of front that Rehvenge presents to the world we don’t really know him as a person except from heresay (Xhex and Bella) so he appears to have a kind of dichotomy surrounding him.

In fact, Lassiter the fallen angel describes him best:

The righteous do not always right, but their souls remain pure.

Available summary:

Now, as the vampire warriors defend their race against their slayers, one male’s loyalty to the Brotherhood will be tested – and his dangerous mixed blood revealed.

Caldwell, NY, has long been the battleground for the battleground for the vampires and their enemies, the Lessening Society. It’s also where Rehvenge has staked out his turf as a drug lord and notorious nightclub that caters to the rich and heavily armed. His shadowy reputation is exactly why he’s approached to kill Wrath, the Blind King, and leader of the Brotherhood. Rehvenge has always kept his distance from the Brotherhood, even though his sister is married to a member. Because he’s a sympath, his identity is a deadly secret- the revelation of which will result in his banishment to a colony for sociopaths. And as plots within and outside the Brotherhood take their toll against Rehvenge, he turns to the only source of light in a darkening world – Elhena, a vampire untouched by the corruption that has its hold on him – and the only thing standing between him and eternal destruction.

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Entertainment: Michael Phelps at the London 2012 Olympics

Just as a fair warning the below is just a quick post about Michael Phelps’ individual events in the Olympics thus far, there will be another post that would focus on the relays that he has participated in the past as well as which he is expected to participate in the upcoming Olympics.

With Michael Phelps choosing to drop the 200m freestyle from his swimming card for the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, I thought it would be interesting to go back in time and watch his progression from the first Olympic Trials that he participated in: the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, Australia:

During the 2000 US Olympic Trials in Indianapolis, Michael competed in three events and how he fared:

EVENT PRELIM SEMIS FINALS
200 Meter Butterfly 1:58.61 (Q) 1:58.24 (Q) 1:57.48 (Q)
200 Meter Individual Medley 2:06.91
400 Meter Individual Medley 4:25.97

So way back when, Michael only qualified for one events in the Olympics, but considering he was only 15 at the time… well what would you expect? He was making his mark on the scene and the world wasn’t going to forget Michael in the years to come.

Since then Michael has expanded his swimming dance card to the point that he was able to compete up to eight events per Olympics. Below is a table of all the events (individual only) he has competed in during the past three Olympic Trials (2000, 2004 and 2008) broken down by event.

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Entertainment: The Avengers – Sailor Moon style!

Since The Avengers opened in theatres a several weeks ago there’s been a plethora of fan art throughout internet. Heck even the Hulk flinging Loki like a ragdoll was recreated in some capacity or another in various YouTube videos.

So when going through Fashionably Geek, I geeked out on the following image.

Yes, you’re seeing that right, it’s The Avengers redrawn into the image of a Sailor Soldiers. Looking more into detail it turns out that the above was drawn by Ann Marcellino, which prints are available.