Hello from the Roxy Regional Theatre in Clarksville, Tennessee! We're about to enter our second performance week of The Music Man, and it has already been a wonderful whirlwind experience.  Although our opening night went incredibly well, my second performance was unfortunately tainted by the news that my family's dog (who we've all been quite literally obsessed with since the day she came home) passed away suddenly Friday night. This was the first experience that I have had of dealing with a family tragedy during performances, and I can only hope that it's not something I have to go through again. I considered myself a very focused performer but I am so fortunate to have such incredible cast members who were able to pull me through Saturday's show. Luckily we still have a month left of performances to more than make up for one night of lackluster. 

This has been an extremely nostalgic and exciting process for me as I'm exploring the character of Marian Paroo for the third time. I first encountered this show when I was thirteen, doing a Jr. production at my middle school and have been in love ever since. I remember relating very easily to Marian even at that age, being a super dorky bookworm who wasn't necessarily the most popular girl in the class (although I'm sure that Marian never had to deal with a face full of braces). I was lucky enough to find her once again during my senior year of high school, where I grasped just a little bit more about this incredibly strong, independent, and love-filled woman. I liked to think that I understood her pretty well at eighteen but as I'm delving into this script for the third time, I'm constantly surprised and thrilled by all the things that I was maybe too young to see before. I am so excited to be able to work and grow with her for six more weeks.

My experience at the Roxy so far has been nothing but positive! The theater is a little old so my nose gets a bit stuffy every time I walk in, but it more than makes up for it in charm. The cast is made up of out-of-town actors, local actors, and children from the town who participate in the Roxy's awesome summer theater programs. Our show is led by TOM THAYER, who has been the managing director of the Roxy since it began in 1983, and it's been an absolute pleasure to bring his vision of "color" coming to River City to life. Our cast housing is an absolutely gorgeous condo with plenty of space (a luxury for those of us from NYC), a well-stocked kitchen, and a short walk to the theater. It feels a little bit like summer camp, since I'm sleeping on the top bunk (something I haven't experienced since band camp) and sharing a room with two other girls, but since everyone is so respectful of each other's privacy we haven't had any conflicts whatsoever. We only perform Wednesday-Saturday, leaving us plenty of time to go to the pool (where I've already gotten a pretty heinous sunburn), the movies, explore Clarksville, and just veg out. I feel so fortunate to be here being paid to do what I love and to be meeting and collaborating with so many other artists! 

Hello to my first blog post! I am currently sitting in the living room of my parents' house in Farmington Hills, MI, enjoying a very well-deserved day off from rehearsals for The Merry Widow. For the past two weeks, my sister (Frou Frou) and I (Margot) have been learning choreography at a rapid fire speed for several numbers in this Michigan Opera Theatre production, most notably the Act III "Grisettes" number. Though I am constantly trying to improve my dancing ability, I feel as if I've been really launched forward thanks to the help of our fellow dancers (most of whom are Wayne State dance students) and our brilliant choreographer JEFF REBUDAL. 

We spent the majority of our first week choreographing a waltz for Act I, a folk dance/ballet for Act II, and the glorious can-can for Act III. After that, we were introduced to the chorus who gave us the extra boost we needed to really fulfill our roles as naughty Parisians. I've never really gotten to play any kind of "slutty" role before so getting to wave my skirts and flirt shamelessly onstage is a special, exhilarating experience. The biggest challenge so far has been building up the stamina to sing while kicking our legs to our faces and running around like crazy. I'm sure that come opening night next Saturday we'll have it down, but right now the six of us are squeezing the notes out and then practically collapsing once we're offstage. 

Bringing extra charm to our number is the gorgeous and hilarious AMANDA SQUITIERI (Valencienne), who tried really hard to tell us that she wasn't much of a dancer only to tear up the stage as soon as she learned the steps. When it comes to principals, we've really been blessed with a team of incredibly talented and, most importantly, down to earth artists. We have the privilege of being lead by the incomparable DEBORAH VOIGT (Hana) who creates a sense of welcoming to every one in the cast with her gracious demeanor. Plus it's not hard to act overwhelmed with Petrovinian pride when she's singing the "Vilja" aria ten feet away. Her voice literally makes the air ring and it's so inspiring to experience as a young soprano. It's also exciting for me to have a Broadway veteran, JASON GRAAE, playing the role of Njegus. Apart from being very cheery and full of quips, he completely steals the show with his "Tres Parisian" number. It's so nice to have a good dose of what feels like pure musical theater over here in opera land, and his number is so energetic and hilarious that I never get tired of watching it. The only trouble is that it immediately precedes the Grisettes number and leaves us with a very difficult act to follow. I guess that's what cooter slams are for.

We have our first dress rehearsal tomorrow and I am so excited to finally get our real can-can skirts (colored an almost obscene hot pink) and, most importantly, our lacy bloomers embellished with hearts. Pictures are sure to follow this posting! For more information or to purchase tickets, check out the MOT website: http://www.michiganopera.org/2014-2015-season/opera/the-merry-widow

OTHER UPDATES:

Before I left the city, I presented my third solo cabaret at the Duplex, "Quarter Life Crisis". Despite the universe's attempt to get us snowed out, it was well attended and was possibly one of the rowdiest and high-spirited crowds I've had yet (though that might be the two-drink minimum). This cabaret was especially important to me because not only did my dear friend and music director DREW WUTKE collaborate on the writing and developing process but he actually participated in the show. I'm pretty sure this isn't going to be the last time that his witty commentary pops up! I was also blessed with the voices of four phenomenal singers who helped bring my crisis to reality, SARA GLANCY, SCOTT MONTGOMERY, GRACE GRIFFIN, and NATHAN COCKROFT. Putting together group numbers can be such a hair-raising experience but these four made it not only painless, but SO. MUCH. FUN. 

Check out the whole cabaret below if you're in the mood for some goofy songs and my attempt at stand-up comedy!

OR if you've only got time for one, check out the number that inspired my "Quarter Life Crisis":

That's probably enough for now since this is already a pretty hefty first blog post! I'm off to go stuff my face with chocolate and attempt to put bunny ears on Burt. Happy Easter everyone!