A Day

What I need (and what I want... odd that, for once, they're the same thing) is a day alone in Central Parl. I think Friday might just be that day. I hope the weather permits.

I've decided to rid myself of Facebook for a little while. It's not that I have anything against Facebook; I think it's a remarkable networking tool and an all-around wonderful thing to have at my disposal. However, it is undeniably true that I, over the past few months, have become truly addicted. I have more free time than I ever had in high school (not complaining, mind you), therefore I spend exponentially greater amounts of time on Facebook. I take stalking to a new level. I delve/ dive/ rip/ roar into people's lives, and they never even know it. It's time for a little break.

Separation anxiety is inevitable.

I have brutally fiery emotions. They're always there, always active. I cannot stop feeling. Ever.

I'd rather feel too much than feel nothing at all.

Let's hope a day in Central Park will ease all this paranoia, this worry, this personal hostility, this fluid from my current place and drift me back into a happier, calmer state. I think it's just the medicine I need- a cure even Tylenol PM cannot provide.

Excitement

Well, I, for one, am thoroughly excited. "Spiderman: Turn Off the Dark." It's going to be historically awful or historically awesome. I can't wait to be there for history regardless.

Little Flame

I have got to somehow refocus my life on the things that I should be focusing on. Somehow, over the last few weeks, things have become muddled and astray. Let's get them back together. I came here with a purpose. Remember it, remember it.

Where There Were Trees

Let's not get into all the details. Irrelevant at this point.

My mother sent me a Halloween-style care package. I received it today. So festive and exciting. Who knew they made chocolate covered Peeps? Seriously! Heaven in my mouth. Delicioso.

I miss watching Food Network every night before I go to bed. I feel like maybe I am a little less culinarily adventurous or even creative because of my lack of Ina. Less classy at least. Ina is class.

I have this cut on my right hand, and it has continued to hurt since Saturday morning when I noticed it. Go away, mean cut. Just go away.

I watched "Sunday in the Park with George" this morning. The song "Children and Art" never fails to shock me. I always somehow forget what that song has to say, but when I listen to it again, it all comes back to me. Children and art- that's all we leave behind. Perhaps we should form both of them with love and tender care from the heart.

There's a particular tragedy- perhaps you can put your finger on it- that comes to mind whenever I listen to that song and reflect on that idea. Children and art. CHILDREN and art.

Hypocrisy

I feel like such a complete and utter hypocrite.

"Memphis" was without a doubt one of the worst musicals I have ever seen on a Broadway stage, BUT somehow (and by somehow, I mean by my own incessant), Montego Glover's big act one ultra-predictable power ballad "Colored Woman" has made it to my Top 25 Most Played playlist on my iPod.

I guess it's my own special affinity for a good ole power ballad. I mean, come on. Who doesn't get that little tingly feeling in their body when the first few words of "And I'm Telling You" are sung? I should clarify that I am in no way placing "Colored Woman" on the same level as "And I Am Telling You." Heck no. Nor could I even begin to place Montego Glover, with her strident belt and nothing else, on the same level as many of the infamous Effie White through the years. JHud, anyone? Jennifer Holliday, anyone? I just... like it. I suppose that's nothing to be ashamed of. There's maybe out one salvageable song in the score- a "Walking in Memphis" rip-off finale that I, because I left during intermission, wasn't able to see performed.

Oh, well. It happens.

True Glamour

Nothing today came as a surprise. It seems written in the stars that today would be a struggle for me. And oh, was it ever!

Irrelevant though... to linger on. What is... is. Beautiful.

What is to come, what is lingering in the days ahead- now, there's the wonder in it all!

I'm in New York. I'm living my dream. My personal "glamorous life." My, how unglamorous it feels sometimes! But glamorous it is. Let's revel in the glamour once again! Shall we?

Soft as Thunder

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1jjBpXXnKIs

Daphne Rubin-Vega's stunning rendition of "I Dream a Dream."

It's proof that the genius in the performance of a song does not always lie in the vocal prowess. Stunning.

Now

I know I won't look back and say "All of this was easy."

Tell Me It Doesn't Make You Stop

The Wounded Angel by Hugo Simberg.

The subject of much thought, much contemplation and even much worry through my life.

I will turn in a 7-paged essay, of which I am honestly proud, on Tuesday that centers around this very painting- more specifically, the eyes of the boy in the brown coat.

Funny, isn't it?

Happy Family

Marin Mazzie, Jason Daniely and I.

Second Time

It was a Broadway dream. I saw a show for a second time, and that second time was a completely new experience- a much more impacting, even more beautiful one. It was "Next to Normal." But this time, I wasn't marveling at the electricity radiating from every pore of Alice Ripley's presence. I was feeling.

Thank you, Marin Mazzie. Thank you, Jason Daniely. Thank you to a remarkable cast. Thank you.

Guess what I get to do tomorrow night? Yes, that's right. I'm seeing it again. A third time. Impact me!

Peace

We do it all to keep from unraveling.

We smile. We breathe. We interact.

It's all to keep our ball of yarn from falling apart- speeding across the floor in a line of straightened chaos. It's death by oneself. It's a natural fate.

Instead, we humans do something else. We do everything else.

And we do it all to keep from unraveling.

Remember September

It seems as though September never happened. Well, did it?

I didn't feel like I was so far from home, though- I suppose- I am realizing that now. September was rejuvenating for me, good for me in many ways.

I guess I was, to steal from some famous song in some long-running musical, a tender and callow fellow.

I'll go on trying to remember September and simultaneously looking ahead at October, November, December drawing near.

Last fall, I lived in lyrics penned by Taylor Swift- a dark place for such cheery melodic tunefulness. I have to keep myself from returning to them again.

I can feel it happening. My God.

Oddity

It seems quite odd that my last post was about my unrivaled anticipation for "Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown."

Saw it. Bleh.

Happy News

Laura Benanti, Patti LuPone, Sherie Rene Scott, Danny Burstein and Brian Stokes Mitchell- all in one musical. And to top it all off, Bartlett Sher (the genius behind "The Light in the Piazza" and the breathtaking "South Pacific" revival) is directing. "Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown" is going to be phenomenal. 

Welcome, my friends, to Broadway heaven. 

Only a Few Lines Remembered

I was very lucky to have the chance to play Henry the old Shakespearean actor in a production of "The Fantasticks" this fall. November is fall, right? I got to deliver some really searing lines that really affected me then and have continued to stay with me.

"Remember me- in light."

I'm back in Memphis after what seems like a whirlwind of vacations. A week in Disney World. A few days in Chattanooga. A quick stay in Mobile. Plenty of food, plenty of fun, plenty of hours in the car. 

This is what just so happens to be my final week at work. All of my younger friends will be returning to school in about a week, so I will have a little less than a month somewhat to myself. I suppose I should take that time to get my life together and, well, prepare myself for what's ahead of me. 

I was given this one quote today. To be quite honest, I am still working on figuring it out and making complete sense of it. I need a park to sit in. I need to go there and simply think about these words- apply them, relate them, breathe them.

"Good writers define reality; bad ones merely restate it. A good writer turns fact into truth; a bad writer will, more often than not, accomplish the opposite."

Edward Albee said it... or wrote it. 

I'll try to lose myself in thought and find the meaning along the way. 

The Infamous Hot Pink Heels

Sported by Thomas Wade Bonds.

Looking Forward

Oh, ladies. I will be seeing you very soon. 

Staying Up Too Late

I've been staying up far too late. It's the summer epidemic. It hits my bedroom every summer and never fails. I suppose I could control it, but why waste the energy?

I'd rather just sit on Facebook, listening to Christina Perri sing "Jar of Hearts", watch Broadway videos on the ever-helpful YouTube, and dream with my eyes wide open.

I do a lot of dreaming with my eyes open. That way- I don't have to wake up from them and realize they aren't real. I can dream knowing it's just a dream and not have to face the fall.

The fall. An eternal fixture; an eternal fear.

"You're going to catch a cold from the ice inside your soul. Don't come back for me. Who do you think you are?"

Oh, how I wish I could say that!

Oh, how I wish I could say that! and mean it!

PROMISES, PROMISES Review

Promises, Promises with Sean Hayes & Kristin Chenoweth

Friday, July 9, 2010 Broadway Theatre

I kept myself from believing all of the negative things I had been hearing about the PROMISES, PROMISES revival until I could actually see the show and make my own opinions. Unfortunately, they were mostly all true.

I’ve never seen a production of this show before, so I was going into this one very new to the piece.

Sean Hayes was wonderful. A fabulous Broadway debut. He really was perfect for that role. He nailed every joke and made that character so lovable. His singing was more than good, and he carried all of his numbers with a real sense of know-how. The audience was certainly on his side, and he really kept Chuck from coming off as pitiful, which I think could have been a very easy thing to do. Brantley, in his review of the show, commented on how the audience likes Chuck but never really feels for Chuck. However, I think that’s just the way this character is written. The book doesn’t allow the audience to feel too terribly sorry for Chuck, and I don’t really see that as a problem. Hayes’ chair bit in Sheldrake’s office was truly inspired. Absolutely hilarious. Hayes was completely deserving of his Tony nomination and real contender against Hodge and Grammer.

 As act one came to an end, I had only one thing in my mind- “Why, Kristin Chenoweth, would this be the show you chose to return to Broadway in?” I honestly have to wonder why she felt this would be a good role for her. It’s not a funny role. I honestly can’t remember Chenoweth garnering one single (maybe one or two) laughs the entire show. I guess it’s a “dramatic” role, but calling Fran a real dramatic character is laughable with some of the other juicy leading female roles on Broadway right now. Fran’s two new songs are awkwardly spliced into the script, especially “I Say a Little Prayer” which makes absolutely no sense in context. Why is she so happy to be receiving these flowers when she has every intention to snub the man she’s meeting up with? “A House Is Not a Home”, which is a much better vocal fit for Chenoweth than the former addition, makes a little more sense in context but still seems very forced when the audience has just recently learned that Fran does, in fact, not live alone.

But here is my biggest problem with Chenoweth in this role. Fran is, to me, supposed to be a very desperate, very impressionable young girl. If Chenoweth was a complete unknown playing this role, I might be able to buy that from her. But she’s not. She’s Kristin Chenoweth. She’s one of Broadway best divas of today. Fran is NOT a diva role. That’s not to say that Chenoweth must resign herself to only playing diva roles for the rest of her stage career, but young waif is no longer in her repertoire. And if she’s going to try to play a young waif, she’s going to have to do a little more than she does here or find herself a character that’s got a little more meat. Fran is really a supporting role with a few extra songs.

Thank God for Katie Finneran. She was just as funny and just as sizzling as everyone says. That’s a performance for the history books.

Tony Goldwyn couldn’t be more boring as Sheldrake, and “Wanting Things” really should have been cut. It’s pretty awful. Dick Latessa was very funny and endearing. I would’ve liked to have seen him in some of the Tony discussions. I definitely would have picked him over the dreadful De Jesus in LA CAGE. Brooks Ashmanskas was great too- really welcome energy. The quartet of married men was one of the strongest parts of the show.

Ashford’s choreography was fabulous in parts and so unnecessary in others. “She Likes Basketball” didn’t need anything but Hayes’ charm to make it work, but Ashford forced that dance number in there, which, of course, garnered unnecessary applause in the middle of he song. The opening really was thrilling, and “Turkey Lurkey Time” was nice but in no way stopped the show as it should. I wish Megan Sikora would get herself into a better role. She was so great in CURTAINS. I hated that Chenoweth sat on that desk as the girls danced around her during “I Say a Little Prayer.” Since when is Chenoweth unable to dance?

Scott Pask’s scenic design was a mixed bag. The apartment set was nice, and the overall look of the set was transporting. But that stage just seemed so empty for most of the show. It was a lot of simple push-ons and fly-ins that didn’t really do much for me. The lighting by Donald Holder was, however, remarkable. That sunrise through windows effect in act two is most definitely some of the best lighting I have ever seen onstage.

Rob Ashford did some great things with this show. It’s a fun night at the theatre. But I can’t say he made it a great show in general. There are moments that are spectacular. There are performances that are spectacular. But together, it’s very hit and miss. 

NEXT TO NORMAL Review

Next to Normal with Alice Ripley & Michael Berry

Thursday, July 8th, 2010 Booth Theatre

I’ve been a huge fan of the score of NEXT TO NORMAL for a very long time now. I have been looking forward to seeing for quite a long time, and I must say I was extremely pleased.

Yes, this is the future of the American musical. Saying that really says all I need to say about how much I enjoyed the score, the direction, the lighting, the set, the book and the orchestrations. Uniformly inventive and uniformly spectacular.

I’ll comment on the performances.

Alice Ripley was fantastic. Her acting was so intense and so committed. Really a haunting performance. Vocally, she is absolutely wonderful. Her unique vocal style only makes this performance more enchanting. I must comment, however, on this role in general or what I thought of it. To me, Ripley isn’t really playing a character. Yes, she’s Diana. But who is Diana? I feel Ripley is doing something much more on that stage that presents her with a much bigger challenge. She’s playing a disease- a sickness in human form. It’s arresting.

Michael Berry was on for Brian D’Arcy James, and he was very good if not a little vocally underwhelming. He was a nice anchor for the show and gets to sing some of the show’s most lovely tunes.

Jennifer Damiano is just fabulous as Natalie. It takes a little while to get used to where she has gone with the character, but once the audience really “gets it”, they are in for a real treat with her. Her “Superboy” stopped the show. Really a beautiful performance. I’d say she is the heart of this show.

Kyle Dean Massey was great, but that just isn’t a very interesting role. He’s kind of a villain, kind of a hero, kind of a mystery, kind of a sex symbol. His “I’m Alive” was full of energy and vocally spot-on. His “There’s a World” was haunting. Too bad he hardly shows up for the second act. It now makes more sense to me as to why Aaron Tveit was left out of the Tony race.

I feel like the best male supporting role in this show is Henry, and Adam Chanler-Berat is terrific. So charming. Louis Hobson was nice, but didn’t really give me anything too memorable to take with me.

We’re lucky to have this piece written in our time. It really is one of musical theatre’s newest treasures. 

LA CAGE AUX FOLLES Review

La Cage Aux Folles with Kelsey Grammer & Douglas Hodge

Wednesday, July 7th, 2010 Longacre Theatre

I was really looking forward to seeing this much lauded revival of a show I’ve never really felt was worth its praise. Speaking only of the show itself and not this production, it’s really just a little fluff ball of a show with one truly emotional song and some numbers that literally pause the show for a few sleep-inducing moments. This production, however, made most of this somehow disappear, and what emerged onstage was an endearing, heartfelt and thoroughly entertaining evening of musical theatre.

I’ll begin with the performances.

I’ve truly never been impressed by anyone in the role of Georges, and I expected to be underwhelmed by Kelsey Grammer. I was very, very wrong. I thought he was spectacular- charming, lovable, strong. He carried the show and gave everyone (and everyone) a shoulder to lean on. He is the base of this production, and it shows. He was totally deserving of his Tony nomination, and to be honest, it’s hard for me to say that which leading LA CAGE male I would’ve cast my vote for.

Douglas Hodge was just fabulous. He’s a very different Albin from what I have seen before- think more Nathan Lane in “The Birdcage.” His Albin is much more of a mother figure, and that makes the story so much more interesting. I will admit that a few of his lines were completely lost by me because of his accent, but I adjusted to it in time and all was well. His “I Am What I Am” did just as it was designed to do. It brought the house down and closed the act with a crowd-pleasing bang. Hodge’s voice is so soothing- often almost a whisper. He’s a performer who really knows what he is doing up on that stage. He and Grammer both deserved all the accolades they have received for these two fabulous performances.

The supporting cast was strong but could hardly hold a candle to their leads. I thought Robin De Jesus was quite weak. I’ve seen this role played in many regional theatres, and it’s really not a hard one to get right. It’s a comic relief role. Somehow De Jesus missed that point and, honestly, got very few laughs throughout the night. I wasn’t really bothered by his accent but rather his lack of real “spice.” There were many other featured male performers that should have taken his spot on the Tonys nominee list.

Fred Applegate and Veanne Cox were nice. It was nice to see them in the earlier scenes, and their later scenes were nice as well. I suppose it is not their fault they are burdened with the worst song in the score “Cocktail Counterpoint.” That song is, in fact, the only song in this production that truly did not work. That was the only time that entire evening that I simply wanted a scene to end. Cox had me very worried at the beginning of the scene with her odd take on the character. I eventually warmed up to it, and she was great later in the show. In no way shape or form should she have been on anyone’s Tony nominees list. I read about people mentioning her as a Tony possibility, and that would have really been one embarrassing nomination.

A.J. Shively and Elena Shaddow were nice. Shively was endearing, and I really felt the love in that household. He and Grammer had beautiful chemistry. I wish I would’ve been able to hear Shaddow sing a little more. She needs to find herself a good soprano role on Broadway soon. Christine Andreas is cursed with the show’s worst role, but she does what she can with it. I felt it was very awkward when she starting singing with Hodge in the title song. That character is just so absolutely random to me.

The Cagelles were absolutely breathtaking. The title number was one of the most thrilling things I’ve ever seen on the Broadway stage. Really just spectacular. I wish the Tonys could’ve pulled a Von Trapp children nomination and nominated all of them together in the featured actor category. No doubt they would have won!

Lynne Page’s choreography is spectacular. This really was a great year for dancing on Broadway. That was a pretty tough category this year when you think about it. Tim Shortall’s scenic design was simple and transporting. I felt like I was at that night club. I really did. Matthew Wright’s costumes were nice, and Nick Richings’ lighting was spot-on without getting in the way. I could have done with a little more robustness as far as sound goes. The mics were a little weak, and the Cagelles ad-libs during their dances were inaudible. Jason Carr’s orchestrations were as lush as they needed to be aside from the dreadful orchestrations for “Look Over There.”

I must hand it to Terry Johnson for creating such a special show. He found a heart in this show, and that is no doubt the most special thing about this production. A lot of that, I’m sure, has to do with the casting. There is an abundance of chemistry on that stage, and it makes a world of difference. I wasn’t as enthralled by the grittier side of that world that people have talked so much about. I didn’t need to be. I was enraptured by the joy of the show and the love that was springing from every actor into the audience. 

Don't Muse This Way

I suppose it is rather sick that I can find some kind of spiritual, emotional guidance from a song by Ke$ha.

"I don't care what people say; the rush is worth the price I pay."

If you jump into the fire, you may get burned. But life would be so boring if you just stood on the sidelines.

I seem to be unraveling.

Daily Dreamings

I swim laps everyday after work. It's very therapeutic. I do some of my best thinking when I'm submerged in that blue water with a pair of goggles that aren't mine plastered to my face and letting small trickles of water in where the suction doesn't quite grab ahold of my skin. I dream a lot while I'm swimming. I've been dreaming quite a lot about my dream "Hello, Dolly!" cast. It's one of my favorite Broadway musicals- so classic, so fun, so entertaining. And I love to think up my own starry revival cast. Here's what I am thinking:

Dolly Gallagher Levi: Meryl Streep. I mean, come on. How perfect! She's a commanding presence, a delightful comedienne and a respectable vocalist... not to mention a HUGE star name. Can't you just imagine? "MERYL is DOLLY!"

Irene Molloy: Anne Hathaway. This seems to be the most obvious "star" choice for Irene. Hathaway is so classically beautiful and her voice is very nice. And wouldn't a "Devil Wears Prada" reunion just be fabulous? Amy Adams, Kristin Chenoweth or, for a pretty strictly Broadway name, Laura Benanti would be my other choices. 

Horace Vandergelder: Alec Baldwin. He'd work so perfectly opposite Streep and wouldn't seem too odd to be paired with Hathaway. 

Cornelius Hackl: Sean Hayes. Though I doubt he'd ever sign on for a show where he'd likely receive fourth billing, I think he'd be dynamite in this role. I think this is a part that is so often overlooked, but you've really got to have a gifted comic actor in this role to make it work. Hayes has proven he's just that. 

Barnaby Tucker: Justin Bartha. The perfect awkwardly charming presence. If Michael Cera could sing the role, he'd be wonderful as well. 

Minnie Fay: Leigh Ann Larkin. This is definitely the most difficult for me to cast in my head. I keep thinking to myself "a young Kristin Chenoweth, a young Kristin Chenoweth." I think, on Broadway at least, that's Larkin at the moment. She's been mostly well-received for her last two performances- both of which were rather lofty reinventions of characters in two very high profile revivals. 

A boy can dream. But wouldn't that be fabulous? Now, all they need is me to direct, and we've got TONY GOLD!

Hot Pink Leather Heels

I'm sitting here at work- dreadful place- and atop my desk are a pair of hot pink leather heels. They look cheap; they undoubtedly are.

I'm very full. I'm back from my lunch break. It was pleasant- not dramatic or exciting or really even mentionable. Moe's. The best burrito in the world. Does New York have Moe's? Surely not. Ah, well. I'm sure there will be many other delicious stops in the city to satisfy my appetite.

Tomatoes. A food I've stayed so far from my whole life. It gets in the way. Like on a sandwich or in a salad. A juicy tomato signals immediate disdain from me. And red onion, too.

Red onion. Who actually likes red onion? Oh, my mother does.

I pre-ordered the "Promises, Promises" new Broadway cast recording, and it came in the mail a few days ago. I've been listening to it quite a lot. It's very nice- perky, fresh, light, airy, melodic. Kristin Chenoweth sounds great. Listening to her mix "A House is Not a Home" is a lovely experience for me. I adore her. I am actually seeing the show next week. I'll be visiting New York with my parents and sister to get a better preview of my school for the next four years and to see a few shows- "Next to Normal" and "Promises, Promises." I'm so very excited.

A friend of mine saw "Billy Elliot" last night. He, of course, loved it. What a remarkable show that is! Thrilling- from beginning to end. I walked out of the theatre mad at my mother... for not signing me up for ballet classes as a child.

My feet are much too messed up to ever be a ballet dancer. 

Oh, ballerina boy. 

To Begin

Well, hello there.

I'm Anderson Heinz.. It's really A.J. Heinz. But I'm changing my name. "Anderson Heinz." It has a better ring to it, don't you think? More professional, more mature.

I'm leaving for NYU in the fall. I'm majoring in dramatic writing. And I am scared out of my mind.

I currently rest my head in Germantown, Tennessee- a quaint suburb of Memphis. I love it here. My family's here, and, of course, my friends are here.

But there's one thing that I've found in my life that truly makes me tick... makes my engine rumble... makes my mind race... makes my heart leap.

And that, to be so sweetly cliche, is theatre.

So, here I am- two months away from moving to New York. 

I'll make it happen. Maybe write a play, have Meryl Streep star in it for her long-awaited return to the stage, have David Hare work with me in adapting the play for the screen, cast Meryl by default in the film version, beg Stephen Daldry to direct, and watch my creation sweep the Oscars.

Maybe I'll make it happen.