tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-52028615236343537762024-02-06T23:59:36.333-05:00Lord Help the SistersWe thought about using a musical theatre song quote to describe ourselves.
We're not that lame.
But we do like talking about musical theatre.... so maybe we are that lame.Annie's Blogshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13135515602704227498noreply@blogger.comBlogger128125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5202861523634353776.post-8312800680092968032012-08-29T16:35:00.000-04:002012-08-29T16:35:18.622-04:00Tom Cruise's Back MuscleWe have been obsessed with movie musicals since the very first time we saw Mr. Feeny piddle, twiddle, and resolve...<br />
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Ok so we just typed four different sentences about why movie musicals are so amazing. None of them were funny, but they all prove that movie musicals are definitely worth talkin' about:<br />
<ul>
<li>First, we just really need to talk about <i>Rock of Ages</i>. Did anyone else notice on Facebook how we both became OBSESSED with the music in <i>Rock of Ages</i>?? The movie proved to be entertaining, as well as ten different movies in one. We were personally on board with Russell Brand's adorableness, Catherine Zeta-Jones's legs, and Will Forte playing the news anchor. Everything else (we're lookin' at YOU, Alec Baldwin) was as unsettling as Tom Cruise's monkey and Paul Giamatti's hair piece. </li>
<li>Anyone else shimmying over the fact that Jay-Z is producing <i>Annie </i>starring Will Smith's daughter?! How much does Jay-Z LOVE <i>Annie</i>?! See: 1999's "Hard Knock Life (Ghetto Anthem)." We really hope they'll get Gordon Bass to play Puff Daddy Warbucks. </li>
<li>How did we JUST hear about the documentary <i>Stagedoor</i>? It's on Netflix Instant Watch and is about the most hardcore performing arts camp out there. It literally opens with the exact replica of Mr. G from <i>Summer Heights High</i> yelling at the kids to point <i>toward </i>tomorrow instead of <i>towards </i>tomorrow because Marvin Hamlisch would have wanted it that way. </li>
<li>How adorable is <i>Tangled</i>?! We were also late on this bandwagon and we're glad we jumped aboard <i>Mandy Moore</i> singing an <i>acoustic guitar song</i> by <i>Alan Menken</i>. It's also awesome seeing Donna Murphy play Disney 3D's rendering of the witch in <i>Into the Woods. </i></li>
</ul>
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All of this is a result of the fact that we just brought ourselves to watching the <i>Les Mis </i>trailer for the first time ever. Anne Hathaway's pixie cut sang an entire song in the trailer. Trailer #2 better be Russell Crowe singing <i>Stars </i>or we're leaving. </div>
Annie's Blogshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13135515602704227498noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5202861523634353776.post-65001037292841569562012-08-26T17:36:00.001-04:002012-08-26T17:39:02.992-04:00Do People Still Have Blogs...?Hello friends, family, and family!<br />
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After an almost three-year hiatus (we really hope we did that math right) the Steingold Sisters (is it annoying that we referred to ourselves in third-person?) (parentheses) have returned home. And by home we mean we're now living together in New York. What this essentially means is that we have joint custody of Minky and a built-in friend to watch "Nashville"with this fall - eeeeeeeeee!!!! But most importantly we have the ability to write a blog whenever we want because we literally live under the same roof.<br />
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Since we're overwhelmed by the fact that there's soooo much to talk about - I mean three years <i>come on</i>, if we were a baby we'd now be speaking. Or is it crawling? We've never understood the timeline of a baby - it's probably least overwhelming for us to sum up the highlights with our favorite pal!<br />
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You can't stop the bulletpoints:<br />
<ul>
<li>SMASH happened. Ummmm how were we not around to give our opinions on SMASH? We hope all of y'all heard that joining this cast this fall will be SEAN FREAKIN HAYES. The ORIGINAL Christian Borle's character (we still don't know any character names on that show). Except Ivy Lynn. Our favorite Donkey Kong heroine! Boy, do we love her voice. </li>
<li>We missed being around to talk about three years of Tony Awards. And don't get us started on <i>The Book of Mormon. </i>OBVIOUSLY we were going to love it considering we find <i>South Park: Bigger, Longer, and Uncut </i>to be one of the best musicals of our time. </li>
<li>Daniel Radcliffe was so funny being like the flyer on the cheerleading team that was <i>How to Succeed</i>. He tiny!</li>
<li>Anyone else think it's hilarious/really intriguing that Lin-Manuel Miranda is writing new music for <i>Working</i>??? Nothing like a musical with a composer list of Stephen Schwartz, James Taylor, Mary Rodgers, and <i>Lin-Manuel Miranda. </i>Speaking of Lin-Manuel Miranda, <i>Bring it On</i> anyone??</li>
</ul>
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At the end of the day, the only thing that matters is that our blog is back just in time for THE LES MIS MOVIE TO COME OUT. Anne Hathaway with a pixie cut. Just what we need. </div>
Annie's Blogshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13135515602704227498noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5202861523634353776.post-27635704486889364762009-10-20T00:54:00.005-04:002009-10-20T01:21:20.291-04:00New York <3 RichmondThis might be old news for some, but for others it's so cool! Thanks to our friend Lauren Edelstein, who has a hilarious and fashion-filled <a href="www.laurenedelstein.blogspot.com">blog</a> you should check out (sorry Lauren, hilarious and fashion-filled were literally the two best adjectives we could come up with at this point in time), we found <a href="http://travel.nytimes.com/2009/10/18/travel/18hours.html?ref=travel">this</a> article! It was in Travel section of<i> The N</i><i>ew York Times </i>on October 18, and is a "36 Hours in Richmond, Va" feature. They literally say, "Richond is strutting with confidence, moving beyond its Civil War legacy and emerging as a new player on the Southern art and culinary scene."<div><br /></div><div>SO COOL! </div><div><br /></div><div>They also bring up the new and exciting Richmond CenterStage, Need Supply Company, which we've tried on many-a-dress at (unfortunately, downtown hipsters wear dresses that go up your butt... and we Steingolds are no downtown hipsters), and Legend Brewery (woo!). </div><div><br /></div><div>Fin. Gosh it's still so hard to end blog posts. </div>Annie's Blogshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13135515602704227498noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5202861523634353776.post-47144241892663323712009-10-04T22:49:00.003-04:002009-10-04T23:02:33.168-04:00Legally Whaaaaaa??Oh, hi! Didn't you see you sneak up on us. Yes, we're still HERE. Good times and bum times, we've seen all and, my dear, we're still here. Hyuk! Anyway, we've missed writing on here. See, we'd have things to write about it, but we're uber-perfectionists and if a post wasn't awesome to our standards, we just wouldn't put it up. But now, we've decided to not always give you the most wonderful, witty, and whimsical posts you deserved. Sometimes they might be W-T-F. It's a roll of Sky Masterson's loaded dice. <div><br /></div><div>To ease us back onto this, here is a video Elyse found on Broadway.com. <i>Legally Blonde </i>is heading to the West End, so they made <a href="http://www.broadway.com/buzz/brit-elle-woods-makes-blonde-music-vid-debut/">this</a> music video to promote it. Broadway.com calls the video "fun." We call it HILARIOUS. Those Brits have quite the sense of humor. And quite an interesting view of what makes a musical advertisement enticing. This is literally one of the funniest things we've ever seen, for so many reasons. One of those reasons? The almost R-rated kiss. Another reason? What Elle does when she holds the long note at the end of the song. Watch it.</div><div><br /></div><div>And some exciting news! We're pretty sure that both Steingold sisters will be in town for the Richmond Theatre Critics Circle Awards! The Arties! Or the Artsies? Not sure. Annie will be home for Fall Break- hit her up, yo! And Elyse will be home for the Richmond Theatre Critics Circle Awards! Oh, and doesn't have rehearsal that night. So look out for us with a microphone in hand and video camera, asking you who you're wearing and what you did to prepare for the day. Perhaps a mani-pedi at Atir?</div><div><br /></div><div>Check back to hear thoughts about <i>Bye Bye Birdie</i>, <i>After Miss Julie</i>, and <i>Superior Donuts</i>. YES! Two plays! Can you believe it? Aren't you proud? </div>Annie's Blogshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13135515602704227498noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5202861523634353776.post-15901193810829622522009-09-13T17:57:00.004-04:002009-09-13T19:28:09.447-04:00Center Stage Opening! A Guest Blog by the Parents SteingoldSince Annie and Elyse could not attend the CenterStage Grand Opening last night, they asked us to write a guest blog to share our thoughts and impressions.<br /><br />First, let’s talk about the physical structure: having grown up in Richmond and attended many movies at the Lowe’s and subsequent concerts and ballets at the “Carpenter Center,” I (Nikki) can tell you that they did everything RIGHT! Kudos to the person who said, “let’s keep the amazing theatre looking just like it always has, but let’s add about 25 more bathrooms!” The Lowe’s/CarpenterCenter/Carpenter Theater is and has always been one of Richmond’s treasures. How nice to see it shining once again! <div><br />Actually, Kenny had to miss a huge football game (Southern Cal vs. Ohio State) which he was counting on to reverse the effects of his breakout performance in the “Summer of ‘42” music video. In fact, our good friend, Glynn Baker, called after viewing the video stating that Kenny needed a heavy dose of beer, red meat, and football. Instead, he got culture … and considering that “Barney on Ice” and an accidental poetry reading at Barnes and Noble while waiting to see “The Hangover” were his other two artsy endeavors, he needed it.<br /><br />Now, on to the show: </div><div><br />Can we just say that the Richmond Symphony is AMAZING and we loved “Festive Overture.” Listen to it on YouTube, it’s inspiring! Maybe if "Glory Days" had opened with this song, things would have worked out differently. Bravo to Erin Freeman, Associate Conductor, whose talents were evident in every twist of the baton. </div><div><br />Hosts Venus Flytrap and Aunt Viv (Tim and Daphne Maxwell-Reid) added so much to the evening – their comments were both interesting and personable. We’re very fortunate to have them active in the Virginia Arts Community.<br /><br />The Richmond Jazz Society and African American Repertory Theatre both gave excellent performances, with “Generations of Jazz” and the works of Langston Hughes respectively. Ah, then on to the Virginia Opera’s selections from “La Boheme.” Need we even mention how amazing these voices were? We just can’t understand how they failed their audition for “High School Musical” (that’s some tough casting!). Not only were the voices outstanding, but they brought along an entire set that was so authentic I had to put on my sweater. While the opera was in Italian, they were kind enough to project the translation on a screen. Little did we know those beautiful Italian words translated into, “My enchanted love, please pass the Cheese-Whiz.” We loved the choice of songs, but our only regret was that they left out the scene where Angel dances on the table.<br /><br />The Barksdale/Theatre IV-Empire Theater/HanoverTavern presented scenes from “High School Musical,” “Boleros for the Disenchanted,” “Thoroughly Modern Millie,” and “The Sound of Music.” As usual, the “HSM” cast was highly energetic and we rooted for Troy and Gabriella. But we wonder if Gabriella’s mother knows that the Wildcats apparently traded Troy Bolton for Dennis Rodman (nice tat!)<br /><br />Loved “Thoroughly Modern Millie” and agreed with the audience’s spontaneous applause following Carolyn Meade’s tap solo!<br /><br />And what a pleasant surprise to see our friend Ana Ines Barragan King of the Latin Ballet of Virginia performing in the bolero “Besame Mucho.” Ana is a delight to watch and the Latin Ballet of Virginia is a treat that ALL Richmonders should see. </div><div><br />TB/TIV-ET/HT ended with “Climb Ev’ry Mountain” from “The Sound of Music” performed by the Mother Superior and her backup singers. We thought it strange when they segued into the “My Guy/I Will Follow Him” medley and were a little freaked when Rolf came out singing “Springtime for Hitler.” </div><div><br />Act Two’s performances by Elegba Folklore Society and Richmond Shakespeare clearly proved the diversity in the Richmond talent and creative pools. Elegba wowed the audience with their dancing, rhythm, and amazing performance by Amadou Kouyate. Richmond Shakespeare showed their versatility in speech, song, and dance. </div><div><br />SPARC was great. The leads, Jason Marks, Chris Adams, Ali Thibodeau, Drew Seigla, Michael Hawke and “Eponine” (so sorry we don’t know your name!) were outstanding. From the “Castle on a Cloud” opening through “One Day More,” SPARC gave an excellent representation of their mission and accomplishments. </div><div><br />The Richmond Ballet’s performance of the final section from “Windows” was the enchanted ending to a magical evening. We loved seeing Phillip Skaggs, Valerie Tellmann, and Lauren Fagone whom we enjoyed throughout so many ballet performances when our good friends Pedro Szalay and Brandon Becker were with the ballet. And what a treat to see Maggie Small, whom we have watched dance since her childhood! But while we mention these names specifically, the entire company was simply outstanding! </div><div><br />The CenterStage Foundation is to be commended for persevering throughout recessions and adversity to reach the crescendo it did last night.</div>Annie's Blogshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13135515602704227498noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5202861523634353776.post-35974867597712104282009-09-08T00:16:00.008-04:002009-09-11T18:17:42.325-04:00Anyone Want to Send Me a Water Filter?It's the start of separate blog posts for the Steingold sisters now that we're in two different states. Tonight it's Elyse. It took me this long to write a new post because every time I came to the blog to write a new one, I ended up just watching that video over and over again and then I would forget my initial intention in signing on to lordhelpthesisters.blogspot.com. Also, I now have a twitter which I completely don't know how to use and I'm a little ashamed that I have one in the first place, but I felt I had to. So if anything the least bit witty comes to mind, I post it on my twitter. So, my twitter page is very "twitty." Ha. And based on that pun you can imagine how terribly uninteresting my twitter page is.<div><br /></div><div>So I go to school in DC just steps from the Kennedy Center, and every night they present performances at the Millennium Stage for free. Some nights are incredible and some nights they bring in Al from off the street with his tin drum made out of a trash can. Tonight happened to be incredible. The Signature Theatre presented a cabaret of songs from The American Musical Voices Project, which included new work from Michael John LaChiusa, Ricky Ian Gordon, Joseph Thalken, Adam Guettel, and a lot more. There were a ton of songs whose sheet music I have to get my hands on for when Annie and I finally pull off our cabaret. Seriously. We want to have a 2-woman show. And our parents might make guest appearances. It will be just like the Broadway's Leading Ladies show except Annie, Mom, and I will be singing the "Weber Love Trio" and Dad will be singing "The Ladies Who Lunch" in his falsetto. On that note (heh) I bid you farewell. </div><div><br /></div><div>Later, I'll talk about the upcoming Equality March that's happening here in October and the fact that the <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">Hair </span>tribe from Broadway is going to be marching. I'm all about equality, but honestly, mostly I'm walking to try to accidentally brush Will Swenson's butt.</div>Annie's Blogshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13135515602704227498noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5202861523634353776.post-8833664672609700952009-08-28T23:31:00.007-04:002009-08-30T17:01:40.625-04:00The Blog Post You'll Always Remember<div>Questions regarding our family's insanity will be answered in the order in which they are received. Oh, and have we mentioned that our parents are amazing sports? Just count this as our end-of-the-summer treat for you all. </div><div><br /></div><div><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/vwoo9B0eF3U&hl=en&fs=1&"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/vwoo9B0eF3U&hl=en&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object></div><div><br /></div><div>Does our dad remind anyone else of Brick Tamland from <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">Anchorman</span>?</div><div></div>Annie's Blogshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13135515602704227498noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5202861523634353776.post-61158058260934712342009-08-20T17:19:00.005-04:002009-08-21T15:14:43.323-04:00A New Chapter BloginsOne month, five shows, and another hike to New York later, we're finally back in the blogosphere. Oh, how nice did it feel to carefully remove our blog from the chest in our attic and gently blow the dust off of it. And we're just in time to talk about the <a href="http://richmondvatheater.blogspot.com/2009/08/nominations-announced.html">nominations</a> for the Richmond Theatre Critics Circle Awards. Obviously a lot of people in the Richmond Theatre Community are either really excited (the nominees), really pissed (the NOTinees), or really hungry (the Steingold sisters). <div><br /></div><div>We want to preface this by saying that no matter what wins, who is wearing what dress, or which Hanover Tavern show didn't get nominated, the main point of these awards is to raise money for the Artists Fund. That's the main point... not who got the most votes out of six local critics or debates over who should or shouldn't have been nominated. It is AWESOME that the money from the event will go to this organization. The committee should be acknowledged positively for that.</div><div><br /></div><div>We think it's really funny that the press release calls the event a "Black Tie Gala", then goes on to say that "formal attire is encouraged." We were taught many Bar Mitzvahs ago that black tie meant wear a tux. If they didn't expect black tie attire, they should have noted on the invitation something more straightforward like, "Joshua has become a man, join us for a hoedown after the service." Oh, and speaking of tuxes, we personally think Gordon Bass should wear his Daddy Warbucks tux to the show. And that Annie should wear her maid outfit with a poinsettia pinned on. </div><div><br /></div><div>It goes without saying that we won't discuss plays. Because we prefer when people sing their emotions. WOW, we love musicals. We are honored to say that we saw all nominees for Best Musical. And we know who we think the winner should be. So hopefully they win. </div><div><br /></div><div>But onto something that doesn't specifically relate to the awards. We understand that the "Artsies" specifically honor "professional theaters" in Richmond, but we feel that there needs to be some sort of recognition from said professional theaters, and the critics, of the other work that is being done in the community. <i>A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum </i>at Dogwood Dell received next to no recognition, and all of the performers were working for free. It's wonderful that the amazing city of Richmond has a venue like the Dell, so people who can't typically afford $40 tickets to shows can be exposed to what we still feel is such an under-appreciated art form. </div><div><br /></div><div>Clearly we feel a special connection to the show, and we hope we're not overstepping our boundaries in this public forum (ha), but we do think that it's important for the theatre community as a whole to appreciate and commend the work that has been done pro bono. Throw us a frickin' bono. </div>Annie's Blogshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13135515602704227498noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5202861523634353776.post-78766491929534746682009-07-30T00:43:00.004-04:002009-07-30T18:26:22.214-04:00Pretty Little Picture<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikk705YVXSGdKR5oha12RwfTUZ_yNuKzxyBTFEKhp9Gn7brFhHOsst-nLQ9bfPZ-IasEG4_E2hUVOOAw_Hq9DTtuFUMIF5fetngcMTzrFbCWwcswXKyR3y-HEM2qFgqwIK9vbYAPHPkKQ/s1600-h/DSCN0207.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikk705YVXSGdKR5oha12RwfTUZ_yNuKzxyBTFEKhp9Gn7brFhHOsst-nLQ9bfPZ-IasEG4_E2hUVOOAw_Hq9DTtuFUMIF5fetngcMTzrFbCWwcswXKyR3y-HEM2qFgqwIK9vbYAPHPkKQ/s400/DSCN0207.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5364109501235119186" /></a>Come see <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">Forum... </span>this weekend at Dogwood Dell. It's at 8:30 PM. And it's FREE!<div><br /></div><div>Delicious! Refreshing! Invigorating! Exhilarating!</div><div><br /></div><div>Always Coca-Cola!<br /></div><div><br /></div><div>FYI- We went to the Wikipedia page for Coca-Cola slogans because we all found it funny that the "COKE" is basically the centerpiece of this family portrait. Go <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coca-Cola_slogans">here</a> if you want to look at Coke slogans from 1886. The one we used is from 1887. </div><div><br /></div><div>Wow, don't Charles Wissinger, Terri Moore, and Sean Williams make an adorable family? All three of you win for best awkward family photo face! Congratulations. </div>Annie's Blogshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13135515602704227498noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5202861523634353776.post-12150301847060977652009-07-28T14:15:00.002-04:002009-07-28T14:23:02.115-04:00Forum's Boots 'n' Bits<!--StartFragment--> <p class="MsoNormal">Since we’re not going to be able to review <i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal">Forum </i>ourselves, we’re instead going to give you some additions to Jason’s 5 reasons to see the show, things you wouldn’t normally notice that we want you to look out for. Let's just think of this as insider tips from two of the stars. And by stars we mean people who appear onstage for less than ten minutes. But oh, what a ten minutes it is! Tragedy tomorrow, bullets tonight:<br /></p> <p class="MsoNormal"></p><ul><li> This show is nothing like the horrible movie. Our mom didn’t believe us when we said that the show was actually funny because all she could think about was the somewhat sci-fi/pornographic Zero Mostel version. This show is a hilarious mix of Mel Brooks, Judd Apatow, Family Guy, and Aristophanes – and we all know what a hoot he was!</li><li>Joe Pabst, our director, Blanton Bradley, the musical director, and Amy Farley, our choreographer, are a dream team- smart, hard-working, and so much fun! And we’re slowly but surely convincing them to work together on <i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal">Dreamgirls. </i>But this time as the lead performers.</li><li>"The House of Marcus Lycus” is an awesome number that you’re sure to enjoy, if only for Robert Redford/Blonde Pierce Brosnan, who we’ve brought in to play Marcus Lycus. Just kidding, his name is Kerry Keenan, and we all love him. He’s totally that guy in high school who not only was quarterback of the football team, but could sing, too (Anyone remember Walker Williams?). Plus, all the girls in the number are great performers. We both realized that every courtesan in the number is supposed to be cute, flirty, and sexy. Whereas what do you think our two characters are supposed to be? We're either a) spastic, b) frightening, c) angry, or d) all of the above. The answer is f) all of the above and also sweating.</li><li>Who here has rehearsed at the Carillon before? Here are our thoughts about this historical monument, also known as a Super Mario World Ghost House. We think there are special bug species that are only populating the Carillon. And we’re pretty sure a hunchback is manning the bells. However, we also think it’s gorgeous and want to stand on the very top balcony and perform “A New Argentina.”</li><li>Charles Wissinger taught Steven Ralph how to authentically draw a sword.</li></ul> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> Go <a href="http://events.richmond.com/richmond-va/events/show/87707451-dogwood-dell-festival-for-the-arts">here</a> for the dates and times, and maybe we’ll see you on the way to the Dogwood Dellum!</o:p></p> <!--EndFragment-->Annie's Blogshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13135515602704227498noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5202861523634353776.post-16093566400741774832009-07-26T23:15:00.003-04:002009-07-27T12:52:55.771-04:00A Lot of Funny Things Happened on the Way to Writing this Blog...Which is why it took us so long to post a new blog. Whoops. We've been really busy with <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">Forum</span> rehearsals - which opens this week! We hope to see all of y'all there with cold cuts and deviled eggs. Michael Hawke, don't forget your 2-liter grape <a href="http://lordhelpthesisters.blogspot.com/2008/08/last-night-at-blogwood-dell.html">Big K</a>. Anyway, the rehearsals have been a ton of fun, if not very entertaining. Elyse has just learned to crack a bull whip without taking off her ear, and Annie is working on perfecting her cat screams... without sounding like a pirate.<br /><div><br /></div><div>Jason Marks made a video of the top five reasons you should see the show. Find it on our Facebook profiles because we have absolutely no idea how to link to it here. It's a great video- bravo, Jason, can you do EVERYTHING?- but we have one qualm. The two of us together are not one of the reasons you should see the show. You know honestly, we're not even in the video, except Elyse standing there diagonally and a shot of Annie's stomach next to her. Jason. Seriously? </div><div><br /></div><div>Hope you all know that we're kidding and we couldn't be prouder of the amazing team that has come together to put on this show. We literally were saying last night that we feel like proud Jewish grandparents at a Bat Mitzvah who kvell the whole time, not even looking at their granddaughter who is performing, but instead turning around in their pew (is there a word for a Jewish pew?) and smiling at everyone who's there as if to say, "Isn't she a gem?" Well, <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">Forum </span>cast, you are our gem. And by the way, wonderful job on your Haftorah portion. </div><div><br /></div><div>Tune in later in the day for our favorite moments for the show, and also to hear about the things we've been doing for the past year since the last time we posted. It feels good to be back! We'd be writing more now but Annie has to go practice with the marvelous Sherri Matthews for a concert that you'll be hearing about here when you check back later. </div><div><br /></div><div>... Everybody ought to have a blog.</div>Annie's Blogshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13135515602704227498noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5202861523634353776.post-59607384352754537082009-07-07T00:04:00.004-04:002009-07-08T17:02:18.761-04:00We'll Make it a Triple, Not a Curtain CallThis might be impossible for you readers to believe, but the two of us really aren't all that great at sports. And by not all that great we mean terrible. Our favorite part of playing sports when we were kids was eating the snack that the parents brought every week after the game. So naturally when we heard there was a Richmond theatre softball game we decided to go and make fools of ourselves, with the knowledge that no matter how horrible we do, we can always go to Westhampton Bakery afterwards. And we had really cute July 4th-inspired outfits. That was enough impetus to go.<br /><br />Unfortunately, we had to be on two different teams. Which was terrifying! We're never split up. But it made it much easier when we were actually playing because for the first half of the game Elyse's teammates were calling her Annie, so there was no confusion over who they were actually talking to. Speaking of which, Matt Hackman (who is apparently a major league baseball player) couldn't stop calling Annie "Ally," which made things a bit difficult when he was trying to get her attention because a ball was flying at her head.<br /><br />Lisa Kotula's whole family was there which was so much fun and she was ridiculously good at softball! For some reason we feel like every mom who has a fifth grade kid in little league HAS to be good at softball because we have this mental image in our head of our mom in overalls coaching little league and being amazing.<br /><br />Eddie Tavares, the most athletic person ever, was there and this one guy kept calling him "Big Stick" every time he was up to bat. Okay. We totally didn't know that was a baseball term for a good batter. So... you can imagine our confusion. Every player was so good, we wondered why we were even trying to play on the same field as them. I guess it was for their entertainment. We played for two and a half hours and Annie was at bat for about one of those hours total. We didn't play outs, so in total, Annie swung about 64 times. And made contact about 4 times.<br /><br />When we got home from the game we were so excited that we decided to stop at Toys 'R' Us and buy mitts and a softball. We got home and were playing catch in the front yard with our new equipment and next thing we knew, Annie missed a pop fly and it landed in the sewer. Hopefully that isn't a sign that we shouldn't go back next week. Because we plan on giving it another shot. We might wear name tags next time...Annie's Blogshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13135515602704227498noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5202861523634353776.post-48548355382430963442009-07-05T21:14:00.005-04:002009-07-05T21:23:12.238-04:00Together at Last!<!--StartFragment--> <p class="MsoNormal">Annie and Elyse are in a show together! This hasn’t happened since the Broadway Kids came into town in 1998 and put on “Kids for Kids” and the locals got to participate. And by participate we mean stand behind all the Broadway Kids while they sang “I Go to Rio.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>So now we finally have the opportunity to be in a show together again. We’re playing two of the courtesans in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal">A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum </i>at the Dogwood Dell. Good thing it’s at the Dell because with our crazy-proud parents so happy that their two kids are onstage together, there's going to need to be a large house. Only an outdoor ampitheatre would accommodate.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p>Rehearsals started the other night and we learned our dance, choreographed by the incomparable Amy Farley. Elyse walks around in elevator shoes and a whip. And Annie is thrown around by Jason Marks. They do a crazy animal-inspired swing dance that is incredible. Jason is such a good dancer! He’s doing steps that no one in our family could get down back when all four of us took swing dance together. Seriously. Mom, Dad, and the two of us all took swing dance classes. Why doesn’t our family have a reality show?</o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p>It’s really interesting seeing how we act at rehearsals because everyone has a “rehearsal personality”. And generally it’s different from how the personalities are in everyday life. So here’s what we learned about each other. Elyse is surprisingly really loud and makes jokes as often as possible, but every time she says a joke she has to keep eye contact with Annie for security. Like she knows that Annie will always laugh at her joke. Annie is the most attention-grabbing person at rehearsal. The two of us were sitting with our backs to the mirror while some other people were working stuff with Amy. Elyse was sitting there calmly, and Annie promptly turns so she’s facing the mirror, puts her hair in a crazy hairdo and watches herself bop around with her hairdo.</o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal">Stick around for more stories about the rehearsal process that will probably include eunuchs stacking on top of each other, a local re-enactor, Robert Redford’s twin brother playing a pimp, and Blanton Bradley standing there with his hands on top of the piano and a note mysteriously being played... </p><p class="MsoNormal">Also stick around for our thoughts on <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">Summer of '42 </span>and our attempts at being athletic.</p> <!--EndFragment-->Annie's Blogshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13135515602704227498noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5202861523634353776.post-51639995809191950532009-06-29T14:57:00.020-04:002009-06-30T10:58:13.280-04:00Mmm, Splotchy.It probably comes as no surprise to you that we consider <span style="font-style: italic;">Center Stage</span> to be one of the most important and hilarious movies of all time. With Susan Stroman's classic choreography to the Red Hot Chili Peppers, the Shakespeare geek in <span style="font-style: italic;">10 Things I Hate About You </span>"fooling" us as a prima ballerina, and Peter Gallagher's eyebrows playing a bigwig Artistic Director, we've watched this movie too many times to count. So for all the rest of you who are obsessed with this film, join us as we recount our top 10 "what-the-heck" moments of <span style="font-style: italic;">Center Stage</span>.<br /><ul><li>We love all the Broadway performers who are in this movie, especially Debra Monk who plays snobby Maureen's crazy stage mom. It's such a climactic moment when she's watching the big ballet performance at the end and sees that her daughter isn't onstage dancing the lead role. She's so shocked, in fact, that she leaves in the middle of the performance to find Maureen. However, instead of going out the aisle that's probably directly next to her, she chooses to go out the opposite aisle, therefore giving Debra Monk a big opportunity to awkwardly climb over about twenty people, loudly. </li><li>Eva Rodriguez, the tough Spanish girl who only has a Spanish accent about twice in the movie, is the rebel with the heart of gold. Somehow, she is allowed to show up to class at literally the most prestigious ballet school in the country late, with her hair in a mess, and the wrong leotard. And they don't kick her out! Nice. We love that in the movie, they find it necessary to include a 30-second scene showing us how tough Eva is- cut to her smoking a cig outside, dropping it on the ground, and putting it out with her POINTE SHOE. How symbolic is that?<br /></li><li>Sadly, Eric O. Jones hurts his leg in rehearsal and is unable to perform in Cooper Nielson's choreographic BA-llet premiere (anyone else notice that real ballerinas always have to put the emphasis on the "BA" part?). So, woohoo, Cooper is going to go on FOR Eric. Does anyone else think it's weird that the part that Eric O. Jones was supposed to play included him having an onstage makeout scene with Jody and riding on a motorcycle and getting in a dance battle with Charlie? Like, we're sure Eric was a great actor, but watching him make out with Jody? Let's just say it's a good thing he sprained his ankle and Cooper had to go on and tidily wrap up/summarize, in a 5-minute ballet piece, what we've previously sat through for about an hour.<br /></li><li>It's really cool that famous ballerina Julie Kent dances in the movie- but it's even cooler that she acts! We like the acting technique she employs: talking the whole time with her teeth shut together. </li><li>One of our favorite parts in the movie is obviously the jazz dance class with Priscilla Lopez as the instructor. She totally plays the bad-ass, this-isn't-a-ballet-class, dance-the-*$&%-out-of-it dance teacher. So obviously what song does she choose to have her class warm up to? "Candy" by Mandy Moore. Obviously.</li><li>Maureen is lucky enough to date Jim, a pre-med student at Columbia University. In one scene she's at the bowling alley with Jim and all of his cool friends, eating pizza and listening to a guy tell a HILARIOUS joke about an elephant and monkeys. We'd like to think that Ivy-leaguers tell jokes that are funnier and wittier than this one. It's so bad, and judging how much everyone's DYING laughing to the point that they're crying, apparently Columbia kids have really bad senses of humor.</li><li>The Latin dance club scene is amazing, if only for the two lead singers of the band with the really long hair. Jody and Charlie go out onto the dance floor and do some "Latin dancing." Eva and Eric, the two ethnic dancers, OBVIOUSLY are better Latin dancers, so they go onto the dance floor and criticize Jody and Charlie, telling them "That's not Salsa! You want to see Salsa? THIS is Salsa!" They then proceed to shimmy and do a grapevine.</li><li>How many times have we gotten upset during a rehearsal or a dance class and started to cry in the hallway? Hmm, we plead the 5th. How many times have we had this happen to us, then had a cute, <span style="font-style: italic;">straight</span> male dancer reassure us that we're awesome and we shouldn't worry about our faces being splotchy? Um, zero. Jody Sawyer, you're a lucky biotch.<br /></li><li>Also with Jody, if she chooses not to be a dancer, she has a long career ahead of her as a hair stylist. Have you noticed how her hairstyle is literally different- and perfect- in every scene?</li><li>Finally, we can't forget the best scene in the whole movie- the very end. The big ballet showcase is over, students have been selected for the company, Cooper's made his choreographic debut, and everyone's gathered in the Lincoln Center lobby. And who gets their name called out and roses handed to her by everyone? That's right, Jody Sawyer. Because... she emerged as a star dancer from just the training company? And was brave enough to tell Peter Gallagher to stick it and instead join Cooper's company? Yes, that definitely deserves a loud, "JODY SAWYER" followed by applause and bouquets of flowers.</li></ul>We know this was a ridiculously long blog post, but oh, it's so worth it to us to spread the love and ridiculousness that is <span style="font-style: italic;">Center Stage</span>. Please, watch it. If you haven't, you can borrow ours... and you're not splotchy.Annie's Blogshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13135515602704227498noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5202861523634353776.post-29835152231488613952009-06-29T10:04:00.005-04:002009-06-29T13:02:30.981-04:00Where's Waldo<div>The other night Elyse couldn't get to sleep, so like any other normal person, she decided to count sheep. And by count sheep we mean she went through all her old Broadway playbills to see how much the actors have changed. It's so funny seeing things like, "Marc Kudisch: Broadway debut!" Oh Marc Kudisch, you and your bow legs have come so far.<br /><br />Anyway, she was looking through the <em>Annie Get Your Gun <span style="font-style: italic;"></span></em>playbill from 1999 and saw something really funny. Click on this picture to make it bigger. And no, we're not talking about how different headshots look now than they did back then- can we say hello Chesterfield Town Center Glamour Shots white-washed background? See if you can find what we're talking about:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj77utI0myPhP-iae7qdmf6n87Y7K6pXnkv3KTXjLQw5RTbWRYcdG2XEfZNLEpL74qJJj8wvklUP2yCaSdUBNVadaJwbeo3wQQDoGvdbaO3wbJtFgeUesx__T-OylpQVnmpa4L1FM6Ok_8/s1600-h/Patti+D%27Beck+Headshot.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 303px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj77utI0myPhP-iae7qdmf6n87Y7K6pXnkv3KTXjLQw5RTbWRYcdG2XEfZNLEpL74qJJj8wvklUP2yCaSdUBNVadaJwbeo3wQQDoGvdbaO3wbJtFgeUesx__T-OylpQVnmpa4L1FM6Ok_8/s400/Patti+D%27Beck+Headshot.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5352788448268326546" border="0" /></a>That's right, folks. Patti D'Beck, the director and choreographer of <span style="font-style: italic;">Millie</span>. Literally two rows under Bernadette Peters. And we thought it was cool to be sitting three rows in front of Adam Lambert. Sheesh. We wonder how long she has had her signature hairdo. And we wonder how we beat Bruce to posting this on his blog.<br /><div></div><div></div></div>Annie's Blogshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13135515602704227498noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5202861523634353776.post-46278108013183310482009-06-26T09:53:00.005-04:002009-06-29T10:03:34.361-04:00Farrah Fawcett was UpstagedJust Elyse here. Annie has given me permission to write this. It's SO horrible that Michael Jackson died. Annie said that when she was walking down the street in NY, everyone was talking about it. But in the light of tragedy, you have to still be able to laugh about ridiculous yet touching things your sister has to say. Here is our text conversation that we had pretty soon after the news broke:<br /><br />Annie: I just started sobbing over mj<br />Elyse: Oh no<br />Annie: Yeah, "beat it" was on. And mom and dad were like, he wasn't the same guy as that. And all I keep thinking is heaven for him will be a time where he can do "thriller" and "beat it"<br /><br />We love you Michael Jackson.Annie's Blogshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13135515602704227498noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5202861523634353776.post-55469425452071381742009-06-24T01:32:00.006-04:002009-06-25T11:02:24.181-04:00One Night in Blogkok.Those of you who have gotten sick of the Alanis-Morissette-imitating-and-movie-acting Idina Menzel might not know about the fact that Idina recently starred in the <span class="Apple-style-span" style="FONT-STYLE: italic">Chess </span>benefit concert, and it's on DVD- oh, and you know she's pregnant, right?! Yeah, old news. The concert was also on PBS, for free, and we realized that fact basically immediately after we ripped open the DVD from Barnes and Noble. Anyway, Adam Pascal, Josh Groban, and Kerry Ellis also headline. Other than the fact that there literally needed to be a letter from Tim Rice in the DVD cover explaining that no one <span style="FONT-STYLE: italic">really </span>knows or understands what the storyline of <span style="FONT-STYLE: italic">Chess </span>is, we really enjoyed the show! The guys from ABBA teamed up with Tim Rice to write the music, and they do a great job of balancing the two styles. Just when it gets too <span style="FONT-STYLE: italic">Evita </span>for your taste, they mix in some <span style="FONT-STYLE: italic">Mamma Mia. </span>Our personal favorite song is "<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nYZF5BtrdpA">The Deal</a>." It's so good.<br /><br />Idina is just so amazing singing "Nobody's Side," minus the fact that she throws in her signature speech impediment: singing it "Lobody's on lobody's side." Kerry Ellis sings "Someone Else's Story," but she decided to make her mark on the show by creating her own speech impediment: pronouncing her S's "sh." Now WHY they would give the song<span style="FONT-STYLE: italic"> S</span>omeone El<span style="FONT-STYLE: italic">S</span>e'<span style="FONT-STYLE: italic">S</span> <span style="FONT-STYLE: italic">S</span>tory to someone with an S problem, we will never know. Josh Groban is a little lame to tell the truth - acting is definitely not his strongest suit. His voice makes up for it, though, in a very <span style="FONT-STYLE: italic">Polar Express </span>kind of way. Adam Pascal is ridiculous. We've watched him sing "One Night in Bangkok" about 64 times already. Finally, watching Kerry Ellis and Idina Menzel sing "I Know Him So Well" together is awesome just because of the fact that you can't help but think- and hope- that they're going to screw <em>Chess </em>and instead just break out into a Who Can Riff the Best at the End of "Defying Gravity" contest.<br /><br />So if you're bored this summer, curl up in front of the TV and watch <span style="FONT-STYLE: italic">Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dancing Queen. </span>Idina's back in town!<br /><br />P.S. Elyse was at dinner last night with a group of people and one of the girls said, "For my new car I want to get a Peace Frogs sticker. I wish that was still around." Elyse had to tell her the sad truth that there was, in fact, a Peace Frogs store just 5 minutes from her house. We stand corrected about the demand for peaceful amphibian gear.Annie's Blogshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13135515602704227498noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5202861523634353776.post-91088596688294049752009-06-23T11:57:00.003-04:002009-06-23T12:26:14.148-04:00Tim Burton + Johnny Depp = <3... Oh, we meant to say Tim Burton + Helena Bonham Carter, but it's basically the same thing, right? Anyway, because the Disney version of <em>Alice in Wonderland</em>- and the creepy made-for-TV version with Whoopi as the Cheshire Cat (perfect casting, by the way) and Martin Short- wasn't freaky enough, Tim Burton's decided to have a go at it, making the movie even FREAKIER.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/06/22/johnny-depp-as-mad-hatter_n_218747.html">Here</a> are the pictures they've just released to give us a sneak peek at how ca-razy this movie is going to be.Annie's Blogshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13135515602704227498noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5202861523634353776.post-25627814194148130442009-06-22T17:06:00.006-04:002009-06-22T23:23:15.805-04:00Peace BlogsSorry we haven't updated in a while and you've been forced to watch our video over and over again. It was actually pretty funny how it was made: we got home from our <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">Forum </span>audition with a surprising amount of energy and Elyse said, "Hey, can we learn every move Liza does in the Tony opening and then tape it and put it on the blog?" To which Annie replied, "Sure, and I'll be Anne Hathaway in the audience being obnoxious." Next thing we know, Annie's hair is in a French twist, Mom is styling a wig, and Elyse is getting changed into as many black sequins as possible. Welcome to the Steingold household. <div><br /></div><div>We have so much to talk about so we're going to try to pace ourselves. First things first: has anyone been to Short Pump Town Center lately? This doesn't have anything to do with theatre, but why on earth is there a need for a Peace Frogs store? The economy is bad, however we'll revive it by buying t-shirts whose popularity peaked in 1997 - when Elyse was frequenting the Peace Frogs kiosk and Annie was wearing a ridiculous amount of denim Bugs Bunny shirts from the Warner Bros. Store, both at Regency Mall (speaking of popularity peaking in 1997...). </div><div><br /></div><div>And speaking of frogs who promote peace, Mom recently stumbled upon the cutest song on the Sirius Broadway channel. It's from <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">The Little Mermaid </span>on Broadway and is definitely worth 99 cents. It's called "She's in Love" and is sung by Flounder (who we now have a crush on and who we think sounds a ridiculous amount like Eric Pastore) and Ariel's sisters. Try to spot the Sutton wannabe. We just know we really want to get a group of girls - um, and Eric - to sing this with us. Harmonies - love them!</div><div><br /></div><div>Summer shows, summer shows! There are so many going on. We saw the <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">Millie </span>IDR and are excited to talk about it. And we're randomly hearing about shows that we want to see! For example, today at Baker's Crust our waitress looked vaguely familiar. Finally Elyse said, "Did Robyn O'Neill take her headshot?" And that's how we recognized her, from Robyn's <a href="http://robynoneill.com/">site</a>! So Annie asked her if she was an actor and if Robyn had in fact taken her headshot and she said yes- and also looked at Annie like she was a bit of a stalker. Her name is Alison Haracznak and she's going to be in <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">Aloha, Say the Pretty Girls</span>, a Night Live Collective production. We just looked at their <a href="http://nightlightcollective.blogspot.com/">blog</a> and hopefully we'll be able to check it out. She brought out our roasted chicken grinders with only mayo, chicken, and bread perfectly, so just for that we want to go out there and support her! Mayo, chicken, and bread- we choose to only eat the healthy parts of the sandwich. We were too embarrassed to tell her to hold the chicken.</div><div><br /></div><div>Stay tuned for our two-cents on <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">Millie</span>, Busch Gardens, Wintergreen, and <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">Chess</span>. </div>Annie's Blogshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13135515602704227498noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5202861523634353776.post-48050760606046011202009-06-14T23:28:00.007-04:002009-06-14T23:53:03.417-04:00Elyse with an SYou know how much we love Liza, and her performance in the opening number of the Tony Awards really was something. We made a video to pay homage to this legendary performer and her legendary performance. Watch the original first - she comes in at 2:03 of this <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EWhK0hvGfIs">video</a>. Seriously, watch this first. It's worth it.<br /><br />Now watch this. It's even more worth it. Elyse is playing Liza. Annie's playing Anne Hathaway.<br /><br /><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dyrPXFyt4kMF8pXpGPEHpG6Ndt50rO5VBLXjGQYQIjWWykbOV-I-JzzNRLNtDjAHTaWdk7DQMCeM90wc1mQzw' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe>Annie's Blogshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13135515602704227498noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5202861523634353776.post-77051217968535092822009-06-12T14:04:00.005-04:002009-06-12T16:39:59.528-04:00Allison Janney Down the OctaveLast weekend we were lucky enough to see Dolly Parton's <span style="FONT-STYLE: italic">9 to 5. </span>And we mean lucky enough. It was so great and fun! After crying through the last two shows we saw- <em>Hair </em>and <em>Next to Normal</em>- this was a nice change. We were really sad our mom couldn't see it with us, though, because it involves everything she loves: Dolly Parton, country music, Allison Janney, and feminism. If the show had somehow involved gourmet mints then she would have been a producer.<br /><br />Megan Hilty, Stephanie J. Block, and Allison Janney made the most perfect trio. Megan Hilty literally looked, sounded, and acted <span style="FONT-STYLE: italic">exactly </span>like Dolly Parton which was incredible. And made us really jealous. Stephanie J. Block had the most awesome <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m5bhqUun1yI">strong, single woman song</a> that blew us away. And Allison Janney is just too much. She's hilarious and so real onstage and she really knows how to hold her alto harmony. After the show Elyse said, "We can be like the three of them!" And our friend Chris said, "Yeah! Elyse, you would be Megan Hilty because she's the one with the big boobs, I would be Allison Janney because she's the gay one, and Annie would be Stephanie J. Block because she's the Jewish one." ...Okay. Is that not an amazing quote?<br /><br />There were only three things we didn't like about the show. First, we didn't like that they had the same video screen backdrop thing as <span style="FONT-STYLE: italic">Guys and Dolls </span>did during their <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bmnMCpKGMZw">Tony performance</a>. Second, we didn't really like the choreography. It was done by the same guy who did <span style="FONT-STYLE: italic">In the Heights. </span>Okay. His choreography is PERFECT for those of us from Washington Heights. However, there's only but so much popping and locking that needs to be done to country music in a suburban workplace in the 1970s. Just sayin'. Third, Marc Kudisch is really really bowlegged and it weirded Elyse out. Annie and Chris didn't even notice it. BUT she was right! Conrad Birdie himself knows he's <a href="http://www3.timeoutny.com/newyork/upstaged/2009/05/ask-a-tony-nominee-marc-kudisch/">bowlegged</a>. And now Elyse feels kind of bad for being so freaked.<br /><br />All in all we absolutely loved the show and are most definitely seeing it again with our mom in tow. So if you're in New York and want to see something which doesn't make you cry and boasts three amazing girls, opt for this. And speaking of Marc Kudisch, have y'all watched the Broadway.com interview with Gavin Creel, Sutton Foster, and Marc Kudisch at Ruby Foo's? It's a 30 minute interview that is totally worth it to watch just to see what they're like in real life. Our verdict? Eh, we'll pass.Annie's Blogshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13135515602704227498noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5202861523634353776.post-50700558227383185802009-06-11T15:49:00.003-04:002009-06-11T16:58:30.101-04:00We are Speechless....ok not speechless enough to not write a few sentences. Kid you not, just two days ago a commercial came on for Zack Morris's new show, and we were talking about how he's aged. And how adorable Zack Morris was and what a pop icon he is. And literally, there he is. Looking and sounding exactly the same! Eeeeeeee!<br /><script src="http://widgets.nbc.com/o/4727a250e66f9723/4a315fce80c7cbb6/4727a250e66f9723/8b38be1f/widget.js" type="text/javascript"></script><br /><div style="MARGIN-TOP: 3px; FONT: 10px arial; WIDTH: 300px"><a href="http://www.nbc.com/Video/library/" target="_blank">Video Recaps</a> <a href="http://www.nbc.com/Video/library/full-episodes/" target="_blank">Full Episodes</a> <a href="http://www.nbc.com/Video/library/webisodes/" target="_blank">Webisodes</a></div>Annie's Blogshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13135515602704227498noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5202861523634353776.post-83033922872245337262009-06-10T15:06:00.009-04:002009-06-11T11:39:59.363-04:00Minky and Co.We have no shame when it comes to talking about how much we love our pets. Why would we? We know we're destined to become crazy cat ladies. Have you seen Annie's cat Minky's headshot album on Facebook? If not, it's definitely worth checking out. You know what else is worth checking out? The <a href="http://www.dailypuppy.com/">Daily Puppy</a>. Seriously, it will put you in such a good mood when you're at work. Not only are there adorable pictures of puppies, but also incredibly bizarre comments that people write about the puppies: "Scootchin inna grass like only a Boxer can do. Thank you for keeping their ears natural."<br /><br />Anyway, because Annie is in NY with Minky, Elyse and mom get about 20 texts a day with pictures of Minky posing. Dad would get them, too, but he still doesn't know how to send a text, much less open a picture. Last night, Annie sent this picture of Minky laying down on a binder of Annie's sheet music:<br /><p><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5345780678922890338" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrFFhQRG4KC9ly4Fg6UjkeEbwRJ0y_T91fF12pPUmFd_WPlpv1OAxD_HYmwWW80gpXSFYHSf8Gd6dr_9MeJ-cj1F_mdKZcg29pkwhl0sB6psgmSxGqAfcDo-fV7-uM7uKKVhPJD_pfflk/s400/Minky..jpg" border="0" /></p><p>This was the text sent with the picture (from Minky): "What should I sing for my audition? Eh, I'll sleep on it."</p><p>Anyone else think we have a potential career on our hands in theatre greeting cards? Anyone? No one. Thanks for indulging us when we put up cute pictures of our pets. You've seen Buddy and Minky but you have yet to see Blinkin' and Maeby. Oh, you will. In due time... in due time.</p><p>Wow, SPARC news is pretty big-time isn't it? Maybe we'll hear more about it soon. Both of us did SPARC- for about a day- but we know how nice Jennie is and we wish them all the best. </p>Annie's Blogshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13135515602704227498noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5202861523634353776.post-35392181133410033472009-06-08T19:28:00.007-04:002009-06-09T11:53:16.187-04:00News Feed<span class="Apple-style-span" style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold"><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="FONT-WEIGHT: normal">Ah, the Tony Awards. We all love 'em, and we all love to talk about 'em. And what better way to share your thoughts and feelings than by changing your Facebook status during every single commercial break... and every time an award is given to a play. You theatre people out there had a lot to say. Here are some noteworthy statuses- stati?- and the comments we never left on your wall.</span></div><br /><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="FONT-WEIGHT: normal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">Michael Hawke </span>what's with the touring shows on the TONY'S???</span><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="FONT-WEIGHT: normal">- Elyse and Annie: Oh, Michael Hawke. Thank you for your 50 status changes throughout the night. Aren't you glad you're getting a shout-out on our blog? Anyway, we totally agree with this comment, and we also appreciate the three question marks. But seriously, what WAS with them? And more importantly, what was with their costume choices? The three <span class="Apple-style-span" style="FONT-STYLE: italic">Mamma Mia </span>women were backed up by H&M's entire island collection, circa 1998.</span></div></span><br /><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">Emma Orelove </span>WATCHING the Tony's hoping I'll be on that stage someday.</div><div>- Elyse and Annie: Oh, aren't we all. Even our cat Minky. And every kid who did All-County Chorus in 5th grade. We feel like for the two of us, it would be a miracle if we were lucky enough to be the guy who ran Titus Burgess's microphone onstage. Unfortunately, knowing us, we'd run into the fly that was being dropped on our way offstage. </div><br /><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">Keith Chadwick </span>Bret Michaels almost got decapitated on the Tonys. How did NONE of us catch this tonight? (For the record getting hit by a set piece coming in from the fly is my biggest theatre fear).<br />- Elyse and Annie: THAT'S your biggest theatre fear, Mr. Chadwick? Listen to this. We were in a show once and knew this stagehand who was always trying to scare us, telling us something about our hands and our eyes. He was kind of an ass. Anyway, one time we were getting ready to go onstage when all of a sudden the backdrop lifted and the stagehand's CORPSE was hanging from the rafters. THAT. Keith. Is what you should be afraid of. </div><br /><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">Beth Sinnenberg > Amy Farley </span>Your "Rockin the Boat" rocked...Broadway...not so good...go Amy</div><div>- Elyse and Annie: We couldn't agree with you more Beth! Once again, we contend that Amy Farley is a directorial and choreographical (not a word, thank you squiggly red line) genius. Rolling church benches that turn into makeshift boats? Amazing. </div><br /><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">Joshua Burns </span>Did anyone see the woman in the red dress with the heaving breasts on stage at the Tonys...um, not pretty, cover those up yo!</div><div>- Elyse and Annie: Oh my gosh! Yes! It was Gregory Jbara's wife who he pulled onstage for his acceptance speech in a sweet, romantic, husbandly gesture. But man. They were heaving. All of the bored husbands whose wives made them watch the Tony Awards at that moment became interested in musical theatre. </div><br /><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">Jason Marks </span>wants to know why Alice Ripley just yelled at me, and all of America.<br />- Elyse and Annie: That's HILARIOUS. She apparently wanted to make sure people could hear her speech because she could barely hear any of them all night. Frankly, Alice Ripley could have yelled her speech in Pig Latin and we still would have been so freaking excited for her. In fact, hearing Alice Ripley give a loud speech in Pig Latin probably would be pretty awesome. Ut bay why idn't day "Ext Nay o tay Ormal Nay" in way the Ony Tay Award or fay Est Bay Usical May? WHEW. That was hard. </div><br /><div>Really, we loved reading everyone's statuses once the Tony's were over. Please let us know if we are breaking any copyright laws by posting and commenting on other people's thoughts. Our people will talk to your people if there's an issue. </div>Annie's Blogshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13135515602704227498noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5202861523634353776.post-5362089831673164572009-06-08T18:29:00.015-04:002009-06-09T12:04:02.114-04:00Bewitched, Bothered, and Bret Michaels<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Well, ladies and gentlemen, last night was the night of all nights. The gay man's Super Bowl. The Tony Awards. Man oh man how excited were we to watch the one awards show a year that we can actually sit through. We were even more excited to turn on NY1 here in the city and see "Live on the Red Carpet". And our excitement faded after one minute when we realized how horrible it was. Tony Awards fashion is definitely not as exciting as Academy Awards fashion. But the night isn't about fashion - it's about incredibly talented artists who can't dress to save their lives (see: Carrie Fisher). And the nominees for Best Featured Bullets in a Blog are...</span><br /><br /><ul><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Let's get the bad over with. The two bad things about the show were the ridiculous choices of musical numbers and horrible sound engineering. Sure, </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="FONT-STYLE: italic"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Shrek </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">isn't the most amazing musical on the block, but they could have picked a much better number. And </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="FONT-STYLE: italic"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Billy Elliot </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">should have picked a different song, as well. We haven't seen the show yet, but judging from that one performance, we would say that </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="FONT-STYLE: italic"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Next to Normal </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">kind of got robbed. And all the sound mixing was way off. Thank you alto 2 part... and Jennifer Cody.</span></li><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">The first go round we completely missed Bret Michaels getting </span><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WIlnMk4VBWY"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">clotheslined</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> during the big opening number. Then we watched the video over and over. We don't necessarily think him falling is funny, but we think the fact that Stockard Channing completely has no idea what's going on is pretty funny.</span><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"></span></li><li>Of course we had a lot of fun watching the <span class="Apple-style-span" style="FONT-STYLE: italic">Rock of Ages </span>performance. How cool was it that people in the audience had lights? And we will never stop loving Amy Spanger. But what we loved the most about this performance was the ridiculous camera angle at the end of the song. Did anyone else notice?? Hello crotch shot. </li><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">How about that </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="FONT-STYLE: italic"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Guys and Dolls </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">backdrop, eh? It reminded us of the national tour of </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="FONT-STYLE: italic"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Starlight Express. </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">And that should never be an association made with a Broadway show. </span></li><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">The opening number was amazing. That was the first time we cried last night. Other times included Karen Olivo's speech, </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="FONT-STYLE: italic"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Next to Normal</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">'s performance, the "In Memoriam" presentation, and when we ran out of bean dip. </span></li><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">We're so glad the Tony Awards weren't hosted by Hugh Jackman. And of course we loved Neil Patrick Harris's final song that was written by the hilarious South Park guys, Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman. Does anyone else think Neil Patrick Harris and Gavin Creel would make a cute couple? They would have gorgeous kids. Dad? Help?</span></li></ul><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Even though a lot of sound engineers were fired last night, we think the 2009 Tony Awards was very entertaining! Next time let's leave out the touring shows. And get ready for a blog starring YOU guys! That's right, let's see what you all thought of the Tony's! </span><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="FONT-STYLE: italic"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">This blog is dedicated to the valiant man who ran Titus Burgess's microphone onstage when he was in dire need of salvation.</span></span>Annie's Blogshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13135515602704227498noreply@blogger.com4