Funny.

Again, this has nothing to do with theatre, but it is totally worth it. 

My family visited me last weekend because Annie needed to get out of the house, and we were all sitting around in my dorm room not really doing anything. So I turned on the TV and was clicking through the channels, and Titanic was playing on one of them. It was the really pretty scene when the ship is in the port and it pans across and you see the ship and all the people on the harbor, etc. you know? And then Dad proceeds to ask, "Oh, Titanic - is this the beginning of the movie or the end?" 

Hilarious.

...Too soon?

Muppet Update... Muppdate!

We have a confession to make. We are obsessed with the Muppets. As in, are in love with them, literally. On our way to preschool, our mom would talk in various cartoon and puppet voices (her claim-to-fame was her Elmo impression), and on special days, she would talk like Gonzo to Annie. And Annie literally would get nervous, her cheeks would turn red, and she, in her three year-old voice, would respond, "Oh, Gonzo!" So yeah, we're obsessed.

So, are we allowed to talk about the Muppets on a theatre/Richmond theatre/musical theatre/what is-this-blog-exactly blog? Um, YES. And if you want to fight us on this one, bring. It. On.

There's really only one point we can make to defend the fact that a Muppdate deserves to be on this blog. Four words: A Muppet Christmas Carol. This holiday gem- or year-round, if you're us- seriously has one of the best scores ever. Okay, well maybe not ever, but it seriously has a great soundtrack. "One More Sleep 'Til Christmas," "It Feels Like Christmas", and "Thankful Heart" get us every time. And who could forget the time the Steingolds printed out the lyrics to the song, "Bless Us All", and had every family member take turns reading the lyrics at the Thanksgiving table? In short, if you haven't seen this movie, please do, just for the music.

The main reason we're writing this blog is to show a really awesome and interesting article that was in the New York Times a few weeks ago. Basically, the Muppets are BACK! One point we found really interesting is that there will be a feature film coming out somewhat soon (the first since 1999!) and it will be written by Jason Segel, who was the star and writer of the movie Forgetting Sarah Marshall. Cool, huh? We're so excited.

Yet another random post, but it's definitely an article worth reading. And on a completely different note, we'd like to bring up a question that's asked of us a lot, which is whether or not we see plays. And the answer is yes! In fact, just last night Annie and her mom went to see the reading of Dead Man's Cell Phone in the B-dale's lobby. Thoughts on that later. But we do admit that we need to see plays more often and not constantly resort to singing and dancing. Musical theatre will always be our first love, but we will definitely make an effort to see plays (by the way, don't you totally turn into snob mode when people call "musicals" "plays"?). Annie is still waiting for her mouth to be un-shut, so until then, she's doing a lot of things that involve not talking- a.k.a. watching shows. So if there's any play in particular that you think she should see, let us know. She's up for anything.

Read the Muppet article. Oh, and who can forget "Rainbow Connection", perhaps one of the best songs ever written? "Someday we'll find it, the rainbow connection, the lovers, the dreamers, and me."

Great, now we're crying.

Bedtime Story

This is just a funny story that explains how two sisters came to love theatre.

Once upon a time, there were two sisters who needed to get their father a Christmas present. Sure, they were Jewish, but they preferred opening their presents on Christmas morning because it was exciting. So, they searched and searched and finally settled upon 2 wonderful gifts: a Dave Matthew's Band CD and a Bruce Springsteen CD. So Christmas morning came and the sisters excitedly watched him open his presents. He looked at them and exuberantly thanked them for the gift. He then added to the end of his thank-you speech, "You two wouldn't mind if I traded these for a couple others would you?" "Of course not, Daddy," they replied. The next day, their father came home with the Original Broadway Cast Recordings of Hair and Phantom of the Opera. And they all lived happily, and theatrically, ever after...

...To be continued. Just kidding. We aren't the narrator in Into the Woods. 

You're welcome. 

Exciting New Banner!

Annie and Elyse are excited to announce that tomorrow will be the debut of their completely new banner! We mean business, folks. Now that we're gettin' an official/professional/adorable new look, you won't be gettin' rid of us for quite some time! Although you will be gettin' rid of most of the g's at the ends of words. Just sayin'. 

Sporadic Obsession

Hey guys, so I know the blog's been a little weird. Our situations aren't optimal for writing compelling posts about Richmond theatre. One of us isn't in Richmond at all and the other one has her mouth wired shut. Which leads me to today's Sporadic Obsession: Camp.

I know we've mentioned it before in the blog, but seriously, everyone MUST see this movie if they haven't already. Even if you didn't go the a performing arts camp (I totally thought I was sweet when I first saw the movie and I was obnoxiously like "Hey, hey guys. Hey, hey listen to me, you know what's funny? Is this is EXACTLY how it is! Like, you know totally that's how it is at performing arts camps! Like. I know that. Because I just got back from French Woods. So like I understand every joke and have lived it."), it's still hi-larious and totally relevant for anyone who loves theatre. 

"Turkey Lurkey Time" is totally our favorite part of the movie. And, yes, Annie and I have learned the choreography and would be happy to perform it for you upon request. 

So one of the character's mouths is wired shut and at one point someone asks her what she was drinking and she says "chicken broth" but it comes out sounding like "chicken brush." And tonight when I asked Annie what she was eating she totally said "chicken brush." It was hilarious for me. I just hope that when her mouth is finally un-wired she will soulfully belt out "Here's Where I Stand" with my mom in tears nodding at her encouragingly with a closed-mouth smile. And I'll be the way-too-into-it piano player. 

Bernie Telsey STILL Wearing Big Glasses

Yes, folks, there are more "Legally Brown" episodes. Thank goodness. And can we just talk for one second about how much I freaking love Allison Janney? Remember that Tom Hanks speech I talked about composing while I was recovering from my surgery? Well, next time I go under the knife, guess who I'm writing about? If you don't know what I'm talking about, read all the comments and see if you can find it. And while you're at it, go ahead and leave a comment yourself, as well! No one answered Annie's question about (ironically) the name Annie. I could only think of two.

R.I.P. Broadway Greats

It's been a sad couple of weeks on Broadway. It's ridiculous how many shows have announced their closing dates. Xanadu just closed (Shocker? Not really, but still sad because we heart Kerry Butler and Cheyenne Jackson), Legally Blonde will close October 19th, [title of show] will close October 12th, and Hairspray is closing in January. So. Sad.

But everyone should go see the Legally Blonde tour at the Kennedy Center on December 16th because that's when the Steingold's are seeing it! And you know that ought to be fun. Loads of it. Loads of fun.