Flashback – Newsies #8

 

Originally, when I started posting Flashback posts, I wanted to rehash all 16 Newsies performances that I have seen. I quickly realized that it would be overkill for my blog, for me, and for anyone crazy enough to try to read all of my posts. So I decided I would just get through what I could, and I’d share more the week before my one year anniversary (which better happen, Disney. Why are you only selling tickets through March 17th? March 28th is not all that far off, AND then you’d have a year run under your belt. Whatever, though. I’m not complaining).

At any rate, I only got to my 8th performance. Which means I’ve only shown you half of the performances that I’ve seen since my first time. Which is convenient for a couple of reasons.

1. I’m pretty sure I’ve officially shared all of my stage door pictures with you guys. Which is good, right?
2. These were the performances that I didn’t always write a blog post for, so that means that you have now gotten a little taste of every Newsies show I’ve seen.
3. My eighth time seeing Newsies was July 2, 2012.

To those of you who aren’t a “Newsies Stalker” (thanks, Mommy) or, as the cast calls me, an “Ultimate Fansie” (I knew I liked you guys for a reason), July 2nd is a very important date in Newsies the Musical history. It’s the first time that Jeremy Jordan DID NOT GO ON AS JACK KELLY.

WHAT!?!?! I know. You’re probably still confused. It also marks Brendon Stimson’s Jack Kelly debut. Since today is his birthday, that’s a pretty interesting coincidence, right? The last show I share with you in honor of my 6 month Newsieversary is the one where today’s birthday boy made his Jack Kelly debut.

It gets better. My first time seeing the show, 6 months ago, was also a special day in Newsies the Musical history. Why? Because Kara Lindsay (who plays Katherine Plumber) did not, in fact, perform on March 28th. Her understudy, Laurie Veldheer, went on without a put-in-rehearsal for the Broadway show under her belt.

That’s enough of the fun facts, I think.

Time for some picture flashbacks!!!

 

Newsies September 4, 2012

In true Fansie fashion, I went to see Jeremy Jordan’s last show with Newsies, and it was amazing. He really brought a lot to the character, and I will miss him and his charming Newsie accent.

I wish Jeremy all the best with Smash! I can’t wait to see his “Brooklyn-born singer with a self-destructive streak” wow the rest of the world. Maybe he’ll even break out the Newsie accent for a little while…

Corey Cott Hits Broadway: August 8, 2012

August 8, 2012. Trust me, people, it’s a day to remember. It’s a day that a very recent Carnegie Mellon graduate made his Broadway début. If you know who I am talking about, I’m proud of you! If you don’t, learn this name:

COREY COTT

Got it? Good. Don’t forget it, because this guy is going to make huge waves on Broadway and in the acting world in general. He’s already started with his heart wrenching rendition of Santa Fé.

Let me tell you about my discovery of this amazing young man. See, the first time I saw him was August 2, 2012 at Newsies Softball. My first interaction with him was that same day, and actually happened before I even saw him.

He was warming up with the rest of the Newsies behind the stands, and he hit a softball…which then hit me in the head (no serious damage done…I grew up playing sports). Of course, he was a gentleman and apologized profusely, but I was on the phone with a friend who was coming to meet me, so I brushed it off like it was no big deal (because, well, it wasn’t).

Anyway, just under a week later, this charming young man made his Broadway début in Newsies, performing as Jack Kelly. His début was the matinée, which I didn’t get to go to (I was a Jersey Boys with another fansie), but I did make it to the evening show that night, when he also performed.

Can I just say that this guy is great? When he was on stage, he wasn’t an actor playing Jack Kelly. He was Jack Kelly, Newsie extraordinaire and blow-hard of the Newsies Union. He sang each song perfectly, and I felt so many emotions as he performed. Basically, Corey takes the things I loved about Christian Bale’s Jack Kelly and the things I loved about Jeremy Jordan’s Jack Kelly and combines them to make Jack Kelly.

In addition to being an amazing actor, this guy is very down to earth and is right there with all the other Newsies at the stage door. He’s such a sweetheart to each of his fans, and you can tell that he is genuinely appreciative of them being there and supporting him.

I’m glad I know who this guy is, and I’m excited to see him in Newsies many more times!

I’m really glad that Corey Cott is Jack Kelly!!!

My Last Night in NYC

Last wednesday was my last day in NYC for he next two and a half weeks. We’re down to just two weeks now, and I still haven’t told you guys what I decide to do on my last night in the city.

Honestly, most of you probably already know what I did, because I think at least 70% of my readers follow me on twitter. The other 30% is a collection of family, friends, and other WordPress users who don’t follow me on twitter. (comment below and tell me which you are! 😊)
Anyway, for those of you still interested in this story, I asked “What do I want to do on my last night in NYC?” I don’t know why I even wasted the time asking. Everyone (and I dI in fact mean everyone. Even the Newsies cast members and security and merchandising) knows exactly what my answer was.

NEWSIES!

Yes, that’s right. I wanted to leave NYC on a high note, so of course I would have to see Newsies. I invited a friend’s sister to tag along, and she did, so I wasn’t alone.

Of course, most of Wednesday was spent putting the finishing touches on my room and my packing. With the anticipation of seeing Newsies, though, I was done packing really early, and had an hour to spare before I could even check in for my Southwest flight.

Side note: Why is it that time drags on when something exciting is coming up? We really need to figure this out.

 

Of course, since I was done packing early, I was ready to leave early, because I had so much extra time to get ready. So I headed out, hoping that spending some time on the subway would mellow me out and calm me down. It didn’t.

I was still a hyper mess when I got to Times Square, but I resisted the urge to go straight to the theatre. It was barely 4:15pm. The matinee wasn’t even over yet.

I had recently been upgraded to a Starbucks Gold Card Member, so I thought I’d work at maintaining that privilege. That stalled me for about 15 minutes. I don’t think I’ve ever been so grateful for a long line before.

I walked past the theatre again, only to see that the show finally had been let out, and there was a huge crowd of people waiting for autographs. I was able to take a picture of one family under the sign, which was actually really exciting. It’s the only picture they have in NYC of all three of them! I talked to them about Broadway a little bit, and then they left to catch a dinner reservation.

I wandered back and forth along the street for a bit and then I settled myself at the front of the SRO line to wait for Anthea to arrive and the lotto to happen.

As it turns out, I didn’t need to get in that line. My name was called! I won lotto tickets! And a couple guys from the show saw that I won lotto tickets and gave me thumbs up!

Anthea and I went to Schnipper’s to get dinner before the show, and it was absolutely delicious! I definitely want to go back there soon. It was so good!!!

Anthea and I were the first people in the theatre, and we got all settled and really enjoyed the show from out 4th row seats! SO AWESOME! We even got to move over three seats for the second half. The show was amazing as always, but the best part was the curtain call.

Everything went very smoothly until Jeremy came out. He slipped a slid feet first, rolled himself over and stood up to continue running to the center of the stage. He played it off very well as if nothing had gone wrong, but a couple of the guys (Jeremy included) had huge grins on their faces. They were definitely getting a kick out of the fact that Jeremy ate it on stage.

After the show, I stage doored as always, and took pictures with a couple of the guys. I had everyone who came out sign a white Ivy Cap (similar to a Newsies hat) that I had to commemorate my 10th show.

NOTE: Pictures will be posted, but I forgot my cord to connect my camera to my computer…so it’ll have to wait!! 

UPDATE: See the stage door pictures by clicking here.

Farewell NYC, See Ya in 18 Days!

Today is tragically sad and awesomely happy. Today is the day I leave NYC, hence the tragically sad. Today is also the day I go back to California to visit family and friends before heading to Chicago for Orientation, which makes it awesome.

Over the past several months of living in NYC, I have realized that I really like it here. I REALLY LIKE IT. I sort of knew that I would, but I was still surprised at how much happier I am in big city NYC. Now, I do have, as Jack Kelly (always have to have a Newsies reference) says, a big strong door to lock it out. But I think I’d even like it if I didn’t and struggled more. NYC has so much life, and so much diversity. There’s always something going on, and I never really feel bored except when I make myself stay home and get chores done. And then I’m bored because I’m all worn out from doing stuff all day that I don’t have the energy to leave at night. Also, the 1 hour+ subway ride is far from fun late at night.

I love the theatre district (aka Times Square). I love the 86th street, Lexington Ave area. I love Central Park. I love the East Village and Greenwich Village. I love Hell’s Kitchen. New York is filled with all of these wonderful things that I like.

NYC has Schmackary’s, aka the best cookies in the world despite my student’s claims that Insomnia has the best cookies. Schmakary’s is delicious and not too expensive. They have cookies and cream cookies. They have ice cold milk. They make ice cream sandwiches out of the cookies right in front of you if you want one.

NYC also has Newsies The Musical on Broadway. And I can go see the show whenever I want for a mere $30. Even if Newsies were to go on tour, that wouldn’t be the case anywhere else in the world. Now, most of you probably understand the importance of Newsies being in NYC for me. I’ve been waiting for this musical ALL MY LIFE. I loved the movie, and dreamed of the day it would finally be on stage. I move out to NYC for my volunteer program, and suddenly it is. My dreams are coming true. I love every single cast member in this show. Anytime I try to figure out who my favorites are, I suddenly end up with a list in alphabetical order of some 36 different people (there are 36 people in the cast). I love seeing the show no matter who’s on. I get excited when I get to see Jack Scott and Michael Fatica go on. I hope I will one day be able to see Caitlyn Caughell go on. I regret that I never got to see Maddy Trumble go on. Basically, Newsies is a happy place for me. I get days of happiness out of a few hours in the theatre.

NYC has lots of delicious ethnic food, and I can go try it whenever I want. Sometimes its hard to find someone to go with me, but I love that the option is there.

I love that I can go to Central Park and wander around for hours or sit and watch softball.

I love NYC.

Sometimes, I miss home. I miss small-town Petaluma, CA. I miss my sisters. I miss my parents. I miss my grandparent I miss my aunts, my uncles, my cousins. Sometimes, I miss college. I miss smaller Moraga, CA. I miss my friends. I miss my professors. I miss my jobs. I miss my classes. I miss the campus. But I don’t want to go back to either of these places forever. Not that I want to stay in NYC forever, either. I don’t know about that yet. But what I do know is that as much as I love my family, and as muchas I enjoyed my college experience, I’ve moved on for now. I definitely want to go back and visit them. I want to spend time with them, and remember my college experiences, but I’m not the person I was when I left California a year ago. A lot has changed. I’ve had some pretty crazy experiences. I’ve grown a lot. I’ve developed different ideas and passions.

So leaving NYC is sad for me. At the same time, it’s exciting because I get to go home and visit with everyone and tell them all about my life, which for sure makes them really happy. But when I leave NYC, I leave a little part of my heart here, in this big city that never sleeps, with the intention of coming back for it at some point.

This time, I’ll be back in 18 days. Yes. I started my countdown before I even left the city. I’ve been watching for a few weeks how long it would be until I’d be back in NYC. That’s how much I love it here. That’s how happy I am here, and that’s why leaving is such sweet sorrow.

Until then, NYC will be down one small person, and probably won’t even notice. But that’s okay, because I’ve got at least another year to make a real name for myself here, and I want it to be a good one.

So, NYC, I bid you adieux!

 

Related articles

• My Volunteer Story (stephanieisms.wordpress.com)
• My Newsies Gift! (aka the most exciting night of my life) (stephanieisms.wordpress.com)
• Newsies and The TRL Generation: Broadway Sings the 90s (stephanieisms.wordpress.com)
• Two Broadway Show Day (Phantom & Newsies) (stephanieisms.wordpress.com)
• Brendon Stimson Is Jack Kelly (stephanieisms.wordpress.com)

Five Fabulous Friday Favorites! (July 6, 2012)

Here’s a list of some favorite things from the past week!

Favorite Fourth of July Treats:

Favorite Fruit (double entendre for a few people):

There are only four people who will get the double meaning of this…

Favorite Moment:

I don’t really have any photos of this or anything, but on Monday (as many of you know) Brendon Stimson made his Jack Kelly debut, and I went to go see it for many reasons, including the fact that I met his mom in Times Square and she talked about how she hoped Brendon would get to go on one day. Well, he did, and he was phenomenal, as I’ve said before. But my favorite moment was when he came out of the stage door that night, and when he saw me he said “Hey Steph, how’s it going?” which pretty much sealed the deal on that performance being the most memorable one.

Favorite Smile:

Isaac’s Live Lip-Dub Proposal is adorable. It brings happy tears to my eyes.

Favorite YouTube Video:

This video is just plain amazing, but Ben Fankhauser and Andrew Keenan-Bolger might be my favorites in it. I think Ben is actually singing about Andrew

Hope you enjoyed! Share your Friday Favorites in the comments below!!! Thanks all!

Related articles

• Brendon Stimson Is Jack Kelly (stephanieisms.wordpress.com)
• Five Fabulous Friday Favorites! (June 22, 2012) (stephanieisms.wordpress.com)
• Five Fabulous Friday Favorites! (June 8, 2012) (stephanieisms.wordpress.com)
• Five Fabulous Friday Favorites! (June 1, 2012) (stephanieisms.wordpress.com)

Brendon Stimson Is Jack Kelly

Many of my friends know that after last Saturday (which you read about yesterday), the next time I was going to see Newsies wasn’t until Sunday, July 8 with Gigi (Twitter friends and fellow Fansie). Many of you also know that one little tweet from Jeremy Jordan yesterday changed all of that:

Come anyway? Psh. I wasn’t planning on coming, but you better believe I’ll be getting a ticket into this show one way or another.

The second I heard Brendon Stimson was going on as Jack, I was ready to run to the theatre, and it was barely 1pm when I found out. I couldn’t believe it. I’ve wanted to see him as Jack Kelly since I found out he was the understudy (not that I don’t love Jeremy Jordan, because I do, but I love Brendon’s acting. When he’s Oscar, I’m scared of him and don’t like his character, but when he’s out there as a Newsie, I’m in love with the adorable Ike. He’s that good). The desire was only heightened a few weeks later when I met Brendon’s mom in Times Square (What are the odds, right?), and got to talk to her about her son and how he would hopefully get to go on as Jack Kelly at some point.

Brendon’s Mom and I in the Disney Store Times Square     April 10, 2012

So of course, when I saw Jeremy’s tweet, I knew I was going to need to see the show. And then my twitter feed was just getting filled with more and more comments about Brendon being in the show, and I just kept getting more excited. I got to the theatre around 4:45 and went straight to the lotto guys and asked if I could start the standing room only line. They laughed and said yes, and followed me out to let everyone in the extremely long lotto line know I wasn’t cutting them.

I was anxious waiting there. I was pretty sure I wasn’t going to win, but I was also pretty sure that I was going to get a SRO ticket because the show was sold out on Ticketmaster. I just wanted to get a ticket in my hand. While waiting, I think I told everyone about how Brendon was going on as Jack Kelly, and how excited I was about it. Basically, some random 30-odd people who were waiting to get lotto and standing-room only tickets found out that I wanted to see Brendon as Jack Kelly. Some of them even asked if I was worried about hyping it up too much for myself (I suppose they had a point, but I ignored them).

After the excruciatingly long lotto drawing where I did indeed lose, the standing room only crowd got to move forward to buy tickets. As I was at the front of the line, the ticketing guy saw me first, and recognized me. He asked if I’d managed to find Nelson (I had), and gave me my ticket and change, and said to enjoy the show.

I then went outside to catch up with the lotto guys to get a picture with them, since I see them so often, it only seemed right to capture the moment (FINALLY):

The Newsies Lotto Guys and I

As the realization of having a ticket to see Brendon as Jack Kelly hit me, I saw Jack Scott and Kara Lindsay approach the theatre. I asked them if they could stop for a minute because I had managed to track down a copy of his trading card and wanted him to sign it. While that was happening, I told them I heard Brendon was playing Jack tonight, and that I rushed to the theatre to get a ticket to see him.

After they entered the theatre, I let myself react to having a ticket in my hand. I was definitely crying tears of joy, and I could feel all these wonderful emotions welling up inside of me. I had so much energy, I wanted to do some of the Newsies’ dances, but as I can’t dance (quite literally), I settled for walking laps around the theatre’s block for the next hour.

When I noticed Nelson, I went up and gave him a hug and said thank you for Saturday again. He asked if I was seeing the show, and I told him that I heard Brendon was going to be Jack Kelly tonight, so I had to see the show, and then Brady walked by and said that I couldn’t possibly be seeing the show. Once again, I told him I was there to see Brendon.

At this point, you can see that I was in fact truly excited about this. It’s quite possible that I was more excited to see Brendon play the role of Jack Kelly that I was before first seeing the show.

My “I get to see Brendon as Jack Kelly!” Tweet

At any rate, my excitement was justified. The show was amazing. Sure there were a couple of mistakes, but I forgot that that wasn’t how the show was supposed to go because Brendon was such a professional on the stage. For example, his first time meeting Katherine, he’s supposed to be fully dressed already. There were some, uh, difficulties getting the shirt on in time, but if you didn’t already know that (and even if you did), you didn’t notice that it was off until you relived the show on the subway ride home. He really did a great job during every single part of his performance.

Brendon’s performance was so beautiful, I literally cried during the entire show. My eyes were sparkling and I could not stop smiling. He truly commanded the audience’s attention when he was on stage. And his singing was so wonderful! I was surprised to find that I loved him singing “I Never Planned On You.” Normally, I like the song, but I don’t swoon during it. I did some hardcore swooning with Brendon singing that song. Also, his facial expressions were perfect during every single song. “Santa Fe” caused my heart to break. He did such a good job tapping into the emotions there. He matched Jeremy’s skill in that song every step of the way. I loved “Watch What Happens (Reprise),” which I always do, and Brendon definitely brought something a little different to the table with that one. And of course, “Something to Believe In” caused my heart to melt. It was so beautiful and gorgeous. I couldn’t believe it. I was stunned and  ridiculously happy and overjoyed.

I’ll definitely be on a high from this show at least until the next time I see it (Sunday July 8!!!). I was so happy and joyful during the stage door experience, and so many people came out (even the elusive Kyle Coffman, who immediately tried to say that he was 2 for 2…it’s 2 for 8, buddy, but since you asked about Jasmine’s video, I’ll let it slide), that it only added to the magic. I got pictures with most of them, which I’ll include below.

The highlight of my night was definitely much simpler than seeing the whole show. It was Brendon’s stage door. He came out, and when he got to me he said “Hey Steph, how’s it going?” He remembered me! Of course, I think I mentioned him in like 20 tweets that night (not really that many), but still. he stopped to talk to me for a minute, and I got a picture with the night’s big star and everything was right in the world. I was officially on Cloud 9, and I don’t plan on getting off anytime soon. Based on Brendon’s tweet, I think he’s feeling the same way:

Brendon’s Post “Jack Kelly” Debut Tweet

Basically, the moral of this post is “Brendon Stimson makes a fantastic Jack Kelly, so if you get the opportunity to see him in this role, JUMP ON IT! It’s totally worth it!!!” Oh, and “If you get front seats to see Brendon Stimson as Jack Kelly, I’m ridiculously jealous of you.”

Newsies Stage Door

Newsies Stage Door

Ryan Breslin

Andrew Keenan-Bolger

Michael Fatica

Jack Scott

Thayne Jasperson

The Elusive Kyle Coffman

Alex Wong

Ephraim Sykes

Andy Richardson

Mike Faist

Evan Kasprzak

Brendon Stimson after his Jack Kelly Debut!

Kara Lindsay asked me what I thought of Brendon’s performance after the show

Matthew J. Schechter

Ben Fankhauser

Jess LeProtto

The Newsies Lotto Guys and I

Brendon’s Mom and I in Times Square – April 10, 2012

Brendon’s Tweet

My “I get to see Brendon as Jack Kelly!” Tweet

Brendon’s Post “Jack Kelly” Debut Tweet

“Don’t Talk to Strangers: Rule or Suggestion?”

I apologize in advanced for this post. It’s something that was on my mind after overhearing a mother say these very words to her son on the subway yesterday, and reading Kristin Chenoweth’s book and all the strange ways we meet people made me really want to say something about it all.

We’ve all heard this rule at some point in our lives. Whether it was directed to us, or we overheard it, we all understand what it means.

Parents say this to their children in the hope that it will keep them safer. If their kids don’t talk to strangers, then it’s less likely that something bad will happen to them. If their kids don’t talk to strangers, they won’t be kidnapped.

Some parents have ingrained this into their children’s heads so much that it makes their kids seem shy. My parents were really adamant about this, for example. I’m pretty sure my mom told us (or at least me) a couple of horror stories about why you shouldn’t talk to strangers.

For years, my siblings and I have always been the quieter ones at parties, even family parties. We didn’t talk to people we didn’t know, and never bothered to break out of the shell of people we knew. Sometimes an aunt or an uncle or a cousin would introduce us to someone new, but it wasn’t something we sought out. I think this might have put some of us at a disadvantage in school and in life.

See the problem with this “rule” is that it is a “rule.” In reality, the words “don’t talk to strangers” should be taken more as advice.

Think about it. If a little kid takes this phrase as law, they will never get to know anyone. They won’t talk to their teacher. They won’t try to get to know other people at the school. They’ll be that poor loner child sitting off in the corner reading a book or playing in the sand.

In Newsies, there is a scene in Medda’s Theatre where Katherine Plumber is sitting in a box taking notes on the performance and Jack Kelly sees her and finds his way up to her. She tries to avoid his advances and curtly states: “I am not in the habit of speaking to strangers.” Jack replies, “You’re gonna make a lousy reporter.”

That’s my point. If we go through life avoiding talking to strangers because of this rule our parents once made, we will never meet anyone. If you never talked to that random girl sitting across from you in the cafeteria at summer camp, she wouldn’t be your best friend today. If you never spoke to that guy who sat next to you in that one college class, you wouldn’t have met your first great love. If you didn’t take a chance on that girl sitting at the bar with her friends, you would never have met the mother of your children.

And so, I firmly believe that it is not “Don’t talk to strangers,” but rather “You shouldn’t talk to strangers, but if you do, be aware and be careful.”