Garett Hawe as Davey in Newsies

 

Many people might know that this show was sort of “thrown” into my schedule. On September 7, Garett asked me when I was seeing the show next and I answered September 28th. By the time the next person asked me when I was seeing the show again, I was answering with September 18. I knew there was no way I could wait three weeks again.

I got home that night and ordered my ticket. I would sit Orchestra Left, B 05, and it would be an amazing view. I was excited, and counting down the days already.

When I got to the theatre, I was flipping through the playbill and “discovered” that one of my wishes would be coming true:

At this performance, the role of Davey will be played by Garett Hawe.

I looked over at my friend, Sydney, and told her straight up that I was going to cry during this show. I was right.

First off, all the new guys are awesome! Nicholas Lampiasi is absolutely adorable, and he and Garett really seemed like brothers. David and Jacob Guzman were great dancers and fit right in. Iain Young shocked me. He did such an amazing job. I’ve always watched the role of Henry because of Jasmine, so I was sure to pay attention to how he did in the role, and I loved it! I was very impressed, and I hope she will be too!

I miss the original Oldsies, but Tom Alan Robbins did a good job stepping in for Kevin (here’s hoping the best Teddy I’ve ever seen gets well soon! Take care of yourself!), and LaVon Fisher-Wilson plays Medda a little harsher and tougher than Capathia did, and it will take me some time to get used to that, but it was good. I look forward to seeing her performance at least a few more times!

But back to the particulars of last night…I did a really good job holding it together watching Garett’s performance. He played the role so well, and I noticed a few subtle things about his performance that I really appreciated. For example, after he first buys his papes, he did a great job copying Corey’s Jack Kelly selling strategies with slightly more obvious looks at Corey on stage than Ben usually uses. Just before the World Will Know, Garett pulled off the change of heart scene for Davey. Still, I was able to hold it together.

Watch What Happens is one of my favorite songs in the show. It’s my go to song anytime I have writer’s block or any time I need to pump myself up, and Kara did not disappoint. I loved watching her performance yet again! And I still wasn’t crying! Yes!!!

And then everything changed. Basically, once Garett started singing Seize the Day, I was a wreck. I was crying and smiling so much (Sydney said that if she didn’t know better she would have thought I was related to him in some way…I think that’s the motherly-side of me. I get that way about people I’m attached to, like Garett and Jack and Brendon and Corey and all of my students).

Garett did such a great job with Seize the Day, you couldn’t help but love his performance! And the Newsies were nailing every step of their dances and the harmonies were exquisite. It was absolutely amazing to watch, and they really did an amazing job. I seriously believe that last night might be one of my favorite performances of Seize the Day EVER! It definitely helped that Jack Scott (who was playing Albert and Bill–Garett’s track) saw me in the seats and threw BOTH of his newspapers directly at me…literally. They were line drives to me (thank goodness I played sports growing up, and was able to catch it without it bouncing into someone else’s lap!). At intermission, I had to ask my friend if she thought that it was supposed to be directly at me, or if I imagined the whole thing.

I clutched my newspaper as I tweeted and caught up on the twitter news during intermission, and then I got to talk to the lovely women sitting next to me. I’m pretty sure I was just added entertainment for them, talking about how amazing the show is and how sweet the cast members are, and I convinced them to stage door after the show!

Of course, the lights flashed and the music began, and the audience was transported back to 1899…I really love King of New York. It’s absolutely fabulous to watch the cast tap away, and they all have so much skill! I loved seeing Kara Lindsay’s timid tap as Katherine, and the Guzman brothers do the first two table solos, followed by Mike’s stunning and glorious nerve tap (it truly fascinates me to no end…I love this part of the show). My other favorite part of King of New York only happens when Garett is playing Albert, because for some reason the way he sings “Nobbin’ with all the muckety-mucks, I’m blowin’ my dough and going deluxe” while crossing to the chair, sitting down, and crossing his legs in mid-air makes me smile. I don’t even bother trying to understand it, I just accept it. It’s wonderful. Jack always does a good job when he plays that role, but that part isn’t as momentous to me when it’s not Garett.

Shortly after King of New York, another of my favorite songs is performed. The reprise of Watch What Happens is such a fun song to sing along with on the recording and it’s a little sassy at times. But there’s that one part (you know, the one all the fansies swoon over because Ben “riffs” it in the backstage rituals YouTube video and annoys Andrew to no end) that has always gotten me (because that part is the most fun to belt, too). And Garett nailed it, and I promptly burst into tears because it was perfect. Thank goodness Sydney was there with me, tossing tissues into my lap every so often.

I got it together for the rest of the show, and then Once and For All started, which is the song I ALWAYS cry during. Every time. Even when I tell myself, “Hey, Stephanie. I have a great idea: let’s not cry tonight? Maybe we can get some pictures where your eyes aren’t red and puffy!”. I can’t help it. I’m even quoted talking about it on Jonathon Mandell’s blog, New York Theater. So of course, the tears started to fall again.

After the show, I got to the stage door and waited patiently, talking to people and reveling in the emotions of the show. Jack Scott was the first one out, and when he got to me, I asked him if I could get a picture with him and the pape he threw me. He laughed and was just as happy about it as I was (well, not really…I was way happier than I can ever say). He apologized for the “line drive” and said that he had seen me in my seat and wanted to make sure I got it!

Jack Scott, Me, and the pape he tossed me. This guy is so nice, and absolutely adorable! (Also…he’s ridiculously talented!!!

Jess LeProtto was there shortly after Jack, and told me he saw me wiping tears away during the show. I guess the guys really can see the first couple of rows of the audience (hopefully, they think I’m a good audience member).

When Garett came out, he gave me a hug and thanked me for the little goodie bag I gave him. I got to congratulate him on an amazing performance, and I had him sign my ticket (which I had Brendon do back on July 2), my playbill, and the newspaper Jack threw me. Then he was sweet enough to  take a picture with me.

Garett Hawe and I! He was a star! And he’s ridiculously inspiring!

Basically, this night is way up there on my list of all-time favorite nights!

 

Five Fabulous Friday Favorites July 13, 2012

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

Favorite Concert Moment:

Can I just say that Garett Hawe and Eric Hatch dancing back-up for Steffanie Leigh’s Britney Poppins was spectacular?

Favorite Lunch Treat:

Sushi with Meagan for my first lunch in CA!!!

Favorite Plane Drink:

My favorite drink to get on an airplane is Ginger Ale (and water of course).

Favorite Summer Video:

This video captures glimpses of Andrew Keenan-Bolger’s summer, but it looks like what everyone wants in a summer experience!

Favorite Twitter Moment:

Garett Hawe favorited my tweet. He’s one of my favorite Newsies, and the “Meet the Newsies – Albert” video is super inspiring. I’ll be watching it all summer.

I was so surprised when Garett favorited this tweet! He is awesome and very inspiring!

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

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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

Newsies Pun Twitter Conversation

Last night, one of the best twitter conversations I have even seen/been a part of happened. I will do my absolute best to transcribe it here, but it all happened so fast…

It all started with a simple, innocent tweet from Jack Scott (@JackJackScott), amazing Newsies Swing:

Of course, being a true Fansie, Jasmine (@immjasmine) was inspired to tweet:

And I encouraged her, saying:

to which she replied:

which resulted in the following conversation happening:

@scarlsen20: @immjasmine I believe in you! You are #SomethingToBelieveIn!!!

@immjasmine: @scarlsen20 okay i gotta #siezetheday

@scarlsen20: @immjasmine and then #WatchWhatHappens

@immjasmine: @scarlsen20 and then I’ll be #kingofnewyork!

@GillyMonka: @immjasmine @scarlsen20 I love this conversation, and #TheWorldWillKnow

@scarlsen20: @immjasmine and that, Jasmine, is #TheBottomLine!

@OfficialGigi: @immjasmine @scarlsen20 Unless you move to #SantaFe Sorry…it needed to contuinue. #FansieProblems

@OfficialGigi: So many Newsies puns on my timeline right now…<3

@scarlsen20: “@OfficialGigi: So many Newsies puns on my timeline right now…<3″ @immjasmine & I are always #CarryingTheBanner

@OfficialGigi: @scarlsen @immjasmine There’s no pun for it, but #BrooklynsHere because that song is genius.

@GillyMonka: @scarlsen20 @OfficialGigi @immjasmine YES <3 #ThatsRich

@immjasmine: @GillyMonka @scarlsen20 @OfficialGigi you guys have so many puns and i just don’t have any so you know what? #watchwhathappensreprise

@GillyMonka: @immjasmine @scarlsen20@OfficialGigi we’re going to get all the puns #OnceAndForAll

@scarlsen20: @immjasmine @gillymonka @officialgigi #INeverPlannedOnYou guys. You make me smile

@immjasmine: @scarlsen20 @gillymonka @officialgigi so guys…. #santafeprologue eh?

@OfficialGiGi: @immjasime @scarlsen20 @gillymonka More like #WatchWhatHappensReprise because Ben.

@scarlsen20 [referencing #BrooklynsHere tweet above]:  @OfficialGigi @immjasmine Well, it would have, if only @TommyBracco or @tommybraccofans had joined our punny conversation #BottomLineReprise?

@GillyMonka: @scarlsen20 @immjasmine @officialgigi Yay! Smile! That’s #TheBottomLineReprise

@scarlsen20: @GillyMonka @immjasmine @officialgigi I’m posting this conversation on my blog-Know that #dontcomeknockingatmydoor doesn’t apply to you guys

@GillyMonka: @scarlsen20 @immjasmine @officialgigi I hear that is a slogan in #SantaFe

@OfficialGigi: @scarlsen @gillymonka @immjasmine OMG REALLY?! I gotta see it when it’s done-like the #Finale!

@immjasmine: @OfficialGigi @scarlsen @gillymonka #cryingbecausethisissoperfect

@GillyMonka: @OfficialGigi @scarlsen20 @immjasmine I’m sure it’s as wonderful as the middle, and the #Overture #WeGotThemALL

@OfficialGigi: @GillyMonka @scarlsen20 @immjasmine WAIT WE FORGOT ONE. Now #OnceAndForAll, I think we’re got them all covered

And that, ladies and gents, is how you do it! Want to be a part of the next Newsies Pun Twitter Conversation? Follow us! You never know when it will happen!!!

scarlsen20

immjasmine

OfficialGigi

GillyMonka

Also follow @FansiesAlliance to easily find more awesome Fansies, Newsies, and Oldsies to follow and talk to!

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The First “Five Fabulous Friday Favorites”!!! May 5, 2012

Here’s a list of some favorite things from the past week! I don’t know if I’ll do this every week, but we will see!!!

Favorite Dessert:

Strawberry Rhubarb Pie (Image from Smitten Kitchen)

Br. Bill made Strawberry Rhubarb Pie this week. I didn’t know that I liked Strawberry Rhubarb pie, but I must, because I ate 3 pieces. THREE!!! I still can’t believe how delicious it was. I don’t know what recipe he used, so I found one online to share! Click the picture to get to Smitten Kitchen’s recipe!!!

Favorite DIY on my To Do List:

Neon Cap Shoes DIY by Green Wedding Shoes (image by greenweddingshoes)

I so desperately want to do this to a pair of black flats that I own. I’m thinking I’ll do either teal/aqua or GLITTER!!! Click the image to see the tutorial!!!

Favorite Get Glue Sticker Ever:

Newsies on ABC’s Nightline, May 3, 2012 11:35pm

There’s nothing more I can say about this.

Favorite Quote:

No one looks back on their lives and remembers the nights they had plenty of sleep.

This is why I stayed up last night to watch Newsies on ABC’s Nightline.

Favorite Twitter Moment:

Newsies followed me on twitter!

There are no words to describe how exciting that moment was for me!

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