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

Wednesday Wishes! (June 27, 2012)

This week, I didn’t know what to wish for. I’m actually really happy and content with what’s going on in my life, and I feel like things are pretty awesome. Then I realized that I’ve been wearing dresses whenever I leave the house. And I’ve worn most of my dresses many times this summer already. So new dresses sounded really exciting.

So of course, I went to the Modcloth website, and lusted after some beautiful dresses. Here are some of the ones that I wish I had:

Bettie Page Drinks on Me Dress

Good Luck Charming Dress

Alluring Acres Dress in Cheers

Bettie Page Basque in the Memories Dress

About the Artist Dress in Coral

Those are my Modcloth dress wishes this week! What are you wishing for?

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Wednesday Wishes (June 13, 2012)

For this week’s wishes, I wanted to feature five of the current plays in NYC that I really want to see. I’m still on Tony mode because of  Sunday, but I talk too much about musicals (not really), so I’m focusing on plays!

COCK

Cock, by Mike Bartlett, directed by James MacDonald

When John and his boyfriend take a break, the last thing he expects is to suddenly meet the woman of his dreams. Now he has a big choice to make. Don’t miss the American premiere of COCK, the gripping new play by Mike Bartlett. James Macdonald (Top Girls, Dying City) directs this Olivier Award-winning production from The Royal Court Theatre.

Harvey

Harvey, by Mary Chase, directed by Scott Ellis

Harvey is a six-foot-tall rabbit invisible to everyone except Elwood, much to the exasperation of his sister, Veta. In order to save the family’s social reputation, Veta takes Elwood to the local sanatorium. But when the doctors mistakenly commit his anxiety-ridden sister, Elwood—and Harvey—slip out of the hospital unbothered, setting off a hilarious whirlwind of confusion and chaos as everyone in town tries to catch a man and his invisible rabbit.

Peter and the Starcatcher

Peter and the Starcatcher, based on the novel by Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson, adapted by Rick Elice, directed by Roger Rees and Alex Timbers

A wildly theatrical, hilarious and innovative retelling of how a miserable orphan came to be The Boy Who Never Grew Up, Peter and the Starcatcher upends the century-old legend of Peter Pan. Based on the best-selling Disney-Hyperion novel, the play features a dozen actors portraying more than 100 unforgettable characters and uses their enormous talent, ingenious stagecraft and the limitless possibilities of imagination. Don’t miss this epic origin story of one of popular culture’s most enduring and beloved characters and discover the Neverland you never knew.

Potted Potter

Potted Potter, Created by Daniel Clarkson and Jefferson Turner

Written and performed by Olivier Award-nominated actors Daniel Clarkson and Jefferson Turner, Potted Potter takes on the ultimate challenge of condensing, or “potting”, all seven Harry Potter books into seventy madcap minutes. The two former Children’s BBC hosts are aided by multiple costume changes, brilliant songs, ridiculous props and a generous helping of Hogwarts magic. The show also invites audiences to engage in Dan and Jeff’s own special version of a game of Quidditch.

 Venus in Fur

Venus in Fur, by David Ives, directed by Walter Bobbie

Venus in Fur goes behind the scenes at an audition, where a man and a woman blur the lines between fantasy and reality, seduction and power, love and sex. A crackling exploration of sexual control and desire, the play combines the playwright’s rigor and wit.

Well that’s my weekly round-up of wishes! I’ve got plans to see a couple of these plays this summer…hopefully, I’ll get around to all of them!!!

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Wednesday Wishes! May 30, 2012

This week’s wishes center around my trip to the bookstore this weekend. I went to the bookstore to get A Little Bit Wicked: Life, Love, and Faith in Stages for BroadwaySpotted’s Broadway Book Club. Of course, me going into a bookstore means I will browse a little (I mean, a lot), and that led to me discovering TONS of books that I want to read! So here’s my list of books I saw at the bookstore that I really want to get my hands on:

The Kissing List by Stephanie Reents

This book sounds like a great summer read, and it seems like it will fulfill that guilty-pleasure reading craving I might get this summer.

An inventive debut that recalls the imagination of Aimee Bender and the sardonic wit of Lorrie Moore.

The interlocking stories in The Kissing List feature an unforgettable group of young women – Sylvie, Anna, Frances, Maureen – as their lives connect, first during a year abroad at Oxford, then later as they move to New York on the cusp of adulthood. We follow each of them as they navigate the treachery of first dates, temp jobs and roommates, failed relationships and unexpected affairs – all the things that make their lives seem full of possibility, but also rife with potential disappointment.

Shot through with laugh-out-loud lines, yet still wrenchingly emotional and resonant, The Kissing List is a book about women who bravely defy expectations and take outrageous chances in the face of a life that might turn out to be anything less than extraordinary.

The Ghosts of 42nd Street: A History of America’s Most Infamous Block by Anthony Bianco

A fun book to get some Broadway history? Yes, please!

Imagine shuffling down Broadway through the hustle and bustle right into the nonstop, neon heart of New York City: 42nd Street.

Once a quiet neighborhood of brownstones and churches, the area wastransformed in the early 1900s into an entertainment hub unlike any in theworld. No place has ever evoked the glamour and romantic possibility of bigcity nightlife as vividly as did 42nd Street. It was the dazzle of “naughty, bawdy, gaudy” 42nd Street that put Times Square on the map and turned the Broadway theater district into the Great White Way. Ghosts of 42nd Street stirs your imagination as it takes you on a historical journey of this glamorized strip still known today as the Crossroads of the World. From the bold innovations of Oscar Hammerstein and Florenz Ziegfeld through the porn-laden 1960s and 1970s to the present-day “Disneyfication” of New York’s bright lights district, Ghosts of 42nd Street is as fascinating as a tabloid frozen in time.

Mr. Broadway: The Inside Story of the Schuberts, the Shows and the Stars by Gerald Schoenfeld

Let’s learn about the fabulous BROADWAY!!!

Mr. Broadway was completed just one month before Gerald Schoenfeld’s death in 2008 at the age of 84. Bringing the reader backstage, the long-term chairman of the Shubert Organization shares his triumphs and failures, sings praise, and settles scores. He recounts nightmarish tales of the Shuberts, themselves – the meanness of Lee, the madness of JJ, the turmoil surrounding John’s personal life, and the drunken ineptitude of Lawrence Shubert Lawrence, Jr., the man who succeeded them and nearly brought the Shubert legacy to an ignominious end. An active participant in that legacy for over 50 years, Schoenfeld describes how he and his partner, Bernie Jacobs, saved the Shubert Organization, bringing some of Broadway’s greatest hits to the stage – from A Chorus Line, Equus, and Amadeus to Pippin, Les Miserables, Evita, Cats, The Phantom of the Opera, Godspell, Ain’t Misbehavin’, Dreamgirls, Dancin’, Sunday in the Park with George, The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby, Glengarry Glen Ross, The Heidi Chronicles, The Gin Game, Miss Saigon, and Chess.

The Tall Book: A Celebration of Life from on High by Arianne Cohen

A book celebrating being tall? Awesome!

Tall people: Smart. Wealthy. Successful. U.S. Presidents, Oscar Winners, NBA players, CEOs.

Scrunched into airplane seats. Unable to find good clothes. Why?

In this, the first book of its kind, Arianne Cohen—all 6’3″ of her—takes us on a tour of the tall world, traveling from endocrinologists’ offices to the annual European Tall Club Convention to unlock the mysteries at the center of talldom: why do tall people succeed professionally, financially and intellectually far more than others? Why are tall men the most successful dating and mating group on earth, while tall women have low birth rates? And who the hell is behind those airplane seats?

Part investigation and part personal story, The Tall Book follows Arianne as she circles the globe, meeting the tallest people in the world, questioning them on how to raise a well-adjusted tall kid, and yes, becoming one half of America’s tallest couple.

Lively, witty, and erudite, The Tall Book is a must-read for the tall, the not-so-tall—or anyone searching for the secrets of living the high life.

Departures: Two Rediscovered Stories of Christy Miller and Sierra Jensen by Robin Jones Gunn

Revisit my past with a book from my favorite Christian author when I was in junior high.

Christy Miller and Sierra Jensen cross paths on their way to summer vacations that reveal what a gift it is to have a true Forever Friend.

Now Boarding at Gate 10
After her high school graduation, still aching from Todd’s departure, Christy joins her family on a trip to Wisconsin to visit relatives. While there, she reunites with Matthew, an old friend from junior high. When Matthew starts to show a romantic interest in Christy, she realizes this summer vacation could change everything she thought her future would be.

In the Event of a Water Landing
Fifteen-year-old Sierra Jensen can’t wait to spend her summer vacation with her friend Jana at a pristine lake in Montana. But when they arrive, it becomes clear that Jana’s only interest is acquiring a boyfriend. Sierra just wants to hang out with the guys as friends, but Jana turns every encounter into a possible romantic relationship. As their friendship begins to suffer, Sierra wonders if it’s possible to find a Forever Friend who will listen to you, laugh with you, and keep your confidences.That’s this weeks round-up of what I’ve been wanting!

Well that’s my weekly round-up of wishes! Hopefully, I’ll actually get around to getting/reading some of these!

What books have you been wishing for???

Related articles

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Wednesday Wishes! (May 16, 2012)

This week’s wishes are statement necklaces.

• Aqua and Gold Necklace! I have several outfits in my head that I think this would go fabulously with. It’s fun, and I love the aqua and the golden tones together.

• Betsey Johnson “Hawaiian Luau” Floral Bib necklace: I love Betsey Johnson. It’s a somewhat secret love, though because many of her creations are a little too much for me. This one though is perfect! It’s fun and summer-y!

• Kate Spade Solarium Bib Necklace: I love this. It’s very Kate Spade, and the colors are fabulous. I think it would go great to dress up a t-shirt, or to accessorize a dress.

• Tory Burch “Perez” Multistrand Statement Necklace: These colors are so much fun! They are warm and summer-y, and make me wish I were sitting on the beach instead of at work. I think this can be worn very casually and dressed up to the nines.

• Nordstrom “Tribal Deluxe” Frontal Statement Necklace: This is my more cultured piece this week. It’s a little classier with the subdued colors, but still makes a statement. Pair it with a shirt and blazer for work and slip it over a black shift afterwards…very fashionable!

That’s this weeks round-up of statement necklaces I wish I had!

What statement necklace do you want? Is there a gorgeous one I missed? Let me know!

Wednesday Wishes (May 9, 2012)

I thought it would be cool to share wishes with you guys every week. Or every other week. Or just whenever I can’t come up with something better to post on a Wednesday.

This week’s wishes are tangible. They aren’t ideas, or anything deep and awesome like that. They are just things I want, things I wish I had.

• Newsies Tickets. Always want these. ALWAYS.

New Newsies tickets are always at the top of my list!!!

• Batman caped socks. They are just too cool for words.

Batman Caped Socks

• A rose gold watch with a white band…I will one day find the perfect one.
• Playbill Binder

Let’s keep all those beautiful playbills nice and organized and safe!

• Broadway Poster Frames for my Newsies signed poster

I want to show off my fancy-pants signed Newsies posters in these!!!

That’s this weeks round-up of what I’ve been wanting!

What have you been wishing for???