Fuddruckers, Frostings, and NPH

In the movie Idiocracy, a reference is made to a burger chain known as Fuddruckers. It didn't occur to me that this place actually existed 'til some friends mentioned it to us a few weeks ago. Last night, Marc and I met up with our friends David and Jane at a local Fuddruckers establishment. I'm not going to lie, I was quite excited for experience not only because it was referenced in a movie but also because it had it's own 'produce bar' where you basically build your own burger. I had a blast drenching my fries in cheese and loading up my burger with tons of bbq sauce! Count on me going back!

Marc and I kind of cheated and had a little bit of dessert before dinner. Frostings happened to be across the street so we made a mad dash, picked up some cupcakes, took a few bites and saved the rest for later.

What's in the box?

Lavender Pear. White cake cupcake with chunks of pear frosted with lavender-vanilla frosting.

I loved it! You can really taste the lavender and it compliments the pear quite well.

Raspberry Truffle. This was Marc's choice. It really did taste like a raspberry truffle as it had some sort of raspberry filling in the middle. Yum!

Food aside, I received a Tweet this morning and two words popped out: Neil Patrick Harris (NPH) and Rent. I got really excited as I thought Rent would be revived and NPH would reprise his role as Mark Cohen. I'm secretly hoping he goes back to Broadway for ANY show. So it wasn't quite exactly that. Instead, I found out that he will be directing Hollywood's rendition of Rent this summer. That is still exciting news to me! Now I just need to keep tabs on who will be casted for this production. I admit, this is my favorite musical of all time and I do have a dream cast that I'd like to see perform for this production. I'm no casting agent but I can dream, right?

Ok, enough Broadway nerdiness.

Friends+Food+awesome news= perfect way to start the weekend!

American Idiot on Broadway

It has been a long week and I am just now catching up on my Broadway updates. Is it obvious enough? Previews for the American Idiot musical begin next month on Broadway. I'm still kicking myself for not seeing it in Berkeley when I was there this summer! In this musical, Green Day's songs have been rearranged to tell the story of a group of teenage friends who feel numbed by their mundane lives. I am in love with the harmonies from the musical's rendition of "Wake Me Up When September Ends." Opening night is in April. Who wants to sponsor my flight and show ticket?

Love Never Dies

Andrew Lloyd Webber has done it again! Love Never Dies, the sequel to the famous musical, Phantom of the Opera, began previews in London this week. The show is scheduled to come to NYC in the Fall. So there goes my birthday wish for the year. :)

I can't stop watching this video of Ramin Karimloo as the Phantom in this amazing sequel. It gives me chills each time-there is just so much emotion and his talent just blows me away! See for yourself.

p.s. Ramin makes one good looking phantom!

Some things just make me happy!

Pantages has an amazing line-up for 2011! It hasn't been officially announced but it was released to the nerds like me via Twitter. Thanks, Pantages!

Phantom of the Opera, Shrek, West Side Story, Rock of Ages, Rain, Hair, Spring Awakening, Burn the Floor. Oh me, oh my!

I really should move to LA.
The 2010 season has barely begun and I'm already excited for next year!

Ordinary Days

This weekend, Marc and I went to go see Ordinary Days. It is a fairly new musical that just finished it's off-Broadway run in New York. It is currently premiering here in the West Coast,playing at the local South Coast Repertory until January 24th. The musical features 4 individuals living in New York City whose stories are individually highlighted as they sing various solos throughout. In the middle of the score, the characters connect as events bring them together. It was a pretty entertaining musical about life, decisions, and happenstance. The cast was comprised of 4 well-known Broadway actors; one of them being Nick Gabriel who played Fiyero in Broadway's rendition of Wicked last year. Each individual had admirable talent. However, I was quite disappointed as the songs they sung didn't really allow them to exhibit all they had. A piano was the only instrument used and the songs made me feel like I was at a piano bar/cabaret. Bottom line, the music wasn't that great.

The technical aspects were quite brilliant and enjoyable. Most of the scene changes were done via projections. I really enjoyed the theater as it was small and intimate. The Julianne Argyros stage was the perfect setting for this small production. Though we were seated on the balcony, we were still very close to the stage and could still see the expressions on the faces of the actors. I really enjoyed the actors and the story-line itself. In fact, I was able to relate quite well as one of the characters (Deb) opted for grad school after unsuccessfully job-hunting after college. She later realizes that her thesis isn't even what she wants to write on/care about and ends up throwing her entire draft (notes and all) from a tall building. I kept thinking to myself about how brave it was of her to give up everything she worked so hard for after realizing that it's not what she wanted in the first place. Just something to think about. Though the music was mediocre, the overall message of the musical made it well-worth it!

I was quite sad that the cast did not come out of the stage door this time as they went straight to the meet-and-greet happening inside the theater. As anxious as we were to meet them, we headed straight for the stage door which caused us to be locked out of the theater for the meet-and-greet. Oh well, next time!

Busy weekend up ahead

I don't think I could pull off a peacock feather dress nor would I even want to try!

This weekend will be a busy yet fun one for sure! Tomorrow, we are meeting up with some of our friends from college to see Spring Awakening. On Sunday, we will be at my cousin Melissa's wedding in Claremont. I'll be taking lots of pictures for sure! I'll be catching up on sleep during my short but sweet Thanksgiving break next week. Enjoy the weekend!

Spring Awakening: Mini Performance

For those who have been following my blog, I have been raving about Spring Awakening for a few months now. As of Tuesday night, the touring cast started it's two week run here in Orange County. This afternoon, I was able to see Steffi D (Ilse) and Taylor Trensch (Moritz) perform a number at the local Bloomingdale's. It was such a fun treat to be able to be in the presence of two talented people and listen to their amazing voices. Not only that but it was a great opportunity to get together with the other Guilty Ones and friends who have been so active in promoting the show. I cannot wait to see it on Saturday!

My friend Michelle and I waiting for the performance to start.

Taylor and Steffi arriving at the scene

I was a little too excited to meet Steffi...

...and even more excited to meet Taylor

Taylor and Steffi with myself, Tony (our college friend) and Marc

Loyal fans of musical theatre-always and forever!

The day RENT was due

This past weekend, I took Marc to watch one of my favorite Broadway musicals of all time, Rent. We saw it together in 2006 but not with the same cast. In a span of 6 months, I've seen it twice with the same cast and was tempted to go a third time on the same day. :) Each time I go, I fall in love with it even more. Sunday afternoon's performance was top-notch and I could tell because the audience was deeply moved as I heard sniffles now and then and watched friends pass the Kleenex around. The show concluded with an auction for an AIDS Charity. The last item for bid was a backstage tour plus a chance to eat cake with the birthday boy, Adam Pascal. Too bad I didn't have $2,000 on me! Furthermore, the cast was spread throughout the theater to collect more funds. It was such a great experience to be able to greet them without all the hustle and bustle. Nonetheless, I still took part in the usual 'stage door' exit. It wasn't as chaotic as the LA crowds I'm used to which made it a pleasant experience for us.

Rent is such a powerful musical. It encompasses such strong values of love, celebrating friendship and living life to the fullest despite all obstacles that may come your way.

with Nicolette Hart in the lobby

Not the most flattering picture of us but this is Marc post-surgery; he can't smile just yet. :)

Waiting @ the stage door

Anthony Rapp signing autographs
and here she is again, the amazing Nicolette Hart!
'Til next tour (really hoping this isn't the last)!

Are you a Guilty One?

Last night, I attended the Guilty Ones kick-off party at the Orange County Performing Arts Center (OCPAC). I had such a great time meeting all the other fans of Spring Awakening, who were just as crazy (if not, crazier) musical-theater-going people as I. Together, we ate, played games and socialized. One of the guys there had seen the musical 7 times as he has been following the tour here on the West Coast. That's dedication and not to mention, a lot of hard-earned cash! I'm beyond excited to see this show and I'm 210 points away from scoring stage seats. Almost there! During the event, Spamalot had just rolled in and started to take over the stage. For me, seeing that show once is enough. However, I did find out Rent is coming in 2 weeks, with the original cast. Who wants to be my date as I watch this for the 3rd time? : ) I <3 Broadway Musicals!

Spring Awakening is coming to town!

For years, I have been a fanatic of both Broadway and musicals in general. When I was young, I would beg my parents to take me local musicals. I even joined the Performing Arts Society at my elementary school for a year and landed the role of 'super star.' It's not what you think. I was literally a little girl wearing the costume of a ginormous bright yellow cardboard star with Christmas lights. Unlike the other "little" stars, I had to stand on a box and stay in place since my lights were plugged. Unfortunately, there were no wireless or battery operated lights yet back then! My parents have this all captured on video-scary, I know.

Being part of drama productions in junior high heightened my interest even more. I even had the western accent perfected for a dinner theatre production we did. In college, I took a Theatre Arts class that had me going to numerous plays and musicals. For that class, we had to write reviews and that's when I really fell in love with performing arts. There's just something about musicals that allow me to get lost with the story and I come out feeling totally refreshed. Not to mention, they usually have some pretty admirable and talented performers.

Having gone to most off-Broadway productions that come to LA or Orange County, I couldn't help but squeal with excitement when I heard that Spring Awakening was coming to town. I immediately signed up to be a Guilty One to promote the show in hopes of scoring some on-stage seats. Wish me luck! If you want to see the show, let me know and we'll all go together! If you sign up to be a Guilty One, please feel free to put my name on the referral line. Thanks!

Coming to Orange County Performing Arts Center
November 17-29, 2009
Limited Engagement
Buy your tickets here.