ISRAEL!!!!!!!!

I'm baaaack from Cancun, Mexico and may I say it was fantabulous! Gorgeous beaches and cool Mayan ruins. I almost died on our last day because I choked on a fish bone. Pretty scary. My mom had to do the Heimlich. But it was OK because they gave me a yummy banana after. :) I turned purple. Hehe... We had a loooooong time in the airport before we left so I made a "You know you're a theatre geek when..." list. It's saaaaad. LOL. But more on Mexico later... I'm going to Israel!!!!! I'll be at the airport at 11:30 in the morning at the Delta terminal with Sophie and the gang. I can't even put into words how excited I am. I've dreamed of going to Israel since I was little. We've been counting down for 165 days and now its finally here! I'm all packed and ready to rumble. I'm taking the vlog to Israel so once I figure out this editing thing and I find time, I'll get them up on here. I've already named the camel I'll be riding Bobby. After Bobby from 'Company'. So now whenever I say Bobby I can do the whole "Bobby. Bobby baby. Bobby bubi. Robert. Bob. Bobby..." thing, you know? Anyone? Um... hehe...ok. If I find a computer I'll try and upload a blog from Israel for everyone. YAWN. Well, its time for this world traveler to go to bed. Oooo!!! By the way, Bill ( fabulous Anne Frank director) performed the other night and a lady walked up to him and told him how amazing the show was and that the girl who played Anne (me) was OUTSTANDING and perfect for the role. Awwww... how sweet. When I get back from Israel, I have Avenue Q waiting for me that Saturday and possible Sweeney Todd too. I'm so Broadway spoiled. Oh! Emily is seeing Gypsy with musical theatre goddess Patti LuPone this summer (before me. GRRR...) but I get to see it with my amazing cousins Florence and Paul. YAY FOR FLORENCE AND PAUL!!!!!!! OK, seriously I'm going to bed. I've got a busy day tomorrow. I have a 5 hr. layover in New York which is clearly enough time to go see a show and make it back in time. I just don't understand what the problem is. Hmph...
- Alli
"Life is a caberet, old chum."- Sally Bowles, Caberet

Fear of Pickles????

Ok I know this has nothing to do with theatre or the vlogs (which are taking longer than I had hoped. editing is HARD.) but its so hilarious I had to post it. Just watch:

"In the 24th Hour" Reading

Hello everyone. I am pleased to announce that the first reading of Bill's (f-amazing director of 'Anne Frank') screenplay was last night and went fabulously. Our lovely ex-Margot, Emily, has been cast as the lead, Samantha. My part is very minor (Samantha's younger brat sister, Lindsey. Am I being typecast here? LOL.) so I hope if we get the money to do this film, I'll help more behind the scenes. It was great seeing some people from the cast because I've missed you all so flippin much!!! Richard (Mr. Frank in 'Anne') plays the dad opposite Kathleen (Mrs. van Daan in 'Anne'). Arianne (Margot #2. LOL.) plays Samantha's friend, Tammy. Stephanie (not sleep-over-all-the-time Stephanie. Ecudorian car party, Stephanie. That's gonna get confizzling...) plays the cheerleading coach. We had fun.
In other news...
I forgot to mention in the last blog that [title of show] is coming to Broadway in July! I love this show. It's about two writers trying to make an original musical. Totes fun. OMG Dani Spieler is joining the cast of Legally Blonde which pretty much made my day yesterday. Congrats Dani! Hmm... what else can I say? Oh my stupidity is getting worse and worse each day. I sent an email to Lauren Molina requesting these fierce Sweeney Todd shirts she makes. And there were 2 emial addresses and I sent it the wrong one and now I feel stupid. But I'm still totes excited about seeing the show. I'm really getting into her album now. It is the exact definition of fierce.
Vlog status...
Eric (Mr. van Daan in 'Anne') is coming over the house in about a half an hour to install my new editing program. Meaning... the vlogs should be up and running shortly. I'll try my best to edit and get the first one up ASAP. For those not familiar with the vlogs, video+blog= VLOG. What's in the vlogs:
video camera+theatre kids= much dancing.
Random rambling...
I decided I am going to stick to what I originally wanted to do in the behind the scenes business of theatre: casting directing. Thats what I started out wanting to do but then wanted to get into directing, then writing, then producing (which I'll probably end up doing too) and stage managing. I love it all. Onstage, backstage or in a theatrical office, I'm in heaven. And with that, bloggers, I leave you. As I have homework in every single subject today and a project due TOMORROW. Yay!
Let yourself be enchanted- Alli
p.s. Happy Birthday, Laura Bell Bundy!

Quick Update

Hey. So nothing really exciting. Just a few quick updates. Countdown to Israel: 21 days! But first, Mexico. Yay! Stephy and I are going to see 2 and a Half Jews this weekend on Las Olas. The actors came to our school a few weeks ago and did like a talk back session with the performing arts students. 2 time Tony nominee Bruce Adler along with Len Lesser (Uncle Leo on Seinfeld) is in the cast so that was cool. The week of my return from Israel (May 13th) I'll be seeing Avenue Q! Woop woop! And then... Sweeney Todd (again). Same cast as I saw in January with David Hess as Sweeney and Tony Award winner Judy Kaye as Mrs. Lovett. Oh and one of my fave actresses ever... Lauren Molina as Johanna. This girl is brilliant. And sooooo sweet at the stage door. Looking forward to that with Steph, who I just turned on to Sweeney Todd. What I'm also looking forward to: GYPSY!!!!! My favorite cousins in the world are taking me to see the greatest diva ever, Patti LuPone, in the current revival of Gypsy. Thank you, G-d!! I'm seeing it in June before I'm off to Julliard. BTW, that is going to be the greatest month of my whole life. Musical theatre in NYC for a whole month. WOW. I will def start crying when Patti is working her magic on that stage. She did a concert here in October and I was crying like a baby along with the 1000 other gay men who I quickly befriended. Hehe... But I met Patti after and because got my pic with her in an online magazine. That's the pic in the upper right hand corner. Coolness. Speaking of Patti... I bought the latest Vanity Fair today because it had this whole thing on the queens of comedy: Tina Fey, Sarah Silverman, Amy Poehler etc. and I just happen to be flipping thorugh it getting to the article and who do I see? Patti along with Boyd Gaines and Laura Benanti (another one of my heroes)!!! Cue Broadway spaz that caused my mom to alomost burn herself on the stove. Wow, I just realized this "quick update" is turning into a full length blog. Oh well. :) BTW, school is killing me. Thank G-d I have the amazing ability to memorize musicals just moments after seeing them. So thank you Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham Carter for providing me with entertainment during Science. All right, loves, I think it's time to say good night. So... good night. :)- Alli

Wicked!!!!

So I finally saw Wicked today for the first time in 2 years!! I was DYING to see Katie Rose Clarke as Glinda. Emily saw the show on Monday and Katie was out so I was praying that she wouldn't be out for me. She wasn't and she made my top 3 Glinda's. In order: Kristin Chenoweth, Katie Clarke and Anneleigh Ashford. She performed the absolute best Popular I've ever seen. She was so out of breath because she was running around the stage like a maniac. It was hilarious. I wanted to see Donna Vivino soooooo badly (she's Elphaba's standby) but Carmen Cusack was great (except for her major flat in "I'm Not That Girl"). We stage doored it after and Fiyero and Nessa (Cliffton and Deedee Hall) are married in real life! How cute! Everyone was really nice and Carmen was really shy and had half her green still on her which was funny. I brought my Piazza CD for Katie to sign because I LOVE her in that. She was the last to come out and she still had her wigcap on. Haha just like Judy Kaye from Sweeney Todd.  Katie was soooo pretty and sooooo nice. That was the longest any actor has ever talked to me (except for Noah Weisburg cuz we talked for like a half an hour.) and she signed everything I asked her 2 and took a pic. 

Later tonight...

I'm sleeping over Stephanie's house. We have good times here. We went to the movies with Mason and Jessica last night. Saw Superhero movie. OMG Steph and I watched Sweeney Todd and then got scared cuz we saw a car in the driveway and it wasn't Hailley. Uh-oh... We should have some fun vlogs to post soon since I'm getting the new editing program installed on Monday. *yawn* I'm gonna watch Enchanted or play Tina Fey and Amy Poehler on Weekend Update with Steph. Peace. -Alli 

Forbidden Broadway

Tonight...
Emily and I saw Forbidden Broadway. In case you're not familiar with the show, it's a roast of every Broadway show and star imaginable. They've got everything. From Ethel Merman to Les Miz to Mandy Patinkin. Its hilarious and I couldn't be more excited. So I take my loooooong shower that is probably half the reason Florida is in a drought and what do I hear ringing at the end of my shower? The phone calling to let Emily and her mom in the gate. AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!!!!! I'm not dressed, I'm soaking wet and I have no clue what I'm wearing or where my makeup is. So I open the door in a towel and bath robe, get dressed in a rush, grab my stage makeup because it was the first I could find, and head out the door. I put my makeup on in the car and it was a mess. We get to the theatre and go to the bathroom to fix it. Then I see my icky hair and Kuku Coco Butter deoderant stains all over my black shirt. Argh... But of course, being a theatre person, I decide this calls for an overly dramatic breakdown. So I'm "crying" in the corner about my makeup and deoderant stains and of course Emily's vlogging it. "I have deoderant stains all over me! My makeup is blotchy! And nobody complimented me on my Liza Minnelli purse!!!!!" That was the end of the vlog (until our amazing Avenue Q reference "It sucks to be me.") and then this 60 something year old walks out of the stall saying "Did I hear someone has a Liza Minnelli purse?!" This woman was like me and Emily in 50 years. I wanted to be her best friend. No joke.
Now onto the show...
It was great. It was Broadway freak heaven. Broadway posters everywhere with overtures playing before the show starts. I was worried I wouldn't get some of the jokes but, being the theatre geek that I am, I got every one. They had a Piazza spoof that was good. Mary Poppins, Lion King, Legally Blonde, Little Shop you name it. They had it all. They had a great Carol Channing/ Hello Dolly! thing. A funny Chita Rivera skit. And I knew there had to be a Patti LuPone joke in there somewhere. It wasnt just a joke. They made a whole act devoted to roasting Patti LuPone in Gypsy. I spazzed when they announced Patti LuPone and had the same excited face on until about halfway in the act when I realized they were making fun of her. Then I got angry and had a pout on and started crying until the next scene which was Spamalot so it made it all better. And then they did a Liza spoof and of course, I had the purse so I flipped. And THEN they had a Phantom thing and we kept on hearing this loud lady laugh and we're like getting all annoyed at this woman who keeps being loud until we hear what she's saying... "Sing out, Louise! Sing out!" *cue Gypsy spazz* Gypsy spaz and we freak out cause look who's comin up roses? Ethel Merman!! Overall, the show was fantabulous and I wanna see it again.
After the show...
I decided I did a better Ethel impersonation then the performer so I belted out "Everything's Coming Up Roses" for all to hear... Merman style. Blah blah blah people loved me.
Yesterday...
Sweeney Todd came out on DVD so of course I HAD to buy it. I sat Sophie down and made her watch it while I performed it. I must say I do the Epiphany rather well. It was fun until my mom told me to put the steak knife away and go be a murderous barber with a plastic knife. Some people jsut don't get it. And she questions why I HAD to own the entire script and libritto... Until next time, peeps. Its time to go to bed. I have a show tomorrow. Good night. - Alli

Welcome!

Hey hey hey!!! So this is where I, Alli, will be posting what's happening in my world here in the middle of now where. Of course there will be rambling about how Emily saw Wicked tonight and Katie Clarke was out. Grr... Pray to the god of musical theatre, Stephen Sondheim, that she will be on Saturday for me!!!! My friends and I have fun performing wherever there are people which means EVERYWHERE!!! YAY!!!!! We sing and dance at Wal-Mart and Target A LOT. I have a video blog (vlog) that once I edit, will be up on here. We just finished the Diary of Anne Frank with me as Anne so that's totes exciting. Tomorrow, Em and I are going into the city (not New York, sadly. but OUR city which I will not say but I WILL say it is very cultural and the people here LOVE to party.) to see Forbidden Broadway!!! Then Em is going to the REAL city, NYC on Friday. Lucky girl... 3 B'Way shows in one week. I'm green with envy. Oh! Quotable Alli: "Emily, please do not cast a spell on me while you're peeing." You'll be seeing a lot of those random quotes on this blog. Such quotes like: "We're theatre people!"," Fa-listen..." "Ecudorian car party!!!!" "Someone's eggo is prego..." "Simma down now aka Summers, Donna stretched out= Simma-da-now!" and such... These two shows that I'm seeing this week (Forbidden B'Way and Wicked) will have to last me for a while because in 16 days I'm going to Mexico. Then after Mexico is the real trip. The one I've been waiting for all my life... ISRAEL!!!!! My grade is going to Israel for 2 weeks. It's going to me amazing. I cant wait. *yawn* Well, it's 12:55 AM on a Tuesday so I better get to bed. Till we meet again! - Alli