Theatre Light

So I have become a terrible blogger...I keep forgetting about writing stuff.

So after Hawaii I was quite busy for a little while. Work started up a glee club, with a singing teacher, but it was more of a choir really I guess. I could only go 2 out of 4 weeks because of Hawaii and my annual doctors appointment.
-Speaking of, it went well...I didn't get another lecture like last year.  He just said to keep exercsing and lose 5kg before next year...well AIM to.....

So back to glee club - After the last week, we were invited to sing 3 songs at The Greyhound Hotel across the road from work with our singing teacher who does a show on Friday Nights. So I invited Jacinta along, but had to kill time till 7pm which was when we were meeting. I fiugred it was too much effort to go home and back, so I drove around and got some dinner. Then met up with Jacinta and headed over. The place was tiny, and there were no free tables, because they were all reserved...so we had no where to put our stuff and it was kinda pointless. But our teacher had a table and said we could sit there till her friends arrived at 8pm. So we got up and sang...all 5 of us that turned up. It was good but kinda lame since we didn't have much atmosphere and the songs were over so quickly!
We are actually starting up Glee club again this week...hopefully will get a few more people this time around.

The weekend after we got back from Hawaii - was Idina Menzel's concert at Hamer Hall. We had great seats really close. She was great, and the show was different to what we saw in the US, so that was lucky. -I really wish she'd stop doing Poker Face though...

We also saw Legally Blonde again, which was great...and we hung out at the stage door to get our programs signed in Melbourne (finally) and chatted to everyone about the last show which was a few weeks later.
The last show was great fun.  Ness had her friends and Mum and Sister with her so we had a big group which was good. It was so sad to see it come to an end, and the cast did really well not to lose it...till near the end. I'm still missing it months later!
But the good thing is Lucy is going to be in Wicked when it comes back next year...so yay!!!!


The Production Company started back up again in July with Gypsy. It was really good. I was prepared not to like Caroline O'Connor much, but she was great in Gypsy...just not other things I guess.
Last month they did Singing in The Rain...which while Christie Whelan-Browne and Matt Lee stole the show...was pretty lackluster.
But our seats were amazing for both. We got a subscription this year and that means we can keep the same seats every year!


Jacinta also joined a Rotary Club and  they had a trivia night in July. I went along and met some of her friends. It was good fun. It was at the Richmond Town Hall. Afterwards we decided to head to the pancake parlour in Chadstone for some late night food!

Her friends also decided to do Trivia night at The Notting Hill Pub, and so now we do that every Wednesday night. We have managed to place 1st once, plus 2nd and 3rd. So we always have vouchers for the bar!

We have also had some changes happen at work. Susan has gone on Maternity leave, and Phillipa has moved to another department till April. So I went for Susan's level 5 job...but they didn't give it to me. -Which pissed me off...but I did get Phillipa's while she's away. We have Jodie with us now, who is lovely and has been working next to us with planning till now.
We are getting another new person this week. And then another at the end of October...so its all happening at work.

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Carlie

A Girl Without an Obsession

So it dawned on me recently, that for the first time in a good while I am without an obsession, which is very strange for me since I've almost always had one. Even as a small child the obsessions were there.
I'm feeling very lost. Without an obsession to drive my life, what is there?

As a young child there was The Carebears, Barbies, Cabbage Patch Dolls etc, and of course the big one - The Baby Sitters Club books. That one took over most of primary school for me. I read the books over and over, had merchandise and even planned a special exhibition, which naturally never amounted to anything other than a few papers filled with crazy ideas.

Then there were a few small ones when I started high school, then came along Charmed. A show I really liked became my new obsession after hanging out with my cousins Jade & Caitlin. We started taping it, and would watch it and eat Oreos and drink Sprite...it was a thing for us. I remember talking to Jade on the phone for an hour when we found put Andy died in an upcoming ep!
I had posters, trading cards, bears and even a few spell books!
Then as a result of losing all my videos and pics, plus the fact they killed of Prue, I moved on to Buffy & Angel. That lasted the rest of high school. I had trading cards, books and whatever I could get my hands on. It also lead to meeting some of my best friends, through a few online forums related to the Whedonverse. I went to my 1st & only convention, met Joss, and saw Serenity at the movies 7 times before it even opened officially!

Can't really remember when I let go if Buffy & Angel...I think when Angel ended and I decided to pick back up with Alias, Gilmore Girls, and then Grey's Anatomy. I did the multi obsession thing for a while, as along came Private Practice.
Then in 2008 along came Pushing Daisies and Wicked...and the rest is kind of history!

I got into Pushing Daisies the week before I saw Wicked for the first time. I got the soundtrack and listened to selected songs for that week before. I had always known Wicked was coming and knew I would love it. I had been waiting years for it to finally get to Australia. But that week of Kristin greatness was too much, I spent the next year seeing Wicked over and over, and watching the 1st season of Pushing Daisies over and over.... and watching any Kristin interview/material I could get my hands on. I must also put in my Idina obsession in there too...but I was actually more into Idina before Wicked, because of RENT.

So Wicked started off a whole Broadway obsession, seeing almost everything that came to Melbourne. But at the same time I was devoting myself to all things Wicked/Kristin Chenoweth/Idina Menzel....Vanessa and I discovered (finally) The West Wing. And that took over my life at the same time. I have lost count of how many times I have watched a select few GOLDEN episodes. I made my very first proper fan vid, played drinking games, learned about American government...and got to see more stuff with Kristin Chenoweth!
When I wasn't thinking about all things West Wing, it was all Wicked, or Pushing Daisies, or Kristin...I am surprised I actually found time to finish my university degree with all that in my head!

Then Wicked left Melbourne, and we finished the West Wing, I finished Uni, and I had a little more time to devote myself to new things. That's when I found Glee....a little show I was only watching for Kristin, and a love of musical things....turned out to be fantastic! I was hooked and those first few eps blew me away. It was smart, funny and made my heart sing every week....then they brought in Idina and that rocked my world all over again.....bought the music and watched the performances over and over....till it lost it after the 1st season....but I guess nothing can stay great forever.

In 2010 I also had my big US trip to obsess over. I got to actually MEET Kristin, in New York, and see her on Broadway! It really doesn't get any better than that! Oh yeah it does...I got to go to Idina's concert in Long Island as well! I loved almost every minute of that trip.  But it was over before I knew it!

Last year I was obsessed with Private Practice. Season 4 was SOOOO good! I finally had time to obsess over it. Finally getting all the dvds helped too! But sadly this season started out promising, but has failed to live up to the standard of the 1st 4 years. Its in the 5 year slump that Grey's Anatomy fell into. I haven't lost hope yet, but I don't look forward to it and don't don't enjoy it quite as much as I did last year.

And that leads me here, to a place with no obsession. Nothing to take up all my thoughts and free time. Maybe its because I've been working full time since the start of August without any holidays. Maybe its because I don't really have a lot of free time spare, I spend it all watching things just to fit them in. Even the new shows this season haven't really captured my heart. I mean I really enjoy Pan Am, but I won't die if it doesn't come back next season. The same for Once Upon a Time, Up All Night and Unforgettable. I like them, but I'm not watching interviews or rewatching the eps.
Smash is perhaps the closest to an obsession. But I don't feel obsessed! I LOVE it, and have bought a few songs, and watched some eps over again....but wonder if I haven't let myself get attached, after the whole Glee situation. I don't let my hopes get high anymore. Maybe if I had more time, I'd have the energy to live and breath SMASH, but I just don't feel it. I love it, but I don't love it to death!

Maybe something will spark that feeling again soon, and I hope that it does. But right now I'm feeling very lost. I do not have a focus, something to get worked up over. Its been quite hard for me to feel really excited about anything lately. When did I become downer?
Either way, it is very strange after all these years to not be so focused on one thing. Maybe its part of growing up - I sincerely hope not, because if it is, I don't want it!
Maybe when I finally get that holiday/break that I want, it will refresh my brain and let my go crazy for something again. Until then, I will continue to sorta really really like stuff.


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Carlie

Tony Awards 2011 Wrap Up

So its that time of year again, Tony Awards. Last year was a lot more interesting to watch, because I knew I was going to NY in Sept/Oct and was shopping for shows I wanted to see. But of course I still loved seeing what Broadway was doing this year, but just really mad that I’m not going to get to see any of it!

Neil Patrick Harris was host again. He IS a great host. He’s funny, adorable, and can get away with some jokes because of it. This was his 2^nd time hosting the Tony’s. Last year was done wonderfully, but in a very different style by Sean Hayes. I loved his little songs, and I loved the dance number with Hugh Jackman...as much as I hate Hugh Jackman, it was funny and cute!

As for the awards themselves, nobody I loved was nominated. Book of Morman took most of the awards. Norbert Leo Butz from Wicked won for Catch Me If You Can –(which looked really good), so I was glad about that! The brother (John Benjamin Hickey) from The Big C won too, which was nice. 

Even the presenters were not that exciting, with one major exception - Joel Grey was adorable, I love him, I mean how can you not! –I really wish I was seeing Anything Goes, which he’s in right now. A couple of other people I like presented, like -Vanessa Redgrave, James Earl Jones, Jim Parsons, Angela Lansbury, Alec Baldwin etc were all good. But I was really missing a lot of ‘my people’ and also just BIG theatre names in general...Kristin Chenoweth (first show in 4 years she wasn’t there), Idina Menzel, Bernadette Peters, Bebe Neuwirth, Nathan Lane, and a bunch of other people I’m probably forgetting were not in attendance as far as saw! So that was disappointing.

I LOVED the number from Company, with Neil, Katie Finneran, Martha Plimpton, Stephen Colbert, Jon Cryer, Patti Lupone, and Christina Hendricks! It was cool to see so many of my top people there!

The stuff with Brooke Shields was both terrible, but HILARIOUS! And it wasn’t bleeped either! 

I also loved that I got to watch the Tonys live this morning, and before the West Coast of the US! That’s kinda crazy! But why it wasn’t at Radio City Music Hall I have no idea?! It was a little sad, like its being pushed out of fashion! Better go back there next year!

Overall great fun, I re-watched it last night with Ness, Kay and Nick. It’s even more fun with a group, especially THE group!!!

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Carlie