I am totally exhausted from managing your inbox. I don’t know how you do it. Being a lead Broadway producer is like being the president of a small country and our country is fierce.

I do have to say that which I was deleting all the Borders and Amazon.com e-blasts, I came across one email from some place called Extreme Pizza.

“Why is Sue on the mailing list for Extreme Pizza?” I wondered aloud.

Now this wouldn’t be that weird except that Extreme Pizza is located in Southern California.

I can just picture you and Randy, hanging out at Kenny and Marleen condo in La Jolla, exhausted from a day of rehearsal for the Memphis out of town at the La Jolla Playhouse, eating pizza and sitting in front of the TV watching, I don’t know, “Murder She Wrote” or something, totally brain dead.

I would probably feel some sympathy for you because I know how hard you both were working while out of town, but then again, you were out of town in LA JOLLA, whilst I was in the New York office, feeling sticky and gross from August humidity. Not that I am bitter or anything as I did get to come to La Jolla for one whole day to see the show…

OK, wow, that was sort of random- didn’t know I was holding onto all that. I feel so much better now that it’s out in the open.

Samson was in the office yesterday and I think he missed you. He totally burrowed in your collection of totes under your desk. I thought I took some pictures of it but they are somehow not on my camera today. I mean come on, a camera is not like a Blackberry where you may accidentally erase things and not remember. I think I would remember deleting pictures of my fantastical show pup. It’s a mystery.

Perhaps I am just reeling from seeing the exquisite anatomy of Charlie Williams yesterday.

Perhaps its the refreshing Starbucks iced latte I just ingested.

Perhaps its the wild anticipation that any moment Chad Kimball may walk through the doors of this office and sing to me. I mean, to us.

Whatever it is I am distracted. Or excited. Or both. “Well, excited and scared.” Anyone?

Yesterday was the third group of Inspire Change kids to come to the show. I believe they were from the Brooklyn Arts Academy, which made the talk back really cool as they were asking a lot of questions about how the actor was like the character, what their training was en route to Broadway, that kind of thing.

The most interesting question may have been “how does it feel to play a racist?” directed, well, at the white guys, Bryan, Cary and Charlie. Charlie fielded the question nicely even after they booed him for being the guy who hits Felicia with a baseball bat.

Inspire Change has an in-classroom component before the schools come and see the show in which one of the Memphis actors visits for a workshop. When John Eric, who had been the actor to go to this school, came onstage, the reaction was huge; kids cheering and applauding him like he was A-Rod or something. So cool.

Joining John Eric for the talk-back was Daniel, Vivian, Cary, Charlie, Bryan, James, Ephraim and J. Bernard. Because the kids were into it, the actors really brought their A game to it, telling personal stories, making fun of James always finding zero (for spacing purposes, the stage is marked with numbers across the front, zero is center stage).

J. Bernard was able to make an analogy about how being an actor in a show is like being part of a team- he referenced Kobe Bryant and Shaq- on the court, they were like magic together. (The analogy worked for these kids though it kind of went over my head- I even called James just now because I forgot which players he had referenced. I am officially a theatre nerd.)

How dapper does this young man look? I love that he owns a silver tie already.

I think that’s it from this side of the pond. I have a few minutes to get ready for a little 5pm brainstorming session with Randy and I think I still have a Diet Peach Snapple in the fridge, which pairs very nicely with brainstorming and calendar updating.

I perhaps should rethink the mid-afternoon Starbucks in the future…

Like a Christmas Tree with a drinking problem,
Carolyn

Spring is in the Air

Well, the weather is FINALLY improving here in the Big Apple. Why does it always seem that good news comes with nicer weather?

To begin with, one of our bowling teams – The Stike-Adoos – overtook the South Pacific team and are now on top of the Broadway Bowling League standings!! (The other team, The Pin-tasticals, which happens to also be my team, are holding steady somewhere else in the standings…..but I said this week was all about good news…so…) Congrats to that crazy group of ball throwers: Rhett, Cary, Gary, Melissa, LaQuet, Sydney et al!! Keep up the good work!

With warmer weather comes less clothing!! Look no further than https://secure2.convio.net/bwc/site/Ecommerce?store_id=1401&JServSessionIdr004=kk9mm6io65.app1b where you will see our very own Charlie Williams featured as one of the models for this years show. The theme is Strip-opoly and I can’t wait to see “boo bear” work his magic come June!! Ephraim is also a featured model this year…look for his pictures soon!! MEMPHIS is happy to report that Charlie has been chosen as the Poster Boy this year!! I’m telling you MEMPHIS is everywhere!!

Initially, they had asked me to be on the poster….but I thought, you know Charlie just moved here and we really should spread around the love to everyone…So I just went ahead and let him do it instead. (Maybe one less brown water and my body would look a little more like Charlie’s…not to mention that I could be his “Pa”…..when did I get old?)

This past Sunday night, my wish came true as Sandra B. took home the statue for Best Actress at the Oscars. My friend Liz, Chad and I may or may not have shed a tear while watching her amazing speech about Mothers and family. Just sayin….

SO, I went to get something out of my backpack yesterday…and I couldn’t find it. Naturally panic set in. WHY? Because it has my music repertoire book in it….but more importantly it had my last year’s tax returns in it. (Before you panic…remember this is all about GOOD news this week). Well, last night I went to 4 different places that I had been last week….NOTHING. Then, I started thinking about what I did late last week…Then it hit me….I saw “Shutter Island” on Friday afternoon with my pal Andrew Fitch. SO, this morning I shuffled over to Lost and Found at the movie theatre…LOW AND BEHOLD, there was my backpack….and the taxes were still in it. That, friends, is sheer luck. As Cass pointed out to me last night, your taxes have ALL of your information on them…that is just ripe for identity theft. I am much relieved.

Spring promises to be an exciting time here at MEMPHIS. The crowds are getting livelier!! An FSU acquaintance is bringing 20 of her students to the show on Thursday!! Later this month I will be teaching 2 classes for Broadway Classroom which means amazing students from around the country will be attending MEMPHIS!! I told you…good news!!! Spring is in the air!!

The amazing thing about students coming to the show is that they are SO incredibly vocal!! When Hillary gets slapped…the audible gasp is AMAZING!!

Very soon, we begin “Easter Bonnet” competition (which is the Spring version of the in-theater donation drive and show that benefits BC/EFA)!! Be sure to stay tuned to see what kind of neat MEMPHIS memorabilia you can take home with you!!!

Hockadoo!!

-Kevin

Celebrity Sighting of the week – Civil Rights Activist Cornell West!! What a great show for him to see!!

There are no words needed here.

Well, perhaps I should explain.

Memphians Charlie Williams, pictured above, and Ephraim Sykes, are both part of Broadway Bares ad campaign this year, an event that raises money for Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS.

From the press release:

“Broadway Bares XX: Strip-opoly will bring a whole new definition to the phrase “game night” when more than 200 of Broadway’s sexiest dancers come together for the hottest burlesque show this side of Park Place. Grab your favorite piece (Dog? Ship? Boot? Thimble?), roll the dice, and get ready to put money into the community chest to help reach an ambitious $1 million fund-raising goal to benefit BC/EFA.” Sunday, June 20, at Roseland Ballroom

When I saw the sketch of this look, it didn’t quite look the same as it does in real life. I find myself blushing and needing to grab one of those Memphis fans from last summer. In fact, the whole office is a-twitter like little school girls. As my grandmother would say “Mercy!”

I might faint when Ephraim’s photo comes out…

I surmise that I will have to attend this event this year.

Feeling Flushed,
Carolyn

You have a friend request. You have 6 actually. Why you ask? Because Huey Calhoun, Felicia Farrell, Delray Farrell, Hank Simmons, Mama Calhoun and Bobby Dupree all have profiles on Facebook now.

I know how active you are on Facebook so I wanted you to have the news first.

And I KNOW you have been dying to see the next segment of the infamous Memphis kidnapping series.

The VERY best part of filming this day, was standing out in the dressing room hallway while each segment was being filmed. There are a couple of dressing rooms on each floor, and Derrick, James and Michael are all on one floor together; you can often hear raucous laughter drifitng down from their floor. Well, this day was no different, except we all, including Tim and Haik who were doing the actually filming, were trying so hard NOT to laugh and ruin the shot.

Tonight, office pal Sarah and I got to see the new play Next Fall which opens on Thursday across the street from us at the Helen Hayes Theatre. The play is extraordinary and I am so glad to have such a wonderful ensemble cast joining us on 44th street. With Enron and American Idiot opening on our block soon, I suspect 44th Street will be the place to be and be seen!

Next Fall had the tears flowing, so Sarah and I booked it to the Shubert in time to catch the last bit of the Memphis finale- we just needed a pick me up you know? And pick us up, it did.

The best part about standing in the back (besides seeing Choreographer Sergio checking out the scene) was seeing this one African American lady in row R completely rocking out- I mean rocking out in her seat before the curtain call and then full on rocking out- arms overhead and everything- once the curtain call began. And then this older white guy in front of her, was also rocking out- swinging his hips back and forth, fists pumping, the whole deal.

In all, it was a stellar night, on 44th Street.

No more tears,
Carolyn

In your absence, I thought I would report on the weather.

(For those of you reading this thinking that the weather is not an important element of the Broadway experience, most likely still under estimate the importance of Diet Coke to the artistic process as well.)

It was so glorious here today- no gloves needed- people sitting outside at outdoor cafe tables- it was even light out when I was walking to Grand Central after work. And its only March. What the What?

Could it be? Yes it could. Something’s coming. Something good.

In honor of the (knock on wood) early signs of spring, an adorable photo. AKA,
a totally selfish shot of my dog, Samson, because the show is dark tonight and I have no new photos to publish:

Because it was cute...

Here’s hoping you are enjoying the reported 80 degree weather where you are. Put on that sunscreen; lets not have a repeat of that burn from Summer 2007.

Yours in SPF,
Carolyn

We had another Inspire Change group of kids here this week!!

This group was from a Staten Island school and I wish you could have seen the line of buses outside the theatre. (I know how much you and Randy love tour buses pulling up to Memphis. I didn’t want you to miss the moment so I snapped a picture!)

(For those of you who have not heard about our Inspire Change at Memphis initiative, it is a program in which our very generous donors provide tickets to the show and transportation to kids from arts-poor schools to come and see the show. There is also an in-class workshop with an actor and a talk back after the show.)

The kids, that ranged from 6th to high school age took over the balcony of the Shubert and then had a talkback where the got to ask questions of Chad Kimball, Daniel Watts, Vivan Nixon, John Eric Parker, Tyrone Jackson, and LaQuet Sharnell.

DID YOU KNOW, that the show that inspire LaQuet to pursue a carrer in theatre was The Lion King? Also cool because she was then IN The Lion King! She was actually still in that show while she was rehearsing for Memphis. Knowing both those shows, can you imagine working on the Memphis choreography by day and then doing the LK at night? Exhausting is the word comes to mind.

In any event, it’s awesome to see this program thrive. And it all started with that one letter.

For those of you who have read this blog, you may remember during rehearsals, I talked about Memphis PA, “Magical Meg.” Meg had a friend come to the show early on in the run, and this friend, a teacher in Harlem, wrote us a letter.

“After seeing the show on his own, middle school English teacher Trenton Price of KIPP: STAR School wrote to the MEMPHIS producers stating that “I know it’s rare to see a show with which my student population in Harlem can identify (through music, racial identities, and civil rights history). While our school runs nicely, we are not, unfortunately, able to financially look at events like Broadway shows for our students. Nevertheless, given the subject matter and the amazingly talented cast and production I was wondering if there were any events you sponsor for New York City public schools”.

Now I am TOTALLY one of those people who am always saying “I’m writing a letter.” Typically, I’m using this phrase when faced with some injustice of customer service or something. And I have rarely, if ever, actually written a letter.

Let alone a letter that inspires an entire program across Manhattan.

I guess words still do have power.

I think we have another Inspire Change school coming next week, don’t we? I think it’s a school in Brooklyn. I’ll keep you posted, Sue.

powerfully inspired,
Carolyn

It’s all about location. Our office is in one of the best places I could ever imagine. With Telsey Casting and Manhattan Theatre Clup upstairs, you never know what fun person is going to be in the elevator with you or who you are going to hear warming up in the stairwells.

I also love being in the heart of the theatre district. Just walking back from Kinkos (In my opinion, the best and ony Kinkos to go to in the city is of 47th between 6th and 7th) I walked by Karen Olivo (West Side Story, In the Heights), Jared Gertner (…Spelling Bee, Ordinary Days), and Francis Jue (Thoroughly Modern Millie, Yellow Face). For this theatre geek, even mundane trips to Kinkos become excellent adventures.

You and Randy did a great job selecting our office space- Brava.

Prime location is important because when you are in the right place, you get visits from James Iglehart, whose “Storytime with James” as I like to call it, you missed the other day. (The show’s physical therapist is in our building too which ensures James is around at least once a week).

I’ve come to look forward to the visits from James not just because hilarity ensues everytime he stops by. Most people get into this business because they like the art of creating theatre. People ultimately stay in theatre because they like theatre people. After all, there’s no people like show people.

DID YOU KNOW, that James always wanted to be on All My Children? Yes, the Soap Opera. He wanted them to create a character wherein he would play Adam Chandler’s illegitimite son, Xavier Chandler. (He came up with the name and everything). Too funny.

DID YOU KNOW, that James, Ephraim, Vivian and Dan’yelle actually play dice onsatge everynight? During “Ain’t Nothing But A Kiss,” they play, albeit for their prop money, but they really play and keep whatever money they win as their prop money to gamble for the week. Apparently, they are teamed up. Dan’yelle and James vs. Ephraim and Vivian. And yes, when their understudies go on, they get in on the action as well. It’s very Guys and Dolls.

Now that I think about it, I’m pretty sure James and Kevin Covert are the only two cast members who have ever been to our offices. Why is that? It’s like the producers office is this weird, ellusive place; the company at the Shubert must not really understand that the Doghouse is where it all really goes down.

Wouldn’t you love it if Cass Morgan stopped by for, I don’t know, tea time? Michael McGrath, come by for a Diet Coke and bestow some Martin Short stories on our eager ears. Vivian, I’d really like help with my pirouettes. Randy’s pirouettes are pretty flawless though. Perhaps Vivian can help him with his turnout.

It doesn’t need to be limited to the actors either. Gus in Automation? Open invitation. Jens in the sound department? Be our guest.

You also missed pizza and salad day yesterday. Sorry about that Sue; we needed to break out of our routine.

We got an email from you today. I’m not sure where in the world you sent it from, but it was nice to know that you had made it across the Altantic.

Your trusty associate,
Carolyn

P.S. James says hi.

You are probably sitting on a plane as we speak. Sitting on the tarmac at JFK waiting to leave the country and go on your two week expedition.

Some teenagers want to spend their Winter Break vacations skiing or perhaps taking a jaunt somewhere to catch some rays.

But your incredible daughter, wanted to go to the Middle East. I love that. I also loved when you got emails in preparation for your trip where you had to decide whether you wanted to have transportation via Jeep, or via camel.

So you don’t have to bring me back anything, just a picture of you on a camel. That will really be all that I will ever need.

And of course you are not going to have internet and phone access so naturally I have to make sure you don’t miss anything while you are gone.

DID YOU KNOW that while you were gone, Kenny and Marleen Alhadeff got a “Hockado” license plate? It is spelled “Hockadoo” in the script, but you can’t fit that on a plate….

That brings our States that have “Hockado” license plates tally up to 2: California and Washington. I suspect there are a few other states that have received applications for “Hockado” plates as we pretty much have the greatest producer/investors alive.

I’m really hoping no one gets New York before I do.

I live across the street from the DMV; you’d think I could find the time to go in there…

If only I had a camel to ride over there. I would totally make it over to the DMV if I had a camel to ride.

Safe flight Sue.

and “Hockado.”

A Shout Out To Sandra Bullock

In the hopes that maybe she will read this and then decide that we should be besties for life, I am going to throw all of my Oscar juju towards Ms. Bullock. I am doing this for many reasons:

1) She looks like she may occasionally enjoy a brown water

2) My younger brother is and has been obsessed with her since “Speed”

3) She and Jesse James came and saw “Spamalot” and I got to meet her onstage at the Shubert. She was the MOST down to earth celebrity I have ever met.

4) I am hoping that she will return to the Shubert to see another little show that I am also in and that I will get to meet her again

5) She, in my opinion, gave the best performance in a movie last year. One of my favorite performances I have seen in a long time.

Why do I think that? Well, it’s easy. I like simple acting. She was direct, lovely, simple. Never for a second did you not think that she WAS that character. From the first voice over to the last image, I was with her hook, line and sinker. Could this be the same actress from “Speed” and “Miss Congeniality” (btw…my friend Michael and I are working on a musical adaptation of that movie…wouldn’t that be great?….and by working on, I mean we have discussed it a lot for the last 4 years….)

Don’t get me wrong, I have always enjoyed her, but she just BLEW me away in “The Blind Side”. I am still thinking of the performance, and I am using my forum for my hundreds of thousands of readers to get behind her…(well, my hundreds of readers…well…you get the point. I wonder how many people actually do read this? If you are reading, I am running low on brown water…just sayin’….)

What does all of this have to do with MEMPHIS? Not a damn thing really…it was just another kind of slow wintry week at the Shubert. Well, I guess I could correlate the Academy Awards with some impending things happening soonish in the Broadway world, but that makes me want to head straight to a bottle of the Woodford Reserve. I am not prepared to think about that “award season” yet.

Although, I am very confident in MEMPHIS, but even typing about it makes my tummy hurt!! On to another topic…

Do we have any sports fans out there? Well, Stuart Scott on ESPN was commentating on the Memphis Grizzlies game and actually called MEMPHIS the “sleeper great Broadway” musical and then sang a snippet of “Memphis Lives In Me”!!! It was awesome!!!

Last week did bring another snowstorm…I am REALLY tired of the snow…REALLY tired.

The Final Four are still in tact. These bastards won’t go away. I am starting to ply Charlie with clothing that I don’t want anymore…maybe I should put some itching powder in it…hmmm….Even though the final four are still standing tall, there were lots of understudies on this past weekend. Bryan Fenkart was rocking it out as Huey all weekend long. As always, he did a great job!! Rhett also shook his Big Love as Bobby last week and John got to step into Mr. Simmons shoes on Sunday!! Long running show…long running show…

The bowling teams are chugging along. My team was much improved last week!! Maybe the Pin-tasticals are starting their surge to the top of the pack!!!

On a more somber note. I flew to Florida on my day off in order to attend the funeral services of my friend Muire. Muire was one of my best friends from college, Lynn McNutt’s, neice. For the last 2 plus years she had been battling brain cancer off and on. It finally became too much for her little body to handle. Muire had the most pure spirit I have ever known. Her eyes were as blue as the ocean, and her kindness will not be long forgotten. At only 30 years old, it is hard for me to wrap my brain around a tragedy of this magnitude. She leaves behind a very loving family and a beautiful 3 year old daughter. I want to do something to raise money for Duke Medical Center who treated her for the last two years. Maybe I can organize a fundraiser here at MEMPHIS.

Well, it’s nice to be back home and with my MEMPHIS family. Dysfunctional though we may sometimes be, we have a lot of LOVE at the Shubert!!

Hockadoo!!

-Kevin

Celebrity Sighting of the week – SEVERAL! Bill and Giulianna Rancic, and last night….REBA!! Reba Mcenitre!!!! Woo Hoo!!

Super friend Amy had an extra ticket to see her roommate, Elizabeth DeRosa, ensemble and “Mary Poppins” understudy in, well, obviously, Mary Poppins. (One of the best parts of the evening was Elizabeth’s calling her show “The Poppins.” I enjoyed that verbage very much).

When I heard Brad Bass from MEMPHIS was going to be a part of it, I was pumped.

When I found out where it was, I was sort of shocked.

My very first job in New York City, was as temporary Company Manager for which I totally unqualified with a summer stock theatre called Millbrook Playhouse, whose NYC office is located at, duh, the McGinn/Cazle Theatre out of the Vital Theatre offices.

Random Fact: The only time I have been there since my temp job ended in May of 2007 (I worked both for Millbrook and Junkyard for a few months) was to see The Butcher of Baraboo to which I brought my boyfriend who is literally from Baraboo, Wisconsin. Baraboo, also the home of Ringling Brothers Circus. Random, but true.

Anyway, to be back at this theatre, felt really cool. You can never go back to before and you can’t go home again, but you can appreciate where you are when you see where you’ve come from.

And, although Brad wasn’t able to be there, which is a bummer because he sings the heck out of “Memphis Lives in Me,” I had a fantastical time watching super talented Broadway understudies; they each sang a song from the show they represent and then a song of their choosing. I wonder what Brad would have chosen…

Anyway, I have been obsessively listening to this clip, playing this on repeat as I type this blog. Enjoy “Crissy” understudy, Kaitlyn Kiyan, from HAIR on Broadway.

I dare you to watch/listen to this an not think it is totally FANTASTICAL!! Don’t be confused, Jeannette Bayardelle is not in MEMPHIS, but is going into the role of “Dionne” in HAIR. I saw her in The Color Purple and loved her. Hearing her sing “I’m Here” again was seriously a highlight of evening.

Nick-tastic will no doubt having a stroke at :40 seconds into this clip. In fact, he may actually need to be revived or taken to the hospital or both. I better call him to make sure he is ok.

Jacob, from Apples and Oranges, will no doubt love the riff at 1:02 on “alive.”

HAIR is very lucky to have both of these talented ladies in their show! Brava!