Theatre Update!

I guess it's time to do a little update!  The summer has both dragged and gone by really fast.  How does that happen?  I have no idea.
  
I just finished up a 10 week run of Titanic: The Musical at the Union Colony Dinner Theatre in Greeley.  I played the role of 1st Class Passenger Marion Thayer.  

This picture is from the beginning of the lifeboat scene...which is one of the most heart-wrenching scenes in the entire show.  And I kicked it off with my solo:  "You and I are getting in the lifeboat.  Father will be staying here awhile.  It will be like rowing in the Serpentine.  Come along now, let us have a smile!"  In real life, the Thayer's son, Jack, was 17 years old.  In the show, he is supposed to be a 8 or 9 year old boy.  We used a baby, since it was easier.  I seriously considered having Emily, Rebekah, George, or Ben play the child, even just once.  Didn't do it, though.  Too much work to get them to understand where to go and what to do.  Plus, they are all blonde and blue eyed.  Wouldn't look right.  So the stage-veteran doll it was.  That is the 3rd time that doll has played my child onstage.  (Fiddler on the Roof and The Miracle Worker were the 1st two times.  It's also been in a few shows at the Candlelight!)

It's no secret that Titanic is one of my most favorite shows ever.  The production I did with Front Range Music Theatre in 2003 was nothing short of AMAZING!  It was hard for me at first to not dwell on how awesome that production was.  This show was different.  Different cast (well, except for Lloyd and Sharon as the Strausses, and me in a different role), different theatre, smaller stage, smaller set, no full orchestra.  But we came through with a wonderful show and touched many hearts with the message.  Sail on, sail on, great ship Titanic!

Up next, I will be playing Mrs. Paroo in Up in Lights Productions' The Music Man.  The show runs the last two weeks of October at the Rialto.  Craig is playing Mayor Shinn.  It's going to be a fun show!

But before that, I'm singing in the Loveland Opera Theatre Gala "Give our Regards to Broadway" on October 6th.  I'm singing "Home" from Beauty and the Beast and "Defying Gravity" from Wicked.  It's going to be a great Gala!

Scammer Fail

They say that e-mail scammers are getting smarter.  Well, after an attempted scam reached by my inbox this morning, I submit that they are complete idiots.

This is the e-mail I received today:

Hello,

   I'm writing this with great grievance . I'm presently in Madrid,Spain. with my Family for a short vacation and we're stuck...And really it was  unannounced. We were attacked by four armed robbers on our way back to the hotel where we lodged.we were robbed and completely embarrassed.All our cash,credit cards and cellphone were stolen.
 
We've reported the incident to the embassy and the Police but to my dismay they seem not  bothered...their response was just too casual.Our flight leaves in few hours but We've got to settle our bills before We're allowed to leave....Now am  freaked out....Please I need you to loan some money,I promise to refund you as soon as I'm back home. All i need is $1,650 .. Please Let me know what you can do?Write me back so  I can tell you how to
get it to me..

Umm.....okay.  The sender was my friend's name, and his e-mail address.  Except for one minor difference:  After his e-mail address, it said "via Yahoo".  Huh.  Just out of curiosity, I clicked "reply".  The Reply-to address was the same prefix as my friend's e-mail address, but it was @ymail.com.  I reported it as Spam, but I don't know how to take any further action than that.  I'll need to look that up.

But really, the one thing that made it immediately clear that this was a scam was this:  I knew he wasn't in Madrid.  We had a show last night.  He was there.  I last saw him at about 10:30 pm.  We have a show tonight.  There is no way that he sent that message to me from Madrid at 7:47 am MDT.

So this is a message to all the scammers out there:  If you're going to hack someone's e-mail and send a message like this to all of their friends, make sure that you don't send this to people who just saw them the night before.  I really, REALLY want to reply to the e-mail and tell this person what a moron they are.  But I won't....it just verifies that I received the e-mail and puts me in danger of getting hacked myself.

Idiots. 

Olympic Opening Ceremonies...just a little late!

I finally got around to watching the Opening Ceremonies of the London Olympics.  (I had a show that night and I don't have DV-R or a VCR.)  

Just a couple of things you should know:  I have been obsessed with the Olympics since 1984.  I was 6 at the time and it was the first time I remember watching the Olympics.  (I have a hazy memory of the Winter Games in Yugoslavia, and I have a couple of not vivid, but not hazy memories of the  Summer Games in Los Angeles.)  Also, it is on my Bucket List to perform in an Opening or Closing Ceremonies.  If Denver ever gets the games, I will be on the phone within minutes, trying to get on the list of willing performers.


Anyway, just a couple of thoughts on the London Opening Ceremonies:

• I LOVED the beginning.  The Pastoral scene was so beautiful!
• Kenneth Branagh quoting Shakespeare?  Perfect!  And I loved it every time they showed him again...he had the biggest smile on his face.  I could read his mind...he was thinking this was the coolest thing he had ever done!
• The children's choirs singing those familiar hymns brought tears to my eyes!
• The transition to the Industrial Revolution was AWESOME!!!!!
• Forging the Rings?  Sweet!  (Probably not a nod to The Lord of the Rings, but I took it as such.)
• The entire James Bond/Queen Elizabeth II thing was HILARIOUS!!!  Oh, how I would have loved to have been a fly on the wall when they pitched that idea to her.
• The homage to Children's literature was really cool!  I could have done without the love letter to the NHS, but whatever.  
• I thought it was funny that they were naming off the villains...but they didn't name one of them:  The Child Catcher from Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.  Probably because they didn't know who he was.  Way to go, Matt Lauer and Meredith Viera.  Way to go.
• I LOLed when the Mary Poppinses (Mary Poppini?) came to attack the 100 foot tall Voldemort.
• My absolute FAVORITE moment of all was the part with Rowan Atkinson.  That man is, hands down, the best physical comedian ever.  Or at least, he has the best facial expressions ever.  And kudos to him for doing that bit live.  How many other comedians today would not be able to perform live?   Genius.
• After that, it all got a little weird.  I didn't particularly care for the whole June and Frankie thing or whoever they were.  I started fast forwarding.
• It got to the parade of nations and I was going to fast forward some more.  But I was at Shauna's house and Ashlin was standing on the couch with her front paws in my lap and her face in my face...and she wouldn't get down.  So I turned the TV off and went home.

This wasn't my favorite Opening Ceremonies.  That honor goes to Beijing, of course.  But I enjoyed it very much.  I look forward to watching the rest later! 

Fun Family Facts

In honor of Pioneer Day, I have looking on FamilySearch.org to find fun facts about my ancestors.  I started out just looking to verify that my great-great grandfather had been born at Winter Quarters and then I quickly realized, as I clicked on other names, that some entries have little fun facts!

I discovered that my great-great-great grandmother, Polly Ann Guymon Johnson was an excellent seamstress.  At one time, she had over 60 geese.  She also had a cupboard in her house that was made out of the wagon box they used to cross the plains.

I found out that my great-great grandmother, Eleanor Cook Neal Milligan (yes, Neal is named after her maiden name), met my great-great grandfather when he came to work for her father.  She refused to kiss him at their wedding because he had a mustache.  I also found out that she was named after her father's 1st wife, Eleanor Cook!  Wow!

I discovered that my great grandparents, George & Eula Milligan, were married in Boulder.

I've been having fun looking this stuff up!  I wish there was more to find!
 

If This is a Dream, I Don't Want to Wake Up!

This is the month for bizarre dreams, I guess.  Last night I dreamed that I was at my wedding reception.  I could actually see the groom's face this time.  I have no idea who he was, I didn't recognize him as someone I know.  And right in the middle of the dream I consciously thought "This is a great dream.  I hope I stay asleep for awhile."  I did wake up at one point, but when I went back to sleep, I went right back into the dream.  (There was a marching band show as part of the reception.  Yeah, that's how I roll.)

Well, anyway, this dream gave me an idea for a story.  I wrote the first couple of paragraphs.  It will probably be a short story.  I haven't written one in awhile, but I rarely get enough for a whole novel.  So here is what I wrote.  Let me know if it grabs your attention.  Would you read this story/book?

            It was like a dream:  too good to be true.  But at the same time, it seemed so vivid and real!  I recognized many of the people filling up the beautifully decorated cultural hall at the church.  My family was there, dressed to nines.  This must be someone’s wedding.  A quick glance at my attire quickly tells me that this is my wedding.  Wait…what?  How can this be MY wedding?  I’m not dating anyone.  I haven’t been dating anyone for a while.  This can’t be my wedding.  But I’m the only one in the room wearing a white dress, so it must be true.

            No, I’m pretty sure this is a dream.  Unless I am suffering from a serious case of amnesia, I don’t remember getting engaged, let alone dating someone!  Where is he?  Is this going to be one of those dreams where I can’t see the groom’s face?  I look around and see that the groom is standing right next to me.  I look up with trepidation.  Sure enough, I can see his face.  He’s a handsome guy, but I don’t remember ever seeing him before.  He’s smiling adoringly down at me.  So this is what it feels like to be adored!  I haven’t felt that from a guy in a long time…probably ever.  He puts his arm around my shoulders and give me a lingering kiss on my cheek.  This is the best dream ever!  I hope I can stay asleep for a long time and enjoy this dream for all it’s worth.  Now if I just knew what the groom’s name was.

            I woke up with a start.  I was alone, the same as every other night.  My heart was pounding and I was shaking a little.  That was a great dream.  I desperately tried to relax, hoping to go back to sleep quickly and get back into that dream.  Usually when I go back to sleep, I dream about something else.  But this time, I was determined for this dream to continue.  I had to find out what his name is!

© Angela Johnson 2012

I'm thinking that she'll end up running into the guy somewhere and then freak him out a little bit trying to convince him that he's the one for her, just based on her dream.  I remember something from my dream where the groom said "I'm so glad that I looked past her initial weirdness and found the girl underneath."   Or something like that. 

Anyway, let me know what you think.

Local Theatre and Local Actors

You probably haven't wondered why I've recently added the phrase "SUPPORT LOCAL THEATRE AND LOCAL ACTORS" in a couple of my Facebook posts.  But I'm going to tell you anyway.

I'm not going to name any names, but there are a couple of local theaters who have been doing the majority of their casting in New York City.  I believe that this is a slap in the face to local actors.  We work our tails off trying to live the dream of performing live theater.  We can't afford to move to NYC, or we don't want to move there.  Whatever our choices in regard to location, we are here now.  We are performing in local theaters.  To be not even given the chance to perform at a certain theater because they didn't do any local auditions is not fair.  Just plain NOT FAIR.

The irony of all this is that many of the actors who are cast in NYC, and then move here for a few months to do a show, probably moved to NYC from another area similar to this.  Plenty of local theatre companies casting local talent.  They went to NYC to try the waters in the big pond, only to be cast at a far away theatre in a small pond.

So when I say "SUPPORT LOCAL THEATRE AND LOCAL ACTORS", I'm not saying don't go see the national tours that come through.  I'm not saying don't go to the bigger, Equity theaters in the area.  I'm saying to remember that there are actors in your very own town who are just as talented as any of the imported actors.  You don't have to go to NYC to see amazing performances.  They are right here in your own backyard!

I am happy to work at theaters and with theater companies who hire local talent.  They don't feel the need to look elsewhere when there is great talent right here, right now!

Some Questions for Jane Austen

I am a big fan of Jane Austen.  I love the books (the ones I've managed to finish...it takes me awhile to read Classic Literature.)  I REALLY love the movies.  My favorite is the BBC version of Persuasion.

Anyway...I was having a Jane Austen marathon this afternoon.  I watched the 2006 theatrical version of Pride & Prejudice and the 2009 BBC version of Emma.  I was going to watch Persuasion, too, but it got too late.  After watching these, I have a few questions for Jane Austen:

1. Whatever happened to Mary Bennet?  Did she ever find someone to put up with her?
2. How long did it take until Mr. Wickham either left or killed Lydia?
3. Whatever happened to Caroline Bingley?
4. Did Emma and Mrs. Elton ever come to blows?
5. Whatever happened to Miss Bates?  I'd like to think she eventually found love.  Poor woman...
6. Who were Harriet Smith's parents?  Nobility?  Come on!  Spill it!!!

A couple of other random observations:

• I like the BBC version of Emma better than the 1995 Gwyneth Paltrow version.  For 2 reasons:  I like how it's so obviously through the entire miniseries that Mr. Knightly (Jonny Lee Miller) is in love with Emma (Romola Garai).  Just the way he looks at her!  Love it.  I didn't feel that in the 1995 version.  Also, I like how Frank Churchill's character is played out better.  I love me some Ewan MacGregor, but in the 1995 version, Frank is made out to be a total jerk.  In the 2009 version, not only is Rupert Evans freaking adorable, but they also treat the story with a little more...gentleness?  I don't know.  It's just better played to our sympathies than the older version.  You really feel bad for Frank and Jane.  And to see them happy after their engagement is announced is so nice.  In the 1995 version, you never see them again.
• I know most people think that the 1996 BBC version of Pride and Prejudice is the be all, end all version of the book.  And I like it.  I do.  But I really enjoy the 2006 Keira Knightly version.  Don't get me wrong...Colin Firth will forever and always be Mr. Darcy.  But there's just something about the 2006 version that I really like.  It's more succinct.  There's more realism.  It's...shorter.  (It's longer than the 4 hour Emma.  An hour longer.  Hey, don't judge me!  Yes, I know I will sit through 12 hours of The Lord of the Rings.  I'm complicated.)
• I am very excited to see Sense and Sensibility: The Musical at the Denver Center next year.
• I wish someone would do a modern adaptation of Persuasion.  Or maybe Persuasion: The Musical.  I would play Anne.  Now who should play Captain Wentworth?  Hmmm.....

And finally, I would just like to thank Jane Austen for writing her amazing books.  She really nailed it on the head when it came to social commentary of her own time...and our time, too!  And she really did write the best romance.  She didn't have much in the way of her own romance and she always made sure that her heroines had a happy ending.  Thanks, Jane!  You're the best!

Like me!

I have created a page on Facebook that is just for my performing stuff.  You can "like" me!  Isn't that great?  Please "like" me on Facebook!  It will make my day!!

www.facebook.com/MusicaAngelicaPerformer


The 50th person to "like" my page will receive 2 free tickets to see Godspell at the Candlelight Dinner Playhouse.  I'm not in that show, but I have 2 free tickets that I probably won't get a chance to use because I'm in a show at a different theater.  I'm at 38 likes so far.  This deal expires August 5, 2012.

***Edit:  Once I reach 50 likes, I will do a random drawing of all 50 people to choose the winner

We are the dreamers of dreams...

I have been having some weird dreams lately.  I think it's because it's been so hot.  (Our swamp cooler was broken for a few days.  It got fixed yesterday, but I still had a weird dream last night.)  Check this out:

Sunday Night:  I dreamed that I was stalking Richard Armitage.

Monday Night:  I dreamed that I was teaching Hugh Jackman a voice lesson.

Tuesday Night:  I dreamed that I threatened Stephen Colbert with the Mormon Mafia.

There is no Mormon Mafia.  This is just a funny picture from my brother's wedding!

Last night:  I dreamed that Shemar Moore came to my house to do some maintenance or something, and I was convinced that he was going to kill me.

I shudder to think what I'll be dreaming about tonight!  I'm hoping for more Hugh Jackman.  That was a good dream.

A Rant for a Thursday Morning

It's time once again for me to rant about a few things.  I haven't really ranted in awhile.  It's good to get it out of my system.

Yesterday, as you may or may not know, was the 4th of July.  I was very happy that the City of Loveland decided to keep the fireworks display, despite the drought & fire/fireworks bans throughout the state.  It's pretty safe here in Loveland...the fire department shoots the fireworks above Lake Loveland.  And the fire station is right there.  They did a great job, as always.  Some really cool fireworks this year!

That being said...I'd like to now complain about the complete morons that populate the park on the 4th.  My sister Shauna put is best..."most of the people in town are crammed into a very small area and all the teenagers run amok."  I put it this way:  Never underestimate the utter stupidity of people in large groups.  We were just trying to sit at the amphitheater and enjoy the band concert.  We didn't need to deal with, or witness, the complete lack of respect some people have for their fellow beings.

1. You have your right to smoke.  I have my right to breathe clean air.  Even though you are outside, you are surrounded by people...and the smoke doesn't go straight up.   I'm already getting a lungful of smoke from the wildfires.  I don't need to breathe in your cigarette smoke.  Show some consideration and stay at home if you can't go a couple of hours without a cigarette.  AND FOR HEAVEN'S SAKE...DON'T THROW YOUR CIGARETTE BUTT ON THE GROUND!  If you start a fire with that, and they know it was you, you will be charged with felony arson. 
2. You have your right to use foul language.  I have my right to not listen to it or expose the children in my family to it.  There are children all around you who are like sponges.  Check yourself and don't swear when you're in pubic.  To the guy who dropped the F-Bomb very loudly as I walked past you with a 4 year old, show some self control.  My immediate impression of you is that you don't have the intellectual capability to come up with a more creative way to express yourself.
3. You have the right to bring your dog to the park.  But why in the heck would you bring your dog to the park on the 4th of July?  There are thousands of people around.  You might think your dog is friendly with other dogs...but you don't know if other dogs are friendly with other dogs.  Or maybe you know that your dog doesn't like other dogs, but you don't care about anyone but yourself...so you bring the dog to the park anyway.  Never mind the fact that most dogs are scared to death of fireworks.  WHAT ARE YOU THINKING?  Oh, wait...you're not.
4. This is directed at the kid who tried to disrupt the band concert:  You might think you're funny.  You might think you're cool.  Your friends are laughing and egging you on.  But you know what?  Every single person who was sitting on the hill thinks you are a complete and utter moron.  And you know what?  You didn't disrupt the band.  Did you notice how they kept on playing?  You succeeded in being a minor annoyance to  some people who didn't find it funny at all.  Basically, you're a jerk.  I hope you're proud of yourself.
5. This next one is just a common sense kind of thing.  (But we all know that common sense ain't so common.)  If there is a mass of people all walking in one direction, and you need to go in the opposite direction...please move to the outside of the group.  Don't try to go up the middle...especially in the dark.  Seriously, you'd think this would be obvious.
6. And finally...this is for anyone who thinks it fun to act like an idiot in public.  Have you ever stopped to think that a potential employer might see you?  Chances are, they won't remember you when you come in to apply or interview for a job.  But chances are...they will remember you.  "Weren't you the guy I saw at the park on the 4th *insert idiotic behavior here* ?"  You NEVER know when you'll make a first and lasting impression on someone.  It's one thing to be an individual and do something fun in a public place.  (The guy playing a djembe on the corner as people were leaving the park was kind of cool.  The kids walking on the police tape they put up between some trees, that was pretty cool, too.)  But if you're going to do something stupid, do it in your own backyard.  No one wants to see that. 

I think what it all boils down to is this:  Be considerate of the people around you...and don't be a moron.  It's a free country...you can do what you want.  But you are impeding on my freedom to not be surrounded by idiots.


This ends my 4th of July Rant 2012.  Stay tuned for next year...I'm sure the idiots will be out in force again.