And New Dreams Keep Coming...

Once again, I woke up from a nice dream and remembered it. This one is particularly special to me because it involved my grandmother, who passed away last December.


In the dream, it was the holiday season, and I believe it was Hanukkah (though Christmas may have been going on at the same time)... Either way, it was the holiday season and some random member of my extended family was having his Bar Mitzvah. I barely remember sitting through the service, but after it was over, everyone got out of the temple service room, then went outside to another area, then up the stairs to the second floor of another building.

Once there, my entire family started exchanging gifts. The weird part was that I really didn't recognize some of them... And I at least recognize my family for the most part, even if sometimes I can't remember all my cousins' names...

However, the weirdest part was my uncle giving both myself and my little sister a present, saying it was from my grandmother, and she'd want me to have it. I turned the envelope he handed me over so I could see what was written on the front. I instinctively noticed that the writing was NOT my grandmother's (even in my dream I knew that she was non longer with us), but after looking at it, my sister, who had been on my right side moved, showing another person in my peripheral vision. I ignored that person for a moment, turned the envelope back over, and opened it. As I did, the person in my peripheral vision stepped closer to me. I stopped pulling the card out of the envelope, and turned to that person.

It was my grandmother. I instantly lunged over to her and gave her a giant hug, which she immediately returned. I can't even describe how great it was, or how comforted I felt. I also told my grandmother that I missed her, and she responded in kind, before telling me to open the card, and I deserved everything that was inside.

I did as she asked, and inside the card was a bit of money, which is a great thing because I really am cash-strapped in real life right now.

Soon after that, I woke up again, feeling unrefreshed, and missing my grandmother, but at the same time I felt comforted, and I knew that she had really been there, telling me that she loves me and is still watching out for me.

At the very least, I'm going to continue to believe that, because I know that were she still with me on this plane, that's exactly what she'd be doing.

They've got MAGIC to do, Just for YOU...

Hey all! Just got home from an AWESOME version of Pippin, which is one of my fav. Broadway shows to begin with (yeah, I'm soooo not biased at all!)

First, the story summarized:

We've got Pippin. He's just finished university, and is coming home for the first time in a long while. What we find there: Daddy is King Charlemagne (called Charles in this production), Step-Mommy Fastrada (a woman who wants to put her own son on the throne and not to be trusted), and Half-Brother Lewis (who is most likely gay and very into himself). Not the happiest home situation, and it's followed by news that Charles is taking Lewis and his soldiers into war with the Visigoths... Pippin ends up convincing Charles to let him come along to war.

After all is said and done with the war, Pippin realizes that it's not what he wants from life, and that there really isn't any glory in war. He runs to where his grandmother Berthe lives, out in the country. Berthe gives him advice: "Don't fret your life away - take some time and have fun!" Well, again Pippin follows advice, and once again he still isn't happy when he's tried it.

Pippin "runs" again, and is found by Catherine, a widow with a young son. There, Pippin finds the beginnings of true responsibility, as well as a relationship that could turn into a love match, and he's still unsatisfied and runs again, still looking for what he terms his "Corner of the Sky."

This leads to the finale of the show, which I'm going to exclude from the summary to leave as a surprise in case you go and don't know the show yet... However, I will give you the final detail about the show - and one of the most important features... Pippin isn't alone. As this is a musical, he's got a whole crew behind him - including a Leading Player (quite possibly a more important character than Pippin himself.)


OK, now that we're done with the summary, let's get to the show!

First, this incarnation of Pippin is very special. It's a show that is both sung and signed. This particular version, which is currently showing at the Mark Taper Forum, is mostly double-cast with actors from Deaf West Theatre and the Center Theatre Group. When I say mostly double-cast, what I mean is that there are some characters with two actors. For example, Pippin has two incarnations that are usually onstage at the same time, so Pippin can both sing and sign. It's quite a beautiful sight to behold. Other characters onstage sign (using ASL) and lip their lines while another actor is speaking the lines offstage. With all seriousness, this is something EVERYONE should see! It's so beautiful, and it just adds another dimension to the show.

This is especially great since all the voices that were cast are excellent! I was bouncing around in my seat and singing along (at times) throughout a majority of the songs! Sooo much fun! Ok, I'm giving the list of songs... And I warn anyone who goes to see, if you've seen the show before, some of the songs/lyrics may be different from what you remember.

The list:
Magic to Do
Corner of the Sky
Back Home Again (totally different lyrics from Welcome Home)
War is a Science (again, different lyrics)
Glory
Simple Joys
No Time At All
With You (again, different lyrics)
Spread a Little Sunshine
Morning Glow
On the Right Track
Kind of Woman
Prayer for a Duck
Love Song
I Guess I'll Miss the Man
Finale

Now, for me there was one major failing in that listing... Extraordinary was cut from the show! That's one of my favorite songs! (Didn't exactly make my day, even though I didn't realize until after the show finished...)


Ok, and I know it took FOREVER, but on to the best part, the actors! The cast list:

• Pippin: Michael Arden (voice) & Tyrone Giordano (signing) - Both were excellent and complimented each other very well, as well as making it possible for us to see multiple sides of Pippin (especially during the finale). Boys, I'm so glad that I saw you both playing Pippin! PS - Thanks both of you for signing playbills and taking pics with my little sister! She's so thrilled!
• The Leading Player: Ty Taylor - Can you hear the heavenly choir singing around saying his name? Yes, Ty was that good. However, as great as he was, Ben Vereen still owns the role for me... However, I do have to say this as well... Ty, if you read this... You're sooo gorgeous! You gave the role such great life!
• Fastrada: Sara Gettelfinger - So much fun! She played a conniving woman very well, and just gave the perfect amount of vinegar and honey!
• Berthe: Harriet Harris - Wow! No Time at All was a huge high point in the show for me, especially with the gorgeous guys who popped up during the song... Just one question... Why the bondage gear on 'em? They would have been just fine without it!
• Lewis: James Royce Edwards - Uh, HAIR! and MUSCLES! You played gorgeous and vapid so well! Loved it, loved it, loved it! Plus, the sparkly outfit - so reminds me of something a few rock stars have worn...
• King Charles: Anthony Natale - You were great! Also, thanks for giving my sis an autograph and taking a picture with her! It means a lot!
• King Charles (voice): Dan Callaway - Loved hearing you sing!
• Catherine: Melissa van der Schyff - I'm sure after seeing you tonight that I also saw you in Big River many years ago... You were awesome as Catherine! Seriously, it was such a joy to watch!
• Theo: Nicholas Conway (sign) & Bryan Terrell Clark (voice) - I was really impressed by how cute you were, Nick. Plus, little Theo acted just like I'd expect a young boy to... Plus the duck was great!
• Magician Assistants/Players: TL Forsberg, Victoria Platt, Nikki Tomlinson, & Alexandria Wailes - Wow, you all were so beautiful and looked great! You were all excellent backing to Ty's Lead Player!
• To anyone else I didn't mention: It's late and I need some beauty sleep! - Ok, honestly, the best I can say is that this is definitely one of the excellent performances I've seen recently, and you all obviously had to work together to make it happen. Well, it all worked, and I'm just thrilled by how you sold it!

And a quick Post-Script to Rodrick Covington - Damn, babe, you're gorgeous! And I LOVE the hair! Thanks for the autograph!
And a Post-Post-Script to Bryan Terrell Clark - You have an awesome voice and you're also very handsome! Thanks for the autograph!

Ok, before I close this off with a couple pics I took of my sister with a few cast members... Anyone who gets a chance to see this really needs to go! It's absolutely worth it! The acting is superb, the costumes to die for, and the music sweet and very memorable! Please support the arts and ASL by seeing Pippin! I promise you'll enjoy yourself!



My sister with Michael Arden


Tyrone Giordano, my sister, & Anthony Natale

In (sort of) Honor of Valentine's Day...

Ok, update first. My dad came home from DC yesterday. It was night. His plane was late. It took FOREVER to get to a restaurant that was still open to eat (yay for The Villa Italian!) Plus, we (the family) all got to go and see Grandma! Really great, though the best part was getting home and realizing that my dad would be in the house again.

Also, I've got more blanket squares and stuff done, but I'll post that later when I'm not trying to hide what I'm doing and making it look like homework...

However, back to the topic of today's blog...

Since it's Valentine's Day, and I'm still sadly single (and praying that my birthday wish will be granted by the fairy Steve - hey, my big 20th birthday is in 2 DAYS), I've decided to explain myself so that if anyone who knows me asks about my "Hugh Jackman Obsession," I can point them here so that they can take a look for themselves.

Basically, anyone who knows me to some degree will tell you if asked that Hugh Jackman is not only my favorite actor, I'm obsessed. However, that's not completely true. I mean, it's not like I'm crazy and will stalk him, because that's just scary and disgusting and WEIRD!

With full honesty, here's my thing with Hugh Jackman:

*He represents everything I want from my own potential mate...
*He's a complete family man...
*He is dedicated to his wife - they have been together for OVER a decade!
*He has a strong work ethic
*Plays well with children
*Is a genuinely nice guy - all who meet him only have nice things to say about him (the same goes for Deb! I wanna meet her too!)
*He is very respectful of others
*He's playful, and enjoys life
*He's stable - He's not about to go out and do drugs (which are GROSS!) or risk losing his family in any way...

Of course, there's more to this list, but that's all I can think about for now...

I just found out that one of my girlies is gonna come out and visit me in JULY! WOOHOO!!!!

I Dream Of... HUGH JACKMAN?!?!?!?!?!

Last night, I dreamed of Hugh Jackman again. In this dream, we were all sitting near each other on a plane in the business seats. It was me and mom, and him, his wife, and his two children. Hugh was the row behind us, and he has Oscar on his right and Ava on his left, and beyond that, no one else. The plane was pretty empty. Mom and I were the row in front of him, and I was sitting in front of Oscar. Hugh’s wife, Deborra-Lee Furness, was sitting directly to my left, and in front of him. We started chatting, and she was nice, but very detached.

Later during the flight, my bra got trashed because it was too small, and had ripped by getting caught on the back of the seat over the top of the tank top I was wearing. Deborra-Lee told Hugh to give me his jacket, and he tossed a nice, warm, sweet-smelling leather jacket over me. I then used the jacket to cover myself, turned my head over the seat, and thanked him.

With that little conversation started, we spent the rest of the plane ride talking, except when I went to the bathroom to put a bra top on (that had been stowed away in my carry-on luggage). When I got back from that little chore, Oscar had decided that he wanted to hang with his mom, and Ava was asleep beside Hugh. Hugh then whispered to me that I should sit next to him so that we didn’t have to talk so loudly and wake Ava up.

I, of course, very happily sat down next to him, and we continued to talk. At one point, he told me that he admired my work. He also told me that my last two novels were very well written, and that he hoped that they would be turned into films soon. He even offered to set me up with a meeting with some potential directors, and the companies behind them, so long as he was able to be a producer/actor in the film versions.

Of course, I accepted happily, and told him that some of the characters had pieces of him in them, and that I wanted him to play the main character, if the films were ever made.

Hugh looked at me and laughed. “Those books are considered two of the greatest American novels ever! I’m sure if you checked your phone, then you’d have tons of missed calls!”

At that point, the flight had ended, so I thought that the conversation was over, but it turned out that all of us had to switch planes to get where we were going. (I still have no clue what our destination was supposed to be.)

On this other plane, my mother and I were in busincess class again, but the Jackman family occupied the 1st class seats. Since they were the only ones in first class, they told the stewardesses that they wanted me and mom to go sit with them.

The flight staff agreed, and this time, the rows were:

empty seats (Open Aisle) empty seats
Hugh Me (Open Aisle) Oscar Deborra-Lee
empty seats (Open Aisle) Mom Ava
empty seats (Open Aisle) empty seats

We all continued chatting until we reached our destination, and then I woke up.

This is the best dream I’ve had in a long time.