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Interview: Maite Uzal of “Fiddler on the Roof” talks traditions

The holiday season is upon us, and with it comes the time to gather as friends and family to celebrate all sorts of traditions, grand or small. What perfect timing that the Wharton Center will be welcoming its next Broadway show this week, during the nights of Hanukkah. “Fiddler on the Roof” will arrive in East Lansing Tuesday, December 4 and run through Sunday, December 9.

The Tony Award-winning musical, which first opened on Broadway in 1964, has been updated for a new generation of audiences thanks to Tony-winning director Bartlett Sher and the team behind “South Pacific,” “The King and I,” and 2017 Tony-winning Best Play, “Oslo.” The story is a celebration of family, traditions, and life itself.

Spaniard actress and singer Maite Uzal plays Golde, the wife of Tevye and mother to their five daughters. I spoke with her about the production’s updates, her personal traditions, and who introduced her to musical theatre in Madrid. Continue reading “Interview: Maite Uzal of “Fiddler on the Roof” talks traditions”

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“This Will Only Hurt a Little” by Busy Phillips is a must-listen

For my birthday this year, my friend Andrea gifted me with a three-month subscription to Audible. Considering I have been devoting more of my time in the car to listening to podcasts, listening to audiobooks felt like the perfect extension of this new habit.

Before downloading the Audible app, I had never listened to an audiobook before. Really! I’ve never read a book on an e-reader either. I think in some ways I haven’t wanted to give up on the ritual of reading a book, holding it in my hands, folding over the pages to save my place.

But truthfully, it’s been rare to get the chance to sit down and read a new book. So I was really excited to experience a book in a different way. Plus, I liked the idea of listening to a story in the author’s voice.

Enter Busy Phillips, and her new memoir “This Will Only Hurt a Little” that was just released in October. With my Audible subscription, I could use my monthly credit to download a book, so I decided to wait until Busy’s book was released to set it up. Continue reading ““This Will Only Hurt a Little” by Busy Phillips is a must-listen”

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DIY: “Hocus Pocus” Dani Dennison Halloween costume

For the last several months, our daughter Stella had insisted that she was going to be Sarah Sanderson from “Hocus Pocus” for Halloween. I swear she started talking about it as early as last Halloween. We even talked about the possibility of me dressing up as Winifred and Margot as Mary.

But then she started talking about being excited to wear a witch’s hat, and I had to break it to her that the Sanderson sisters don’t wear hats. I suggested that she dress up as Thora Birch’s character, Dani Dennison, instead.

She could wear the witch’s hat and be nice and warm in all of the outfit layers. Plus, it was a DIY dream. She was sold, and thus began the adventure in costume-making.

Continue reading “DIY: “Hocus Pocus” Dani Dennison Halloween costume”

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My submission for the In Her Cups: Bras for a Cause art auction

I first heard about the Women’s Center of Greater Lansing‘s annual In Her Cups: Bras for a Cause Art Auction several years ago, when I was working at FOX 47. The Morning Blend show would often highlight the events at the Women’s Center. This particular event always seemed like a wonderful opportunity to express creativity while helping a great cause. I remember seeing photos of bras that looked like disco balls, or Dr. Seuss characters, or covered in peacock feathers.

The Women’s Center of Greater Lansing helps women with individual counseling, support groups, and career preparation. The bras made and auctioned at this annual event are for the healing of cancer survivors and domestic violence and trauma survivors.

I saw a post about a call for artists on Facebook last month, and I was intrigued. I used to think that people had to be artists or a part of a business to create a bra for the event, so I was really motivated to make one when the rules said anyone from crafty people to artists to groups of people could submit work.

In considering what the design or theme should be, my first thought was to do something with the color teal in honor of sexual assault survivors.

It has been a very surreal and upsetting couple of years, with the events surrounding Michigan State University and the Larry Nassar trial, as well as our current White House occupant and the recent Kavanaugh hearing. It feels like so many brave survivors are sharing their stories, but many times things aren’t changing. The only light coming from these dark moments is the swell of support for the survivors I have seen in our local community and across the world. There is still good around us.

Continue reading “My submission for the In Her Cups: Bras for a Cause art auction”

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The month I fell head over seat in love with The Barre Code

Here is the story of how I fell in love with The Barre Code.

This past June, I had my first taste of The Barre Code when the East Lansing location held its grand opening. I even wrote about the transformative experience I had, thanks in large part to the philosophy of The Barre Code that focuses on self-appreciation and finding your own strong.

As part of The Barre Code East Lansing’s grand opening, the first two weeks of classes were free to the public. I took advantage of this opportunity and tried out a couple of other classes. The team from Chicago also gave me the chance to attend a class at their Lakeview location when I was visiting my friend Jen this past July.

While I loved everything about The Barre Code, I already had a gym membership elsewhere that wasn’t getting as much of my attention as it should have been getting. In my mind, I wasn’t prepared to make the commitment to myself and the consistency of exercise. There were so many excuses, from having to think of childcare (or bringing my clingy one-year-old with me to the gym) to figuring out when in my day I would have time to fit it in.

Yet the words from my very first Barre Code instructor Kaye stuck with me deep inside of my soul: A 50-minute class was essentially 5% of my day. That is 5% of my day just for me and no one else. Why was it so hard for me to give that to myself? Continue reading “The month I fell head over seat in love with The Barre Code”

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Review: Performances soar, designs dazzle in “Love Never Dies”

Sequels are impossibly hard, particularly when the original is exceptional. Expectations are high, comparisons are inevitable. Pair that precedent with the task of following up the longest-running show in Broadway history and one of the most beloved musicals of the last 30 years, and it can seem insurmountable. Yet if anyone is poised to attempt it, Andrew Lloyd Webber is one such maestro.

“Love Never Dies,” the sequel to the iconic “The Phantom of the Opera,” brings back those familiar characters, melodies, and passionate tensions in a splashy fashion. Sure, Webber has a flair for the dramatic. But as the mastermind behind “Jesus Christ Superstar,” “Cats,” “Evita,” and recent Wharton Center season opener “School of Rock,” it’s tough to fault him for wanting to tell more of this seminal story. 

Appearing at the Wharton Center through October 14, 2018, “Love Never Dies” gives another long-awaited taste to Phantom fans who can’t get enough of the theatrics. And for those who haven’t seen “The Phantom of the Opera,” the impeccable vocals, dazzling set design, and vibrant costumes are certain to lure them in.

Continue reading “Review: Performances soar, designs dazzle in “Love Never Dies””

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Phantom unmasked: An interview with Bronson Norris Murphy of “Love Never Dies”

He has returned.

The Wharton Center will welcome “Love Never Dies,” the sequel to Andrew Lloyd Webber’s iconic “Phantom of the Opera,” October 9-14, 2018. Set 10 years after the Phantom’s disappearance from the Paris Opera House, “Love Never Dies” takes audiences to the sights and sounds of Coney Island in the early 20th century.

Meghan Picerno (“Christine Daaé”) and Bronson Norris Murphy (“The Phantom”) star in Love Never Dies. Photo: Joan Marcus.

Bronson Norris Murphy stars as The Phantom in “Love Never Dies,” premiering the leading role in the show’s first North American production. I spoke with him about his experiences as The Phantom, what audiences can expect from the sequel, and his next dream role.

Continue reading “Phantom unmasked: An interview with Bronson Norris Murphy of “Love Never Dies””

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Margot’s first haircut at Little Locks Salon

This weekend was a big milestone in our family: Margot’s first haircut! I think I had been holding off on getting her hair cut because it still felt so early, especially in comparison to her big sister. Stella barely had any hair for a long time, and her first haircut was after she turned two.

Margot on the other hand has always a lot of hair, so she has rocked the Pebbles ponytail on top of her head for many months. But it was getting very unruly, so it was time to bite the bullet and get it cut. Little ones end up looking so grown up with their hair cut, so I have no doubt I was trying to hold onto as much of the baby phase as possible.

Stella’s first haircut was with my stylist Nathan at Red the Salon in Birmingham. She was old enough to sit still pretty well. Now she gets her hair cut at Mirabella in Okemos, and her stylist Courtney does a wonderful job with her hair. I considered taking Margot there, but with her still being so little, I felt like going somewhere more catered to little ones would be the way to go.

Thanks to my local mom friends, I learned about Lockworx in Lansing. Lockworx features a small salon inside called Little Locks Salon, which is only open on Saturdays I learned. Luckily when I called on Friday, I was able to make an appointment for Saturday morning.

Continue reading “Margot’s first haircut at Little Locks Salon”

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Review: “School of Rock” is a rocking good time

It’s September and school is back in session. That means a brand new Broadway season at the Wharton Center, which kicked things off with a (head)bang with the arrival of “School of Rock.” The production’s East Lansing tour stop runs now through September 23, 2018.

Get your rock fingers ready and put on your best concert tee, because “School of Rock” will be one of the most fun Broadway shows you’ll experience. Yes, there are some ballads and vocal acrobatics that are a part of most musicals, but make no mistake about it: this show is also a rock concert, complete with guitar picks flying into the audience, smoke machines, and shredding solos.

Based on the 2003 film starring Jack Black, “School of Rock” features music from Andrew Lloyd Webber, lyrics by Glenn Slater, and a book by Julian Fellowes. The story centers on Dewey Finn, a jobless, shlubby guitarist who gets kicked out of his band before assuming the identity of his roommate in order to become a substitute teacher at the prestigious prep school Horace Green. Dewey has no interest in teaching the privileged fifth graders in his classroom until he realizes their musical talents; he secretly forms a band with his students in order to compete in a Battle of the Bands contest. Continue reading “Review: “School of Rock” is a rocking good time”

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Interview: “School of Rock” is in session with Lexie Dorsett Sharp

School is back in session, and that means an exciting new Broadway season at the Wharton Center is set to kick off with a bang — a head bang, that is. Broadway’s “School of Rock” runs from September 18-23, 2018. Show and ticket information is available here.

The cast of the School of Rock Tour. © Matthew Murphy.

Lexie Dorsett Sharp stars in the U.S. tour of “School of Rock” as Rosalie, the uptight principal at Horace Green who just might have a little rock star inside of her, waiting to be set free. I spoke with Lexie about originating the role in the national tour, her life on the road, and her Instagram-famous dog, Chip.

Continue reading “Interview: “School of Rock” is in session with Lexie Dorsett Sharp”