June Successes!

Looking back on it, June was a pretty busy, successful month for me. I love that! :D

So, here's what I've been up to.

Recently I made the career decision to just stick to my writing and if I found any other job opportunity, I would look into it. The idea was to not stress myself out anymore looking for jobs in other areas but rather go with my gut for what I truly love and studied in school, which is writing and journalism. I am learning to be more aggressive and hands on when I see career opportunities and search for them. I've been happier keeping busy in this way trying to stay focused.

All month I've been mulling over in my mind what should be my June blog post. I didn't write one of my blog essays (although I am brainstoming them still), so I will take this chance to talk to you about "Stef's VIEWS, reVIEWS, and interVIEWS", my professional blog that I created and published at the beginning of this month.

Like "Taking it One 'Stef' at a Time", "Stef's VIEWS" is run entirely by me. The only difference is that unlike "Taking", I intend to run "Stef's VIEWS" as a business, an additional market for my writing. The idea is to interview people and cover events to feature on my site for monetary compensation. I'm not sure how well this is going to work, but I'm willing to try it. So if you're an artist, writer, performer, etc., or have a local event and you would like me to write your story, please reach out to me! I would love to write about you! :D Let's see how this goes!

I actually already published an article on there. Here is my interview with "So You Think You Can Dance" Season 11 competitor Serge Onik.

I've come to realize that a handful of the dancers from Season 11, particularly Carly Blaney, Teddy Coffey, Emily James, and now Serge Onik, have helped me professionally in their own ways so I am so eternally grateful to them for that!

This month I actually interviewed a TV and film actor for another magazine. That was a great interview and I'm excited for the story to come out. :D Also, just yesterday I was hired as a freelancer by yet another magazine company and I am wrapping up a book project with another client!

Another reason for my newfound happiness is following the "Dancing with the Stars" Live Tour, especially their opening show in Atlantic City and their two-night show a few days later at the Mayo Performing Arts Center in Morristown, New Jersey, one of my favorite NJ theaters. :) I was VERY excited those two days! I was actually somewhat hoping to interview Alan Bersten and maybe some of the other tour dancers for "Stef's VIEWS" while they were here because I have been wanting to interview Alan for awhile now, but that didn't come to pass.

I keep hearing from EVERYWHERE that I should write down my goals, which is supposed to make my goals clearer and me more focused to accomplish said clearer goals. I have done this, to an extent, but this is something I am yet to do more intensely, which is odd considering I am a writer and like making lists. I have been planning some other future endeavors as well, such as with my vlogging and maybe even my creative writing, so stay tuned!

I'm also getting into volunteering lately. On June 7 I volunteered for Brides Against Breast Cancer in Weehawkin, New Jersey. My vlog for that is coming soon, so look out for it! :) I've kept it under wraps because I was working on other things, but it was one of my June projects!

I'd say that things aren't at their very best for me yet, but they're looking up. Here's to more productivity!

Also, Happy Fourth of July/Independence Day, everyone! :D 🇺🇸

My Final First Montclarion Article of the Semester...

...and it's a double feature! :D

Look! My final semester as a staff writer for The Montclarion they include my middle name in the byline. Cool!

I took a photo of my one page feature as soon as I grabbed the brand new issue off the shelf!

A full page double feature! This is the first page of the Arts and Entertainment section of The Montclarion. I open up the section! :)

I am so honored to have come so far as a Montclarion staff writer for four years and am proud that something like this is the beginning of the end for me.

Here is a little behind the scenes story about these two articles and my feelings about them.

This semester the Arts and Entertainment section of The Montclarion got a new editor. His name is Jonathan and I love working with him. He is always on top of things and always gets back to me right away. Those are great qualities for an editor. In the past if a show was not playing anymore The Montclarion would not really want to run my story about it after the fact. Jonathan was okay with my Equus review, and I am grateful. I had been wanting to do this since last summer after all! I wrote it like a reflection as opposed to a review that suggests whether people should see it or not. Most reviews are just opinions pieces anyway so this was good practice for me. Upon receiving my articles and photos, Jonathan replied with "Did I ever mention that you're the best? Thanks for being on top of the game. I really appreciate it." and "You da best!" These definitely stroked my confidence.

Jonathan suggested that I could also do a story on an Equus cast member and since he is friends with some people in the show he would be able to organize an interview. I have done this for freelancing before so I agreed to it and asked who he had in mind. He suggested Taylor Dear, and I was proud to do the story about him. Why?

If you remember my background story about my review of Attempts on her Life from Fall 2012, I had a brief difficulty with the play at first. Taylor happened to have been in this show as well and I interviewed him after opening night to get a quote for my article. First I asked, "What do you want audience members to take from Attempts on her Life?", which he answered. Then I asked him something like, "How does a person GET Attempts on her Life?" meaning what should audience members do to accomplish understanding the play. This is actually one of the most difficult questions I have ever asked an MSU cast member considering its broadness and how ambiguous the play is and I could tell that Taylor struggled a tiny bit with it. However, he stayed with me and took the time to think about the question and answer it even though his friends were outside waiting for him. Now, this is not to say that other cast members would not have done the same thing, but because of this I have a lot of respect for the guy nonetheless.

This past Thursday as I walked down to the Student Center to get my copy of this week's issue, I was pretty nervous because 1) I stressed a little bit about these two articles because I wanted to do justice to them since I had planned it for awhile, worked on them throughout Spring Break, and am a perfectionist with my writing in general and 2) I had not seen my articles on The Montclarion website yet so I was wondering whether or not my article would even be there! I mean, I submitted the articles and photos in good time and Jonathan acknowledged them, plus I was told ahead of time that I was the feature full page article for the week, but this has happened to me before with The Montclarion so that was from where my concern was stemming. When I was about to walk through the door coincidentally Taylor was walking out with a copy in his hands. He told me that the article is great and thanked me. I immediately felt relief, grabbed my own copy, and took the picture up above, proud of myself.

It is because of reactions like Taylor's that I love my job and what I do.

Here are my articles:

Equus review

Taylor Dear Profile

Enjoy! :D

It is always so exciting to take your own copy of a freshly printed newspaper issue from the bunch and then open it up to see your article in it after much anticipation. I was shaking and very thrilled.

Carousel Review!

(I sent this to The Montclarion to be published online, but they haven't done so
as of yet, so I decided to post this here in the meantime.)

Every semester has at least one Broadway classic delivered by the Department of Theatre and Dance. In Fall 2010 it was Sweeney Todd, in Spring 2011 it was Sweet Charity, Fall 2011 A Chorus Line, Spring 2012 Kiss of the Spiderwoman, and now, Fall 2012 we have Carousel, quite possibly the most original classic of them all. The department still continues to deliver these gems of shows to the best of its top-notch ability.

With a gigantic cast, beautiful music conducted by Gregory J. Dlugos and produced by the tireless orchestra, and memorable dance numbers, which is a majority of the show, choreographed by Mimi Quillin, Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Carousel, directed by Evan Pappas and brought to us by the Department of Theatre and Dance and John J. Cali School of Music, will be playing at the Alexander Kasser Theater until November 18.

The story is about a young innocent woman in late 1800s Maine named Julie Jordan, played by senior Haleigh Adams, who has caught the attractions of lead character Billy Bigelow, played by senior Christopher Cannon, an ex-Carousel barker who is down on his luck money wise. Charmed by how different and witty Julie is, Billy marries her, though proves that he is not the best of husbands by never finding decent work and hitting her once out of stress and anger. However, he shows that he has a heart of gold through his excitement for his future offspring when Julie reveals to him that she is pregnant. Because of this he discovers even more motivation to get some loot, but with the help of his friend Jigger Craigin (sophomore John Caliendo), his determination ultimately drives him to his downfall and he must try to make things right for his daughter Louise (senior Allison Steinberg), who engages in the ballet sequence of the musical. Carrie Pipperidge, Julie’s best friend (senior Brandy Kostick), and her betrothed Enoch Snow (senior Gabriel Rodrigues) provide a foil to the lead couple by being the comical duo whose troubles are not meant to be taken entirely serious. Throughout the musical you see that every single character has his or her flaws but also retains some redeeming qualities.

Audience members will really appreciate Carousel if they go for anything “cutesy,” for the songs and dances are cheerful and fun and the love stories are gushing with adorable moments. These can get somewhat overdone and a little too cute, but there are also very powerful depressing and heartbreaking moments to balance it out, mainly in the second act, for the way they approach the story of family love is very deep, leaving audience members in tears.

"The story has so many universal truths,” says Cannon, “It touches everybody's heart. I never felt so good to be in a show."

Cannon displays Billy’s suavity, anticipation, and desperation very well while Adams portrays Julie as a strong female character that takes a stand in her life and yet shows some restraint and composure to remain ladylike in society. The ensemble definitely puts a lot of hard work into their performances, for they do so much throughout the musical and steal the show with their constant stage time. In regards to special effects technique, one very great moment is how Carousel presents the afterlife with the use of smoke, bright lighting, and echoes.

From set to score, to gifted singing by the cast members, this version is a terrific one. Just like the characters share love for each other, you will fall in love with Carousel. For more information, please check out this website: http://www.peakperfs.org/performances/Carousel.

There are other things I want to discuss about Carousel that I have not in this review, so that might be another blog post.

First Theater Review for The Montclarion of the Semester and My Final Year at MSU! :D

You know, it is a tough world out there for us theater critics sometimes. It is sometimes difficult to plan on writing a review of a play and then sitting there watching it having no idea what is going on and what to put on paper. It's actually kind of nerve wracking when you have made a commitment and don't know how you are going to deliver when you have no feasible knowledge on which to base your critiques. It also does not help when your two companions joining you cannot provide any additional insight either lol. :P So what is a theater journalist to do?




This being said, the play Attempts on Her Life, which is playing until October 27, has been one of my favorites so far, and you will see why when you read my first theater review of the semester and my senior year here. I really love it. It is so unique and takes on so many ideas. I am so glad and grateful to have had the opportunity to see and write about it for The Montclarion. I love seeing my article published in there!




The more I thought about my confusion, the more I realized that I had much to say. This review is in my opinion one of my best work and I am very proud of it! Enjoy! :D

My Very First Montclarion Article of the Year and Spring 2012 Semester and How it Helped me to Appreciate a Shakespeare Classic

Yes, this is an entry of my first theater review for The Montclarion in both the year and spring semester of 2012, AND my senior year, but this particular production got a reaction out of me, so I think I am going to write a "Reflections about..." piece about it as well.

Okay, so here's the background story to this article.

First off, I was never a big fan of William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet.

We all know the story right? Two families in Verona, Italy are fighting and their teenage kids fall in love but then kill themselves. The End.

Okay, I know it's more complex than that, but it's annoying! Both Romeo (16) and Juliet (13) are so lovey dovey and gushy after just meeting each other at a party and planning to marry that night only a few days ago at their young age that it's just so nauseating to me. I know the balcony scene is the most iconic scene in any drama, but to me, it's not that great. It just drags on and is, you guessed it, gushy. The best part about any of the characters in this play is that they are Italian!

Another thing I don't like about it is that it is so overdone to the point where it's bland and medicore. It's the play to which most of us are introduced as children, so therefore, we grow up with it, see many different versions of it, and it's not very exciting after a while. There are also so many parodies of it. If one of the plots on a TV show is that characters are performing a play, most likely that play is Romeo and Juliet, as if there are no other options. Of course, when I was a freshman in high school reading the play for my English class, our teacher told us that freshmen are taught this play at that level because it's the simplest. Well, I guess it is. So I guess that's why it's used for TV? Maybe. I know that Romeo and Juliet is probably Shakespeare's most famous work, but it is just such a common play. It is always there.

But here's the thing. Given these reasons, I was really skeptical when I heard that one of the Peak Performances of Montclair State University for the 2011-2012 season was going to be Romeo and Juliet, and this goes way back to this past summer when I read about this season's performances on the school website. I'm just so used to Montclair presenting the most intricate of theater. You see the stuff I write about on here. When I was a freshman at Montclair, they performed Shakespeare's As You Like It and I appreciated that because you never hear about that play, so it was nice to actually see it performed and it was different! But Romeo and Juliet? That just seems like a step back from what Montclair normally offers. To me, Romeo and Juliet is a high school play, not exactly a college performance featuring college students majoring in the theater field, matching the same caliber as the other theater Montclair offers. When I first saw it on the website, I wasn't even sure if I wanted to see it considering my feelings about it. And I knew I would probably see it because my goal is to see every show presented by the Department of Theatre and Dance, so I was dreading it.

Fortunately, I was wrong about everything. :)

As time went on and I befriended people involved with the production, I grew more and more excited for it and them. Romeo and Juliet, now playing at the L. Howard Fox Theatre until February 19, is now one of my favorite Peak Performances since I began attending MSU. It has that Montclair flair. There's the play, but then there's something magical about it that just engages the audience. It just made me appreciate the play and story more. Granted, Romeo and Juliet themselves are still gushy and I still can't stand that, but that's to be expected so I am willing to look past it and accept it.

Want to know why I like this play so much? One reason is that thankfully they don't include that Romeo and Juliet theme "A Time for Us." I was actually expecting it and wondering if they were going to use it and I am so glad that they don't. It's a good song and piece of music, but there's something about it and how romantic and droll it is that just makes the play that much more depressing. Others are that the whole entire play is one gigantic "Peak Performance and its awkward sexual moments," the music and costumes much resemble our current time period so it is relatable, the acting and delivery of the performers helped me to understand the storyline better, the set is extremely simplistic, using black blocks and a ladder for instance, and at times it is actually pretty funny. For more reasons, check out my review here. Enjoy!

If you can, be sure to see this play before it closes to see what I am talking about! :D

Another reason why I liked this play is that it made me realize things about it that I had never realized before, but I will save those for another post.

Ahem...my First Published Article of the YEAR!!!

Much like during my summer break, I am lucky enough to have gotten the opportunity to work for Patch during my winter break as well. This is actual my premiere article for Bloomfield Patch.

Andrea D'Arco and I went to the same grade school, Lacordaire Academy. I actually graduated with her older brother. She and I had recently become friends on Facebook when I saw her post a link about a show she is in Off-Broadway. I then decided to do a profile story on her.

Click here for my article!

My First Montclarion Theater Review of Junior Year!

This photo was sent through MSU e-mail advertising the show

Friday night, October 21, I saw the Peak Performance A Chorus Line at Montclair State University. When I first saw it announced on the school website this past summer, I found it interesting that it would be playing in the Memorial Auditorium. I had just finished saying how Memorial Auditorium wasn't exactly used for school productions anymore, but I guess I was wrong. I really liked the use of Memorial Auditorium for this production because it is not often done anymore and I enjoyed the comfortable home community feeling it brings. It just seems like a very nice theater in which to perform and it was equally as nice to sit back and watch. In other words, it's not like Kasser, which is this huge, Broadway like theater. Memorial Auditorium belongs to the students and is their realm. I guess it seems the most school oriented than the other theaters on campus. I keep thinking that a good word to describe it is "quaint." A Chorus Line was actually the first musical I saw there since Wimzie's House Live (see page for that background story) and the first Peak Performance production I saw there as a student. It was nice to see a show performed there again besides organization performances and the Vagina Monologues.

Unfortunately, this article was published later than expected, but please enjoy my review about A Chorus Line! I really like how not much editing was done with it and the editor-in-chief told me that it is very well written, which made me very proud. I guess that shows that I am improving. A Chorus Line is actually one of my favorite MSU productions so far. I went by myself, sat towards the front on the side with not a lot of people around me, and relaxed. I was actually thinking about seeing it a second time, but was unable to. There was no intermission, so it was a nonstop two hours of pure theatrical enjoyment with laugh out loud moments, simple storylines, memorable songs, and everything in between! All in all, it is a very cute musical and I liked watching it.

My article made the print edition as well! I didn't expect this considering the show is no longer playing and was so happy when I saw it today!

Peak Performances and their Awkward Sexual Moments: dis connect

dis connect-April 2011-L. Howard Fox Theatre

dis connect, if you remember, was written and produced by the Class of 2011 Theatre Studies majors for their final BA project. The play discusses the over-indulgence of technology and that there is a time and place for such technology to be used. Interestingly, I've noticed that unlike my other contributions to this series, I don't analyze much here but rather summarize. I think it's because the awkward sexual moments in this play speak for themselves and are more relatable to the kind of events that take place today, so therefore there are emotional connections. In my other segments, I normally take the time to explain why I think certain moments are sexually awkward. Here, the moments don't necessarily need any explanation but are rather obvious.

*Beware of Spoilers*

Josh Wilde: I would like to take this time to thank the BA Theatre Studies Class of 2011 for providing me with a video that will from now on until further notice be the video mascot of “Peak Performances and their Awkward Sexual Moments.” Watch the video before you read what I have to say about it.

Josh Wilde is one of the first characters we meet in dis connect, and is also one of the funniest. He is a juvenile delinquent who is doing community service for an old temperamental woman named Betty. In the first scene we see him, he is bringing Betty groceries but then ends up telling her in slang about hooking up with a girl in a dressing room. Very random story to tell an old woman and a very spontaneous time to do so at that. Right when he is about to be released from his duties with Betty, Josh decides to cause a riot by dancing and stripping right outside her house, which is the scene you see in the clip. The scene performed on the stage is interesting because you see him stripping and dancing with a bunch of spectators filming him with cameras as the overheard screen that overlooks the stage projects the YouTube video. One of the guys filming says at the end of the scene, “This is going on YouTube,” which is exactly where it ends up in real life. Throughout the play he matures but also continues to become more awkward because he discovers that the girl he talks about in his first scene is actually Alice, Betty’s granddaughter and one of the prominent characters of the play! How does he find this out? Betty, who has no knowledge of them knowing each other, sets them up on a blind date. This blind date is their only scene together and all is revealed then. However, the story of Josh Wilde ends well as he gives Alice a bouquet of flowers and the two walk off together quite possibly kindling a relationship, after some awkwardness of trying to get away from each other, and reminiscing about his YouTube phenomenon.

Tyler’s Coming Out Experience: Unfortunately, the humorous awkward sexual moments end with Josh Wilde and the rest are pretty morbid. For example, Tyler DeChristopher is a gay man who is best friends with Alice and struggles with his sexuality. He corresponds with a man via online chat and until now has kept his sexuality a secret. He reveals it to the man online and the two share a bond, the man persuading him to finally accept who he is and reveal it to Alice, giving him inspiring advice. Tyler finds himself falling for the man and wishes to see his face. The man refuses to do so, causing Tyler to interrogate him. After some very intense dialogue, the man reveals himself to be a woman, revealed to the audience as Cassie, another prominent character in the play who is just as lonely as Tyler because technology has caused a rift in her family. After this revelation, heartbroken, Tyler plans to hang himself. Right as he is about to do the deed, Alice walks in and stops him. He tells Alice that he is gay and the two agree to help each other with their struggles. Tyler’s story is a really important addition because it hits home with current events regarding homosexuality.

The Tragedy of Jenny: Jenny's story represents the worst-case scenario when it comes to technology. Jennifer “Jenny” Maloney is a thirteen-year-old girl who has an estranged relationship with her mother Erika. Her father has died while fighting in the armed forces, which has contributed to Jenny’s rebellious behavior. Jenny is constantly on her cell phone on which she corresponds with a man she has met on the Internet and has not yet met in person, but plans to. At this point you know that the outcome of this story is not going to be a good one. Erika is oblivious to this, but takes away Jenny’s cell to punish her for texting during her father’s memorial. Erika’s plan backfires because once she does this Jenny runs off to meet the man, gets assaulted, and is unable to call her mother for help due to lack of phone, causing Erika to blame herself for her daughter’s coma. This scenario also causes the rest of the characters to think about the positives and negatives of technology. Finally, while Jenny is laying down onstage in her coma, she shows up on the overhead screen and has a monologue, which is suggested to be her inner thoughts. She ultimately decides that she would rather die than face her mother again, so she peacefully passes. The only thing I don’t understand about Jenny’s story is that in her final monologue before she passes, she states that her mother will never understand why she resents her father. Why does she resent him exactly? They never really give a clear explanation from what I can see.

For The Montclarion article about dis connect, click here.

Previously: The Grapes of Wrath
Next up: The Agee/Evans Project :)

Peak Performances and their Awkward Sexual Moments: Sweet Charity

Sweet Charity-February 2011-L. Howard Fox Theatre 

Sweet Charity was one of the more heartwarming shows I’ve seen on campus so far. Because it is such a well-known show, it is no wonder why it sold out very quickly. It was also very tame, so the awkward sexual moments were very subtle and quite possibly unnoticeable. It was one of those shows you could watch with the whole family. However, the sexual moments were there. I am proud to kick off the Spring 2011 Semester of “Peak Performances and their Awkward Sexual Moments” with Sweet Charity.

*Beware of Spoilers*

Charlie: The main goal of heroine Charity Hope Valentine is to find love, and it is suggested in the opening song that she has found love in a man named Charlie. Throughout the show we meet three of Charity’s love interests, Charlie being the first. Well, actually, we don’t exactly “meet” him. That’s what makes him awkward. He doesn’t have any lines. Throughout the entire number his back is toward the audience as he smokes a cigarette. He just stands there as Charity hangs all over him and sings to him about the glamorous life they will lead together. Just by his suspicious actions, we know there is something off with this guy and that he is not altogether “good.” Our assumptions are proven correct when he robs Charity, causing her to fall into a lake, and we never see him again.

“Big Spender”: Charity and the rest of her friends work at the Fandango Hall as dance hall hostesses. These same women deliver that famous musical number "Big Spender." Now, from what I saw, this Fandango Hall isn’t entirely a bad place. A guy comes in, chooses one of the girls, and then dances and spends time with her. However, Charity makes it a point throughout the play to state just how bad this place is. Are we supposed to assume that it is the equivalent of a gentleman’s club then? I ask this because even though there is no reference to actual sexual action when it comes to the Fandango Hall, Charity makes it seem like there is by how she talks about the place. The women just dance with the men who enter the hall. And it’s not even any dirty dancing or lap dancing either. They would just slow dance. Is it really that bad? I mean, I realize that the place can be sexist and I got offended with how each customer summoned a girl, but I guess what I’m saying is it could be worse. Charity’s third and final love interest and fiance, Oscar Lindquist, gets all upset when he discovers that Charity works there, for Charity was hesitant in telling him and he found out by accident. When he does finally “accept” it, he finds that he can’t go through with their wedding because he finds it uncomfortable to think about. He originally thought that Charity was virginal and pure, but after he saw her laughing and smiling with another man, his view of her completely changed. Well, we haven’t really established if Charity is a virgin or not, so perhaps Oscar is kind of overreacting here. Just because she dances with men she is no longer pure in Oscar eyes? That’s kind of offensive, isn’t it? However, I do understand though where he does not want his girl involved with any other man. Are we supposed to assume then that these women have sex with the men they dance with? Now that’s a totally different story and Oscar's feelings are pretty plausible. This is what I mean when I say sexual moments in Sweet Charity are very unnoticeable at first. We are never given the full picture and a lot of questions are left unanswered.

Vittorio Vidal: Vittorio Vidal is love interest number two and also a sexy Italian movie star whom Charity admires. She runs into him when he is fighting with his girlfriend Ursula and is invited to a party with him instead to spite Ursula. However, by the end of the night, Ursula returns full of apologies and horniness, so the two makes sweet passionate love in Vittorio’s apartment while Charity spends the night in his closet, initiating one of the more hilarious scenes of the play. The following morning Vittorio releases her from his closet. Before she leaves, Charity compliments his sexual talents, saying that he is good in the movies, but is better in real life, suggesting that she was watching.

What is the point of this character? He serves absolutely nothing to the plot. A good portion of the middle of the show is dedicated to him, and yet nothing stems from the “relationship” between he and Charity. From what I can think of, his presence serves as comic relief and an opportunity for a song (Charity sings the famous “If My Friends Could See Me Now” during one of these scenes). It just seems like his scenes are completely random and unnecessary. I guess he is needed to make you think that something would develop between he and Charity, but if the story cut him out and we jumped from Charlie to Oscar, nothing against Vittorio, but it wouldn’t have been much of a loss. The story would have been complete without him.

For The Montclarion article about Sweet Charity, click here.

Next up: The Grapes of Wrath :)

Don't Worry! I Didn't Abandon You!

I know I have not been writing on this blog as much as I thought I would this summer. I have been hard at work freelancing for Patch, the online publication for which I write and photograph, so I couldn't really focus on "Taking it One 'Stef' at a Time" lately. In fact, a lot of my recent articles for Patch you can find if you click on the "Collection of My Published Works" tab towards the top of the page. My latest pieces are under Madison Patch.

However, I have been seeing a lot of blog worthy material around and have a lot of post ideas in my Drafts, so I will do my best to write about them as much as I can. I am also working on "Peak Performance and their Awkward Sexual Moments" as well, so watch out for those.

-Stef :)

Finally! My First Paying Writing Gig of the Summer and of the Year! :D

Last night, Saturday July 9, I was given the opportunity to attend the very entertaining premiere of William Shakespeare's Timon of Athens at The Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey in Madison, New Jersey to review it for Madison Patch. This is my debut article for that particular Patch site and I am very proud of it!

Here you can watch the promotional video of the play:

Another reason why I was so anxious to see it, which is how I heard about the show in the first place, is that my friend Lena Chilingerian is in it! This is her first Equity performance after graduating from Montclair State University this past May. You may remember when I wrote about her in my piece about Ma Joad. I finally was able to do a video interview with her, which you can view here! :)

Finally, without further to do, check out my article! :D

The Moment We've All Been Waiting For...My dis connect Review is Now on The Montclarion Website!!!

Photo from dis connect website

This is so exciting!!! In dis connect Generation Y questions "why" technology is taking over the lives of so many people. I loved loved LOVED this play and everything about it! :D I really hope you enjoy the review!

Best of luck to the senior BA Theater Studies majors of MSU as the graduate and move on to bigger and better things in the theater world. :) Here's to hoping as well that the dis connect phenomenon will catch on and become a published play performed for years to come!

dis connect Review

For more of the dis connect experience, check out the official website.

My Grapes of Wrath Review: Traveling Across the Country on the Kasser Stage

Let us return back to my theater oriented theme. What we have here is another one of Stefanie Sears's lost articles that could not be used for publication, much like my On the Town and Sweeney Todd articles. Though the Sweeney Todd one may not be considered a "lost article" considering it was published in The Montclarion, I decided to publish the original draft on here so people are able to read that version as well.

This is the most recent, and most likely final, installment of my Grapes of Wrath at MSU Coverage. I call it coverage because other random blog posts I have made in the past were associated with MSU's production of The Grapes of Wrath in some way. Check out the other installments just in case you want to refer back to them. They include my interview with Corinne Chandler and my piece about Ma Joad for my Women's History Month series "Real Influential Women Role Models (Real and Fictitious)".


I originally wrote this piece for The Montclarion, but unfortunately they could not use it, so I decided to post it here. Enjoy! :) It was the first show I saw at Alexander Kasser Theater this semester and I had been hearing so much about it prior so needless to say I was pretty excited!

*There may be spoilers in here to those of you who a) did not see the play, b) did not read the book, c) did not see the movie, or d) all of the above.*

The much anticipated play production The Grapes of Wrath, based on John Steinbeck's classic novel of the same name and written by Frank Galati, directed by Susan Kerner, had its run from March 9-12 at the Alexander Kasser Theater. It was a very amazing show that was very well done with its imagery that made you feel and think with its intensity. The sizable cast, introducing child cast members to the Kasser stage, very well depicted the struggles their characters were experiencing, thus conveying the message of togetherness of family to the audience and narration through use of song by the narrators who accompanied the cast onstage most of the time. It had the ability to cause audience members to look at their own lives and be thankful for what they have.

Lead man Tom Joad, played by senior Dustin Fontaine, discovers on his return back home after being in prison that his family has been forced to leave their Oklahoma home. The Joad family, along with Tom, then embarks with both enthusiasm and fear on a journey to California, where the good life is currently being advertised and jobs are promised, hitting snags in the road along the way. Ma Joad, played by senior Lena Chilingerian, was clearly the heroine of the play, trying to keep her family together while protecting them as it gradually falls apart, accepting the fact that things may not seem to go as planned after all.

What was interesting is that two characters could be having a conversation center stage, but the actions of the rest of the characters in the background would stand out just as much. This, the scenery, the use of water, the presentation of rain and sunlight, and the lifelike truck that provided the Joads with shelter throughout the play and drove on and offstage when pushed by other cast members made the play that much more realistic. The play was emotionally driven, the family faced with doubt and rumors treading into the unknown, with occasional humorous moments, nudity, and violence. The show also included a dance sequence to add more to the artistic imagery. The most beautiful scene, however, was the final one right before curtain call consisting of seniors Elizabeth Mackintosh as Rose of Sharon and Albert “AJ” Johnson Jr. as the Man in Barn. (Even though this is the ending of the play, I feel it deserves a mention, so I apologize for the spoiler.)

In the scene before this Rose of Sharon, the eldest Joad daughter who has been pregnant throughout the play, gives birth to a stillborn child. Seeking shelter from the rain, the Joad family runs into a barn at first unaware that it is already occupied. A man (Johnson) lies on the floor of the barn, dying, and it is explained by his son (Titus Gandy) that he does not have enough strength to eat solids due to starvation. Rose of Sharon offers her services and after everyone leaves the barn breastfeeds the man, thus being able to nurture someone after all. This single act embodies the work as a whole, for the theme of the play was to help each other in times of need and do what you can to survive.

Ultimately, it was the type of show that made you say, “Wow.”

My First Theater Review for The Montclarion of the Semester!!!

Last Wednesday my friend and I saw the opening night of Sweet Charity at the L. Howard Fox Theatre at MSU. It was also the first Peak Performance I saw this semester and since I wrote my series "Peak Performances and their Awkward Sexual Moments," so I was excited to kick off my streak of seeing every (or at least a majority of) Peak Performance productions once again this time around for more MSU theater experiences! Enjoy the article! :D

Sweet Charity

Peak Performances and their Awkward Sexual Moments: The Rimers of Eldritch

The Rimers of Eldritch-December 2010-L. Howard Fox Theatre
This play is a mystery whodunit of who killed Skelly Mannor, the town outcast. What I liked about it is that it kept you guessing the entire time and you eventually realize how the characters are all intertwined into the same situation, even though they are first introduced as separate storylines.

*Beware of Spoilers*

• The relationship between Cora and Walter: Cora is somewhat of an outcast as well because her husband has passed and she has employed a younger man, Walter, in her diner, and the two close early to do you know what. This is a topic of gossip among the townspeople. It’s not really the relationship I want to criticize, but the randomness of it. There are times the two would just walk onstage, kiss, and then walk backstage together. I know, bowchikawowwow. I know this serves a purpose to suggest what they are doing, but it’s just odd. Even when something else is happening onstage with other characters, Walter walks in the background and starts unbuttoning his shirt in front of Cora, a rather exciting moment indeed because the whole time you are wondering if he is going to pull a Full Monty and start undressing right there in front of everyone. It’s just that his unbuttoning has absolutely nothing to do with the scene that is currently happening onstage whatsoever. It is an additional scene just thrown in there to thwart our focus. Towards the end of the play he impregnates another character, which pretty much comes out of nowhere, and this character repetitively tells him that she loves him, which is how the play ends.

• Robert attempts to rape Eva: I’m just going to get this one over with. Robert and Eva are the two youngsters of the play in their early teens that are in the middle of the trial for Skelly’s murder. It turns out that Nelly Winrod shot Skelly thinking he was the one assaulting Eva when it turns out that Skelly was the one who rescued her from Robert. The infuriating thing is it’s quite possible the characters will never find this out because Robert lies about the whole thing, Skelly isn’t alive to defend himself nor would anybody listen to him anyway when he was alive, and Eva is in a state of shock. Eva is actually the one who comes on to Robert, wanting to attempt sex with him, which is weird itself to me considering that they are supposed to be childlike teens. Eva accuses Robert of not having enough guts to have sex with her, and Robert, tired of being looked down upon like he was throughout the play, attacks Eva, leading to the other events. Like most rape scenes, it was frightening.

I actually reviewed this play for The Montclarion as well. You can read my review here.

Check out the previous post of this series: Sweeney Todd

Conclusion:

Sexual moments in college productions is not a bad thing at all. In fact, it makes the show that much more interesting and complex. It just depends on what happens, how it is done, and your demographic of audience members and how they perceive it. I am looking forward to future Peak Performances this upcoming semester and beyond and what awkward sexual moments 2011 has to offer.

And this concludes this edition of "Peak Performances and their Awkward Sexual Moments"!!! Yay!

If you’re ever in the Montclair area, I encourage you to check out these performances. They are always very well done and worthwhile. ;) Here is where you can find out more: http://www.peakperfs.org/.

$15 a ticket, Free for undergraduates using an MSU ID. Hope to see you there! :D

Peak Performances and their Awkward Sexual Moments: Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street

(Please note that the videos I use in this post are not mine. Credit goes to their respective owners.)

Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street-November 2010-Alexander Kasser Theater
Sweeny Revengeful, Murderous, Throat-slitting Todd. That’s right, folks. THE Sweeney Todd. By far my favorite play I have seen at Montclair State so far, this show was epic and phenomenal, so that’s why I am so excited to finally get to write about it on my list. I don’t think, from an audience point of view, I saw one flaw. However, like most Peak Performances, there are awkward sexual moments to commend.

*Beware of Spoilers*

• The Beggar Woman hits on both Sweeney Todd and Anthony: When we first open up the story after the most awesome prelude ever, we meet Sweeney Todd and Anthony on a boat embarking for London. When they get off this boat, they are both bombarded by a Beggar Woman for money and then—sex. At this moment and then throughout the play she makes comments about their penises and comes onto them quite strongly. This may sound weird, but part of me wishes that Sweeney had given in to her advances. One reason being that he has maybe been deprived of sex the past fifteen years at the penal colony. Another reason, a reason that is more relevant to the plot, is that this way he would have recognized her as his wife Lucy ahead of time. So many lives would have been spared and Sweeney probably would have never met Mrs. Lovett. Anthony would have found out that their daughter Johanna was in Judge Turpin’s clutches and together they would have found a way to get her back and live happily ever after.

• Judge Turpin rapes Lucy: I hate rape scenes on stage, in movies, in books, etc. I feel like such events are so real for people that actually experience them, that when they occur in these forms, it’s as if we are using it as entertainment, almost glorifying them. I mean, if rape is going to be a theme for your piece, just mention it. Don’t show the actual act in detail in my opinion. What if a rape victim trying to heal is in your audience? This kind of scene can be traumatizing for he or she and bring back horrible memories. Not often will a person going into the theater know what exactly is in store. But unfortunately, these scenes exist. It is most awkward on stage because it is happening right in front of you, making it that much more real and frightening. In this context, Mrs. Lovett is telling Sweeney what happened after Turpin sent him to the penal colony, so we are getting flashbacks as a musical number. Turpin invites Lucy to a party and even though at first she rejects his invite, she eventually attends. When she gets there she does not know anyone, poor thing, for it is a masquerade party and the guests are flamboyantly dressed in disguises. At this point Turpin’s evil sidekick Beadle Bamford attacks and restrains Lucy so Turpin could rape her—right in the middle of the party. The party guests witness this and do what you would expect any normal large group of civilized people to do upon witnessing a rape—laugh at Lucy. Say it with me: WTF? Thankfully this scene ends with Sweeney crying in agony, thus causing Lovett to end the song. Check out both “Poor Thing” and “My Friends” from this clip:

• Judge Turpin lusts after Johanna: Yeah, I think this one speaks for itself. An old man who acts as a father figure to a young developing girl and then lusts after her is beyond creepy. However, there is something I want to say about this. I may sound crazy, but I really don’t think this is too bad. Hold on! Let me explain! I mean I feel like it is normal for an older man to find a younger girl sexy, he is only human. It depends on how he acts on these feelings that makes it wrong. It’s not like Turpin plans on raping her like he did her mother, and he does ask God to help him restrain himself. But then again, Turpin does plan on marrying Johanna and tells her and Beadle about it nonchalantly as if it is completely normal… Oh please. This is just plain weird and creepy so let’s just move on.

• Johanna asks Anthony to kiss her: It’s not the fact that she wants him to kiss her that bugs me, but the fact that she asks at the weirdest times. I am not the biggest fan of Johanna anyway because to me she is this annoying damsel in distress who constantly needs rescuing and she just seems to me to act like a dingbat. She does not seem to be worldly wise and notice what is going on around her. When Anthony rescues her from Fogg’s Insane Asylum after Johanna uses Anthony’s gun to shoot Fogg. Wait a minute…Johanna shoots Fogg??? That’s right. The damsel in distress actually does something productive for once and ends up pulling one of the most epic moves in the show. Anyway when she does this, the lunatics escape from the asylum and run in the town resulting in a police chase. Anthony and Johanna reappear onstage as Johanna reminds Anthony that he promised to marry her on Sunday. Unfortunately the badass Johanna does not last long after the gunshot because then she goes, “Kiss me.” Anthony finally accomplishes what he set out to do throughout the entire play, which is to rescue Johanna without getting caught by either Turpin or Beadle, and in the meantime lunatics are running around town causing more chaos for the scene, and she has the nerve to ask him to kiss her AT THIS PRECISE TIME? He actually had to briefly stop them from running away to do so. That is two precious seconds taken away from their escape. There is a time and place for a kiss and now is not the time! Their focus now is to make their escape. Once this escape is successful, they will have plenty of time for kissing. Now I know I spent a lot of energy on this point about just one kiss, but it just had to be said. This scene, along with the deaths of both Turpin and Lucy, you can see here:

• Mrs. Lovett pining after Sweeney Todd: It just annoys me when women go out of their way to make a guy fall in love with them and convince themselves of their love when he is clearly hung up on someone else. That is what happens here. A perfect example of her unrequited affections is exhibited here:

Just as an added bonus, I thought I'd also include the two musical highlights of the performance (in my opinion) in this post. I do recommend checking out the other videos from the performance on YouTube as well. But for now, please enjoy "Epiphany" and "A Little Priest." :D

And finally, the last play of the series: The Rimers of Eldritch. :)

Check out the previous post of this series: The Seagull

You can check out my article about this show for The Monclarion here.

I Got Mentioned on an Actress's Website!!!

Well...sorta.

I came across this tonight and it lifted my spirits a bit. Rachel Dunwoody was an actress who played Chris Gorman in The Barn Theatre's production of Rumors this past September in Montville. I reviewed this play for Montville Patch and it turns out the link to my article got posted on her website. My name and quote is right there smack dab on the webpage: http://rachelpersenaire.weebly.com/, 
http://rachelpersenaire.weebly.com/1/post/2010/09/rumors-review.html .

The reason why I post this is because I received some news tonight that kind of discouraged me a bit. Plus, I am still trying my best to surge up the courage and confidence I know I have deep down inside that has not entirely taken its full form yet.

However, seeing stuff like this gives me the encouragement I need to continue what I am doing and the reminder of why I do it. I know that maybe perhaps I am indeed on the right path. I just have to keep going, have faith, and keep my mind, focus, and purpose in check. I mean, it's pretty cool knowing that an actress whose work I have acknowledged has acknowledged my work as well. It's a good feeling. :D

A Blast from the Past: On the Town

Paper Mill Playhouse is one of my favorite theaters in New Jersey. It is also very well known. I have seen a few shows there, one of them being On the Town. My father and I went to see it back in 2009 and I decided to write this piece for The Montclarion. Unfortunately, it was never used. No one has ever seen it until today. I wanted to publish it somewhere, and so now I finally found a home for it. :) So please enjoy one of my lost articles about On the Town.

The Paper Mill Playhouse in Millburn, New Jersey is known for its classic musical productions. I attended the premiere of its latest addition, On the Town, on November 11.

The musical surrounds a day in the life of three sailors Gabey, Ozzie, and Chip, played by Tyler Hanes, Jeffrey Schecter, and Brian Shepard respectively, on leave in 1944 wartime. The show begins with the trio arriving at New York City by ship at 6AM. In a total of literally twenty-four hours, the sailors and their fellow comrades have a chance to explore New York City before they must return to their ship and embark on their duties. Each guy has his own agenda to accomplish while there: Chip wishes to sightsee the places his father told him about while relying on his guide book, Ozzie just wants to live it up with a few “dames,” but Gabey’s goal is to find his one and only love.

The three begin their adventure on a subway where they regard a poster advertising the most recent “Miss Turnstiles,” a competition of the subway similar to that of Miss America, named Ivy Smith, played by Yvette Tucker. Upon seeing her, Gabey is convinced that she is the girl for him and dedicates the twenty-four hours to finding her and perhaps make a date with her before he leaves town. Beings though they were in New York City, finding one girl in a day seemed impossible. After much consideration, Chip and Ozzie decide to postpone their plans to help their friend.

The three go their separate ways to cover more ground and instead of finding Ivy, Ozzie and Chip each find dames of their own. Chip seeks assistance from recently fired cab driver Hildy Esterhazy (Jennifer Cody), who is more interested to lure Chip into her bed than help him. Ozzie runs into author and anthropologist Claire DeLoone (Kelly Sullivan) at the Museum of Natural History, who is eager to let loose and ditch her workaholic lifestyle and fiancé. Hildy helps Chip to come out of his shell while Ozzie helps Claire to embrace her wild side, and eventually intense make out sessions ensue. At first these two ladies seem to be a distraction of sexual desire in the quest of finding Ivy Smith, but later they prove to be true heroines and the ideal object of affection from their new men.

Surprisingly, Gabey does find Ivy early on, suggesting to the audience that something bad is yet to occur. The suggestion proves true when Ivy is unable to make the date she and Gabey plan due to work. This sets Gabey into a depression and the gang, who eventually reunites with their new girlfriends by their sides, attempts club hopping to cheer him up. However, his business with Ivy is not finished yet.

Not only do the sailors find love in the big city, but they also find trouble. Throughout the course of the play, they each do something to anger someone and these troublesome acts accumulate, causing them to have one additional police officer after another on their tail each time. This is one of the many recurring gags.

Even though On the Town was a musical, there was more dancing than anything, and fine dancing there was, thanks to choreographer Patti Colombo (http://www.patticolombo.net/). Whether it was Gabey’s anguish expressed through movement or Ozzie and Claire just jamming with cavemen, true talent was displayed.

As much fun the musical was, there were points about it that depressed me. Supposedly it was the sailors’ first exposure to New York City, but it could very be their last exposure as well, not only to New York City, but also to freedom itself. When they make their departure, there is no telling in what kind of condition they will return or if they will return at all. It is somewhat irritating because it is possible that this day was their last chance to experience a woman’s love. Gabey, the one who was initially looking for it, spent most of the day searching for Ivy, whereas Ozzie and Chip had their girls the whole day. Contrary to popular belief that a woman needs her man, a man needs his woman just as much. This is proven when the soldiers ogled every girl they saw on stage. When they leave the city, they get to look forward to looking at other men for a good majority of their days. Gee, that’s fun.

On a less sensual note, another message the play sends is that you must live life to the fullest and live every day as though it is your last. I have lived in New Jersey all my life and I rarely travel to New York, mainly because I highly dislike it the congestion. But should I do so more often? Should I take advantage of the wonders New York City has to offer like the sailors did? I could die tomorrow just by walking across the street. Do I do enough each day? These were the questions that ran through my mind while watching the magic happen on stage at the Paper Mill Playhouse. Not only was On the Town entertaining, it makes you think.

Fleet Street Comes to Normal Avenue in Epic Proportions

This past November, specifically the afternoon of November 20, 2010, a few of my friends and I saw the production of Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street at our school, provided by the Department of Theater and Dance, meaning MSU students. This post is actually the uncut version of the review I wrote for it for The Montclarion, which you can find here.

I wasn't sure if the editors could use it because it was in the past and I had submitted this after Thanksgiving break, so I wasn't sure if it was too late to publish it as current news. I just had to write about the show. I couldn't not write about it. It was one of those performances you had to write about to get it all off your chest to express your full appreciation of it and have closure. My editor got back to me and said that they could use it and that they had wanted to cover it. I was beyond thrilled.

So as you will see, what I originally wrote was really long because I did not want to forget anything, so it's understandable that they had to edit a lot. However, I did want to post the original somewhere because towards the end of my Thanksgiving break is when I finally worked up the nerve to write it and send it to my editor, because like I said, I wasn't sure if he was going to use it anyway so I wasn't sure if I should write it. But because I couldn't not write it, I did and took the chance and asked if he could he could use it at all. I wrote everything on my mind and wanted my editor to use what he needed from it.

I worked day and night on it and am extremely proud of it, so I have been wanting to share this version as well. I had to publish it somewhere. I originally was going to post it under Facebook Notes, but considered this a better home for it. :) Enjoy!


Ok so I know that Thanksgiving break is passed us and that the Department of Theatre and Dance and John J. Cali School of Music’s production of Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street ended around two weeks ago, but I was given the muse to write this piece, regardless of this lengthy passage of time. The show quickly sold out all five days it was playing at Alexander Kasser Theater, including the matinee performances on Saturday and Sunday, possibly having to turn away plenty of enthusiastic theatergoers who wished to see it. Due to this high demand of tickets, I feel that the play is deserving of a review in order to paint a picture for those who were unable to attend and give it the recognition it deserves.

Before seeing this production, I was not a real big fan of Sweeney Todd, so thankfully I had my good friends Julia and Cherry, who have been big fans, there to make my experience that much more exciting. The performance clinched our fandom. When you sit in your seat, you are greeted by a set so magnificently portraying the dark streets of 19th Century London. Dangling from a rope is a dead body wrapped in cloth. One by one the ensemble, baring resemblances to the darkness of the scenery, walks onstage to the music of a creep-tastic organ, each inspecting the dead body. In song, they invite us to “Attend the tale of Sweeney Todd.” Sweeney Todd, played by senior Adam Bashian, then enters to help complete the song. Prior to the performance I had read the cast list on Facebook and remembered him from last fall’s Arcadia as Bernard Nightingale, so I was excited to see him in his element once again and immediately deemed him as perfect for the role of Sweeney Todd. As soon as he enters the stage in that first number, he has a presence that remains throughout the rest of the show, complete with amazing singing and acting skills, along with a deep, thrilling voice. A slightest snicker of his adds the extra flavor needed to complete a scene.

Bashian is not alone in this, however. Junior Jesse Ellyn Zeidman uses her talents of wit and accent emulation to portray Mrs. Lovett, Todd’s partner in crime in his murders, and freshman Kirk Geritano, as Judge Turpin, uses his maturity and impressive vocals to portray Todd’s main nemesis and target. Because there are plenty cast and crew members to mention, I unfortunately cannot commemorate each one, but I will say this: Even the minor characters, including those from the Company, blew me away and could have very well been considered leads due to their stamina. They are just as important and are needed by the audience to lead the plot. It was fascinating to recognize certain cast members that I have seen in past Peak Performances altogether performing in such a way. What made it even more fascinating was the fact that these were Montclair students but you would think it was a Broadway cast. Whether they are the townspeople or escaped lunatics, you could definitely see the passion that they had regardless of the size of their roles. What I liked also was how the orchestra joined this cast and crew onstage for curtain call, for I have never seen that done before.

Even though Sweeney Todd is considered a musical thriller, ironically it was also pretty funny. Humorous moments were scattered throughout, especially during “A Little Priest,” which proved to be a highlight number as Todd and Mrs. Lovett jokingly plotted the demise of their victims. Because “Epiphany” is my favorite song from Tim Burton’s version, I was looking forward to hearing it throughout the first act, so this finally being sung by Bashian was a highlight for me as well.

Sweeney Todd was directed by Jodi Capeless, and according to her biography, she has plenty of Broadway and Off-Broadway credits under her belt. This kind of quality showed in Sweeney Todd. This has got to be the best show I have seen at MSU so far, and I have seen some great ones, because of the professionalism behind it. Good examples of this are the change of scenes with the automatic set that moved on its own and the lighting to help accentuate the intensity and eeriness of these scenes. You could mentally feel the illusion of heat from Mrs. Lovett’s oven, even though it was just a set with great lighting and smoke.

Beings though Sweeney Todd uses his razor to slice the throats of unsuspecting men who enter his barbershop, it is expected to see some gore, though I was not sure in this case because this was a staged production and the only exposure I had of Sweeney Todd prior was Tim Burton’s film. Sure enough, right on Kasser’s stage theatrical cringe worthy blood squirted from Todd’s victims at the moment of impact. As a somewhat squeamish person, I found this a bit disturbing, but I survived. It did not happen too often and it was not as messy as one would think, so thankfully it was not that horrible for it to haunt me.

I left Kasser that night in what I like to call a “Sweeney Todd high” and have been in a “Sweeney Todd withdrawal” ever since the show ended. And this is after seeing the play only once. In the famous words of MC Hammer, Tim Burton “can’t touch this.” Nothing beats this play. It was THAT good.