The King and I Review

Hello everyone! It’s Evan and I’ve returned with another blog post for you all, this one being a review of The King and I.

On December 30, 2017, I saw a performance of The King and I starring Laura Michelle Kelly as Anna Leonowens and Jose Llana as The King of Siam. This show blew me away. I went in knowing only a few songs and the others really surprised me, but let’s get to the review!

The King and I tells the story of a widowed English schoolteacher (Laura Michelle Kelly) who, along with her young son Louis (Rhyees Stump) travel to Siam to teach The King’s (Jose Llana) many children, but Anna and The King form a tedious relationship.

To begin—Laura Michelle Kelly’s performance in this show is outstanding. It’s honest and kind and I think everyone could find something to love about it. Her voice is also GORGEOUS! Her rendition of Hello Young

Lovers is so beautiful and it touched my heart. She and Jose Llana had great chemistry! The audience could really tell that they enjoyed performing together and seeing them together was unlike any performance I’ve ever seen.

The show itself blew me away as well. The orchestrations and the choreography were huge stand outs. The book is incredible. There were so many American jokes that I, and the rest of the audience were near crying due to how funny they were, and Jose had great comedic timing and really used his jokes to the fullest. The music in this show is absolutely gorgeous, every song was so ravigant and the music is EXQUISITE. I fell in love with every character and I didn’t want the show to end.

There is not a bad thing to say about this show, it was phenomenal! I give it 5 stars! 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 Thank you so much for reading, keep conquering the stage!

~ Evan

RENT Live Dream Cast

Hello everyone, it’s Evan and I’ve returned with another blog post for you all, this one being my dream casting for FOX’s 2019 live musical event, RENT! I hope you all enjoy!

As many of you know, FOX and NBC have been broadcasting live productions of musicals such as The Sound of Music, The Wiz, Hairspray, and Grease. I love

these productions because they 
incorporate Broadway stars and mainstream artists which is a great way to get new audiences into musical theatre. I hope you’ll enjoy my dream cast of RENT. 

Ben Platt as Mark

I along with many other people, would love to see Ben’s take as Mark Cohen. I think he has the PERFECT voice and he clearly has the acting chops. Ben’s father is producing this event, so it would be super cool to see them work on a project together. He recently won the 2017 Tony Award for Best Leading Actor in a Musical for his performance as Evan Hansen in Dear Evan Hansen. Ben has also appeared in The Book of Mormon and Pitch Perfect.


Brendon Urie as Roger

Over the past several months, I’ve become a big Panic! at the Disco fan and I love Brendon Urie’s voice, and I think he would be a great fit for Roger! Brendon made his Broadway debut this summer as Charlie Price in Kinky Boots and he gathered rave reviews. I think he would be a brilliant fit for Roger because I think his voice fits the character, and I feel as if Roger himself, would listen to Panic! at the Disco. 

Camila Mendes as Mimi

I think Camila Mendes would be a great pick for Mimi because she can not only act, but she’s proven on multiple occasions that she can sing, and I think her voice is extremely fitting for Mimi. Camila is currently playing Veronica Lodge on Riverdale and I think her character is very similar to Mimi, mostly due to their attitude and their demanding flair. Camila has actually sung Out Tonight on Riverdale and I thought it was a brilliant performance.

Todrick Hall as Angel

I think Todrick would be a great Angel! He has lots of musical theatre experience, and he has a FANTASTIC voice. He recently appeared as Lola in Kinky Boots and he is currently starring as Billy Flynn in Chicago. He has also appeared in numerous shows at community and regional theatres. Todrick has lots of experience with drag, which is crucial to a role like Angel, so I think he would be a great choice!

Amber Riley as Joanne

I think Amber Riley would be a GREAT choice for Joanne because, she's a radiant performer, and I think her voice is perfect for the role. She showcased her stellar voice on Glee and she recently won an Olivier Award for her performance as Effie White in Dreamgirls. She and Lea Michele have even performed Take Me or Leave Me on Glee!

Lea Michele as Maureen

I think that Lea Michele would be a PHENOMENAL Maureen. She is a brilliant performer and she has a gorgeous voice. She has lots of musical theatre credits such as Les Miserables and Spring Awakening. She is best known for her performance on Glee as Rachel Berry, where she has sung many showtunes, including Take Me or Leave Me!

Post your RENT Live dream cast in the comment box below. Happy Holidays everyone! Thank you so much for reading, keep conquering the stage.

~ Evan

Appreciate your crew!

Hello everyone! It’s Evan and I’ve returned with another blog post for you all. This one is about the magical people who help bring shows to life, THE CREW!

The crew plays an essential role in bringing shows to life. They do extraordinary things like creating set pieces, designing costumes, timing sound effects, making sure actors get into costumes in a limited amount of time and so much more behind the curtain. I PERSONALLY think crew members don't get enough recognition. I think that they have an incredibly hard job and they are a prime part of how shows get to the stage. I was watching videos on YouTube and it

really struck me how important crew members are. At the 2015 Tony Awards, the cast of The King and I performed a medley of Getting to Know You, Something Wonderful, and Shall We Dance. Kelli O'Hara has a quick change in which she had to change from her schoolteacher outfit to her grand ballroom out. This video showed how the costume crew quickly helped Kelli into her second costume and I was stunned. Kelli couldn't have done this by herself and it hit me that while actors and actresses put on a great performance, they couldn't do it without the crew members. So, to any crew members reading this, thank you so much. We actors couldn't do it without you.

I hope you got to learn about what happens behind the curtain. Thank you so much for reading, keep conquering the stage! 

~ Evan

Noah Galvin in Dear Evan Hansen

Hello everyone! It's Evan and I've returned to share another blog post with you all, this one being about Noah Galvin.

Recently, Ben Platt played his final

Laura Dreyfuss, Noah Galvin

performance in Dear Evan Hansen and Noah Galvin was cast as his replacement. This has sparked controversy in the Broadway community because Noah has said some problematic things in an interview with Vulture. While I do think that some of the things he said in that interview were uncalled for, I do think that everyone deserves a second chance, which is something that Dear Evan Hansen teaches. Noah has apologized for the things that he has said which should make up for the offense he's caused. It's one thing to not say anything at all and it's another thing to take responsibility for the things you've done, which is something that Noah has bravely done. While I haven't seen Noah perform in the show, I did see his performance on the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade and I thought he was great. He has a great voice and it's so fitting for Evan Hansen. While it's okay to dislike Noah as a person, it's not okay to create hate accounts towards him on social media because of his performance. Saying that "you miss Ben Platt" or that "the casting directors could have done better" is not a reason to spread hate towards Noah. In fact, not only is that something Dear Evan Hansen shines a light on, but you shouldn't spread hate towards him at all, just keep your negative opinions to yourself.

To the people who are spreading hate towards Noah, I hope that you learned something from reading this. Thank you so much for reading, keep conquering the stage! 

~ Evan