Into the Woods Dreamcast!

Hello everyone!! It's Evan and I've returned with a new blog post for you all! I'm sorry for the lack of activity, I'll try my best to get some new posts and things added here! This blog post is going to be a dream casting of Into the Woods. I would absolutely love it if this show would get a revival, so I'm going to share my picks for characters with you all!

ROB McCLURE AS THE BAKER

If there's anyone that would be a BRILLIANT Baker, it's Rob McClure. I ABSOLUTELY love his personality and his acting really reflects that. I got to see him as Nick in Something Rotten and the first thing that went through my head after the show was "Wow, he would be a great Baker!" His quirkiness and wits really fit the role and I'd be very interested to see what he does with it!

ABBY MUELLER AS THE BAKER'S WIFE

ABBY MUELLER IS ONE OF MY FAVORITE MUSICAL THEATRE ACTRESSES EVER!! She can sing like CRAZY and she gives very moving performances. Her performance as Carole King in Beautiful: The Carole King Musical is phenomenal and powerful and I would love to see her in a more quirky role like The Baker's Wife. Im imagining her doing some of the scenes and they're bringing me such joy because I think she could bring lots of great things to the role!

STEPHANIE J. BLOCK OR ANNALEIGH ASHFORD AS THE WITCH

I had two choices for The Witch and I couldn't pick one over the other so I just picked both! I think Stephanie would be a great Witch because she can belt like crazy and she can grasp the audience and make them her own. I loved her in shows like Falsettos, and 9 to 5 and I think she would be a stellar Witch. I picked Annaleigh would be a great Witch because she has great comedic timing and she can belt like crazy! I think she would absolutely DOMINATE this role.

TAYLOR TRENSCH AS JACK

I WOULD ABSOLUTELY LOVE TO SEE TAYLOR AS JACK!! Most of the characters that he plays are in their teenage years, so it wouldn't be anything new for him. I think he could bring his charm and grace to the role and I would love to hear him sing Giants in the Sky. Taylor is one of my favorite young actors and I really think he could bring lots of things to the role. PLUS, he did readings for the movie adaptation.

LINDSAY MENDEZ AS CINDERELLA

Lindsay Mendez would be a BRILLIANT Cinderella! She's very good at playing quirky and complex roles, so I think this would be a piece of cake for her! She's currently playing Carrie Pipperidge in Carousel and I see many similarities between her and Cinderella. There are so many things that I can't out into words but trust me when I say that Lindsay could bring tons of humor to the role.

DELANEY WESTFALL AS RAPUNZEL

Delaney Westfall is extremely talented and in my opinion, there's nobody more suitable for the role than her. She has a gorgeous soprano, she has the look, and she has the acting chops! Delaney appeared as Lauren in Kinky Boots, and she's currently starring as Joanna in Sweeney Todd. She would ABSOLUTELY be a stunning Rapunzel.

JOSHUA HENRY OR EVAN TODD AS THE WOLF/PRINCE CHARMING

Again, I couldn't decide on just one person for these roles, so I picked 2 people! I think Joshua Henry would be great because he can play a variety of different characters and his tenor range is perfect for these characters! I picked Evan Todd because I can really visualize him in these roles. He has the look for both The Wolf and Prince Charming and I really think he would REALLY dominate their songs!

DREW GEHLING AS RAPUNZEL'S PRINCE

OK, DREW GEHLING IS THE MAN! He can absolutely make any role his own and he has FANTASTIC comedic timing, and his voice is like butter— SO GOOD! I think he would be a fantastic RAPUNZEL'S Prince. He and Evan Todd look like brothers, which is perfect, AND I would love to hear him sing Agony. Even though it seems like he'll never stop playing Dr. Pomatter in Waitress, I would love to see him in a new show and I think Into the Woods is perfect for him.

JOHN BOLTON AS THE NARRATOR/MYSTERIOUS MAN

I think that John Bolton would be a perfect choice for these parts because he has both a neutral, more calm side and also a quirky more mischievous side to him as well. He has the capability to keep a story rolling and he also has the power to make everyone fall in love with his personality.

Thank you so much for reading! It would mean the absolute world to me if you could sign up for e-mail alerts and also fill out the online feedback form! Keep conquering the stage!

~ Evan

Something Rotten! Review

Hello everyone! It’s Evan, and I’ve returned with another blog post for you all. THE FIRST ONE OF 2018, WOO-HOO! This blog post being a review of Something Rotten!

On January 20, 2018, I saw a matinee of Something Rotten! with Rob McClure, Josh Grisetti, and Adam Pascal. It was my first time getting student rush tickets, I’m definitely doing it again.

I absolutely loved the show! I thought the book was incredible and so hilarious and the score was as well. I think the entire cast did a phenomenal job and I’d like to give praise to some of the stand outs. Josh Grisetti was AMAZING as Nigel Bottom. He had great comedic timing and he had great chemistry with Autumn Hulbert, who played his love interest, Portia. She had a gorgeous voice and I enjoyed watching her perform. Rob McClure played Nick Bottom and he was absolutely perfect. He was very wacky, but also very reserved and I think that it worked very well. Adam Pascal played Will Shakespeare and I thought he was brilliant!! He brought sassiness and confidence to Will and his songs were huge stand-outs. One song I really enjoyed was A Musical. There were so many references to some of my favorite musicals and the dance breaks were incredible. It received a well-deserved standing ovation. The show itself was extremely funny. It had so many scenes were they had the stop the show so the audience could continue laughing and I really enjoyed myself there. 

Overall, I’d give the show 4 stars. I did find the plot to be a bit chiché, but it was done in a good and creative way. I highly recommend Something Rotten!

I really hope you enjoyed this review. Thank you so much for reading, keep conquering the stage!

~ Evan

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

My Masterclass Experience

Hello everyone! It's Evan and I've returned with another blog post for you all! This one being about my first experience at a masterclass.

Last week, I attended my first masterclass with Mamie Parris, who is currently playing Grizabella in CATS. It was AMAZING! Mamie was so helpful and kind and I learned so many things that will help me enhance my performances. One of the main subjects we discussed was delivering a stand out performance, and one of the key things to doing to so is before you're about to perform a song, have A SHOCK and realize how and what you're feeling and fight the urge to apologize for it. It really enhances your acting in songs and it really makes you feel even more connected to your song as well. We also talked about showing honesty and vulnerability when you're performing. You really have to find those things in your song because are the things that really connect you with your character, the way that you represent your vulnerability and your honesty to yourself. REPLICATING YOUR FEELINGS IS SO IMPORTANT!


We also discussed many tips and tricks to do while singing. One thing that I really was surprised by is that when you raise your head while you sing, it looks as if you're TELLING a story, while if you keep your head at a 90° angle, it looks as if you're TALKING in a sense, which is typically the goal. One key factor that EVERYONE should know is that SPECIFICITY AND ENVIRONMENT ARE YOUR FRIENDS. Being specific in your songs is GOOD, be as SPECIFIC AS YOU CAN. It really enhances your performing to an extraordinary level. When you're performing or rehearsing in a new space, use it to your advantage. You can learn so many new things just from being in a new place and you should really keep that in mind.

Overall, I really hope that reading this has helped you learn some new things like Mamie did towards me at the masterclass. Thank you so much for reading, keep conquering the stage! 

~ Evan