A Canadian Summer!

If I haven't checked in, it's because I am in Toronto. 5 weeks into my 8 weeks rehearsing for a contract aboard the Disney Dream. I am dancing in the mainstage shows and understudying some pretty fun stuff (Iago anyone?). I have great digs downtown near the studios, and the hand-holding man-friend came with, and has a killer sublet in Church-Wellesley village area. Working for Disney has been really great so far and exploring this amazing city with the one I love has been even better. My brother, pianist Dr. R. ANdrew Lee even came up to give a concert last week. 3 weeks until we are off to Florida and the cross-over begins!

Is That Doing You Any Good?

Two friends of mine are launching a wonderful website soon called Clay.com. It is a charitable site where you can sell things that you don't need, and instead of keeping the cash (a la craigslist), the money goes to charity. They have a pretty great visual campaign showing people with items that may not be doing any good. I am one of those people.  To find out when the site goes live, go to Clay.com to sign-up for an alert and see yours truly... in short shorts.

So excited to announce two projects in the next few weeks. It is going to be an exciting March!

2012, the year of viral storytelling

For Christmas I decided to give my two nieces some books. To make it fun, I made videos of myself reading the books and ringing a doorbell whenever the girls needed to turn the pages. One of the orphans from my ANNIE cast helped me pick out the best material. I was especially taken with Sean Bryan's, A GIRL AND HER GATOR. Turns out, so were a lot of people. My mother forwarded my youtube video to the author who passed it around the publishing house. I received an email from an editor the other day, and she asked if she could send me Sean Bryan's latest, THE JUGGLING PUG as a thank you. How great! 2012, the year of viral storytelling.

Happy New Year from 1933!

This week I am finishing up a wonderful run of Annie at Northern Stage in White River Junction, VT. From our administrative staff, fantastic (costumed) run crew, band, and cast, everyone has been amazing. Fun Fact: actor Tom Treadwell, who plays FDR in this production, toured with the revival in the mid 1990s before heading to Broadway. I saw that tour as my 12th birthday present and it was my first time seeing a big tour. Small world. Check out the Northern Stage site for more information on their upcoming productions.

Dream Show

I might re-read Pride and Prejudice every year. Maybe more. I also couldn't tell you how many hours I've spent watching Ms. Kinghtley play Elizabeth or Colin Firth breath life into Mr. Darcy in different film versions of one of my favorite stories.  So I'm thrilled to say that I am a part of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice at the 8th Annual New York Music Theatre Festival. This fresh look begins in Jane Austen's study, as she sits down to revise her beloved First Impressions. Donna Lynne Champlin plays the title role. Igor Goldin (direction), Tim Splain (music direction), and Jeffry Denman (choreography) are at the creative helm. Joining them in the rehearsal room are writers Lindsay Warren Baker and Amanda Jacobs offering insite and praise. This is a wonderful piece that will take Austenites and non-readers alike on a classic journey of love. Check out the NYMF website, like us on Facebook, or check out the twitter feed. I'd say buy your tickets now, but we are sold out! Opens this Thursday, September 29th!

What a Journey!

While in the throws of tech for The Music Man on SI, I received a call from Peter Zachari, asking me to be a part of his Fringe Fest show. Little did I know what adventure lay ahead! Parker and Dizzy's Fabulous Jounrey to the End of the Rainbow was was exactly that, a fabulous Journey. This gay romp turned out to be a darling of this years Fringe Festival. The story involves two friends on a search to solve a murder and find and protect the gay holy grail. Hey, it's Fringe! Originally cast in as Elmo (a self-cutting emo kid who works in a funeral home) and an Asian street vendor, I was excited to simply ACT in a show (both roles were sans singing/dancing). However, I ended up also playing a member of the D.R.A.G (Devine Royal Alliance of Garland) and pulled my dancin' heels back out of the closet. Our last show at La Mama in the EV was rained out (Hurricane Irene) but we were one of a dozen shows picked to extend. We just wrapped our extended run at the Players Theatre on MacDougal st. The entire process of being a part of this new work was exciting, fulfilling and fabulous. Check out Parker and Dizzy's... for more.