SHOWS YOU SHOULD GO SEE NOW!

I had the pleasure of seeing several amazing shows at the theatre recently, and wanted to take the time to recommend them to you in case you have not yet had the pleasure of seeing them.

1.) Walter Cronkite is Dead at Signature Theatre.

With amazing performances by Sherri L. Edelen and Nancy Robinette, this piece kicks in from the first flight delay announcement, and takes off from there. Written and directed by Joe Calarco, this play concerns two women stuck at Reagan National Airport due to weather conditions. These women are from two very different walks of life and have totally different belief structures, yet make touching connections in their time spent together at a table at the airport. The play goes to so many different and fascinating places, and makes you think about the people that make up the "blue states" or "red states" as just what they are...people. If only such meetings like the one between Patty and Margaret would happen on a grander nationwide scale, we might all become more of a shade of purple. Wouldn't that be amazing? Don't miss this show, running until December 26th at Signature Theatre. Visit HERE for details.

2) The Odd Couple at Theatre J.

This hysterical revival of the Neil Simon play only runs another 3 performances (Saturday evening, 2 shows on Sunday) and if you have not seen it, do yourself a favor and go! Starring a top notch cast of character actors headlined by Rick Foucheux and J. Fred Shiffman, you will not stop laughing from the first poker game forward.

But to say that The Odd Couple is funny is not a piece of breaking news, what is interesting about seeing this play, besides the uproarious humor, is the fine technique of the actors on the stage. Each of these characters were finely nuanced and layered. I felt like I knew each one of them within a few lines of dialogue, which only highlights the skill of this talented cast. Go, get there now. 3 more shows left! GO!

For info, click HERE.

3) Oklahoma! at Arena Stage.

I had the pleasure of seeing Arena Stage's production of Oklahoma! a week or so ago, and it has been on my mind much of the time since. With knockout choreography by Parker Esse, a fantastic ensemble who dance their legs off, and a core of fantastic leading characters, it was truly a great night in the theatre.

As everyone in the world knows by now, Eleasha Gamble stepped into the role of Laurey just days before the opening of the show. Her work in this show is the best work she has ever done. And believe me, I've seen her in EVERYTHING. She is a spit fire of a Laurey, and has (as we also all know) the voice of an angel. She is matched perfectly by Nicholas Rodriguez as Curly, and E. Faye Butler as Aunt Eller. These three find levels to their characters that are so grounded in reality that the pay off is huge. By the end, you would riot of they didn't have a happy ending. Nehal Joshi as Ali Hakim made things funny in the script that I have never even thought of as funny lines. That, my friends, is skill. Everyone is truly fantastic. The show has extended to December 30th, so hop on your horse and ride on down to Arena's new space and see for yourself! You won't regret it!

For info, visit HERE.

Support live theatre, folks! Now is the time to do so more than ever!

XOXOXOXO

SGS

My Ladies

I went to see the second to last performance of Little Shop of Horrors at Ford's Theatre yesterday afternoon. As many of you may know, the 3 Doo Wap girls were played by my dear friends, [left to right in photo] Felicia Curry, Kara Tameika Watkins, and Eleasha Gamble. They were utterly fantastic! I was so proud of them, and you should have heard how these girls SOUNDED singing with each other. It was amazing. And if there are any theatres listening - THEY are your DREAMGIRLS. Just saying.
The three of them finished the show last night and are off on a vacation together. I wish them sun, fun and good times after a long and successful run. GREAT JOB LADIES!!!!
XOXOXOXSGS

Road Trip

Eleasha and I recently packed up Buddha in the car and took a road trip to Charlotte, NC.
Why you may ask? To go and visit with one of our mutual best friends, Sean MacLaughlin, who is playing Raoul in the National tour of Phantom of the Opera.
We had such a great time, and I am so happy Eleasha thought of the whole trip in the first place.
The drive down was spent with Eleasha and I basically having our own talk show in the car about 145 different "hot topics" and also singing our faces off to whatever popped up on her ipod. (Lots of Prince).
Buddha is still adjusting to his strange new life and got a bit nervous about what was happening and why Daddy was packing up things. As soon as he realized that he was coming along for the trip he calmed down and rode on my lap sleeping the whole way there.
The poor little guy has gone through lots of stress trying to figure everything out that he has definately aged in the past several months. He looks much older in just a few months.
Hopefully he will relax into his life a bit more as the summer passes on.







When we got to Charlotte, we met up with Sean and his lovely girlfriend, Elaine. Sean's puggle Albert was there to greet Buddha, as well as Elaine's Cavalier King Charles Spaniel puppy, Lady. Buddha soon realized that this was basically going to be a "Dogs gone wild" weekend. He played NON STOP while we were there. Lady really wore him out, and Albert who I am guessing was relieved that someone else was there to play with Lady and give him a break, would frequently remove himself to Sean's bed and watch from a safe distance.
In addition, two other members of the tour were staying at this hotel and had dogs of their own. There was an off leash dog area behind the hotel and Buddha, Lady and Albert would then play with Sweet Pea the Morkie (Maltese and Yorkie) and Madison the Golden Retriever. It was dog mayhem. I was so happy to see Buddha running and playing and having the time of his life with his pack of dog buddies.



It was so great to get to spend time with Sean and to get to know Elaine. Elaine and I instantly clicked and ended up giggling and laughing about everything under the sun the whole trip. In fact between Sean, Eleasha, Elaine and the dogs, I have not laughed as much in a very long time. It was a much needed thing.
I got to see Sean be Raoul from the 2nd row center section. It was amazing. He was amazing. I was so proud of him that I cried several times. Phantom is such a big part of many of our childhoods. We all wore that cassette tape out, whether we care to admit it or not. To see Sean up there singing something I used to sing in the shower at age 11 was just all too much. It was like waves of nostalgia and pride at the same time. I'm sure the people around me were like - what's his deal?
I didn't care.
The show is still a great show, no matter if some think it is outdated 80's spectacle (which it is) or not. It still entertains people, it still makes people cry, and it still has brilliant moments of theatricality. It is a grand gothic melodrama, and you know what? I still love it.

The visit was short but sweet and any time that you can spend with those you love is quality time, so I cannot complain.
And as you can see from the photo to the left, I am my usual summer blond, and Eleasha is SUPER SKINNY! She had to change her entire diet due to acid reflux and she has dropped weight ever since. She looks amazing!
So then Eleasha and I headed home, again singing various cast recordings and pop albums and trying to stay awake.
Buddha was clearly no help, as he slept again the whole way home. But having been away from his new home for a few days, it was nice to see him excited to be back home as we pulled up. A feeling that I think both of us shared about the new place. Maybe for the first time.
Good Sunday to ya.
xoxo
SGS

KING OF PIZZA - Reading Number 2

Matt, Ryan, and AK had the second reading of their new children's musical, The King of Pizza at our house tonight.

The show was read by me, Kurt Boehm, Kara Tameika Watkins, Felicia Curry and Priscilla Cuellar.








We all gather around a meal first (pizza, naturally) and chit chatted about everything under the sun as Buddha was frantic beneath our feet for pizza bones...
In attendance but not participating were Danny Tippet, Eleasha Gamble, and Jenny Cartney Speaker...













Buddha was mercenary to all of them, putting on his best pouty face and looking pathetic and malnourished and just being heart breakingly cute...









Now it was time to start....We all gathered in the living room and started to read.

























I think Buddha was thinking about playing the part of the cat, and then decided that he would rather chew a piece of rawhide.











In an unexpected turn of events, one of the songs for the show (we simply listened to pre-recorded songs when it was time for a musical number) was not found on the cd. So we all went downstairs and Kurt Boehm sung the song live. Here is Kurt "selling it". :)

















Buddha went and demanded love and affection from Aunt Jenny...



















The show was fantastic, and so much better shaped this time around. And man is it funny! I will keep you updated on all news with this fun show for kids AND adults whenever something new happens with it. Stay Tuned!
Also, you can always hear and see more at MATT CONNER's website!

8:08 on 8/8/08

umm...i was bored and we were realizing that it was...um...gonna be 8:08 on 8/8/08, and um...so....so i made these 8's out of construction paper, and um....see i made these 8's and i thought that...like umm....we could take a picture holding them...so we could have a picture that reminded us forever that when it was 8:08 on 8/8/08...umm...we were sitting in my living room doing nothing.
So..umm...uh...that's this picture.

















See...heh...see there are Matt and Eleasha even pointing it out.
heh.
8:08 on 8/8/08



















he-he...heh...see?



I um...i took those numbers that I made and then put them..um...put them on the front...front door...cause...it's 8/8/08...and um...now it is 9:56...so...umm...umm...i guess that's stupid now, huh?
umm...
well...
see you next September for 9:09 on 9/9/09..
cause we can only keep doing this for 2 more years....so...uhh...
yeah

A Smile to Hide the Pain - Photos

As promised, here are a few picture from Lucy Bowen McCauley's Kander and Ebb Dance Suite that Eleasha Gamble and I were in last week at Signature Theatre. Enjoy!

Wigged Out

"The show was delightful. I saw it last night. Was there anything unique about Friday night's performance that won't be repeated in further performances? :D "
writes in Googla Monster, frequent commenter on ye old blog.
yes.
Last night, Eleasha's wig flew off at the end of one of her songs.
Did you just hear what I said?
wig flew off.
I died.
I had to sing the next song, and all I wanted to do was laugh. It was the hardest thing to do ever. When the show was over, I came off stage and collapsed in a ball of hysterics.
So yes, Googla, something happened that WE SURE HOPE won't happen again happened last night!
*sigh*
I'm still laughing about it...
The show, PS, is fantastic. Come and see us!

A Smile to Hide the Pain

I had another rehearsal for A Smile to Hide the Pain, Lucy Bowen McCauley Dance troupe's entry into Signature's Kander and Ebb Celebration today. As I may have told you, Eleasha Gamble and I are singing the music, accompanied on the piano by Jeffery Watson. It was fantastic to sing with the dancers dancing right around us. It has been such a wonderful and collaborative process.
And today we ran through everything twice. It went fantastic, and this is truly an amazing troupe of dancers.



You really don't want to miss this. It really is going to be a special evening!
BUY TICKETS NOW!

CRASH!

MY COMPUTER HAS CRASHED!
We are not sure what happened, and it is now in the hands of an expert, and will hopefully be back soon. I am writing this from my computer at work, where I will post from until the laptop is back.

I wanted to let you all know that June candles are ready, but I have not had a formal photo shoot with them as of yet. This is the June Family preview:



They are several different shades of color, between white, eggshell, beige, and khaki. Not one of these is truly the same. I want them all to have differences, but retain the same theme of color and feel. The scents are Egyptian Cotton, Sun Dried Cotton, and Clean Linen. Prices are listed over at CANDLES BY STEPHEN.
Thanks to all of you for making May the most ordered candle yet! Let's see if June can beat May's record!

I also wanted to let you know that I had rehearsal for Signature and Lucy Bowen McCauley's Kander and Ebb Dance Extravaganza, A Smile to Hide the Pain today, and it went VERY well. To see the dancers dancing this gorgeous choreography to Kander and Ebb's music was truly an experience. Check out the details of it OVER HERE. I am very excited to be a part of it, and Eleasha and I are singing our ASSES off!

Ok...gotta go home to a computer less home...:(
Till tomorrow...
SGS

Memorial Day 2008 - Photos

We had an impromptu barbecue last night, inviting a few folks over sort of last minute to grill out and celebrate with us. I had the best time! It was great to reconnect with Andrew and Katie, always great to see Eleasha and Kara Tameika Watkins, and I believe that most of the Stephen Schwartz Project cast was in my backyard, too!








Matt spent a lot of time working on the yard, and I thought that it looked great!
He even had the idea to bring the downstairs couch outside for more seating options! This proved to be a fantastic idea, as we barely had enough places to sit!









Buddha enjoyed a game of monkey in the middle between Kurt and Laura.












These are some cute shots of Andrew,Katie, Annabell and Eleasha...

















Other Random Party Shots...


We had a great time and I can think of no better of a way to have kicked off Summer 2008!
Thanks for coming!
Luv,
SGS

Happy Birthday, Eleasha!!!

Love you much!

Name these Elves...

Copy and paste this link to your browser and see who is elfin' who...


http://www.elfyourself.com/?id=1471362150

Some Christmas Cheer...

Tonight, for the very first time, I watched Nestor, the Long Eared Christmas Donkey on ABC Family channel. I had never even heard about the special before this year, when Matt was telling Sherri Edelen over a holiday dinner that it was his favorite Christmas special growing up. He called it by the wrong name and said that it was Lester the long eared Christmas Donkey (which in a way, sounds better, but I digress). Sherri laughed and said, "It's Nestor!" I was confused, as I had never even heard of it. Matt said that it was like, his Christmas special. Whenever it was on, his mother would say, "Matt....the donkey's on...", and he would watch it.
I was sitting on the couch when I got home from work and saw that it was coming on ABC Family, so I set the VCR to record.
I sat down and watched it and found myself in tears over a claymation donkey. How embarrassing. It was so sweet but also very sad. If you were ever an outsider or different from all of the other kids, you would cry when you watched it. I loved it, and am glad that I taped it so that Matty can watch it.
He couldn't watch it because he was going down to Signature Theatre to play piano in the lobby before and after the December Divas cabaret, which features Eleasha Gamble, Tracy Lynn Olivera, and Jane Pesci Townsend.





I can't wait to see this Holiday season cabaret! You can find out more info about it HERE. It only plays for a few days, so go, enjoy, and tip my husband on the way into the theatre!

PAGE TO STAGE TONIGHT!!!

(UPDATE: 9PM MONDAY NIGHT:
Thanks to everyone who came to see us talk, I think we all had a great time! And as Marcia said, if you want to see another Ebony and Ivory cabaret, let Signature Theatre know!
Thanks again for coming out to see and support us!)


Tonight at 7, Eleasha and I will be speaking at the Shirlington Library. The topic is about how we put our cabarets together, kind of "the art of cabaret". Remembering the hysterical events that happened on the way to both of our cabarets, it should be a fun evening. And hey, it's free. Here is Signature's description...
December 3 , 2007
The Art of Cabaret with Eleasha Gamble and Stephen Gregory SmithMany American theater artists began their careers in the cabarets of New York: Mike Nichols and Elaine May, Barbara Streisand, and Bette Midler

Eleasha Gamble and Stephen Gregory Smith, regulars on the Signature stage, have been performing and perfecting their own cabaret, Ebony & Ivory and Ebony & Ivory: The Second Coming for the last two years - creating their own distinct voice. Their professional association grew into a strong friendship which they toast and triumph throughout their cabaret. Although there were growing pains, the melding of two personalities (no matter how compatible) into a single, personal evening of song and stories has been a highlight for Signature insiders and the pair of performers.

What's the big deal about creating a cabaret? Do you have to write down what you're going to say or can you just improvise?

I guess we'll find out tonight!