Broadway Brunch at Hamburger Mary’s

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I joined the staff of the Orange County Regional History Center when they went as a group to Hamburger Mary’s for Broadway Brunch. Mimosas flowed and then we ordered some very juicy burgers and cheese fries. The Minx, and Nicky Monet, acted as the hosts who kept the show lively. The Broadway Brunch Bunch dancers and some stellar singers show up to this weekly showcase to belt out their favorite show tunes. No two shows are alike. Production numbers were from Mary Poppins, Hairspray, Grease, Les Miserables, and so much more.

I had seen Dream Girls on Broadway when the show opened so I couldn’t resist singing along to those tunes. One act consisted of a singer slowly coming out of what might have been a sleeping bag or sheet w-Honda around her. She spread her arms and it became clear that she was a butterfly. It was an amazing act and I just sat back and enjoyed instead of stressing about trying to catch it all. Acts often circulated around the room collecting tips and singing up close and personal. One singer pressed between two men on the History Center staff and pressed them to her chest.

If you haven’t been to the Sunday Broadway Brunch, you need to go. The hosts stressed that the fun shared here needs to flow out into the world so that hate has no reason to flourish. In Orlando we lost 49 joyous souls. By singing laughing and dancing, we honor their memory.

Guests will each pay a $2.99 entertainment fee and be required to
purchase an entree or two alcoholic beverages.  Call 321-319-0600 to
grab your seat!

 Upcoming show dates:

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Lay Ms parodies Le Miserables set in the swinging 60s.

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Lay Ms written by Paul C Tugwell and lyrics by Brian Rewis used the songs from Les Miserables and changed the lyrics to tell the story of BDSM, porn and gay rights in the 60s. It followed the story of a young girl who decided she needed the money that a strip club could offer. The club lead to her downfall but her child found a protector. Trying to compress the plot of the epic Les Miserables into 90 minutes resulted in a somewhat rushed production. Set changes came at a break neck pace after every song. Each time the theater went black, I had to stop sketching. Having only seen the movie version of Les Miserables, I had a hard time assimilating the characters French names. I would have kept better track with Dick, Jane and Harry. The premise of Lay Ms is genius and at times I did sympathize with the plight of gay and transgender characters who were not treated as equals.  Gay bashing is sadly still prevalent in America.  The songs resulted in several inspired performances but the off stage synthesizer didn’t offer much in the way of back up.

One scene involved actress and director Tara Rewis as Eponine a lesbian who is forced by her scheming parents to star in a heterosexual porn film. A bartender, who was a long time friend offered to help out. The scene featured the only nudity in the show and her performance singing the song, flat on her back and her head leaning over the edge of the bed was admirable. She tolerated the heterosexual sex while trying to imagine her female lover. When she straddled him, she took her bra and placed it over his breasts and then cupped his breasts in her hands with eyes closed. It was an inspired and hilarious scene.

When the revolution culminated in the Stonewall Riots the crowd sang the battle cry in unison with flags waving and protest posters highlighting the continued inequality. Marriage equality now exists in 37 states. 13 states remain in the dark ages. 40% of gay youths commit suicide. Changing attitudes takes time so the battle rages on. I found myself humming the tune for the rest of the day although I didn’t remember the lyrics. The show had some rough edges which is to be expected since this was a rehearsal. Some of the dialogue seemed forced as if to rush the plot along to get to the next song. The overall premise is fun and the music kept me thinking about the battle for equality long after the show was over.

Remaining Performances:
Saturday, May 16 – 12:30 PM — 2:00 PM
Monday, May 18 – 8:45 PM — 10:15 PM
Tuesday, May 19 – 7:00 PM — 8:30 PM
Friday, May 22 – 10:00 PM — 11:30 PM
Saturday, May 23 – 4:00 PM — 5:30 PM
Sunday, May 24 – 8:00 PM — 9:30 PM

Length: 90
Venue: Silver in the REP
Price: $9 (+service charge) and Fringe Button!
Rating: 18+ – Nudity|Language|Adult Content|Some Violence

Restrictions:
All Patrons Over Age 13 Must Have a Fringe Button
No Late Entry Show-All Shows Start on Time
No Re-entry Into Any Venue
No Refunds or Exchanges
100% Of All Ticket Sales Are Returned to Artists

Melbourne Australia is alive with culture.

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From Sydney, Terry and I flew to Melbourne Australia. Even the taxi ride from the airport to the Windsor Hotel was exciting. Melbourne has to be the most modern city I have ever visited. I craned my neck looking out the taxi window to see modern skyscrapers that were vibrant works of art. One was covered with colored panels that must have functioned as shades for the glass structure beneath. the panels created yellow, lime green and Orange waves. Just driving through the city you could feel the way art influenced the public spaces. I was told that there are more events in Melbourne than there are days in the year. There was opulence and excess everywhere with changes clearly still under way.

The Windsor Hotel built in 1883, was right across the street from the historic House of Parliament (no, not the Parliament House). A historic trolley station was right in front of the hotel. The entire trolley car had been painted by a local artist thanks to a city commission. Both the Parliament and the Windsor were architectural gems, build from gold rush money at the turn of the century. The Windsor is notable for being Australia’s only surviving grand 19th century city hotel and only official “grand” Victorian era hotel. The Hotel Windsor has a 5-star rating and is considered one of the grandest hotels in Melbourne. It is renowned for it’s long list of dignitaries and celebrities who have stayed there over the years including the Duke and Dutchess of York, Margaret Thatcher, Meryl Streep,  Anthony Hopkins, Gregory Peck, Laurence Olivier, Vivien Leigh, Katharine Hepburn, Basil Rathbone, Lauren Bacall, and Douglas Fairbanks, I didn’t see any of them walking the halls.

After a full day of travel, I decided to just sketch our hotel room before getting some sleep. Terry checked her social media, but my phone remained off for the duration of the trip. My tablet that I sketched on, also doubled as a way to check e-mails where the hotels had Wi-Fi. So I wasn’t completely “off grid”. There were several Theatres just a block from the Hotel. Her Majesty’s Theatre built in 1886, was performing Les Miserables, and The Princess Theatre was presenting the hit musical Once about a song writer and his muse. The smash hit new musical (based on the movie of the same name) stormed
the Tony Awards in 2012 taking home eight, including Best Actor, Best
Book and Best Musical. I hadn’t seen this show before so I was thinking of going alone on the night of Terry’s reunion, since I wasn’t invited to that. Even sketching the theatre’s opulent exterior at night would have made for a great sketch. I was excited to dive in and start sketching this cities rich cultural scene.

Les Miserables is a stellar production.

Posted on by Thor

The Orlando Shakespeare Theater hit a home run by bringing Les Miserables to Orlando. Based on a book by Alain Boublil with Music by Claude-Michael Schönberg and Lyrics by Herbert Kretzmer. It is adapted from the novel by Victor Hugo. It was masterfully directed by DJ Salisbury with musical direction by Ken Clifton. It was raining like a typhoon on the evening I went to see the show. I must have seen a dozen ambulances on the dive to the theater and traffic was backed up on every major artery. That however didn’t keep people from coming to the show. It was a sold out house. The woman seated next to me in t in the Loge told me that this was her second time seeing the show. She wanted to share it with her husband who was with her for this performance.

Set in the early 19th-century, a French peasant named
Jean Valjean (Michael Hunsaker) is on a quest for redemption after serving nineteen years
in jail for for stealing a loaf of bread. When a compassionate bishop inspires him
with a tremendous act of mercy, Valjean decides to start his life anew,
but is relentlessly tracked down by Police Inspector Javert (Davis Gaines). Along the
way, Valjean and a slew of characters are swept into France’s
revolution, where a group of young visionaries make their last stand at a
street barricade.

Several times during the performance I was lifted and move close to tears by the power of the show music and performances. Despite being set in the crucible of a revolution, it is the stories of love that set the show ablaze. As Fantine‘s (Lianne Marie Dobbs) life spirals out of control, she sang of the love she knew for one glorious summer. It is one of the most beautiful and sad songs to ever hit the stage. Davis gains brought the role of inspector Javert to life with his incredible voice. Éponine (Caitlyn Caughell) sang a beautiful song of unrequited love for Marius’. She does everything he asks, even arranging for him to meet Cosette whom he loved at first sight. She ends up getting shot as she struggles to bring the couple together and she finally discovers what it is like to be held in his arms as she dies having been shot in the revolution while trying to get to him.


This show packs an incredible emotional punch. Michael Hunsaker’s performance had me fully emotionally invested in every scene. The show succeeded on every imaginable level. The thunderous applause should never stop. As the new Dr. Phillips Performing Arts Center nears completion, this production proved that Broadway quality productions are already being produced in town. Show continue through October 11th. Many shows are already sold out and for good reason. Don’t miss Les Mis!

The Orlando Shakespeare Theater Presents Les Miserables

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 I went to the Orlando Shakespeare Theater to sketch work being done on the set for Les Miserables. The key element of this stage is a large rotating lazy Susan that will allow different stage sets to rotate into view. A second level is where some of the fighting will be staged. Stage hands joked that the raw backdrop looked a bit like a Koala. To me it looks like a loudmouthed carved pumpkin. I’m sure that when the set is complete that it will look like the squalid streets of Paris at the turn of the century. For some reason the rotating stage required quite a few stage hands to turn. They worked to remove the friction. New gels had to be added to all the lights in the theater, so a ladder and moving scaffolding were used to get up high enough to reach the lights.

WHAT:

Les Misérables

Book by Alain Boublil | Music by Claude-Michel Schӧnberg | Lyrics by Herbert Kretzmer

Directed by DJ Salisbury | Musical Direction by Ken Clifton 

SUMMARY:

Set in the early 19th-century, a French peasant named Jean Valjean (played by Michael Hunsaker) is on a quest for redemption after serving nineteen years in jail for stealing a loaf of bread. When a compassionate bishop inspires him with a tremendous act of mercy, Valjean decides to start his life anew, but is relentlessly tracked down by Police Inspector Javert (played by Davis Gaines). Along the way, Valjean and a slew of characters are swept into France’s revolution, where a group of young visionaries make their last stand at a street barricade.

WHEN:

September 10 – October 12, 2014

Tuesday through Friday at 7:30 p.m.; Saturday at 2:00 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.; Sunday at 2:00 p.m.

WHERE:

Orlando Shakespeare Theater in the Margeson Theater

John and Rita Lowndes Shakespeare Center, 812 East Rollins Street, Orlando, FL 32803

TICKET INFORMATION: Previews and Senior Matinees $27, $22, $15

All other Performances $55, $45, $30

Many performances are already sold out, so act fast.