Greetings, Dear Reader! Blog for this week feels like a hodgepodge, a jumble of stuff to share with you…over the 4th of July weekend continued casting…how much do I reveal? We are closing in on our “Unsnavi”, the young leading man of In The Heights…there was, what I call, a high profile in-person audition with Director Rachel Rockwell and Music Director Tom Vendafreddo with a hot young actor from LA and, a promising as well, video submission from NYC from a hot young Chicago actor now in Manhattan who will soon make an appearance in Aurora for his in-person audition… Miss Saigon’s Kim was offered to a recent graduate of NYU, a beautifully talented Korean girl in China right now visiting her parents…I have also cast a musical theatre star from South Korea now working in NYC who will join the bargirls of Miss Saigon’s “Dreamland.” She is so good, I have my eye on her for a leading role in Rent…I hope this all works out…you know, you never know until they sign on the dotted line!
Meeting tomorrow with Sound Designer Adam Rosenthal on the body mic options for both Miss Saigon and Rent…technology, budgets, balancing the human voice with “Saigon’s” full, lush orchestrations…the contrasts of fragile beauty and devastating, thunderous power…and Rent’s rock opera band mixing with the impassioned vocals…the feat of hearing every note of the musicians’ instrumentation and not missing a word of the lyrics…getting to the language of these sung through contemporary operas without sacrificing the excitement of the scores…I am a servant of two masters, words and music!
I have a video interview to prepare for this week at the request of Marketing VP Jim Jarvis…introducing Season 3…explaining why the shows were chosen (In The Heights, Miss Saigon, 42ND ST, Rent), why I am excited about presenting them, and why I think it’s important for audiences to see them…Jarvis likes to ask “Why” a lot…this video will be posted on our website: paramountaurora.com
Have you been to RiverEdge Park yet? Almost 12,000 folks showed up for the fireworks display! And I don’t like to play favorites BUT…Idina Menzel is singing in concert July 19! Her concert entitled: Barefoot at the Symphony is a stunner with our 55-piece Paramount Orchestra! Idina Menzel! Broadway’s Tony Award winning star of Wicked and original cast of Rent (with her husband, Taye Diggs, with whom she also appeared on Private Practice), and she has been all over Glee! Idina Menzel! Phenomenal singer, actress, woman! I’m goin’!
Which reminds me: happy belated birthday to VP of RiverEdge Park, Val Devine (talk about phenomenal woman)!
Our Company Manager for the Broadway Series, Jennette Birch is now Mrs. Philip Nohl! She got hitched a week ago at Holy Angels (beautiful wedding) and has been honeymooning in Hawaii…well that’s all really nice, but I miss her! Lots of work to catch up on! Contracts! Whoa! She’s back! Gotta go!
See ya later,
Jim