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Mell S

@doodleology

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I’m me. It’s all I can be.
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School Girls: or the African Mean Girls Play was a sheer delight. The show, set in 1986 at an all girls boarding school in Ghana, focuses on issues of colorism, bullying, unrealistic beauty standards, and above all : friendship. It was funny, heartbreaking and hopeful.

I could have spent 90 more minutes learning about this group of girls. But I’ll be grateful for the time I did spend with them.

Also, it was a treat to see the playwright Jocelyn Bioh step into the role of the beauty pageant recruiter for the weekend’s performances of her dynamic play.

This is a real contender for best play at next year’s Tony Awards. Run to see it before it closes on Nov 15. by @doodleology

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4 days ago

I am embarrassed to admit I have never seen a Duncan Sheik musical. (Though I finally see spring awakening in January!!!) So it felt very special to see this production, his last, so soon after his untimely passing.

Memoirs of Amorous Gentlemen was a real surprise. A show based on a Japanese manga, it highlighted the humanity of sex work and the importance of finding those safe spaces to explore who we are and what we desire most. The score was special and the singing top notch. I’m also a sucker for theater in the round, and returning to the old Mckittrick hotel transformed now into the Night Egg, was surreal and exciting. by @doodleology

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4 days ago

How wonderful that we have this very *Important* play about the life and times of Mary Todd Lincoln during our country’s sesquicentennial.

All jokes aside, I am so glad I was able to take Josh to see the national tour of Oh Mary! At the Bushnell tonight. @theonlyalaska5000 was a perfect Mary Todd and I am so so glad I was able to see @jandymorri play Mary’s Husband. He was perfect.

God Bless this little play, long may it reign! by @doodleology

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22 days ago

Today is my mom’s birthday!! Happiest Birthdays to a person who’s always down for doing something silly!!

So glad we get to celebrate together this weekend!! by @doodleology

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a month ago

For the first time in my almost 10 years of seeing things at @oneill_center I saw more shows in the Cabaret Conference than any of the others. And for good reason! The @oneill_center and @johnmcd123 put together a phenomenal lineup this summer.

First, the delightful Bonnie Milligan (@beltingbons) who raised the roof off of the place with her humor and joyful choices in songs. A treat to hear her sing from Guys and Dolls, Funny Girl, the catalog of Reba McEntire and of course Kimberly Akimbo. It made our lives better for sure.

Next on the docket was an evening celebrating record producer Thomas Z. Shepard who produced some of the most well known Broadway cast recordings. He also was a collaborator of my late grandfathers. So it was so special to bring my mom along to enjoy a night of stories and performances from some of the other invited cabaret performers from the season.

And last, but not least, we got to spend some time in the mind of Michael R. Jackson which is one of my favorite things. You know the night is going to be a fun ride when he opens with the theme song to One Life to Live. He even gave us a peek into a new show he is writing!! Teeth was the first workshop Emily and I went to see together at the O’Neill and from that day I’ve been on board for whatever show Michael wants to bring into this world.

A fantastic O’Neill summer. I cannot wait for what next year has in store. taken in Eugene O'Neill Theater Center by @doodleology

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2 months ago

What a great way for @emilygoestotheatre and me to start off our @oneill_center summer than with @forestmalley’s Ms. Cleary’s Last Supper.

It is NOT easy to do dark comedy well, but this got it just right. I appreciated the misdirection in the first act, and the reveal of a character’s true intentions was nothing if not thrilling. I also am so happy when we get to see an imagination of what the production could look and sound like from a design perspective. If Shipping Off To Boston was actually the needle drop at Act I’s conclusion, I would have yelped and kicked my feet in excitement. A perfect choice for that moment.

Another special summer day in Waterford, made only more so with the debut of the brick Emily and I purchased to commemorate this tradition we’ve had together since 2018. by @doodleology

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4 months ago

Happy Father’s Day to the best dad around. Thanks for always lending your expertise, especially these days! Love you so! by @doodleology

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4 months ago

What better way to spend my birthday than playing pinball with @ctbelles! And it was a summer camp theme?! It’s like it was made for me.

While I didn’t play my best (I blame my decision to wear a backpack the whole time), I had a blast. AND I won 3 merit badges!!

Birthday Girl (I had an unfair advantage for that one)
Best Dressed
Camp Spirit Award.

Thanks to everyone for a fun tournament and to @babsrox for always bringing extra creativity to your tournaments. by @doodleology

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4 months ago

I don’t have a deep history with Rocky Horror. It’s a show/film I’ve known about for most of my life but wouldn’t ever call myself a true fan. (I only know like 3 call outs). But boy did I have fun tonight at The Rocky Horror Show on Broadway.

First of all, I was just delighted by the deliberate choices to decorate the theater as if it were a community production. The sets also were campy and brilliant and held that same feeling. I couldn’t help but smile.

Luke Evans as Frank-N-Furter? MY GOD What a delight! He was perfectly charming, sexy, and maniacal. Also I don’t think there was a person in that audience who was unhappy with his costuming. 🥵

Thrilled to see my boy Andrew Durand in another show, and he leaned right into Brad Majors. Tighty-whities and all. The brief Dead Outlaw nod (intentional or not) was a pleasant surprise.

The entire cast was excellent. Everyone looked as thought they were having the time of their lives. Which meant the audience was as well. Rocky Horror will remain nonsensical to me, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Oh, and sharing the experience with good friend @nowbeerthis? An extra treat. Thanks for getting us tickets! by @doodleology

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5 months ago

Moments in Hudson NY. by @doodleology

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6 months ago

Cats: The Jellicle Ball.
Never in a million years did I ever think I’d see another production of Cats. As many of you know my dad worked on the original run and seeing it as many times as we did, Jess and I never felt the pull to ever go again. Cats is a strange show and certainly isn’t in my personal pantheon of *good* musicals. (Despite a few good bops here and there).

But here we were on a Saturday night ready to experience this new version of the show that uplifts and celebrates the queer voices of the ballroom scene. I was not prepared for how much I would enjoy this. First of all, I started to cry during the overture. Cats was the first time I ever sat in a Broadway theater so that instant hit of nostalgia where the hair stands up on your arms as the orchestra begins is unmatched. I was brought right back to that first time. And it was special.

This production is raucous, lively, and above all JOYFUL. This is not the Cats you know. The performers, devoid of their feline jumpsuits, embody the qualities of each of the jellicle cats without the gimmick of ears and tails. But that doesn’t mean the costuming was lackluster. FAR FROM IT. The endless parade of looks was maybe the best part. Each character had a moment for a surprise wardrobe reveal that has the audience cheering as much for that as they were for the dancing and vocal performances.

A mid show tribute to the foremothers of the ballroom scene was poignant and perfectly placed and drove home the reason why this community is so vibrant and joyful in spite of everything. And I will not soon forget Junior LaBeja holding court and being an ethereal presence wherever he was sitting on the stage as Gus the Theater Cat. Or André de Shields as Old Deuteronomy whose grace was a welcome and grounding presence on the stage among the reverie.

So what do we say judges? It’s 10s across the board for me. by @doodleology

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6 months ago

In 2005, I picked up a CD by an artist named Andrew Bird at Barnes & Noble because I thought the album artwork was amazing. Little did I know that day I would find one of my favorite musicians and an album that would become a desert island disc. Tonight I had the great pleasure to see The Mysterious Production of Eggs played in full with the Waterbury Symphony Orchestra accompanying Andrew Bird. What a special way to celebrate the 20th anniversary of its release.

As always, whenever I see Andrew Bird perform live, I float on a cloud home. Tonight doubly so. taken in Palace Theater - Waterbury, CT by @doodleology

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6 months ago