Broadway/San Diego Blog

Pursuing a Unique Profession:

Bill Berloni
Bruiser’s Broadway Dog Trainer

How did you choose such a unique profession?

After high school I signed up to be a technical apprentice at the Goodspeed Opera House in Connecticut. While I was there, they produced a new musical that had a dog in it. They couldn’t’ afford a dog trainer, and everyone on the paid staff refused to do it. I was offered an equity card and a chance to act in a show if I would do the job, so I went looking in animal shelters and bought a dog for $7. That dog was Sandy in the original production of Annie.

That Fall, I moved to New York and took the dog with me, and that Christmas I got a phone call from Mike Nichols, who was producing Annie on Broadway. He asked me to come on board with the original Sandy; the show opened and I became a world famous animal trainer. I was studying acting at NYU, but I also started to get more offers to train animals - before Annie, no one had ever trained an animal to be a character in a play. Of course, being 19, I didn’t know that, so I tried…and now the opening of Legally Blonde will be my 30-year anniversary.

What about the original Sandy?

He did the show for 8 years, and became the longest-running dog in Broadway history. There were 2377 performances - He never missed a single one.

What are the most important skills you need to be a good at your job?

I’m a good trainer, but I also understand the needs of the business. When I am called to work on a show, I sit down with the writers and director and try to understand what their needs are, rather than focusing on what the animal can do. I really have to become a collaborator with the creators. If I didn’t understand the technical aspects of the business, I wouldn’t be able to tell them what is feasible for the animal.

What is the biggest challenge in your work?

Actors use self-discipline to keep healthy and fit, but my charges can’t tell me how they’re feeling. So the most nerve-racking thing is keeping the animals happy and healthy so they can perform.

Has there ever been something you needed an animal to do that you couldn’t train him to do?

All the time. The idea you get from film and video of what an animal can be trained to do is slightly unrealistic - in film, you only have to get them to do it once. For Broadway, I have to create a situation where the animal wants to do the thing that is called for on stage 8 times a week, and I ahve to train the actor to be as adept with the animal as I am.

What is the most important thing you have learned from your work?

When I was looking for that original Sandy in 1976, I was mortified at the condition of the animals, most of which I knew were going to die. I promised myself - not knowing that this would be my profession - that if I ever got another dog, I would adopt him from a shelter. All the animals I’ve trained in the last 30 years - some of whom have become Broadway legends - were animals from shelters. In addition to training animals for theater and film, I am Director of Animal Behavior for the Humane Society in NYC. I believe that much of my good fortune comes from the fact that I don’t just exploit these animals - I really care about them, and I use my success to help animals in need.

February 23rd, 2010 | Tags: Blonde, broadway, broadway san diego, broadway san diego tickets, Civic Theatre, Civic Theatre Tickets, Dog, Legal, LEGALLY BLONDE, Legally Blonde San Diego, Legally Blonde San Diego Tickets, Legally blonde the musical, Legally Blonde the Musical tickets, Legally Blonde Tickets, san diego, san diego tickets, Trainer | Category: From Broadway/San Diego Staff | Leave a comment

How did you become a costume designer?

I was a late bloomer in many ways. I’m from San Diego, and I was going to teach high school, and my major in college was dramatic literature. I took some technical classes towards my requirements and found I had a strong connection to design and history and clothing. A gentleman named Robert Morgan [costume designer] came to talk to the Masters students, and my teacher encouraged me and said I should go talk with him. Well, that conversation with him changed the course of my life. I went to NYU and got my Masters in costume design. After I graduated, I taught at NYU for twenty years. I just recently left. It was really through teaching that I realized how to question both my self and the students: ‘What is your philosophy and how do you create a character through clothing?’ I think I learned more from my students than they learned from me! (Laughs) I learned a lot from having to communicate that daily. It was a great platform to learn your public persona. I was also doing regional theater and opera. I was the resident costume designer at Paper Mill Playhouse [in New Jersey], and there I met Jerry Mitchell [the director of Legally Blonde]… Through his kindness and support, I did several shows with him, including Dirty Rotten Scoundrels on Broadway. This is my fifth Broadway show.

What does costume design add to a show? How do you view your role as a costume designer?

To be a costume designer the most important thing is to be a good listener… to listen to the people who you collaborate with. A clothing designer may be viewed as an auteur, but we’re kind of anonymous, because our job is to tell a story. I try to be a good listener. Sometimes you develop all these ideas, but they haven’t cast the actor. You could be thinking of an actress who is five feet, ten inches, and then they cast a four foot eleven inches character actor. So you have to be flexible, as sometimes you have to change for the actor, you have to be fluid. You can’t be too set on your ideas. I always tell the actors, don’t fall in love with the skirt, it could be pants tomorrow (laughs). I feel like my job in this case [with Legally Blonde], is to be a little quite. you want to bring a signature to it, but everybody-the book writer, the lyricist, the composer, the director, the choreographer, the other designers  - all the collaborators and all the parts should be equal. It’s like an intricate mesh so that the story is the foremost thing.

In my past work, I did circus shows, the Radio City Christmas show and ice shows, shows where sometimes there’s no dialougue and no narrative. It’s just these amazing feats! I did a lot of htat kind of work, and it’s very different from Legally Blonde. With theater shows, you know whne you get it right - that’s when you know it’s just a skirt, and people say, “Oh, I loved her costume.” Then somehow it’s more than just clothes. The final ingredient is that - when the audience brings their own experience and ideas to the table too, so when they connect to it - it becomes more than just clothes.

How do you think costume design creates an emotional response? How does it convey emotional information?

Well, for example, in Act II, Elle has three different scenes where she’s onstage the whole time, so we had to have three different looks that reveal in different ways as she transitions from scene to scene, and also as she transitions into Harvard by wearing less pink [her signature color]. So the outfit changes subtly. But we also have a pink slip under the Harvard clothes. Little things like that, they’re subtle, and maybe the audience doesn’t notice it right away. But I think that subconsciously you do, and it shows how the character is staying true to herself. The actor Christian Borle, who plays the character of Emmet, wanted to obscure his natural bodyline, so [when Elle gives him a] makeover people think “wow!” Christian didn’t want to look too sloppy or unkempt before that, so we played over the course of many fittings, with a lot of input from him. He has such good instincts. Finally, we said, “why don’t we look on the Internet, and get a shirt from the Roxbury School [where Emmet’s character is from], and we’ll put it under a jacket. So Emmet wears a technical t-shirt, with a Roxbury logo, a very specific thing that we sought out to show that Emmet is still connected to his mother and his home. Also he wears a Star Trek watch, because Emmet is a little “nerdy.” All of those things are very carefully thought out. In San Francisco [where Legally Blonde began its performances], some of the young girls and teenagers would come dressed as Elle, which was thrilling! There was one girl who came with bunny ears! It appeals to our inner child, the idea of dress-up.

What sort of research did you do for Legally Blonde?

Well, we’ve seen the movie one thousand times! (Laughs) I had not seen the movie, the first movie, before this project. What I love about the movie is how many different levels it works on. You know the story within the first few minutes, but what’s interesting is HOW they tell it. The story itself is very inspiring. You know what I love about [the character of] Elle, is that she’s a woman who has it all, but she’s so kind. You never see her play that card. She’s a real humanitarian; very aware of all the people around her. I’m not a designer who’s done a lot of modern dress, fantasy or historical based. We spent a lot of time in pre-production. My assistant Skye and I photographed people here in New York City, on the Upper East Side. We had friends in Los Angeles who photographed people at the Beverly Center and on Rodeo Drive, and we had friends in Boston at Harvard, taking photos of what the kids were wearing. We looked at Vogue and those high-end magazines. We ran the gamut. We would show things to Jerry [Mitchell, the director]; we went through a million ideas. The design was a mix-master of a lot of different sources.

My favorite picture is from up on 5^th Avenue, a beautiful blonde from the back, crossing the street. A beautiful lace summer dress. We based Elle’s first dress on it. I told my assistant, I wished we had a picture of her from the front, and he said, she was about seventy years old. So it can come from anywhere.

Legally Blonde has three different visual stories. First there is the Los Angeles story, which I call it the ‘Easter Bunny popped by’ look; the Harvard, a brown world in which we used every shade of brown, grey, ochres, greens, so she looks like a fish out of water. Then there’s Paulette’s world in the hair salon, which is a different suburban group… middle class, young and sexy. We wanted a rock star look [for them] so we used all denim, every denim idea you can imagine!. Then there’s the Delta Nus, too, [as the Greek Chorus]. Our story is about students, and Elle’s a fashion merchandising student, so she knows a lot.

There are a lot of challenges for a costume designer specific to the genre of musicals. You have to build [costumes] that are really strong. There are a lot of quick changes. A lot of fashion today is fragile and disposable; slip dresses, t-shirts, especially when you’re young. It’s funny, when you go from a drawing to a 3-D, it’s not always a home run. There is one dress in the show, where Elle was picking up her dog, and then she’s sitting on a rough texture a little later in the scene, and the dress kept snagging. Sometimes you have to see how the choreography works, how the design works, and design a costume that will fit all of [those elements]. We are always adjusting a lot of things up until the opening.

We drew it, painted it and then we had it bid [the designers take their designs to all the costume shops to assess how much it will take to be made]. You determine how much it’s going to cost. For this show, half of it is made, half of it is purchased. We went all over New York City, couture boutiques in NYC, Saks, Bergdorf Goodman, Woodbury Commons, mixing things together. Usually if it’s modern, it’s purchased. If it’s historical, it’s made. The challenge is walking the tightrope between what’s real and what’s the story. We don’t want to design it so it dates itself immediately. One of Paulette’s was inspired by a dress we saw of Beyonce in People magazine. When you see it, you will never get that, but you make your own.

What else inspired you for your designs in Legally Blonde?

When the actor inspires you – that’s the best way. Orfeh, the actress playing Paulette, was a rocker in the 1980’s – so I asked her what she wore then. She inspired me by her audition outfit. She’s very tender, but with a rough edge, very rock and roll, but in a playful way. We bought a pair of vintage platform high-heel sneakers, florescent green for her, first thing we found! When we showed them to Orfeh, she knew the brand, from when they were popular! They didn’t make the cut, but they inspired. I had seen Laura Bell Bundy (who plays Elle) in a full workshop of the show last year – and watched her, and it’s useful to know what suits the person. Elle wears a lot of pink in the first act, as it’s her signature color, and so Laura Bell wore a lot of pink to rehearsal to get into character. From that, I could see what shade of pink looked good on her. So the show is in cool pinks.

What is your own favorite costume in the show?

There’s a dress – I don’t want to say too much about it, except that it’s a trick – it’s the dress that she wears when Warner dumps her. My friend for 26 years, Jeff Bender, hand-painted the dress. It’s a very simple slip dress, but it’s hand-painted. I love the role it has in telling the story, and all the different people’s roles in it, Jeff’s, Jerry’s, and Laura Bell’s.

What is your own favorite outfit?

I work too hard to be dressed up! I have a uniform and it’s not impressive (laughs). I wear sneakers, jeans and a shirt un-tucked. I won a Tony last year, and I had to wear a tuxedo and that was so hard! I spend my life dressing other people up, and I’m the biggest mess in the room (laughs). Every job is difficult. The hours are long, I work 7 days a week, I love all the interacting I get to do with people. I don’t wear uncomfortable shoes, I make other people wear those. (laughs)

February 9th, 2010 | Tags: broadway, broadway san diego, broadway san diego tickets, Broadway Tickets, Civic Theatre, Civic Theatre Tickets, Costumes, Elle Woods, LEGALLY BLONDE, Legally Blonde on Tour, Legally blonde the musical, Legally Blonde the Musical tickets, Legally Blonde Tickets, Legally Blonde Tour Tickets, san diego, san diego tickets, tickets | Category: From Broadway/San Diego Staff | Leave a comment

A Brief Historical Overview of Women in the Law

For years, women faced a unique challenge in their efforts to penetrate the profession of the practice of law. Unlike other professions, all institutions of the law, namely the law schools, the bar associations and the courts, were under the exclusive control of men. Women were left with no door to enter this entirely male-controlled monopoly…and men didn’t want to let women into their turf. Therefore, the history of women in the law is closely connected to the women’s suffragist movement in its early stage and later, the women’s rights movement. For example, by 1890, about five percent of doctors in the United States were women as opposed to only a handful of women who were individually gaining the right to practice law on a state by state basis. By 1930, fifty years later, only two percent of all American lawyers and judges were women. As a subset, African-American women, often slaves, have an early powerful history in pursuing the law as a means of obtaining their own freedom. In 1655, Elizabeth Kay, a slave, sued for her freedom by arguing that her status should be determined by the ancestry of her father, a free white, rather than that of her mother, a slave. Although Ms. Key won her case, in 1662, the Commonwealth of Virginia responded by legislating that whether or not a child is a slave or a free person will be determined in accordance with their mother’s status (thereby overturning the court’s decision). 

The Eighteenth Century remained a period of little change for the status of women in the law, both in terms of their rights as women and their right to be lawyers. Women generally could not own property and were even themselves considered to be the property of their husbands! (Oh My God, as Elle Woods would say!) The 1700s found women slaves again arguing in court for their right to be free. Notably, in 1781, Mum Bett won her independence from slavery in a Massachusetts court after advising her counsel to use the constitutional premise that “all men are born free and equal.” This is seen as the first time that a state constitution was used to challenge slavery. Following her victory, she changed her name to Elizabeth Freemen. Slightly over a century later, it would be another African-American woman, Lutie A. Lytle, who would become the first woman law professor in the nation. 

Beginning with Belle A. Mansfield in 1869 in Iowa, women slowly began gaining the right to practice law, state by state…In 1923, Delaware was the last state to admit women to the bar. In 1869, Lemma Barkaloo entered the Law Department of Washington University in St. Louis, thus becoming the first woman law student in the nation. She did not complete her studies but passed the Missouri bar upon the conclusion of her first year of study and began practicing in 1870. It is interesting to note that of all the regions in the US, the Northeast, with the highest concentration of male attorneys, the longest history of male attorneys, and the most prestigious law schools, was the most resistant to the admission of women to the practice of law. In fact, Harvard University, ostensibly the best law school in the nation (and law school of choice for Elle Woods in Legally Blonde), did not admit women to its law school until as late as 1950. 

From early on, as women entered the profession of law, contrasting views have arisen as to their role and contribution to the law. On one hand, women have argued that there is no difference in the way law is practiced  by men and women, that the two genders are equivalent and thus equal in all aspects. However, another argument is made that women have brought to the law a unique perspective, one that is less adversarial than the traditional method (established by men) of trying cases in a court of law and declaring one side the winner and the other the loser. In an effort to find case resolution that entertains  the philosophy of a “win-win” instead, women have expanded the law into areas of alternative dispute resolution such as mediation, especially in the areas of employment and family law, where it is not necessarily appropriate or desirable to have an outright winner and loser. Similarly, a more gentle approach to adjudication has been suggested by Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. In a speech given shortly before her nomination to the Supreme Court, Ginsburg suggested that “[m]easured motions seem to me right, in the main, for constitutional as well as common law adjudication. Doctrinal limbs too swiftly shaped, experience teaches, may prove unstable.” Ginsburg has also urged that the Supreme Court allow for dialogue with elected branches, a notion not previously considered by the men who served before her. 

January 26th, 2010 | Tags: broadway, broadway san diego, broadway san diego tickets, Broadway Tickets, Civic Theatre, Civic Theatre Tickets, Elle Woods, Law, LEGALLY BLONDE, Legally blonde the musical, Legally Blonde the Musical tickets, Legally Blonde Tickets, Legally Blonde Tour, Legally Blonde Tour Tickets, san diego, san diego tickets, Women | Category: From Broadway/San Diego Staff | Comments (1)

Against the Elements

“In Act One, the show deals with themes that are at the heart of a lot of early music and dance, songs in praise of the earth, sun, fire, the moon and other elemental forces that are common to all cultures.” – Bill Whelan

Your journey at Riverdance begins in pre-history, where we worshiped, praised and feared the elements. Written history in Ireland began when monks inspired by St. Patrick, began to record Celtic culture. Before that, the scholar-priests of the Celts, the Druids, looked down upon writing; they kept their histories through oral history; songs, dances, rituals. These were passed down from generation to generation. All cultures sing and speak of this early time, when the earth, sun, fire, the moon and other elemental forces ruled our lives. In Riverdance’s first act, the dancing and music reflect the power of the elements. So the opening dance sequence, “Reel Around the Sun,” celebrates the sun’s great power with a vigorous troupe, in which the beating “thunder” of their feet echoes the power of one of natures’ most dramatic forces. We fear it, but we can’t live without it. In “Firedance,” the lone dancer uses gestures and hand movements to show the beauty and danger of that contradictory element.

Leaving Home

“Act Two tells how the native culture has been forced to emigrate and, by so doing, is exposed to the forms of expression of other cultures, both in dance and music.” – Bill Whelan

Between 1845 and 1850, the time of the Great Hunger, nearly two million people left Ireland for other lands, a great distribution of people and culture. Irish culture spread out around the world, learning new ideas and influencing other cultures. As John McColgan writes, “It is a credit to the Irish that they held their culture heritage so close to them wherever they traveled.”

Most of those who left Ireland during the Great Hunger traveled across the Atlantic Ocean to America. Between the 18^th and 19^th centuries, 7 million people came from Ireland to the United States. Thousands of Irish people already living in America sent money to relatives for boat tickets to come to the New World. Today 40 million Americans can look back on their family tree and see a link to Ireland.

Coming over to the United States was often a horrifying experience. Journeys could last up to twelve weeks, and disease and starvation were rampant. So many ships had people die on route, or were lost at sea, that they were often called “coffin ships.” In Irish tradition, the term “going west” was another phrase for dying. The Irish who sailed westward for the United States were given parties called American Wakes. And those who left Ireland never expected to return again. The American Wake was at once an event of great joy and a release of deep sadness. Many songs were sung, dances were danced, food was eaten and tears were shed. The American Wake was a way to say good bye to your old life and embrace the new. 

Later in the 19th century, when steam ships were introduced, the passage across the Atlantic became easier and faster. Toward the end of the 19th century, Irish immigrants in America began to become organized, helping new immigrants and creating political and social organizations. Many of these were created to help preserve Irish heritage in America. They came to escape hunger and poverty. They came with great determination and hope, looking for opportunity. And many did find that dream, but many more found things even harder than it was in Ireland. Many saw the new Irish as invaders, taking away jobs. Many Irish immigrants came with no skills, some speaking only Gaelic, and so were given the lowest paying jobs. Many Irish Catholics came to America and learned that prejudice against them was not confined to Irish borders.

No wonder many Irish immigrants felt that they were not voluntary comers to America, but that the conditions in Ireland had forced them to leave. They saw themselves as “exiles.” They were disillusioned. “Disillusion” is the loss of a dream, and for many, the dream of a new land was dead.

But the Irish prevailed spreading their culture, and re-creating the cultures they encountered. The politician Richard O’Gorman wrote, “There seems to me nothing in the Irish nature to indicate a worn out, a moribund race. The moment it touches this soil, it seems to be imbued with miraculous energy for good and evil, so that something Irish is prominent everywhere, and you have to praise or blame, to bless or curse it, at every turn.”

RIVERDANCE - SAN DIEGO Civic Theatre
January 5-10, 2010 

December 28th, 2009 | Tags: broadway, broadway san diego, broadway san diego tickets, Broadway Tickets, Civic Theatre, Civic Theatre Tickets, Irish Dance, RIVERDANCE, Riverdance Farewell Tour, Riverdance Farewell Tour Tickets, Riverdance Tickets, san diego, san diego tickets | Category: From Broadway/San Diego Staff | Leave a comment

In 1569, Sir Henry Sydney wrote to Queen Elizabeth about the Irish people: “They are very beautiful, magnificently dressed and first class dancers.”

Throughout Irish history, dancing has been done for pleasure, for performance, for joy and for mourning. At many times during Irish history, the Church tried to condemn or outlaw dancing, saying “In the dance are seen frenzy and woe.” Exactly right: in Ireland, people have danced for every emotion, from great joy to utter sadness. The Druids danced to worship the sun and the oak tree; when millions left Ireland during the Great Hunger, they danced before they journeyed on.

The Gaelic word for dance, “damhsa” shows the mixed quality of Irish culture; its origins are from the French word “danse,” brought over by French—speaking Normans.

Until the 18^th century, most Irish dancing was communal, that is, danced by large groups of people. In a time before television, movies and the Internet, dance parties in houses or at the crossroads were often a community’s sole form of entertainment. Solo steps were first developed by dance masters in the 1900s. Many of the dances you will see at Riverdance—the reel, the jig, the hornpipe—were developed at this time.

THE DANCE MASTER

Dance styles were extended through Ireland during the 18^th and 19^th centuries by traveling teachers and performers known as Dance Masters. Dance Masters would wander from town to town, staying in a village for up to six weeks, sleeping in the kitchen or barn of a kind farmer, teaching the children of the village how to dance. The people of rural Ireland knew the folk dances taught by their parents, but people wanted the Dance Masters to teach them the new dances from far away places like France. It was considered a great honor for a town to host a dance master. Dancing was so popular among peasants and farmers that the coming of a Dance Master was a time of celebration for the whole village.

Flamboyant, colorful characters, Dance Masters wore bright colored hats, knee breeches, shoes with large silver buckles and held staffs while they walked. Dance Masters would usually have their own territories, usually not more than 10 square miles. Often Dance Masters would meet at fairs and compete to see who was the best dancer. The winner would take over the loser’s territory.

During this time, places for competitions and fairs were always small, so there was little room for the Dance Masters to perform. They would dance on tabletops, sometimes even the top of a barrel! Because of this, the dancing styles were very contained, with hands rigid at the sides, and a lack of arm movement and traveling across the stage. As time went on, larger places for dance competitions and performances were found, so styles grew to include more movement, more dancing across the sage as you see in Riverdance.

TYPES OF IRISH DANCING

Step Dancing

This lively, agile dance is perhaps the most well known Irish dance. First seen at the end of the 18^th century, Step Dancing was created by the Irish Dance Masters. The emphasis in step dancing is on foot percussion or battering, and a rigidity in the upper body. Breandan Breathnach writes in his book, Folk Music and Dances of Ireland, “A remarkable feature of step dancing was the control or restraint which underlay the vigor and speed of the performance. The good dancer kept the body rigid, moving only from the hips down and with arms extended straight at the side…the good dancer, it was said, could dance on eggs without breaking them and hold a pan of water on his head without spilling a drop…”

Types of Step Dances:

1.       REEL – Danced in 2/4 time, the word “reel” comes from the Anglo-Saxon word “rulla,” or “to whirl,” and the motion of the reel is indeed a whirling, spinning dance.

2.       JIG – Danced in 6/8 time, in a jig, the feet serve as percussion instruments, creating a drumming rhythm on the dance floor. This is called “battering.” As Carol Leavy Joyce, Irish Dance Coordinator for Riverdance, says, “That’s the type of dance that Riverdance is best known for – 30 kids rattlin’ out this rhythm…”

3.       SLIP JIG – Danced in the unusual 9/8 time, the slip jig has a lighter step, with hopping and sliding motions. The Slip Jig is usually danced by two couples. The dance is alternated by a procession around the stage, returning to the beginning again when the music indicates. In Riverdance, the dance called “The Countess Cathleen” features 8 girls dancing in slip-jig time.

4.       HORNPIPE – Danced in 2/4 time, the solo dance is usually done by a lone man.

CEILI DANCES

A ceili (pronounced kay-lee) is a grand party, a celebratory dance event. Communal dances adapted from group set dances and French quadrilles, set to Irish music that were danced at these events became known as “ceili” dances.

SET DANCES

About 150 years old, Set Dancing is a form of social dancing in which four couples in a square make up a “set” – usually 3-6 parts of the dance separated by pauses. Set dancing comes from French dances called quadrilles – brought to Ireland by English troops during the 19^th century. The Irish Dance Masters adapted these dances and made them their own. You’ll see an example of set dancing in Riverdance in the dance “American Wake.” 

December 21st, 2009 | Tags: broadway, broadway san diego, broadway san diego tickets, Broadway Tickets, River, RIVERDANCE, Riverdance Farewell Tickets, Riverdance Farewell Tour, Riverdance San Diego, Riverdance Tickets, san diego, san diego tickets, tickets | Category: From Broadway/San Diego Staff | Leave a comment

Few shows have touched audiences like Riverdance. A celebration of Irish music, song and dance, the show focuses on the evolution of Irish dance and its similarities with, and influences on, other cultures. The phenomenon of Riverdance draws on Irish traditions and combines the richness of the music with the magic and sensuality of the dance.

Riverdance was originally conceived as a spectacular seven-minute intermission entertainment for the 1994 Eurovision Song Contest televised throughout Europe to an audience of over 300 million viewers. Following the success of that performance, producer Moya Doherty, composer Bill Whelan, and director John McColgan, expanded the piece into a full-length stage production.

Riverdance had its world premiere at the Point Theatre, Dublin, in February, 1995, where it opened to unanimous critical acclaim. The show has taken the world by storm and to date, over 20 million people world-wide have seen Riverdance live.  In addition, more than 9 million people have purchased video versions of the show, making it one of the best-selling entertainment videos in the world.

Bill Whelan won the 1997 Grammy Award for “Best Musical Show Album” for his original music and lyrics for Riverdance. This extraordinarily unique show, which features an international company, has touched the hearts of millions around the world.

Riverdance will be in San Diego on it’s Farewell Tour January 5-10 at the Civic Theatre. Make sure to catch it before it’s gone!

 

 

 

 

December 15th, 2009 | Tags: broadway, broadway san diego, broadway san diego tickets, Broadway Tickets, RIVERDANCE, Riverdance Farewell, Riverdance Farewell Tickets, Riverdance Farewell Tour, Riverdance Tickets, Riverdance Tour, san diego, san diego tickets, tickets | Category: From Broadway/San Diego Staff | Leave a comment

*From now on until the risotto is ready, simply let the stock boil down and absorb enough for the rice to look sticky but still moist through out before adding more stock (never completely cover the rice with the stock), and again you will need to be constantly folding the rice, taking care not to damage the pumpkin cubes too much. This will take between 30 to 40 minutes or until the rice is cooked and the pumpkin is soft. Season with sea salt and a generous amount of cracked pepper along the way to give it a nice bite.

*When cooked the risotto should be quite moist. A consistency like that of Paella is too dry.

The Salmon

*Prepare the fillets with a coating of olive oil and a dust with a couple of pinches of sea salt and pepper.
*Preheat a nonstick frying pan to a medium heat add 1 teaspoon of olive oil and add the salmon fillets.
*Turn to high heat and cook for 3 to 5 minutes each side or until browned, squeezing a little lemon juice
onto each fillet during cooking.

Serving

Take two flat bowls and spoon 2 tablespoons of risotto into each. Add some freshly shaved parmesan cheese spread over the risotto then spoon two more tablespoons on to of that. Garnish with the lemon zest, then place the salmon fillet on top of the risotto, spooning 2 to 3 table spoons of the sauce on the fish.

Serve immediately and enjoy it with a chilled Hunter Valley Chardonnay.

Get that up ya trumpet!!!!

Stewy Morris

December 7th, 2009 | Tags: broadway, broadway san diego, broadway san diego tickets, Broadway Tickets, Civic Theatre, Civic Theatre Tickets, Holiday, Holiday Recipe, Recipe, san diego, san diego tickets, Ten Tenors, Ten Tenors Holiday, Ten Tenors Holiday Tickets, Ten Tenors Tickets, tickets | Category: From Broadway/San Diego Staff | Leave a comment

 

Boyd Alexander Owen

 

Hometown: Melbourne, Australia

Special skills: sleeping – I’m not kidding!

First Broadway show ever saw: West Side Story

If you could go back in time and catch any Broadway show, what would it be? Original West Side Story

Current show you have been recommending to friends: Australian Ballet’s – The Nutcracker, Clara’s Story.

Favorite show tune: Anything Sondheim

Performer you would drop everything to go see: Maria Callas

First stage kiss: 9^th Grade, Sound of Music, I was Captain Von Trapp kissing my best friend who was Maria.

Favorite pre-show meal: Anything that involves red wine.

Worst flubbed line: Instead of saying ‘Angels prostrate fall’ I said ‘Angels prostate fall’ – in Church!

Worst onstage mishap: nothing big so far – touch wood

Worst costume ever: a small children’s opera where we wore painted calico, the designer was trying to be edgy. It just turned out to look like they’d been done in someone’s day care center.

Who would play you in the movie? James McAvoy

What roles were most rewarding? John Proctor, The Crucible – amazing role!

Worst job you ever had: it’s a tie – working in a call center for an energy company; and selling jewelry door to door. 

What leading role have you been dying to play?: James Bond – don’t we all secretly dream that

What non-traditional/gender-switching role would you love to play?: Well I’ve always been jealous of some of the AMAZING arias sopranos get to sing. I’d love to do an album of them one day and upset all the purists - mwoo hoo ha ha!

Who is your favorite director to work with; and why?: John Kirby

Who influenced you the most to get into this business?: My Cd player and case of  Broadway soundtracks

 MAC or PC: to maintain the relationships in my life – no comment.

Most played song on your iPod: Shadow Feet – Brooke Fraser

One CD (or album) you couldn’t live without: Brooke Fraser - Albertine

Last book you read: Picture of Dorian Gray – Oscar Wilde - AWESOME

Must-see TV show: Aussie family drama – Packed to the Rafters

Last good movie you saw: Atonement

Favorite board game: /Favorite card game: Monopoly

Pop culture guilty pleasure: unashamed to say – you tubing Celine Dion and vintage Mariah Carey

Cats or dogs: Cats – so much more intelligent

Favorite cereal: I love porridge for some reason

Frozen Yogurt or Ice Cream - favorite flavor: cookies and cream ice cream every time

Cook at home, or eat out: cook at home – I’m actually very good

Favorite mode of transportation: Airbus A380 – suites class!

Favorite city in the world: Paris

Favorite vacation—cruise ship, adventure on your own; hiking the Andes, or …: anything with a good beach

How many tattoos/piercings do you have: zero – I change my mind too much

Favorite reality show: is that a trick question? They all suck

Favorite karaoke song: any Aretha Franklin

Secret superpower: flying – have not changed my mind since childhood

What are you good at cooking: Christmas dinner

Is your life best described as a: sitcom, soap opera or primetime drama: all three

Pirates or Ninjas: ninjas – it’s all about finesse.

What food grosses you out: tripe, brains, tongue, liver – all those non muscle bits.

MySpace or Facebook: facebook

What is your favorite word? Truth, beauty and above all ‘wuv’

What is your least favorite word? Alarmclock (I just made it one word for the sake of the exercise)

What turns you on? red wine and great conversation

What turns you off? Injustice

What sound or noise do you love? Rain on the roof when I’m warm in bed

What sound or noise do you hate? Alarm Clock

What is your favorite curse word? My mother might be listening

What profession other than yours would you like to attempt? Archaeology

If heaven exists what would you like to hear God say when you arrive? Welcome home dinner’s ready!

Where do you prefer to play ~ beach, desert or mountains: beach beach beach

What is your favorite watersport/ocean activity: body board and great waves

Sailboat or power: power boat – very James Bond

When and how did you get your first sunburn: can’t remember – I’m  red head so I burn on cloudy days and avoiding the sun is a way of life

Where would your perfect night out be spent locally: barmy beach bar with a mojito

 

 

 

 

December 1st, 2009 | Tags: Boyd Alexander Owen, broadway, broadway san diego, broadway san diego tickets, Broadway Tickets, Civic Theatre, Civic Theatre Tickets, Holiday Tickets, san diego, san diego tickets, Ten Tenors, Ten Tenors Holiday, Ten Tenors Holiday Tickets, Ten Tenors Tickets, tickets | Category: From Broadway/San Diego Staff | Leave a comment