Miss Abigail's Guide to Dating, Mating & Marriage

Okay, I admit it, I bought my ticket to Miss Abigail's for three reasons: I wanted to do my "Off Broadway" duty during a trip to New York, Eve Plumb of 'The Brady Bunch' fame was a draw, and, very important, the discounted tickets were cheap. I walked into Sofia's Downstairs Cabaret Theatre, not knowing what type of theatre it was, expecting a regular theatre set up, and was surprised to find our front row seats were only about three inches from the stage, however, I was very excited to be so close to the action - little did I know how close I would be! While Eve Plumb as Miss Abigail is the draw, Manuel Herrera as Paco proves to be the star of the show with his latin charm, engaging personality and good looks. Paco greets audience members and does his duty as Miss Abigail's house boy and assistant tidying up the room where the show is set. The show is very audience engaging and Plumb and Herrera both do a great job in connecting with the audience. For me the highlights of the show were when in one scene, Paco is MIA, so Miss Abigail brings me on stage to carry on Paco's duties. After reaching a book Paco would normally get for her, I am sitting on the couch, reading to the audience with Miss Abigail, as a jealous Paco returns to find me in his seat. The ad libbing between myself and Hererra was thrilling, and gave me my 15 minutes of Off-Broadway fame. Both Plumb and Herrera referred to me a few times in the show and Paco shot me with bubbles from a bubble gun as I punched back, popping the bubbles of his jealousy. I very much enjoyed being a part of the show and for a few moments, the acting bug was buzzing around, attempting to bite me once again. For the curious ones out there, Eve Plumb looks fantastic! Miss Abigails' Guide to Dating, Mating & Marriage is an evening full of laughs, entertainment and plain fun. I'm not sure when the show is running until, but the website shows tickets on sale until dates in February 2011. If you find yourself in New York, I highly recommend this great show! Check out www.missabigailsguide.com for more information.

What's Your Favorite Musical? or Top 5?

What's your favorite musical, or your top five favorites? I don't think I can pick one favorite musical - but I can pick my top 5. They are, in no particular order:

Rosanne Cash

Rosanne Cash put on another stellar performance at the Uptown Theatre in Napa, CA last night! After recovering from recent brain surgery, Rosanne is again touring and promoting her recently penned memoir, Composed. With more than thirty years in the industry, Cash proves she is still relevant, performing mostly songs from her current release, The List, and Black Cadillac. Other songs came from Rules of Travel and The Wheel and a song she has not recorded, Tallahassee Bridge (my best guess at the song title). Cash avoids the "greatest hits" package many performers would fall into after such a long career, keeping her show fresh and packed with songs that have meaning in her life and career. In fact, she only performed two of her hits, Seven Year Ache and Tennessee Flat Top Box. This is the third time I have seen her perform live, and the show has never once been a repeat of the previous show, which some performers can easily fall into (see Bernadette Peters 2008 and 2009). During Radio Operator, a song about her father in the war, her face lit up the stage and her smile practically embraced the audience. Her voice was haunting during Girl from the North Country, heartbreaking as she sang Patsy Cline's She's Got You and just pure pleasure during one of my favorites, Sea of Heartbreak.

After the show Miss Cash greeted audience members and signed copies of her book, cd's, and other treasures fans brought, including a guitar. She graciously posed for photographs, shook hands and told me she loved my name!

The Uptown Theatre is a great venue, our 4th row center seats were amazing. The art deco theatre is charming and warm. The last two times I've seen Rosanne Cash haver been in Napa, first at the Opera House and now at the Uptown. I look forward to our next wine country get together.

Today's Hottie: Roberto Manrique

Ecuadorian model and star of telenovela's in Colombia

Get A Clue!!

There should be a pre-screening test before people can buy theatre tickets. One or two complete morons should not be allowed to ruin the experience for other people. Case in point: yesterday I took a friend of mine to see Wicked, this was a special surprise and was supposed to be a special day for her. She was able to block it out better than I was, I on the other hand, was about ready to explode. These two stupid, idiotic, rude bitches in front of us made the entire experience downright miserable for me. The worst viewing experience I have ever had in a theatre. They found a way to be annoying on not one, not two, not even three, but FOUR levels! FOUR! The only reason I didn't make a complete scene is because I worked there for 3 1/2 years. I did tell them to be quiet, but that only took care of two of the problems. First annoyance: They kept talking to each other, in regular voices, they weren't even whispering. Second annoyance: the hamburger and french fries the woman kept digging for in her purse. NOT ALLOWED in a theatre. This isn't a movie theatre, this is a friggin' live theatre! Third annoyance: one of the women was not blind, but needed the descriptive device to aid her, okay, that's fine, but keep it at a level JUST FOR YOU!! The entire show I heard "Glinda exits" and blah blah blah. Fourth annoyance: These two very large black women acted like they were in a Southern Baptist Church. Throughout the entire show they kept commenting, amen-ing, oh girl-ing, no she didn't-ing, in loud voices, like anyone in a ten row radius gave a damn what these two annoying bitches thought. All I can say is I hate them so much, and I let them know that they were making the entire experience miserable. Of course, they didn't care, but at least I said something. I also reported them for the food and that was put a stop to.

Broadway Game

Okay, again, I'm reposting my game again that nobody plays :( I really would like to know your answers!!
Question:



What Broadway shows have you seen?

What was the last one you saw?

Have you seen any in New York?

Try to remember, make a list here! Don't include local productions of shows.


Shows I have seen:


The Heights (San Francisco)
Little House: The Musical (Sacramento)
Xanadu (Sacramento, Jan 2010)
Fiddler on the Roof (San Francisco)
The Fantasticks (Off Broadway, December 5th, 2009)
Burn the Floor (Broadway, December 3rd, 2009
Memphis (Broadway, December 4th, 2009)
Finian's Rainbow (Broadway, October 31, 2009)
Bye, Bye Birdie (Broadway, October 30, 2009)
Spring Awakening (Sacramento,November 2009)
American Idiot (pre Broadway, Berkeley Rep, September/November 2009)
South Pacific (2009)
Wishful Drinking (Berkeley Rep, 2009, now Broadway)
In The Next Room (Berkeley Rep, 2009, now Broadway)
The Little Mermaid (Broadway, January 2009)
9 to 5 (pre Broadway, 2008, Los Angeles)
Phantom of the Opera
Wicked (over and over and over)
White Christmas
700 Sundays
The Exonerated
The Lion King (San Francisco, Las Vegas - I could be in it!)
42nd Street (Broadway, August 2004, my first show in New York!)
Lestat (pre Broadway, tanked shortly after opening)
Rent (regular tour, and tour with Pascal and Rapp (2009))
Mambo Kings (pre Broadway, never made it)
Lennon (pre Broadway, tanked shortly after opening)
Legally Blonde (pre Broadway San Francisco, and tour Los Angles and Sacramento)
Mamma Mia (over and over)
The Light in the Piazza
Edward Scissorhands
A Chorus Line (pre Broadway revival)
Peter Pan
Hairspray
Dame Edna
Jesus Christ Superstar
Big River
Movin' Out
Take Me Out
Fosse (my first Broadway show!)
Swan Lake (all male version, sexy!!)
Cats (horribly painful)
Little Shop of Horrors
Evita
Annie
Avenue Q
Chicago (San Francisco, Sacramento)
The Color Purple
Jersey Boys

Super Sexy Singer John Paul Ospina

Ten More Signs You Might Be Working In Tracy

10. You work in a multi million dollar renovated theatre, but your desk is located in the hallway

9. Your work day consitently includes random dust clouds, sweltering heat and no fresh water

8. You can't even give theatre tickets away

7 .There is more than one village idiot and they can all be found working at Subway

6. You're certain you were phsyically violated by your boss' hair

5. Your boss is the only one who knows how great she is

4. Shop workers chase you down the street looking for lost items

3. If you're smart, well liked and a hard worker, you WILL be fired (see The Tracy Press, any month)

2. The only town paper makes up facts you didn't even know about yourself

and the number one sign...

1. Noteworthy visitors are not given keys to the city - they are given chickens and teenaged boys
(See My Life on the D-List)

Top 10 (+ 1) Signs You May Be Working in Tracy

11. Your boss has a 3 martini lunch – for breakfast

10. The Great Plate is considered fine cuisine and social centre of the town

9. The air smells like the local dairy

8. The head of HR is voted worst boss in the nation and proudly vows to live up to the title

7. The townspeople unite to rally agains $3 ticket service fees

6. The townspeople unite to “Bring back the Bean”

5. There is a town parade almost every day

4. City employees with inflated egos think they’re on “Dynasty”

3. Hard work is frowned upon, shattering lives is not only encouraged but rewarded

2. Your boss thinks any day she can bring her employees to tears is worthy of another martini

and the number one sign you may be working in Tracy:

1. If you can’t find it, it’s behind the hunting store

Stuart Manning

Hunky British Actor

Top 10 Signs You Need A New Boss

Time for another 'David Letterman-esque" Top 10 list, sadly based on my reality

10. Your boss thinks making her town car reservation is an employee benefit

9. “Working from home” is code for “Woke up in the gutter after another all nighter with Whitney ”

8. Your boss thinks employee recognition is knowing who she is after she spends the night getting a
spray tan

7. Several co workers all ready have their suits pressed for her memorial

6. She has repeatedly proven your suspicions that she suffers from hallucinations

5. She was barking during a meeting – again

4. The only emails she responds to contain the words Tom Collins and Grey Goose

3. Your boss has sided with the Republicans in preventing you from receiving healthcare

2. When it comes to leadership abilities, she has a long standing rivalry between Bugs Bunny and George of the Jungle

and the number one sign you need a new boss:

1. The local sanitarium keeps asking for her by name

Channing Tatum

I got nothing to say, just enjoy the view

Cheyenne Jackson

The star of Broadway's "Xanadu" and "Finian's Rainbow" is one hot ticket!