Gregory G. Allen's Blog, page 21

The Fat Guy's Clothes Closet

This blog was started under the name "it ain't over 'til the the fat guy is skinny" - because I knew this fat guy would never see that elusive word: skinny. Everyone has their views on how to live a healthy life, what to eat, etc. I've heard them all. You can't mention you are dieting without someone giving you advice/two cents.


I have battled my entire adult life. I've gone up and down constantly and no matter what people say, I know the weight that is best for me to hang out around (and laughably - it's still considered fat). So like I do every 2-3 years, I make weight loss a concentrated effort and I usually achieve it...knowing it will be back again.
Changing eating habits are so difficult. Sometimes, I think it's harder than quitting any other addiction because you need food and it's always around you - no matter where you look. We schedule events around going out to eat and food is constantly on my mind. But I admit I do feel better when I make it a priority. There is a confidence I can see that I gain when I'm not (as a friend pointed out) constantly tugging at my shirt to pull it away from my body. Noticing that pants are falling off of me. (But not to worry because I have every size in my closet.) I use what works for me to kick start me (Nutrisystem) and try to make it a main focus in my life. I've actually dropped 20 pounds since the start of 2014. Forcing myself to MOVE on a treadmill or walking. Monitoring it with Fitbit. Doing what I can - all the while knowing I have so much further to go.
But I look at famous people who have private chefs and motivating fitness gurus who lose weight and everyone cheers. They make the rounds on talk shows to display their new bodies. And then months go by and Oprah, John Goodman, & Jonah Hill (to name a few) have packed the pounds back on.
It's a cycle that not everyone can understand. But I do. Trust me. I get it. If you have a great metabolism and can eat whatever you want, I applaud you. Good for you! But there are many people in the world that no matter how they try - they can eat the same thing you do and gain weight you'd never see. To those people I say - I feel your pain! I'm right there with you. And while I may be patting myself on the back for my weight loss for now...I'm well aware of the cycle that I'm in. 
And no, I'm not looking for an expert to tell me how to keep it off this time - but I do appreciate the occasional "good for you" even if I'm aware it's a phrase I'll be hearing again in another three years.

Love in a Box

It was all about a box.

Original BoxA particular box that my parents own and keep all their records. (Birth certificates, important documents, etc.) There is nothing special about this box. A metal box with college/university pennants all over it. But for me and my siblings, it holds years of memories - a lifetime of love, hard work building a home, everything that went into my parents' relationship. 

My sister and I used to jokingly fight over who was going to get 'the box' when my parents were no longer around. When my father passed away over 10 years ago, we started laying dibs on it then...naturally to lighten the mood over his loss. Even when I was visiting my mom this past holiday season, I pulled the box out of the closet to check on my inheritance.

Enter my little brother. 

Somehow he searched the internet and found that exact box online. And then he purchased it for our sister and sent it to her this week. She opened it up (which also includes a lunchbox so I may need to fight about that one) and was completely overwhelmed by such a gift. Yes, a simple box moved her that much. 

I thought about how incredible it was for my brother to not only find it, but give that kind The giftof gift. The box connects us as a family. My sister moved out when my brother was 7 years old and then I left home the year after that so while age and distance may seem vast, you find things when you are a family that bring you closer together. For us, that box is one of those things. 

And here on this day of love, I wanted to write a blog about a different kind of love. Valentine's Day does not have to just be about when you declare your love for a romantic partner. It's also when I say how much I love my family and I'm happy to call them mine.

But just so they all know, my name is on the bottom of the original box.

A Beautiful Bio

Stop for a moment and think about your life. If you were going to tell the story of it, where would you start and stop? Biopics and bioplays are always interesting to me because we get to learn more about actual people. There is a reason so many musicals have been built around the lives of real people from Fanny Brice to Gypsy Rose Lee to the Jersey Boys. I went to see the musical Beautiful: The Carole King Musical with no real expectations. I know I love her music, but I actually know very little about her life.

Well - wow! Beautiful is a wonderful title because that's what this show is. They have picked the section of her life from ages 16 to 29 to share the story of the woman that wrote for everyone - staying in the background - and how she made her way out of the shadows and front and center to win all those Grammys for Tapestry. Douglas McGrath has supplied the book for the well-known songs and director Marc Bruni and Choreographer Josh Prince have used a very serviceable set to keep the passage of time moving (at times with a nod to the great Michael Bennett). 
You can not mention this musical without singing the praises of Jessie Mueller. The woman
is a star. And not only a musical theater star, but an incredible actress. I was so moved by her performance. The rawness of her voice. The realness of her acting choices. The quirkiness of the "Brooklyn Jewish girl" and her ability to downplay Ms. King as she allowed others to shine. The actress never has a diva moment in her body to appear as if "I am the star of this show". No, at times she drifts into the background mimicking the very story she is telling. I now will make sure I see everything this actress does on Broadway because this must definitely seal her status on the Great White Way.
The fact that Carole King wrote so many songs that we know (that were recorded by African American singers) shows how much she drifted into the background because it was the singer of those songs we recall and demonstrates how diverse her writing style was for all those years and how that style changed with the times. And this story shows how her life and her marriage added power to pull her front and center.
The entire cast is truly wonderful in this. Jake Epstein as lyricist/husband Gerry Goffin rides a rather rough line of good guy gone bad, turning in a memorable performance. Anika Larsen and Jarrod Spector are a great pair in not only portraying real life writing team Cynthia Weil and Barry Mann, but as nuanced musicians and actors. You can't help but perk up each time they are on stage. I have loved Liz Larsen since I saw her in Starmites all those years ago and only wished we would have heard her sing in this as the mother, but still - she knows how to make the most of her time on stage. The entire ensemble has moments to shine which is very important in a play about one woman.
I've read reviews that wanted to see more of Ms. King's life or that this musical has too much in Act 1 of all the singing groups she wrote for, but for me - that's what Beautiful is about. Her life of writing for others and then seeing that beauty in herself. So naturally, Act 2 is where we see more and more of her singing her own work. And when she does, well let's just say Ms. Mueller inhabits the role and you can't help but smile. I smile for remembrance of music I've always loved. I smile as a writer/composer watching a specific moment in time (The 1650 Broadway Building writers) and seeing how writers survived at that point. And I smile for this real life woman who chased a dream, lived it and still speaks to us through her words and music today as evident on the recent Grammys.
To me - that is beautiful. Carole King
Now excuse me while I download Tapestry to my iPhone & Ms. King's memoir to my kindle. 

The Day the Old People Took Over Facebook

Recently my nephew was at my house and saw me on Facebook and said "you still use that?"  But of course I do, I thought. This is how I make snide comments on people's status and share my photos on Throwback Thursday and piss off my friends by sharing numerous vacation photos. Instead I said, "Yes, don't you?" "Nah....we do everything on Instagram now."
Let's face it, anyone over the age of 40 has pushed the younger generation right off of Facebook - a social media site that was started for them and by them. The whole thing got me thinking about how people use Facebook now and to help out some of that generation that is even older than me using it - I came up with a small primer. 
1) You have a news feed and a wall. The two are not the same thing. When you open Facebook and see status updates, photos, etc flying by - that's not YOUR wall. That's just things your friends are saying. I've seen fights where people think someone is putting 'crap' on their wall - but NOT the case. They aren't. You don't own the content there. Your news feed is like driving down the highway with a bunch of people and not sitting in your own driveway (wall). 2) And while we're on the subject of news feeds - just because it's there doesn't mean it was written TO you. You don't like it? Don't comment. You can actually hide the person so they don't show in your news feed or un-friend them.3) Guess what? The moment you comment on something - THEN it shows up in YOUR news feed and all of your friends can see that you commented/liked it. So if you leave it alone and let it go, your friends will never have seen the photo of  (insert something that upsets you here: Bert & Ernie in a gay embrace, The Pope giving the finger, something else that upsets you.)4) Do you like when people yell at you? Neither does anyone else. Find the shift key and turn OFF those cap locks. It only makes it appear as if you are the crazy old person yelling at the kids playing in the middle of your street or on your lawn. 5) Clicking the LIKE button is nice to show a friend you agree with or like something they've shared. But there is no need to click the SHARE button with every single thing you read/see. It only makes those show up in your own friend's news feed and how many puppies, roses, angels, children laughing while being fed should your friends be exposed to?6) Lastly - want to have your grand kids hide you on Facebook? Reprimand them publicly. That's a sure fire way to accomplish it. Now I know you may not like what they are saying or how they interact with their friends, but we have to remember that everyone has a different face they put forward around different friends. Unfortunately, Facebook has created this arena where it is hard to keep everyone separated (unless you create groups and that's too complicated to go into with this primer). So you may want to hide that grand child so you don't see their posts in your news feed. Or honestly...you probably don't have to worry about it because like my nephew, they've stopped using Facebook long ago.   

Procrastination Can Often Be My Middle Name

Sometimes we put off things for several reasons. Time constraints, fear, money. Last January my doctor wanted me to have a sleep study. The doctor I had previously to him told me over a year ago that he thought I had sleep apnea. But I just didn't want to think about wearing that machine to bed to help me breathe. Instead -  I thought - I'll work on getting my weight back down.

Well, a year went by and I didn't get the weight down. But I've also learned that while weight can play a role, there are many skinny people that suffer from sleep apnea as well. Bottom line, I know I need to get better sleep at night. It always takes me forever to get to sleep and when I do, I sleep so lightly that the smallest of noise can wake me (not to mention my own snoring which can jolt me awake).
So I finally had the sleep test done in December. Much apprehension, but I showed up not knowing what to expect. Would a team of people be staring at me via a huge window while I attempted to sleep? What if I talk in my sleep? Fart? All of those thoughts flooded my mind as I showed up at 8:00 pm to start the study. I was ushered into a very nice looking hotel room with a camera. Told to go into my private bathroom where there was no camera to prepare for bed. The TV in my room didn't work and I thought that was best as TV is one of the evils that keeps me awake. Well, they ended up fixing it and I watched some Christmas specials while the tech hooked me up. And I mean HOOK ME! 
I knew there would be wires involved, but I had no idea the amount. Legs, chest, head, face, bands around your stomach and chest, wires under your nose to check oxygen going in nose and mouth - and tons of tape. Everything is taped to you. All you can think is "how the heck are they ever going to witness me sleeping as there is no way it's going to happen."
Interesting side note: here I was at a place to study sleep patterns, problems and everyone that works there basically has their own issues as they are up all night and sleeping during the day. So in order for people like me to be helped - there are others that have to mess with their own sleep habits. I applaud them for what they do.
The air we need while sleeping Back to the bed - it was 10:30, I took a sleeping pill and climbed into the bed. Shockingly, I was turning the TV off 15 minutes later and was out. Sleep had begun. The tech only came in twice during the night with his little flashlight to fix a wire that had come undone during my evening of tossing and turning. I did check a clock around 2:00 am and thought I had been sleeping forever by then. The next time I woke up it was 6:00 am and I knew they would be coming in to wake me any moment.
Using ProventSo now we are in a new year and I went back to the doctor this past Monday to get my results. As expected: a mild case of sleep apnea. (Mild means I stop breathing around 9 times an hour during the night when on my side: on my back it's more like 50...MILD??) But thankfully, we're not slapping that machine to my face. No, instead we're going to try Provent Therapy for the next month which is a natural way to get air flowing back into your body. I tried my first night plugging the buggers into my nose and let's just say...it's gonna take some getting used to.  Provent: up close & personal
Still - for health reasons, it is best I take care of this all now. But if there is something you are putting off - for whatever reason...just go ahead and put it on your schedule to get it done. In the long run, you'll be glad that you did.

Santas, Scrooge & Giving

I love when I see the stories about Secret Santas that give back at this time of year. When people ask me what I want, I actually have a tough time saying anything because I prefer to be on the giving end. Now this is not a blog about patting myself on the back - it's about talking about the love of giving and paying-it-forward.

Many people say that holidays are for the children...because there is nothing like seeing the face of a child as they unwrap a gift. I tend to think that's a great way to see it because people get crazy around Christmas and the holidays due to the pressure involved. I say - remove the pressure. Not everyone can or should be buying gifts for others. It puts them in to much debt during December. Cut down that list and do not try to buy for every single person you know.
But there are so many other ways and times of the year to give to others. I personally do not like when I've worked places and they told me what I should give to. I give to charities, non-profits and groups that mean something to me. It can be a cancer, autism, MS, or an AIDS walk. Maybe a favorite non-profit theater company. Giving a little towards an indie filmmaker trying to get their film completed. Or a singer recording his first CD. These happen to be way that I prefer to give in order to pay-it-forward to another person. (And not all of those are tax write-offs, so trust me...it's not about that.)
It's about that overwhelming feeling you get when you know you have made someone's day by your gesture. And sometimes that gesture has nothing to do with money. Showing kindness to others can definitely evoke a response as well. Giving shouldn't be something just reserved for the wealthy.
Giving also shouldn't be something we think about once a year. Nor should we feel guilted into doing it or spending beyond our means. Give from your heart. Give what your can. And give to those you believe are deserving. You can put that smile on a face and Christmas spirit in a heart all throughout the year.
After all, isn't that what Scrooge learned?

Behind the Scenes At Spider-Man on Broadway

If you’ve worked in theater, you have a horror story to share. Personally I’ve worked in a production of Fiddler on the Roof where the house/roof holding the fiddler tumbled over in the middle of the show and the daughters had to sweep it up while singing Matchmaker, Matchmaker. I’ve directed a production of Kiss of the Spider Woman where the theater had no heat and it was dead of winter as my South American prisoners froze to death on stage. And sometimes you have actors that completely question your sanity, vision, and if you know anything when you are directing them in a scene giving you the infamous line ‘what’s my motivation?’ But while I was doing all my shows, I did not have the glare of a national spotlight, millions of dollars piling up in costs, and 6 grueling years to attempt to bring a show to fruition.  
That’s exactly what happened with Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark on Broadway that has just announced after a two year run, they will be closing January 4th. Co-Book writer Glen Berger has written a very lengthy and detailed account of those six years in his book Song of Spider-Man: The Inside Story of the Most Controversial Musical in Broadway History . And what a controversy it was. From creative team members coming and going; stars being cast and then suddenly gone, debt piling up as the costs grew; no one certain what show they were writing and who was the star (Spider-man or Arachne), numerous injuries due to the technical aspects of the show, and how this particular man left his family upstate to spend all of his time in the city working on this show – it’s all there in his almost 400 page book. He says the original draft was over 1200 pages and thankfully an editor took a pen to it (though it still could use another pass). But if you can skim past the parts where he belabors a certain moment, it is truly a fascinating read.
Berger, Taymor, Edge, Bono during rehearsalUsing references from all sorts of stage shows as well as Greek mythology and Spider-man himself, Berger paints a picture of Julie Taymor and U2’s Bono and The Edge as the most dysfunctional family attempting to create the most amazing piece of work. Never intended to be a Broadway musical, Taymor is reported to have hated the fact the show ever went into a Broadway house. They were creating something different and unique. I will admit that when I saw version 1.0, I said it would have worked better in another venue where it wasn’t held up to certain theater standards. But I was only one blogger of many that shared their views on the never ending saga of the show that would not open. And according to this book, Berger was out there reading every single blog being written.

I read the book in just a few nights and while reliving it with him, I had to occasionally go and watch you tube clips. To see the final opening night when Taymor showed up even though there was a lawsuit going on. To watch firsthand what Berger is recounting. I went back and read my second blog when I returned to see 2.0 now knowing the drama involved where Berger never knew if he was going to be let go along with so many others from version one. It really is a fascinating read for anyone that has ever worked in the theater, created a musical, or worked in any type of collaboration. Much can be taken away from this book. I question if people will ever trust him again to bring him on board a new show. Especially if it were one to be scrutinized the way Spider-man was. But I'm sure Berger thought long and hard about that before going to Simon and Schuster with his vivid account of those long six years. 
But more importantly (and this was the part that stunned me) – Berger made me feel for these people…these characters. It’s a shame the show on stage had such a problem reaching that level of emotion when the script writer was obviously capable of making his audiences feel. Perhaps collaboration should be just that: people listening to each other, especially those hired to do a certain job.

A Home Far From Fun

Have you ever attended a performance of a show that everyone has raved about and you can’t quite put your finger on what doesn’t feel right for you?
Let me start by stating all that I loved about FUN HOME running at the Public Theater in NYC.
I love musicals with heavy subject matters and this fits the bill. Based on the graphic memoir by Alison Bechdel, the story is that of a girl raised in a funeral home, growing up as a lesbian and discovers her own father is gay. While in college, her dad committed suicide and at 43 years old, she looks back on her life to attempt to make sense of it all.
Being a memory play, the staging and sets are brilliant. There is a vast open space that revolves and turns and furniture is moved around – all as if moving around inside of Alison’s mind. Jumbled the way we often do our memories. As my friend pointed out, a ‘fun house’ is all about smoke and mirrors and that’s exactly what this feels like. On the surface, the family seems normal, but peel back the layers – look into the fun-house mirror and you’ll see things are not as they appear.
I absolutely love Jennie Tesori’s music (Violet, Carolyn or Change) and the score for this show is pulsating and alive. Playwright/Lyricist is Tony-nominated Lisa Kron (an open lesbian herself) and she aptly captures the young Alison’s internal discovery of changes going on in her mind. Young Alison singing of an older woman’s outfit (including her ring of keys), college Alison singing of changing her major to Joan – all beautifully and smartly done.
The performances are top notch. Three actresses play Alison at different times of her life – all wonderfully. There is young Alison played by Sydney Lucas with so much spunk as she plays with her brothers in the ‘fun home’ – which they’ve dubbed the funeral home in which they live. Her interactions with her father are those that time can change when recalling or maybe they were the truth. This play is all about things not being what they seem. Alexandra Socha plays the college-aged Alison and I found her acting and singing to be so vibrant and engaging as she awkwardly attempts to traverse the halls of Oberlin College, she had me all the way at the back of the house. Beth Malone plays older Alison – always on stage – always remembering every moment as some type of Rachel Madow reporter – commenting on what we are seeing. She has an incredible voice and I loved the song she sang in the car with her father. She goes in and out of the present and past seamless – all aided in the wonderful direction by Sam Gold.
Her father is such a well layered written role. I love everything I’ve ever seen Michael Cerveris do and this is not an exception. Playing a dad who wants things done a certain way (even how the family cleans the house). A closeted man attempting normalcy in the 70s when it was harder to come out of the closet. A man not quite right, something feeling ‘off’ about him and not just his struggle with his sexuality. It has been a long time since I’ve seen a show and thought ‘man, I want to play that role!’
Judy Kuhn plays the mother and while she is a gifted actress, the role is smaller as the story focuses on that of Allison trying to understand her father, but we get a sense of this woman who sacrificed a great deal. Four others round out the cast as siblings, the college girlfriend, and a man that plays the different guys that come in and out of the dad’s life.

With all of that said and the rave reviews the show is getting, I should have leapt to my feet at curtain call. And yet, I felt empty at the show’s end. Perhaps that was what I was meant to feel. In life, things are not always resolved, and in this family drama full of angst and heartache, resolve isn’t always found. And yet – I’m more drawn to the father/son dramaplaying uptown that is closing at the end of December to not as favorable reviews.
Maybe I went in with such high expectations because of the raves and was let down. I wish I could articulate how I feel about this piece. I felt sadness for Alison. It seems as if she has spent her entire adult life attempting to come to terms with something she’d never be able to fix. And in a 100 minute musical with no intermission, perhaps that hole I felt was exactly what this creative team had in mind.  

Marriage is More Than a Word

13 years together.5 years in a civil union.1 day of marriage.
I actually never believed I would see this day. After all, I've known I was gay since I was in the 7th grade. Being a gay teen in Texas, marriage was for my straight friends who would marry their high school sweethearts. This gay man would have to be content sitting in the pews as a witness to others, serving in wedding parties or singing at ceremonies. Skip forward several years when I was in my early 30s, (after I had already had a few relationships in my 20s) and I met a man that changed how I viewed - well, everything. We took it slowly. Even the part of living together. And then when New Jersey allowed for civil unions, we decided to have one on 08/08/08. The closest thing we'd ever have to a marriage - but it worked for us. After all, we felt married at that point even if the rest of the world didn't view it in the same manner. 
We witnessed gay friends marrying in states that allowed it and even though New York was just over a bridge, we decided not to marry in another state until it was available where we lived. And God knows New Jersey kept trying, but governor vetoes would knock it down. We had certain rights with our civil union, but there was still this sense we were not equal. We'd still have to write single on forms and as I've mentioned in other blogs - come out over and over. 
And then all of a sudden a judge declares same-sex couples can marry in our state and the governor says he's no longer going to fight it and I was completely overwhelmed while reading the news. Sitting on a beautiful hill in Puerto Vallarta, reading the new on my phone that it was actually legal now in my own state - I couldn't hold back the tears. Tears because it never occurred to me I would be able to share in what so many others have. And so...there was no proposal. There was no getting down on one knee. After all we've been together for 13 years. We simply looked at each other and decided we wanted to make it legal. No big ceremony. Just paperwork. 11/12/13. At least  it would be a date we'd recall just as we had picked 08/08/08 perviously.

We returned from our trip to Mexico and walked up to the immigration/customs counter together in New Jersey - holding our separate declaration forms. The gentleman asked if we were married and again, I had to say "No...but we will be in two weeks." He noticed we had the same address, ripped up one declaration form and said "it's legal in this state, you only need one form." That small gesture felt so huge to me - I can't even describe it. A complete stranger recognized us as a couple and it meant more than I can even say.
For me, that's what marriage is. We are recognized. We are no longer invisible. I do not need to stumble over words describing my partner. He is my husband. He is my best friend. He is the person that makes me happiest in the whole world and like all of my straight friends and family members, I can have the same rights in my relationship that they have. And I didn't need someone else to vote to allow me to marry. But boy, it sure feels sweet that after so much time together, I feel whole with him.
Nothing changes and everything changes.
A new life begins for us...or should I say, the old life just got a little more clear.

A Sunny Road Trip Musical

It seems that most of the stage shows I discuss on my blog recently started their life as a film, but that's a trend I don't see changing any time soon. In the case of the well-loved film "Little Miss Sunshine" - one would assume a movie about a road trip would make for a difficult musical. James Lapine and William Finn (with huge credits to both of their names) have attacked that task and given us a fun-filled evening at Second Stage Theatre (in a limited run production that has already been extended). The show had an out-of-town tryout and then if rumors are correct, was almost completely rewritten before finding its way to New York.

I'm a huge fan of William Finn. I've actually performed in several of his musicals including Falsettos, A New Brain, 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee...his is a musical voice that is incredible to my ears. I do know everyone does not completely agree with my assessment of his work. Many feel Finn writes more sung dialogue than songs and at times - that is true. While I hear pieces of earlier works of his in this, I wanted more to turn into full songs so the characters could soar. That said, I still enjoyed what he has done and I'm sure if I saw it again, I'd find myself singing the "Something Better" theme. James Lapine has done a nice job of opening the movie up with his book and direction. Throwing out the idea of having a mini-bus on the stage for this cross-country trek, he instead uses chairs with wonderful chair-ography throughout the show. We also never feel the cast is 'stuck on the bus' in the way he has staged it.

I'm a fan of the small, ensemble musicals and this one falls right in line with the 6 family members on the road and another seven people to fill out other roles. Hannah Nordberg is wonderful as Olive, the little girl that wants to compete so badly in the little miss sunshine beauty contest that this dysfunctional family decides to drive from New Mexico to California. Hannah has great timing on stage and such an adorable quality that I found myself watching her when she wasn't even speaking - yet she was always acting. I'm sure NY will see this California girl again after this show. Her parents (played by the incredibly gifted Stephanie J. Block and the usually charming Will Swenson) are at odds with each other throughout the show, but we get a flashback not written in the movie to give these actors and the audience a connection. I say usually charming Will Swenson because the character of Richard isn't so charming, so putting Mr. Swenson in this role felt like a stretch. Yet sitting directly in front of him in the front row, I watched as he had such nuances in his face when not speaking that he felt every moment happening around him with his family and wore the pain and responsibility in a profound way. When Ms. Block gets a chance to truly sing...man I love her voice. 

The actor I was most impressed with was Rory O'Malley playing the role of uncle Frank. I had only seen him in The Book of Mormon and never knew the depth he had an an actor. What a great performance he gives as the gay uncle that has to live with the family because of his attempted suicide. He also has some wonderful vocal moments (I say moments as there was no song list in the playbill for the preview that I saw). The grandfather that has no problem speaking his mind and teaches Olive dance routines is played by David Rasche (though I wish his character's big song had more than one joke in it) and the brother that has taken a vow to stop speaking is served well by Logan Rowland. 

I must also give a shout out to two actors I love to tweet with that play several small roles and bring humor to every moment they are on stage. Wesley Taylor (yes, I love his web series and have written about it on Huffington Post) and Josh Lamon are both hysterical. And Jennifer Sanchez rounds out this great ensemble with four younger pageant girls.

The musical officially opens this week and I'll be watching to see what critics say about this new musical. I'm not certain where the creators plan to go with it. Off-Broadway is certainly the place for it as I don't see it being a Broadway show, but I can certainly see regional theaters grabbing it up as soon as rights become available.