Derek

2 months ago I was in the process of going through a complicated breakup. Just as things came to an end with (removed at his request) a new face popped into my life. His name is Derek. He’s 32, has 2 beautiful children named Julia (7) and Joshua (5) and is an all around great guy.

Derek originally asked me out a few times before on Facebook and I declined. Things at home were not going well but I am not a cheater. Eli and I called it quits on June 16th, Derek asked me out again…I finally gave in and accepted.

June 20th, 2011 Derek and I met for lunch and the rest is history. 2 months later we are going strong and have finally decided to ‘make it official’ and let everyone know that we are together and happy.

The future for us is a mystery but as of now, it looks bright.

Big River at True North

I made my first (ever) trip to Sheffield Lake this weekend to see True North’s production of Big River: The Adventures Of Huckleberry Finn. The story takes place in the 1840’s along the Mississippi River Valley as Huck sets out on the river with his slave friend Jim for the free states in the north.

Hairspray At The Beck Center!

I was totally stoked when I was invited to review Hairspray at The Beck Center for the Arts! Other than Jerry Springer The Opera (which was in the smaller studio theater) this would be my first musical at the Lakewood institution. The larger but still intimate Mackey Main Stage was decked out in a stunning, bright, 60’s TV style proscenium, but the real surprises came as the curtain opened on “Good Morning Baltimore.”

Dr Dolittle at Mercury Summer Stock

Cleveland Playhouse may be moving downtown, but theatre is still alive and well at 8500 Euclid Avenue as Mercury Summer Stock takes on the classic musical, Dr. Dolittle. You might remember the 1967 film starring Rex Harrison, this is the stage version of that story. The venue’s Brooks theatre is very unassuming but the moment the curtain rises on Puddleby-on-the-Marsh it becomes clear that this is no amateur production.

Review: Joshua Seth’s Beyond Belief

Who is Joshua Seth? Psychic? Mind Reader? Illusionist? Hypnotist? Ohio native? He was born in Kent and is all of the above! When I was asked to review Beyond Belief at Playhouse Square I had absolutely no idea what to expect. After a few hours on the internet all I could really find was that Seth was a critically acclaimed stage performer and a successful animation voice actor. In fact, the odds are good that if you like SpongeBob SquarePants or Digimon…you have heard his voice before. While cool, none of this helped me prepare for what I would see Sunday afternoon. So, when I headed down the steps into what (rumor has it) used to be Playhouse Square’s vaudeville era carpentry workshop Kennedy’s Theater, all I brought with me was an open mind (and a small degree of apprehension.)

Next To Normal

The buzz about Next To Normal arrived long before the touring production opened at Playhouse Square’s Palace Theatre. The broadway production was nominated for eleven 2009 Tony Awards and took home three. One for Best Orchestration, One for Best Original Score and another for Best Performance by a leading actress. The show is directed by Michael Greif (Rent) and Alice Ripley joins the US Tour in her Tony Award winning leading role!

Girls Night The Musical

Like so many new productions that are produced in Cleveland I had the pleasure of being around the auditions and rehearsals for Girls Night. I knew very little about the show going in, just who the players were and that it was supposed to be a lot of fun.