Broadway Spotlight tonight: Kristin Huffman

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 5/6/07 at 5:51pm

Is anybody else going to her show at Ars Nova? (Kristin plays Sarah in Company, she has a column here on BWW, etc.) It sounds like it's going to be really fun, and Kristin is amazing, so if you're not going, well, you should. There are going to be guest appearances by other Company cast members, and there's going to be some audience participation as well.

Updated On: 5/7/07 at 05:51 PM

[keen on kean]

Posted: 5/6/07 at 8:48pm

I'm going. Kristin's columns are so clever that this should be a fun night.
Updated On: 5/7/07 at 08:48 PM

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 5/7/07 at 9:56am

Bump!

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 5/7/07 at 3:38pm

Bump again.

[obsessedjb]

Posted: 5/8/07 at 12:40pm

how was it?

[rula bean2]

Posted: 5/8/07 at 6:51pm

Did anyone go? Anyone?

[Lucia Midnight]

Posted: 5/8/07 at 7:06pm

I went last night and it was definitely the best Broadway Spotlight I've ever been to. It was basically audience choice, so we all filled out ballots before the show with the styles of music we wanted to hear, any special requests, and voted for the title of the show (the winning title was announced at the end of the night so we could all go home and tell our friends and family what we saw. I think it was Kamikaze Kaberet or something like that.)

Kristin basically sang whatever was requested on the spot and the requests ranged from blues to musical theatre and from opera to rock. Several Company cast members were there and came up onstage to sing/play their instruments with her (don't remember their names off the top of my head, but there were a lot of them.)

She was hilarious (not a surprise if you've read her columns) and highlights for me were a "cutlet" (realistic bra padding) demonstration complete with a show and tell and a duet with the guy who plays her husband in the show (he brought his own sheet music) that included the the karate from their scene in the show.

All in all it was a fabulous night and I have a new appreciation for the awesomeness that is Kristin Huffman.
Updated On: 5/8/07 at 07:06 PM

[Fantabulous428]

Posted: 5/8/07 at 7:16pm

I went last night, and Kristin (and her entire gang) were fabulous. Company cast members that were in attendance, and therefore got dragged up on stage at one point or another, were Kelly Jeanne Grant, Fred Rose, Keith Butterbaugh, Amy Justman, Renee Bang Allen, Matt Castle, and Rob Cunningham.

Matt was at the piano, Rob at the drums, and Kelly Jeanne and Renee were the hostesses of the event, sitting off to the side and sorting through the ballots we filled in upon entering.

I think Kristin covered just about every category: opera, theatre, country, jazz. Everything was done on the spot (even the lighting!), and was therefore even more impressive. Rob Cunningham played piano and sang and Fred Rose accompanied on cello on a really cool Beatles song when Kristin couldn't pull out the Zeppelin or Black Sabbath. Keith Butterbaugh whipped out the sheet music for "Anything You Can Do, I Can Do Better" and during the music interludes we got to see the the less abstracted version of their karate scene. Kristin and Amy Justman sang a pretty opera song; I had no idea she could even do that!

The winning title was Kamakaze Kabaret, although I still think my favorite suggestion was Fred

All in all, a wonderful night. Great job, Kristin!

Updated On: 5/8/07 at 07:16 PM

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 5/8/07 at 7:25pm

It was so funny. I had a really great time. The show was appropriately hysterical, high-energy and completely off-the-wall. Kristin put on a wonderful show, and it was great to see so many of her castmates there supporting here and joining in on the fun. They're all insanely talented. As people have already said, Kristin sang from several different genres, she also told lots of great stories, and she even sang with her mom. I think my favorite part was "Anything You Can Do..." but I also really enjoyed the huge overshare of fake boobs being taken out and passed around the audience. The lighting guy was totally set on getting his "Harry Potter" disco ball in there at least once, and major props to him for doing everything on the spot. Kristin is a great performer and she's really versatile. She completely put herself at the mercy of her audience, which, considering that I requested rap (which I did not get, by the way!) and that other requests included Led Zepellin and a Gregorian chant, was pretty brave. I would love to see her do this again.

I also kind of wish they had named the show Fred.

You're the best, k! Congrats on a job well done.

Updated On: 5/8/07 at 07:25 PM

[Lucia Midnight]

Posted: 5/8/07 at 7:26pm

Ha! Fred was totally my suggestion for the title :)

I forgot that bit about the lighting, that disco ball effect the lighting designer kept trying to fit into the show was one of the funniest parts!

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 5/8/07 at 7:27pm

I totally assumed that Fred was... Fred's suggestion and he wanted to name the show after himself! Hahah.

Updated On: 5/8/07 at 07:27 PM

[Fantabulous428]

Posted: 5/8/07 at 7:28pm

That's a bit of a bummer. It was totally more funny when I thought he suggested himself!

[dancingthrulife04]

Posted: 5/8/07 at 7:28pm

I'm SO upset that I had to miss this. It sounds like everyone had a great time.

[keen on kean]

Posted: 5/8/07 at 8:54pm

I had to miss it because of work - and I was so looking forward to seeing Kristin and her castmates. The cutlet thing sounds wild, especially since the cutlet vs. false eyelash story of hers is one of my favorites. Encore! Please?