NYMF 2009- Page 5

[trombonist]

Posted: 10/12/09 at 3:17pm

Thursday night I saw Open The Dark Door and was less then impressed. I did like a few of the songs a little better in person than on the demos they posted, but overall I just felt like the show was weak. I get what they were trying to do, I just didn't connect with how they were trying to do it. The friend I was with described it as "Twilight Zone: The Musical", and I'm not a big fan of that particular kind of dark comedy, so maybe that contributed to me not liking it. I appreciate the effort, I just felt it was a miss.

Then again, after Max Understood especially and Judas and Me to a degree, the bar had been set pretty high for any shows in the Festival that followed. I do still have high hopes for The LAst Smoker In America.

[WithoutATrace]

Posted: 10/12/09 at 3:55pm

trombonist, how was Patrick Jude? Did he have a lot to do in DARK DOOR? I'm really looking forward to meeting him on Saturday night.

[trombonist]

Posted: 10/12/09 at 4:45pm

He was good. His role (he's primarily the doctor; I can't find my program right now, so I don't remember if he doubles but most of the cast do double roles) doesn't have a lot to do, but he did a good job with what he had. I actually had no quibbles with the cast at all or with some of the songs and music. I think it's more a case of it being not really my style of show. My friend did like it, so there's something there.

[blaxx]

Posted: 10/12/09 at 5:29pm

The NY Times likes Academy, Happy Embalmer, Hurricane and Anjou.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/12/theater/reviews/12nymf.html?_r=2

[WithoutATrace]

Posted: 10/12/09 at 11:08pm

Thanks, trombonist. I'm a huge fan of Patrick Jude from GOT TU GO DISCO, MARLOWE and THE NEWS. I'm glad he does a good job in OPEN THE DARK DOOR.

The NY Times liked THE HAPPY EMBALMER??? It was horrendous...

HURRICANE, on the other hand, was brilliant.

[JonTambourine]

Posted: 10/13/09 at 2:21am

I finally saw Hurricane and thought it was a total bore and couldn't wait for it to end.

Embalmer was OK, a little strange.

Festival not so great this year? Except for a few...

Posted: 10/15/09 at 11:28pm

has anyone seen any of the news shows that have opened in the past week? any reviews?

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 10/16/09 at 6:05pm

Has anybody see F*cking Up Everything? Can you tell me the running time?

[FeelingElectric]

Posted: 10/16/09 at 6:25pm

F*cking Up Everything is 1 hour and 45 minutes with an intermission.

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 10/16/09 at 6:35pm

Thank you!

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 10/18/09 at 3:07pm

And one more - what's the run time of All Fall Down?

And yeah, overall I'm not thrilled with the stuff I've seen this year. In the past I've usually come away feeling really taken with at least one show, but this year and last year were total washes for me. It's always possible that I'm just not seeing the right stuff, but I often feel like the festival just isn't what it used to be.

[FeelingElectric]

Posted: 10/25/09 at 10:23pm

I thought the festival was incredible this year. I saw at least a dozen shows that have potential for advancement right away.

After seeing 32 productions at NYMF 2009, here is my best of list, or what I like to call the â??NYMFiesâ??. Like that Broadway awards show, I had to make a few eligibility rulings:

All Next Link, Invited Works, and Dance Productions were considered in the main categories. R.R.R.E.D., although deemed a "Special Event" by NYMF, was also considered in these categories.

All other productions (Concerts, Readings, etc.), were considered in the Best NYMF Special Event category.

I also gave a special award for Best International Production.


Here are my picks, with a few Honorable Mentions:




Best Musical (which was my vote for best of Fest):
Seeing Stars

Honorable Mentions:
Judas & Me
R.R.R.E.D.
Hurricane
Plagued: A Love Story
Fat Camp




Best International Production:
Anjou: A Tale Of Horror-Book, Music and Lyrics by Guillermo Mendez and Lupita Sandoval

Honorable Mention: Mo Faya-Book and Music by Eric Wainaina, Additional music by Joshua Mwai, Morris Otis Omollo and Helen Akoth Mtawali






Best NYMF Special Event:
Rated RSO-Music & Lyrics by Ryan Scott Oliver

Honorable Mentions:
Andy Warhol Was Right-Book by Sammy Buck, Music by Daniel S. Acquisto
Live! Nude! Girl!-Book and Lyrics by Donna Kaz,Music by Wayne Barker
Liberty-Book and Lyrics by Dana Leslie Goldstein,Music by Jonathan Goldstein






Best Score

Seeing Stars- Music and Lyrics by The Breithaupt Brothers

Honorable Mentions:
Plagued: A Love Story-Music by Casey L. Filiaci , Lyrics by Vynnie Meli
R.R.R.E.D.-Music and Lyrics by Katie Thompson
Judas and Me-Music by Matthew Sklar , Lyrics by Chad Beguelin
Hurricane-Music and Lyrics by Michael Holland





Best Book

Judas and Me-Chad Beguelin

Honorable Mentions:
Hurricane -Michael Holland
Seeing Stars-Shelley McPherson
The Happy Embalmer-Noody
Fat Camp-Randy Blair






Best Leading Actor

Daniel Reichard, The Happy Embalmer

Honorable Mentions:

Jack Noseworthy, Under Fire
Kevin Earley,Seeing Stars
Marlon Sherman, Max Understood
Nick Blaemiere, Judas & Me






Best Leading Actress

Katie Thompson, R.R.R.E.D.

Honorable Mentions:

Barbara Walsh, Judas & Me
Jen Sese, The Cure
Megan Sikora, The Happy Embalmer
Natalie Bradshaw, Plagued: A Love Story






Best Featured Actor

Caesar Samoya, Under Fire

Honorable Mentions:

Titus Burgess, The Happy Embalmer
Michael Halling, Seeing Stars
Jerry Jaeger, Seeing Stars
Doug Kreeger, Judas & Me





Best Featured Actress

Leslie Kritzer, Judas & Me

Honorable Mentions:

Brenda Braxton, Plagued: A Love Story
Sarah Saltzberg, Fat Camp
Carly Jibson, Fat Camp
Ann Harada, Judas & Me





Best Cast:

Seeing Stars

Honorable Mentions:
Hurricane
Fat Camp
Anjou:A Tale Of Horror
R.R.R.E.D.



I am sorry this took so long to post. I have been very busy with another project, a fundraiser with NYMF. Many of you who were at the shows this year may know what I'm referring to.

I will post more details on that soon.

Updated On: 10/25/09 at 10:23 PM

[massofmen]

Posted: 10/26/09 at 1:45am

i don't think anyone was waiting on baited breath for this.
So don't worry that it took you so long.

[blaxx]

Posted: 10/29/09 at 11:26pm

NYMF has just announced the winners of their Best of Fest awards. Set to perform at this year's gala are the casts of the winning shows, as well as Sh-K-Boom's own Sherie Rene Scott, Alice Ripley, Gavin Creel, and Kelli O'Hara. The event will take place on Sunday, November 22nd, at 6:30pm at the Edison Ballroom.

In addition to honoring the award-winning NYMF productions, the evening will honor Sh-K-Boom/Ghostlight Records "for their dedication to the preservation of new musicals and their support of new musical theatre artists."

The 2009 "BEST of FEST" award winners include:

EXCELLENCE IN WRITING: MUSIC
John Mercurio, Academy
Honorable Mention: Allan Harris, Cross That River; Michael Holland, Hurricane; Will Aronson, My Scary Girl

EXCELLENCE IN WRITING: LYRICS
Chad Beguelin, Judas & Me
Honorable Mention: John Mercurio, Academy; David Eric Davis, F#@king Up Everything; David Lefort Nugent, Open The Dark Door

EXCELLENCE IN WRITING: BOOK
Sam Forman and David Eric Davis, F#@king Up Everything
Honorable Mention: Chad Beguelin, Judas & Me; Kyoung-Ae Kang, My Scary Girl; Barry Harman, Under Fire

EXCELLENCE IN DIRECTION
Michael Bush, Hurricane
Honorable Mention: John Carrafa, Academy; Alex Timbers, Fat Camp; Jung Joo Byun, My Scary Girl

EXCELLENCE IN CHOREOGRAPHY
Connor Gallagher, Fat Camp
Honorable Mention: Daryl Gray, Darren Lee and Shea Sullivan, Andy Warhol Was Right; Michael Blevins, Count To Ten

OUTSTANDING OVERALL DESIGN
Hurricane (Christopher Akerlind, sets and lighting; David Margolin Lawson, sound; Karen Ann Ledger, costumes; Edward J. Wilson, hair and wigs)
Honorable Mention: Judas & Me (Susan Barras, sets; Michael Gottlieb,lighting; David A. Arnold, sound; Bobby Pearce, costumes); Max Understood (Caleb Wertenbaker, sets; Justin Townsend, lighting; Michael Rasbury, sound; Clint Ramos, costumes); and Seeing Stars (Michael P. Kramer, sets; Martin E. Vreeland, lights; Stephen Kunken, sound; David Toser, costumes)

OUTSTANDING ENSEMBLE PERFORMANCE
Academy (Steven Kane, Corey Boardman, Wilson Bridges, Antonio Addeo, Jason Edward Cook, F. Michael Haynie, Lyle Colby Mackston, Joseph Medeiros, and Gabriel Violett)
Honorable Mention: the casts of F#@king Up Everything; Marrying Meg; and My Scary Girl

OUTSTANDING INDIVIDUAL PERFORMANCES
Jin Ui Bang (My Scary Girl)
Valerie Kimani (Mo Faya)
Cale Krise (Fat Camp)
Leslie Kritzer (Judas & Me)
Liesl Lar (Anjou)
Paul Louis Lessard (Open The Dark Door)
Soara-Joye Ross (Cross That River)
Marlon Sherman (Max Understood)
Mary Testa (All Fall Down)
Barbara Walsh (Judas & Me)
Noah Weisberg (F#@king Up Everything)

OUTSTANDING NEW MUSICAL
My Scary Girl by Kyoung-Ae Kang and Will Aronson
Honorable Mention: Academy by John Mercurio; Judas & Me by Chad Beguelin and Matthew Sklar

"BEST OF FEST" AUDIENCE PRIZE
Fat Camp by Randy Blair, Timothy Michael Drucker and Matthew roi Berger
Runner Up: Fantasy Football by David Ingber

THEATER FOR THE AMERICAN MUSICAL PRIZE
Under Fire by Barry Harman and Grant Sturiale

https://www.broadwayworld.com/article/Sherie_Rene_Scott_Alice_Ripley_Gavin_Creel_Kelli_OHara_Set_for_NYMFs_2009_Best_of_Fest_1122_20091029

[FeelingElectric]

Posted: 11/2/09 at 5:19pm

As I posted last week, I did was doing a fund raising project for NYMF this year.

I created an autograph book featuring the casts of 31 NYMF shows I attended. The response from the performers and staff at NYMF was overwhelming positive. I collected nearly 350 signatures, and complete cast autographs from 18 shows.

In addition, the Broadway cast of Next To Normal was gracious enough to sign a page that was included in this book.

It is now up for auction on Ebay:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=290366122574

You can see my pictures from NYMF 2009, as well as more detailed pictures of the NYMF 2009 Autograph Book here:

http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#/album.php?aid=115157&id=623503107

http://www.facebook.com/stagedoorguide?ref=profile#/album.php?aid=115167&id=623503107

I am extremely proud of what I was able top accomplish this year. I hope you will all take a look, and consider making a bid.