embrace REVIEW!!!

[etheb]

Posted: 2/17/05 at 10:39pm

and now, for beacon1 and everyone's reading pleasure... i shall review the embrace benefit featuring patrick wilson et al.

are we ready to begin?

[beacon1]

Posted: 2/17/05 at 10:40pm

*sits down with Tums*

GO
GO
GO

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 2/17/05 at 10:41pm

wheee!

Spill.

I WANT TO HEAR ABOUT JULIAAAAAA!

[etheb]

Posted: 2/17/05 at 10:42pm

alright. so, i got there super early because i'm paranoid. i checked out the auction items...mostly random non-broadway stuff, and signed stuff that you could buy yourself and get signed and save a LOT of money, like a raúl-signed CD of TTB.

when the doors opened, i went into the theatre and found my seat. i was 5th row on the left side, one seat off the aisle. it's a TINY theatre so i was really close. so then i settled in to scan all the faces of the people who came in.

[beacon1]

Posted: 2/17/05 at 10:43pm

OMIGOSH...

[etheb]

Posted: 2/17/05 at 10:46pm

so, i was scanning faces. saw a couple of the guys from "boy meets boy," which was a TOTAL guilty pleasure of mine, so that was exciting.

then a woman came and sat one row behind me, on the other side of the aisle, one seat in. i heard her speak and she had an accent, and she kind of looked like Dagmara (Patrick's fiancee, for those who don't know), and she even had a big ole diamond on her finger. but she didn't look much like pics i've seen of Dag so i wasn't sure.

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 2/17/05 at 10:47pm

*whine*

JULIA DAMN IT!
Since you wouldn't tell before.

[beacon1]

Posted: 2/17/05 at 10:47pm

And...

[etheb]

Posted: 2/17/05 at 10:47pm

don't you see i'm going in order here???? i'm freaking beacon out. *points to her passed out on the floor*

and then i'll go in alpha order with the performers since that's how they're listed in the program...and i took notes!

[beacon1]

Posted: 2/17/05 at 10:48pm

*begging for mercy*

Go on...

[etheb]

Posted: 2/17/05 at 10:49pm

so i still wasn't sure, but i didn't see anyone else there who could be Dag.

then, the lights dimmed...and out of the corner of my eye, i saw someone slip into the empty seat next to her (like 5 feet from me).

it was patrick.

[beacon1]

Posted: 2/17/05 at 10:51pm

BINGO BINGO BINGO

[etheb]

Posted: 2/17/05 at 10:51pm

so of course i'm officially totally distracted the entire first half of the show while he was sitting there. i could see him out of the corner of my eye the entire time. he and Dag were always holding hands or he had his hand on her knee, it was SO adorable. and when he laughed that funny little laugh of his, i could hear it loud and clear. it was awesome.

and now i shall move on to discussing my favorites and such from the show.

[beacon1]

Posted: 2/17/05 at 10:53pm

*swallows entire bottle of tums*

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 2/17/05 at 10:55pm

YES DISCUSS THE SHOW!!
*passes out*

[beacon1]

Posted: 2/17/05 at 10:56pm

Emcee...now you know how I felt after Bloomies...

[insomniak]

Posted: 2/17/05 at 10:57pm

etheb, it really isn't kind to tourture these nice fangirls.

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 2/17/05 at 10:58pm

Oh, she told me about Patrick *grins*
I WANT TO HEAR ABOUT JULIA!!!

Can you tell I think she's a goddess?

[SallyBrown]

Posted: 2/17/05 at 10:59pm

OMG
PATRICK 5 SEATS AWAY FROM YOU?
I would have cried.

[beacon1]

Posted: 2/17/05 at 10:59pm

*reaches through monitor and grabs Emcee*

NOT FAIR

NOT FAIR

Please, etheb, have mercy!

[SallyBrown]

Posted: 2/17/05 at 11:01pm

beacon, your excitement is rubbing off on me. Im now officially spazzing out.

[beacon1]

Posted: 2/17/05 at 11:02pm

I'm glad my fan girling is AMUSING... *sniffle* (hee hee)

*weeps in front of monitor and bites nails*

[etheb]

Posted: 2/17/05 at 11:03pm

(this is in alphabetical order according to the notes i took in my program. the songs weren't listed and i'm not much of an expert so i don't really know what they all sang. sorry.)

Nancy Anderson was cute. i've seen her in Wonderful Town and A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, and i don't think the song (about meeting an optomitrist in the bookstore and having him read to her) fit her voice very well. she ended up sounding nasally and weird. but her comic timing is good and it was funny.

Bryan Batt was hilarious. He sang a song about a gay caveman and not only was the song really funny, he played it very well, complete with hand motions and facial expressions. really good.

Laura and Linda Benanti sang "No One is Alone" from Into the Woods, which i thought was a good choice. they sounded beautiful. and then the daughter (Laura, i think?) came back out later and sang a song she wrote for a friend about being a waitress, which was cute.

Nikki Renee Daniels and Max von Essen sang a great duet and then they each also did their own number, all of which were great. they have wonderful voices.

Randi Driscoll is like a recording artist who made a single to benefit the Matthew Shepard foundation. she played a cover of "Your Eyes" by Peter Gabriel and we all had to sing along. it was a weird juxtaposition with the rest of the broadway songs, but oh well.

Adam Fleming was adorable but looked and sounded really nervous.

Tom Hewitt was the closing number, which was well-sung and all, but it was slow and i thought a more upbeat number would have been a better ending to the evening.

Marc Kudisch sang a really funny song about how he did all these "gay" things but that he's straight. he's a great comedian.

JULIA MURNEY, emcee, was okay. i didn't like the song she picked AT ALL (at least that's what i wrote down, now for the life of me i can't remember what it was...she went like 3rd or 4th). but her voice is amazing and she's funny

Jai Rodriguez did a really bad duet with someone else on this list but i can't remember who. it was very unmemorable.

Emily Skinner has redeemed herself in my eyes. I didn't like her in A Tree Grows... because she had this awful brooklyn accent covering up her singing voice. but here she let it all come out and she was PHENOMENAL.

and of course, PATRICK, who wasn't listed on the program, *sniff sniff*, sang "Breeze off the River" from TFM. it was beautiful and made me cry. he was wearing the same old blue button-down shirt and jeans, which was odd since everyone else, audience included, was dressed up. but oh well

i can give more details on a specific person if anyone wants, but my memory sucks and there were a LOT of numbers.

[beacon1]

Posted: 2/17/05 at 11:03pm

Thanks for your attempt to help insomniak...keep pleading with etheb

[etheb]

Posted: 2/17/05 at 11:04pm

soooo, after the show, i made sure to follow Dag closely out of the theatre so i could introduce myself. but she made a beeline for the bathroom to beat the crowds so i had to just kind of stand there till she came out. but when she did, i was brave and went up to her.

and btw, i'm having SO MUCH FUN torturing you guys Updated On: 2/17/05 at 11:04 PM