Sara Bareilles Gets Her Little Black Dress On In Raleigh

On July 22, Sara Bareilles brought her magnificent talent and tour to the Red Hat Amphitheater in downtown Raleigh, NC.  Bareilles is a force to be reckoned with.  She brings a raw and natural talent to the stage that is rarely found in artists today.  She commanded the audience with every breath, every word.  The stage is her home. The air was electric as she sang familiar hits, intertwined with newer songs.

Her presence was magnetic, even as she briefly came out on stage before the show started to introduce the opening acts, Emily King and Lucius, and as she stood side stage to watch the bands perform.  This was our first time seeing the singer-songwriter, but it certainly won't be the last!

The opening acts, Emily King and Lucius were both excellent and brought a quality to the stage that was delightfully unexpected from the stand point of an audience who in large part wasn't planning to take notice of the openers.  Emily King is a singer-songwriter from New York City who brought such a soulful presence that the audience couldn't help but turn their attention to the stage.  It only makes sense that an artist with so much pure talent (Bareilles) would bring talented opening acts on the road with her and that is exactly what she did.  After King performed a set of soulful ballads, Lucius came out on stage and rocked.  They simply rocked. Their debut album is out now, and it is worth purchasing. The lead singers, Jess Wolfe and Holly Lessig are enormously talented and every song they played pumped a new life into the audience in preparation for Bareilles taking the stage.

Bareilles began her set with "Little Black Dress" and took the audience on a journey of love, loss, laughter and life before ending with an encore of "Satellite Call".  Words can barely describe the tremendous and transcendent experience of the concert.  She was better live than on CD, DVD or video .  She had background projections for most songs, of those I especially enjoyed the projections for "I Choose You".  Two of the most spectacular songs from the evening were her cover of Sia's "Chandelier" and a new song from the musical adaptation of Waitress that she is writing entitled "She Used to be Mine".

Sara Bareilles always brings a night full of fun, tears, cursing, and most of all joy! Everyone should see her live! Don't miss her when the Little Black Dress Tour stops in your city!

Questions Answered: George R.R. Martin

George R.R. Martin was the guest of honor at  Con Carolinas in Charlotte, NC.  He met many adoring fans, read from his upcoming book The World of Ice and Fire: The Untold History of Westeros, and answered many stirring questions.

George R.R. Martin has been a full-time writer for more than 30 years and has worked in television as a Story Editor, Executive Story Consultant, Producer, and Co-Supervising Producer among other roles.  He is a New York Times Bestselling author and his work has garnered a multitude of awards and honors.  With all his success, one may think he would take to being reclusive and distant from his fans, but quite the opposite is true.  In the autograph signings he was personable and funny, on one instance a family set their child on the table to keep from having to hold him and jokingly Martin responded "Whoa, I don't sign babies!"


In the reading he was able to bring the story to life and hold the audience's attention for a full hour and a half which is doubly impressive considering that he was reading from a history book, albeit a fictional one, as opposed to a novel.  You can read the sample chapter from his upcoming book, The World of Ice and Fire: The Untold History of Westeros, here.

As a part of the question and answer event, Martin answered fan questions which ranged from why he wrote a character the way he did to what we can expect in the future. Many questions he could not fully answer because he can't give away anything that is in the books or will be in future books, but the questions he did answer gave insight into his process, writing decisions, and other aspects of the world of Westeros.

When asked about the way we are supposed to view or feel about Elia Martell (is there more to her than we have seen so far), Martin responded "One of the things I learned from Jack Vance, he made his secondary and tertiary characters come to life and actual people of realm, I try to keep that in mind when writing my character.  I try to give all of my characters an internal life even if they only appear in a few scenes, and try to see the world through their eyes for that period of time." He also tried to explain that he cannot control what happens on the television show, and therefore cannot explain what will come next as it often differs, at least partially, from what is in the books.

He was asked why he chooses to use songs and bards so prominently in his books, and if we can expect to see more of them in the future.  His answer was that Tolkien used songs and bards in his works, and he enjoyed the way that they fit the story.  He also added that "they don't have television in Westeros... and bards fulfilled a function in society.  They are the source of legends and myths.  They spread tales from castle to castle and realm to realm, and they help to unite people together." He also spoke to his poor treatement of bards in the book and the power they carry in their role as bards and singers.  He goes on to mention that he enjoys hearing the words that we wrote set to music and sung in the television show and at conventions because having only written the lyrics it would be possible that they would not work set to music.

Some of the questions were more comical including one from a teenage girl asking why he made Joffrey "such a hateable character" to which he responded "He's a thirteen year old boy! Do you know any thirteen year old boys?"

A very interesting question was how he is able to keep track of his world building, as they are very extensive and ever expanding worlds that he has created.  In response he said: "I use my brain.  My brain is rapidly being filled though.  I do have to refresh myself from time to time if I am away from it for awhile... The hardest thing to keep track of is that by now every character is separate and has their own cast of secondary and tertiary characters.  A lot of it I know and sometimes I think there's something wrong with me because what I don't know is all of your names.  I'm using brain synapses that other people use for real people for made up people."

He is an eloquent and entertaining speaker, and as such an accomplished writer he has a lot to offer.  If you ever have the chance to see him speak or meet him you should not hesitate to take the opportunity.

George R.R. Martin's Website | Blog

Update: Another example of Martin's dedication to his fans, and to causes that he cares about, is his recent Prizeo campaign which fans flocked to in droves! You can donate today and get a reward for your donation while also entering to win a trip to go with George RR Martin to a wolf sanctuary! Check out the campaign here.

Band Together's 2014 Main Event

On May 3 Band Together will hold it's annual Main Event.  This year's headliners will be Hall and Oates and the concert will benefit Communities in Schools of Durham and Wake County.  The event will be held at Walnut Creek Amphitheatre and doors will open at 6 pm.  Get your tickets here before they sell out!

Band Together was started in response to September 11, 2001.  After the towers fell the founders, Danny Rosin, Phil Gruber, Shellie Gruber, Tom Lyon and Skip Mangum made the decision to take action and become the change they wanted to see in the world.  Every year since, they have put together a Main Event with a well-known headlining artist. We discussed the upcoming event and the organization with Brand Together's Executive Director, Matt Strickland.

September 11, 2001 sparked a national feeling that something needed to be done.  The aforementioned founders of Band Together choose a different approach to funding local causes than many organizations that were started as a result of the tragic events. Matt explained that "they got together and they knew they wanted to do something, and they thought about doing normal event-based fundraising ideas like golf tournaments, wine tastings, etc., but they were all young at the time and  they all loved music so they decided to give it a try and use music as their platform for social change."

Prior to Matt's hiring in 2011, the organization had been mainly volunteer based and driven, and they brought on an executive director to take the organization to "even dizzier heights". Having an executive director has helped the organization to grow and prosper.  When asked about his role, Matt added "We keep growing the brand within the community.  The money raised has jumped from $556,000 to last year $862,000 and this year we are trying to hit $1,000,000.  We are also trying to make the organization as a whole better."

The community has been welcoming of Band Together since their initial event over twelve years ago.  "They planned their first event in six weeks and were able to raise $60,000 from the thousands of people who attended.  To make money on a concert and have that many people show up is pretty fantastic."

What does the future hold for the organization? Matt says "We are trying to figure out how we want to expand in the future whether it be expanding to larger music event in which multiple bands or events happen over a weekend, or package a band machine up and franchise it to other communities. In the next couple of years, we are content to focusing on growing our monetary contributions in support of the local community and we'll see what happens.  The Board of Directors is definitely entertaining some of those larger ideas to figure out what our next steps are going to be in the next five to ten years."

Band Together is a fantastic organization and they are always looking for volunteers for their events! If you can't volunteer you can support the cause by attending their Main Event featuring Hall & Oates on May 3!

Follow Band Together on Twitter to stay up to date on all of their events!

Patti LuPone: Coulda, Woulda, Shoulda... played that part with the NC Symphony

Broadway Legend Patti LuPone brought her show "Coulda, Woulda, Shoulda... Played That Part" to the Meymandi Concert Hall in Raleigh, NC.  In the show, LuPone plays parts she could have played, should have played, and did play.  This is the first time that LuPone has performed in North Carolina in 38 years, when she was still a member of The Acting Company before her breakout role in Evita.

The North Carolina Symphony played the first act of the performance with works from Offenbach, Youmans, and Gershwin, and LuPone came on after intermission to perform her show during the second act. Through the majority of the performance, she took us on a journey through her life and career mirroring her amazing memoir.  She recounted her first role, her audition for the Juilliard School Drama Division, her first starring role on Broadway, roles she thought she should have played and roles she played but didn't want to play.

Highlights of the night included her renditions of "Don't Cry For Me Argentina" from Evita and "Never Never Land" from Peter Pan. She sang "Don't Rain on My Parade" as her "go-to audition song" when she was first auditioning for Broadway roles; however, the night's rendition gave the impression that she was trying to get out of the venue as quickly as possible and she messed up a few of the words while singing at the accelerated tempo.  Her microphone, or the speaker system, seemed to be at a much lower volume than perhaps it should have been to carry the quieter songs throughout the concert hall.  "Meadowlark" from The Baker's Wife was good, but it was difficult to understand due to the aforementioned sound issues.

"Everything's Coming Up Roses" from Gypsy and "Invisible" from Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown were both songs we were excited about and she performed both of them beautifully! The only thing that could have made the night more magical (excluding the sound issues) would have been if Laura Benanti had made a surprise appearance. She came back out twice after ending her set, she sang an encore of "Invisible" and then came back out a second time to serenade the audience with a blessing.

       

                                  Photo credit: Amy Arbus                                                      Photo Credit: Broadway.com

The show was fantastic overall, and Patti LuPone commands the stage, even stopping people in their tracks when she came back out to sing her a cappella blessing "A Hundred Years From Today".  We waited after the show by her car and both she and her staff were incredibly gracious about meeting us and others.  She proves to be a Broadway legend by embodying the qualities of a quintessential performer; she has the talent. the grace, and humility that every great performer should possess.

If you have the chance to see Patti LuPone live, you should take it! See a list of upcoming dates here.
A list of upcoming NC Symphony events can be found here.

"A Little Potato and Hard to Peel" - An Interview with David Harrell

David Harrell's off-off-Broadway show, "A Little Potato and Hard to Peel" is making its way around the country, and soon the world, and is getting ready to make its appearance at the Paper Lantern Theatre in Greensboro, NC April 10 - 13.  

Tickets to his performances in Greensboro can be purchased here.

Luckily, we got a chance to talk with him about his inspirational show!

M: How did you get interested in acting?

D:  That's a good story.  I played a lot of sports when I was growing up, but I always did little performances in my church.  Although, I wasn't really serious about acting until I was in high school.  One day, I was in the library with a girl, that I had a crush on.  She told me that I might be cute if I performed on stage.  She said that I was funny and might be good on stage.  So, I auditioned for the drama class - thinking she might go out with me.  I was in the class and fell in love with theatre and not so much with her.  She never became my girlfriend, but the impulse to get into acting led to something that I felt like I was good at.

His show "A Little Potato Hard to Peel" is based off of a story his 'grandfather used to tell the story of his little league baseball team, “The Little Potatoes and Hard to Peel.” He said they were smaller than the other boys and maybe not as talented but they always played with their hearts. So no matter if they won or lost they never got down because they were tough…and hard to peel. David was born without his right hand and his journey of discovering what is normal will inspire, entertain and hopefully answer the question, “Are we truly more than the sum of our parts?”'

S: How did you get started working on "A Little Potato and Hard to Peel"?

D:  I worked in a children's theatre, when I had just finished undergraduate school.  The artistic director suggested that I write a play, having heard some of my stories about growing up.  He said that he thought audiences would really respond to them and find them funny and interesting.  I had this idea and would tell everybody that I was going to write one, but I had this in mind for four years.  I had a friend in North Carolina, who worked with the Raleigh Ensemble Players Theatre Company, and he worked with me to get a solo show started.  This resulted in The Quest, which was my first solo show.  I performed it in Raleigh and took it to a festival.  Once I finished graduate school, at UNC-Greensboro, I knew that I wanted to develop my show more and make some changes.  I moved to New York and took a workshop at the PIT, or People's Improv Theatre, on solo performance.  Using that workshop, I was able to develop the show and begin to make it what it is today.  I produced it in New York in 2009 and I've been doing festivals and touring the show in schools, churches and universities.  So, it's has really grown and developed.

S: Do you think audiences are surprised by your humor and lax discussion of your disability in your show?

D:  I like to think that people are pleasantly suprised by the humor.  I wanted the show to be funny.  My personality - I like to laugh and make people laugh.  It's not meant to be a funny show.  There are moments of humor, but there are also moments that are poignant.  

S: Do you think that your humor is a way to communicate advocacy for people wth disabilities?

D:  I think so.  You know, people say that when you make people laugh, they are more receptive and open to new ideas that they may not have considered before.  And I don't think it is just the humor that does this.  I, also, think it is the idea of the universality of our shared humanity that communicates with the audience.

Through my specific story, people can see that we all face circumstances and limitations, whether they are put on by other people or by ourselves.  However, it's the idea that those circumstances, whatever they may be, do not define who we are.  People could look at my circumstances and I can look at other circumstances, and we wonder how we would deal.  But what makes us the same is that we are all on this earth now and we are together.  We don't let those circumstances take control, we see ourselves as valuable individuals and the differences should be celebrated.   My hand is just one small difference in a larger collection of differences and that's a good thing. 

M: What's your most popular anecdote in the show that people respond most to?

D: Probably my mother's character.  Everyone loves her tag-line, "I'll show you how we do it South-Georgia-style."  It seems to be the most popularly quoted line after the show.

M: Do you have other upcoming projects?

D:  Next month, I'll be taking "A Little Potato and Hard to Peel" to Toronto for the Canadian Premiere.  I am really excited to do that.  I've only ever been to Canada when I crossed Niagra Falls, so to actually go for a performance is very exciting.  I will also be taking the show to a festival in Eastern Europe over the summer, which is exciting - for the show to be taken outside the States.  

Last summer, I did an off-Broadway play for a festival written by Samuel D. Hunter (The Whale and A Bright New Boise).  He wrote this play for me and a friend.  He has adapted the play into a screenplay for us to do a short film. So, that is another project that I will be working on.  

David was a pleasure to talk to.  If you are in the Greensboro and Wiston-Salem areas, please go see David and his amazing one-man-show, "A Little Potato and Hard to Peel."

Follow David on Twitter.

"I am a soprano and I can belt!" An Interview with Christiane Noll

By: Martha Hobby and Sarah Taylor

At the 2010 Tony Awards, Christiane Noll took to the stage to perform "Back to Before" from Ragtime.  That year, she was also nominated for Lead Actress in a Musical for her role as Mother in the same show.  Christiane also originated the role of Emma in the Broadway production of Jekyll & Hyde.  Her voice can also be heard in the animated movie version of The King & I.  Other productions include Chaplin, Urinetown, Grease, Miss Saigon, and South Pacific. 

On March 15, we were able to sit down with Ms. Noll for a brief interview about her life and career.

M: Do you have a go to audition song?

C: "Gift's of Love" from The Baker's Wife or "A Quiet Thing."  Most of the time, now, if...well, not if! When I audition, they just give you a big packet and say, "Here. Learn this!" I'm much happier [with that].  Sometimes, I've done "Glitter and Be Gay," but it's very specific when you would need to do that.  For comedy songs, sometimes I do "Not Getting Married Today" - but all three parts.  So, it's like she's really schizophrenic.  But I'm so grateful when it's like, "Here. Learn this! Do that." 

S: Your mom was an opera singer.  But what spurred your interest in musical theatre specifically?

C: My parents took me to see a lot of different shows.  Because my mom was an opera singer, I knew what that sounded like and I knew I didn't sound like that.  And so, growing up, a lot of me didn't even want to attempt it because I wasn't good at it.  There was more operetta and, of course, I sang a lot of it just for fun.  But, in terms of really trying to create something that you're good at (not just the family business), I can actually open my mouth and do it.  So, musical theatre is very accessible for young voices because you can, basically, open your mouth and it's whatever sound comes out.
    You don't have to really study to train the voice to do musical theatre [in the same way that you do for opera].  A little training certainly helps, vocally, to learn how to sing.  I could sing along to A Chorus Line or whatever my favorite show happened to be at the time, when I was growing up. I was just able to do that.
     I was not interested in doing it, even as I was becoming a teenager.  When I got into high school, though, I was put into the class with the other artistically talented students and with a teacher that was in charge of the talent show.  He mounted the whole thing with me in mind.  So, different things started happening.  I was in chorus, also.  My choral director also had me audition for the county and regional and state choruses.  It was encouraged by the people around me.  It's great, but there are so many people who were not raised in that same environment.  They have that hunger, when they hear it or watch it - they realize, "Oh! I want to do that!"  I never had that because I grew up in it.  It was really a matter of having people, surrounding me, to remind me that this was something I was good at.  I did, and do, love it.

S: What is your favorite project to date, and what made it special?

C: It would have to be Ragtime.  I was eight months pregnant when I auditioned.  My daughter was six weeks old when we started rehearsals.  I was so single-minded about her and then I'd show up at rehearsals.  And not think about it, which is probably the best place to come from as an actor.  You do your best work that way.
   It was only supposed to be a limited run at the Kennedy Center.  Then, for it to get moved to New York was not in the cards, not planned.  It did and people got to see what was the synthesis of what was happening in my life - on stage.  I got recognized for that, with awards or nominations, which was mind-blowing.  I was grateful because it was a great show and I wish it had run longer.  An unexpected blessing.

M: What would be your dream role, if you could eliminate the factors of voicing and gender?

C: I had wanted to play Anna in The King and I, which I got to do this past summer.  But, I would like to do it again, on a larger scale.  I would love to play Mrs. Lovett [from Sweeney Todd].  I don't think that it's out of the realm of possibility for me, because I'm aging in that direction.  I've wanted to play her since college.  I did a character study of her in one of my music classes and followed her characterization in the musical score. 

S:  Your 54 Below album came out last year.  Are there any new projects on the horizon?

C:  Well, my mother has been giving me suggestions of songs I should do.  The songs that she's given me were varied: some theatrical, a Johnny Mathis tune, a Carole King song.  I'm trying to come up with a concept for a new show or an album, maybe.  I think I may be doing 1776 this summer, which is another role (Abigail) on my list of things that I'd like to do.  But nothing specific yet, but I'm in the creative process.

M: How was the Sound of Music?

C: It was really weird (laughs).  In television, they expect you to, sort of, know what to do.  They give you a mark and as long as you hit it - you're good.  And you have to hit the mark, because it's all about the camera.  The rehearsal process was done in the studio, in a similar way to a Broadway show.  The director blocked the scenes, but there was very little discussion.  There were some extraordinary musical theatre people on the set, like Audra [McDonald], Christian [Borle], and Laura [Benanti], who know their way around a television set.  Even then, we were having the discussion that it was television and not film, where the frame is just on your face.  But the camera is still much closer, as opposed to an audience that is farther away.  Whenever you do musical theatre, you have to portray a different reality, which is much more difficult to do on film.  You're doing a live feed of the musical, but there is no audience, which usually gives you the timing.  And if you deliver a funny line, you won't know if it's funny or not. 
     Everyone was so excited and I felt that what we were doing was very historical.  It was monumental - in what was accomplished on all parts.  Carrie Underwood could not have been sweeter.  She was committed to what she was doing, prepared and so game and terrified.  Stephen Moyer wrote notes to everyone, which he didn't have to do.  Everyone was so lovely.  I am thrilled that it got the viewership that it did and that this tradition will continue.  For people to be able to see these productions in their living rooms is awesome!

S: Barbra Streisand has a new "Duets" album coming out.

C: Oh, really? Good for her! Is she that old now? I guess she is a legend, so...(laughs).

S:  If you could eliminate all barriers, like...

M: ...death...

S: ...who would you want to duet with?

C: On the spot, I would have to say: Anthony Warlow.  He was recently Daddy Warbucks in the Broadway revival of Annie.  He is an Austrailian superstar.  He sings opera, musical theatre, pop.  He has a voice that is unreal.  I was exposed to him through the concept album for Jekyll & Hyde, before it came to Broadway.  When I first heard his voice, I was like, "Who is this? What is - Oh my god!" It was ridiculous how good he was.  Later on, we would put my voice on a recording with him - so I kind of got to sing with him.
     But I will say, he is the only artist to ever make me act like an idiot.  At opening night of Jekyll & Hyde on Broadway, I got to meet him and I acted like a dufus.  I had met Julie Andrews, for an audition, and said, "Hi! How are you?" Like a normal person.  But with him, I was all over the place.
     I would like to be able to duet with him for real, because he is a friend of mine, now.

M:  Finally, what piece of advice would you give to young, aspiring actors?

C:  Make sure you love musical theatre and it feeds you, because it's not easy.  And there is more rejection than anything else.  At the beginning of your journey, you may feel inclined to mold yourself into what you think the directors want to see.  The best advice, that I can give, is to find the things that make you special.  Everyone has something that makes them special.  Even if everyone sings the same songs, because of who you are and what you've done and how you've lived and what you've experienced, you are going to bring something unique and very special to that song.  Even if you emulate other performers, the words are still coming out of your mouth.  When you walk into a room where you are contributing something, you say, "These are my gifts. This is what I bring to this."  If their perception of what your gifts are going to be matches the gifts you possess, then things will work out.  So, find out what makes you special, hold on to that and be proud of it. 


After our conversation, we were able to sit in on her sound check and, later, attended her show: "Christiane Noll: Gifts."  In the show, she dramatizes her musical journey.  The music was phenomenal and her stories were heart-warming.  Her energy, throughout the show, and constant interactions with the audience pulled us into her own reality. 

If you get the chance, you should definitely go see Christiane live!

Follow her on Twitter and like her on Facebook!