Never heard of it??  Allow me to enlighten you…

Memphis: A New Musical is loosely based on Memphis disc jockey Dewey Phillips, one of the first white DJs to play black music in the 1950s.  She’s a black singer whose career is on the rise, but who can’t break out of the segregated clubs of 1950’s Memphis, Tennessee.  He’s a white radio DJ whose love of music transcends race lines and airwaves.  When the two collaborate, her soulful music reaches radio audiences everywhere, and the Golden Era of early rock ‘n’ roll takes flight.  But as things start to heat up, whether the world is really ready for their music – or their love – is put to the test.  Memphis won the Tony Award for “Best Musical,” along with three other awards, at the 2010 Tonys.

Read more about Memphis here: I can’t WAIT to see THIS!

Soooooo, I’ll be there on opening night - what about YOU?   

Ticket information here for Memphis’ quick stint at the Fabulous Fox Theatre: Show running from 1/31 – 2/5!

theatres just don't get more magnificent than the fox...

This show is going to be so great!  (Now, we just need to work on The Book of Mormon (oh please, oh please!) to travel down south, and I’m pretty. much. set.) 

xx, L

The holidays are here!  For the entire month of December, you can find the perfect gifts and enjoy all the holiday experiences that Midtown has to offer! 

The kick-off reception was last night (and it looked like fun!), but there’s more! 

12/2 + 12/3: Local Gifts + Treats Pop Up Shop at MidCity Lofts (West Peachtree at 6th St. between Tech Square + Renaissance Hotel).  Vendors include: Olive, Pieces of Me, Lisa Jill Jewelry, Kristi Hyde, and JuneBug.  To compliment your shopping experience, enjoy treats from Sinless Cocktails + Rockin’ Cupcakes!

All Month Long: Midtown’s holiday festivities continue! 
- Ice skate in Piedmont Park at Park Tavern
- Visit the Atlanta Botanical Garden’s “Garden Lights - Holiday Nights” installation
- Visit the ”Picasso to Warhol” exhibition at the High Museum of Art
- See “A Christmas Carol” at the Alliance Theatre
- Get tickets for “How the Grinch Stole Christmas” at the Fox Theatre
- Revisit the story of “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” at the Center for Puppetry Arts
- Hear “Handel’s Messiah” at the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra

More info below…

December may be 31 days long, but you’ve got A LOT to do.  It’s going to fly by! 

Happy Holidays from the Q+DD!

xx, L

And, at the Fabulous Fox Theatre, no less! 

Gorms + I are celebrating completing the 3-Day tonight by dropping by Ecco to say “hello!” to our man, Eric, and then heading to the Fox to get our best Mamma Mia on!  Oh yes, there will be dancing.

Here’s the Q+DD on Mamma Mia:

Longing to discover the identity of her true father before she exchanges her wedding vows, the daughter of a once-rebellious single mother secretly invites a trio of paternal candidates to her upcoming wedding on the small Greek island in which she lives.

Mamma Mia is based on the songs of ABBA – a Swedish pop/ dance group active from 1972–1982.  ABBA was one of the most internationally popular pop groups of all time.

Mamma Mia awesomeness below…

Get your Mamma Mia tickets here: SUPER TROUPER! 

You have to act fast, though, because the show is only in town from tonight through November 6!

So go…”see that girl/ watch that scene/ diggin’ the dancing queen!” 

xx, L

Until now!  Scoutmob threw a Revel Party at the CfPA last night, and as soon as I found out about it I snagged two free tickets for Mrs. Casey (this chick is down for it all!) + I to join in on the fun!  Thank you, Scoutmob!

scoutmob revel party at the CfPA

We pre-puppeted at Ecco, and headed over to the CfPA a few minutes before the show to check out the Jim Henson exhibit. 

The only photo I have of the museum area is this one, which I happen to love. (I was scolded by the hipster puppet museum cop when I tried to take an iPhone photo within the exhibit…  She was intense.)  What I CAN tell you is that we saw a number of our favorite Sesame Street characters, we heard Kermit sing “The Rainbow Connection” (Kevin’s fav), and we ogled the Fraggle Rock + Labyrinth portions of the exhibit.  It was very cool.  But, it was also time to get a drink (priorities, people!), so we quickly shuffled downstairs to the bar “The Tavern of Lost Souls,” for some overpriced wine in plastic cups.

CfPA Atlanta

The downstairs area + theatre were all Halloween-ed out.  We loved! 

The stage + a sneak peek at one of the puppets:

SOOOO without further adieu, here’s the Q+DD on The Ghastly Dreadfuls (according to our friends at Creative Loafing):

“The Center for Puppetry Arts has an unflowing crypt’s worth of spooky stories composed for The Ghastly Dreadfuls, its annual anthology of comedic and scarifying short puppet shows.  Co-creators Jon Ludwig and Jason Von Hinezmeyer debuted the show in in 2006 as The Ghastly Dreadfuls: Compendium of Graveyard Tales and Other Curiosities, then revised it in 2008 as The Ghastly Dreadfuls II: Handbook of Practical Hauntings and Other Phantasmagoria.  Currently Ludwig and Von Hinezmeyer can cherry-pick their favorite tales of the lot, such as the witty, grisly “The Girl in the New Dress,” adapted from the story by Larry Letemplier, which unfolds – or maybe “unscrolls” would be a better word — on a single, seemingly endless sheet, in the style of old Coca-Cola advertisements.  You’ll recognize the music of “La Danse Macabre” by Charles-Camille Saint-Saëns, accompanying a skeleton dance worthy of Fantasia.”  Etc, etc, etc…  I don’t want to give away too much!

Y’all it was SO good!  The show was really well done – from the detailed puppets and impressive puppeteering to the creative stories and talented musicians.  It was funny, too!  I very much enjoyed it.  In my opinion, The Ghastly Dreadfuls is probably not for the novice theatre goer, but it IS for someone who is really passionate about theatre, off-beat humor +/or Halloween. 

if this photo looks blurry, you are probably drunk. stop drinking at work, readers... (JUST kidding.)

mrs. casey w/ her scoutmob moustache

I strongly suggest scheduling a date night this month to see The Ghastly Dreadfuls at the CfPA!  But do it soon because they only have performances on Wednesday – Saturday nights through October 29!

serious theatre-goers...

Still need more convincing??  Check out a behind-the-scenes preview HERE: The Ghastly Dreadfuls.

And, Happy (early) Halloween!!

xx, L

Center for Puppetry Arts
1404 Spring Street Northwest
Atlanta, GA 30309
404.873.3391
www.puppet.org

Here’s the Q+DD on Wicked:

Tony Award winning musical, Wicked, arrives at the Fox Theatre for three weeks this fall, from September 14 to October 9, 2011.  The musical is slated to hit 30 other North American cities as part of its current 2011 tour.  Wicked is based on Gregory Maguire’s book, Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West, which is a parallel novel to the 1939 film, The Wizard of Oz.  It depicts the events that shaped the lives of Elphaba, a social outcast by virtue of her emerald skin color and very opinionated nature who eventually becomes the Wicked Witch, and Glinda, who becomes the Good Witch.  The musical has also spawned some incredibly popular show tunes such as “For Good,” “What Is This Feeling?” + “Defying Gravity,” among others.

ATTENTION ATLANTANS: Get your Wicked tickets here before they sell out: “Because I Knew You, I Have Been Changed For Good…”

This is one of my most favorite musicals ever!  It’s a fantastic show for everyone + the traveling cast was spectacular the last time it visited Atlanta!  You WILL NOT want to miss it!

“Something has changed within me/ Something is not the same/ I’m through with playing by the rules/ Of someone else’s game/ Too late for second guessing/ Too late to go back to sleep/ It’s time to trust my instincts/ Close my eyes and LEAP!”

OMG…can’t. even. wait!!  See you there!

xx, L

The show is in Atlanta through the weekend (the entire stint is June 21st – 26th) + stars former American Idol contestant Anthony Fedorov as “Joseph.”

(He looks totally creepy in that picture, but dude has an incredible voice.) 

Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat is an Andrew Lloyd Webber musical based on the “coat of many colors” story of Joseph from the Book of Genesis.  Although I was familiar with the musical, I hadn’t seen it before.  I did, however, know the songs “Any Dream Will Do” and “Close Every Door” from singing in choir in high school.  (I know, I’m so cool…)  Anyway, the show was really cute – and short – even with an intermission it was just about two hours long. 

As a Hebrew school dropout (just look at me now! whee!), I took the story to be 100% accurate and am now surprisingly very excited about the Book of Genesis as it seems that they had western hoedowns, Elvis impersonators, Caribbean-themed and decade parties and were into neon colors as much as I am.  Now, folks, THAT is a book I can really get down with!

All joking aside, I found the play to be educational while also very entertaining.  Something about the musical felt sorta 80′s-ish to me, which honestly made me like it even more than I maybe otherwise would.   If that’s not enough to convince you to buy tickets to see Joseph this weekend, I’ll tell you that the tickets were cheaper than most I’ve bought recently for shows at the Fox + the musical features 50 local kids from the Atlanta area in the cast, which was pretty special.

Plus, the Fox is a very memorable place to take a special someone on a date! 

There are a few remaining shows over the weekend.  Deets here:

Friday, June 24: 8:00 p.m.
Saturday, June 25: 2:00 p.m. + 8:00 p.m.
Sunday, June 26: 1:30 p.m. + 7:00 p.m.

Check it out!  “Any dream will do” is an awesome song to have stuck in your head for the following week after seeing the show.  Go, Joseph, go!!

xx, L

Tickets in hand?  Ok good.  Moving on…

Greg and I went up there on Friday night because, lucky for me, my darling friend Kevin is playing Collins and he is so brilliant, I hate to miss anything he’s in. (There are few people for whom I’d brave 285/75 rush(ish) hour traffic…Fact.)

I should tell you that RENT is a show that holds a very special place in my heart.  RENT had it’s debut on Broadway in 1996 when I was an artsy-fartsy high school student studying musical theatre and I wore out that double disk soundtrack belting out every word of every song and the day I saw the show at the Nederlander Theatre in 1997 was a day I’ll never forget (I’m not ashamed to tell you that I laminated the ticket at Kinko’s and kept it in my wallet for YEARS.)  Later, as a working actress in NYC (read: superpoor), I spent money I probably didn’t really have to see it again in 2004 on a day I really needed a lift, and since moving to Atlanta, I’ve seen it twice on tour.   I was also lucky enough to see Baz Lurhmann’s Broadway production of La Bohème, Puccini’s opera on which RENT was based.  For me, all of these experiences were paradigm-shifting.

I say all that to say this: I’ve had some pretty incredible RENT experiences and Friday night’s at The Strand was no less.

I am literally begging you to go see this. There wasn’t one weak character. My favorite, of course, was Kevin – and not because I love him (I do) but because his voice is like velvet and when he’s on stage I absolutely cannot watch anything else.

My other favorites included Felicia Boswell as Mimi (seriously phenomenal…even over my severe envy of her figure which made me hate her just a little), Adam Payton as Angel (precious and so endearing) and Kenya Hamilton as Joanne (just the right mix of loveable and terrifying).  But truly, everyone in the show, without exception, is ridiculously talented.

The set was great and the choreography choices were fantastic.  And despite just a few minor acoustical issues, the entire show was pitch perfect for me.

Kevin with gorgeous actresses Kenya Hamilton (Joanne) and Alison Brannon (Maureen)... (sorry for ripping off your intellectual property, Ms. Hamilton)

You have just ONE more weekend to see it and for those of you who didn’t heed my command at the beginning of this post…get your tickets IMMEDIATELY. I mean, right NOW. (Click HERE)

No day but today, right?

xx, L

P. to the S.  We had a bite and a few beers afterwards at Hemingway’s in the square and danced all night to local band 7 Sharp 9 as they played re-imagined classic tunes.  I must say, we had a delightful evening in Marietta on Friday.

1 – Dad’s Garage is a non-profit.
2 – Sauced is a kick-butt local restaurant + lounge that has a crush on Dad’s Garage.

Which leads to:

Dine Out For Dad’s at Sauced on Thursday, June 23rd!

Join the fun at Sauced on Thursday, June 23rd from 5:30 – 10:00 p.m. + they’ll donate the proceeds to good ol’ Dad’s Garage.  AND, if that’s not awesome enough, they’ll staple a coupon for half-off a Dad’s Garage show that evening right to your bill.  How’s that for a fun night out?!

Dad’s Garage shows on Thursday, June 23rd:

8:00 p.m. – sLaughter Camp
10:30 p.m. – Uncomfortably Up Close + Personal

Be sure to make a rezzie at Sauced: 404.688.6554.  If you’d like to also make a reservation at Dad’s, purchase a ticket for that evening at the student price.  As mentioned, you’ll receive a coupon with your bill at Sauced that Dad’s will verify at the door.

Need more convincing?  Check out the Dine Out For Dad’s event page on Facebook riiiiiiiiiiiight HERE!

xx, L

Sauced
753 Edgewood Ave.
Atlanta, GA  30307
404.688.6554
www.saucedatlanta.com

Have you gotten your tickets yet to see the incredible Ms. Britney Spears in action at Philips Arena on July 17??

LK + I went to see BritBrit two years ago and trust me…you do NOT want to miss her show!  (I love the Brit.  In fact, I am not at all ashamed to admit that I have an entire category dedicated to her: Britney Spears on the Q+DD) 

Ticket information here:  Britney Spears’ Femme Fatale Tour

Also, don’t forget about funny man Aaron Karo who’s in town next Thursday visiting the Atlanta Punchline!

Ticket information here:  Karo Does Atlanta

AND…have you seen who’s scheduled to play the Chastain Summer Music Series this year?  It’s quite a list!  Click Here to Check Out the Solid Summer Line-Up at Chastain Amphitheatre. 

My picks are…
May 27/28 – James Taylor
June 21 – Dispatch
June 24 – Steve Miller Band
July 8 – Tribute Band: Arrival – The Music of ABBA
August 12 – Bela Fleck + the Flecktones
August 24 – Guster + Jack’s Mannequin

The 2011 Coca-Cola Summer Film Festival movies have also recently been announced!  The series is presented on the biggest screen in Atlanta + kicks off on June 9th with The Social Network. 

Individual movie tickets are $8 a piece.  $12 additional for the winetasting.  Info on the rest of the shows here: You Haven’t Seen a Movie Until You’ve Seen One at the Fox!

Need another reason to head to the Fox Theatre this summer?  How about to see Joseph + the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat running June 21 – 26!  I’ve gotten my tickets already…have you?

DO NOT miss out on all of this great summer fun.  Get on the ball today + enjoy the shows!

xx, L

So You Think You’ve Got Muscles is a cheeky, pageant-style fundraising event @ 7 Stages in Little Five Points featuring muscle-bound contestants, celebrity panelists + hosted by the unforgettable Don Finney, star of this spring’s revival production of Mr. Universe. 

Never taking itself seriously, this event puts the FUN in FUNdraiser. 

Contestants will compete in three tongue-in-cheek rounds: Beauty, Brains + Talent.  If you like to watch muscle-bound men compete – and who doesn’t?! – join the fun on Saturday, January 29 at 8:00 p.m. for a hard-bodied good time!

Here’s the Q+DD:

Where:  7 Stages Main Stage
When:  Saturday, January 29
Time:  8:00 – 10:00 p.m.
Tickets HERE:  http://www.7stages.org/events/?event_id=49926
Regular Seating: $25
Floor Seating: $35 (Near the runway)
Table for Two: $100 (Front row runway seating)
Table for Four: $200 (Front row runway seating)

Oogling washboard abs while donating to a great cause…sounds like a perfect Saturday night to me!!  

xx, L

7 Stages
1105 Euclid Avenue
Atlanta, GA  30307
404.523.7647
www.7stages.org