My Musical Weekend

This is a picture of my mom and me, about 30 minutes before the first Broadway Belters show of the weekend at Marjorie Lyons Playhouse. My mom, who is arguably my biggest fan, came to two of our three weekend performances. And she seemed just as excited about watching the show the second time as she did the first. I was delighted to find out she had purchased tickets for both shows. There's just something comforting about knowing my Mama is going to be in the audience!

It was a wonderful show, and I was honored to share the stage with some of the area's best musical theater talents - a cast of 20 that included Seva May and Rocky Maddox. I've known Seva for years and have had the opportunity to work with her several times. It is ALWAYS a fun experience. Seva is one of those kinds of people who doesn't have a shy bone in her body and never minces words when she has something to say. I love her dearly, and love to watch her perform. She is a true theater connoisseur who not only has extensive knowledge of Broadway works of art, but has also played some of the stage's most well-known roles. She is the consummate performer and it was an honor to share the stage with her.

And Rocky... what can I say about Rocky? First and foremost, he's fabulous! He played the piano and sang a medley from Rent that knocked my socks off, and followed that with a performance of "Music of the Night" from Phantom of the Opera. Lemme just say... the boy can SING! I've worked with Rocky once before; we co-emceed a Christmas program at Bellaire Baptist Church in Bossier City years ago, and he was hysterically funny. It was a blast! But back then I didn't get a chance to hear him perform musically. He is so incredibly talented, and I hope to have the opportunity in the future to work with him again.

I was so impressed with all of my fellow performers... Jared Watson was fantastic, as were Heather Bryson, Emily Mwakitawa, Allyson Wilson... everybody was so good! And may I just add that I adore Bobby Darrow. I love the man. He is one of the sweetest, most gentle men I've ever met. But when he sings, this huge voice bellows from within him! It's amazing really. And quite fabulous.

Anyway, it was such a fun weekend! There was talk of doing another of these shows next year. I hope I'm included in the cast!