Memphis: It's all the Rave

So if you have somehow not turned on your TV, not opened your Facebook, not checked Twitter, stopped reading all of the blogs, and completely failed to stay up to date on current affairs than I guess you may have not heard about 'Memphis' a new musical! And, for those who have heard about the show continue to spread the positive words.

Memphis opened on Broadway this past Monday, October 19th; needless to say it was a hit and the city of Memphis was represented! See the photos of some of the Memphians who came below and do not forget that the Peabody Ducks were also present!

Kevin Kane from Memphis CVB

Kerry Crawford, Memphis CVB, I Love Memphis

The Neelys even made the trip!

And of course Pat Halloran from the Orpheum

Now the best part was when the Star, Felecia, said "On my way to the Orpheum" in the show! Even though this was not a sporting event, all the Memphians wildly cheered. I mean what a honor!

For anyone who is making a trip to New York or is thinking about taking the trip, I highly recommend going to see this show. Having not seen it myself, I can only speak about what I have heard and quite frankly, it has all been good. I heard the energy is amazing, the story line is heart wrenching, and the songs and voices are inspiring and astonishingly wonderful.

For more information on the show visit their website at www.memphisthemusical.com or check out the I Love Memphis blog for a full report of opening night http://ilovememphisblog.com/

Have you seen Memphis or heard anything about the show?

A Compilation of Facts

So this week at The Orpheum will unofficially be called 'Fact Week'--highly similar to Shark Week only awesomer cause you are getting facts about the Orpheum as opposed to killing creatures.

Listed below are all the facts I have posted on Twitter and Facebook plus more! Want to know a fact or have a question? Well than ask it and I can answer it!

The Orpheum has brought CATS to Memphis over 13 times and people still ask for it to come back!

The Orpheum Theatre was originally The Grand Opera House and was built in 1890!

The Orpheum was renovated in 1996 to expand the stage so we could bring in big shows like Phantom, Wicked, Lion King etc.

It can cost far more than $600,000 to bring a Broadway Show to Memphis! Thanks to our donors we are able to bring Broadway to Beale

During our Vaudeville days, we hosted stars such as Harry Houdini, George Burns, Madame Sarah Bernhardt and Helen Keller

The Orpheum has over 400 Volunteers that help with Ushering Shows and daily operations. Wow 400! How would we operate without our Volunteer Ushers!?

In 1940, M.A. Lightman, bought the Theatre and made it the flagship of Malco Movie Chain.

The Orpheum contributes over $500,000 each year in Sales Tax to the city, county, and state!

The Orpheum Theatre is a 501c3 and provides over 17 Arts Education Programs to the Mid South, including Star Search this Saturday!

It cost over $700,000 a year to maintain The Orpheum and keep it true to its history! Thanks to all our donors, The Orpheum continues to be a beautiful historical landmark!

The Orpheum Theatre actually loses over $1 Million each year due to the expenses of mataining the Theatre and bringing in shows. Thanks to donations we are able to recoup this loss and stay a premier Theatre.

An SEC Battle

Next Friday, October 17, 2009, there will be an SEC battle of sorts at the Orpheum Theatre. That is correct I am talking about Orpheum Star Search. We have star students competing from Ole Miss, The University of Tennessee, The University of Alabama and The University of Memphis will join as well. These students along with performers from local high schools will compete among each other to hold the title of Winner of the 2009 Orpheum Star Search.

This competition is dare I say better than your weekly SEC football battles because it only happens once a year not every week, the students are truly talented, and this year you, the audience, will get to vote for the People's Choice Award. I mean you do not get to vote which Football team wins each week. So be sure to come on out and vote because you do not want to let your school down. Come on out UT graduates, for you do not want Alabama beating you. Ole Miss, do not let UT cream you because the people did not vote for your talented schoolmate.

Here are the contestants for this year's show:
Daniel Ashmore (Ole Miss)
Suzanne Chapman (Harding Acad)
Alex Goldman (Lamar HS)
Henry Lui (Madison Academic Magnet HS)
James Curtis Mays (Bartlett HS)
Melodie Moore (GCS)
Rakeem Sprinkle (Bolton)
Melanie Stanek (UofM)
Kristian Alexius Thomas (UofM)
Amanda Tittle (UT)
Ashley Wieronski (U. of Alabama)

So be sure to come on out and support your school and favorite performer. The talent is sure to impress you. Check out the contestants by clicking the link below. Orpheum Star Search is next Friday, October 17 at 8:00PM. Tickets are on sale now.

http://www.orpheum-memphis.com/index.cfm?section=backstage

Oh What a Night or Day...

It has finally arrived! This Friday Jersey Boys will go on sale to the public. Oh what exciting times. On sale events are always loads of fun and include give-a-ways, food, and fun with local radio stations like WRVR and KIM FM.

The On Sale Events begin at 8:00AM this Friday at both the Orpheum and David Kidd Bookseller.

Below is an interview from on of the actresses in Jersey Boys!

Though her roots are technically Philadelphian, all those summers spent at the Jersey Shore while growing up helped Alayna Gallo get in character for the role of Lorraine in Jersey Boys. While strutting her stuff on stage in Chicago, Gallo can be found post-show sipping a glass of rose at the Wit or chowing down on boneless chicken wings at Bull & Bear. Dying to approach this starlet but can’t find an opening line? Ask her about her past gigs singing at events/weddings for Donald Trump, Clive Davis and Jerry Jones. Or just get her talking about her favorite guilty pleasure: MTV’s “The Hills.” It works every time.

What is your favorite thing about Chicago?
Lake Michigan!! A long run or walk along the beach rocks my world.

What songs do you like to listen to while getting ready for a show?
Haha...Love this one! Honestly, Jason Mraz, Stevie Wonder, Diana Ross, Neo, Black-Eyed Peas. Love, "Livin for the City," "Closer" and "I'm Yours."

Favorite scene in JB?
Ooooh...tough one!! There are too many. All of the scenes are brilliantly written along with having a gifted cast....hmm...too hard

The best part of my day is…
Is when my cat Orchard wakes me up in the morning. Even when it's too early, he's too cute to get mad at.

How do you stay in shape?
Harmony Yoga is my favorite! Hot Vinyasa rocks my world. When you're doing 8 shows a week, although it's its own workout, muscle memory kicks in. To stay in shape (physically and mentally) I do yoga at least 4-5 times a week. I also try to run 2x a week along the lake.


3 things you never leave home without…
keys, money, gloss!

Best vacation spot…
Vegas Baby!

Secret guilty pleasure…
Well now if I told you, it wouldn't be a secret! Lol...Fine, I'll let you in on one... "The Hills" on MTV. Not sure I'll watch it now that LC is gone. Ssssshhhhh!!

Hope to see you all at the On Sale on Friday!

Girl's Night & Everything Else

It has been a busy week here at the Orpheum! We have our first show of the season, A Chorus Line opening, a Golf Tournament this Friday, lots of meetings =), and our first ever Girl's Night Out. Ah, the summer relaxation is gone--if it was even ever here.

But do not worry as we are trying to ensure that even with the busy-ness of the summer ending you are still having fun! Tonight at the Orpheum is Girl's Night Out. We will have drink specials, and representatives from KIM FM, Gould's Day Spa, MUSE Inspired Fashion and more!

So gals, grab your pals and come on out. Learn some fashion tips for the fall, and how to keep those summer glows all winter long!

We also have our Golf Tournament tomorrow, which I and the Orpheum staff will be at bright and early, rain or shine! The Tournament is at the most loveliest Golf Course, Cottonwoods at Harrah's. The tournament is really fun and there a lot of prizes to win and food to be eaten. Plus as a bonus you are at a casino so if it does rain there are many other fun things to do! Pictures will be taken and posted!

Well that is all for now. Does anyone have any thoughts on A Chorus Line if you have seen it? And what else is everyone doing this weekend?

Cooper Young Festival

Fall is upon us which means Cooper Young Festival is this weekend!! Last year was my first time going and I had loads of fun. I ate delicious food (thank you Soul Fish Cafe), listened to wonderful music, and just walked around to all the great booths.

This year The Orpheum will be out there amongst all of the great booth selections! We are pairing up with Intercom Radio so be sure to stop by. Staff members are working the table and we do love it when we get to talk to people (I will be there from 1-3PM). At the table we will be giving away fans to cool yourself off with in the hot and currently muggy weather. We will also have Brew n Q tickets for sale! No need to go out of your way to buy your ticket to this event we will bring them to you!

Here is a link to everything the Cooper Young Fest is offering!

http://www.cooperyoungfestival.com/festschedule/

Make sure you stop by. The festival is a great way to spend your Saturday--outside, with fun people, good food and great things to buy or just browse through.

And, if you are going to the Festival what booths and bands should people stop by to see?

The Orignial Reality Show

In today's TV world reality television is almost all anyone cares to watch. From American Idol to Dancing with the Stars reality TV is so 'in' right now! So what is it that spurred this love for Reality Television? What is the first reality show that made people think, "Hey, I love me some reality television!"? Was it Real World, Survivor, Big Brother...I will argue that the first real reality show was "A Chorus Line". I know, I know it is not Television but it is a show and it IS REALITY!

'A Chorus Line' was created in New York when a director Michael Bennett gathered a group of Broadway dancers to talk about their careers, challenges, memories, dreams, and lives. He recorded over 40 hours of interviews before it became the script of A Chorus Line. Do these interviews sound vaguely familiar to current reality TV? I think so.

All of the songs that were created for 'A Chorus Line' refer to real life situations that Broadway dancers lived. While watching 'A Chorus Line' one can better understand what it takes to be a Broadway Dancer, the sweat, the tears, the boob jobs and the anxiety of trying to get the job so you can pay the rent!

Take these lyrics for example:

"I've come so far, but even so
It could be yes, it could be no"

How many times have we watched AI and your fave person was kicked off in what you felt was too soon. We feel their rejection pain with them. Well the same is true during 'A Chorus Line.' People finding themselves cheering on the actors on stage.

Or these lyrics:

"Left the theatre and
Called the doctor for my appointment to buy...

Bought myself a fancy pair.

Tightened up the derriere."

I mean who does not love Plastic Surgery Shows like Dr. 90210. Not that you need plastic surgery by any means to be a Broadway dancer but in the interviews there were some dancers who felt this had to be done in order to become famous.

So basically what I am saying is that we can all thank 'A Chorus Line' for giving the Television Creators the idea of using real people and real life situations to make good TV.

Do not forget to see the Reality of being a Broadway Dancer at The Orpheum from September 22-27. 525-7800.