In My Head Blog

FAR TOO LONG – WINNIPEG I’M COMING

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I apologize for  being so long away everyone.  Since we’ve talked I’ve finished Over the Rainbow,

ME IN OVER THE RAINBOW

done my concert at MCC, BROADWAY, MY WAY

BROADWAY, MY WAY

and my cabaret, SHUT UP, IT’S CHRISTMAS!  For the first act of which, I was me.  These two shows are from act two where I play Mrs. Claus – old and young.

ME AS MRS. CLAUS

ME AS LOLA KRINGLE

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Now,  we come to the next exciting project. I’m coming/going home to Winnipeg to do a concert.

ME AND MY TOWN: THOM ALLISON IN CONCERT

From Winnipeg to Broadway and Back

It’s part of the Sondheimfest that the city is participating.    So all of the songs in my hour and a half concert are from the  repertoire of the great theatre composer/lyricist Stephen Sondheim.  Always a joy, honour and a gift to perform his music. My pianist is a gifted young musician, musical director named Scott Christian.  Remember that name.  You’ll be hearing it a lot.  I’m so excited.

$41 (+service charge)
January 20, 2013 at the Tom Hendry Warehouse, Royal Manitoba Theatre Centre 8:00PM
140 Rupert Ave.

http://www.masterplaywrightfest.com/Production-List/Me-and-My-Town_zone41.aspx

It’s a fundraiser for a fantastic, innovative theatre company in Winnipeg – zone 41 – and was the brain-child of the company’s co-founder, Krista Jackson.… [Continue reading]

BITS OF CATCH-UP

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I know I need to get more regular in my blogging, my peeps.  But I’m just running around so much.  So I’m just going to wander a bit, but you know what, it’s my blog.  ha ha ha ha ha haaaaa.
So let’s deal with the fact that I  have been in a helicopter twice since I wrote to you all.  WHAT???!!!  Yes, it’s true.  The first time was Sept. 23. I took some pics to show you. We arrived at the pick-up site which was on the grounds of the Hildebrand Winery and the actual copter (that’s what we professional helicopterers call the helicopter – oh, yeah, I’m very connected) is not very big as you can see.

 

As soon as we arrived, we met our pilot, Ben . . .  who looked 14, which did not build my confidence.  But he was 21 and a very “nice young man”.  Gentle Ben I shall call him henceforth.

Seriously, look at that face.  He still smelled like baby wipes …..and the CBC also sent one of their AM-ER-ZING online team to video and audio and photograph the experience.  Here is Kyle.

And he and the rest of that genius online team put together a vlog of the whole experience of getting me from Niagara-on-the-Lake at 5 to our live-to-the-east-coast taping of the show at 7.… [Continue reading]

HERE’S THE BIG NEWS, FOLKS

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Okay everyone, it was announced today so I can actually tell you about it.  Here is the background for those of you who don’t know.  I’m sure many of you have heard of these TV shows that cast a lead in a major production of a musical. They did it for Nancy in Oliver in the West End, they did it for the Danny and Sandy in the Broadway revival of Grease, they did it for Maria in the Mirvish produced big splashy Sound of Music in Toronto a few years ago.

Well the Canucks will know but perhaps my friends/readers in the U.S. and beyond might not know, but the Mirvish organization is doing it again, this time with their big new production of The Wizard of Oz, which includes new music by Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber.   They will be casting the role of Dorothy and Toto  on CBC television on Sunday and Monday nights starting on Sept. 16 and culminating in the final night on Nov. 5.
And the big news is: . . . . . . I am one of the judges.  It will be myself, Arlene Phillips (OBE, one of the UK’s most recognizable TV judges) and Louise Pitre (original star of Broadway’s Mamma Mia and one of Canada’s Musical Theatre divas)
I’ve been sitting on this news for a while so it’s nice to get it out and say I’m really, really excited to meet the girls and the pooches and get the ball rolling.… [Continue reading]

ETERNITY

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Oh my children, it has been way too long.  I can’t really say nothing is happening but I can’t say something is happening either.  I can give you a couple of things that are pretty much confirmed for now.
1. I am doing a solo concert on FRIDAY, NOV. 30.  Mark it in your calendars.  It will be at Metropolitan Community Church, 115 Simpson Ave., Toronto.  I’m just working out what it will consist of now.  I’m very excited.  It will be my first big solo gig since being back from Broadway.
2. I am doing a solo Christmas cabaret on SUNDAY, DEC. 16 at Tallulah’s Cabaret at Buddies In Bad Times.  I LOOOVE CHRISTMAS!!  It’s been years since I’ve done a Christmas show.  There will be some familiar songs done in unfamiliar ways.  A special visitor or two.  Some cheer, some camp, some laughs, some surprises. Come on, IT’S CHRISTMAS!!!!!

I hope everyone can come.  I will give more details of where and when as everything gets ironed out.  And if you’re wondering if it’s a lot of the same material in both . . . please, would I do that to you my children?  There may be a couple of tunes in common, but for the most part, they will be two very VERY different evenings.… [Continue reading]

DORA AWARDS 2012 – A DAY IN THE LIFE OF A DORA HOST

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Well . . . . that’s done.  hahahaahhahahaahahahahahahhahaahahahahahaaha It was a crazy, bizarre, exhilarating, fun, heady, scary, sobering, informative, amazing evening.  Well it wasn’t an evening.  It was a whole freaking day.  I started at 10:30 am and I was packed up and out by about 11:15 pm-ish.  And I basically stopped doing stuff for about 45 minutes in total for the whole day.

When I got there, we had to go through the order of the jackets to see what I’d where and when.  I had already thought it out, cause that’s the kind of guy I am.  Then I was called to the stage to do a mic check which lasted about 15 minutes.  After which, Chris Earle, the amazing writer of the show, Sandra, our director and myself started walking through the script to make sure we all had the correct changes and to talk about any thoughts of changes any of us might have had.  I had been going over and over the script and I had some thoughts of add-ons that we had sort of talked about at a previous meeting.  And Chris had some other suggestions too.  So we decided on stuff that made us laugh the most but that wouldn’t insult too many people. … [Continue reading]