YEAHHHH!!!!!!!!!!! This cast is AMAZING!

All Shook Up PR Shot - No, it's not me! They had to do the shoot before they had cast the leads. But it's a fantastic shot! What can ya do? :-)

www.CenterREP.org

Ok. I am SO EXCITED!!!!!!!!!! We just did our first read/sing through, after a week of music & dance rehearsal. And I have to say - this cast is PHENOMENAL. I am so thrilled to be working with this group of people. And not only is the cast amazing, the artistic staff is incredible!!!

I can't say enough, how excited I am! It's ridiculous! The voices are amazing, but what's even more astonishing, is that every single person is perfectly cast. Some of these people just seem born to play these roles. I had an idea of what the perfect "Dennis" (a character in the show) would be, and this guy BLEW my mind. He is HILARIOUS! He blew my concept of the character out of the water! And that's just one example. I have been astonished around the board by these people. Each person brings such electricity, excitement, fun and power to the room.

If you get to see me in ONE show this year. Come see THIS. I don't usually say that - those of you who know me can vouch for that. Sometimes I'll even keep my mouth shut about what I think of a show. But this one? It's gonna be fierce!!

On another note: This character that I'm playing (Natalie Haller - female lead, mechanic in the 50's, in her mid 20's) is possibly the character that feels closest to my heart, and closest to who I am, that I've ever played. And that is both mildly terrifying and incredibly exciting. Revealing that much of myself onstage in new to me. Revealing even more of a completely different person is a whole different story. Eva Peron?? Nothing like me. (I pray. Ok. I'll take the good traits. ;-) But since I felt I was a completely different person, it was so easy. Less electrifying however. Natalie is so genuine. She's a tomboy. And there's no way she can doll up and be any other way.

It's funny. So many people think of me as a "Cinderella", or an "Eliza Doolittle", you know... the princess-y ingenue. And I can play that really well. I'm very proud of that in fact. Even people in my daily life might see me that way at times. But the reality is, I created that identity in high school because I'd always been so nerdy. That's a big ACT. It's a tool that I take to auditions, and into professional environments. So to play Natalie, who's almost never worn a skirt in her life, is so freeing. It's like coming home.

And the best part is that the end of the story isn't Natalie learning how to doll up and get her man. It about her falling in love with who she really is, and taking a stand for that, even if it means she loses something very dear to her. Someone once asked me "Can you betray another to be true to your own soul?". And that's what Natalie ultimately ends up reckoning with. All in the very fun, very lighthearted, rockin' musical, that packs a punch!

PLEASE: Come see this show! I promise: It won't let you down!!!