1) Which musical features awkward teen Harvey Johnson?
A. Grease
B. Bye Bye, Birdie
C. Hairspray
D. 13

2) Ogie, the eccentric and pun-loving romantic, appears in which musical?
A. Come From Away
B. Waitress
C. The Prom
D. Shrek

3) In which show do we meet shy florist Seymour?
A. Little Shop of Horrors
B. Into the Woods
C. Be More Chill
D. Godspell

4) Eugene, the nerdy teen obsessed with cameras and class rules, hails from which musical?
A. Grease
B. Bye Bye, Birdie
C. Hairspray
D. Footloose

5) George McFly finds his confidence in which show?
A. Back to the Future
B. The Wedding Singer
C. Catch Me If You Can
D. Mean Girls

6) Penny Pingleton, the sheltered and quirky best friend, is from which show?
A. Grease
B. Hairspray
C. Bye Bye, Birdie
D. 13

7) Which musical centers on awkward teen Evan Goldman navigating a new school?
A. Be More Chill
B. Dear Evan Hansen
C. 13
D. The Prom

8) Jeremy Heere, a socially anxious teen who takes drastic measures to fit in, appears in which musical?
A. Be More Chill
B. Heathers
C. Mean Girls
D. 13

9) In which musical do we meet the charming but clueless shop clerk Cornelius Hackl?A. Hello, Dolly!
B. She Loves Me
C. The Music Man
D. Guys and Dolls

10) In this show, William Barfee has a magic foot, but he is swimming in allergies and has just one working nostril.
A. 13
B. The 25^th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee
C. Rent
D. Spamalot

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ANSWERS

1) B
2) B
3) A
4) A
5) A
6) B
7) C
8) A
9) A
10) B

1. The Super Soul Musical Wonderful Wizard of Oz

2. Don’t Be Fooled by the Pink

3. Get Ready to Party Like It’s 1985

4. The Story of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons

5. It Only Takes a Taste

6. An American Musical

7. Now and Forever

8. So Much Happened Before Dorothy Dropped In

9. The Remarkable True Story of the Town That Welcomed the World

10. The American Tribal Love Rock Musical

11. What’s Your Damage?

12. Come See How the World Could Be

13. #youwillbefound

14. The Drop-Dead Broadway Musical

15. There’s Life After Romeo

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ANSWERS

1. The Wiz

2. Mean Girls

3. The Wedding Singer

4. Jersey Boys

5. Waitress

6. Hamilton

7. Cats

8. Wicked

9. Come from Away

10. Hair

11. Heathers

12. Hadestown

13. Dear Evan Hansen

14. Chicago

15. & Juliet

The titles of these television shows have been rewritten using silly synonyms. Can you name the TV shows?

Bonus Question: ?

QUESTIONS

1 Contests of Royal Seats

2 Attain Intelligence

3 Infamy

4 Replete Residence

5 Spellbound

6 Contemporary Relatives

7 Lad Encounters Cosmos

8 The Peculiar Duo

9 Restrain Your Zest

10 Merriment

11 Retaliation

12 Existing Unattached

13 Large Jump

14 The Cost is Correct

15 Broad Infirmary

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ANSWERS

1 Game of Thrones

2 Get Smart

3 Scandal

4 Full House

5 Bewitched

6 Modern Family

7 Boy Meets World

8 The Odd Couple

9 Curb Your Enthusiasm

10 Glee

11 Revenge

12 Living Single

13 Quantum Leap

14 The Price is Right

15 General Hospital

Bonus: The Office

1. Hilarious Woman

2. Small Store of Nightmares

3. Plus a Shakespearean Character

4. The Ruler and Me

5. The Past Quintet Cycle

6. Sooner State

7. Earlier Atop a Cushion

8. Town of Cherubs

9. Toward the Forest

10. Howdy, Pushcart

11. See above photo

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1. Funny Girl

2. Little Shop of Horrors

3. & Juliet

4. The King and I

5. The Last Five Years

6. Oklahoma!

7. Once Upon a Mattress

8. City of Angels

9. Into the Woods

10. Hello, Dolly

11. Bonus: Cats

1. “Not Getting Married Today 4 U” (“Not Getting Married Today” + “Today 4 U” = Company and Rent

2. “Lovely Ladies Who Lunch”

3. “The Story of Tonight Belongs to You”

4. “With a Little Bit of Luck Be a Lady”

5 “Dividing Day by Day”

6 “Catch Me I’m Falling Slowly”

7 “We Need a Little Christmas Bells”

8 “Omigod You Guys and Dolls”

9 “Seasons of Love Changes Everything”

10 “I Cain’t Say No One Mourns the Wicked”

11 “You’ll Never Walk Alone at a Drive-In Movie”

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1. “Not Getting Married Today” + “Today 4 U” = Company and Rent

2. “Lovely Ladies + “Ladies Who Lunch” - Les Miserables and Company

3. “The Story of Tonight” + “Tonight Belongs to You” Hamilton and The Prom

4. “With a Little Bit of Luck” + “Luck Be a Lady” = My Fair Lady and Guys and Dolls

5. “Dividing Day” + “Day by Day” = The Light in the Piazza and Godspell

6. “Catch Me I’m Falling” + “Falling Slowly” = Next to Normal and Once

7. “We Need a Little Christmas” + “Christmas Bells” = Mame and Rent

8. “Omigod You Guys” + “Guys and Dolls” = Legally Blonde and Guys and Dolls

9. “Seasons of Love” + “Love Changes Everything” = Rent and Aspects of Love

10. “I Cain’t Say No” + “No One Mourns the Wicked”= Oklahoma and Legally Blonde

11. “You’ll Never Walk Alone” “Alone at a Drive-In Movie” = Carousel and Grease

The leads and ensemble were phenomenal, and the orchestra/band was smoking. I’m so grateful this production was preserved with the original Broadway leads for audiences to enjoy for years to come

As the doomed lovers at the heart of the story, Reeve Carney was heartbreaking as Orpheus, while Eva Noblezada proved that she is a masterful interpreter of lyrics.

Of course, I’ve always been an admirer of André De Shields. What a gift that man is to musical theater and how fortunate we are to have his Tony-winning performance as Hermes preserved on film.

And what a trouper Patrick Page was. He ruptured his Achilles tendon while rehearsing for the London performances, but rather than miss the filming, he was fitted with a special medical boot so he could participate.

Last but definitely not least, a gigantic shout-out to triple-threat Amber Gray for her remarkable turn as Persephone. The way she inhabited the role, both physically and emotionally, was astonishing. I’ll never understand how she doesn’t have a Tony Award on her mantle for that performance.

The word “iconic” gets tossed around far too often these days, but Gray’s performance? Iconic. One for the ages.

There has been so much discussion lately about the bleak state of Broadway, as more and more shows close because of soaring production costs and sluggish ticket sales. Making Broadway musicals accessible to mainstream audiences through pro shots is a brilliant way to attract new theater fans and perhaps inspire them to see a live production.

I hope many more shows are preserved this way.

If you haven’t seen Hadestown yet, what are you waiting for? The production currently holds a perfect 100 percent score on Rotten Tomatoes. You can’t get much more acclaimed than that.

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Wasn’t it great to hear that Aaron Tveit is returning to Moulin Rouge! before it closes? The news wasn’t a complete surprise. Fans had hoped he would return for the final weeks, especially after Chess closed so abruptly and freed up his schedule. I only wish I lived closer to New York so I could see him play Christian again.

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Finally, how great was it to see the cast of Les Misérables: The Arena Spectacular perform on The Tonight Show earlier this week? “One Day More” never fails to choke me up, and the cast sounded spectacular. If that performance didn’t sell more tickets, I don’t know what will.

TRIVIA QUESTIONS

1. Which musical’s narrator opens act two with “Pharaoh Story?”

2. In Danny Strong’s new book for its 2025 revival, the Arbiterwas also the narrator.

3. Joe Gillis opens this musical after he is killed by his lover.

4. Bourbon Room assistant Larry Barnett narrates a rock and roll love story set in the 1980s Hollywood club scene

5. This show’s narrator is sacrificed to the Giant in act two.

6. The Leading Player has “Magic to Do” in Stephen Schwartz’s musical.

7. Which show’s narrator explains how two siblings died on the same day?

8. The Man in the Chair breaks the fourth wall in this musical.

9. The Balladeer narrates history in this Stephen Sondheim classic.

10. Che narrates this title character’s short, controversial and impactful life.

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ANSWERS

1. Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat

2. Chess

3. Sunset Boulevard

4. Rock of Ages

5. Into the Woods

6. Pippin

7. Blood Brothers

8. The Drowsy Chaperone

9. Assassins

10. Evita

Filmed last year at London’s Lyric Theatre, the stage production reunites the original Broadway stars: Reeve Carney as Orpheus, Eva Noblezada as Eurydice, André De Shields as Hermes, Amber Gray as Persephone, and Patrick Page as Hades.

And what an impressive group of performers.

Carney’s ethereal voice is perfect for Orpheus, the dreamer who yearns to change the world with a single song. Noblezada sings spectacularly and gives Eurydice a combination of grit and vulnerability that makes her fate even more tragic. Gray is great fun as Persephone, while Page’s deep bass makes him a perfect Hades. The charismatic De Shields presides over gods, mortals, and Fates in a magnetic performance that earned him a Tony Award.

Anaïs Mitchell’s thrilling score and poetic lyrics are also major reasons to see Hadestown. The musical features a whirl of genres, including American folk, blues, gospel, indie, and New Orleans jazz. My personal favorites include the infectious, jazzy opener “Road to Hell,” the hypnotic “All I’ve Ever Known,” and “Wait for Me,” the show’s soaring anthem.

Interestingly, Hadestown was not an overnight success. Mitchell first mounted the show in a small Vermont theater in 2006. A concept album was released four years later, followed by productions Off-Broadway, in Canada, and in London.

The show finally reached Broadway in 2019 and became a smash hit, earning high praise from critics and audiences. It went on to win eight Tony Awards, including Best Musical, Best Original Score, and Best Direction of a Musical. It also earned the Grammy Award for Best Musical Theater Album.

Of course, terrific songs can’t carry a musical all on their own. If they could, the recent revival of Chess would still be running. A good score needs a strong story supporting it. Fortunately, Hadestown also has a compelling tale.

The musical retells the ancient myth of Orpheus and Eurydice, a young couple separated when Eurydice descends into the underworld. Orpheus follows his love, determined to bring her home. As their story unfolds, we also witness the fractured marriage of Hades and Persephone.

Hadestown reveals in its opening number that its tale is a tragedy. You might think audiences wouldn’t return to a love story destined to end in heartbreak. Yet the musical reminds us that even the saddest stories can offer something valuable and even hopeful.

That is why Hadestown has been running on Broadway for more than seven years. And it’s why the musical deserves to be experienced on the big screen.

1) “Man Up”

2) “One Day More”

3) “Embassy Waltz”

4) “I Am What I Am”

5) “You Will Be Found”

6) “Be Back Soon”

7) “All I Ask of You (Reprise)”

8) “You’re Nothing Without Me”

9) “Elephant Love Medley”

10) “Gimme Love”

11) “Dear Friend”

12) “Bottom’s Gonna Be on Top”

13) “If I Can’t Love Her”

14) “Till We Reach That Day”

15) “One Day”

16) “La Vie Bohème B”

17) “Day O (The Banana Boat Song)”

18) “My Own Best Friend”

19) “The Riddle”

20) “Jimmy”

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1. The Book of Mormon

2. Les Misérables

3. My Fair Lady

4. La Cage aux Folles

5. Dear Evan Hansen

6. Oliver!

7. The Phantom of the Opera

8. City of Angels

9. Moulin Rouge

10. Kiss of the Spider Woman

11. She Loves Me

12. Something Rotten!

13. Beauty and the Beast

14. Ragtime

15. Groundhog Day

16. Rent

17. Beetlejuice

18. Chicago

19. The Scarlet Pimpernel

20. Thoroughly Modern Millie

Can you name the Broadway musical based on the supporting characters?

QUESTIONS

1. John, Ellen, Tam

2. Tessie, Mazeppa, Tulsa

3. Sky, Tanya, Bill

4. Robert, Frank, Chick

5. Becky, Earl, Ogie

6. Helena, Oscar Nickie

7. Kevin, Diane, Beulah

8. Randolph, Mae, Hugo

9. Angie, Alyssa, Trent

10. Maraczek, Kodaly, Amalia

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ANSWERS

1. Miss Saigon

2. Gypsy

3. Mamma Mia!

4. Wonderful Town

5. Waitress

6. Sweet Charity

7. Come from Away

8. Bye Bye, Birdie

9. The Prom

10. She Loves Me

I first became aware of Donica in 2017, when I saw him play Marquis de Lafayette and Thomas Jefferson in the national tour of Hamilton. I thought he was the best thing about the production, and that’s saying a lot because the loaded cast included Joshua Henry as Aaron Burr, Rory O’Malley as King George, and Emmy Raver-Lampman as Angelica.

Jordan Donica in Hamilton

It was my first time seeing Hamilton, and I walked away convinced that Donica had stolen the show. He was hilarious with a powerful voice, and he oozed charisma during his biggest number, “What’d I Miss?” At six-foot-four, he was a commanding presence in a physical sense too. My eyes were drawn to him whether he was front and center or lurking in the ensemble.

I had no idea who he was at the time, but I became an admirer of his work almost immediately. When I got home, I Googled him and was surprised to find that he didn’t have many professional credits yet. He was 21, and his one high-profile role pre-Hamilton had been the strait-laced Raoul in the Broadway production of The Phantom of the Opera. Given his appropriately-hammy, larger-than-life performance in Hamilton, it was difficult to imagine him playing anyone so conventional.

A year later, I listened to the cast recording of Lincoln Center Theater’s Broadway revival of My Fair Lady. When I reached “On the Street Where You Live,” sung by the lovestruck Freddy Eynsford-Hill, I was mesmerized by the singer’s rich, crystal-clear voice.

I’d never been particularly fond of the song. In fact, it was one I usually skipped. But when it ended, I did something I almost never do: I played it again, mostly so I could hear that gorgeous voice one more time. After the second listen ended, I checked the credits and was floored to discover that the singer was Donica. Freddy couldn’t have been further removed from Thomas Jefferson, yet he seemed completely at home in the role.

I’ve followed his career ever since, and he has continued to make bold, interesting choices. He earned big laughs as Rapunzel’s Prince in the Encores! production of Into the Woods. In 2023, he received his first Tony nomination for playing Sir Lancelot in the Broadway revival of Camelot. It’s a showy, vocally-demanding role, and Donica was more than up to the challenge.

Jordan Donica as Freddy in My Fair Lady

More recently, he earned rave reviews as the volatile vaudevillian Burrs in the Encores! production of Michael John LaChiusa’s The Wild Party. He also played Norma Desmond’s devoted butler, Max von Mayerling, in the closing cast of the Broadway revival of Sunset Blvd., starring Nicole Scherzinger.

Now comes the news that Donica will return to The Phantom of the Opera for the show’s 40th-anniversary season in London. Only this time, he will don the mask himself.

I can’t wait to see what he does with the role. The score seems tailor-made for his powerful, magnetic voice, but it’s his unpredictability that excites me most. From Raoul to Jefferson, Freddy, Lancelot, Burrs, and now the Phantom, Donica has built a career by refusing to be easily categorized. Just when you think you know what kind of performer he is, he steps onto a stage and becomes someone else entirely.

Nearly a decade ago, I watched him steal Hamilton without knowing his name. Now he’s stepping into one of musical theater’s most iconic roles.

If Jordan Donica’s career has taught me anything, it’s when he steps onto the stage, it will be impossible to look anywhere else.

Can you name the Tony Award Winning Broadway musical based on the supporting characters?

QUESTIONS

1. Artie, Betty, and Max

2. Provaire, Joly, Lesgles

3. Liat, Ngana, Jerome

4. Helen, Bruce, Christian

5. Sancho, Antonio, Pedro

6. Bela, Lank, Irene

7. Buddy, Pattie, Aunt Debra

8. Cherry, Dally, Darry

9. Marcellus, Mayor Shinn, Winthrop

10. Anne, Fredrik, Petra

ANSWERS

1. Sunset Blvd.

2. Les Misérables

3. South Pacific

4. Fun Home

5. Man of La Mancha

6. Crazy for You

7. Kimberly Akimbo

8. The Outsiders

9. The Music Man

10. A Little Night Music

I have.

December 23, 1990, the day Jacques Williams died.

Let me back up.

In the final days of the 1990s, I bought my sister Phantom of the Opera tickets as an early Christmas present. The blockbuster musical was in the middle of its wildly successful Los Angeles run at the Ahmanson Theatre.

Robert Guillaume Dons the Phantom Mask

The production had opened with Tony Award winner Michael Crawford as the Phantom. When Crawford departed, Robert Guillaume, best known as the cynical butler-turned-politician Benson, was cast as the tortured genius beneath the mask.

Most people didn’t know Guillaume could sing.

Theater fans knew better.

Before becoming a TV star, Guillaume built an impressive stage résumé. He appeared on Broadway in Purlie, Finian’s Rainbow, and starred as Nathan Detroit in the all-Black revival of Guys and Dolls.

He received glowing reviews for his Phantom. I’d seen him early in the run and felt his rich baritone and commanding stage presence fit the role perfectly.

On December 23, my sister and I arrived at the Music Center surrounded by Christmas decorations and holiday crowds. Across the plaza, families dressed in their holiday best headed to The Nutcracker.

However, we had a date with the Phantom.

When Guillaume took the stage in act one of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s musical, the audience showered him with thunderous applause. His voice sounded glorious in his early scenes, but as the matinee unfolded, his performance transcended into something astounding.

By the time he sang “The Music of the Night,” Guillaume’s performance had acquired an extraordinary intensity. Every lyric seemed profoundly personal. Every note felt painfully alive.

By the end of Act One, Guillaume brought a chilling desperation to the "All I Ask of You" Reprise, capturing the Phantom's anger and growing despair as he unraveled before our eyes.

At intermission, my sister and I agreed that we were witnessing an extraordinary performance.It felt like we were watching a Hall of Fame pitcher throw a perfect game… one we would discuss for years to come.

In the show’s final moments, as the Phantom realizes Christine will never love him, Guillaume seemed to strip away every layer separating actor from character. His anguish was raw… gut-wrenching. As he sobbed with heartbreak, the audience cried with him.

When the curtain fell, I wiped away tears… certain it was the greatest performance I’d ever seen in a musical.

A week later, I learned the significance of that day.

Guillaume was carrying an unimaginable burden during that matinee. Earlier that day, his son, Jacques Williams, had died from complications related to AIDS.

He could have canceled his performance. No one would have judged him for it.

Instead, the actor found refuge in the stage. He buried his grief in the soul of a broken artist tormented by the harsh realities of life.

Suddenly, everything about that special performance made sense.

The grief. The desperation. The vulnerability. None of it had been manufactured. For three hours, Robert Guillaume poured the worst day of his life into one of theater’s most demanding roles.

He let us witness his broken heart.

Actors spend their careers trying to create moments that feel real.

That night, Robert Guillaume wasn’t pretending.

He wasn’t acting.

He was grieving.

And he shared his unbearable pain with over 2,000 theatergoers.

More than three decades have passed since that day. I’ve seen hundreds of performances since then. I’ve witnessed breathtaking voices, dazzling choreography, and unforgettable star turns.

But I’ve never again seen an actor reveal so much of himself to an audience.

That’s why I still remember the date.

December 23, 1990.

I thought I was watching an actor give the performance of a lifetime.

A week later, I realized I was watching a father survive the worst day of his life.

My parents weighed in with their thoughts on the “cry it out” sleep method. A good friend had passionate opinions about circumcision. Once at an open house, a stranger grabbed me by the wrist, jutted her chin at my swollen stomach, and said, “If you love your baby, you’ll breastfeed.”

Yeah. That happened.

I tried to absorb the endless stream of advice because I knew it came from a good place. I was new to parenting and eager to learn anything that would help me navigate the terrifying, thrilling journey called motherhood.

People had opinions about swaddling, nap schedules, diaper rash, bottle feeding, breastfeeding, bassinets, cribs, highchairs, you name it.

But there was one piece of parenting advice no one ever gave me.

I wish someone had.

Build your child’s confidence.

I never gave much thought to confidence when my oldest was little. As a toddler, my oldest was outgoing and chatty. He seemed comfortable around people and eager to share his thoughts with the world. Kindergarten went smoothly. He made friends easily and adjusted well to school, so confidence never crossed my mind.

Then first grade happened.

He was placed in a class with few of his kindergarten friends. At recess, he searched for familiar faces but couldn’t find them. So he approached a boy from his new class and asked if he could play with him.

The boy looked him up and down.

“No.”

That one word changed everything.

The rejection stung so badly that my son became terrified of hearing it again. He spent the next seven months eating lunch alone and playing by himself because he couldn’t bear the thought of another child rejecting him.

Seven months.

I had no idea.

By the time he finally opened up to me, the school year was almost over. That one painful moment had marinated inside him for months, growing into something much bigger than playground disappointment. It had become a lack of confidence.

It wasn’t until second grade before he felt comfortable approaching classmates again.

Around that same time, my second son started kindergarten, and I noticed he was struggling too, but in a completely different way.

At home, he was loud, funny, and bursting with personality.

At school, he rarely spoke.

He stared at the floor when people talked to him. Sometimes he was too shy to answer his own teacher. His confidence struggles extended into the classroom. He refused to answer questions unless he was 100% certain he was right. Even if he was 95 percent sure, he’d simply shrug rather than risk being wrong.

I was stunned.

Both boys had neighborhood friends. They played well with other children. Yet inside the classroom walls, their confidence vanished.

As we worked to rebuild our sons’ self-confidence, I paid closer attention to my daughter, who was only three years old.

I had missed the warning signs with my boys.

With her, I still had time.

So I became intentional.

I told her she was smart. I praised her kindness. I reminded her she was capable. When we’d leave a birthday party or the park after she’d made a new friend, I’d tell her, “I’m not surprised. You’re friendly, you’re kind, and people like you. You’ll make many friends when you start school.”

I seized opportunities to build her confidence every day.

It wasn’t always smooth sailing.

For about a week, she proudly announced to anyone, even strangers, that she was beautiful.

Lesson learned.

I adjusted my approach and taught her how to be humbler.

The bragging stopped almost immediately.

Whether it was her natural personality, the encouragement at home, or a combination of both, something clicked with my daughter.

On kindergarten preview day, she walked onto campus with the confidence of someone twice her age. She even greeted the principal by his title, leaving him visibly delighted, and eagerly volunteered to be first for every activity.

By the first day of school, she couldn’t wait to be there.

She made friends easily and tackled her schoolwork with confidence.

Meanwhile, my boys slowly began finding theirs again as we intentionally encouraged them in many of the same ways.

Looking back, I still wish someone had told me how important confidence would become.

New parents hear endless advice about sleep schedules, feeding, diapers, car seats, and developmental milestones. Those things matter.

But confidence matters too.

One rejection. One embarrassing moment. One failed attempt at making a friend can change the way a child sees themselves if they don’t already believe they’re enough.

So whenever an expectant parent asks me for advice, I don’t talk about bassinets or breastfeeding.

I tell them:

Build your child’s confidence.

Because one day, someone will tell them “no.”

And they need to believe they’re worth asking someone else.

Sometimes, I still think about that little boy eating lunch alone.

Not because another six-year-old told him no.

But because my son believed him.

If I could go back and change one thing, it wouldn’t be what happened on the playground.

It would be ensuring my son knew his worth before he stepped onto it.

https://www.tryinteract.com/share/quiz/6a55910048d118df82052223

Much to the Phantom’s chagrin, Christine and Raoul pledge
eternal devotion to one another in The Phantom of the Opera.

Freddy falls for flower girl Eliza and waits
outside his crush’s home, hoping to run into her.

Jason and Peter fall in love but keep
their relationship a secret in Bare: A Pop Opera

The tragic Christian and Satine are
doomed from the start in Moulin Rouge

Love is a recurring theme in Les Misérables.

The animated film was more for children, but I saw it for one reason. Stephen Flaherty and Lynn Ahrens, the duo behind two of my favorite Broadway musicals, Ragtime and Once on This Island, wrote the score.

The movie left me cold, but I remember telling my sister, “The songs deserve to be on Broadway.”

It took twenty years, but Anastasia finally opened in New York in 2017. It wasn’t a huge hit, but it had a respectable two-year run.

Ahrens and Flaherty created many new songs for the stage version. The late Terrence McNally wrote a more sophisticated book for an older audience. He wisely cut the film’s villains Rasputin and his annoying bat, Bartok. In their place, he added a new character, Gleb, a Bolshevik officer assigned to track down Anastasia.

A strong cast anchors the production. Lena Ceja brings warmth to her Anya. Her voice soars during the Act One showstopper, “Journey to the Past.”

Dillon Klena is appealing as Dmitry, the charismatic con man who falls for Anya. Peyton Crim brings comic relief as Vlad, and Suzanna Guzmán brings a quiet dignity to the Dowager Empress.

The production looks stunning with gorgeous costumes and Broadway-worthy sets. Jesse Esse’s choreography ranges from the fun “Paris Holds the Key (To Your Heart)” to the elegant Swan Lake sequence.

Not all the new material works, though. The additional songs feel unnecessary and bog down the long show. A new character, a Soviet officer assigned to find Anastasia, also slows down the action.

Despite these complaints, this Anastasia journey is still worth taking for its likable cast and strong production values.

La Mirada Theatre has become one of the country’s best regional theaters. I can’t wait to see what they do next.

But until yesterday, she’d never seen The Phantom of the Opera.

I took her to the Hollywood Pantages Theatre to finally cross Andrew Lloyd Webber’s most popular musical off her bucket list. Normally, she’s bursting with giddy anticipation on a “show day.” Yesterday, her mood was noticeably subdued.

She was not excited to see Phantom.

She’d already watched the pro shot starring Ramin Karimloo and Sierra Boggess twice, as well as the extremely flawed 2004 movie with Gerard Butler and Emmy Rossum, and didn’t like either version. She found the songs dull. The story dull. The entire musical, in her words, was “booooorrrrring.”

Still, when you’re a musical theater fan, it feels almost blasphemous to skip the longest-running show in Broadway history. So she wanted to see it.

She just didn’t expect to like it.

On the drive to Los Angeles, I reflected on the memorable Phantom performances I’ve witnessed over the years. I’ve seen Michael Crawford, Robert Guillaume, Anthony Crivello, and Davis Gaines play the title role. Sierra Boggess and Dale Kristien remain my two favorite Christines. I also had the pleasure of seeing the original Raoul, the late Steve Barton, recreate the role in the 1990s production at the Ahmanson Theatre.

This national tour of Phantom features a relatively unknown cast, with the exception of former Christine Lisa Vroman, who now plays Madame Giry. It’s nice to see her back in the show, and she puts some bite into the role of the mysterious choreographer of the corps de ballet.

Jordan Lee Gilbert is in excellent vocal form as Christine. She captures the character’s innocence in the early scenes and is equally convincing later, as Christine transforms into a woman more willing to take control of her own life.

Daniel Lopez is vocally strong and charming as Christine’s young suitor, Raoul. His duet with Gilbert, “All I Ask of You,” is the highlight of Act One.

And finally, the Phantom.

Isaiah Bailey doesn’t have the commanding stage presence of some of his predecessors, but he has a rich, beautiful voice, even if it was often drowned out by the orchestra during the bigger moments. Still, his subdued Phantom is the most human I’ve seen, and he is truly heartbreaking in the show’s final moments.

There are plenty of visual treats in this production. Maria Björnson’s elaborate costumes still dazzle, and the sets still wow, including, of course, that iconic chandelier.

Andrew Lloyd Webber’s score, with lyrics by Charles Hart and Richard Stilgoe, features several songs that have become musical theater classics since the show premiered in 1986. They sound just as fresh today as they did when I first heard them nearly 40 years ago.

Yikes.

Wednesday’s performance played to a full house at the Pantages. When the final note ended, the enthusiastic audience leapt to its feet before the curtain call had even begun.

Isaiah Bailey and Jordan Lee Gilbert in The Phantom of the Opera

Photo by Matthew Murphy and Evan Zimmerman

One woman enjoyed herself so much that she sang along with the songs.

Please don’t do this.

It’s rude. It’s selfish. And it ruins the experience for everyone around you. We bought tickets to hear professional performers sing the songs, not the woman in Row D, Seat 208.

As for my daughter, she won’t become a Phan anytime soon.

She found the first act tedious and overly long. She enjoyed the shorter, more action-packed second act much more.

But something unexpected did happen in the show’s final moments.

The girl who’d spent all day dreading The Phantom of the Opera wiped away a tear. Like many in attendance, she was visibly choked up.

So was I.

She still thinks Phantom is “booooorrrrring.”

Just maybe not all of it.

Authors hear that phrase a lot.

I certainly did while writing a young adult novel several years ago.

It was the story I’d been dreaming of writing for years, and throughout the lengthy, arduous process, my friends seemed genuinely interested in my project They asked questions about the book and the characters. Conversations often ended with the enthusiastic comment:

“I can’t wait to read it.”

Because the book was set in a high school, I needed a lot of names for minor characters. I thought it would be fun to post on social media and ask my friends to send me their children’s names so I could use them in the story.

The response was immediate and enthusiastic.

People I hadn’t heard from in years resurfaced. Some had been so quiet that I assumed they’d abandoned social media for good, but there they were, back from the dead, eager to send me their children’s names.

Nearly every exchange ended the same way:

“Thank you! I can’t wait to read it.”

Then, during the latter half of writing the book, my mother died suddenly.

By a cruel twist of timing, my main character was also grieving the death of her mother. Suddenly, I wasn’t just imagining her grief. I was drowning in my own.

I pushed forward. I kept writing… even during my darkest days when I wanted to crawl into a hole and give up on everything.

The book became intertwined with one of the most painful periods of my life. By the time I finished it, I felt more emotionally invested in the story than I ever could have anticipated when I began.

Then release day arrived.

My book was finally out in the world. After everything that had gone into writing it, and everything that had happened to me while I was writing it, I couldn’t wait to hear what my family and friends thought.

I announced the release on social media and asked for one small favor. If someone had a child whose name appeared in the book, I asked if they would please share my post.

Then I waited.

And waited.

No one shared my post.

I was hurt. I wasn’t asking friends to buy forty copies or stand on a street corner waving a sign. I simply asked them to take two seconds to press the share button.

Then more time passed, and I realized something else. Of the nearly thirty friends whose children’s names appeared in the book, only two told me they’d read my book.

Maybe other friends did read it, hated it, and decided silence was the kindest review they could give me.

Or maybe, the more likely explanation is that my friends got busy and never got around to checking out my book.

They had jobs. Families. Bills. Appointments. Problems. A hundred things competing for their attention. Maybe some people genuinely intended to buy the book, but life moved on before they got around to it.

When I looked at it that way, my hurt diminished greatly.

The book meant the world to me because I had poured my heart into it. I had spent months creating charactersm building a story, obsessing over sentences, rewriting chapters, and wondering if any of it was good enough.

My friends hadn’t.

And why would they?

Writing was my passion, not theirs. The significance the book held for me wasn’t going to resonate with everyone in my life at the same level.

Heck, I’d probably done the same thing to my friends too. Maybe I forgot to ask how their big presentation went. Maybe I meant to attend one of their events but never made it. At one point, I’m sure I promised to check out something important to a friend and got distracted by my own life.

It happens.

Life happens.

Good intentions and a perfect follow-through rarely travel together.

That’s why, I no longer attach much significance to “I can’t wait to read it.”

I don’t assume the person is lying or being insincere. I believe they meant it when they said it. But enthusiasm in the moment doesn’t always turn into action later.

And I’m okay with that now.

Because authors deal with enough doubts and negativity in their profession.

Why sprinkle pessimism on what should be an exciting moment in my life?

I wrote a book.

That is an amazing accomplishment worth celebrating.

I didn’t want to ruin my achievement by keeping score of who bought a copy, who shared a post, or who actually read it.

And sometimes, my friends do read one of my books.

They have thoughts and strong opinions. They ask challenging questions. I have a real conversation with them about a topic that means a great deal to me.

Those moments are special, and I appreciate them more now because I no longer expect them.

If a friend never gets around to reading one of my books, I don’t see it as a reflection of our friendship…or my writing.

Besides, my friends support me in other ways.

When my mother died, I was a wreck who could barely function, but I had three young children who still needed me. Motherhood doesn’t come with sick days, and life never stops moving forward.

During that painful time, my inner circle showed me how much they cared about me. One friend dropped off dinner for my entire family, so I would have one less responsibility to worry about. Another wrote a lovely card detailing her fondest memories of my mother. A third offered to come over to my house and simply hold my hand while I cried.

Those are the thoughtful, beautiful gestures I focus on… the kind acts that quietly held me together when everything else was falling apart.

So now, when someone tells me, “I can’t wait to read it,” I smile and thank them.

Maybe they will.

Maybe they won’t.

Either way, I made a dream come true by writing a book that made me proud.

I’m not going to let anything suck the joy out of that.

I was fortunate enough to see this particular tour twice at the Hollywood Pantages Theatre in Los Angeles in 2023 and 2025. Throughout its run, the production maintained a strong cast that kept the material fresh.

At the center of it all was Nick Cartell, who has played Jean Valjean more than 1,800 times. I’ve heard many Valjeans sing “Bring Him Home” over the years, but Cartell’s rendition was simply breathtaking.

Christian Mark Gibbs as Enjolras was another revelation. He was a commanding presence with gorgeous singing that filled the theater. It’s rare that I watch a performer and think, I’m watching a future Broadway star. The last time I felt that way was when I saw a then-relatively unknown Sutton Foster play Eponine in the Les Mis tour in 2000. I felt similar feelings again watching Gibbs in 2025. His rich, golden tone could inspire composers to write roles for him. For the record, he now plays the role in the new arena tour.

Christian Mark Gibbs as Enjolras

Photo by Matthew Murphy

Christine Heesun Hwang, another standout, gave a heartbreaking performance as Eponine when I saw the production in 2023.

Have you seen the video of Nick Cartell’s quick change at the top of the show? Watch him transform from Prisoner 24601 into Monsieur Madeleine.