Elf The Broadway Musical!

As a lifelong New Yorker, one of the hearts of this city is Broadway. It's the heartbeat, it's the pulse, it's where locals and tourists alike come together to enjoy the magic of the theater and live performance. Every single night during the run of any given show is different, the actors picking up on the energy of the crowd, a crowd that changes nightly, and they give slightly different performances each night because the energy changes each night. It's what makes theater special, every performance is much like a snowflake, each beautiful in it's own way and each one unique!

The Neon Lights just add to the magic of New York City  at Night!

Broadway is ready for the holidays, first with Annie The Musical (press to read our review if you missed it the first time), which I was blessed to able to attend a special performance with The Moms, and now with Elf The Musical which I also was able to attend along with The Moms! I love The Moms events, you get to catch up with fellow bloggers and meet each other's families! Elf The musical will run from November 9, 2012 to January 6, 2013.

Outside Shot of Al Hirschfeld Theatre, New York City

About Elf  The Musical:

ELF is the hilarious tale of Buddy, a young orphan who mistakenly crawls into Santa’s bag of gifts and is transported to the North Pole. Buddy is raised unaware that he is actually a human, until his enormous size and poor toy-making abilities cause him to face the truth. With Santa’s permission, Buddy embarks on a journey to New York City to find his birth father and discover his true identity. Faced with the harsh reality that his father is on the naughty list and his step-brother doesn’t even believe in Santa, Buddy is determined to win over his new family and help New York remember the true meaning of Christmas.

Checklist of the Theater Rules, I may have a been 'Naughty' see below:

A picture of the stage before the play began, Shhh, it's our secret OK?

The Cast:

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Jordan Gelber plays Buddy, he certainly had big shoes to fill, no pun intended of course, and did a great job!

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Leslie Kritzer plays Jovie, a single girl in New York City who works at Macy's and eventually falls in love with Buddy. (Does the theme of how difficult dating is in New York City ever get old?)

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Wayne Knight, yes that Wayne Knight from Seinfeld, plays the big man himself, Santa Claus! He brings just the right mix of humor and cynicism! (If you live in NYC I'm sure you have already seen the commercials by now!)

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Beth Leavel plays Emily, Buddy's Stepmother!

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Adam Heller plays Mr. Greenway,  Buddy's real dad.

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Michael Mandell plays Macy's Store Manager with great humor and likability.

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Valerie Wright plays Deb, Mr. Greenway's Assistant and she's a definitely scene stealer! Strong performance!

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Mitchell Sink plays Michael, Buddy's Little Step-Brother who makes his Broadway Debut in Elf, he also put in a very strong debut performance!

Sierra Mist Cranberry Splash Poster

Sierra Mist Cranberry Splash sponsored a pre-show mixer, I made it just in the nick of time to try a lovely cocktail using the Sierra Mist Cranberry Splash and then it was show time!

My Take:

I greatly enjoyed Elf The Musical, I wasn't sure how the movie would translate to the theater, and how it would hold up as a Musical, but I did greatly enjoy it! It keeps both the kids and adults entertained and was very well paced/directed. As a Duane Reade Blogger Brand Ambassador I did find the New York and Duane Reade references funny, I wasn't expecting that. I don't think we are all as cynical as the play portrays us to be, it played quite a bit into New York Stereotypes, but on the whole I do agree we could ALL use a little more magic in our lives, especially during the holidays.

Get Social With It:

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Elf The Musical on YouTube
Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - @ElfTheMusical on Twitter
Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Elf The Musical on Facebook

My pictures:

 Unfortunately, I've reached some sort of picture limit so you can see the full photo album on Pinterest!

Are you taking in any Broadway Shows this holiday season Butterfly?

˙·٠•●♥ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ♥●•●•٠·˙˙·٠•●♥ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ♥●•●•٠·˙˙·٠•●♥ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ♥●•●•٠·˙

FTC Disclosure: This is NOT a sponsored post, I am under no obligation to share my recap of Elf The Musical, my tickets were complimentary as an event guest of The Moms. All opinions are 100% my own!

Annie The Musical on Broadway! Opens November 8th! #PLACEholiday

In October I had the chance to see Annie The Musical on Broadway which is still in previews until November 8th, 2012. A special Mamarazzi® with Annie on Broadway was held on Tuesday, October 16th in conjunction with The Children's Place, The Moms, and Annie in support of Pajama Program, a not-for-profit dedicated to helping children in shelters. They collected new pajamas and books for children the night of the event. The Pajama Program currently has 63 chapters in 40 States and operates three Reading Centers in New York, NY; Yonkers, NY; and Red Bank, NJ. There are tons of ways you can help including donating online, by hosting your own Pajama and Book Drive, and even Gift Cards, where you can donate a gift in someone's honor and they will get a card telling them you donated on their behalf!

“So many children are without warm bedtime clothing and education so we developed a creative program to provide some of both,” says Founder and Executive Director Genevieve Piturro. “We intend to make a difference – giving back is what it’s all about.”

Cool t-shirts for sale in the lobby of The Palace Theatre in New York City

In November many bloggers are participating in a 'donate your blog' program where all month long bloggers will feature charities close to their hearts and give them the social media push they normally wouldn't experience. Thankfully Ascending Butterfly has been doing this since we opened our doors, so we didn't need a special month of giving to get involved in making a difference! We had the chance to make a donation to the Pajama Program on the night of the performance, but what really stood out was watching children put stuff in the collection bin, it's so awesome to see children being raised to understand that giving back is important!

Playbill for Annie The Musical 2012 Broadway Revival, The Palace Theatre, New York City

About the Show

A classic musical based on the Harold Gray comic strip Little Orphan Annie.

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Story: An orphan, Annie, and her dog Sandy are placed in the lap of luxury for a week as a part of a publicity campaign for Oliver Warbucks. However, Annie's stay turns out to be much more than anyone had bargained for as she works her way into everyone's hearts and learns a few things for herself.

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Theatre: Palace Theatre

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Opening Night: Nov 8, 2012

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Original Cast: Lilla Crawford, Emily Rosenfeld, Katie Finneran, Tyrah Skye Odoms, Anthony Warlow, Junah Jang, Georgi James, Madi Rae DiPietro, Taylor Richardson, Brynn O'Malley, Clarke Thorell, J. Elaine Marcos

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Director: James Lapine

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Choreographer: Andy Blankenbuehler

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Producer: Arielle Tepper Madover, Roger and Sally Horchow, Roger Berlind, Roy Furman, Debbie Bisno, Stacey Mindich, Nederlander Presentations, Jane Bergere, Daryl Roth, Christina Papagjika, Eva Price

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Musical Director: Todd Ellison

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Scenic Design: David Korins

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Costume Design: Susan Hilferty

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Lighting Design: Donald Holder

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Sound Design: Brian Ronan

Annie The Musical Charitable Partners: 

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Pedigree Foundation - Support PEDIGREE Foundation in its effort to raise $1M through the See the Show, Help a Dog Initiative!

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Pajama Program - Delivering Warm Sleepwear and Nurturing Books to Children in Need!

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - New York Foundling - Saving Children, Preserving Families and Building Communities. Since 1869.

My Take:

In the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy and with New York City dealing with so much loss and devastation, this show is a bright spot in a very dark time in the City. I realize that because many people are bringing children to the show, it might difficult to get around just yet since the MTA is not totally back up and running yet, but the show is back on and running in previews until November 8th. I highly encourage you to get out and see this show as soon as you can! The sooner we get Broadway back up and running, the sooner a ton of folks can get back to work! And if you can help any of the show's charitable partners, please consider it, especially at this time where it is truly needed! By the way, all the performances were strong, but 'Molly' is a total scene stealer!

And remember Butterfly:

You're Never Fully Dressed Without a Smile! Annie The Musical a Broadway 2012 revival at The Palace Theatre in New York City!

The Moms did it again! What a wonderful night on Broadway!

Get Social With It:

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Follow @ANNIEonBroadway on Twitter
Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - 'Like' Annie The Musical on Facebook
Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Follow @PajamaProgram on Twitter
Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Follow @themoms on Twitter
Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Follow @childrensplace on Twitter
 
 

˙·٠•●♥ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ♥●•●•٠·˙˙·٠•●♥ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ♥●•●•٠·˙˙·٠•●♥ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ♥●•●•٠·˙

FTC Disclosure: This Media Night on Broadway offered complimentary tickets to the performance, however this recap post is NOT sponsored or compensated! All opinions are 100% my own.