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Introduction (otherwise known as: my attempt at making you think I'm interesting so you go read my other articles)

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When I was a kid, I hated musicals. I thought they were corny, overzealous and profusely glorified interpretations of life. No one bursts into song and dance on a daily basis, or even on special occasions. No one wears jazz shoes to work or has a shining spotlight following them wherever they go. I was a pretty cynical ten year old, as I’m sure you can surmise. However, somewhere in my teenage angst, I realized that no piece of art has to be a real reflection of the dullness that life sometimes embodies - art can be an escape from suburban hell where everyday is the same, and take you on adventures of glittery costumes and cascading confetti and sparkling lights. I also learned that so many musicals do capture the hardships of life, and some of them tell heart wrenching tales that far surpass my own trials in my young life. A lot of them don’t even have tap dancing or kicklines! (Sidenote: I LOVE tap dancing and kicklines now.) To put it simply, I realized in high school my first
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Listicle: 17 Fun Facts About Phantom of the Opera You May Not Have Known

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Click this link here to read my listicle for BuzzFeed on 17 "fun facts" about Phantom of the Opera in celebration of the show's 30th anniversary in January 2018!
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The Band's Visit Takes Its Final Bow

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This review was originally written for my school's newspaper, Marymount Manhattan's The Monitor. The original article can be found here on their website.  Ten time Tony award winning musical  The Band’s Visit  has set its closing date for April 7 after just a year and a half long run. Fans and critics alike have praised the show for its diverse cast and unique style of storytelling that greatly diverges from the glitz and glamor musical theatre fans are used to seeing on stage. I had the privilege of seeing this production two weeks ago and wanted to share my thoughts as it parts from center stage. To me, the most remarkable thing about  The Band’s Visit  is that its story is not remarkable at all, yet it resonates greatly with its audience.  The Band’s Visit  follows a group of traveling musicians from Egypt who mistakenly end up in a small town in Israel. They are hosted by a young woman named Dina at her restaurant, and several stories of members of the town are show
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Anne of Green Gables: Part I Showcases a New Form of Storytelling

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This review was originally written for my school's newspaper, Marymount Manhattan's The Monitor. The original article can be found here on their website.  Last February, Royal Family Productions debuted the first installment of a new two-part, one-woman play based on the classic story of  Anne of Green Gables.  From the size of the theatre to the minimalist set to the small cast, the style and staging of this production fostered an intimate, unified experience between the story and its audience. Anne of Green Gables: Part I  recounts the emotional journey 11 year old orphan Anne Shirley (Ali Ewoldt) embarks on when she is adopted by two siblings, Marilla and Matthew Cuthbert. ( Anne of Green Gables: Part II  also ran concurrently to Part I and starred Doreen Montalvo as Anne.) Anne’s story is told completely through Ewoldt, but she is aided by visual projects on the set, sound effects, music, and four featured dancers (Brooke Averi, Nichole Forde, Kara Menendez and Ste
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Broadway's Newest Phantom: Ben Crawford's Rise to the Role as the Phantom of the Opera

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This review was originally written for my school's newspaper, Marymount Manhattan's The Monitor. The original article can be found here on their website.  This past April, almost halfway through Phantom of the Opera’s 30th year on Broadway, Ben Crawford joined the current cast as the Phantom. Unlike many former Phantoms, Ben Crawford was entirely new to the production - many Phantoms return to the show after previously playing a role such as Raoul, some of the biggest names including West End star Ramin Karimloo and Broadway star Hugh Panaro. Crawford’s track record prior to joining the Phantom cast included recent shows such as Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and Shrek. For Phantom fans, this was simultaneously exciting and unnerving. How would someone who has never been involved with Phantom play the role? How would his voice sound with the score, which is not quite as modern as Charlie and the Chocolate Factory or Shrek? I had the opportunity to finally see C
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