Showbiz in TV Land: Glee and Responsibility

STAGEBOUND
True stories from the life of a musical performer in New York City

by Rori Nogee

Spoiler alert: Do not read the following if you are not caught up on the newest episodes of Glee.--via Wikipedia 

On a recent episode of the Fox hit TV show, Glee, Kurt Hummel (Chris Colfer) said to Rachel Berry (Lea Michele), “I signed us up for the last two slots for the Broadway revival of Funny Girl for next week!”  And in response, I literally heard every New York City actor gasp, guffaw, or throw something at the screen.

 Now, I am well aware that television shows are fictional, and that we are asked to hold a suspension of disbelief for our favorite characters and the zany situations they find themselves in.  In shows that depict the theater community like Smash and Glee, we as the audience have learned not to bat an eye when characters break into song in bowling alleys or school hallways. It is accepted as normal.  

       Impromptu sing-offs are standard fare on Glee, and we accept this as reality--credit

However, Kurt’s above exclamation and the present storyline are so grossly exaggerated and ill-conceived, that as a real New York actor, I was incensed enough to need to write a blog about it!  

In the world of Glee, the character of Rachel Berry was the star of McKinley High School’s Glee club in Ohio.  Her only professional experience was winning a state show choir competition. For college, she attends the prestigious New York Academy of Dramatic Arts (NYADA), a combination of the real life NYU and American Academy of Dramatic Arts.  As a college freshman, after her very first audition in the Big Apple, Rachel is somehow in final callbacks to play Fanny Brice in the Broadway revival of Funny Girl.  Many viewers believe the show has been leading up to this, as Rachel was depicted as having been Barbra Streisand’s biggest fan since early childhood. 

Who doesn't love Babs? She is a legend!--credit

 I was Rent’s biggest fan since I was 13 years old.  I dressed like the show, I imitated the voices, I saw it 80 times.  (Yes.  80. We all have our vices.)  Does that mean I should have been entitled to catapult to Broadway stardom straight out of high school?  No!  Glee viewers outside of NYC don’t realize that even if Rachel Berry had been the most talented and passionate singer in all of Manhattan, she would never even have gotten SEEN at such an audition, whether or not the show was holding an open call and seeking “fresh, unknown talent.”

 The elusive “list” of which Kurt spoke does not exist, nor has it ever existed. The only list resides at the Actors Equity building where professional actors in the union can choose a time slot.  As non-equity performers without any agent representation,  the best Rachel and Kurt could hope for is to show up at 6am, sign up on an unofficial list that morning, and wait 12 hours for the Equity members, Equity alternates, AND Equity Membership Candidates to be seen in the audition room first.  Then, and ONLY then, might the casting directors MAYBE have time to see the non-equity talent sing their 16 bars -- the equivalent of just 30 seconds of music. That’s it. The audition would occur in a rented studio space, in front of a table, not for the prestigious creative team, but for a young intern who is an assistant to the actual casting director. 

Without an Equity card, the chances of getting to audition for Broadway are very unlikely.--credit

 Rachel’s audition on the show consisted of singing an entire song on a Broadway stage.  And her choice of song? Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believing.”  Generally, you want to sing in the style of the show for which you are auditioning.  Any traditional Broadway tune would have been in the ball park.  

Funny Girl is a classic musical by Jules Styne and Bob Merrill--credit

In real life, if Rachel had sung an '80s rock song for Fanny Brice, she would have gotten laughed out of the room and perhaps black listed for her stupidity and poor judgment.  Yes, rock and pop tunes are increasingly popular on stage and at auditions, but there is a time and a place when such songs are appropriate.  (Just ask Rock Guru, teacher Sheri Sanders, who specializes in rock song auditions.) In this case, Rachel’s song choice was that of an uninformed amateur.  But for some reason, this gets her all the way to final callbacks where she sings, what else, a Celine Dion song.  (To quote a friend of mine, “facepalm.”)  

Celine Dion? Facepalm--via Wikipedia

By the point of final callbacks, she should have been singing nothing but the prepared material from the role in question, being paired with other actors, and receiving notes from the director. 

Rachel clearly prepared her performance, but next time she should prepare better repertoire. --credit

I remember the giant publicity stunt casting call for Hairspray a couple of years back when I, along with a couple hundred other young kids sang a capella for a tiny back dressing room for a casting assistant.  Even then, every single person knew to sing an era appropriate '50s or '60s song.  It has taken me years to get to the point of agent appointments for Broadway shows like Once, where the head casting director actually pays attention to me in my given predetermined time slot.

 It would have been more feasible for Rachel’s first New York gig to be a small workshop or festival musical that gets picked up and eventually transferred to Broadway, much like her real-life work in Spring Awakening. Even though such events are lucky flukes, that would have at least been less jarring.

Michele’s real-life journey in Spring Awakening involved workshops, concerts, and an Off-Broadway run, before the move to Broadway. And, it wasn’t even her first Broadway show!--credit

You may be thinking to yourself, it’s just a TV show!  What’s the harm in a bit of fictional fun?  I believe that shows like Glee have a certain responsibility.  Scores of young hopefuls across the globe who aspire to come to NYC to become performers themselves may only have TV as their source for a glimpse into the world of show business.  Therefore, Glee needs to do its research.  The problem is that because of these episodes, thousands of kids from all over the country are going to flock to NYC with their radio pop tunes, unprepared and full of big dreams and false hope, crowding my audition room and preventing ME from getting seen! 

Shame on you, Glee.  Your storyline should hold an iota of truth before you put it in front of millions of gullible hopefuls.  New York City is rough on newcomers.  Dreams are dashed before they are realized, if they are ever even realized at all.  If Rachel ends up starring on Broadway, I will stop watching.  Besides, if I didn’t have DVR, I wouldn’t have time to watch TV anyway.  Where am I if not sitting on the couch?  I am in line at 5am, waiting to maybe be seen at the end of an audition day to sing for 30 seconds, just like Rachel Berry should have been.

Debating New York's 7 Cardinal Sins

LIFE IN THE APPLE
by Suzie Dundas and Tracy Kaler
photos by James Maher

Life in New York City isn't for everyone. Many try it with high hopes, but arrive and quickly realize it's nothing like they expected. Others come to NYC on a whim, fall in love and stay for life. There's no specific 'New York type' nor predicting anyone's outcome or future here. Sometimes the least likely will flourish in the 'City That Never Sleeps,' and those expected to succeed, last only a short time.

Suzie Dundas has been living in New York for about six months, and though she loves cities, she's not loving New York in the way she should. In fact, it seems the longer she lives here, the less she likes it. Should she give it more time? Try living in a different neighborhood? Or maybe, New York just isn't for her.

Tracy Kaler has been living in New York for about six years, but has loved the city since she stepped off a Bieber bus in 1979, end of story.

Suzie has come up with New York's list of seven cardinal sins -- those shortcomings she hates and has discovered since moving here. She feels the sooner she can accept these, the sooner she will learn to accept the city and embrace life here.

Tracy's perspective is different than Suzie's.

1.   The Subway Sucks

Suzie:
Readers from New York may doubt this first claim, thinking “that’s not true, my subway ride is great.”  But, these people are wrong, and have simply become used to the misery that is the New York subway.

Taking the subway sucks. At best, it’ll be a short ride where you manage not to catch the plague. But usually, it’s a hold-on-for-your-life kind of situation. 

For starters, the subway is dirty. On an average day, 4.3 million people ride the subway, and even if New Yorkers everywhere were massive germaphobes who took care to cover their coughs (and trust me, that’s purely hypothetical), it would still be dirty. You’re cramming people shoulder-to-shoulder into an underground tube of stale air, and asking everyone to breath in shared dust and dirt, all while holding on to the same handrails. I consider it a small victory every time I walk out of the station without coughing up blood. 

Worthy Restaurants in the West 100s

WINE DINE & FOOTLIGHTS

by Emelyn Daly

Looking north in the 100s on Amsterdam Ave. toward Harlem--by Jake Hall via Flickr

You’re zipping north on the 1 line and heading high in Manhattan, maybe for a breezy stroll around Grant’s tomb or a pious peek at the Gothic wonders of St. John the Divine; you’re probably not thinking the best part of your visit to this neighborhood could actually be what you eat. As the street numbers climb into the triple digits, your expectations tend to drop when it comes to dining in the West 100s. Morningside Park? Gorgeous. The Columbia campus? A splendid site for casual lovers of Greek architecture. “But,” you say, “What’re we gonna eat around here?”

The West 100s are undoubtedly lovely, but to many of the area’s visitors, the food scene looks sparse, yielding our current epidemic of wandering, hungry pedestrians, who become increasingly apprehensive and hypoglycemic, and end up saying things like, “I mean, isn’t Red Rooster like, really close?”

Still Single? Create a Match.com Summer Singles Event and Win!

LIVING SINGLE IN NYC

by Tracy Kaler

Ok singles --- what stirs you? How about a fun way to meet other singles right near your hometown? How about planning your very own singles event with the help of seasoned event planners from Match.com?

Stir events by Match.com are a great way of meeting other singles offline, offering a wide range of activities to Match.com members around the country ranging from large-scale happy hours at popular venues, to more intimate events like tequila tastings and DJ lessons. Stir events are diverse and tailored to each age group and location, which makes them all the more fun for those involved.

Yellow Cabs

SHARE YOUR STORY

by Jody H.

TAXI!--by Adrian 8_8 via Flickr

I had been living in New York City for less than a month. Within my first two weeks, I had secured a part-time job at an online magazine. Meaning: I had secured a part-time job working for a rich uptown lady whose magazine was a passion project that she could throw money at. Unable to choose between myself or Kara (the other girl at the interview), Ms. Lin had hired us both. She had no way of knowing that we would become instant friends, bonding over everything from our intense crushes on John Mulaney to finishing each other’s obscure lyric-referencing sentences.

When there weren’t any interviews that needed transcribing, or pictures of quirky art installations that needed commenting, Ms. Lin would ask us to run basic errands. Kara and I organized Lin’s office, her filing cabinets and even her toddler’s clothes.

One Friday afternoon, Ms. Lin asked me if I was willing to go and pick up a chair she’d had custom-built for her son from Ligne Roset. I began to google the address of this upscale Fifth Avenue furniture store when she handed me a wad of cash and said, “Just take a cab.”

Eating and Drinking Your Way Through New Dorp, Staten Island

The BBQS
Straight from the outer boroughs
By Jerry Del Priore

If you own a car, take the Verrazano-Narrows to New Dorp, Staten Island--via Wikipedia

If you're not familiar with New Dorp, This Staten Island neighborhood is diverse with Italian-American, Irish-American, Albanian American, Polish-American and Russian American residents. Though the area was hit hard by Hurricane Sandy, longtime residents are struggling to rebuild the place they know and love.

With the opening of several shopping centers, New Dorp has become commercialized over the years. But "Niewe Dorp," or New Dorp, as it's now known, hasn't lost its character. Located in proximity to the Staten Island Railroad, which is easily accessible from the Staten Island Ferry, New Dorp is just minutes from New Dorp Beach. The neighborhood is also accessed by vehicle via the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge. 

Adam Shepard Talks New York: “It’s the Greatest City in the World”

by Tracy Kaler

NYC --"The Greatest City in the World"--photo by James Maher

That’s quite a label. 

How does one big city with five sprawling boroughs of more than eight million live up to this tag line? 

To those who live in New York, this big city isn’t that big; but rather, it’s an urban center with many diverse neighborhoods, a collection of small towns. What makes this metropolis-- also known as New York City -- greater than other cities around the world? 

Ask most New Yorkers their opinions of the place they call home, and you might get a variety of answers. But one of the most popular would probably be: "I wouldn’t want to live anywhere else."

Dating by Numbers

         LIVING SINGLE IN NYC

              by Grace Anders

Is dating really a numbers game?-- by hownowdesign via Flickr

                  I have a very bad habit: I tend to overthink everything. In fact, I can't even go to stores like H&M, because I get overwhelmed with the options. I can't make a decision, and go home to look at everything online in an organizational manner-- which is kind of ironic -- because once I buy the clothing, that clothing is going to spend its lifespan disorganized somewhere in my closet, the backseat of my car, or in a suitcase perpetually waiting to be unpacked.

                  Anyway, in my usual manner, I decided to evaluate my dating prospects by applying something everyone with a liberal arts graduate degree loves: math! This was spurred by an evaluation of my messages on OkCupid – a dating website for those committed enough to make an online profile, but not committed enough to actually pay for it. I have 256 messages from guys since I joined, and I've replied to 14; a reply rate of slightly under five percent. There are 8,336,6971 people in New York, and, on average, 49.22 percent of the population is male – that means that if I'm only interested in five percent of them, it still leaves 205,082 men available to me.

Why I Am Leaving New York City

by Michelle Carol

I was packing during the Met Gala --by Juleskills via Flickr

As cherry blossoms peak, white tents are pitched for the Met Gala, and beer gardens are bustling with open-toed shoes, I am posting the contents of my bedroom on Craigslist, wrapping my dinner plates in pages of amNY, and applying to jobs within respectable driving distance from my parents' house in CT. No, I didn't get fired from my job. For a series of reasons, I've chosen to leave New York.

It's daunting to finally sit down and write this article illustrating my exit from the city that has been my home for the past seven months. My decision to leave New York City in June has been both the hardest and easiest decision of my post-grad life. My reality is: I love it here, but I feel too smothered to stay. In less than one year, I can say I’ve been here too long. BuzzFeed put out a timely post recently: "23 Signs You’ve Lived in New York City Too Long." How fitting! BuzzFeed, I get you.

Boogie Down with the Music of the Bronx

The BBQS
Straight from the outer boroughs
by Amanda Halkiotis

Third Ave. and E. 149th in the Bronx--via wikipedia

New York City has a music scene like no other. You can spend a night at the Met Opera, attend a Broadway show to see some serious stage talent, or head to Chelsea and Hell’s Kitchen for the hottest DJs and dance clubs around. A few miles north of Manhattan, in the Bronx, chart-topping numbers have been churning out since the early days of doo-wop, rock and roll, and rhythm and blues. 

"When I think of the Bronx, I can't help but think of the great musical talents who came from this humble borough," said Alex Maruri of MCNY Tours, a Bronx-based tour company escorting visitors to areas like the Grand Concourse, Little Italy, and Little Ireland.

Some classic top hit heavyweights that hail from the Bronx include Dion & The Belmonts, Bobby Darin, The Chiffons, The Earls, The Chords and The Chantels.

My New York Sunday: What I Wore, What I Did, and What I Spent

TRACY TALKS

One of the windows at Bergdorf Goodman -- by Wilson Rivera via Flickr

Wake-up at 9:10 a.m. Temperature: 52 degrees
Cappuccino at 10:05 a.m.

Throw on Uniqlo corduroy leggings, Gap v-neck t-shirt, Ralph Lauren gingham blouse -- tie it at the waist, no socks with Tsubo booties, silver hoop earrings, Efva Attling Memento Vivere necklace, a no-name cargo jacket, a scarf from a NYC street vendor, and my Gabs bag.

My new Efva Attling necklace

Walk out the door at 10:45 a.m.
Meet Heather at 85th and Broadway at 10:55 a.m.

Looky -- Buy. Sell. Be Social.

by Tracy Kaler

New Yorkers like availability and convenience-- by iakoubtchik via Flickr

Living in a city with most everything at our fingertips, it’s easy to become spoiled. As New Yorkers, we live a life based on availability and convenience; getting anything we want and need around the clock by walking a few blocks, or picking up the phone and tipping the delivery guy. We are in an instant gratification/no hassle mode. And that’s truer in New York City than most any place else.

Moreover, like others in the US and abroad, we use eBay, Amazon, Craigslist and Etsy as virtual shops to purchase and sell items like furniture, clothing, jewelry, rugs and electronics, because these sites save time, energy, and often, money.

Shop for the New York Mom in Your Life

SHOP NEW YORK
by Ashley Pagliaro

New York mommies--by skeddy NYC via Flickr

Years ago on a day you can barely remember, someone brought you into the world. That someone was your mom, and long after you were born, she made sure your lunch was packed, your shoes were tied, and you were taken care of. Next Sunday on Mother's Day, you have a chance to thank Mom for all that she's done over the years. What better way to show your appreciation than to pick out a fabulous gift from New York's local shopping scene. We have some great gift ideas that you can find right here in town.

The Myth of Overnight Success

STAGEBOUND
True stories from the life of a musical performer in New York City
by Rori Nogee

In the wake of all the positive buzz surrounding my current project, Showgirls! the Musical! an acquaintance texted me, “I am so jealous of your sudden success!”

What is success anyway? Money? Happiness? Fame? An actor profile on Broadwayworld.com? One hit show? To each his own. The only thing that successful people have in common is that they all worked really hard to get where they are.

Yes, there is that one in a million situation where some guy gets picked up in a coffee shop to star in a feature film because he happened to have the right look in the right place at the right time. Or there’s the girl who just graduated college who goes right into a Broadway show, because she was discovered by an agent in her expensive college showcase. But for the 99% percent, that is not a reality.

In response to that text message and to all the people who think that stars get lucky and are born over night, I would like to give you a deep look into my “sudden success.”

Praising and Prowling NYC's Pan-Latin Food Scene

WINE DINE & FOOTLIGHTS
by Emelyn Daly

Latin cuisine dominates the area around Loisaida Avenue in the East Village.

Sometimes you’re in the mood for that group of flavors you can only find near the tropics and close to the equator, but you can’t decide exactly what you're craving. You dream of something spicy, something cheesy, something rich and full of legumes or something light, citrusy and clean. You're in New York City, a culinary capital with a plethora of dining options, but putting your spatula on the exact spot where you want to dine and satisfying those cravings can be downright challenging.

Perhaps your thoughts are peppered with Adobo seasoning and lime, smoky chipotle and hints of habañero—you’re thinking ceviche, pollo, arepas, enchiladas! Or maybe you’re just hungry and looking for a place to eat that will make everyone in your group happy. The pan-Latin bistro could be the practical choice. Examples of this relatively new restaurant genre are popping up and flourishing all over the city, particularly in the East Village on and around the Hispanic-dominant Loisaida Ave. (aka Avenue C).