So This Must Be What It Feels Like....

To be George Clooney's friend. At least, that's what I thought when I saw this just now. Make sure you watch "Melrose's Place" every Tuesday at 9pm on the CW. Support Mike Rady!

Another Cape and Sword Alum Breaks Into the Big Time!!!

For those who don't know, Cape and Sword is the drama society at my beloved alma mater, St. Joseph's Prep. Under the director of the multi-talented Tony Braithwaite, the organization has many alums making a big splash in all aspects of the entertainment world. For the 3 people that read this blog, you know that I brag about my boy Mike Rady all the time being on Melrose Place.

Anywho, another Cape and Sword Alum, Alyse Wojciechowksi, hit the big time this week when she took over the role as the daughter in "Mamma Mia!" on Broadway! The picture above has Alyse (BTW her stage name is Alyse Alan Louis) with Tony Award Winner Beth Leavel. Leavel is taking over as the mother a.k.a. the Meryl Streep part.

A few cool connections here:

1) Beth Leavel won her Tony Award in The Drowsy Chaperone as the title character -- one of my favorite shows of all time that I was lucky enough to see her in. The Prep is going to be one of the first high schools in America to produce the Drowsy Chaperone this Spring. Hmmm, I wonder if AXB will try to get BL to join us for a workshop? :)

2) I have to brag a bit about the my only 2 encounters with Alyse on the Prep stage. First, her and Dan Schwartz (Fiddler on the Roof) beat out myself and Kate Brennan (1776) as best couple at the 1st Annual Tony Awards -- kinda cool to lose out to someone who went on to star on the Broadway stage.

Second, I was in a reading of The Mystery of Edwin Drood with Alyse and many other alums in August 2007. Alyse played the title role and I was Neville Landless. Anywho, this reading was the moment when the seed was planted to return to the world of acting. Three months later I was cast in my first professional show, The Fantasticks (Kimmel Center), and a year later I moved home to pursue things on a full-time basis. She's on the Great White Way and I live at home....cue the Charlie Brown music....

Big Week for the Class of '99

It's a week of openings for myself and two of my best friends in the world this week:

1) Mike Rady, who is taking Hollywood by storm, continues this trend this Tues, Sept 8th at 9pm on the CW's "Melrose Place." I was lucky enough to be on set with Mike about a month ago and could not be happier for a better guy. Watch the show!!! You know you want another guilty pleasure in your life, right?

2) Locally, Joe Mallon stars in "Little Shop of Horrors" at the Devon Theater in a great role as The Dentist which begins previews on Wed, Sept 9th. Check out the production to see Joe as a variety of characters who make brief appearances throughout the show -- you'll be blown away by Joe's voice and comedic abilities. I'll be there for the 2pm matinee this Saturday.

3) Any finally, a plug for myself -- I'll be sporting a full cowboy outfit as Bo Decker in Montgomery Theater's "Bus Stop." We preview on Thurs, Sept 10th and open officially on the 11th. Word on the street is that Hova himself changed the release date of the much anticipated "Blueprint 3" so that we wouldn't have to go head-to-head on the 11th.