tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14343309Sun, 07 Sep 2008 14:52:08 +0000Aaron Lazar's daily account of life as an actor on Broadway.http://www.simplybroadway.com/noreply@blogger.com (Aaron Lazar)Blogger99125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14343309.post-5149639184759124252Sat, 06 Sep 2008 03:38:00 +00002008-09-05T21:04:06.004-07:00Not every professional experience will be an easy one. At times you may find yourself frustrated by the reality that no matter how hard you seem to be working, you are not satisfied. At times you may be made to feel disrespected, powerless. Actors, directors, producers...everyone in showbiz comes from different backgrounds with different agendas. And at times it may be hard to trust--trust http://www.simplybroadway.com/2008/09/re-what-to-do.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Aaron Lazar)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14343309.post-2473349636765768286Thu, 28 Aug 2008 04:20:00 +00002008-08-27T21:37:09.675-07:00How could I not blog about the state of our nation at this historic, critical time? Don't worry, I will try to tie this into the business of performing :) All this week I have been so inspired by the words of the key note speakers at the DNC. And tonight, Joe Biden said some brilliant things. In addition to finally clarifying for Americans the policies of Obama vs. McCain, he talked openly, http://www.simplybroadway.com/2008/08/our-future.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Aaron Lazar)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14343309.post-416011956303369584Mon, 25 Aug 2008 03:02:00 +00002008-08-24T20:10:04.994-07:00Today was our first day off in two weeks of rehearsals during the day and, this week, preview performances at night. It's been an incredible rush to be a part of the evolution of Tale from the rehearsal studios to the stage with full sets/costumes/lights and audiences. Just a quick note to the fans--THANK YOU!!!! Your incredible enthusiasm for our work is so appreciated by all of us both http://www.simplybroadway.com/2008/08/previews.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Aaron Lazar)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14343309.post-4953515571546530468Sat, 02 Aug 2008 02:42:00 +00002008-08-01T19:55:00.571-07:00Tomorrow is our last day in the rehearsal studio. As of next week we're tech'ing in the theater, and pretty soon it'll be previews. The last 4 weeks have been truly Dickensian: it was the best of times, the worst of times, at times time flew by, at times it crawled... I haven't slept much. I don't think anyone has. Too much adrenalin. Too many thoughts and ideas about character and http://www.simplybroadway.com/2008/08/patience-and-process.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Aaron Lazar)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14343309.post-5167910238872034014Fri, 18 Jul 2008 05:03:00 +00002008-07-17T22:08:01.588-07:00Dreams do come true. For everyone of you who's ever checked in to read this blog: Stop reading this right now, buy a ticket or 3 to see Title of Show at the Lyceum Theater on Broadway, and you'll know why I started this blog almost 3 years ago. Michael Berresse, Hunter Bell, Jeff Bowen, Susan Blackwell, and Heidi Blickenstaff (Let's go Duke!)--you are an inspiration. Thanks for leaving a http://www.simplybroadway.com/2008/07/title-of-show-opening.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Aaron Lazar)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14343309.post-1625685275521010476Sun, 13 Jul 2008 14:33:00 +00002008-07-13T07:50:51.168-07:00What a week! It absolutely flew by. The prinicipals spent the week blocking the show with the creatives, and it was thrilling. We have so little rehearsal time every minute counts. Next week will be busy with meeting/greeting the rest of the cast, visiting the set in its NJ holiding warehouse, the publicity/press meet and greet, etc; So it was great to dig into the show this week, start http://www.simplybroadway.com/2008/07/week-1-done3-to-go.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Aaron Lazar)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14343309.post-6054443152869949917Thu, 10 Jul 2008 00:09:00 +00002008-07-09T17:28:03.435-07:00Happy Belated 4th of July everyone! It's only fitting I celebrate the birth of our nation in 1776 by with the birth of rehearsals for my new Broadway show A Tale of Two Cities, which takes place at that time in history (I even get to mention George Washington in the show :). Rehearsals are going well. It's a massive show with a massive cast of characters and a massive cast of actors (I think http://www.simplybroadway.com/2008/07/tale-begins.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Aaron Lazar)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14343309.post-5037330436928040917Sun, 04 May 2008 14:37:00 +00002008-05-04T07:41:58.856-07:00Just a shout out to a great new theater company called The Red Fern Theater Company. A Non-Profit Socially Conscious theater group that pairs each play they put on with an appropriate charity and donates a portion of all ticket sales to the charity. I just saw their production of A Piece of My Heart up at 78th and Broadway. Melanie Williams did a bang up job of casting and directing. You http://www.simplybroadway.com/2008/05/red-fern-shout-out.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Aaron Lazar)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14343309.post-5328024641773905173Thu, 24 Apr 2008 04:11:00 +00002008-04-23T21:26:18.828-07:00All you young performers out there--i'm talking to all you guys finishing up college or grad school and thinking about/moving to New York/LA to begin your careers...GET TO IT! There's about a 10 year curve to "master" any profession you may choose (somebody famous said that righ?), and that doesn't exclude the arts. So pick NY or LA, pick theater or film or television but start working at it. http://www.simplybroadway.com/2008/04/hurry-up-and-relax.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Aaron Lazar)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14343309.post-6306569459969024202Thu, 24 Apr 2008 03:51:00 +00002008-04-23T21:09:09.533-07:00Anyone catch the final episode of John Adams on HBO this weekend? I thought it was, at times, brilliant. And I experienced one of those blissfully rare moments when art informs, educates, and enlightens. This particular episode put death in perspective for me. I've always struggled to grasp death as a reality. It's part of life, yes, but it's also part of human nature to struggle with the http://www.simplybroadway.com/2008/04/ordinary-death.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Aaron Lazar)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14343309.post-4258226899397520395Wed, 12 Mar 2008 03:56:00 +00002008-03-11T21:57:07.127-07:00So it's been 10 months since I left Broadway, and though I miss it I've been enjoying life on other stages. CONCERTS From Israel to Los Angeles, Boston to Washington DC, Little Rock Arkansas to Midland Michigan , I've performed in some truly great cities with some truly great symphonies. It's magic working with 50+ piece orchestras singing some of the greatest music ever written. And I've http://www.simplybroadway.com/2008/03/so-new.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Aaron Lazar)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14343309.post-8255976326891703255Sat, 09 Feb 2008 07:05:00 +00002008-02-08T23:08:48.946-08:00What a fun night! And a what a great concept for a benefit. I could tell you all about it, but Broadway.com does a great job of that: http://www.broadway.com/Gen/Buzz_Video.aspx?ci=560279 Tony Yazbeck and I sang "A Boy Like That/I Have a Love" duet from West side story. Take a look at the clip (ours is about 2/3 into the above video) and lemme know what you think! An all male West Side http://www.simplybroadway.com/2008/02/broadway-backwards-3.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Aaron Lazar)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14343309.post-2102592832845783945Tue, 05 Feb 2008 23:01:00 +00002008-02-05T15:15:52.072-08:00How is it we live in the greatest country in the world and yet when it comes to election day, it's as if we're voting in a 3rd world country?! In Manhattan today, (Manhattan, not GUAM) voting was a joke. I walked into my regional voting site, dealt with a few volunteers who couldn't spell my name correctly despite it being in front of them on a list and my license (ARRON, no AARRON, no ARRAN, http://www.simplybroadway.com/2008/02/democracy-at-its-finest.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Aaron Lazar)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14343309.post-8742323064680358830Mon, 03 Dec 2007 05:55:00 +00002008-01-13T22:03:18.702-08:00I love hard work. When it comes to performing, sometimes the whole idea is to work so hard in rehearsals that you make it look easy when in front of an audience. In school, I didn't understand what it meant to not bring my homework on stage with me. I worked too hard and overworked my performances. Like over training a muscle at the gym, too much of anything is no good. There has to be a http://www.simplybroadway.com/2007/12/work-ethic.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Aaron Lazar)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14343309.post-7037861818512882655Tue, 23 Oct 2007 05:37:00 +00002007-10-22T23:08:48.364-07:00So I've been chekcing out LA this fall. It's the first time I've ever spent more than a few weeks here. And I gotta say--the weather IS really nice. At least until yesterday. Now, I can look out from the highways to see the hills on the horizon covered in smoke from the brush fires plaguing southern cal. It's terrible. But fires aside, I've always wanted to know what LA had to offer http://www.simplybroadway.com/2007/10/los-angeles.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Aaron Lazar)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14343309.post-6944720923831237708Thu, 30 Aug 2007 04:13:00 +00002007-09-07T08:40:27.526-07:00It's been an incredible summer of firsts. What began with a first-- leaving Broadway for the first time in almost 2 years and heading to the Holy Land for a once in a lifetime experience, has just ended tonite, 4 months later, with another first-- a day shooting my first role on prime time television. Here's what happened in between: Les Miz final perf April 22; first trip to Israel May Aprilhttp://www.simplybroadway.com/2007/08/what-dreams-may-come.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Aaron Lazar)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14343309.post-2379825563999674606Fri, 27 Jul 2007 05:01:00 +00002007-07-26T22:20:50.655-07:00So it's been almost 3 months now since Les Mis. Thankfully, I've been blessed with some incredible experiences to keep me busy. There was the concert in Israel I told you about. Then the Drama Desk Awards. Then off to London where I was asked to be a member of a new Sony BMG group. Back to NY where I headed up to Boston to work with Keith Lockheart and the Pops on Carousel. London again http://www.simplybroadway.com/2007/07/life-is-beautiful.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Aaron Lazar)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14343309.post-9001021089476791482Wed, 23 May 2007 01:06:00 +00002007-05-22T18:20:38.276-07:00 What a great night we had at the Drama Desks on Sunday. I took my stunning wife LeAnn and my brother Chad first to the Russian Tea Room and then on to the Awards Ceremony. Check out photos at: http://broadwayworld.com/viewcolumn.cfm?colid=18541 It was crazy sitting as a nominee amongst fellow nominees like Kevin Spacey, Liev Schreiber and Martha Plimpton. I'm just sad I didn't win b/c I http://www.simplybroadway.com/2007/05/drama-desks.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Aaron Lazar)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14343309.post-6776147189839887108Thu, 10 May 2007 02:14:00 +00002007-05-09T19:36:32.153-07:00 So excuse the hair of the poor gentlemen whose head caught the bottom of our camera frame, but these shots give you a glimpse of the concert. You can see from the the day shot a piece of the mountain of Masada that served as the backdrop for the stage. And in the concert shot, I'm the blur in the white shirt :) Miri Mesika (get her CD--it rocks! she's like the Israeli Idina Menzel) and http://www.simplybroadway.com/2007/05/summer-singin.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Aaron Lazar)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14343309.post-6104537041819605831Mon, 07 May 2007 18:15:00 +00002007-05-07T11:23:59.512-07:00I've just returned from a trip to Israel where I performed music from the Broadway bound new musical IMAGINE THIS (formerly MASADA) in a concert in the Judean Desert at the base of Masada. It was unreal. I am still overwhelmed by the country--the people, the geography, the history, the spirituality... I had the incredible opportunity to travel the country from Tel Aviv to Megiddo, Nazareth, http://www.simplybroadway.com/2007/05/back-from-israel.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Aaron Lazar)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14343309.post-6270435109062689518Mon, 16 Apr 2007 15:58:00 +00002007-04-16T09:11:56.228-07:00I'm going to miss Les Miz. As I head into my last week at the Broadhurst, I want to thank all of the fans for being so supportive and enthusiastic. After every performance, rain or shine, the stage door is packed with fans of all ages. I've had my sneakers autographed, received numerous charicature drawings, lots of fun gifts (including some delicious chocolate covered macademia nuts from http://www.simplybroadway.com/2007/04/at-end-of-day.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Aaron Lazar)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14343309.post-5047579741530312556Tue, 27 Mar 2007 15:57:00 +00002007-03-27T09:17:19.968-07:00Thanks to all of you who came out to our Broadway By the Year 1938 concert last night! It was truly a wonderful evening. Basically we actors learned/rehearsed/memorized the music over the course of 1 week of rehearsals. Emily Skinner, our director extraordinaire, helped shape our material with some great staging; and then we "tech" the afternoon of, and go up in front of the one-night only http://www.simplybroadway.com/2007/03/town-hall-broadway-by-year.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Aaron Lazar)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14343309.post-1054462475194146351Sun, 25 Mar 2007 16:51:00 +00002007-03-25T09:57:17.719-07:00So I think its been "officially" "announced" on many of the Broadway news websites that I will be leaving the show on April 22nd. That gives everyone one month more to come see me, Celia, Norm, and Jenny before we all leave the company. I will be sad to go. This has been one of the best groups of people I've ever worked with. But I'm excited for new beginnings! So if you haven't seen our http://www.simplybroadway.com/2007/03/one-month-more.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Aaron Lazar)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14343309.post-3078863476453366550Sun, 18 Mar 2007 16:14:00 +00002007-03-18T10:40:54.101-07:00So rumors are flying that I'm often out of the show. To those who've missed me, my sincerest apologies. Back in November of the run I herniated a disc in my neck during the show. I didn't realize the severity and exact nature of the injury and pushed on through December without seeing a doctor. When I did, and got an MRI, I was told I had to get on steroids, change some 'o-graphy' in my http://www.simplybroadway.com/2007/03/to-fans.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Aaron Lazar)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14343309.post-6824512981419381053Sat, 10 Mar 2007 16:55:00 +00002007-03-11T08:59:57.524-07:00So a bunch of people have been asking me what it's like having Lea Salonga as part of the cast. To put it simply: She's awesome! While she was in rehearsals at a studio during the day, she'd swing by to watch the show backstage at night, creating a buzzing energy around the theater. And her first performance last weekend was MAGIC. There was an excitement and vitality to the show and the http://www.simplybroadway.com/2007/03/welcome-leah.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Aaron Lazar)