Posts filed under 2015 - 2016 Season

Producer Spotlight: Deb Rabbai on our January Phony Awards

Once a month a producer writes a posts sharing with us a unique perspective from both inside and outside of the show. This month it's Deb Rabbai with her thoughts on the Triad Shows in New York City.

It's midnight on December 31st and after all the celebrating has ended and all the holidays have run their course it's time for us to think about what's ahead in the coming year. For Broadway's Next Hit Musical it's time to think about our Winter performances for the APAP convention!

 
 

This year our two performances fell on January 15th & 16th. My birthday fell on the night before our first APAP show and while I desperately wanted to celebrate, I wanted to make sure I was well rested and vocally ready for the shows so my celebrating took place at home in pajamas and slippers. Our host Greg Triggs' birthday fell on Jan 16th which added to the excitement for Greg and offered him the opportunity to get some extra applause when he told the audience that it was in fact his birthday. Hey, whatever it takes right? Right!

The shows this year were full of great comedic moments and songs! Our cast was made up of the most talented, fun and funny people you will find in the world of musical improvisation and comedy. How lucky we were to have in the audience the fantastic actor Mr. Danny Aiello. Just having him in the audience was exciting and I know it inspired me to put my best foot forward.   

One of my favorite moments from the shows involved Robert Z. Grant portraying a dead goldfish floating in a fishbowl. Typecasting, if you ask me. Here are a few other moments I recall that brought a smile to my face; finding a way to use the song title "Yeah, I'd Hit That" to construct a musical about baseball, when Rob Schiffmann mentioned there was a "fluke" in the constitution that allowed his character (a young boy) to become president and Stefan Schick singing a song about French Oreos. Trust me, there were so many ridiculous moments that kept the night bouncy and light that it would take me another 250 words at least to recount them al. for you here.

My hope is that you were there to see it and hear the songs we sang and experience it for yourself!

If you weren't able to be there this year, I invite you to join us next year for more laughs and songs all improvised by your pals at Broadway's Next Hit Musical or see us on the road in your town!

Posted on January 25, 2016 by Deb Rabbai and filed under Producer Spotlight, 2015 - 2016 Season and tagged Deb Rabbai.

Highlights from our New York City Shows

Every January we do a short run in New York City at our favorite space, The Triad. Here are some of the highlights!

Listen to these winning songs on Sound Cloud!

Sign Up for Our Email List to Get a Free Monthly Download of a Phony Award Winner!


Posted on January 21, 2016 by Annie Schiffmann and filed under 2015 - 2016 Season and tagged New York City apap triad livalo live it up with livalo.

2016 Tour Wishes

We asked the company what they're hoping for on tour in 2016. Here's what they said:

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  • Greg Triggs - I'm hoping for more regional jerky shops!
  • Rob Schiffmann - I'm hoping to find all kinds of new angles to the show and to do our best story telling yet!
  • Annie Schiffmann - I'm hoping for sold out houses!
  • Katie Hammond - I'm hoping for full houses, lots of laughing and a million times of hearing Deb say "thank you for staying."
  •  Rachel Bouton - I'm hoping for at least one musical set in a small French bakery, a well-executed rotating kick line, and an opportunity to wear the makeshift chaps that Robert Z showed us how to make.
  • Deb Rabbai -  I'm hoping for king sized beds, delicious meals & no delays...ever.

See you in NYC on 01/15 & 01/16. See you throughout the country throughout the year!

Have you signed up for our email list? It's on the sidebar. Now's a good time to do it! We'll let you know when we're near you!


Posted on December 30, 2015 by Annie Schiffmann and filed under 2015 - 2016 Season and tagged new year's 2016 touring wishes wish tour.

Travelogue: Germantown, MD

Marc T. Engberg working the Red Carpet in Germantown, MD

Marc T. Engberg working the Red Carpet in Germantown, MD

Note: Once a month a company member shares with us unique experiences on the road. This month, it's emcee Marc T. Engberg telling us about Germantown, MD,

What can I say about Germantown, MD that hasn’t already been said? Everything. Precisely everything.

Let’s start with our visit, en route, to Chaps Pit Beef, a celebrated barbecue dive on the unvarnished outskirts of Baltimore, where several of us cast members stopped for a beefy pre-pre-show déjeuner. When he's not tickling the ivories with gusto and brilliance, pianist Eric March is scouring the nation for unique and unforgettable hole-in-the-wall eateries. As Deb Rabbai, our eventual Germantown winner, pointed out, Eric has demonstrated a particular knack for uncovering these sorts of places, and he always delivers. Chaps Pit Beef did not disappoint, and we were all delighted to gorge ourselves on hearty sandwiches and obscene gobs of delicious sauce. Everyone knows that of all the food groups, sauce is the most essential.  What's more, we scored the perfect window table with a nice view of the Pulaski Highway and the neighboring strip club. Imagine enjoying the best Reuben of your life on the set of The Wire. That's Chaps. 

A sandwich from Chaps Pit Beef. 

A sandwich from Chaps Pit Beef. 

Germantown, which is situated about 15 miles outside the Beltway, is perhaps best known for being Maryland’s second largest city and the hometown of two of the members of Hootie & the Blowfish. The people of Germantown were an amiable lot, which you wouldn’t necessarily expect based on the name, and the BlackRock Center for the Arts is a beautiful, intimate venue – ideal for comedy. Not a bad seat in the joint! The audience was warm, welcoming, and on board from the first note, and we all had a fun time traveling back to 18th century England for a one-time-only production of the musical "Almost Like Love" featuring the hit song "I Love You, Brian." As we all know, Brian is one of the great names to come out of 18th century England - right up there with Trevor, Jason, and Stacy.

Most of the comedy venues in New York City are total dumps. But when you go out on the road, you get to perform in these beautiful, gleaming performance spaces, and the BlackRock Center was no exception. What a gem. We met some great folks after the show, and it seemed like they wanted us back. Hey, it’s a different show every time! We’d love to come back.

The next day, fellow cast member, Matt Giroveanu, and I drove back up to NYC doing impressions and characters the whole way. It was a whole back and forth. I spent four hours in the car with Matt and still don’t know what his real voice sounds like.

Thank you, Germantown!

Posted on December 1, 2015 by Marc T. Engberg and filed under 2015 - 2016 Season, Travelogues and tagged marc T. Engberg Marc T. Engberg Author Marc T. Engberg.