Shock of the month!

Daniel Breaker has been cast as Donkey in the Broadway-bound Shrek the Musical! This is a shock because the role was cast months ago, with Chester Gregory playing the part. The PL gang and I even saw him perform at Broadway Battle of the Bands in June. Gregory participated in the Seattle run, which just ended. Daniel also just had a baby, so I'm a little surprised that he's jumping back into a major commitment so soon. But hey, we all gotta make money, right?

Gregory was a fantastic performer - we loved him at Battle of the Bands. But Daniel Breaker is... well, Daniel Breaker. His performance in Passing Strange was astounding and he's just one of the best guys ever. This is huge news for his career. Shrek is already a dream cast. With Daniel Breaker added, I can't ignore this show anymore. I've felt so skeptical about it, being a movie-musical crossover. But I just can't see the show being that bad with Daniel Breaker in it.

I love it that I work in the same building as the theater where Shrek will be playing!! Oh, and I guess this means less Facebook time for Daniel Breaker.

Groff and Lea's final performance

Last night was Jonathan Groff and Lea Michele's final performance in Spring Awakening. Kym, Kaitlin, and I were lucky enough to get tickets and attend. And what a special night it was.

We sat in the seventh row in the left section of the theater. The people that we saw sitting in the theater with us was incredible. We sat with writer and lyricist Steven Sater, director Michael Mayer, and producers Tom Hulce and Ira Pittleman. Former cast members Johnny B. Wright, Lauren Pritchard, and Robert Hager were there, including Tony winner John Gallagher Jr. Groff and Lea's families were also there. It was an honor to sit there and watch the same show along with its creators. That feeling was indescribable.

The show was the best I have ever seen it. Not that the cast was more talented last night, but their energy (coupled with that of the audience) made for an amazing night of live theater. It was heartbreaking to watch Lea, Groff, and the cast get emotional. It was bittersweet. We were happy for their success and achievements, but sad because they greatly contributed to the show's success. Groff and Lea are a big part about what makes Spring Awakening special. It's sad to see that go.

But what a way to go out!

Repeated standing ovations, including at the start of the show. A three minute standing ovation after Act II's "Totaly Fucked." And a chilling final applause, followed by a beautiful and simple speech from the two.

Above is a screen-cap from yesterday's Playbill.com. Groff and Lea's exit was the top story yesterday (as I predicted months ago).

Below is a picture from the curtain call from the opening night performance on December 10, 2006.

Thank you, Groff and Lea, for amazing memories and inspiring performances.

After the performance, we ventured the crowds at the stage door. There, we saw the entire cast. I got to talk to Steven Sater, Michael Mayer, as well as Groff and Lea. One of the biggest surprises though (although I had trouble comprehending meeting Sater and Mayer), John Gallagher came out of the stage door. Kym and Kait got him on the street and he told them that he'd be back, once he carried some belongings of Groff and Lea's over to his car. After we got to see the cast, we found Gallagher again and actually got to talk to him, without crowds or barriers. It was quite a thrill, but for more on that, you'll have to talk to Kym.



Editor's note: This post is a sort of revival for White Hall Opinions. Now that I've graduated college, I think (think) I will have more time to devote to this blog. Mostly because I want to. Hopefully my life will have more of a routine and I can keep up with things that I want. So please, continue to check back here for updates (I promise, they won't all be about Spring Awakening). And thank you for reading.

Touch them! The cast of Spring Awakening

Jonathan Groff. Star of the show. Powerhouse actor. Tony nominee. Extremely humble, nice person. Being in the same photograph with him is surreal.

Lea Michele. How do I feel about her? If things don't work out between Anne Hathaway and me, I'm marrying this one. She's gorgeous, has an incredible voice, and is incredible in the show.

Lilli Cooper. I interviewed her for The Temple News and she did remember me when I told her who I was. Her song, "The Dark I Know Well" is one of the highlights of the show and she is a crucial part in the harmonies - something that makes the show so special. She's a very sweet person.

Blake Bashoff. John Gallagher's replacement for Moritz. Despite intense skepticism from Kym and I, were were extremely pleased with his performance. He did a great job and is going to continue to do the role justice. Very cool guy.

Being Spring Awakening fanatics, Kym and I couldn't possibly be more hyper, overstimulated, and aroused after the show and meeting the cast. Please - you can't meet all those talented, sexy people and not feel a little... stirred up. I was completely star struck. Jonathan Groff and Lea Michele might not be any George Clooney and Angelina Jolie, but to me, they mean a whole lot more. Being in their presence, talking to them, and having my picture taken with them was surreal. Wonderfully surreal.

Oh I believe.

Winning the Broadway lotto

Wednesday, Kym and I journeyed into New York City… and we conquered Broadway. We went in with the intention of getting student rush seats for Young Frankenstein. But what we never expected was that we’d end up on the Spring Awakening stage as well.

After discovering that we’d have to play the Young Frankenstein lotto at 11 a.m. if we wanted tickets, we went to the Spring Awakening theater to pass the time and… wait on line for tickets – what the hay. While waiting on line, we wondered what we would do if we got tickets for the matinee and won the Young Frankenstein lotto. We decided we’d hock the Spring Awakening tickets if we won the lotto, and if not, hey, we’d be seeing Spring Awakening. But when the box office opened and we found out there was no matinee (because, duh, half the cast was in school), we realized we could potentially see both shows. We got to the ticket window and by an act of God, there were two (and only two) seats left on the stage! We snatched them up.

After a rather palm-sweating episode in the McDonalds across the street from the Young Frankenstein theater (a very strange place to hold a lotto), we won the drawing. Kym and I both must have been wearing our lucky underwear.

Young Frankenstein was what we expected. Great scenery and effects. A fantastic supporting cast. But forgettable music and a trite show, overall. But very fun, and front row seats for $25 creates an enjoyable time by default.

Spring Awakening: on stage. Lord. Have. Mercy. It has to be one of the most magical and incredible experiences of my life. Seeing all those amazing actors up close, sitting next to them at times, and feeling actually in the show, it was priceless (technically, it was worth $30, which makes it even more fantastic). As always, the cast was incredible. Blake Bashoff as the new Moritz (you’ll always be missed, John Gallagher) was an incredibly pleasant surprise. He did a fantastic job (especially for his second performance) and fills the void left by Gallagher.

Sitting on stage was a Broadway experience like I’ve never had before. Being able to see the audience during the show was freaky. It did feel like we were being watched, and especially during the curtain call, it felt like the audience was applauding us. Seeing these massively talented actors - people who have become a part of my every day routine, whether I’m listening to the cast recording, reading about them, or talking about them – up close, sometimes just inches away, was incredible. Seeing the beautiful Lea Michele that close was overwhelming. Observing Jonathan Groff, who is absolutely spellbinding, was incredible. It was fantastic to be able to study their facial expressions from that close range and truly be transported inside their performances.

After the show, Kym and I joined the fanatics outside the stage door and met the cast. It was the most incredible thrill. As I said, these people have become a part of my every day life, so being able to meet them, shake their hands, and get our pictures taken with them was… a dream come true. I took Kym’s picture with mostly everyone. She was really natural with them and joked around with a lot of them. It was so cute. I pretty much clammed up and was very awkward. But I DID get to talk to Lilli Cooper, whom I interviewed for The Temple News. She remembered me and the article and was so sweet about it. Kym took our picture. She also took my picture with Lea Michele!! If things don’t work out between Anne Hathaway and me, I’m going to marry Lea. She is so incredibly beautiful and talented. Putting my arm around her and hers around mine – I just hope I didn’t have a double chin in the picture. Kym and I also had our pictures taken together with Jonathan Groff. That was incredible too, just because he’s the star of the show and such a massively talented person.

It was a day I’ll never forget. It was fantastic to share it all with Kym. I don’t think we could possibly be more obsessed with Spring Awakening right now. We’re going back with basically everyone we know on January 2. Also, it must be known that the entire day and all we did only cost us a little over $80. Who says Broadway has to be expensive?

NOTE: Pictures will be coming soon. We have to get the photos developed. We were without our digitals.

Published in New York Times

Wow. I am published on the New York Times website.

UWIRE, a distributor of student-generated media, picked up my grief and Facebook story and published in on the New York Times webpage!

CLICK HERE to see the article on NYTimes.com.

After my time at Best Life this summer, I returned to The Temple News with a strong urge to write something really important. I love my celebrity interviews, but they can only do so much for someone’s life. I really wanted to sink my teeth into something and take on a challenging article that could be printed on the front page – something that would really matter to people.

Well, I found it. I have been working on this grief and Facebook article for quite a few weeks now and it was finally published today. It feels amazing to see such a challenging piece come to fruition.

Dawn Burke lost her daughter, a Temple student, last March to a rare brain tumor. She logs onto her daughter’s Facebook page to keep it active, and reads the messages that friends still post on her wall. Tina Diranian’s friend of 20 years, Maxine Turner, was one of the victims at Virginia Tech last April. The night she found out Turner had died, Diranian created a Facebook memorial group for her friend. Both these women have used Facebook to help them through the grieving process.

New media, like Facebook, is shaping the way we live and communicate with others. We now live in a world where virtually no one is unreachable and anyone is able to publish their thoughts in some form. This is a communication/publication revolution where everyone has the ability to be heard.

I just connected with this idea and thought it was a fascinating topic. Furthermore, the strength of these brave women was incredibly moving. They both remain admirably positive in the wake of tragedy, and their message is the kind of inspiration that makes people want to keep pushing on.

CLICK HERE to read the Facebook article on the Temple News site, or find the article below.

Photos by Samantha Munsch

Illustration by Brian James Kirk

Healing through Facebook

By: Jesse North

Posted: 11/27/07

To Dawn Burke, Facebook had only been a simple Web site on which her children used to post funny pictures and chat with friends. But when her daughter died, it became a way for her to reconnect with her child and begin the long, uncertain process of healing.

Dana Burke, a sophomore pre-pharmacy major at Temple, died last March of brain stem glioma - a brain tumor - at the age of 20. She was diagnosed in October 2005 when she began experiencing double vision.

After appointments with an eye doctor failed to improve the situation, an MRI revealed the horrible truth.

After extensive radiation and chemotherapy, mostly while still attending classes at Temple, Dana passed away on March 28.

"I started using Dana's laptop," Burke said. "I went on her e-mail to see what she had and forwarded information to people who didn't know she had passed away."

Burke began to notice that many Facebook e-mail notifications were arriving. She clicked on the links and found dozens of wall posts from her friends.

"I was a bit tearful at first," Burke said. "I was happy to see they were still keeping her in their hearts and prayers."

Burke is one of many people across the nation who has begun to utilize social networking sites like Facebook as a way to grieve a deceased loved one.

After her initial experience, Burke continued to log onto her daughter's Facebook page a couple times a week to read the messages that her friends would send her. And the messages have yet to cease.

"It's almost like having someone to talk to, even though she may not be there," Burke said. "They could still talk to her. I appreciated it."

After a summer of continuous wall postings, and Burke reading every one of them, she decided to do something on Sept. 22 she hadn't done before - make her own post. It read, "To all of Dana's family and friends, thank you for continuing to keep Dana in your hearts and minds. Love, Dana's mom."

"It took me a while to figure out what I was

doing, you know, how to reply," Burke said. "I just felt compelled to write something. I probably was a little down that day. It was just so touching to read the things I was reading."

Burke said using Facebook helps her to reflect on her daughter, even by seeing what is new in her friends' lives.

"It's almost like having an open diary," Burke said. "It's good for when you don't have a photo album handy, just go to the page and look there. Look at some happy times."

Burke's son, Darren, a sophomore at Saint Leo University in Florida, said he appreciates the fact that he and friends can still post on Dana's Facebook wall.

"I was talking with my son about it. According to how they speak, he thought it was 'hot' that [her friends] still remember her," Burke said. "I tell my son if he ever has a problem with talking, just put it in words. It's a good therapy for him."



"I knew right then that she didn't make it"



Just 19 days after Temple students began remembering Dana on her Facebook wall, the students at Virginia Tech University started doing the same. A shooting at the school on April 16 left 32 dead. Maxine Turner was one of them.

Tina Diranian, 22, a recent graduate from George Mason University, was working at her new job at a technology development company the day of the shootings. A news alert came across her e-mail reporting a shooting at Virginia Tech. Her mind immediately jumped to Turner, her close friend since kindergarten and a Virginia Tech student. Diranian took off work to go home.

"I put on the TV and it just stayed on for 20 hours," Diranian said. "I got confirmation from a friend down there that she was in the German classroom, and I knew what had happened. It wasn't like her to not return phone calls. I knew right then that she didn't make it."

On April 17, Diranian created a memorial group for Turner on Facebook. Diranian is close with Turner's parents and spent a lot of her childhood in their house.

"I wanted to be the one to support them. It helped her parents in the coming days," Diranian said.

Diranian said Facebook had been instrumental at the time of the shootings because information was coming from so many sources that it helped all of Turner's friends to communicate on what was happening. Since Turner had friends all over the country, Diranian thought Facebook was the perfect place to pool all the information, including details on the memorial service. She also noted that not everyone was going to be able to attend the service, but still wanted the chance to grieve.

"We could all support each other this way," Diranian said. "We were all scattered around the country, but this was a way we could be together."

As of Nov. 26, Diranian's group titled "In honor of Maxine Turner" had 1,178 members.

"It was amazing when I went through all the people," Diranian said. "The people from places like Canada or Florida didn't really know Maxine, but it was heartwarming that people could still grieve for someone they didn't know."

The Facebook group has also helped Diranian with her own healing.

"It brought back so many memories that I forgot about - nicknames that I wanted to forget. But reading them again made me cry for a really long time," Diranian said. "It's still really hard to read it because she can't be next to me laughing about it."



"Facebook is organic … It's alive"



Dr. Sara Corse, a grief counselor at Philadelphia's Council for Relationships, said the live nature of the Internet and new media like Facebook provides healthy avenues for people to grieve.

"What the Internet does for people is it allows, at any time or place that suits the person's emotional schedule, access to information and other people's feelings about something," Corse said. "It's a way people can move out of social isolation."

"I'm not the kind of person that will say how I feel. I can't get the words out," Diranian said. "Writing it down was a lot more therapeutic."

Corse said that someone grieving might not be able to move past the fact that a loved one is gone, but that the idea of a Facebook page can help curb that obstacle.

"Facebook is organic," Corse said. "It's alive, it's not dead."

But these "living" pages became threatened not long after the Virginia Tech shootings. Prior to the attacks, it was Facebook's policy to take down profiles of deceased members. But after a strong outcry from the friends and family of the 32 Virginia Tech victims, Facebook revised its policy in mid-May.

In an e-mail statement to The Temple News, Brandee Barker, Facebook's director of corporate communications, said, "When it comes to our attention that a user has passed away, we put the profile in a Memorial State. In the Memorial State, certain profile sections and features are hidden from view to protect the privacy of the departed. We encourage users to utilize groups and group discussions to mourn and remember the deceased."

Diranian said she's happy Facebook keeps pages of the deceased up.

"Some people never want to let go. I want to go to her page and get the little that I don't have anymore," she said.

Turner's page was removed for a short period in the months following the shooting, but was restored in late August.

"When I saw [Facebook] took it down, it was like they were taking her away from me," Diranian said. "I'm not ready to let go yet."

Jesse North can be reached at
jesse.north@temple.edu.

Temple News on mtvU

Brian Kirk and Holly Otterbein - our sex columnists at The Temple News and good friends of mine - were asked by mtvU to do a segment for its new show hosted by Dr. Ruth "Sex Cred with Dr. Ruth" a few weeks ago. The topic: how does porn affect your sex life.

And I was interviewed by them. Yes, me.

In this video, my friend Sammy is the first person you see. Then the amazingly talented Brian and Holly doing their hosting thing, followed by other Temple News celebrities such as Tyson McCloud and Neal Santos.

Watch and enjoy. Congratulations Brian and Holly!

Hop in the Cusack

Two weeks ago, I returned to the magical land of New York City to interview John Cusack and Amanda Peet for their new film Martian Child.

I arrived at the Regency Hotel a little early, so I sat down in the comfy couch in the lobby for a while. While sitting there, I saw Mr. Cusack walk into the hotel. I thought that was cool. I walked over to him, tipped my hat, and said, "I'll see you in a little while." No I didn't - but I thought about it. I wasn't wearing a hat, either.

John was pretty cool. I had heard some unfavorable things about him prior to this meeting, so I was glad to find them untrue (for this time, at least). He was eager to answer questions, but his answers were just naturally short. That made it rather difficult while writing my interview piece. But I made it through, thanks to quotes from the lovely Amanda Peet and Bobby Coleman, the 10-year-old boy who co-stars with John in the film.

Amanda gave incredibly candid answers, speaking of her poorly reviewed Broadway revival of Barefoot in the Park (which I took my mom to see on Mothers Day) as well as her level of stardom (talking about how she is offered scripts after "many other girls turn them down").

Interviewing Bobby was a blast, as I've never interviewed a 10 year old before. It was definitely a new (good) experience.

Note the page design that I've included at the beginning of this post. TN features designer Brianna Barry did a knock-out job this week. I think it looks hott (yes, with two "t"s).

Read my interview piece at the Temple News site HERE or find it below.
Read my review of the film HERE or find it below.

Cusack and Peet discover new life on Mars

The Temple News sits down with John Cusack and the other stars of Martian Child, a galaxy's leap away from Say Anything but still just as much of a tribute to Cusack's on-screen charm.

By: Jesse North

Posted: 10/30/07

NEW YORK - John Cusack walked into the room, listening to his iPhone. He's deeply involved in the new Bruce Springsteen album, Magic, and sat down looking reluctant to pull away from either the Boss or his shiny gadget. Fumbling with the device for a moment, figuring out how to turn it off, he removed his ear buds and flashed a big grin. Cusack is definitely as cool as everyone who fell in love with his role in Say Anything wants him to be.

At 41, Cusack isn't Lloyd Dobler anymore, and it's showing in the roles he chooses. In his two upcoming films, Martian Child and Grace Is Gone, he plays widowers trying to connect with their children. In the case of Martian Child, Cusack plays David, who decides to adopt an 8-year-old. But the boy he chooses comes with a bit of baggage: he spends most of his days in a cardboard box and insists that he's from Mars. Dennis, the box-bound boy (played by Bobby Coleman), makes David believe he's in over his head, despite his growing affection for the child.

"[In high school,] I never belonged anywhere. I was never in the popular clique," Cusack said. "And then I started doing movies when I was in high school, so then I got popular. Then the girls paid attention to you who didn't before. 'Oh, so that's how this works!'"

Cusack is unmarried and doesn't have any children, yet seems to effortlessly connect with them onscreen. When approached with the topic of whether or not he wants to have kids, he remained tight-lipped. "Yeah, theoretically," is all he said.

Still, Cusack's on-screen chemistry with Coleman is the successful foundation of the film. Cusack said he and Coleman improvised a lot of their one-on-one scenes together. "[It worked because] it's not so much a plot-driven movie as it is about the behavior and the characters," Cusack said.

Coleman's most memorable day of shooting involved Cusack and him letting out some pent-up aggression by smashing plates and squirting ketchup at each other. "As you can imagine, I can't break plates every day," Coleman said. "I was like, 'Aim, fire!'"

The 10-year-old actor was enthralled with Cusack on set and looked up to him as a teacher. "With John Cusack, every scene is totally different," Coleman said. "Every take in every scene is different. He plays with things, he changes them around. He tries to find the most real thing you would say in that scene. He taught me to loosen up."

Amanda Peet, who plays the best friend of David's late wife, was thrilled to reunite with her Identity co-star, even if it came with some physical injuries. "It was so fun, even though he cracked my back and I had to get a chiropractor," Peet said. "When he hugs me, he always cracks my back. We had to have a chiropractor come because I couldn't move."

Peet spoke about her career with rare candor, opening up about some of her failures and being realistic about her level of stardom.

On returning to Broadway: "Yeah, I hope so. If they'll have me after, um, what happened." Peet is referring to her 2006 run in the revival of Neil Simon's Barefoot in the Park, which only had 109 performances due to unfavorable reviews. "I didn't read them, but I heard. Broadway's hard - it's really tough."

Peet admitted she doesn't have the luxury of being finicky when it comes to choosing projects. "I think when you're a bigger star, you get many good scripts sent to you and you have to choose which one you're going to gravitate towards," Peet said. "I just try to gravitate toward the best-written one that's been thrown my way after a lot of girls have passed on it. That's really the truth. I'm just being really honest. I just try to get something that's respectable."

Coleman, however, is enjoying the glory of his first major film role in what he hopes will be a long-lasting career. After getting the role and wondering whether or not he was being tricked, he and his family sat down and examined the script and his character. "We played around with things. We talked about how would Dennis feel if he got left by all these foster parents," Coleman said. "We just came to the decision that he'd totally just close up, hide and be afraid that he'd get hurt by someone. So he just hid in a box."

"I have a friend that says if you want to see the Buddha, go to a 12-year-old because their bulls--t detectors are the best," Cusack said.

Coleman might still be floating from the experience with his super famous costar, but he's not going to pretend that he's getting any envy from his friends. "First of all, I don't really think my friends know who John Cusack is."

Jesse North can be reached at

jesse.north@temple.edu.

Subtleties, humor make 'Martian Child'

By: Jesse North

Posted: 10/30/07

REVIEW - In the first act of John Cusack's one-two patriarchal-tearjerker punch this season, Martian Child (soon to be followed by the Oscar-buzzed Grace Is Gone) shows Cusack in his first major role as a father, and it's just enough to make you fall in love.

In a movie that explores the difficult guidance decisions a parent makes while raising a child, Martian Child feels completely at ease, filling most of its running time with intimate, behavior-driven scenes between Bobby Coleman and Cusack. Coleman plays Cusack's adopted son Dennis, a young boy who believes he's a Martian. And 8-year-old Coleman has no problem sharing the screen with the beloved Cusack - he tap dances around him in most scenes.

Some chunks of the movie might be slow, but thoughtful scene-pacing in exchange for plot overload leaves you walking away knowing exactly who these characters are and understanding their journey.

Cusack does a fine job of portraying a realistic parent. He comes off as a natural when he's trying to crack Dennis' defensive shell with billiards sessions and plate-breaking parties. But he also conveys shear defeat and frustration when Dennis regresses due to his severe emotional blockades.

Seth Bass and Jonathan Tolins' script and Cusack's acting mesh brilliantly in depicting the difficulty of teaching a child how to act in the world. Dennis asks David, "Is it good to be like everyone else?" Cusack sits there in hidden horror and you know what's going through his mind: do I break this kid's spirit by turning him into a "go-with-the-flow, happy little GAP kid" or allow him to be himself? The film takes a realistic course by having Cusack break the idealism of "just be yourself" - sometimes, yes; other times, no.

Cusack benefits greatly from the one-liners that Bass and Tolins wrote for him.

His sister, played by real-life sibling Joan Cusack, tells David he's hysterical. Cusack responds, "Hysteria is a way of life. It's a clothing line, at least." Dennis wears a "weight belt" with what looks like miniature Coke cans attached to it so that he won't float back to Mars. In one awkward scene where Dennis won't let go of Cusack's hand to go to school, Cusack calmly states to the teacher, "We're having gravity issues." These well-written quips make Cusack irresistible.

Director Menno Meyjes creates terrific subtleties in Martian Child that add an incredible level of heart to the film. When David and Dennis are grocery shopping, stacked cases of Mars candy bars are situated behind where Dennis stands. In the many car scenes between the new father and son, the moving reflections on the windshield and the blurred lights in the background make it look like they are flying through space.

The film's most subtle and heartbreaking scene occurs outside after an unsuccessful dinner at David's sister's house. Dennis tries to hold David's hand, but he isn't looking and puts it in his pocket. David walks to the car and Dennis follows without saying a word. David is unaware of Dennis' first attempt at affection.

Martian Child does, however, fall victim to many painful Hollywood conventions. A two-dimensional child services worker wants to take Dennis away for no convincing reason. An unnecessary romance takes place between Cusack and a grossly underused Amanda Peet, whose role as the surrogate voice of David's departed wife would have been a much smarter road to take. And then there's the melodramatic, illogical climactic scene that involves heights.

Despite Hollywood pitfalls, Martian Child stands firmly as an incredibly sweet and thoughtful film that outweighs the clichés it employs. If you don't walk out of the theater with a smile on your face, you might not be from this planet.

Jesse North can be reached at
jesse.north@temple.edu.

A return to 'Spring'

Through The Temple News, I was invited by the Spring Awakening publicist to attend the show a couple weeks ago as a part of their college press publicity. I brought Kym as my guest and we were given third row seats! As my third time seeing the show, I had never sat so close before. The show is even more intense when you're sitting that close. It was just incredible, and really great to share it with Kym. It's amazing to share Spring Awakening with friends your age.

The PR guy told me that he could get me an interview with one of the cast members. Just a few days later, I was interviewing Lilli Cooper, the 17-year-old actress who plays Martha, the girl that sings the chilling "The Dark I Know Well." It was a fantastic interview. In only 25 minutes, she gave me five typed pages of information. I also was more nervous for this interview than most that I've done. That's what happens when you're a huge fan. Lilli was well spoken, interesting, and professional. It was also great to hear how happy and passionate she is about the show. I think she knows how lucky she is.

My interview piece was published in The Temple News today, as well as my review of the show. You'll find the articles posted below, but if you'd like to read the articles on the TN site, you can read the interview piece HERE and the review HERE.

And appropriately, it just so happens that today I bought all my friends from PL and myself tickets for Spring Awakening for January 2. Fourth time and counting.

Dealing with the dark in 'Spring Awakening'

17-year-old actor Lilli Cooper chats exclusively with The Temple News about rocking out in a Tony-winning Broadway musical.

By: Jesse North

Posted: 10/23/07

Spring Awakening isn't just a show that dares to set new precedents in musical theater. It also proves that teenagers can win Tonys, too.

This year's winner for Best Musical, along with seven other Tony awards, features a critically acclaimed cast of young actors - only two of the actors are over 24. Eleven teenagers grapple with their sexual awakening in a society that not only believes sexual urges should be suppressed, but that children should be seen and not heard.

The Temple News spoke with 17-year-old Lilli Cooper, who plays Martha in the show. Aside from providing most of the beautiful harmonies in the show's numbers, Cooper's character provides a shocking moment in "The Dark I Know Well." In this rolling, ominous song, Martha reveals that she is sexually abused by her father.

"Sometimes if I've had a bad day, I get pretty emotional during the song," Cooper said. "There are a lot of times when I have tears in my eyes."

She noted that even though the story takes place in the 1890s, sexual abuse is still a modern-day issue.

"The show has really helped a lot of young girls that I've met to tell their own story and talk about what they've been going through," Cooper said. "It's almost like a therapy."

Although Cooper and the cast perform the show eight times a week, which she describes as exhausting, she is also a senior at the Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts. Being a Broadway star and a high school senior is a task not too many Broadway actors have to contend with. But Cooper manages to pull it all off and garner standing ovations every night.

Though she doesn't have much time for friends outside of the show, being 17 and in one of the hottest and most acclaimed shows on Broadway is worth the effort to Cooper.

"Sometimes I just have to step back and look at my life right now because I'm experiencing such amazing things," she said.

The privilege to take part in a show marked as having significant social relevance is what really astounds Cooper. "We like to talk about the different reactions we get from the audiences," Cooper said. "There are people who can be appalled by it and there are people who are so amazed that they're crying. We're just amazed that we can do that to people. It's not just us, but it's the story we're telling and the way it was directed and written. Every aspect of it, we think is so well toned, and we're all really proud of it as a piece."

You'd think that performing the same show eight times a week for more than a year now would make the story grow irritating. but Cooper says otherwise.

"There are definitely days where I walk to the theater and I'm exhausted, but when I get onstage, my adrenaline is really pumping," Cooper said. "Having a new audience every night really makes the show new. It often feels like we're doing it for the first time every night."

The cast has certainly come a long way since its off-Broadway days. "We all shared one dressing room - the boys and the girls were all in one room. We basically spent all hours of the day with each other," she said. As is expected from their onstage chemistry, the young cast is a tight-knit family, Cooper said.

As a family, being at the Tonys was an incredible experience to share, she said. "When we won our first Tony, it was the most amazing feeling ever. And then we just keep winning!" Cooper said.

Cooper expects to depart Spring Awakening next September, when she will be a freshman at an as-of-yet undetermined college. But the experience of originating a role in a hit show that worked its way up from indie theater to the majors will stay with her.

"It [started off as] a small, little workshop," she said. "I had no idea it would be this big."

Jesse North can be reached at jesse.north@temple.edu.

Daring, hit musical will spark Broadway evolution

Spring Awakening, set in 1890s Germany, is 'groundbreaking' in its portrayal of teenage sexuality and rebellion.

By: Jesse North

Posted: 10/23/07

REVIEW - On a Broadway of shows too timid to deviate from safe applause, Spring Awakening has defied every convention of the blockbuster formula. More importantly, it has drawn the line for the next evolutionary step in the American musical.

Spring Awakening follows a group of teenagers in 1890s Germany experiencing sexual awakening, which their parents keep them completely in the dark about. But more tragically, they are grossly mistreated and underappreciated by the adults in their lives.

The way the show depicts teenagers is revolutionary. The stereotypes and superficiality have been left out, leaving raw characters who bare a shocking amount of heart and soul.These are individuals who actually convince you that they are a force to be reckoned with.

And they do it all through their handheld microphones.

Director Michael Mayer has championed his young actors to become bona fide rock stars. When actors like John Gallagher Jr. and Jonathan Groff coolly remove the mics concealed within their schoolboy jackets, they transform into powerful leaders with importance dripping from every word.

Spring Awakening appropriately takes its songs a bit deeper than just breaking out into musical rapture in public. All the songs exist within the characters' own minds, adding heightened intellect to the onstage happenings. At times, the teenagers seem like a Greek chorus.

This is what makes the teenage characters of Spring Awakening so groundbreaking. Rather than being painted as trivial, unknowing youngsters, they display an unprecedented amount of wisdom and intellect.

Gallagher, who plays Moritz, with hair as electrified as his personality, flunks out of school. Or, rather, is cheated out by two conniving teachers. He nervously confronts his father with the news, yet is as sweet and considerate a young man as anyone could imagine. Without hearing him out, his father hits him repeatedly across the face. The moment is gut-wrenching and, without dialogue, Gallagher displays immense heartbreak.

Spring Awakening is a call to the adult world that the youth should not be discredited or underestimated.

The set may lack Mary Poppins' multi-storied house, but it has enough flashing fluorescent lights to outshine the competition. The 11 young actors execute the intricate choreography with invigorating accuracy. And there may be no special effects, but the incredible acting and vocals of the performers will evoke enough laugher and break enough hearts for you to forget all about pyrotechnics.

Jesse North can be reached at
jesse.north@temple.edu.

The rules of eating

In today's Temple News, I had an article published about dining etiquette. Temple had an etiquette dinner last week and I attended, in a three-piece suit, and furiously took down all the tips that the instructor was revealing. It was a crazy dinner. The instructor was saying things like, "Okay, I'm getting a lot of questions about lettuce." Tips ran from logical to downright tedious (break off your bread into bite-size pieces and butter each piece individually).

Read the article below or check it out on the TN site.

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A plate full of dining etiquette in one meal

How to hold your fork, unfold your napkin, butter your bread. Lessons worth learning that would put Stephen Starr to shame.

By: Jesse North

Posted: 10/16/07

"Are you client-ready?" The words were spoken eloquently and slowly, like the narrator's voice on a motivational cassette tape, with particular emphasis on the 'c' and 'l.' Lisa Taylor Richey of the American Academy of Etiquette, who led Career Development Services' Etiquette Dinner last Tuesday in the Diamond Club, repeated herself. "Are you client-ready?"

A shiver of intimidation ran up my spine on the repeated question. Prior to that evening, I thought I was. But by the tone in Richey's voice, I got the feeling I wasn't. As she unleashed her arsenal of meticulous etiquette tips on the 116 in attendance, I realized I was only partly ready - I would not be ready to take a client out for lunch.

The first rules of being professional is to arrive in a timely fashion.

"If you're not five minutes early, you're late," Richey said.

How ironic that the Etiquette Dinner began 10 minutes past its designated start time. Richey said fewer family meals contribute to poor etiquette.

"People eat in the van and on the run," Richey said. "It's a lost art."

She said the two most common mistakes in dining are the handshake and holding the fork. The handshake must not embrace the fingers.

"There must be web-to-web contact," said Richey, referring to the area of skin between the thumb and index finger. The fork must be held like a pen, balanced with the index finger and thumb resting on top.

Now that I had the Spider-Man handshake and proper fork grip under my belt, I was ready to chow down. I mean, masticate.

I can never remember which bread plate or water glass is mine. Richey unveiled a formula to clear up the confusion. Just remember BMW. The company's moniker designates the order of the bread, meal and water glass placed in front of you from left to right.

My confidence of napkin placement was stripped from me. When you undo the fancy napkin swan the restaurant staff has fastidiously folded for you, unfold under the table and place it on your lap with the fold toward you. When using it, blot your mouth; do not wipe it. Bring the napkin up to your face; don't bend down to it. And if you must excuse yourself from the table, place the napkin on your seat.

"Nothing touches the tablecloth," Richey said. "It needs to be clean."

This last instruction was said with such sterile importance that I feared the pristinely white tablecloth for the remainder of the dinner. During the salad course, I got a few little driblets of dressing on it, which I slyly blotted up while Richey's back was turned. I think she saw me anyway.

There are many ways to cut your food, but only one way will make you look like royalty. Hold the knife in your "power hand," the dominant one. When cutting, cut behind the fork. Wrists must always be above the table, not only when cutting. The only time your wrists are permitted to be sub-table is when you are folding your napkin.

Shortly into the dinner, after receiving the cutting lesson, I felt bewildered. The casual dining world I once knew was long gone. I heard Richey, who was making her way to each table, say over her microphone, "OK, I'm getting a lot of questions about lettuce." Where was I?

A note on salads: cherry tomatoes are a one-bite food. Chomp them in half and you might find tomato juice on your shirt.

In addition to those malicious cherry tomatoes, bread lies on the table like a predator, waiting to cut you down into the slovenly pig that you really are. I've always been a fan of smothering butter on bread and taking chunk-sized bites. Richey proved me uncouth. Tear off bite-size pieces of the bread and butter each individual morsel. You think this is too tedious? No one said dining properly was easy.

Another dining gem passed on was whether or not to begin eating if people are still waiting on meals. Richey said if four or more have received their orders - bon appetit. When someone asks you to pass the salt, you must pass the pepper as well. Oh, you only wanted salt? Too bad, you're getting the pepper whether you like it or not!

Richey's journey through fine dining was a first-class experience. Heed her instructions at your own free will, but if you choose to walk away, have the courtesy to leave your napkin on your seat.

Jesse North can be reached at
jesse.north@temple.edu.