Scrappy Travels

Few performers exhibit the sheer joy of performing, and basking in the air of doing what they love, like Gavin Creel. Each time he steps on the stage, you can see his love for the arts and his desire to share it with the audience. That was no different when he joined Mary Mitchell Campbell at the Kennedy Center on Thursday as part of the Renee Fleming Voices series. Gavin is undeniably talented, and unabashedly himself, and the audience (and I) loved every moment of it! For those who may not know him, Gavin is best known for his work in the theater starring in Thoroughly Modern Millie , She Loves Me , and The Book of Mormon (in London), and later winning a Tony for his role as Cornelius Hackle in 2017's gorgeous production of Hello Dolly!   Throughout this time, he's been writing music, sharing his favorites in concert, and just being an all around wonderful performer and champion of the arts.  I first saw him in She Loves Me , and though he didn't win a Tony for t...

One of my very favorite things to do when I travel is find an independent book shop. Some cities have loads, while others may not have any. When I do find a treasure, I'm always ridiculously happy. Instead of just giving these shops my money, I thought I'd give them a bit of good press while I was at it. First up is: The Book Tavern 936 Broad Street, Suite 101  Augusta GA, 30901 About The Book Tavern The Book Tavern is a new and used book shop on the main shopping street in Augusta GA, Broad Street. While there isn't much shopping to be had here, this shop seems to be thriving.  What I Loved Their inventory is insane! Every shelf is positively overflowing with books. Even the tiny second floor (don't you just love an extra floor?!) contained a ridiculous number of treasures. This is where I found the Theatre and Arts section; usually about 2 shelves in most shops. Here there are about 10 shelves with everything from Biographies to Shakespeare's plays....

One of the joys of living in the area of DC, Maryland, and Virginia is the access we have to all types of magnificent theatre. From small independents to large equity houses, the DMV positively overflows with great productions. Though, the overabundance of houses makes it difficult to plan a season. Because if you're a theatre lover like me, you just want to see every show produced, which at this rate, would put you in a theatre almost every evening. While that sounds awesome, my wallet thinks it may be a bit much.  That being said, there are some definite shows to be seen this season. Shows that if I haven't already purchased tickets to, I've marked the dates those tickets go on sale in my calendar so I can be online at 10:00 am that day to purchase. It may be a mild obsession, but hey, it could be worse! Without further ado here are the shows I'm most excited about this season in the DMV. * Murder on the Orient Express at Everyman Theatre: I've been to...

One of my very favorite genres to read is travel writing. Not travel guides, that show you all the best places to visit when you reach a place, but travel writing. It's those first hand accounts of travelers and tales of writers heading to far off places that I just love. I've read these stories to plan trips, but also to dream about places I'll probably never reach (I'm looking at you Bhutan...) While I've read many - there are three entire shelves devoted to these wonders alone in my library - these are my top 5. And because I'm not so good with the narrowing down, I've also provided you a few books that I liked, similar to my favorites.  Happy (Literary) Travels! 1. A Cook's Tour by Anthony Bourdain  Every Bourdain fan knows this is his least favorite of the books he wrote. But for me, it was the first of his I'd read, and I fell in love with his unique philosophy on food, travel, and life itself. It will always hold a special place in ...

A few years ago, I took in this little musical at Ford's Theatre in DC, about the days following September 11, 2001. I had no idea what to expect when walking into the theatre. But upon walking out, I had tears in my eyes, and the biggest grin on my face. The show of course was Come From Away , and I've been in love with its simple message of kindness since the first notes of the score. In the often dark times we're living in now, it's no surprise that this show has been a global sensation and its message has resonated with so many people around the world. Not only is the message of kindness incredibly important, but it's also necessary in these days and times. Because Come From Away is based on a true story of what happened in Gander Newfoundland, in the dark days that followed the terrorist attacks of 2001, the creators believed it was important to celebrate the real life inspirations for these characters you see on stage. That brings me to You are Here: A C...

When all the wonderful Broadway shows from this season closed suddenly this summer, I and I'm sure lots of other Broadway fans were bummed. It's usual for a few to shutter after the Tony Awards if they don't receive any awards love, but it just seemed the onslaught of closing notices was especially harsh. From The Cher Show to Be More Chill and everything in between. In all, six shows closed within just a few weeks. This included my love, The Prom , which broke my heart.  While none were blockbusters the size of Hamilton or Hadestown , they all drew in steady crowds and decent reviews. Though we may never know exactly what brought the shows to a halt, we do know for a fact that with every closing comes a brand new opening. While many of these announcements are straight plays, a few musical openings are finally peeking through. Now that we have a clearer picture of what 2019-2020 will look like, here's what I'm most excited about. * Tina: The Tina ...