OMG you guys!
I absolutely loved The Honeymooners at the Paper Mill Playhouse in New Jersey. I say it in the tune of all the sorority sisters from Legally Blonde since the new musical stars two of its original cast members: Laura Bell Bundy and Leslie Kritzer.
The show made me laugh so hard so many times throughout the evening – not because I got the old time jokes written as references to the 39 episode TV series from the 1950s – but because it reminded me of all the phrases my dad used to say. Of course, now I know, he was just poking fun of The Honeymooners.
The performance I attended was on opening night. My husband and I sat right behind Laura Bell Bundy’s husband, Thom, and her mom who drove up with her mother all the way from Kentucky. I knew it was her husband the moment Laura Bell made her first entrance because he was applauding the loudest. He also covered her grandmother’s eyes during a kissing scene. #toocute.
Leave it to me to chat it up with them during intermission, Matthew and Thom talked sports (the Yankees were playing and won that night!) Meanwhile, Laura’s mom filled me in on her entire childhood in New York City and how she stopped acting professionally to go to high school. She told me all about getting the audition with Marvin Laird in Ruthless! to going on tour with Marie Osmond in The Sound of Music and landing a part in Jumanji! You can read more about it in my interview with her in Entertainment Tonight:
After the show, there was a small red carpet for all the stars and creative team to take photos for the press. That is where I had the opportunity to sit down with Laura Bell Bundy for the ETOnline piece. In the middle, someone finally brought her a drink (a bourbon cocktail). And we cheered to opening night (except I was too caught up to take a drink myself).
I of course had to tell her a funny story from 7 years ago since I haven’t seen her since 2007 backstage after Legally Blonde. In 2010, when I was working as a reporter in Binghamton, NY, Matthew came up for the weekend to see me, It was the same time the NCAA basketball tournament was going on in Syracuse! So, he bought tickets for the elite 8 game and we trekked up Route 81. We put our name down on the two hour wait at Dinosaur BBQ and walked around the common area in the cold. While we were window shopping, I happened to notice someone who looked just like LBB sitting on a bench talking on the phone. I said, “Matt, that looks just like Laura Bell Bundy.” He said, “what would Laura Bell Bundy be doing up in Syracuse?” I agreed and didn’t think anything of it. Well, turns out it WAS her! She was up rooting for Kentucky! Thanks to a brand new social media app called Twitter where I saw her post about it.
Anyway, so our interview concluded and I then made the rounds to say hello to some other familiar faces: Leslie Kritzer, Mark Hoebee and Eloise Kropp. I also got to finally meet the NJ editor for BroadwayWorld’s site. We work together all the time but never met in person.
It was such a fun night!