Margot's Musings

 Gunnar and I went to see R.U.R at City Lit last weekend. Check out our totally awesome Vlog/Review on YouTube here:

  On Sunday November 17 at The Theo Ubique theatre in Evanston, we saw 'The Secret Garden' based on the book  by Frances Hodgson Burnett with  music and lyrics are by Marsha Norman and Lucy Simon. This production was directed by Christopher Pazdernik.  photo credit: Time Stops Photography Right when I walked into the theatre it was so cool! You were so close to the actors and you were sitting at tables and you were allowed to eat and drink even while your watching the play. There is also a bar where you can get food and drinks. The set was small but really cool. While you watched the play you could see the band playing their music, and the music was directed by Carolyn Brady.  Just in case you have never read the book or watched the movie i’ll tell you the basics . It starts with a rich girl called Mary Lennox (played by Joryhebel Ginorio), and she is living in India because her family moved there for business. She had a nanny in India called Ayah (played by Mal...

  ON SUNDAY NOVEMBER 10 I GOT TO GO SEE FROZEN THE MUSICAL AT PARAMOUNT THEATRE IN AURORA ILLINOIS!!  THE MUSICAL's music and lyrics are by Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez, with book by Jennifer Lee and is based on the Disney movie that came out before I was born. THIS PERFORMANCE WAS DIRECTED BY TRENT STORK (no surprise there, he's directed everything I've seen at Paramount). When we arrived at the theatre the first thing I noticed was that everywhere we looked in the audience there was 5 billion little Elsas and only uno Anna.   IF YOU HAVE NEVER SEEN FROZEN BEFORE FOR SOME WEIRD REASON THEN I WILL TELL YOU WHAT IT’S ABOUT.  THE MUSICAL IS ABOUT 2 SISTERS CALLED ANNA AND ELSA. EVER SINCE ELSA WAS BORN SHE HAD MAGIC ICE POWERS THAT COULD DO MANY INCREDIBLE   THINGS, BUT ONE DAY ANNA ASKED ELSA TO MAKE A SNOWMAN WITH HER. WHEN THEY WERE FINISHED ANNA WANTED TO DO MORE WITH ELSAS POWERS, BUT IN THE PROCESS ELSA STRUCK ANNA IN THE HEAD AND A STREAK OF...

 Here is our review of Three Crows' production of 'The Danish Play' by Sonny Mills Directed by our mom, Kirstin Franklin. The show also features our step-dad, Dolph Paulsen. 

  On Saturday April 13, 2024 I went with my mom to see A Year With Frog and Toad at The Chicago Children’s Theatre. The play is based on the popular children’s book by Arnold Lobel and was adapted for the stage with music and script by Robert and Willie Reale. Chicago Children’s Theatre’s production was directed by Michelle Lopez-Rios. The story is about a Frog and a Toad who are best friends and they have good times and bad times together. These moments include: Frog and Toad going sledding, Frog and toad go swimming (and Toad looked funny in his bathing suit), Frog and Toad rake each others backyards, Toad bakes cookies, Frog tells Toad a scary story, Frog and Toad have an almost Christmas celebration together, and Frog writes a letter to his dear friend Toad.  The performances were Toadly Awesome!! Frog is played by Eduardo Curley-Carillo, and Toad is played by Nick Druzbanski.  My favorite part about what Nick Druzbanski did as Toad was when he gathered up all of his...

We Reviewed Billy Elliot at Paramount Theater. Take a look! 

Margot reviews Charlie and the Chocolate Factory at Paramount theater with her brother, Gunnar, from Gunnar Goes. 

 My brother and I decided to review this play together in a VLOG! Go see SCHOOL OF ROCK! Playing now through June 4th. Tickets available at  www.paramountaurora.com 

  We went to An Inspector Calls. I forgot what day it was. Oh yeah! It was on opening night, Friday February 24th. It was at the FSU/Asolo Conservatory in Sarasota, Florida. My mom was the director of INSPECTOR CALLS!!! Ohhhhhh whaaaaaa BOO yeaaaahhhhh.  It’s a very grown-up play and it’s about an inspector (Mikhail Roberts) who comes to a family’s home when they were having a party about their daughter (Brielle Rivera) who got engaged. He said (the inspector) that a woman named Eva Smith died. And he comes around asking each and every one of them questions to see if they knew her. It turns out that they did and they each did something that was making her life more and more terrible and then she killed herself. The inspector wants them to think of what they could have done differently. The play was so gooooooood! It was funny when the people were awkward with each other. I think the brother (Jackson Purdy) was the funniest. The people got more and more angry with each other an...

 On February 10th,  I saw INTO THE WOODS at the PARAMOUNT THEATRE! The music and lyrics were by STEPHEN SONDHEIM and the Book was by JAMES LAPINE. The show was directed by Jim Corti and Trent Stork. The music was directed and conducted by Kory Danielson, and the dancing was choreographed by Kasey Alfonso. The Scenic Designer was Jeffrey D.Kmiec.  I went with my brother Gunnar and my mom’s partner Dolph. It was opening night and the place was packed! The set was AMAZING and it looked so real!  There were very funny parts in the show for example there was a very funny part when the granny of little red riding hood was constantly stabbing the wolf!  The puppets were really well designed by JESSE MOONEY-BULLOCK. There were 5 Puppets: 2 cows, a chicken, some pigeons, and a horse.  The actors were all amazing and the singing was amazing too. Lucy Panush, who played Little red riding hood was very funny. My mom played Little red riding hood when she was in college...

 The play that I saw was Carmela Full of Wishes at the Chicago Children's Theatre and I went with Dolph Paulsen (my mom's partner). The play is based on a book by Matt de La Peña and adapted for the stage by Alvaro Saar Rios, and directed by Michelle Lopez-Rios.  In the lobby, before the play began, I made a dandelion out of popsicle sticks, pipe cleaners and pom-poms, which was fun. When I walked into the theatre the stage was super colorful and at one end there was a laundry mat and a bodega on the other side. The magnificent set was designed by Regina Garcia and the colorful and sparkly lighting design was by Jason Lynch.  The play opens with Carmela (played by Maria Clara Ospina) And it is her seventh birthday! (I had a seventh birthday in July!) Carmela is excited to go on errands with her big brother because she is finally old enough to go, but she finds a dandelion on the way sticking out of the cement. Carmela's bossy big brother Miguel is played by Juan Gonzalez ...