I'm now in Bonnie and Clyde!

Hey Wicked Fans!

Thanks for your loyalty over the years. I'm now in Bonnie and Clyde that opens on Broadway in December. First preview November 4. I play Clyde's Mom! I'm writing a new blog for show and hope you'll come check it out and subscribe so you can get updated info on the show...http://www.BarrowFamilyBlog.workpress.com

See you there
Leslie

Happy Holidays and More

Hi Wicked Fans and Friends!

Hope you are having a wonderful holiday and a rockin' New Year. I just had my vacation Chirstmas week so I got to spend the holidays with my family which was awesome! Now it's back to the Green Show. Lots of comings and goings happening lately here at Wicked. New witches, new Morrible and new Wizard, and they are all terrific! pPlus various new ensemble members too and they are great additions to the Wicked family too. As many of you know our own Marcie Dodd moved to the Los Angeles company as Nessarose, but I was able to catch a photo with her...yes, that's what we look like backstage before we've got our wigs on...glamours, huh? I've always thought it would be cool if audiences got to see what REALLY happens backstage. It's a whole show back there too. The other photo is me with Gregory Maguire who authored the novel Wicked. Her threw us a party in Boston. What a delightful human being he is!

So here's the catch-up. We spent a whole month in Hartford, CT....got to say, not my favorite place. For any of your Hartford residents, don't mean to offend, but we had some not so nice things happen while we were there including a cast member getting mugged and other getting her purse stolen at a private party...not cool. But St. Louis is fun and a great place to celebrate the new year with a view of the St. Louis arch.

We're headed next to Cincinnati, OH, which will be my last city. I've decided to return home to NYC and pursue some new projects. So February 3 will be my last day with Wicked for now. Then I jump right into a new gig, singing with the NY Ballet in NY and London!!! I'm super excited! I've never been to London (yeah, crazy I know) so I'm thrilled.

I'll keep this blog for a month or so after Wicked, but check back for my new blog that will continue to show the adventures of my career ; )

If you want to make sure you stay in touch, or if you are interested in being an actor (or already are one) be sure to sign up for my free newsletter Work IT! Tips for Workin' Your Acting Career and Your Life. You can sign up for free at www.OrganizedActor.com.

Happy Holidays to all!

Okay, I've failed!

I've officially failed my Wicked blog. Sorry to say it's been about six weeks since I created an entry. I guess I have a few excuses....we've had tons of rehearsals, I hiked the Grand Canyon, I still have my new puppy, etc, etc....yes all excuses ; ) But it's time to write again because a lot has happened! First, we ended an era at Wicked a few weeks ago when we said goodbye to our four witches (yes, our Glinda, Elphaba, Elphaba standby and Morrible). They had a great run all of them and I hope they will be off to wonderful and magical things. We've welcomed in wonderful new cast members in the last several weeks and that will continue as several people have turned in their notices. If you have a chance to see us in our next few cities, our new cast is wonderful! I think you'll love them all.

I sort of glazed over the "hiked the Grand Canyon" above, but yes, I really did do that from the top to the bottom and back out again all in two days. It was the most amazing thing I've ever done. I highly recommend it. But be sure to train for it and plan ahead. We've had reservations for over a year and it was worth the wait!!!

Zoey is growing nicely. She makes friends everywhere she goes. She's just kind of one of those dogs that everybody likes. She just always looks like she's smiling ; ) Well, maybe not so much in this picture. This is more the "I own this couch" look LOL

So what's next for the Wicked tour? We get a new Wizard soon. We also lose ensemble members Marcie Dodd (who is going to Los Angeles to play Nessa in the LA company), Christeena Riggs, Celisse Henderson (Shen Shen) and others soon to follow. I guess that is the revolving door of Wicked.

Thanks for patiently waiting for a blog entry! I'll try to be better : )

My gosh how time flies when your'e in Oz

First, I must apologize for the long delay in entries. I didn't every realize it had been this long and now that Zoey (my puppy) has become a part of my life, time is hard to come by. We have already had such wonderful adventures together! In fact, little did you know that my code name is actually MacGyver! Yep, I had to play MacGyver the other day when Zoey and I got locked up the roofdeck of the building I'm living in in Boston. Long story short....I was able to hail someone from the building next door, magically I found a roll of duct tape, tied the keys to the tape and lowered it down into his window. When he rescued us it felt like I was getting out of prison!!! LOL Anyway, Zoey and I are fine and she decided to chill a bit in the refrigerator.

On Tuesday of this week, I got to go on as Morrible again! That was a hoot and a surprise! Hopefully next time I will know ahead of time again so I can let you all know.

Also took my vacation to Hawaii....alas the photos

And Boston rocks!

All good out here on tour

Meet My New Dog Zoey

With so many dogs on tour, I finally succumbed to my desire to have my own. On Monday I flew to North Carolina to meet the breeder of my new puppy and was delighted to find this little pup available! Meet Zoey...the new love of my life. I don't have her in my little hands yet, but she will be mine in September. I must warn you that this blog may become a momma's bragging ground soon, because well, my little puppy is of course perfect in every way. More soon.

What We Do On The Road

I get a lot of question about what we do on the road as we travel around the country. Of course it's fun to explore each city you go to and there are always great things to see and do. But to fill idle time (like between scenes in the show) or between shows on a double show day, I've taken up Oragami...well, "Bugagami" to be precise. I like to to make bugs. This was a delightful gift from my boyfriend who knows how much I love bugs. At first, I couldn't make a single thing. i didn't understand the folds and was known to throw many unfinished Bugagami attempts at the wall, screaming loudly "This is stupid!" LOL

But alas, I've been able to create some very simple bugs and critters for your enjoyment.

Here is a snake, a tadpole (?), a grasshopper (with no head cuz I couldn't do that fold correctly) and a cicada (whatever that is). I'm sad to say these are my best works...it's a good thing I have talent in other areas cuz I don't think you're gonna see me at the International Oragami Festival LOL But what I have learned by doing Bugagami is the true genius it takes to actually COME UP WITH THESE DESIGNS. It's hard enough to follow the instructions. But, to think that someone had to design it first it truly amazing. All of these were made with a simple 5 x 5 piece of paper. Pretty cool.

My Stint As Madame Morrible

Well after nearly seven months, I FINALLY got my chance to perform Madame Morrible on Saturday, August 4 for both shows. I must admit, I couldnt' have asked for a better theatre and better timing! The shows went off without a hitch....well an interesting sound hitch happened on my first entrance where I say "And whether you are here to study Law, Logic or Linguification" ON the word Linguification the sound screeched louder than you could ever imagined. We laughed about it off stage and I joked that the line should have said "Law, Logic or Amplification!" Other than that it was a blast. The company was beyond supportive and so happy for me that I finally got to go on. I hope there will be many more in the future. I'll keep you posted. Thanks also to all the fans who were so supportive of me!

Other news...Philadelphia is a great city! They've grown since the last time i was here. It's almost like a small, more close-knit New York. People are friendly and there are some great restaurants. I'm glad we're there for several more weeks to really take in the city! Be sure to the Duck Tour if you come here. It's great fun and lots of history. Enjoy the photos!