Opening and more

With my schedule and constant Twitter updates I feel like this blog is starting to get neglected. So, I apologize about that. I love this thing and can't believe that it's been around since July 2006.

Things have been pretty non-stop lately. This past Thursday was the opening of Bye Bye Birdie. After 5 weeks of previews it was a relief to finally open the show.

Openings are exciting and it was a bit of a surreal experience for me. Despite having spent 2 years in the company of Spring Awakening, I wasn't with them yet on their opening night. This was my first Broadway opening! So many people that I look up to and respect were there Thursday evening. It's really thrilling to see a crowd of brilliantly creative minds come together to support each other. I'm humbled and grateful to be a part of this wonderful community. Standing next to Charles Strouse in the press line, seeing Michael Mayer (Director of Spring Awakening) in the audience, having my family and loved ones there, watching some of my cast mates make their Broadway Debuts, and so many other wonderful reasons like these made last Thursday a night to remember.

I won't pretend that the reviews didn't happen :) and obviously we all hoped for better press, but it really wasn't something that concerned anyone too much. I'm being completely honest when I say that I love my job and am excited to come to work every day. There is a wonderful energy in our theatre. In this crazy time we are all thrilled to have work and the opportunity to play every night. The audience has a blast and the show is one of Roundabout's best sellers of all time, which doesn't seem to be changing in any way. We have already extended to April.

This past Monday I was involved with the NAMT festival. The festival showcases new songs and musicals by up and coming composers and writers. Some really wonderful projects have come out of the festival. A childhood friend of mine, Drew Gasparini, was selected to showcase his song. Drew asked me to sing the song. I couldn't have been happier to help him out. Drew and I were double cast in community theatre shows and took all sorts of dance classes together growing up. It was really cool to cross paths again now that we're at completely different points in our lives. I think there are really big things in store for him. His musical, Crazy Just Like Me is great. The response to his song was extremely positive. We'll be hearing a lot from Drew.

On Monday, my first Gossip Girl episode of the season airs. I have a couple scenes this time and there may be some Halloween egging involved. Interestingly enough, a lot of my clips have ended up in the promotional spots for the episode, which is really exciting for me. I have had such a wonderful time on that set. It's a fantastic group of people. I hope to return soon. You can catch one of my scenes from Monday's episode here.

Recently, the wonderful Jenny Anderson did a photo shoot of me for Broadway.com. She shoots really beautiful photos and is also one of the nicest people on the planet. You can check out "Day in The Life of Matt Doyle" here.

Also! Last monday I sang at Will Van Dykes concert. The music is wonderful and the show was quite a success! You can see videos of the concert on youtube. Thank to Liz for those!

I'm looking forward to a pretty busy winter. I'm doing a few readings that I'm excited about (including one for a rather infamous musical…really looking forward to that one) and have some other possibilities in the works. Regardless, I'm happy about what is happening every night for me right now. I just hope to continue to explore and grow with all of the people around me that I admire so much.

More to come :) Stay warm...it feels like we're skipping Fall this year!