My Mom and I finally got a chance to leave the Planet Hollywood Hotel and see all that Las Vegas has to offer. Since we had the day off from pageantry, we walked down the Vegas strip to the Mirage Hotel. The plan for today was to spent some time with my performing arts teacher Maria Militair. She was the Head of the Performing Arts Department at Moore Catholic High School for many years. She moved to Las Vegas right after my senior year of high school to work for Cirque du Soleil. She is such an amazing woman who is committed to the arts. Her productions were always at a professional level. FAME, Gypsy (I played Dainty June), and Footloose (I played Urleen) are just some of the many productions I performed in under her direction. Just watching these shows on video reminds me that she constantly took these high school productions to a new level. Her legacy still remains that she turned the Moore Catholic Performing Arts Institute into the best high school performing arts program on Staten Island.
Ms. Militair works in the costume and wig departments for the Cirque du Soleil Beatles LOVE show. She took my Mom and I on an exclusive backstage tour. It was incredible seeing all the departments, props, costumes, make-up, and the actually stage up close and personal. I could not believe how HUGE the backstage area was! New York City theatres cannot compare to the amount of space the area has. There is so much room for quick chances of costumes and props. We were taken to the basement of the theatre where there was another backstage area! There were cushions all over the place, which are used when the performers fall through the stage during the show. There is even a gym and dance studio for the performers to practice their craft. After the tour, we stopped at the Forum Shops at Caesars Palace for some much needed shopping. We headed back to the Mirage that evening for dinner with Ms. Militair.
The night could not be completed without seeing the show. We had the best seats in the house compliments to Ms. Militair. The show was outstanding! The dancers and acrobats were incredible. The stamina these performers have is extraordinary. It was great to see this concept of the Beatles' influential music come to life. Well, the night sadly is over and it is back to pageant world. Remember to tune in to TLC at 8PM tomorrow night to see Katie Stam crown the next Miss America!
One of my mentors: Maria Militair
Ms. Militair works in the costume and wig departments for the Cirque du Soleil Beatles LOVE show. She took my Mom and I on an exclusive backstage tour. It was incredible seeing all the departments, props, costumes, make-up, and the actually stage up close and personal. I could not believe how HUGE the backstage area was! New York City theatres cannot compare to the amount of space the area has. There is so much room for quick chances of costumes and props. We were taken to the basement of the theatre where there was another backstage area! There were cushions all over the place, which are used when the performers fall through the stage during the show. There is even a gym and dance studio for the performers to practice their craft. After the tour, we stopped at the Forum Shops at Caesars Palace for some much needed shopping. We headed back to the Mirage that evening for dinner with Ms. Militair.
The night could not be completed without seeing the show. We had the best seats in the house compliments to Ms. Militair. The show was outstanding! The dancers and acrobats were incredible. The stamina these performers have is extraordinary. It was great to see this concept of the Beatles' influential music come to life. Well, the night sadly is over and it is back to pageant world. Remember to tune in to TLC at 8PM tomorrow night to see Katie Stam crown the next Miss America!
