Tag Archives: jesus christ superstar

Apr18

A Night On The Town OOTD Bloopers

Posted on April 18, 2023 by lifewithlilred

Hello everyone and welcome to the blooper reel from my A Night On The Town OOTD! This look was one of my favorite ones that I have put together recently and we discussed yesterday how “elegant” was the keyword that I styled around. I thought that it turned out great, but there is nothing elegant about the following pictures. The keywords were more like “wtf?” haha, let’s check it out:

I LOOK GREAT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Clearly not enthused with whatever Johnny was saying to me!

Posing for my grade school class picture like:

Slipping into a quick power nap before seeing Jesus Christ Superstar

This action shot was taken right before my shoe almost fell off. Foot popping can sometimes be scary!

Don’t worry everyone, I’ll be the one to say it: YIKES lol

Trying to conjure up a good picture and falling short

One of the better phone retrieval pictures!

My perfect night out is going to the theater for a show and I had been looking forward to this past Tuesday for a long while. I wasn’t going to not see Jesus Christ Superstar if it was coming to Akron (the theater was fifteen minutes away from my apartment) and I had a blast with my mother-in-law. It has been a FAT minute since Lil Red has had a good day due to personal matters and even though these pictures are hit AF, I can tell how happy I was in every single one. It was nice!

While I freaking love a good pity party and becoming one with my couch after a long day, sometimes the best cure for the blues is to just get up and go. My day on Tuesday was a tiring one and even though I was exhausted by the time I needed to prep for the show, I decided to get dolled up anyways. I had styled an OOTD for every show I have ever attended and I wasn’t about to break the streak! Once my outfit was on and pictures were taken, I had a newfound pep in my step and was bouncing off the walls in excitement until it was time to leave.

You have no idea how many times in the past almost year I have heard “take time for you” amidst a family crisis. This was one of the first “me time” things that I have done in so long and it felt awesome. What can I say, my favorite musical just brings out the best in me! A wonderful time was had by all and I am thrilled with how my outfit and pictures turned out. And, yes, even the bloopers because they are still a memento of my night on the town!

What puts you in a good mood? What do you like to do when you need some you time? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Apr17

A Night On The Town OOTD

Posted on April 17, 2023 by lifewithlilred

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Hello everyone and welcome to a brand new OOTD here on lifewithlilred! During a normal work week, it is a very rare occasion that I get dolled up. Almost ten times out of ten, you can catch me with a fresh face, leggings, and a hoodie. This past Tuesday, however, was different because I went to see Jesus Christ Superstar at EJ Thomas Hall with my mother-in-law! By the time I got home to prepare for our night out, I was exhausted. But, you’re not going to not get dressed up for a trip to the theater! I put this outfit together in my head the night before and it turned out great, if I do say so myself:

Who? What? Wear?

Black sweater: Shrinking Violet, TJMaxx

Floral pleather skirt: BB Dakota, TJMaxx

Kitten heels: Nine West, TJMaxx

Earrings: American Eagle Outfitters

Flower necklace: This was a Sweet 16 gift from my grandma that is from Talbots

When I am styling OOTDs, I plan ahead to an extent but I usually make things up on the fly. I’m sure we have all had those moments when we think an outfit is going to look so good only for it to turn out awful; which is why I was very pleased that this fit looked exactly how it did in my head on the first go. For this particular night at the theater, I wanted to invoke elegance. Once I had that keyword in mind, I built the look from there and I like to think that I hit the nail on the head!

I began styling this look with my pleather BB Dakota skirt in mind. This is one of my favorite pieces because it is not only gorgeous but so fun to wear! The pleats and pretty pattern are all well and good, but this skirt truly shines in the movement department. It swishes and swings with every step and I felt like a princess when I was twirling around in it. This skirt is a one hundred percent staple piece and with it as my focal point, it was very easy to style the rest of this OOTD around it.

For the top, I chose my Shrinking Violet sweater from TJMaxx. This sweater is almost nine years old – I got it when I first started college at Tri-C! While it may be old as dirt, it still looks good and came in very handy for my outfit. I wanted to give the illusion of wearing a dress with a tucked in sweater and this one was perfect. The material is so light and it is form fitting, which is exactly what I wanted since the skirt was so playful in its movement.

Once the base of the outfit was sorted, it was time for accessories! I selected my kitten heels by Nine West specifically for their shape. As I was pretty much covered up in this outfit, I didn’t want to shorten the minimal leg I was showing with an ankle strap. The slip on style was just what I needed and the itty bitty heel still offered some much needed length. Kitten heels are so sweet and charming and the pointed toe and blinged out strap added a cool pop of visual interest.

In the jewelry department, I went with a tiny pair of dangly earrings so it wouldn’t distract from my neck. Remember, when you are showing little skin in an outfit, you want to enhance the parts that are visible and that often means keeping things minimal. With that in mind, I completed the outfit with my flower necklace from my grandma. I think that this necklace is so beautiful and it was an awesome match to the pink in the skirt. It also cradled the collar of the sweater just right which, in turn, drew attention to my exposed neck. Finally, for some additional length, I threw my hair in a top knot and was ready for my night out!

I felt so effortlessly elegant in my Night On The Town OOTD and had the best time seeing my favorite musical with my favorite mother-in-law. Keep it posted tomorrow for the blooper reel from this shoot!

What is your favorite musical? What makes you feel elegant? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Apr15

Jesus Christ Superstar At EJ Thomas Hall Review

Posted on April 15, 2023 by lifewithlilred

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Jesus Christ Superstar At EJ Thomas Hall Review

Hello! My hands down, all time favorite musical is easily Jesus Christ Superstar. Random, I know, but I just love it lol. Last year, I was lucky enough to see it for its 50th anniversary tour at Playhouse Square and it was amazing! So, needless to say, I had to get tickets when I learned that it was coming to EJ Thomas Hall at the University Of Akron this month. On Tuesday, Johnny’s mom and I enjoyed a wonderful night at the theater and it was an absolute blast. This is the second year in a row that I have seen the show and I can only hope for a threepeat next year! 😀

While EJ Thomas Hall is a sizeable theater, it truly has nothing on the Connor Palace at Playhouse Square. This was okay, though, because they still made it work and the set was the exact same as at Playhouse, just on a smaller scale. The main difference of the EJ Thomas Hall performance was the run time of the show. By cutting out the intermission, lengthy intros and outros, and longer choreography sequences, the show was barely over an hour and a half long. Basically, one song would end and the next one would begin immediately. Any other time, I would have been upset by this choice – without the buffer music, this production at times sounded cacophonous. However, since it was a week night and I had seen the show before, it was A-okay with me!

Prior to going to the EJ Thomas Hall performance, I had essentially made up my mind that the actors at Playhouse Square would blow this cast out of the water. And, in some instances, I was right. The chorus in this performance was not strong at all and they were very difficult to understand at times. I wasn’t particularly thrilled with Jack Hopewell’s portrayal of Jesus, either. Don’t get me wrong, he is an insanely gifted singer but I didn’t feel the power of his voice in his presence, which is such a key component for that character.

My main issue in the casting was actually not Jack Hopewell but for Pilate, who was played by Nicholas Hambruch. Surprisingly, Pilate is one of my favorite characters in the show because I love his songs and the traditional vocals that are usually used. Normally, Pilate has a medium range voice that can go into a higher register easily. Hambruch’s vocals remained guttural and growling throughout the entire performance with no range or change whatsoever. I understand what they were trying to do by making Pilate seem menacing. BUT, during the moments when he was trying to show compassion to Jesus, his vocals just came out as insincere and it didn’t match up to the lyrics he was singing.

Despite some duds in the cast, there were other members that simply blew me away. Elvie Ellis as Judas, for example, blew my mind. He was fantastic and his vocals reminded me so much of Carl Anderson’s in the 1973 movie. In fact, I thought he was better than the actor we saw at Playhouse Square. Another all star in this cast was Faith Jones who played Mary Magdalene, and was also light years better than any other portrayal of the character I have seen before. Mary Magdalene’s ballad songs are gorgeous, but can be quite boring when done wrong. I had never seen such a powerful, sure of herself portrayal and it was spectacular. Strong, crystal clear vocals and a confident presence went a long way in helping Jones steal the show.

One final cast shout out has to be given to Erich W. Schleck as King Herod, who was completely fabulous. I love the pure vaudeville vibe of Herod’s Song that the 50th anniversary tour used and Schleck tapped into this effortlessly. His lanky body high kicking across the stage was everything and it was so amazing to watch his over exaggeration without going overboard. Schleck was able to go from cutesy to sword brandishing scary at the drop of a hat and this was another show stealing performance. Quite impressive, considering that it was his only song!

Although there were some things about this viewing of Jesus Christ Superstar that I didn’t care for, I still enjoyed it so very much. The best part was being able to go with my mother in law for a night on the town. Nothing is better than an evening at the theater with amazing company! ❤

Have you been to the theater recently? What did you see? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Feb22

Post V-Day Sweetness

Posted on February 22, 2023 by lifewithlilred

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Hello! Johnny and I went to see Hadestown at Playhouse Square as our main Valentine’s Day event and had the best time! We still listen to the soundtrack basically every day and it has been playing on a constant loop in our heads since the show. Prior to going to the theater, mine and Johnny’s dinner plans got sidetracked and he felt so bad that I barely ate at the restaurant we went to. In my defense, the food wasn’t good at all lol and I told him I didn’t want anything else for Valentine’s Day. Of course, Johnny didn’t listen!

Last week, he ordered a DVD of the NBC live taping of Jesus Christ Superstar just for me. Well, actually it might have been more for him since Alice Cooper played King Herod! But I digress. Jesus Christ Superstar is my all time favorite musical and we saw it last year at Playhouse Square for our Valentine’s Day date. Several years ago, I was so stoked that NBC was going to do a live taping for Easter and very much enjoyed the production. However, I haven’t seen it since it aired on TV. So, needless to say, I flipped my shit when he gave me my part two gift.

This past Saturday, Johnny and I DoorDashed some dinner and watched the DVD together for an at home date night and it was a blast. My heart simply exploded over the fact that Johnny was singing along to the lyrics with me when I had to damn near beg him to watch the original film with me when we first started dating! It was fun to compare and contrast the Playhouse Square show to the live taping and it was the cutest thing to hear Johnny deem production decisions as a “good choice”. Lol, he’s turning into a theater nerd just like his old ball and chain! ❤

The Post V-Day Sweetness didn’t end after our viewing of JCSS because we also had company over that night. Me, Johnny, and our bestie, Cliff, have become obsessed with Saturday night wrestling purely for shits and gigs. It has now become a weekend tradition and we couldn’t wait for the cage match event. When I saw Cliff prior to Valentine’s Day, I jokingly told him and Johnny that I expected chocolate from each of them. I didn’t expect Cliff to take me seriously in the slightest and he presented me with this:

Apparently, Cliff was running errands and saw a Red box of chocolates and couldn’t not get it for me! Cliff is one of the kindest people that I have ever met and he is so thoughtful. Like me, he is constantly storing away gift ideas and when I said I wanted chocolate even as a joke, he took note. Cliff has been Johnny’s best friend since kindergarten and it really touches me whenever he thinks about me for a gift giving occasion too!

I spent Saturday evening being spoiled by my two best guys and I feel so lucky to have had not one but two Valentine’s Day celebrations. Here’s to many more and all of the Saturday night wrestling!

How did you celebrate Valentine’s Day? How do you like to spoil your friends? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Feb18

A Night At The Theater OOTD

Posted on February 18, 2022 by lifewithlilred

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Hello everyone and welcome to a brand new OOTD post here on lifewithlilred! This past Saturday, Johnny and I had an amazing date night to see Jesus Christ Superstar at Playhouse Square. This was our first big outing since the pandemic began so, of course, we had to step out in our very best for A Night At The Theater. For this super special occasion, I had just the dress in mind thanks to my last TJMaxx Haul:

Who? What? Wear?

Dress: Talia Benson, TJMaxx
Platforms: Bamboo, TJMaxx
Earrings: American Eagle Outfitters
The necklace belonged to my grandma

Ever since getting my Talia Benson dress about a month ago, I had been looking forward to mine and Johnny’s night out even more because I couldn’t wait to wear it! For an evening at the theater, it was important for me to wear something with some drama and I can’t think of anything that fits the bill better. My Talia Benson number is daring and sexy while still being perfectly appropriate for a special event.

As you can see, this dress didn’t need much in terms of accessories because of its loud pattern. I didn’t want to take away from its beauty but only enhance so I kept things simple. For a pop of color, I went with my red embroidered platforms by Bamboo. My dress moved so incredibly in the wind or just when walking so it added a great little peek a boo with every step.

For jewelry, gold was the way to go and it tied together with the gold accents on my shoes. I chose a small dangly earring from the multipack that I purchased at American Eagle for my wedding and a statement necklace that belonged to my grandma. Usually, I opt for long dangle earrings but it would have been way too much with such a bold necklace. The necklace that I wore is, easily, one of my favorite pieces of jewelry and is very sentimental to me so I loved being able to wear it with this outfit. I think she would have loved it too. ❤

When it comes to a typical OOTD for me, I jam pack it with accessories until it feels perfectly complete. However, this Night At The Theater ensemble truly spoke for itself with minimal effort and I felt like a starlet stepping out in it with my husband. As we made our way into Playhouse Square, we both had blue surgical masks on and a fabulous employee told us we needed black ones, instead, in outfits like what we were wearing. She handed us two and it made our almost all black everything looks even better!

What is your favorite accessory? How would you style this dress? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Feb17

Jesus Christ Superstar Date Night

Posted on February 17, 2022 by lifewithlilred

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Hello! This past Saturday, Johnny and I had a wonderful date night to see Jesus Christ Superstar at Playhouse Square. This has been our first big outing since the pandemic began and it was even better than I could have dreamed! Also, huge shout out to my dad for making this possible with his yearly Christmas gift of season tickets to Playhouse Square for the family. Tomorrow, we will take a look at my OOTD so be sure to keep it posted for that!

Our date day began at Pepper’s Italian Restaurant in Lakewood before the show. We had a to die for dinner of gnocchi with Alfredo sauce, Margarita pizza, focaccia bread, salad, and Prosecco. It was absolutely delicious and my only regret is that it isn’t closer so that we could eat there all of the time. 😀

After an amazing meal that I am still dreaming about, we had some time to kill before it was time to go to the theater to take our seats. We decided to have an after dinner drink at a bar down the street from Pepper’s called the Funhouse. Johnny has been there before but I haven’t and it was the coolest place ever!! It had the theme of an old fashioned carnival with tons of dark decor mixed with the bright colors of a fair. The Funhouse is definitely our kind of bar!

I was already sold on the bar based on the decor alone but their unique drink menu didn’t hurt, either. I just had to try one of their alcohol slushies and chose blue raspberry as my flavor. It was So. Yummy. and if we didn’t have a play to catch, I think I could have had one or two more. 🙂

After a quick drink, it was time to head to Playhouse Square for the main event – seeing Jesus Christ Superstar. Everyone has a laugh when I say that it is my favorite musical because I am an atheist. I can’t help it, though, and have been enamored with it ever since having to watch it every Easter at Catholic grade school. The rock opera music gets me every time and I love that it shows a human depiction of the story of Christ’s crucifixion.

A few years ago, I made Johnny watch the classic movie adaptation of the musical and while he liked it, he wasn’t one hundred percent sold on it. I wasn’t sure what his reaction was going to be to the show so as soon as it began and he whispered to me “this is amazing” my heart basically exploded because he was seeing it how I do.

We were lucky enough to see the show despite it being canceled last year due to the pandemic and were treated to an extra special viewing because of its fiftieth anniversary celebration. Because of this, there was a small orchestra playing in the wings of the theater along with the band playing onstage with wailing electric guitar, organ, keyboards, drums, and saxophone.

The stage was set with an industrial vibe of open scaffolding and a huge upside down cross going directly down the stage. This was also reflected in the costumes for the characters who were dressed in baggy clothing to maximize all of their beautiful movements. And the actors? They were sublime.

The chorus was fabulous and the individual roles were just flawless. I daresay that the actor playing Judas might have out shined Jesus but who really stole the show was King Herod. His flashy rendition of “King Herod’s Song” was a major highlight of the entire show and Johnny and I spent so much time on the ride home going gaga over it.

Jesus Christ Superstar was performed with no intermission so it was seamless from start to finish. The loud music, glam rock style vocals, and all of the little tricks that they worked into the show made for one of the best adaptations that I have ever seen. It was so incredibly creative and really is a production that makes you think.

I knew that I was going to enjoy the show but it made it even better that Johnny loved it too. Our hour long car ride home until we went to bed was filled with conversation about the story, what we liked, and reliving it in its entirety. I couldn’t have asked for anything more and it was seriously one of the best evenings of my life! ❤

What is your favorite musical? Do you have a favorite song from Jesus Christ Superstar? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

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