Message from Mamma Mia! Cast Member

It was the end of the long, hot summer of '98. The days at last dipped below 80 degrees, and life in the desert was magical again. That I was leaving at that moment seems insanity.

But opportunity comes a knockin' on its own schedule, never yours. And after more than three years as a reporter for KPHO-TV Channel 5, I got an offer I couldn't refuse. I left the Grand Canyon State for the Lone Star State and a job leading a brand new investigative consumer unit.

As much as I loved the new job, I hated leaving the Valley of the Sun. I still vividly remember how I felt the first time I arrived in Tempe. The TV station flew me in and put me up at the Tempe Palms. The lights were twinkling in the early evening on Mill Avenue and the sidewalks seemed full of young, ridiculously fit pedestrians.

One look at the row of tall skinny palms and the red rock mountains in the distance and I was in love. I fell for desert life, its unique vegetation (I seriously expected everything to look like the Sahara), marveled at front yards comprised entirely of pebbles and spent many a weekend drinking coffee on Mill Avenue and perusing its shops for dream catchers or something else equally exotic and new to this Florida girl (like river beds without actual river).

In short order, thanks to my job and my own sense of adventure, I traversed the entire state from the Grand Canyon to Tucson to Yuma to Strawberry to Sedona to the Hopi reservation. I worked with the best colleagues I'd ever know and had a life teeming with natural beauty, friends and an utter lack of dull moments. Years after leaving, I find myself thinking of this beautiful place I left that inscribed its indelible mark on me. And I yearn.

So imagine my happiness - bordering on disbelief - when I look at my tour schedule and see I will get to spend an entire week in Tempe, Arizona and stay at the Tempe Palms! Impossible! This is what you call a full circle moment.

This time, I'll be back in Tempe not as a reporter but under my new guise as a musical theatre singer and actor. After 15 years in television news, I decided to follow a crazy little dream of returning to my roots as a stage performer. Today, I am touring North America with the worldwide musical sensation known as Mamma Mia! I am in the ensemble and the understudy to Donna (memorably played by Meryl Streep in the film version) and her best friend Rosie. Working as a reporter in Phoenix made me realize ankles can sweat. This time, any workplace sweating will be fueled by Abba hits and a nightly dance party that makes me marvel at how I get paid to sing and dance for a living.

Mamma Mia is the story of enduring love and the powerful bonds of friendship between three women who've taken very different paths in life. One of my own best friends just happens to live in the Valley, hosting a television show called Sonoran Living Live. She may not be fully aware of this, but we have big plans. Between bouts of singing and being a Dancing Queen, I plan for us to take on Mill Avenue, caffeinating thoroughly in order to best attack the cool shops I plan to lightly ransack. There's a Town Lake to examine that didn't even exist when I lived here. There are cacti to be photographed, Papago Mountains to climb and sunsets to be savored. There are old friends to see anew and desert air to breathe in deeply. And because Arizona is...well...Arizona... I expect it'll pull out a surprise or two I didn't see coming. Because everyone knows the wild west is an unpredictable place...

- Eileen Faxas

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Eileen Faxas and the fabulous cast of Mamma Mia! perform at ASU Gammage May 17th - May 22nd. Eileen routinely blogs about life on the road with Mamma Mia! at her website: EileenFaxas.com. She hopes you will come to the show and say HELLO afterwards!

Message from 'Billy Elliot' Cast Member

Hello ASU Gammage!

My name is Katie Micha. I'm 16 years old, and I have never been on tour, so being a part of Billy Elliot The Musical and being able to see the United States is pretty amazing! I have never been to Tempe, Arizona before. I must say, I'm really excited to get there and scope out the place. Although I spend most of my time in tutoring or on stage, I would love to sight see and maybe check out some tourist attractions. Being able to travel the U.S. at the age of 16 is such a privilege, and I try to take advantage of that. I would absolutely love to see the Grand Canyon, or maybe even go to the zoo. Although this is a job, it's important to explore your surroundings and try to take in all of the wonderful things around you.

Being a part of Billy Elliot The Musical is a dream come true. It's such an inspiring show, and to be able to say that I have a part in that inspiration is an incredible feeling. I play Tina Harmer, who is one of the Ballet Girls, in the show. She is the best dancer in the class and pretty much thinks everyone else is terrible. Although she's not the nicest in the bunch, she is tons of fun to play.

I have been on Broadway before, and it is SO different than being on tour. It's basically impossible to get bored while traveling because it's a constant change in scenery. I have to say my favorite part of being on tour is being able to perform in so many different states and cities. The audiences are always different and the feedback changes too. It’s interesting to see how people all have different perspectives and different outlooks on Billy Elliot. As a performer, it's an honor to know that our show has moved at least one person in that audience.

My absolute favorite part of the show would have to be "The Angry Dance." It is so passionate and gives me chills every time I watch it. Every Billy is different and gives a different portrayal, but that’s what makes it so special.

Being in the cast is like having a second family. Although we fight and get on each others nerves, we are all like brothers and sisters. We always have each others’ backs and have grown super close in past 5 months. We basically live together considering we usually stay in the same hotels, so you can imagine we see a lot of each other. Anyway to get back to my point, I can honestly say that this show has changed me for the better. Billy Elliot is a part of my life. It is my life. And I am loving every minute of it!