Alison Jutzi Talks Amongst Herself

10 Marias: 1 Year Later aired last night. I watched it anxiously, happy about some of the clips they showed, unhappy about others. Wishing they had done my hair and makeup for me (that is, after all, the best part about being on television). Competing on How Do You Solve a Problem Like Maria? was a great challenge for me. It has undoubtedly made me a better auditioner and, against all odds, has given me a lot of confidence as a performer. But I'm happy to have moved on. The whole theatre and television auditioning process seems far more civilized to me now, merely because there aren't five cameras on me while I'm doing it. Rejection is private and par for the course, not tragic and public. And best of all, no casting director has ever asked me to sing anything by Chaka Khan. (Insert smiley-face emoticon to denote tongue-in-cheek tone) Thank you, CBC and Mirvish and Temple Street and, of course, Andrew Lloyd Webber. We had some good times. And now I bid you adieu.

Here 's another interview about the Maria documentary from the Guelph Mercury. One thing to note: I didn't just release an album - I recorded my songs about two years ago, but I think someone at the Maria camp thinks I just did it, so I keep seeing references to it. Meh. That's okay. If people want to think I just released an album, I suppose I can let them. It ups my cool factor.

Janna was my roommate in the Maria mansion, and is now the alternate Maria for the Sound of Music, performing Wednesday nights and Saturday afternoons. I invite you to stalk her here . If I had to choose one thing to eat for the rest of my life, I always used to say Rice Crispy Squares. But then I think about it, and realize that I might just start to hate them. But then I think about it some more, and I realize that when those babies are warm and marshmallowy it must be what heaven tastes like. I could go for some basic fresh bread and butter. But I'd need some chocolate in my life too. Preferably a Caramilk of some sort. And then chips, cause they balance the choco out. Miss Vicky's Salt and Vinegar? Or, as I'm sure Kyla will agree, Sweet Chili Heat. Enough product placement. Clearly I can't answer this question.

The Maria documentary is fast approaching (next Wednesday, June 24th at 9pm on CBC) so I've been doing some interviews. Here's one from the Globe and Mail .

Here are some photos of me that my mom recently scanned. In the first one I'm wearing my costume for "Clowns", my grade 5 musical in which I played Leah Ballerina. I remember being really nervous that I'd have to wear a skimpy little tutu, but thankfully my mom made me this adorable costume. You can't tell from the photo, but it was less a tutu and more a full skirt. Phew, says 10-year-old Alison. I still remember the lyrics to the solo I sang: The flowers in the garden will dance tonight, it's easy being happy in the moonlight. Today they were soakin' up the sun and rain, and now it's time to dance again. Dance, everybody, kick up your heels. Dance, everybody, see how it feels. To step to the left and step to the right, turn yourself around as you dance all night. Dance, everybody, dance tonight. This photo shows me playing the violin, which I gave up at the ripe old age of 8 in order to focus on the piano. And here I am playing the piano. Do not be f...

A few weeks ago I got a call from Temple Street Productions inquiring about my availability. Strange, I thought. Why would the producers of How Do You Solve a Problem Like Maria? be looking for me? Did they want my banner back? Were they going to ask me to star in a Canadian version of the Bachelorette? I didn't know. It turns out they were trying to get all of the Marias together to shoot a documentary about our experience on the show, and to find out "if there's life after reality t.v.". I told them that yes, I felt very much alive, and would be happy to join them. I was excited to see all the girls, but felt some trepidation leading up to the shoot. There were questions I knew I'd be asked on camera ("How did you feel about your microphone not working? What was it like being the first one voted off?") that I wasn't looking forward to answering, mostly because I wasn't sure what I'd say. I was only available for part of the 2-day shoot, wh...

This is the video bio they had for me on the CBC How Do You Solve a Problem...  site (I know, I know, stop talking about Maria already!). My favourite part is the completely unenthusiastic air I have about me in the first clip. I think I was getting tired of the cameras at that point. If the embedded video below isn't working, you can view it here .

Mornin', everyone! (Well, it's morning here in Prince George anyway). Today there's an article in the Toronto Star about the 8 Marias from HDYSAPLM who, well, aren't Maria. Want to hear what Allie, Tamara, Kyla, Katie, Donna, Jayme and Marisa have been up to? Oh, and me? Check it out here .

Gavin Crawford 's hilarious "Mark Jackson" character from This Hour Has 22 Minutes was interviewing a few of us former Maria contestants on the red carpet at the Sound of Music gala last week. You can check out the clip here .  Gavin was one of my favourite things about being on HDYSAPLM . He's very funny and talented and also a really nice guy.

Last night I attende d the official opening of The Sound of Music and it was a fabulous show. Elicia sounded fantastic, and was a loveable and charming Maria. A couple reviewers have noted that this is the perfect show to see right now, when we're all so worried about the political and economic situation in our country. Somehow this musical set during the Anschluss provides some escapism. Of course, it's not the underlying WWII story that gets us; it's the music. And it's the fact that most of us grew up watching the movie every Christmas. Jian Ghomeshi likened it to, "hot chocolate in your favourite mug". Oh, and the set piece that represents the "hills" that are "alive" is this huge, disc-shaped thing that floats around and tooootally looks like a spaceship. Awesome.

The Sound of Music starts on October 3rd, though I'm pretty sure the first week or so is just preview performances. Check out the official site . I ran into Elicia a couple of weeks ago and she said things have been going very well at rehearsal. She's been run off her feet with long rehearsal days as well as a bunch of media commitments. Janna says the cast is awesome and it's gonna be a great show, so I'm thrilled to be going to the official opening night gala on October 15th. I'm gonna dress up all fancy-like and say things like, "darling, fetch me some more champagne, won't you?" Here's a photo of Elicia in rehearsal with the Von Trapp kids. I love behind-the-scenes photos.

A woman from Temple Street Productions just called, asking if I would like to keep my "Maria" banner. This is the 8'x12' photo of me that hung in the CBC atrium while How Do You Solve a Problem Like Maria? was airing. Well, of course I want it. What a ridiculously awesome-slash- hilarious-slash-useless-slash-HUGE keepsake of my reality show days! But what to do with it? I have considered several options, my favourite being that I use it as a bedspread. Who wouldn't want a gigantic version of their head as bed decor? I also pondered using it to make play clothes for my nieces and nephew, but I figured they'd just fight over who got to wear my face. Perhaps I will sell it on E-Bay. What do you think of 40K as a starting price?

This just in: Janna Polzin, my friend and runner-up Maria, has been cast as the alternate Maria in the Sound of Music. She will do Saturday matinees and Wednesday evenings. Good on Mirvish for letting Janna and Elicia share the role. I think this has made a lot of people very happy. This afternoon I did a commercial audition for a phone company. I won't say which one and you'll understand why in a moment. The casting house was brand new, so their phones were just being set up, coincidentally by the same company for which they were casting the commercial. As soon as the phone company dude left, the casting guy went off on a tirade: "  Company X is so bad! It took them eight weeks to get these landlines set up. And their public relations is appalling! I can't believe how bad their service is!" It was just kind of funny. Not in a "ha ha" way but in an ironic kind of way. Like rain on your wedding day.

For anyone who missed it, here is the final group number from our last Maria show on July 28th. It was created by our choreographer David Connolly as well as Joe Bostic, our guest fight choreographer. I had never been thrown into a piano head-first before. So. It's good to have a new skill.

Congratulations, Elicia! I look forward to seeing you on stage as Maria this fall. Ooh, Monday night was dramatic. Simon wasn't there again. It turns out he was arrested on assault charges on Sunday, which makes me sad. I would really liked to have said goodbye to him because his presence was one of the most positive parts of my Maria experience. In other dramatic news, there were many disappointed Janna fans in the audience and at home our final night. I have to say, though, if you're going to have to give up the role to someone, Elicia's your girl. She is genuine, selfless and a fabulous performer, so I'm sure Janna and the rest of the Marias are very happy for her. Yes, it was a competition, and all 9 of us runner-ups wanted to make it farther than we did...but I think for the most part we handled ourselves with grace, and were respectful of our fellow competitors. I'm happy to have enjoyed one final appearance on Maria , but I'm really ready now to mov...

I'll be at the studio tonight, cheering on the final three Marias: Janna, Elicia and Jayme. Rumour has it they'll be singing some Andrew Lloyd Webber songs. Glad to hear it, as I much prefer when they incorporate musical theatre numbers into this musical theatre competition.  So. I have 15 pages of notes that I plan to morph into a one-woman show about my experience. I write comedic songs  and I'm thinking of incorporating several tunes into the piece. It remains to be seen, though, exactly what shape the show will take. Perhaps interpretive dance? Wait. No. That's a horrible idea. Must keep brainstorming... It's been fun being back at the CBC with the girls*. Rehearsal has been replete with microphone jokes, which I love. We all have that thing that people will remember about us. I'm Mic-less Maria. Not the nickname I was expecting, but I suppose it could have been worse. It can always be worse. *Mom, I promise one day I will see the error of my ways, and start...

Last night Tamara was saved after a three-person sing-off, while Kyla and Katie were sent home. It's sad to see them go, as much as I joke about wanting more people in my special little "club" of former Marias.  I wish Canada had had a chance to hear Kyla's beautiful, clear soprano voice. She has had a lot of classical training, and I think if she'd been given a chance to show that off the judges wouldn't have pegged her as a belter or an alto, which I think they have. I hope great things will come out of this experience for her, because she deserves to be working. Always. A couple days ago I told Katie that I never could have done this show at her age. She's 19, and has already gained a lot of notoriety through "Maria". She has a killer voice. I remember standing next to her in Maria School when we were working on some group harmonies. She was always perfectly in tune and sounded flawless. I can't wait to follow her career. As for me, I have...

I went to see the live taping of Maria  last night. Finally, the girls are performing musical theatre numbers, and it was definitely the best show yet. I hope they won't go back to pop songs next week, but I think it's inevitable. The gossip of the evening was that Elaine criticized Donna for having a diva-like attitude during rehearsals. I have worked with divas. I do not count Donna among them. The comment by Elaine was coupled with a carefully edited segment that made Donna look mean, when she was just being frank. After showing a few of the Marias commenting on how it was hard to lose people every week, they had Donna saying she knew that when people left, it only meant she was closer to winning.  This is called honesty.  I'll be at the taping again tonight, and I will no doubt be squirming in my seat. Having been on stage and in the audience, I have to say that the latter is more difficult. Two girls will be going home tonight, so it's sure to be a dramatic show. H...

Yikes, I can't believe Allie was voted off last night. What a bummer. Simon was clearly troubled by having to pick between Jayme and Allie, which I can understand. That's a toughie. I was shocked they were in the bottom two. Here's hoping Canada picks a great Maria in the end.

Okay, I think I'm over it. I'm not in the show anymore, it's over, life moves on, que sera sera, c'est la vie and what have you. So, what's next for me? Probably a one-woman show. I'm also excited to get out there and start gigging again, and would love to get cast in a show somewhere. I had to turn down a few summer contracts because of Maria, but the experience I had was well worth it. For the first time ever I will be spending the summer in Toronto instead of doing summerstock theatre out of town. I hear the summer smog is lovely, and can't wait to experience it firsthand. Would you like to hear the "exit interview" I did on EZ Rock the morning after I left the show? Click here .