Aaron Carter with J-14 Editors Ashley (left) and Rachel (right).
Hi J-14ers!
Let me preface this by saying that when I was 12 years old, Aaron Carter was my friends' and my Justin Bieber. Every carpool home was filled with the sounds of "Aaron's Party (Come Get It)" and "That's How I Beat Shaq." We trekked to the concerts, bought the t-shirts, and plastered our rooms with his posters. Time went on, and I eventually transitioned to other musical tastes and left my teen idol worship days behind (well, until I became a J-14 editor!).
But last weekend, all my excitement over Aaron Carter came rushing back when we had the chance to take in one of his final performances in the off-Broadway musical, 'The Fantasticks.' The show was adorable and fun. I'm a huge fan of musicals, and even though 'The Fantasticks' is the longest running off-Broadway show, I'd somehow never seen it before. Tucked away on the third floor of the tiny Snapple Theater in midtown Manhattan, 'The Fantasticks' turned out to be the perfect cure to a dreary Saturday, and Aaron's stellar performance and post-show meet-and-greet brought back all my fangirl love.
And guess what? Aaron's about to take off on a brand-new national The After Party Tour, so you have the chance to see him live too. Click here for dates and ticket info -- maybe I'll see you there!
Ashley Spencer
J-14 Deputy Editor
Hi there J-14ers!
I'm a huge musical theater fan -- I've trekked out to the Paper Mill Playhouse in Millburn, NJ, to see 'Newsies' and 'The Sound of Music,' hopped across the pond for 'Jersey Boys' in London, seen 'Les Miserables' in San Francisco and 'Rent' in Los Angeles, and of course, caught Broadway shows here in New York from new musicals like 'Spider-Man: Turn Off The Dark' and 'American Idiot: The Musical' to old favorites like 'Annie' and 'Little Shop of Horrors.'
So when I heard that 'The Fantasticks' is the longest-running musical... and I hadn't ever seen it, of course I had to catch it. And on top of that, J-14's longtime pal Aaron Carter was starring in it as the lovestruck Matt.
Aaron has been more than 450 performances of the show since November 2011, and when we caught the matinee last Saturday, it was clear he was an old pro at the role. The intimate theater gave us a close-up look at his singing and acting -- and he stepped right into the role of musical theater star perfectly in songs like "Soon It's Gonna Rain" and "This Plum Is Too Ripe."
And after the show, Aaron stuck around to make sure he hung out with each and every fan -- and chatted with us about how excited he is about heading back out on the road for his 32-city tour 'The After Party,' where he'll play all of his classic songs like "Aaron's Party," "I Want Candy," and "That's How I Beat Shaq."
So if you're in the New York City area, definitely be sure to catch Aaron in his final performances of 'The Fantasticks'... and every one can get ready to join in on 'The After Party' starting February 22 in Poughkeepsie, NY.
What do you guys think of Aaron Carter?
Can't wait to hear from you!
Rachel Chang
J-14 Editor-in-Chief