The Importance of Being Ernest

Thursday, June 5, 2014

Hermes All About Women NYC

Two weeks ago I had the amazing opportunity to take part in the Hermes All About Women Event on Wall Street in NYC. A friend from college sent me a message saying that a private event she was hired to do was looking for last minute replacements. She told me I needed to come down to Wall Street right now for a fitting and to see if I was the "type" that the company was looking for. That was about all that she could tell me. So i jump on the train and get to Wall Street, right across from the New York Stock Exchange. Turns out the event is a super exclusive party of Hermes, the French fashion label. They have me try on bathing suits for about an hour and take pictures of me in them. Then they tell me I have to rush to Brooklyn for rehearsal, as fast as I can! So off I go into the NYC rain. I get to the rehearsal space in Brooklyn to find 7 other girls that are just as tall and lanky as me. It was wonderful! We had 3 days of rehearsal before the show and it was so much fun. I felt like a real model. We had our nails done, hair done, make-up done. We each had our own dressers backstage at the show. It was a high quality operation.

The night of the event we performed our 16 minute "dance" show six times for the audience. After the runway fashion show happened upstairs, all the guests came down to experience the interactive parts of the night. There was our swimwear show, another room where there were dancing girls showing off handbags, a man reading fortunes in an Hermes scarf, photo booths and even an arcade horse racing game. They thought of everything. After our show was done, we were invited to stay for the after party. So we took pictures in the photo booths, drank champagne, and played the horse racing games. I am so thankful for the experience! Thank you Lily and Hermes!

Anne, Alison, Lily, Tiffany, Leah, Jessica and Sarrah Backstage

My Make-Up artist

Lily and Jessica in The Bigger Splash Room

Three of my Four looks for the show

Tiffany and Jessica

Anne and Jessica - I love that scarf visor!

Friday, May 30, 2014

Closing weekend of "Drowsy"

As we always knew, I have the best parents in the world! And for Mother's Day weekend my mom and dad flew all the way out to California to see my closing weekend of "The Drowsy Chaperone". They were able to see the show twice and we enjoyed the beautiful weather as much as we could. We walked on beaches, around coves, near Griffith Park to see the Hollywood sign and even took the Warner Brothers Studio Tour. It was a busy weekend, but so much fun!

Happy Birthday Momma!!

Mother's Day Brunch in Rolling Hills, CA

On the old set of the TV show "Friends"

My parents and my California "parents": Bob, Dad, Jessica, Iris, Mom

And then just like that, another show comes to an end. I had the most amazing time playing Janet Van de Graaff in "The Drowsy Chaperone". It was my first time playing a lead role in a musical since college. Performing in this show confirmed my love of Broadway and musical theatre. Every day of rehearsal and every show was a dream come true for me! Now on to what ever comes next...I am confident that I will be successful in whatever it may be.

Vegas Reunion

I hadn't been back to Las Vegas since I left Jubilee last October. So, since we had no shows of "Drowsy" during the week, I figured it was the perfect time to make a little reunion trip to Vegas. I was able to see the re-vamped Jubilee!, ride the new High Roller, visit the Container Park, catch up with many friends and most importantly just spend precious time with Nathaniel. It was a wonderful few days!

Patrick, Nathaniel and Jessica

My 25th Birthday Week

I'm not a big one to celebrate my birthday. And knowing that I was in California away from family and East Coast friends, I didn't have any plans for the day. But to my surprise and delight the week turned out pretty awesome! It started with a hike on Runyon Canyon on Monday with Donna and Marisa, two girls that were in "Young Frankenstein" with me.

Donna, Jessica and Marisa

Tuesday I had a callback for "Catch Me If You Can' in Vista, CA.

The day before my birthday was Margaritas in West Hollywood with my beautiful friends.

Leigh, Jessica, Donna, Annie and Marisa

Marisa, Jessica, Donna and Annie

Then it was on to dinner and baking a cake with Danny.

Finally, it was the second weekend of "The Drowsy Chaperone", where I was surprised with a decorated dressing room! That Sunday, two friends from Maine (Jamie Kennedy and Dan Mackenzie) came to see the show and after the show, the cast had a bonfire on the beach. It was lovely!

Jamie, Josh, Jessica, Allison and Dan

Drowsy Cast Picture

I am so thankful for all the friends I have made in California. They made me feel special all week long. Thank you to everyone who made my birthday week extra wonderful!

Thursday, May 1, 2014

The reviews are IN!

"The elegantly long-legged Ernest gives Miss Van de Graaff an air of cultivated self-assurance, and in “Show Off,” it’s easy to see why the lady was such a hit. Ernest’s beautiful voice and agile dancer’s body are showcased in this number that gently spoofs the stage conventions of the 1920s."

http://www.pvnews.com/lifestyle/drowsy-musical-is-anything-but/article_673f5092-cfc1-11e3-b20d-0019bb2963f4.html

"Jessica Ernest is especially engaging with her spectacular long legs and athletic abilities, used to perfection in her "Bride's Lament." Her opening number "Show Off" in which she claims to not want to be in the spotlight any longer proves just the opposite. Ms. Ernest is perfectly suited to the spotlight and manages to display many useless talents which seem to make her all the more valuable to her producer."

http://www.broadwayworld.com/los-angeles/article/BWW-Reviews-THE-DROWSY-CHAPERONE-Tries-to-Tame-a-Pampered-Starlet-on-Her-Wedding-Day-20140427#.U2Kcs2zD_mI

"Charismatic, leggy New York-based stunner Ernest has the vocal and comedic chops to follow in original Janet Sutton Foster’s hard-to-fill footsteps opposite an ideally cast Parker, triple-threat-tastic as the ever-so handsome Robert. Parker also shares a snazzy tap duet with the terrific Daniel, who sings, dances, and acts the part of sidekick George with verve to spare."

http://www.stagescenela.com/2014/04/the-drowsy-chaperone-4/

And for those of you who can't make it all the way to California, here is a little clip, so you can decide for yourself if the reviews are true!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7DyfGiwzmCM&feature=youtu.be

Saturday, April 26, 2014

"Drowsy Chaperone" Opening Night!

"Another Op'ning, Another Show"

Last night was opening night for "The Drowsy Chaperone" at The Norris Center in Rolling Hills, CA. The audience was lively, the actors were on point and I think that it was an extremely successful opening to our little gem of a show. Here are some of the press photos as well as a few from the opening night after party.