Guest blogger Victoria Cyr on French food adventures in Paris.

When Ernest Hemingway wrote “Paris is a moveable feast", he was right in every sense of the word including being surrounded by sumptuous food 24/7 (which means French gastronomy even sneaks its way into your sleep). However living in Paris, if I don’t resist the ever-present temptation to indulge, there will be a lot more moving on me than I’d like...so although I walk a lot, I still need Pilates and jogs along the Seine.

Other hobbies of mine include champagne and French wine (vin rouge in particular), but perhaps the greatest temptation are the amazing boulangeries because they’re everywhere you turn — it’s as if they follow you around.

​They’re a huge part of the beauty of living in Paris, but every time I buy my delicious, freshly baked baguette or morning almond croissant and the lovely mademoiselle smiles and asks if I’d like anything else, the world stops for a moment as I scan the pastries, quiches and croque monsieurs one more time before regaining the fortitude to say, “Non, merci. La prochaine fois.” Naturally other days I break down and leave with my arms full of savory assortments remembering that life is short and la vie est belle.

That being said, having a strategy is helpful. Cheese and chocolate are two other delectable dangers I adore. Usually I just buy two or three pieces of chocolate (maybe four) versus a box, to avoid the angst of trying to hide it somewhere so I won’t be tempted to eat it all at once.

​The other day I stepped into a chocolate store I’d never been to near metro Vaneau and for the first time ever, the woman behind the counter looked at me suspiciously and said there was a minimum order of ten, so that solved that dilemma for the day and I left empty-handed.

Of course enjoying the glorious French gastronomy is a gift that I appreciate every day and one of the many special things I miss every time I’m away — and a beautiful temptation I can’t imagine living without. 

Follow Victoria on Twitter or Instagram for more Paris discoveries.

Irene On The Scene guest blogger Victoria Cyr on a magical musical moment in Paris.

On a spring night in Paris there we were...in a festive atmosphere of a beautifully restored barge on the right bank of the river Seine. Just a few minutes from Notre Dame and the Hotel de Ville. A night celebrating the wonderful works of women composers and lyricists of musical theatre. I was mesmerized by the melodious magic of the extraordinary talent of the Paris-based troupe American Musical Theatre Live.

In a cozy cabin down below with red candles aglow on every table and people reveling with food and drinks, the show opened with a huge splash of Broadway at its best with an ensemble number of “There’s No Business Like Show Business” that would make Ethel Merman proud. The lively performance made you want to jump on stage and quit your day job.....we were catapulted to Broadway while looking out the boat's portholes at Paris architecture on the romantic banks of the Seine.

From the swooning love song, "The Way You Look Tonight" performed by the effervescent and engaging Quentin Bruno, to the humorous tune interpreted by Marion Préïté who clearly didn't seem timid in her highly energetic Broadway-belting performance of “Shy”.

The touching ballad “Love Who You Love” with the emotionally expressive voice of Jérome Bortaud stole my heart. And I loved the beautiful, riveting duet by David Koenig and Miranda Crispin from the musical “The Secret Garden”. Crispin also rocked the house singing and playing piano with a song from “The Carole King Musical”.

Another highlight of the night featured three Paris-based women composers performing their songs, starting with the lovely Devon Graves who took the audience on a journey with her emotionally-charged vocals and her rocking guitar rhythms of her very catchy song “Crosswords”. “Ballerina Dance”, written and beautifully expressed by the powerful voice of Andrea Offner, was a wonderful homage for every woman in the audience. The charming Australian composer Kym Mc accompanied Quentin Bruno on her poignant song “Let You Down".

The impeccable comedic timing of Mary Louise Stott performing “I Want Them Bald” had the audience laughing all the way through the song. And the dynamic quips between Stott and the show’s brilliant pianist Mathieu Serradell (whom by the way, has a very full head of hair) were hilarious.

Another song performed by Graves, “Words Unsaid”, an English adaptation from the French show “Lemon Twist” by Stéphane Ly-Coung and Christine Khandjian, almost broke my heart, but in a really good way.

The music left us all wanting more...and I hummed show tunes all the way home through the streets of Paris.

For more information on upcoming performances visit the website of American Musical Theatre Live.

Follow Victoria on Twitter or Facebook for more Paris discoveries.

Irene on the Scene chats with Miranda Crispin, an American in Paris, about the English-language musical theatre scene in the city of lights.

Miranda Crispin is in actress, director, singer and musical theatre teacher. She has a masters degree in Music Theatre/Opera Performance from Arizona State University, and a B.F.A. from Illinois Wesleyan University.  She studied French language at the Sorbonne and served as a Rotary Ambassadorial Scholar to France. Miranda is performing this summer in the Parisian premiere of the musical Next Thing You Know. She is a co-founder and Artistic Director of the Paris-based organization American Musical Theatre Live!

Tell us about American Musical Theatre Live! Paris
Created in 2012, American Musical Theatre Live! Paris promotes international cultural exchange through master classes and Off-Broadway style productions in English featuring performers living in France. Past shows include the Parisian premieres of Edges by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul, The Last Five Years and Songs for a New World by Jason Robert Brown. In Fall 2015, we’ll be reprising Next Thing You Know by Joshua Salzman and Ryan Cunningham. The show  premiered in Paris summer 2015 to sold out crowds. 

As an educational organization, we specialize in multidisciplinary and integrated musical theatre training, customized coaching for professional artists, as well as master classes led by our artists-in-residence from Broadway (such as Adam Kantor, Carmel Dean, Benj Pasek and Justin Paul) and the West End (such as David Gardiner). We also bring together performers at our monthly Broadway open mic where people share their musical talent, their compositions and their projects in a fun and friendly atmosphere.

Tell us more about the monthly open mic.
The Broadway in Paris open mic takes place the first Monday each month, except during summer break (July and August). When the open mic was launched in 2012, it was the first of its kind in Paris. The idea is to open up the stage, in a fun and relaxed way, so that performers can present the musical theatre piece of their choice. Performers bring their sheet music and there is a professional pianist who sight reads to accompany the artists. During these evenings, you’ll see professionals who currently play in productions in France, students, as well as guests from Broadway or the West End.

You can stay up to date on the open mic and other events by following us on Twitter or Facebook.

Tell us about the upcoming production of the musical Next Thing You Know.
Next Thing You Know is the story of four New Yorkers as they laugh, love and drink their way through the big questions that face all young dreamers who wake up in the city that never sleeps. Does marrying a really nice guy mean you’re settling down or just settling? Does taking a nine-to-five equal giving up or growing up? Does a decade in the city break you down or break you in.

This contemporary musical play, which takes place primarily in a cozy neighborhood pub, blends New York cabaret style with British pub theatre. The audience follows the humorous and touching stories of four characters who are exploring professional and personal life decisions.

The Paris production of this contemporary musical blends New York cabaret style with British pub theatre at a site-specific location: the underground Parisian pub theatre at The Highlander, located in Paris’ Latin Quarter steps away from the Seine.
The show is performed in the original English language version.

The cast features an international, Paris based group of artists led by Tolgay Pekin (Turkey) and musical director Mathieu Becquerelle (France), Lauren Berkman (USA), Frédéric Brodard (Switzerland), Quentin Bruno (France/USA), Devon Graves (USA), Marion Préïté (France), Vinicious Timmerman (Belgium/Brésil) and myself (USA/France).

Tickets available at: BilletReduc
For more information visit:  http://www.amtlive.org/ntyk

Irene On The Scene guest blogger Victoria Cyr on her Eiffel Tower love affair.

There are landmarks in the world both natural and human made that inspire us with awe and a comforting sense of familiarity at the same time, that give us goosebumps every time we’re lucky enough to look at something so breathtakingly beautiful…and the Eiffel Tower or Le Tour Eiffel, is one of them.

And it is also one of my favorite places for a picnic in Paris. Day, or night when she (or he…”it” seems too impersonal) sparkles on the hour with 1.am. being the last show.

Of course picnics are always fun, but especially with such delicious delights so readily available everywhere you look. Fresh produce, almost every cheese you could ever dream of, extraordinary bottles of wine, the ever-famous French baguettes and bread, and don’t forget (well it’s impossible anyway) the delectable desserts and pastries that might make you think you’re dreaming….(unless you eat too many and hop on a scale which I don’t recommend doing while you’re in Paris…)

After all, it is dreams that Paris is made of…and every day that I am here, I’m compelled to look at the awesome beauty, write a poem or two, watch her shimmy in the light as I smile all the way home, and fall asleep dreaming of the Eiffel Tower and the next time I see her…

PS…..if you’re too busy to pick up your own picnic goodies, check out these ideas from Paris Picnic.

Follow Victoria on Twitter or like her Facebook page for more Paris discoveries.