Theater is back! Thank the Good Lord! The world without theater is like a day without sunshine. (Un-Block The Music steals the quote from an orange juice commercial back from when I was a kid!) Anyway, with theater back, there is so much to write about and talk about. I am thrilled to report that Safe & Sound The Musical, not only will have a cabaret at Don’t Tell Mama night club in NYC on December 11th, but the creators, “Women Wonders” Holly Block and Elizabeth Jerjian have been nominated for three Broadway World Awards!
If you haven’t been following the journey of these two twenty somethings, here is a quick recap. The two women met at a Starbucks in a suburb of New York about two and a half years ago. “Un-Block The Music” was there to witness their meeting, and the amazing way this musical came together over coffee. At first Elizabeth was living in London and was coming back and forth for visits and to work, but since then she has moved to New York and the show has moved full speed ahead.
Safe & Sound is the story of how “Love” guides three characters towards rediscovering who they are by reconnecting them to their inner child. The show focuses on mental health, suicide prevention, woman empowerment, LGBTQ, toxic masculinity and self-love. “We make it a point to show that you can come through any kind of darkness with self-love and love for others,’ Holly explained.
During the holiday season 2020, Holly and Elizabeth (aka. “Lizzie”) presented a holiday cabaret live from artists’ personal spaces around the country. With fabulous feedback, they were invited to do their entire musical as part of The Front Row Fringe Festival in March 2020. They won 10 awards!
Fast forward, November 2021. Auditions were held for an “in-person” workshop of the musical. Lizzie said, “it was so surreal being able to do the workshop in person. There’s nothing like the energy in the room when you share power of music together!”.
Holly added, “there are no words in the English language to describe what it is like to be live again; to be able to hug our vaccinated friends and be in the same room with each other. Sharing this experience while holding each other’s hands is something we couldn’t do for so long, and it is something I have been doing since I was a little girl performing.”
After a successful workshop, the two decided to present their second holiday cabaret in person at Don’t Tell Mama, 343 W. 46th St. (between 8th and 9th Ave). Along with cast members and other invited performers, the show will offer up songs from Safe & Sound as well as some holiday tunes! You can reserve tickets at:
https://donttellmamanyc.com/shows/main/6388-holly-block-elizabeth-jerjian-safe-sound-12-11-21
On top of all that, this week, Holly and Lizzie found out that the show received Broadway World nominations in three streaming categories, Best Musical, Best Editing (both Lizzie and Holly) and Best Performance (Holly and Ryan Doyle). I hope you will take the time to vote for this beautiful musical. (These nominations are in categories 36, 38 and 40. Once you submit your votes, go to your email to confirm otherwise the votes will not be counted. If the email is not there, go to your spam folder. Also, you don’t need a credit card to vote. Those are ads, you can bypass them.)
Vote here:
Right from the start of their partnership, Holly and Lizzie were all about “giving back.” Keep in mind that they are trying to raise money to get Safe & Sound to the stage, but they still are always willing to offer part of their proceeds.
“We feel it is so important to donate to charity even in the process of getting Safe & Sound to the stage because this show is about human connections. It’s about unconditional love and knowing that you are not alone through any of the darkness you go through,” said Lizzie. “I truly believe this show is meant for the world, and the money needed to put it on stage will come naturally because its entire journey has been divinely effortless on its path. So, sharing what we receive on the way there is a no brainer and deeply aligned with what we want this show to give to the world.”
Holly agreed. “We are big believers in good karma. The entire energy of the show is about helping others and realizing that we are ‘one’. We want to keep that energy not just through the script and the music while it is being performed but to keep it in our lives always. We want to practice what we preach. After seeing the performance, we want people to walk away aware that we are all human and we all have the power to change someone’s life, whether it’s a smile or a compliment or something bigger. Lizzie and I are grateful that we are able to donate. We know the show will get on its feet when it is meant to. We don’t need to be greedy, but instead giving.”
Born This Way Foundation, spearheaded by Lady Gaga, is one of the charities benefiting from the fund raising, and where a percentage of the proceeds for the cabaret will go. “Born This Way’s mission is much the same as ours. It’s about accepting and loving yourself for who you are. It’s not about fitting into a box that society wants you to be in. Lady Gaga’s artistry inspires me every day,” said Holly. “Her acting coach at Circle In The Square Theater Conservatory, Alan Langdon, was also my acting coach too!”
For more about Holly and Lizzie and about their creative journeys, check out the “Women Wonders” story at:
https://unblockthemusic.blog/2021/03/10/women-wonders-twenty-somethings-holly-block-elizabeth-jerjian-unapologetically-premiere-their-musical-safe-sound-at-front-row-fringe/#more-1929 BTW…“Un-Block The Music” is proud to say…Holly Block is my daughter!
Un-Block The Music 
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