Nicole Johndrow Photo

From: Photo Coverage: 'Mixtape Confessions' at Don't Tell Mama

Don't Tell Mama was host last Sunday to the premiere of Mixtape Confessions: Diary of a Teenage Optimist. A new autobiographical show starring Nicole Johndrow, Mixtape Confessions features surprising new arrangements of classic pop hits from 1988 to 1991, structured around Johndrow's audiotape diary from her junior high school days. At the piano was musical director and arranger Warren Freeman, who dueted with Johndrow on several showstoppers, including songs made famous by Whitney Houston, Gloria Estefan, Paula Abdul and Janet Jackson. Also on hand were Anna Ty Bergman and Dani Marcus for some tight girl-group harmonies and the emotionally charged finale, Wilson Phillips' 'Hold On.' Throughout the fast-paced show, Johndrow shares candid moments as the recorded voice of 13-year-old Nicole from the tape diary recounts the joys and embarrassments of the Eighth Grade: the first kiss, the first crush and the first heartbreak.