Month: May 2009

  • Sweeney Opens

    Sweeney opened last night with a solid performance by a very talented cast and great orchestra. It’s been a bit of a white knuckle ride. I haven’t wanted to write about it because I didn’t want to be discouraging to everyone who’ve been working so hard to meet our deadline. Over the years I’ve learned to have some faith in directors and their visions. Still, we didn’t have the chute through which bodies drop when Sweeney kills them until minutes before the doors opened. No chance to rehearse the scenes. Kudos to Patrick, Cathy, Rob, Joe and…well, me, for adapting and making it looked planned.

    This is an extremely challenging show to perform and produce. The music, harmonies and rhythms, are extremely difficult to hear. Sondheim set out a tough task for casts. Everyone has worked hard to make the show seem easy. Our director, Pete LaBriola is…laconic, to say the least. He puts great confidence in his cast to find their characters and tone with little feedback. This gratifies some and alarms others. Pete has chosen his cast well and everyone has worked hard to define their niche in the show. Get your tickets at http://www.kelseyatmccc.org

    I am happy that we’ve opened and rehearsals are over. Although I regret not being able to do any of the great summer shows on offer, my agreement to not perform during the summer is good discipline to make sure I balance work, acting, and family relationships. Summer is time to be with family and friends and lay on the beach. I will be looking for opportunities for the fall and auditioning, but that’s it. (Speaking of which, never heard anything from Lantern Theater and so I assume that they were underwhelmed with my audition.)

    In other news, there are some openings and continuing shows with friends. Actors Net opened Booth last night and it got rave reviews, at Least from Marco’s mother who kept shout “Yes, yes, give it me,” as is her wont. Go to http://actorsnetbucks.org for more info. Also coming at the Net is “Cicadas and the Evangelist” an original show by local actor Jack Bathke.
    Coming up, John Zimmerman is directing “Pippin” at Town and Country in June. Http://www.townandcountryplayers.org

    See you at Kelsey!

  • It’s Almost Sweeney Time

    Here we go into Hell week. Sweeney is looking pretty good. I think after getting on stage Sunday and being able to run the show 4 times by opening, we’ll have a winner. I’m not thrilled about my portrayal of Judge Turpin yet but I generally don’t get clear on a role until crunch time; don’t know why, just the way it is.I mean, I think I’m suitably sleazy and disgusting but I still feel that my Judge is a bit of a caricature. I need to flesh him out so to speak. I also am not up to speed with the orchestra on my main song but that will come as well. If you haven’t made plans to see it, that address again is http://www.kelseyatmccc.org

    In other news…well there is no other news. I haven’t heard anything from Lantern Theatre and my sense is that’s not happening. So I doubt they’ll be any theater activity for me after Sweeney, until Equus auditions sometime in August. I’ve seen some decent auditions, most notably for Montgomery Theater’s Bus Stop. But I’m leaving myself open. It will be nice to have some time to recreate with the family and friends. I may even be able to show up at some friend’s shows during the summer so keep me in the loop folks.

  • What Actors Love to Hate

    It’s auditions. They’re crucial, excruciating, painstaking, anxiety provoking, nauseating, sweat filled, angst ridden and tedious. On the other hand, they’re a drag. Nevertheless, how else can we strut our stuff? How else to show casting directors and producers they just cannot do without us? And if, after compulsively checking our email and phone messages, we find that we have been called back or (gasp) cast, all is worth it. Of course, when directors deign not to tell actors that they have NOT been cast, one might wait in vain for weeks.

    Today I auditioned for Lantern Theater’s season, in particular Henry IV, pt1. The theater is at 10th and Ludlow. Because I am attentionally disordered and quickly scanned the appointment email, I thought it said “17th and Ludlow.” I was so thinking that the Gods were with me when I found on-street parking right near 17th and Ludlow. Of course, there’s no theater there. So, I checked the address and lo, it was 7 blocks away. Well, being city born and bred, I could not give up such a good parking space and so I high tailed it down Chestnut St. to 10th. I arrived with not a minute to spare, winded and sweaty. Of course they were ready for me and so I needed to go right on. I did a scene from Julius Caesar between Cassius and Brutus Act I, Scene 2…”The fault dear Brutus lies not in our stars, but in ourselves that we are underlings.” I’ve been doing this monologue since my high school days during the Punic Wars. I think I acquitted myself well, but who knows. It’s been three hours and I haven’t heard a thing yet. Kudos though to the Lantern for giving me a firm appointment for their EPA’s. It sure beats hanging around.

    In other news there are friends and fellow actor “friends” in several shows…
    Jim Ludovici is in Odd Couple, the premier show at the new Devon Theater in Philadelphia http://www.devontheater.org
    Jackie Halloway and Ken Sandberg are involved with Magic Time at Collingswood Community Center.
    Carol Schwab, among others is doing Midsummer Night’s Dream at http://www.collingswoodshakespeare.org/
    Steve Lobis is in Wait Until Dark at Off Broad Street http://off-broadstreet.com/index.html

    And I suppose listing these shows is a pretty sneaky way to get people to read my blog.

  • It’s Been a While

    I just realized that it’s been a couple of weeks (well months, actually) since I’ve regaled the world with my observations and thoughts. How ever did everyone do without my notes! Okay, no one noticed, but still I will write my current musings even though you’re supremely uninterested.

    Sweeney Todd is at that stage where all shows are three weeks out; it blows. Now please cast mates, don’t get your knickers in a twist, the show will be very good; perhaps better than I hoped. There are some extremely good singers in this cast and that is an absolute requirement for Sweeney Todd. What is difficult to assess is the level of acting. The score is so complex and everyone is working so hard to get it right, that there has been neither time nor space to work on character development. Hopefully this week, as we all get off book, some acting will begin to emerge. I am every bit as guilty of non-acting as anyone; perhaps more so in that I have missed so many rehearsals. I’ve had about a million talks to do over the last month. See, I schedule most of my talks about one year out. Typically way before most theater’s schedules are published. What this means is, as is the case now, I can wind up having many inconvenient conflicts. I’m actually booking my talks for next year. The only show that I know I want to leave space for is Equus at Kelsey. (Not that I’ve been assured any role in that show but I want to be available and without conflicts if possible.) But the show will be a hit and I will be disgustingly lecherous; even more so than is my wont. Come see it. The show runs 5/29-6/7. There is a reception after the 5/29 show. Tickets at: http://www.kelseyatmccc.org

    In other news, speaking of next year, I have an audition at Lantern Theater Company for Henry IV pt.1 that goes up in March ’10. It’s actually a general EPA for the entire season but they gave me, a mere Equity Candidate a confirmed appointment. I am grateful not to have to sit and wait for 6 hours. I’ve decided to delete my academic bona fides from my acting resume’. I have a sneaky suspicion that having a Ph.D. in psychology actually works against me when going for Equity gigs. There is an assumption that I am merely a dilettante and not sufficiently serious about acting. If I actually get cast more often perhaps I’m right. Of course I could be just making excuses. Maybe I ought to obtain more talent.