The Plastic Bag May Not Inflate

BOEING BOEING opens tonight! We've had a few nights of previews (meaning, figure out how to deal with the shrieking laughter emanating from the audience), and thus far, it's been a lot of fun. I thought it'd be interesting to take a moment and catalog the similarities and differences I've noticed in doing this show for a second time in less than a year:



THE SAME:
Farce is incredibly, painstakingly, ridiculously technical. Amazingly fun once you get it down, and hopefully nothing the audience notices, but there is virtually NO wiggle room to "try something new." All of that is in the relationships.

DIFFERENT:
The audience here is more reluctant to laugh at certain things than they were in Olean. Not most things, but a couple of jokes here and there. Comedy is endlessly fascinating.

THE SAME:
This remains, along with doing Shakespeare outside, one of the most vocally challenging shows I've ever done. I might put ROCKY HORROR up there, too. In BOEING, I am basically full-belting all of my lines. The entire show.

DIFFERENT:
The stage at Seven Angels is MUCH bigger than at Twin Tiers - I would venture to say it's twice as large. If that is an exaggeration, it certainly isn't by much. This means we can REALLY run after each other (it feels like I am always chasing or being chased by someone else), and also that we're all losing weight just from doing the show so much. Not much, but wow.

THE SAME:
Kissing men who get progressively sweatier as the show goes on.

DIFFERENT:
Having doors you can slam the crap out of on your entrances and exits. The set was amazing on my last production, but the doors didn't slam in that satisfying way. FARCE!

THE SAME:
Huge false eyelashes, red nails (ugh), and red lips. Also, we all have to use the kind of lipstick that is INCREDIBLY difficult to remove, since everybody kisses everybody in a highly frantic and ridiculous fashion.

DIFFERENT:
I love how different the relationship between Bertha and Robert has become in this production from the one I did this summer(from what I can see on stage and hear from the monitors in the dressing room). They're not even that different, but it's noticeable to me. Both are fully supported by the text, and both hilarious...It's one of those things I love about acting - that the chemistry between different people can yield such different results, and still to absolutely hilarious effect.

THE SAME:
Getting anywhere from at least a titter to full-on entrance laughter. Never has it worked quite so strongly to my advantage to be so obscenely tall.


Hooray for an opening night!

I'm not very good at summing up with a grand, sweeping statement

I did it last year, and I'll do it again! A summing up of my year in the way that most makes sense to me - in shows! I'm including whatever workshops and readings I remember as well.

2010
Let Us Now Praise Famous Men (workshop)
Dash Dexter (reading at MTC)
Don't Tell Mama's Cabaret
What Would Woody Do? (reading at The Flea with Tony Shalhoub)
A Tipsy Cabaret (at The Sonnet Theatre/The Producer's Club)
Stop the World - I Want to Get Off (with Musicals Tonight!)
Romeo & Hamlet (with GayfestNYC at The June Havoc/Abingdon)
Una, La Whore Del Mundo (reading at The Flea)
Office Hours (reading at The Flea with AR Gurney)
Scam (reading at Random House)
Unlawful Gatherings (at TAI, with my Sunday Playtime crew)
As Bees in Honey Drown (with Twin Tiers Theater Festival)
Boeing Boeing (with Twin Tiers)
Into the Woods (with Twin Tiers)
The Rocky Horror Show (with ReVision Theatre)
Scam (reading at New York Theatre Workshop)
Looking at Christmas (dialect coach - The Flea)
All Our Best for the Holidays (with Cape Rep)
A Marginally Christmas Cabaret (at the Royal Theatre/The Producer's Club)

And, as I began rehearsals for it in 2010...
Nine (with SpeakEasy Stage)

I'm missing a couple of readings in there from February. Can't remember project titles. Old age. It comes so quickly.

Wow, looking back on that, I was really fortunate this year. I met some crazy awesome people, and got to play two bucket list roles within the space of a month (Gretchen in BOEING and The Baker's Wife in WOODS).

Dialects I was hired to use in performance this year: Russian (2x), RP, Cockney, German, and Faux-Russian (hello, Magenta).

Favorite piece of theatre I saw is probably JERUSALEM in London with Mark Rylance - and it's coming to Broadway, folks!!! I also loved BLOODY BLOODY ANDREW JACKSON at The Public and LA CAGE AUX FOLLES on the BroadWAY.

Other marvelousness with regards to my friends includes my brother performing regularly and hilariously with his Harold team Sandino at UCB, Hannah performing at The National Theatre in London with THE WHITE GUARD, Nick Adams booking a big ol' Broadway lead in PRISCILLA, QUEEN OF THE DESERT, and Nikka Lanzarone making her Broadway debut in WOMEN ON THE VERGE OF A NERVOUS BREAKDOWN!

Ten points to anyone who knows what the title of this post references.

I'm starting the new year by seeing a show at SpeakEasy, then coming home to do some work on NINE on my own. We've worked through all of the music in the past few days, and have our first read through/sing through tomorrow! Huzzah! Onward.

A Holiday Cabaret, You Say?

Is it a shameless plug if it's on your own blog? I didn't think so.

Next Wednesday night, the 15th of December in the year of 2010, I'm singing in a cabaret show I put together with my dear friends Alesia Lawson and Sarah Randall Hunt. If you're in the area and free that night, I suggest you check us out, because it's gonna be a grand old time.

A MARGINALLY CHRISTMAS CABARET!
We know what you boys and girls want this holiday season - SINGIN'! LOTS OF IT! Well, Santa ain't gonna let you down, kiddies. He's sending a magnificent triumvirate of funny ladies (and a couple of funny lads!) your way this December 15th! We will occasionally be embracing the fact that this cabaret show is mid-December, and throwing something Christmasy your way. However, as we really can't be bothered to Fa La La La La our way through an entire 90 minutes, the majority of the evening will be free of elves, trees, dreidels, reindeer, nativities, and references to the Claus family.

Vaguely holiday-related. Absolutely hilarious.

Suggested donation of $10. Anything we make over the first $200 is going to The New York City Coalition Against Hunger.

Featuring the glorious talents of:
Sarah Randall Hunt
Amy Jackson
Alesia Lawson

With guest performers:
Aaron Jackson
Hernando Umana
Kenneth Kyle Senn

Aaaaand the marvelous Michael Hopewell on piano!

Wednesday, December 15th, 2010 @ 7:00pm
The Producers Club - Royale Theatre
358 W. 44th St, just off 9th Avenue

Summer Stock - Off the Clock

Very tired. Just got back to New York City Monday in the late afternoon, and I'm still adjusting to civilian life. I'm posting some pics for your perusal pleasure, and then going to BED! It's been a good day - rehearsed with Denis, my friend and scene partner for the Larry Moss workshop I'm taking in a couple of weeks, then made pancakes and unpacked my bags while my friend Melissa was over. We told each other a lot of stories and used an obscene amount of character voices. Eventually, Nikka came over for silly fun time. Hoorah for friends and hanging out in my lovely apartment that I've missed so much!

Anywhoo, I'm posting many of my favorite photos from the past few weeks. I'd attempt to explain them all, but I think they're either self-explanatory or pretty funny, anyway, so I'm leaving them be. I do enjoy scrolling through fb photos of actors out on other gigs, just being idiotic and having a good time. We had some pretty rough circumstances with WOODS, and yet we still managed to find time to entertain and be entertained by one another. Such lovely, hilarious, talented, generous, and kind people. I have been very fortunate in the last year and a half to two years. Such wonderful colleagues and collaborators.

Woods-a-palooza!

I am tired, and need to eat before a long day of INTO THE WOODS rehearsal, but wanted to post some of the production shots from BOEING BOEING. As you can see, it was a colorful and hilarious time.

There's a lot of drama going on here that isn't worth going into on this blog, but I would like to say that, despite a TON of obstacles, we are, slowly but surely, making the show come together. There is a great, GREAT deal of work to be done, but the orchestra sounds amazing, and many of my fellow castmates are fantastic. I am a trifle obsessed with Shane Jacobsen, who plays my Baker. If you had a lineup of potential Bakers, he'd be the most likely to be selected. We've named ourselves Bertie and Bettie Baker, and our little boy is Baby Bobby Baker. We're big into alliteration. Anyway, I have a fantastic time working with him, and with so many of my other wonderful fellow actor/singers.

I must eat breakfast before this ten am call, or I will be useless today. Greek yogurt is singing its siren song from the downstairs refrigerator...I'm coming, my darling!

BOEING is going!

Our first preview performance of BOEING BOEING is underway! My character enters about 40 minutes or so into the play, so I'm chilling downstairs in the dressing room (that word was not chosen flippantly - the dressing rooms stay far cooler than the house does, especially with the eight gazillion bright lights they're using for our play), my Twiggy-meets-Babs hair done, and eyelashes so fake they would make Liza proud affixed to my face. The creative team decided not to wig any of us, and since my hair is short, Twiggy it was! I have to say, it's more work than I'm used to putting in, but it's really sleek and different. I don't usually do my hair up to go out or anything, but I might actually...you know, make an effort. At some point.


AS BEES IN HONEY DROWN went beautifully. It was SO much fun to do every day. Seven characters, nine costume changes, about 2/3 of them quick changes that had to happen offstage, and most of them involving wigs and/or hats. Here's me in my favorite costume - as Rhinestone, a backup singer. I had three lines as this character, but it was, as I have said, my favorite. Also, the character's official name is "Backup Singer," but we developed individual names, albums, hit singles, and albums to be released subsequent to the action of the play. This had nothing to do with the direction we were given, just our own crazy notions. I am throwing a tremendous amount of face in this photo:


We had our opening night party at The Bartlett House Museum, an old historic home. The whole house is decorated alternately with gorgeous furniture and BIZARRE odds & ends. There are dozens of elaborate dollhouses and miniatures upstairs, and a gorgeous old parlor, dining room, and hall downstairs. And I covet such a veranda. Among the stranger items to be seen was this fair lady, who is my new bosom chum:



Well, we have a fairly small audience for our preview matinee, but they are responsive and lovely - they seem to really be into it. I enjoy watching my castmates in this show, as they are hilarious beyond measure. Our director put it quite well when he said he couldn't decide which of us was the funniest. My good friend Sarah Hunt is playing Gloria, the American, and she's adopted Texas twang and Texas-sized 1960s hair. She does every inch of it justice. Alesia Lawson, a pal of mine that I met working last summer in Illinois, was brought in (per my suggestion, thanks SO much) to play Bertha (the disgruntled maid) halfway through the rehearsal process. The actress originally cast had a family emergency, and had to fly home to London. She was also slated to play Little Red in INTO THE WOODS, so Alesia took over her whole track. She's gonna kill it as Red! I met the other three actors when we began this project. Emily Ciotti, playing the glorious Italian Gabriella, looks like Sophia Loren when she decks herself out, 60s style, and says that all this teasing of her hair is going to make her family proud, as she's finally embracing her Jersey roots. Gavin Lodge is Bernard - dapper and goofy and adorable. He makes sarcastic comments regarding WICKED quite frequently, but I notice that he's the only one singing "Defying Gravity" in the dressing area. And then there's the amazingly talented and unbelievably funny Derek Milman as Robert. I have most of my scenes with him, and we spent a good chunk of our rehearsal time attempting not to crack up at each other as we flung ourselves across the stage. His EYES, they're comic gold! I've never seen someone's eyes get so wide! I personally think the show is a scream. And our set - our SET! It's incredible! Our costumes look fab, the music is perfect...I love this play, and I'm ever so glad I'm getting the chance to be in it, and with these talented people. A big shout out to our director, Brian Williams, who stepped in at the last minute when the director who'd been hired had to bow out. Farce is NOT easy, my friends. It's very scientific. You have doors slamming at specific times, costume changes, spit-takes, blah blah BLAH...it can be a mess. Luckily, farce is also amusing, so it's worth the initial rehearsal tedium. Seven entrances in this show, six of them doors. Yowza.

Whenever I blog backstage, I find my thoughts are a bit disconnected. I am usually listening with half an ear to the monitor, ready to run off at any given moment. I have large gaps in between stage time in this piece, which allows me to get a lot done! BEES was much more in and out. Labor intensive, that one. Delicious, though. I love playing multiple characters. I live for quick changes. Once you get it down, after a few rehearsals, it's like a beautiful dance, and it's exhilarating to run on stage when the audience saw you 60 seconds ago in a COMPLETELY different costume.

Off to finish the show! Auf Wiedersehen!

Only in Olean

I've been in Olean, NY for almost a week now, rehearsing for the first two out of three shows I'm doing for Twin Tiers Theater Festival. We go into tech for AS BEES IN HONEY DROWN on Monday, and will finish blocking BOEING-BOEING early next week. The casts are fantastic, my directors are grand, and I think we're gonna have a couple of great shows. I had my BEES costume fitting yesterday, and I think I'm going to buy a couple of the dresses off them when I'm done. The play takes place in '97, and some of these costumes are hysterical. My favorite is the outfit I wear as Rhinestone, one of the backup singers in a punk band from London. I'll post photos when I have them - for now, I'll entice you by saying it involves ripped up gray zebra print, a bright red wig, and yards upon yards of tulle.

BOEING is also just a freaking blast - I've wanted to play Gretchen since I saw it on Broadway a couple of years ago. I went three times. Basically, my director told me I could go as far as I wanted to, and I've taken him at his word. We are throwing ourselves around that stage and burlesquing dialects with a ridiculous abandon. I am milking this German accent for every iota of potential laughter. MILKING IT, PEOPLE, MILKING IT LIKE A FRIGGIN MILK COW.

Speaking of which, I hear that Milky White (in INTO THE WOODS) is going to be played by an actual, honest to goodness moo-cow.

On that note, I'm going to work on my lines, read some of the mystery novel I found in a stack of rehearsal props, and maybe watch NOTORIOUS before going to bed. No alarm set for tomorrow - thank you, national holidays! Enjoy the random assortment of photos from the past week! Most of my time has been spent in rehearsal, but we have managed to head to Applebees for karaoke (oh, you read that correctly, all right), play a rather intense game of Jenga, and become regulars at Perkins.

Summertime Jobs and Oscar Nods

Oy, I've been so busy that I haven't gotten a chance to catch up with everything here! Between restaurant jobs, auditions, and computer death, whaddaya gonna do?

Okay. I promise I will chronicle Krakow at some point (for my own sake more than anything), but right now I have exciting news to share - I've booked a summer gig that I'm thrilled about. I'll be playing Illya/Carla/etc in AS BEES IN HONEY DROWN and The German (Gretchen or Judith, depending on which adaptation you read) in BOEING-BOEING. I'm also up for The Baker's Wife in INTO THE WOODS, which is also going up in their season. It's upstate at a new theatre festival called TWIN TIERS, and I cannot WAIT! First of all, I saw BOEING-BOEING three times when it was on Broadway two years ago, and have wanted to play the German ever since Mary McCormack made her first entrance. I cannot believe I'm getting the opportunity to play it so soon after it made its appearance on my "Dream Roles" roster! WOO! BEES should be great fun as well - it's a really fun piece for everyone, but the ensemble actors get to play an absurd number of roles, which is just fabulously fun. Now, callbacks for ITW are on Thursday. If I don't get it, no biggie, but The Baker's Wife has been on the top of the list for about fourteen years now (I can be very patient when need be), and this would be an ideal situation. I've never been in a Sondheim, actually, which KILLS me, but hopefully that will change this summer. There are other great roles in ITW, but this is one that is incredibly near and dear to my heart. Joanna Gleason (who won a Tony for playing this role) was born on June 2nd. Why, that's MY birthday! :) Love her. LOVE her.

Additionally, tonight are the Oscars!!! I used three exclamation points just now. I'm not even really jazzed enough to merit the use of one of them, but it is my favorite piece of punctuation. I have seen UP and AVATAR, and that is it. I don't even mean for Best Picture noms, I mean pretty much in general. What have I seen at the movies since the last Oscars? Harry Potter. Umm...Oooh, THE HANGOVER, I'm a little ashamed to admit. But it was $5 in rural Illinois, so I'm partially forgiven. That might be it. Have I only seen four movies in the past year? Yowzah. I think so. It's five if you count THE WRESTLER, which I saw in Feb of last year before the Oscars. I loved that movie.

I would like to mention that today marks the last performance of the Original Broadway Cast in HAIR. March 9th, the new tribe will begin performances, and in a few weeks, the Original B'way cast heads to London! I'm so excited for everyone. Can't wait to see the new tribe - my friend Catherine Brookman will be making her B'way debut!!! So thrilling!

I must tidy up a bit, for my gentle guests may be arriving at any moment. In honor of the night, I've pulled out my most appropriate book of matches for all the cigarettes I shan't be smoking.