I see I haven’t written in months. Of course that’s because I’ve been on Facebook. Any friends lurking on Xanga ought to check me on FB. Anyway, here’s an update from FB.

I haven’t written of Equus in a while and so I know everyone is waiting with baited breathe to get an update. (Btw, what do you use for bait? (Look, I know it’s “bated” it’s a joke; get it?)

The really good news is that I’m pretty much off book for the show. Given that this is a killer for my character, this is saying something. I have finally learned; start memorizing early. I still have to call for lines, but I can see the light at the end of the tunnel, and for once it’s not an oncoming train. Last night was actually the first time that the entire cast was together. I know that sounds strange, but there’ve been accidents on top of illness on top of priors. Nevertheless, the acting is really excellent for the most part. Matty Daley as Alan Strang is going to dazzle y’all. The boy is really looking quite exceptional. (Sorry to call you “boy” Matty given that you just turned 20 and all…but, you just turned 20 and all.) Get your tickets to EQUUS at http://www.kelseyatmccc.org

I’ve gotten so many inquiries about nudity! So for the record: I am not nude (you’re all safe!), the horses are not nude (they wear shoes), as for Alan and Jill…well you’re going to have to come and see now won’t you?

The audition notices for Fiddler on the Roof at Kelsey came out today. I’ve always wanted to play Tevye, since seeing the great Zero Mostel play the part. In addition, I have heard “you should play Tevye” even more often in my life than I have heard “would you shut the F… up?” Still, I don’t know. Having shed my excess avoirdupois (look it up), I am no longer morphologically similar to Zero. Can a thin Tevye play? In addition, I have, at Kelsey, a history of playing heavy or dramatic roles. Okay, there was Luigi Gaudi in Lucky Stiff…but everyone else has been pretty sober. I have had no luck auditioning for Playful Productions since playing Scrooge in Christmas Carol the Musical. But, even given the above, I am provisionally putting my hat in the ring. Fiddler remains one of the few musicals that interest me and if I’m to play Tevye at all; it will need to be soon. In addition, it would be nice to work with Suz, Ruth, Nancy, and Dani again!

Imagine if you will a mix tape made for you by someone who REALLY knows music and enjoys genres as diverse as Puccini and Led Zeppelin. Now consider that the tunes are delivered to you live, in an intimate setting, in all new arrangements. Consider further that the performers are seasoned veterans who are extremely easy on the eyes and include, at the front, a well known rock star. Add in an absolutely kick ass band that includes wicked electric violin and cello. Mix it together with multimedia staging, digital lasers and amazing sound, and you have a hint at THE ROCK TENOR at the Wilma in Philadelphia. http://www.therocktenor.com
I caught the first preview of this show last night. The audience was cautioned by Vince Marini, the director, that the performance was in actuality only the second complete run-through. I was blown away. Not only by how good it was in it’s rough condition, but by how good I know it will be once the performers are more at ease and the lights, sound, and staging are absolutely solid. The voices are amazing. I wish I could tell you who they are but the programs weren’t ready. Perhaps Vince will add a comment with their names. They are beautiful women and beautiful men with incredible voices. The star though is Rob Evans of Trans Siberian Orchestra who absolutely mesmerizes with his range and versatility. The selection of tunes range from Zeppelin to Puccini from Josh Groban to The Beatles with unreal concatenations of songs such as a mix of Handel/Journey/Sondheim or Styx/Mozart/Stravinsky.
I am a home town fan and I would give a nod to Vince’s show even if it was fair because I’ve worked with him and I like and respect his work…but I wouldn’t gush. GO SEE THIS SHOW! You will be on your feet and loving every minute.
BTW, Kudos to Nick Cheng, my bud and Asst. Music Dir. and 2nd piano. The band was better than most touring rock bands I’ve seen. I would go to a show just to hear the ensemble.

Sweeney is history. Today’s performance might have been the best (or last night’s; can’t tell). We had good houses all nights, a decent review, and raves from the audiences. I really think people enjoyed the show and I do believe that this cast, all together, had the best voices of any musical cast with which I’ve worked in the past. That includes pro shows. It’s not that I haven’t worked with other amazing vocalists, it’s just that there was such a high percentage of amazing vocalists it was a pleasure to hear Sondheim out of their mouths. Mostly.

I do have complaints (of course). Most are with me and my performance. I just never did the part as well as I desired. Turpin’s big song is really tough to hear, rhythmically and tonally. I substituted acting for precise singing and, while the audience bought it, I was unhappy. I also feel that the vocal direction was weak. Even though the voices were very good, there were lots of problems with rhythmic precision and enunciation. I mean, an eighth note is not a quarter or half note. And chorus parts frequently had some people a 32nd note behind as they listened for what others were singing. Could have been corrected but wasn’t even noted. The band though was outrageous good.

I had doubts about doing Judge Turpin you might recall because I had gone out for Sweeney; a role I’ve wanted to perform. Generally, if I don’t get the role I seek, I don’t do the show because I get miserable. I must say however that Patrick Andrae did such a good job of playing Sweeney that I felt not the slightest jealousy or negative feeling. Either he was very good or I am maturing…probably the former.

As I stated before, I don’t know how many more musicals I’ll do. My voice is generally shot; a pale imitation of what it once was. Natural enough in a man pushing 60 but a drag nonetheless. I suppose I could improve it but that would probably mean giving up cigars and whiskey and, while performing in musicals gives me periodic pleasure, smoking one of my dusky beauties pleases me every day. Still, there could be other musicals. I was kind of hoping to do Showboat at Media, maybe as Captain Andy but the notice was posted this week and it calls for a “Jolly” Captain. To me, that’s code for heavy set, something I am no longer. They also want a tenor although why that is escapes me since the only number the Captain sings is “The Band Played On.” Pierrot Productions is doing The Producers in the fall and I would love to play Bialystock but, again, I’m not really the general physical type for the role. I have thought of going for Frank though or maybe even Roger DeBris. (Playing Roger would just shock so many people that it’s a very tempting prospect. Then again, maybe I just want to air my transvestite side). Of course I would love to do Equus but, since the director doesn’t see me strongly enough in the psychiatrist’s role to pre-cast me, I’m not waiting around to see if I win the lottery.

It was great to see so many friends and colleagues at the shows during the past weeks. Thank you for your support. And to those who did not come…well ya gotta see mine if ya want me to see yours.

I want to give a shout out to Pippin at Town and Country. Promises to be a very good show directed by John Zimmerman and featuring Mike Schiumo (who came to see Sweeeny…see how this works?) Get tickets at http://www.townandcountryplayers.org/

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!

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.

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.

Folks, this is your last chance to see the only professional production of this fun musical produced to date in the Philadelphia area. Go to http://www.mediatheatre.org to get the remaining show times. Audiences have been wowed; standing ovations every night.
I’m not quite ready to write a postmortem yet. I’ll wait for next week. It has been generally a great experience. I’ve not gotten to know many people very well but that’s probably as much from hanging back as from the natural distance of being so much older than the rest of the cast. I’m really looking forward to Sweeney where I know the cast will be a mix of older and younger. Speaking of Sweeney, the first meeting is Wednesday night. Seems Pierrot Productions has a tradition of having a party at the start of their spring productions and so we meet on April first. I have no idea who else was cast at this point. Unfortunately, one of the cast of Shook Up is throwing a party after the Wednesday matinee and I will not be able to attend. There’s an irony here somewhere.
One of the advantages of not being “in the loop” is that I have not been privy to people’s complaints about Media, the hotel, the management, all of which I know are occurring but the details of which I am blissfully unaware. I have felt very good about all of my contacts with the staff of the theater. They are professional and friendly. I’ll get more specific next week but suffice to say, I would work for this outfit again in a minute. I do have a general critique, but it applies to all regional non-profits. There has to be a better way of communicating need and soliciting money and tickets than having a pre-curtain speech. It just feels so bush league. Maybe it’s just me but I note that, except for some charity appeals, like the Equity AIDS drive, there are not these speeches in the city theatres (NY or Philly). I know that funding is an issue but I favor the kind of appeals I get from Opera Company of Philadelphia; email and direct mail. I know funding is a critical issue. I don’t have the magic formula but, is it really necessary to tell people what next season’ s schedule is when the audience has that info in their hands and it’s posted in the lobby? When I’m an audience member I resent the 10 minutes added to my evening. I come for the show. I want it to start at 8. I actually am less likely to contribute when appealed to in this manner. Then again, I can be a curmudgeon. Perhaps others don’t share my feelings.

All Shook UP opened last week and, after the first 7 shows, I am still standing. I envy the rest of the cast their two days off this week. I of course am at my office seeing patients and doing evaluations. The true test of stamina begins on Wednesday as another 7 shows begins. This time I’ll be working days in addition to performing nights. The results will pretty much determine whether or not professional theatre is a good idea for me. Meanwhile, All Shook Up has garnered rave reviews from the audiences with standing ovations every night. I am proud to be associated with the production, no matter that I have little to do with the enthusiasm of the audience.

Audition last night at Kelsey for Sweeney Todd. I almost canceled. I am just so tired. But I went because I knew I’d be sorry if I didn’t. Now I’m sort of sorry I did. I just was poorly prepared. I tried using a song from the show that I thought I knew but, without time to practice with piano, I did not have the song down tight as I believed and so blew it. The monologue, while okay, was generic and undistinguished. In retrospect I think it would have been appropriate to do a classic monologue for this show. Oh well, the director has seen my work and knows I’m competent. The music director has worked with me before and knows I can sing. We’ll see. I just can’t do everything I want to do as well as I want to do it all the time. Well, the auditions apparently drew over 70 people and so the competition is going to be strong. I’ll be pleased just to get a call back.

One nice thing about auditioning at Kelsey though is the number of familiar faces. It’s nice to be among friendly faces at an audition and I’m always genuinely pleased to see many of my acting buds.

So Wednesday is two performances of All Shook Up and I’m raring to go.

I’m writing this on my phone while at Tech for All Shook Up. Any actor knows why this is called Hell Week; sitting, waiting, boredom, long hours, frayed nerves. It’s the tedium that creates the magic.
So now that rehearsals are done I have survived the couple of weeks and have some perspective. It’s not at all easy to have two jobs! It takes a toll on both of them. While my patients will be pleased when the show opens, it will be even harder on home life. Wednesday thru Saturday I might as well be in a hotel for all I’ll be home. At least Sunday night thru Wednesday morning I’ll be home. Family is not happy. I am conflicted. On the one hand this is what I’ve wanted to do my entire life. Going back to acting after so many years is the direct result of having survived cancer (so far) and realizing I could not postpone my dreams any longer if they were to be anything but unfulfilled. So I became a scuba diver and came back to theater. I also stopped working nights so that I could coach Sommer and be home more. I made a decision not to act summers to enjoy those months with Carolyn. I don’t know how far I can take acting. Acting and psychology together take a toll physically, relationally, and also financially. I struggle with whether I am being selfish. When is it time to put your dreams away? Can I have it all? Can I fulfill all the roles in life I desire well; or will the attempt doom them all to mediocrity?