A Drag of a Time

As I was waiting to go into my coaching yesterday, I overheard the girl before me singing the song "Big Time" and it reminded me of a story I've decided to share.  It's about one of the most interesting jobs I've ever had.  This one's a little long but, hopefully worth it...

24th Annual Broadway Flea Market

Yesterday, I got to take a trip over to Shubert Alley and pay a visit to the Broadway Flea Market.  It's an annual fund raiser for Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS.  I'd never gotten the chance to go in the past so I was very excited to go see everything that was going on.  In the process, I picked up some pretty cool stuff.

If you're thinking, "A flea market is just a booth with a bunch of stuff."  Well, that's exactly what it was.  "One man's junk is another man's treasure", right?  But, all of the stuff here was memorabilia from almost every Broadway show you could think of!  There were playbills, calendars, hoodies, you name it.

Like most of the BC/EFA events the Broadway celebs are always out to help the great cause.  I saw Kristin Chenoweth sitting at the Promises Promises table with her dog Maddie, signing autographs for fans.  At the  "Celebrity Table" there were plenty of people giving out autographs including Sean Hayes, Bebe Neuwirth, Chad Kimball and Montego Glover (both from Memphis), Wonder Years and Who's the Boss? stars Dan Lauria and Judith Light (both starring in Lombardi) and Jordin Sparks were all there.  To check out photos of all the celebs click here.

I spent a lot of my time waiting in line to spin the lucky wheel.  Depending on the amount of your donation, you got to spin the wheel a number of times for the chance to win tickets to a Broadway show.    I didn't manage to get the tickets but, I did get a window card from The Tempermentals (a show I never saw but, heard was great), a cast recording from A Year With Frog and Toad (a show I'd never heard of but, was told was good), a 13 the Musical t-shirt (never had much interest but, it's a free shirt) and a few other small things.  I also got a Broadway Bares calendar and a Mrs. Lovett's Meat Pies hat.  I do have to say, my favorite find of the day was my Shrek the musical cap!  I have a big soft spot for that show.

Also, the other part of my day was hosting the video that we were filming for Broadway Blogspot.  I've never hosted any of the videos before so, I'm a little anxious to see how it turned out.  It was pretty cool, though, to get the chance to work with the site in a different way than my usual tweeting and Facebook posting.

Overall, it was a great day for BC/EFA.  The organization was able to raise $476,917 to go towards helping to get rid of a terrible disease!  To find out more about Broadway Cares, got to www.broadwaycares.org.  Also, our Broadway Blogspot video about the flea market will be up this Friday.  I'll keep you posted when I make my hosting debut.

Until next time...

RIP Bergamo's

As most anyone in or out of the entertainment world knows, most performers spend most of their lives working a survival job.  You know, those jobs you have to work to pay your bills?  But, it's not necessarily the place you want to wind up retiring from.  Most performers, like myself, wind up working in restaurants because, not only does it pay the bills but, it's a relatively easy job to learn and schedules are usually flexible around auditions.

Now let's face it, I've never been a fan of working as a server but, I've been fortunate to work in different places where I did my job well enough and liked everyone I've worked with so I didn't need to be changing jobs every 6 months.  But there is one place, in particular, that holds a special place in my heart.  That place was Bergamo's.

I started working at Bergamo's Italian Restaurant in January of 2004.  What made this place unique was that all of the servers were performers.  Not unusual for a restaurant I know BUT, in addition to our serving duties we would also perform 4 sets of music every night.  And I don't mean in that crappy Ellen's Stardust kind of way, I mean, opera and musical theater songs in a fine dining atmosphere.

It was probably, even still, the best serving job I'd ever had.  Not because we made crazy money or anything like that but, because it was the only place of it's kind, in Orlando, that allowed the servers to actually do what they loved to do while they were waiting tables.  It wasn't unusual for your server to drop off your martini and the head to the piano to sing a Puccini aria or something from Les Miserables.  To those of you who never went, I know it might sound cheesy but, believe me, it wasn't.

Anyway, more important than the music were the wonderful people I got to meet and work with over the course of the 3 1/2 years I was there.  Little did they know when they met me, what a handful I was going to be for all of them as I was in the midst of a, kind of, downward spiral.  But they were beautiful and talented people who came to be some of my best friends.

I left the Berg in June of 2007 when I decided it was time to move to New York.  And even though a lot in my life (and theirs) has changed, I've never forgotten any of the people that I've met over my time there.  I still think of them often and the impact they made on me (I'm starting to hear the musical strains of For Good in my head, oy!).

This whole post was brought on by the fact that I learned yesterday that Bergamo's finally closed its doors.  Apparently, due to financial issues with the owner that finally did the place in.  It's not really that surprising because the place had been having financial issues since before I ever started working there.  But it's still sad, many very talented people have now lost another outlet to perform in Orlando.

So, I wanted to take some time to give a shout out to all those people from my Bergamo's days.  I can't list everyone here because there are too many to name and I'd be constantly editing to add people I'd forgotten.  I miss you all and wish you all the best!  Yes, I too can be sentimental when the mood strikes me.

Anyway, that's enough for now.

Until next time...

Ok so screw it, I decided to be a sappy sentimentalist after all.  It's my blog, I can do what I want.  This is the best clip I could find of Kristin and Idina doing For Good.  According to the summary, it's from Kristin's last performance.  Forgive the quality and the subtitles.  This song gets me every time.  Have a good one.

Rock of Ages

Ahh, the eighties!  The decade in music where the guys had longer hair than the girls and if your rock band didn't have a power ballad or a hard driving anthem, no one was gonna listen.  The time of free-wheeling, dirty fun was about to come to an end.  City officials were discovering that cleaning up their streets and catering to the wealthier citizens and tourists would make them more money.  Love was also in the air, amongst the sweat and drugs but, it was a hard thing to find.  You had to watch the band's lead singer to make sure he didn't lure your girl into the bathroom.  All of this is the basis for Rock of Ages, the musical that has been playing the Brooks Atkinson Theatre since March of 2009.

I didn't experience any of this stuff in the 80s because I didn't even reach my teens until the next decade but, I do remember the music from that time.  Every power ballad and rock anthem was such an "important" expression of love and rebellion that even now, you can't help singing along and/or moving your to the beat.  The music is, for me,  the main draw to the show and the biggest star.

It kind of feels like someone said, "This is the music of my decade.  Let's build a show around it."  And that's what they tried to do.  If you want the full synopsis, you can read it here.  Chris D'Arienzo has written a book that incorporates all the songs well and has some funny moments but, doesn't really give any weight to the multitude of plots going on.  Are we focusing on the club's possible closing, the relationship between Drew and Sherrie or... oh wait, they're singing Styx so who cares?

The set, costumes, lights and sound were done by, respectively, Beowulf Boritt, Gregory Gale, Jason Lyons and Peter Hylenski.  Each of them do their jobs of transporting you to that dirty little bar on the Sunset Strip in 1987.  I think the design team here worked hard and did a great job of getting the details just right.

Kristin Hanggi and Kelly Devine take on the tasks of directing and choreography for the show.  They both do well at keeping the action going so as not to get boring.  The dancing certainly had that "music video writhing on the hood of a car feel" although, it did get a little repetitive after a while.

Other than the music, the best thing in the show is definitely the cast.  They're all busting their butts on the stage and look like they're having a great time doing it.  There were some clear standouts for me.  Adam Dannheisser was great as Bourbon Room club owner Dennis. Michelle Mais showed off her powerful vocals as Venus Club owner Justice.  And Derek St. Pierre as the effeminate Franz, took a one-note role and stole the show.  

Unfortunately, these great performances from the featured players overshadowed our two romantic leads, Joey Taranto and Ericka Hunter (in for Emily Padgett) who played, Drew and Sherrie.  Both had the great voices that were needed for the music but, I wasn't all that interested in them.  Although, I think that's more the story's fault than the actors.  But, I kept wanting to see more from the supporting characters and not the ones I was supposed to be rooting for.

And maybe that was my problem with the show.  The music was great, the cast was great and having fun but, there was so much going on that I didn't get chance to care about the central plot.  Or WAS it the central plot?  And did it even matter?  I'm really not sure but, I don't think the main characters are supposed to be the least interesting thing in a show.  I will say though, it was a blast and the audience loved it!  You definitely won't find anything else like it on Broadway right now.

Until next time...

God's Love We Deliver

Recently, I just finished doing a showcase with the F.A.C.T. theatre company that I've been performing with for over a year.  It was a collection of short plays under the title of GAY-Licious: A GLBT Celebration of Six Short Plays.  My particular play was titled, The Memory Book.

As always, any chance to perform is great and the group has become a family of sorts with recognizable faces in every production.  Plus I think, this time around had our strongest collection of plays yet.

But I think the most important part of our showcase was that this time we chose to donate a portion of our ticket sales to the organization God's Love We Deliver.  GLWD provides individually-tailored meals to people who are too sick to shop or cook for themselves.

Since 1985, when one woman decided to deliver food on her bike to a friend who was dying of AIDS, they now cook 3,600 meals per day and deliver to all 5 boroughs of NYC and into New Jersey.  Their services are provided free of charges, regardless of a person's age or income, and they have NO waiting list.  They deliver food within 24-48 hours of first being contacted.

Today, I decided to take a break from my usual sarcasm and random posts to give the spotlight to people who are trying to help others have a better day.  Just a small reminder that regardless of how old we are, how much money we have, whether we're light or dark or if we like boys or girls, we're all humans and should treat each other with some sort of respect.  If people really thought about how they would feel to be on the receiving end of someone's disdain because of "differences", they might reconsider their own thoughts.

Anyway, for more info about GLWD, click here.  Or you could always check out what organizations in your community are working to help others.

Until next time...

The Countdown's On

For as long as I can remember, I've been a sucker for a countdown.  As far back as 2nd grade, I can recall being by the radio so that I can hear Casey Kasem countdown the American Top 40 every Sunday afternoon.  I always knew that it was the way to hear my favorite songs and also, to find out which one was the "most important" for that week.  Anytime a countdown was on, I was glued to the radio to find out who was number one.

Fast forward to my first summer living alone out of college.  I was brand new to Orlando, in my own apartment with cable, no money and nowhere to go.  I happened to be flipping through my channels and came across VH1's countdown of the 100 Greatest Women of Rock 'n Roll.  I decided to check it out for a few minutes but, found I couldn't bring myself to change the channel.  I had to know who was next.  It was important to know who these unnamed music "experts" deemed as the most influential women in the history of music.  Monday would start off with nos. 100-81.  And each night, the next 20 would premiere.  But, they would also marathon each episode of 20 that had already aired.  So by Friday, they had five straight hours of countdown heaven!

Each time they would have a new countdown, I was there in front of my TV watching it.  It didn't matter if it was the 100 Greatest One Hit Wonders, 100 Most Shocking Moments in Rock or 100 Greatest Videos I was there watching them because I was hooked into wanting to know what came next on the list.

In some cases, they didn't have 100 so they cut the number down such as 25 Greatest Power Ballads or 40 Greatest Celebrity Divorces.  These were interesting to watch too but, they didn't hook me in quite the way that the 100 countdowns did.  There was something official about the 100 that made them "must see".

This whole nostalgia trip was brought on by the updated version of 100 Greatest Artists of All Time.  Now, I actually remember watching the first airing of this several years back and was interested to see if anything had really changed.  Sure, it had its share of "huh?!?" moments but, I still had to see what was said and where everyone landed on the list.  I can't help it.  It's the geek in me who needs to know this useless information.

Now, I dare you to try and watch one of these shows and see if you can tear yourself away.  The countdown will commence in 5, 4, 3...

Until next time...

The Dreaded Crack

So, my first audition in a couple of weeks was one that I wasn't expecting to go.  It was for a company which is mounting a production of two "old school" musicals, "Panama Hattie" and "Three Wishes For Jamie".  Now to be honest, I'd never heard of "Jamie" and only knew "Hattie" by name and that Ethel Merman was the original star.  But, I was talked into going and knew it would be a good opportunity to try out one of my new songs.

On the breakdown, it was said that they want "traditional Broadway" music for the audition.  Perfect!  It would give me a chance to do my R&H/Flower Drum Song (last time, I only did 16 bars).  Plus, there wouldn't be much pressure since I hadn't expected to go in the first place.

My time in the room came and the thing I was most worried about was getting the lyrics right.  The song moves fast so, any stumble could screw you.  But,  it was a chance worth taking.  So, I go into the room and put my book on the piano.  The accompanist  says, "Good song.  No one ever does it."  That's the second time someone's said that about this song so, I took that as a good sign.  I started the song, had the lyrics coming, movements were solid and clear and then we get to the last note.  It comes out great and then..... CRACK!

Are you kidding me?!?!?  Aside from forgetting the words, I think the most embarrassing thing I could do in an audition is crack.  Ugh!!!!  Now I realize, cracking is hardly the end of your career. But when it DOES happen, the most important thing is how you react.  Which is to say, "DON'T react!"  Drawing attention to something that they may not have even noticed is never helpful.

I finished, smiled and they asked, "Can you do an Irish accent?"  Apparently, the lead in "Jamie" is Irish.  My fail for lack of research.  But, I told them I could definitely work on one.  We parted ways and I felt good but, a little embarrassed.  They actually seemed like lovely people.  It took some of the sting out of the crack.

Oh well, another one down.  I'd love to get a callback because if I do, I'll be running to the Drama Book Shop to get one of those dialect CD's I always see and wonder if they actually help.

Until next time...