Back To Business

As I've settled in to the year not being so "new" anymore, things have pretty much gotten back to their normal stride.  It's amazing how quickly I adapted to the slowed down pace of Florida but, if I'm gonna "make it" here in NYC, this is where I need to be pounding the pavement.  But for some reason, it's been a little harder to get back into the groove than I thought it would.

I had a great audition last week that, apparently, went for nothing because they wanted guys who can tap.  Well, that's not me just yet.  A friend of mine who was sitting in the audition room but has no say in casting told me that I looked "fearless" doing my song (it was the R&H Flower Drum Song).  That was nice!  And I could tell that the casting people liked me as well but, if they want to cast something a certain way they'll keep looking until they find it.

It was a solid week for the dance classes too.  I have to say, I'm really liking them.  So far, I've done mostly jazz classes because they fit into my schedule easier than tap or ballet.  I did try a tap class and was a total mess but, it'll come once I can get to the class more.  Then maybe, I won't get crossed off a casting list because I don't have tap on my resume.

We start rehearsals for Eeek! A Mousical today with a new cast member.  Megan Thomas is replacing Donna Vivino whom, I heard rumor, got a film.  So, we lose a great lady only to be replaced by a great lady.  I can't wait to get started with everything because the show goes up in 2 weeks and we've done nothing so far.  

So as you can see, today's post is just me blathering on about what's been going on lately.  Hope no one's bored.  I'll try to be more interesting next time.  Tonight, I'm going to see a new Off-Broadway show, Richard Skipper as "Carol Channing" In Concert.  That should be fun.  I've got a couple of other things brewing but, don't want to mention anything until they're official.  Have a good one all.

Until next time...

Gettin' The Word Out

Well, it seems as though the PR person for Eek! A Mousical is getting the word out.  Press releases for the show were picked up by both Playbill and BroadwayWorld.

I've never been listed on either of these sites so, it's pretty cool news!  They are two of the leading websites for theatre news, in the country.  A friend of mine said yesterday, "Work begets more work."  So, from her lips to God's ears someone will see this show and another door will open in my career.  We shall see.

Check out the links above to see the releases for the show and I hope this post finds everyone having a great day!

Until next time...

The Divine Sister

How fortunate I felt to have gotten to spend the evening of New Year's Day watching one of the funniest shows I've seen in a long time by one of my favorite playwrights!  That show, of course, is The Divine Sister written by and starring Charles Busch and is a play I've looked forward to seeing since I'd first read it was going to be opening in New York.

The sisters of St.Veronica, led by the Mother Superior (Mr. Busch) have recently been joined by Sister Walburga (Alison Fraser) from Germany who is in to check up on the financially strapped school/convent.  At the same time, a reporter (Jonathan Walker) is in town to get the scoop on a new postulant (Amy Rutberg) at the order who claims to have visions and the ability to heal people. All the while, Mother Superior and her best friend and second in command, Sister Acacious (Julie Halston) try to appeal to the local atheist widow (Jennifer Van Dyck) for a sizable donation. When all these characters cross paths, everyone's secrets start to come out in a hugely funny fashion.

I've always been a fan of Mr. Busch ever since I stumbled across Psycho Beach Party on HBO one day, way back when.  I've also always had a taste for humor which doesn't always make sense or is in the best of taste.  This show is a perfect example of that and I laughed from start to finish!

Besides being a genius writer, Mr. Busch always has the knack of getting only top notch people to bring his scripts to life.  And this show, may be the best yet.  I won't single any of them out because there are far too many examples I could use for each actor.  They all have their own wonderful moments apart, be it just a look or a perfectly timed quip but, are even greater as an ensemble.  And thanks to Carl Andress' direction, everything moves a rapid "blink and you might miss the joke" pace.

Ok so, enough.  I've gone on far too much about how great I think the show is and it's time to stop.  But if you happen to be in NYC or you live here and haven't gotten down there yet, get to the Soho Playhouse and see this show.  You can also check out more about the show here.  It's too funny not to see!  And if you don't like, then I'm afraid you were born with no sense of humor.  For me, it was a great way to start my theatre viewing for 2011!

Until next time...

New Year, New Show

Well, it's 2011!  I hope everyone's new year got off to a great start.  I've decided for my first post, to tell a little about the first show I'll be doing this year.  The show is called Eek! A Mousical and it's a family musical update of the Aesop Fable "The Town Mouse and the Country Mouse."  I'll be playing Brad, husband of the City Mouse.

It's been so long since I read it, I can't remember if the mice had families in the original story.  I suppose I should go back and read it, huh?  Anyway, the update has music and lyrics by John Stutte and a book and lyrics from Jack Dyville.  The show will be directed by John De Blass with choreography by Maria Zannieri.

I'm also excited because we have a great cast of people who are a part of it which includes my friend Toni L. Stanton who'll be playing my city mouse wife, Bara and, also, Donna Vivino who recently got finished playing Elphaba in the national tour of Wicked.  Both of them are great ladies and I look forward to working with them.

I think what has me most excited about the whole thing is that it's a musical.  I haven't had the chance to do one in about a year and a half when I did Gutter Star at FringeNYC.  Musicals are what I love to do most so I can't wait to get started with rehearsals.

Anyone who's around, in NYC, the weekends of Jan. 28th to 30th or Feb. 3rd to 5th can click on the show name above to learn more about the show and see if you might be interested.  Also if you'd like to learn more about F.A.C.T., the production company behind the show, click here.  They'll be working in association with Joria Productions to bring this showcase to the stage.

Hope to see you at one of the shows.  I'll keep you posted of what's going on at rehearsal.  I'm crossing my fingers that this is the start of several shows I'll be doing this year.

Until next time...

Amy Grant - Grown-Up Christmas List

So in my bitterness this morning of being called in to work (back to back doubles is NOT happy time), I wanted to share something happy.  This is probably my favorite Christmas song.  And to my knowledge, Amy Grant was the first person to perform it but, as with any Christmas song, it's possible a hundred people did it before her.  This is one of the albums I remember most listening to around this time of year when I was in high school.  I like the fact that it's a simple little song with a simple message that doesn't try to blatantly rip your heart out like some other "holiday" songs.  Oh, "Christmas Shoes" how I hate thee!

Anyway, enjoy!  Hopefully, sharing this from YouTube doesn't mean you have to sit through the State Farm ad like I did.  Either way though, I hope it puts you in a festive mood.  Five more days until Florida!



Until next time...

When Do Compliments Turn Into Jobs?-Scorecard #6

So things have been pretty slow on the audition front, lately.  This time of year, things slow down for the holidays before they pick back up again in January.  So there hasn't been much for me to go to and talk about but, I did manage an audition yesterday that I almost talked myself out of.

It wasn't until the last minute that I decided to go.  What convinced me was that the theatre is in Jacksonville,  and not all that far from Orlando.  I wouldn't too far from my O-Town gang.

Because I waited until the last minute, I didn't show up at the studio until 11:00 but, figured I would take my chances with the alternate list anyway.  To my surprise, the woman in front of me had just cancelled her 2:50 time slot to take her chance on the alternate list in the hopes of getting seen sooner*. So, I gladly stepped up, took it and filled the extra time with dance class.

When it was time to go in, I sang my song and felt it went really well.  Afterwards, I was told, "VERY good.  BIG tenor voice.  And you know how to control it.  I LIKE that!"  Obviously, I was thrilled to hear that but I've also learned to take compliments, even sincere ones, with a grain of salt.  Now don't get me wrong, I LOVE being told that I did something great!  At least, up to that point where it starts to feel uncomfortable.  You know what I mean?  But a compliment is no guarantee of a job or even a callback.

I guess I'm just ready for someone to follow that compliment with a, "Why don't you come back tomorrow to read for us" or "We just so happen to have a contract for you, right here!"  That second on would be great!  However unlikely it would be.  I guess I'm just getting a little impatient and ready to get away from the survival job for a bit.

But for today, I'll just be happy with compliments and get ready for dance class.  I've almost made it through a full week of that so, I'll have to write up a report for you soon.  But for now, we'll add another success to the scorecard.

Audition Scorecard 2010-2011

                   9 Success

                   4 Fails  (3 Type Out)

A winning record going into the winter break.  Nice!  

Until next time...

*A little side note.  At an EPA, there are about 5 or 6 names per time slot with each actor being allowed 3 minutes to audition.  If not everyone uses the full 3 minutes and there's time before the next group goes, they start calling from the alternate list to fill up the time.  The woman whose time slot I took wasn't so lucky.  She was still waiting when I was leaving.  Oops.  Maybe she shouldn't have been rude to me when she was leaving the line earlier. 

Broadway Blogspot Update 10: Old Friends Doing New Things

So, it's been quite a while since I decided to blog about our doings over at Broadway Blogspot.  I've kind of gotten wrapped up in writing about myself (which I guess is what most blogs do) but, I'm going to try and get these updates going again because the site is really growing and we've got so many past contributors who are doing some really cool things!

So, here we go:

1. If you haven't seen it yet, we've posted our newest video with Travis Kelley.  A dancer who turned to photography, Travis tells us who/what to look for when we need our photos done.  We learn a little about how dancing has taught him to "focus on the image."  He also gives us great advice for taking photos and if there's a "secret pose" when getting your pictures taken.  Check him out.
2. Playwright/Author David Matthew Barnes who wrote an article for us, "The Sky's the Limit", recently had his novel Mesmerized listed as a "Top Teen Read" on Amazon.  Very cool and congrats to him!
3. Producer Dani Davis and composer Jason Howland are currently touring with Handel's Messiah Rock's.  Together they have helped to blend classic rock sounds into Handel's original Messiah to give a little "updated" twist.
4. Our friends at Theatrical Gems have a benefit performance of the Cy Coleman musical Wildcat coming up on December 19.  This one time only performance benefits The Actor's Fund and features several Broadway vets, including Tony nominee, Robert Cuccioli (Jekyll & Hyde). 

As you can see, there's a lot going on with us and with our friends.  Hopefully, you'll get a chance to check out there interviews and maybe what they're doing now.  Just click on their name or title to check out a video or to get more info about their current projects.  I'm gonna work on being better about getting updates posted on here to keep everyone up to speed about what we're doing at Broadway Blogspot.  Everyone is working really hard so, I hope you'll check everything out.

Until next time...