tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-71469008517695655922024-03-17T22:04:17.089-05:00Armchair ActorvistA LIFE IN THE THEATERArmchair Actorvisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02873366521914303194noreply@blogger.comBlogger843125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7146900851769565592.post-67620682065522551242021-04-07T12:26:00.005-05:002021-04-08T17:35:34.754-05:00Gamecock Diaries, Part Six: My Summer of Silly Accents<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>another entry in the occasional series describing my adventures pursuing my MFA</i></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2TeDoUVdCyaZY7RgSIIUReOCGHHwwq-_cxwSlhKfkVk9wj579keMjwEe5Ud5Gq593mF0Bp2JDojSQA5EK4Nr3-kJoil-nm2twHbTQoHol8bApNcAHrS2o5Q8CKmszjXuuRjLb5NEohUH5/s1600/012.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="362" data-original-width="673" height="172" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2TeDoUVdCyaZY7RgSIIUReOCGHHwwq-_cxwSlhKfkVk9wj579keMjwEe5Ud5Gq593mF0Bp2JDojSQA5EK4Nr3-kJoil-nm2twHbTQoHol8bApNcAHrS2o5Q8CKmszjXuuRjLb5NEohUH5/s320/012.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">During my years in Los Angeles, my college crowd always gathered for Easter Brunch, a tradition we continued for many years after graduation. When I got to South Carolina, I continued the tradition by suggesting to my new bestie Deborah that she host this Easter Brunch at her house. It was one of many social events, large and small, which added meaning and resonance to my time at USC. That's me in the purple silk shirt behind the camera. And that hat? I was too precious for words.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAqdbGqSETtTkzvKanWt7FFf0pyCHiHIIvqtRtPFGUf31QGaYqLKjTubv7YkPJCPca0xHbX8v-nBVGq3ZbrBVko8tcHFKhhAmtnaMGM3Y4PXbWnDwu7KsxsU0iNov4EQ3VYiG1Cf8-KWaM/s1600/015+%25282%2529.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1178" data-original-width="792" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAqdbGqSETtTkzvKanWt7FFf0pyCHiHIIvqtRtPFGUf31QGaYqLKjTubv7YkPJCPca0xHbX8v-nBVGq3ZbrBVko8tcHFKhhAmtnaMGM3Y4PXbWnDwu7KsxsU0iNov4EQ3VYiG1Cf8-KWaM/s320/015+%25282%2529.jpg" width="215" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Deborah, the redhead, hosted many social<br />
events, including this Easter Brunch. Kim<br />
was soon to wow audiences as our Reno<br />
Sweeney.</td></tr>
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The MFA program at USC was designed to encompass three years, two spent on campus in Columbia, and the third spent in DC on internship. The summers between those years were not technically included in our curriculum, but the Powers That Be had come up with a plan which allowed the graduate students to remain on campus during the summer, continuing to earn the assistantship money provided by the school, and at the same time, providing the labor for USC's summer programming. That programming included several full scale productions and a lavish children's show. In addition, the university offered a theatre camp for kids, from which, like all theaters everywhere, they made a buttload of money. Grad students were the faculty. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy4nBD6d9xQ8FzUvU65RVy1WrMot16QqqVFfy_aRkMO2cyt3drjW3F9roCsIEzA16EO10dCU6XGCWxTdETjQzqz2TCDkXEj28Csrhv8G9GKHVaQ6SAcRKtabV7vN7kBTVii73CiIO47YDl/s1092/004+%25282%2529.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="what is this" border="0" data-original-height="805" data-original-width="1092" height="236" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy4nBD6d9xQ8FzUvU65RVy1WrMot16QqqVFfy_aRkMO2cyt3drjW3F9roCsIEzA16EO10dCU6XGCWxTdETjQzqz2TCDkXEj28Csrhv8G9GKHVaQ6SAcRKtabV7vN7kBTVii73CiIO47YDl/w320-h236/004+%25282%2529.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kim and Richard were to play the leading roles in <i>Anything Goes. </i>Take a look at our swanky "Grad Student Office", complete with up-to-date computer.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;">So the summer of 1994 was going to be jam-packed, in fact it would prove to be the busiest time of my MFA career. <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHxVegB3YeKn1epu_rbiIOFOOdeEq1duj_VVlpMKWmbZTnEIErrU_ucvZcLhqB1KFchOxstGAUL_20np62kQWqmOFczG9JZxr8cDofH7yc9zZpe_ly8K4rPVdeh_FGOIR0XlXNDYULkcLk/s2048/20210315_205446.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHxVegB3YeKn1epu_rbiIOFOOdeEq1duj_VVlpMKWmbZTnEIErrU_ucvZcLhqB1KFchOxstGAUL_20np62kQWqmOFczG9JZxr8cDofH7yc9zZpe_ly8K4rPVdeh_FGOIR0XlXNDYULkcLk/s320/20210315_205446.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>A Walk in the Woods, Strange Snow,</i><br /><i>Anything Goes, The Emperor's New</i><br /><i>Clothes, The Search for Signs of</i><br /><i>Intelligent Life in the Universe</i></td></tr></tbody></table><br /></span><span style="font-size: large;">The Summer Rep that year included five full productions, I was cast in the two largest. As I mentioned in a previous entry in this series, </span><i style="font-size: large;">Anything Goes</i><span style="font-size: large;"> was placed in the season after several grad students displayed some musical talent. USC was a classical program and did not, as a rule, produce musicals, but the late great Jim Patterson felt confident that this was the time for a full scale crowd-pleasing extravaganza. <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGt6NFG3wqe1XOoiOgFk6cfW0KiVGajQozeE5VytsTGhCoa2H5KfL38F8T_8iM2bERfu34_Lf_nPW8DtyGHpnDusOTF929uFf9_DZYEdN_X-_QhB8s8DzEyvHlfDJIphg_KGaKZ6Hoed_D/s960/Strange+Snow.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="726" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGt6NFG3wqe1XOoiOgFk6cfW0KiVGajQozeE5VytsTGhCoa2H5KfL38F8T_8iM2bERfu34_Lf_nPW8DtyGHpnDusOTF929uFf9_DZYEdN_X-_QhB8s8DzEyvHlfDJIphg_KGaKZ6Hoed_D/s320/Strange+Snow.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Strange Snow </i>ran in roughly the same period as <i>Anything Goes</i>. It's a small, 3-character piece full of what I think of as "truth and beauty" acting. My grad school chums Steve and Deborah were terrific playing opposite recent grad Steve Harley, who had become the leading man at the local professional theater. Like all the other shows in the '94 season, it may have been slightly overlooked as <i>Anything Goes</i>, with its lavish costumes, turntable set, and large cast, sucked up all the energy of the theatre department.</td></tr></tbody></table>I've <a href="http://armchairactorvist.blogspot.com/2013/04/gamecock-diaries-prologue-my-dinner.html">written about Jim Patterson</a> throughout this series; when he was directing me in </span><i style="font-size: large;">The Importance of Being Earnest</i><span style="font-size: large;">, he was already planning for <i>Anything Goes</i>. He gave me a huge compliment, in retrospect. He asked me which role I would like to play. <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtEKy9-AWSX7Sh4iorjfAqMHyADjeg54ynGch_rAEOxpJlW71GB3_CpaHQv7MuUyEoku0jfCGZpLKb5jaRIRD6CejjJ3nKCrpjqdflB3D4fnP2YuGcSMwUuUcNqZOAJXXtkw2Vj8ZJG0ll/s920/077.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="920" data-original-width="678" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtEKy9-AWSX7Sh4iorjfAqMHyADjeg54ynGch_rAEOxpJlW71GB3_CpaHQv7MuUyEoku0jfCGZpLKb5jaRIRD6CejjJ3nKCrpjqdflB3D4fnP2YuGcSMwUuUcNqZOAJXXtkw2Vj8ZJG0ll/s320/077.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The cast was so large it had to be<br />augmented by several local actors<br />of note. Jonathan, only in his teens,<br />was already a stage vet, and he was<br />an audience favorite in the big <br />numbers. He is now a cabaret<br />artist and arts administrator in NY.</td></tr></tbody></table><br />There are two comic roles in </span><i style="font-size: large;">Anything Goes</i><span style="font-size: large;"> which were appropriate for me, and though I only knew the show from the famous Patti Lupone revival cast album, I knew either one would be fun to play. There was a British twit who has a comic song in act two which some consider to be the show's 11:00 number, and the larger role of the comic villain, Moonface Martin, a hapless gangster on the run. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGF8ZYUGF184f1NwkcF91f9ZE8FaLlo0Ts-BATCkpv_lqk23RHlTrDj0vMo7LJ4gWY6ULBPM-zf6PdqsjdLahFb0XoXiW-6FVc-GkFjU7vnouGQcKSau2h3Tg2pkyM0p2-PyDxKiq99ZDi/s2048/20210315_205023.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGF8ZYUGF184f1NwkcF91f9ZE8FaLlo0Ts-BATCkpv_lqk23RHlTrDj0vMo7LJ4gWY6ULBPM-zf6PdqsjdLahFb0XoXiW-6FVc-GkFjU7vnouGQcKSau2h3Tg2pkyM0p2-PyDxKiq99ZDi/s320/20210315_205023.jpg" /></a></div><br />An old friend of the show's leading lady, Reno Sweeney, Moonface had two songs (plus inclusion in some group numbers) and lots of room for comedy. I told myself I had already played a British twit this year (Algernon in <i>Earnest</i>), what would I learn from playing another one? So I chose to play Moonface, but let's face it. I picked it because it was bigger.</span><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZpi-YZQbFLggmjwVVJ5vO1qM2Y36PchcjAbGrQr9D7OLLrnv3-VwkNffTzrw64tNRzB7j8hppr10iODG15_l9oo-scbLzqfeK9q1Yvp8zxnh9DTw3C2rIux5PvUkxlWWIKFidEkFd8XR8/s250/Joel+grey+r_anything_goes.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="150" data-original-width="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZpi-YZQbFLggmjwVVJ5vO1qM2Y36PchcjAbGrQr9D7OLLrnv3-VwkNffTzrw64tNRzB7j8hppr10iODG15_l9oo-scbLzqfeK9q1Yvp8zxnh9DTw3C2rIux5PvUkxlWWIKFidEkFd8XR8/s16000/Joel+grey+r_anything_goes.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I don't have any production shots from <i>Anything Goes</i>, but here's Joel Grey playing my role in the most recent Broadway revival. (Joel and I are practically twins, which <a href="https://armchairactorvist.blogspot.com/2015/02/friday-dance-party-joel-and-me.html">I wrote about here.</a>) Moonface Martin, Public Enemy #13, spends most of the show disguised as a priest, which causes a problem for anyone playing him. It is difficult to be funny dressed in black. (There's another problem, too. Priests aren't funny. Nuns are funny, priests are not.) You can see here that Grey mitigated the problem of being in black by adding a jacket. Cheater.</td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-size: medium;"><span>I got great response to my performance, including from the USC faculty. Our opening night ran like a dream, with the duet between Moonface and Reno, "Friendship," one of Cole Porter's best known songs, bringing down the house. The day after that first performance, I received a handwritten note in my office mailbox from Ann Dreher, who had directed me in my first show at USC, </span><i>The Cherry Orchard</i><span>. (I wrote about <a href="http://armchairactorvist.blogspot.com/2019/09/gamecock-diaries-part-2-everything-in.html">that show, and Ann, here</a>.) </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-G1pu7HSIaBx86SXBK5FS1-lSn6Ya_pLEr1WcM8jfBv4nhrWMxA2X0ePTnD8LUexUwpLnQoSBY9N158-oYrr2g4ddHVDD2uTMjJNe-5EnspIelc6JObinJrU-ZCkEtXdb1Buqt1XtbjE7/s2048/20210315_204903.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-G1pu7HSIaBx86SXBK5FS1-lSn6Ya_pLEr1WcM8jfBv4nhrWMxA2X0ePTnD8LUexUwpLnQoSBY9N158-oYrr2g4ddHVDD2uTMjJNe-5EnspIelc6JObinJrU-ZCkEtXdb1Buqt1XtbjE7/s320/20210315_204903.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ann's note to me was so flattering that I kept it. I should have reread it a month later, when she asked me who I'd like to play in her next show. My answer was not very judicious. </td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-size: medium;">Ann claimed I had stolen the show (and who am I to quibble with a faculty member?); I was super flattered to hear this, but a little later in the summer, I should have remembered that note more clearly, as it would affect a decision both Ann and I had to make. (More on that in a mo'.) <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7huFibiSS-XF9iaIXGVSn232J1j9or-v7mZMjQonXwidVKqnjmeiCu4nF9qnxgUufoWAKZZOx2RCkwjgMLYnVORtiY2gfJPKrxpMd1ylbWwSgvKxw_3cVsJDxIM11Kb7MJ1XSv_9yaAg7/s941/010.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="784" data-original-width="941" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7huFibiSS-XF9iaIXGVSn232J1j9or-v7mZMjQonXwidVKqnjmeiCu4nF9qnxgUufoWAKZZOx2RCkwjgMLYnVORtiY2gfJPKrxpMd1ylbWwSgvKxw_3cVsJDxIM11Kb7MJ1XSv_9yaAg7/s320/010.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kim (on the left) was actually studying for her M.A. when director Jim cast her as Reno Sweeney. She tore the roof off the joint, but the show ruined her relationship with Jim. As I understand it, she had asked Jim's permission to hire her friends to tape the show, and Jim agreed. He later claimed he thought Kim had meant to tape only a few songs, but the filmmakers arrived that night with the intention of taping from Overture to Curtain Call. Jim raised a stink (as only Jim could) and ejected the cameras, literally seconds before the overture began, in front of a full house. Kim almost quit, she was so angry, and the incident soured her enjoyment of the show from then on. The legality of this situation is clear: taping the show, even in an academic setting, is against the rules (everybody in academia breaks those rules, but they are the rules). Still, I wouldn't mind having a copy of our <i>Anything Goes, </i>even if it was a bootleg.</td></tr></tbody></table></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;">The second show I appeared in that summer was an original adaptation of <i>The Emperor's New Clothes</i>, written and directed by USC's resident provider of children's programming, Jayce Tromsness.<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibvggOazOZwQns0r0aaDuQnjpB5SLA1yy37WxRSH-hPZWmCcIlvXGlvLVCGzvUN8ROdWg-utNOP7LFYaJYmj0665t_MibxjzKhgbH0KOTsjoMS80j9clF-QMKfunFEmIHG020GMy5oS-pL/s1142/048.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="617" data-original-width="1142" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibvggOazOZwQns0r0aaDuQnjpB5SLA1yy37WxRSH-hPZWmCcIlvXGlvLVCGzvUN8ROdWg-utNOP7LFYaJYmj0665t_MibxjzKhgbH0KOTsjoMS80j9clF-QMKfunFEmIHG020GMy5oS-pL/s320/048.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jayce wrote and directed large scale kids' shows for the Summer Rep, I worked on his shows both summers I was at USC. They were lively and fun, full of energy.</td></tr></tbody></table></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;">In this one, I was slated to play one of the Emperor's servants named Mop: <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiabF5Tf6BHok731BsujeAce05x21ogFcKvGDXy9iRsuktjSmv-lsg8H6H69mGid6z65Tdxlr16aPSByF5Wb5bukP4oHbp3EsaKSYOA9XRO2h2B-JwCRqQ3TXQExh5AxozHCucevijWrBth/s862/Emperor%2527s+Mop.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="862" data-original-width="564" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiabF5Tf6BHok731BsujeAce05x21ogFcKvGDXy9iRsuktjSmv-lsg8H6H69mGid6z65Tdxlr16aPSByF5Wb5bukP4oHbp3EsaKSYOA9XRO2h2B-JwCRqQ3TXQExh5AxozHCucevijWrBth/s320/Emperor%2527s+Mop.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">When I first spoke Mop's lines aloud, I realized Jayce had subconsciously written the dialogue in a Cockney rhythm, so that's how I presented him at our first read. It worked well. I was already using an over-the-top New York Brooklynese accent to play Moonface Martin in <i>Anything Goes</i> every night, and now I was using a British Cockney brogue during the day. I was to add one more silly accent before I was done.</td></tr></tbody></table><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9TuTlveyD1MBm9kxhF0r9lxBSgQbhDm1ayoq7FEsh4f2s2U-6WcCoT9QxQwILi_g26-6qmfq4rC-AKZoqjIQj1bvhDP69DWJFmZ8O0ACFaBKYDREFbhPNKhzKDDZcLoTA1FnSAFrK5Qqf/s830/028.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="707" data-original-width="830" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9TuTlveyD1MBm9kxhF0r9lxBSgQbhDm1ayoq7FEsh4f2s2U-6WcCoT9QxQwILi_g26-6qmfq4rC-AKZoqjIQj1bvhDP69DWJFmZ8O0ACFaBKYDREFbhPNKhzKDDZcLoTA1FnSAFrK5Qqf/s320/028.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nan was in my MFA class, here she played Mop's<br />wife (I'm not sure she had a name). I did 11<br />shows while in SC, and Nan was in most of them.<br />Adding 5 more shows we did together during our<br />internship, and I'm sure I've worked with her<br />more often than any other actor, or indeed any<br />other person, in my career.</td></tr></tbody></table><br />During our first read-through of <i>The Emperor's New Clothes</i>, there were a couple of very small roles which Jayce had not yet assigned to his company. I had my eye on one, a single page scene in which the goofy Emperor, hilariously played by Steve Harley, took a dance lesson from a pompous instructor. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdbsKcw4DfVS257s2j9B-U1zhHGyAXBYf7zyscYe9DO3oWj0NrET1dQduAzROzQa01LgHycQsVohEwQtGV4Ej6kdljLFJONlkimp4WFSF5jEEKrpg9vuEhfnXHY6r7khGC70gOz9J4f9bW/s970/043.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="970" data-original-width="734" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdbsKcw4DfVS257s2j9B-U1zhHGyAXBYf7zyscYe9DO3oWj0NrET1dQduAzROzQa01LgHycQsVohEwQtGV4Ej6kdljLFJONlkimp4WFSF5jEEKrpg9vuEhfnXHY6r7khGC70gOz9J4f9bW/s320/043.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Steve and Monica Wyche were<br />hysterical as the Emperor and<br />Empress.</td></tr></tbody></table><br />Here again, Jayce had written a character's dialogue in a certain rhythm without really realizing it. I, however, could see right away that this Dance Instructor was French. I volunteered to read the scene aloud, and went over-the-top Pepe Lepew with it. I now had two roles in the show (requiring an extremely tight quick change), a Cockney servant and French dance instructor. <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUrQwC3z0wSf4oklCzIDQggTKfslG6i1P-mwF-UnPWDmfh09Q0O9hDtElDdRaMs_MNErMz0srGRDb3Ya0KZrIM9J7_F7EfB7-kQWAzRGSLoebd_kZTLndbCpGEX_EUSoMnGYzuoE_AFZNT/s863/Emperor%2527s+Dance+Instructor+1.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="564" data-original-width="863" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUrQwC3z0wSf4oklCzIDQggTKfslG6i1P-mwF-UnPWDmfh09Q0O9hDtElDdRaMs_MNErMz0srGRDb3Ya0KZrIM9J7_F7EfB7-kQWAzRGSLoebd_kZTLndbCpGEX_EUSoMnGYzuoE_AFZNT/s320/Emperor%2527s+Dance+Instructor+1.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Theatre For Young Audiences and Classic Musical Comedy are not all that different from each other. I spent the summer of '94 going over the top with both.</td></tr></tbody></table></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcjC0nhhPDXjObsL6bXq78uIBLcPbHgxPNPtu0Nd2FhKxAloivhFdOBIBm53yXBJXzLCZJ9zjyGLqS5w576QDRTT3JS6kmiM1D2rFAcrQaZiYBvUXsLWTqrX6o8Jg9CRvhOjOyZ2C6fbCS/s624/047.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="624" data-original-width="413" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcjC0nhhPDXjObsL6bXq78uIBLcPbHgxPNPtu0Nd2FhKxAloivhFdOBIBm53yXBJXzLCZJ9zjyGLqS5w576QDRTT3JS6kmiM1D2rFAcrQaZiYBvUXsLWTqrX6o8Jg9CRvhOjOyZ2C6fbCS/s320/047.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Steve was in the class ahead of<br />me. I don't remember his role<br />here, though I'm sure it was the<br />villain. We've remained friends<br />and colleagues; he has directed<br />me several times in professional<br />shows in DC.</td></tr></tbody></table><br />I had a full schedule with the Summer Rep and with teaching teens all day, but I also made a decision which I thought was smart but others thought was nuts. The MFA program at USC was performance heavy but was also an academic degree. As such, the degree required passing a grueling comprehensive exam as well as writing a thesis. Usually, grad students postponed dealing with those academic requirements until their second or third year, but I decided to tackle them both that first summer. <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinCGnFWTBqMB2RCMTMbehUeh7MP3KmqjHE-BbNKbd5WeP34S7BCTVR7KHqiWnphnInxHbyCfnIDi88TBMamyKQYI7kdYcZHCMsgonv1pzKLpoxV4Vr7lprXMWn88oLRKm8WDVQVW_MyWVX/s1177/004+%25286%2529.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="713" data-original-width="1177" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinCGnFWTBqMB2RCMTMbehUeh7MP3KmqjHE-BbNKbd5WeP34S7BCTVR7KHqiWnphnInxHbyCfnIDi88TBMamyKQYI7kdYcZHCMsgonv1pzKLpoxV4Vr7lprXMWn88oLRKm8WDVQVW_MyWVX/s320/004+%25286%2529.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The comps were offered twice a year, but MFA actors usually took them the summer after their second year. I was determined to get them out of the way, so I spent many late nights with members of the class ahead of me (including Deborah, above), studying the complete history of theatre from Thespis through Stoppard.</td></tr></tbody></table>The test itself took four hours and included not only a resuscitation of facts but also a section of essay questions which were to be written on the spot. You couldn't graduate without passing this monster, so I was glad I did so early. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqNmtPc-hQOUjJufQbzESD3mkaDZBaXJn7n_W0z7ppPHgR1Mg8tDC24C7DCUog3QiJ__mYNSPjG1mnrNLiGbTtUrI6vwWWc_1-xODD9X39ZEVOUm4XnFFF73fPbHQW6f9GR_jhlDI74yGe/s1200/Richard+and+Me+002.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="816" data-original-width="1200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqNmtPc-hQOUjJufQbzESD3mkaDZBaXJn7n_W0z7ppPHgR1Mg8tDC24C7DCUog3QiJ__mYNSPjG1mnrNLiGbTtUrI6vwWWc_1-xODD9X39ZEVOUm4XnFFF73fPbHQW6f9GR_jhlDI74yGe/s320/Richard+and+Me+002.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Richard was in the MFA directing program, but was also an actor with musical theatre cred. He was great fun to hang out with. He played leading man Billy Crocker, who sings "You're The Top" with Reno Sweeney (among other Cole Porter standards). <i>Anything Goes </i>is a bit odd, in that the leading man and the leading lady do not end up together, they aren't even interested in each other, they are best friends who help each other end up with somebody else. </td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgk4hIj_OhDZgB1q3YcpOpBHn1_3uOnQ2kxK75DyUZvUlM0vLlA5rl_qvhBZ_Mdd7LxaSGyVrKUFYZHq4TKS2rae-C0GYySWVUt3iCEVjqPQN5zCOgr-wvoYlBmZlhyphenhyphenpgtynxaGFN7DlfNt/s987/008.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="987" data-original-width="712" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgk4hIj_OhDZgB1q3YcpOpBHn1_3uOnQ2kxK75DyUZvUlM0vLlA5rl_qvhBZ_Mdd7LxaSGyVrKUFYZHq4TKS2rae-C0GYySWVUt3iCEVjqPQN5zCOgr-wvoYlBmZlhyphenhyphenpgtynxaGFN7DlfNt/s320/008.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">That's director/writer Jayce trying<br />to avoid my antics. He gave me<br />juicy roles in two splashy kids'<br />shows and an off-campus<br />Shakespeare, plus we acted<br />together in <i>Mother Courage</i> on<br />campus the next year. I think<br />those stories are coming...</td></tr></tbody></table><br />That summer, I also wrote a complete first draft of my thesis, which was to be comprised of dissections in depth of four performances I gave during my time on campus. My advisor Jim Patterson encouraged me to take the first four shows I did at USC and write this thing immediately, polishing it later. I was smart enough to take this advice, so in addition to everything else going on that summer, I wrote in depth examinations of my performances in <i>The Cherry Orchard, <a href="http://armchairactorvist.blogspot.com/2019/11/gamecock-diaries-part-four-whats-it-all.html">The Importance of Being Earnest</a>, <a href="http://armchairactorvist.blogspot.com/2020/08/gamecock-diaries-part-five-groping-for.html">Measure for Measure</a></i>, and <i>Anything Goes. </i>Though my thesis wasn't actually due for two more years, I was relieved to have written the lion's share of it so early. Here is the final title page as it was published by the University Press two years later (the format dictated by the university):</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div><span style="font-size: medium;">MOVING FORWARD</span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>by</span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="white-space: pre;"> </span> R. Scott Williams</span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Bachelor of Arts</span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>California State University, Northridge, 1979</span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the</span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Requirements for the Degree of Master of Fine Arts</span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>in the Department of Theatre, Speech, and Dance</span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>University of South Carolina</span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>1996</span></div><div style="font-size: large;"><br /></div></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;">What a summer it was, I don't regret a single moment of it. Well, except one. Remember that swell note of congratulations I received from Ann Dreher regarding my performance in </span><i style="font-size: large;">Anything Goes</i><span style="font-size: large;">? I didn't recognize its significance. A month or so after writing that note, Ann dropped another note in my mailbox. She was to direct the first show of the following season, Lanford Wilson's </span><i style="font-size: large;">Hot L Baltimore</i><span style="font-size: large;">, beginning rehearsal in mid-August. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgma4L6jRRxdkNZRppeDac7NF9hsC7P0sEGybc-lHEF11Abzo9HjUhiwwzQWznXDVHHk-Hc3bhc51ZNnQcCdqxzsazCzC5aOuGf0cCN7_tvjz84z6zx18ItmwC514s92h7G6J29yDjvpRW2/s165/ann+dreher.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="165" data-original-width="97" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgma4L6jRRxdkNZRppeDac7NF9hsC7P0sEGybc-lHEF11Abzo9HjUhiwwzQWznXDVHHk-Hc3bhc51ZNnQcCdqxzsazCzC5aOuGf0cCN7_tvjz84z6zx18ItmwC514s92h7G6J29yDjvpRW2/s0/ann+dreher.jpg" /></a></div>She wanted to know which role I was interested in playing? I was flattered that, for the second time since arriving at USC, I was being offered my choice of roles, rather than simply being assigned a part, but I was fried. Since arriving at USC the previous August, during the school year I had rehearsed and performed in three mainstage productions (taking one of them to Charlotte for a professional run), taken two semesters of upper level Theatre History (in which I had <a href="http://armchairactorvist.blogspot.com/2019/09/gamecock-diaries-part-iii-details-of.html">written five term papers</a>), taught two sections of Speech classes for underclassmen, as well as attended a full caseload of MFA performance classes (acting, movement, speech and vocal technique). During the summer, I had simultaneously rehearsed and performed two more large scale productions, taught teenagers in the USC summer camp, studied for and passed my comp exams, and written a full first draft of my MFA thesis. Cue the violins.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5goisUQVoF41y3ry-9-Gw289SZfF5DcqGL6mxhiiEPyx3W04kUT9g2FwifC9S9DuF3JGt2Ix-zkYD5BCLyHWj8QmWDutPoSspZGri5Ld9-5DuHUKtbfS8-rX2krevIIZazM4oQ0FVeKZU/s400/HOT-L-logo.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="300" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5goisUQVoF41y3ry-9-Gw289SZfF5DcqGL6mxhiiEPyx3W04kUT9g2FwifC9S9DuF3JGt2Ix-zkYD5BCLyHWj8QmWDutPoSspZGri5Ld9-5DuHUKtbfS8-rX2krevIIZazM4oQ0FVeKZU/s320/HOT-L-logo.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I didn't particularly like <i>Hot L<br />Baltimore</i>, and I saw no problem<br />with at least asking to be excused.<br />Boy, was I stupid.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;">I dropped Ann a note in response. I wrote that I was exhausted and, as I was already slated for large roles in <i>Othello</i> and <i>Eastern Standard </i>in the fall, to add a third show in the same semester seemed unwise. I hoped to be excused from her show, but if that was not possible, I guess I could play either X or Y (I don't remember which characters those were). I didn't hear back from Ann, but when the cast was announced a few days later, I was not included. I breathed a sigh of relief, but I shouldn't have. I did not know at the time that Ann had taken my reluctance to do her show as a huge insult, particularly after she had praised my work so lavishly only a month earlier. I also didn't know that she could hold a grudge, and nine months later, that grudge would surface to cause me some real trouble during the following summer's season. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3EjpwWinngZtmNCFOMPJQtZYyu-gWpUX-l5E_KpbcD2jP3V5YKISupBJB5Plov3B7_3DoauhTdJLxr4puSt6awm1oCF7bbvAQy-bgouthTiUSPzXBz9730chE5Cv_FOEXWtzjRHi3eCq4/s938/007.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="694" data-original-width="938" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3EjpwWinngZtmNCFOMPJQtZYyu-gWpUX-l5E_KpbcD2jP3V5YKISupBJB5Plov3B7_3DoauhTdJLxr4puSt6awm1oCF7bbvAQy-bgouthTiUSPzXBz9730chE5Cv_FOEXWtzjRHi3eCq4/s320/007.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The summer of '94 ended, and I was exorbitantly pleased with myself. I had had significant success in my roles for the summer, plus my teaching of kids had gone well. More importantly, I had studied for and passed my comps, a year or more early, and had written the major portion of my thesis. I was pooped but proud.</td></tr></tbody></table></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;">My first year at USC had proven to me that my decision to uproot my life to pursue the MFA had been a good one. I flew back to Los Angeles for a week or so to visit my old life, and was back in South Carolina before August ended, ready to hit the ground running for my second year of graduate work. Oh yes, there's more. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisdtac5GCsYodgKSS5qciIWRbxKwTJqgwQLQvmJohshruInynvwV3v2fVjGOTsHsTaM5peYaaA3sksopj7AYm0GaEOn8yNDPeaQnHpM8mZicwerPDNCp_Q_8tPRhzxKob9kbDaYCxqcdUT/s1160/2022+%25282%2529.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="744" data-original-width="1160" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisdtac5GCsYodgKSS5qciIWRbxKwTJqgwQLQvmJohshruInynvwV3v2fVjGOTsHsTaM5peYaaA3sksopj7AYm0GaEOn8yNDPeaQnHpM8mZicwerPDNCp_Q_8tPRhzxKob9kbDaYCxqcdUT/s320/2022+%25282%2529.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One of the requirements of doing the kids' show was meeting the kids out in the lobby. Well, I considered it a requirement. Others, like Richard, considered it a perk. </td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivXB_Ys465PShcjHNrrNNvnLy84qa8NWAV8FC-YZPSDR6xZoazCr4R60Rar8JVUouPqd1xgj6nbJiDxLFkfpKGiDtOIzlV5B__V52t9Ixu8SV97ROFMMu2N_fD_hnNDDH7lsRuKU-i9bEt/s1168/Richard+and+Me.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1168" data-original-width="784" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivXB_Ys465PShcjHNrrNNvnLy84qa8NWAV8FC-YZPSDR6xZoazCr4R60Rar8JVUouPqd1xgj6nbJiDxLFkfpKGiDtOIzlV5B__V52t9Ixu8SV97ROFMMu2N_fD_hnNDDH7lsRuKU-i9bEt/s320/Richard+and+Me.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Backstage camaraderie. </td></tr></tbody></table></span><span style="font-size: large;">This was indeed a summer of silly accents for me, but by no means did I consider myself an expert with dialects. All three accents I used were lifted directly from TV. Moonface Martin was a male Rhoda Morgenstern. The Dance Instructor, as mentioned, was Pepe LePew, before he was cancelled. And Mop's Cockney accent? That was Richard Dawson from <i>Hogan's Heroes</i>. I am no expert with dialects. But I am a cunning linguist. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><i>(You can read other entries in this series, in reverse chronology, <a href="https://armchairactorvist.blogspot.com/search/label/Gamecock%20Diaries">here</a>)</i></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span><span> </span> </span></span></div>
Armchair Actorvisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02873366521914303194noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7146900851769565592.post-72746298464738130622020-08-30T20:17:00.001-05:002021-07-18T07:05:23.675-05:00Gamecock Diaries, Part Five: Groping for Trouts in a Peculiar River<div dir="rtl" style="text-align: center;">
<i> another entry in the occasional series describing my adventures pursuing the MFA </i></div>
<div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOf_0JHj5w58ysvPPb0TpJtXTT0WjiiYaRIbczrItnpWcU0IqDI0U4_mv2LEW0et4HYh5BphMooPqLRIK6TIx69MDglQ7ivTdHxL-dEwfUIDr4TXxnOvta5QByOzc_jmsRVLbJwOoXC0Wv/s1373/001+%25282%2529.jpg" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1373" data-original-width="993" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOf_0JHj5w58ysvPPb0TpJtXTT0WjiiYaRIbczrItnpWcU0IqDI0U4_mv2LEW0et4HYh5BphMooPqLRIK6TIx69MDglQ7ivTdHxL-dEwfUIDr4TXxnOvta5QByOzc_jmsRVLbJwOoXC0Wv/s400/001+%25282%2529.jpg" width="289" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: left;">This is Pompey in <i>Measure for Measure</i>, my first Shakespearean role at USC. My MFA program was considered classical training, largely due to our partnership with The Shakespeare Theatre Company in Washington, DC.. Actors in the third year of the program were funneled into the acting company there, spending a full season carrying torches, understudying, and playing smaller supporting roles. So there was a definite slant toward Shakespeare and other classics in the curriculum, and in the production schedule. The annual Shakespearean production was a Big Deal here, and I hoped to shine in my first visit with the Bard at USC.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The main focus of the first few months of my second semester at USC was <i>The Importance of Being Earnest</i>, our show which ran on campus in February, then transferred to Charlotte Repertory Theatre in North Carolina (I wrote about that show <a href="http://armchairactorvist.blogspot.com/2019/11/gamecock-diaries-part-four-whats-it-all.html">in our last episode</a>).</div>
<div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvyainXrOOUQgIQfjWrkB39aXY90VQv40JtSE1EemlesxvVdXAEe1p8l9mSxKLjwEUNraauiefDpXXI84qoSb8p6h6Ak1vmOQIgaPIUmskZKJvUAgNewX1qb531ihykE3T5Yg8LRMaQ0iN/s1148/027.jpg" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; padding: 1em 0px;"><img border="0" data-original-height="805" data-original-width="1148" height="280" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvyainXrOOUQgIQfjWrkB39aXY90VQv40JtSE1EemlesxvVdXAEe1p8l9mSxKLjwEUNraauiefDpXXI84qoSb8p6h6Ak1vmOQIgaPIUmskZKJvUAgNewX1qb531ihykE3T5Yg8LRMaQ0iN/s400/027.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: justify;">A serious moment in our out of town engagement of <i>The Importance of Being Earnest</i>.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="text-align: justify;">I spent the second part of the semester working on <i>Measure for Measure</i>. The piece is known as one of the Bard's problem plays, and this particular production had more problems than most. In fact, it created controversy among the MFA actors long before I ever arrived on campus. </span></div>
<div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPTGPdA9Fv7xV7WImz14HNJfuqwTmHgdXSbOg64jpEZtYoT7OYdTc3mIuVPJ_dIdgmP30j1WGcBvcXyH4LzpcJ_7e7wjQOTad4cLkfM0QVtaIeNn1THeliFiQqu4IVaymvOkLTrqSlt0fd/s542/006.jpg" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; padding: 1em 0px;"><img border="0" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="542" height="398" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPTGPdA9Fv7xV7WImz14HNJfuqwTmHgdXSbOg64jpEZtYoT7OYdTc3mIuVPJ_dIdgmP30j1WGcBvcXyH4LzpcJ_7e7wjQOTad4cLkfM0QVtaIeNn1THeliFiQqu4IVaymvOkLTrqSlt0fd/w542-h540/006.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: left;">Steve and Christina were in the class ahead of me, and became my good friends as soon as I arrived at USC. They were infuriated by the casting plans for <i>Measure for Measure</i>. The rule regarding the MFA "talent" was very clear: we were in essence a repertory company in service of the department, and we did not have a choice of roles or shows. We were placed in shows without our input, in fact, it was rare that we even auditioned for anything. It was insubordinate for any MFA candidate to refuse to do a show. But three of the actors in the class ahead of me, including Steve and Christina, did exactly that. I was to run afoul of this "Mandatory Participation" rule a couple of times in my second year, but for now, I was unaware any of this was happening.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
When <i>Measure for Measure</i> was announced for the spring season, the actors in the class ahead of me were very excited, as the show contains two of Shakespeare's most complicated characters: the puritanical hypocrite Angelo, and the virginal nun Isabella, who is extorted into sleeping with Angelo in order to save her brother from death. Fun stuff, eh? Certainly fun to play; the chance to dip into these rich characters made my fellow actors giddy. Unfortunately, the faculty also thought these characters would be fun to play, so two of them took these roles for themselves. </div>
<div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGRU0bWwCv3e1afzvZOPmDoRVn4Hb1znwAYv8te9vo00u7bFXFwxcuzNndil8L1-GuqiT-HfvWhI_DwUbx6fdQ2-v7rcInVjoZVrvEVQYbjLa_6aBa_VMsOuG0sy5EZQtCjRoobVLdoDwd/s1186/001+%25282%2529.jpg" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; padding: 1em 0px;"><img border="0" data-original-height="788" data-original-width="1186" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGRU0bWwCv3e1afzvZOPmDoRVn4Hb1znwAYv8te9vo00u7bFXFwxcuzNndil8L1-GuqiT-HfvWhI_DwUbx6fdQ2-v7rcInVjoZVrvEVQYbjLa_6aBa_VMsOuG0sy5EZQtCjRoobVLdoDwd/s400/001+%25282%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: left;">This dark photo is the only one I have of our two MFA acting teachers. The gent on the right was the head of the graduate acting program, the gal on the left had the MFA actors in class. "Professional development" is an expectation for MFA faculty everywhere, which usually means the acting faculty is expected to spend some time continuing to hone their craft on the outside, with some summer stock perhaps, or working as a guest artist in another program. At USC, this expectation was fulfilled by teachers taking leading roles in campus productions. So Lisa and Richard took the plum roles of Isabella and Angelo in <i>Measure for Measure</i>. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
I didn't know the details of any of this until the casting for <i>M4M</i> was announced, and three of the five actors in the class ahead of me had not been assigned roles.<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvtLlEn9F7CmQ9b8qswa6hgoBDrYrFMdhRNVJGs1V5BH2t6_WDRc7Ryo5755uwwLW0nnKMUEQCPrs6wb5o17tOFIcVHQAYY6TNBuWj4fIN96wTjobHepkiSuForfTjaXacQmPjKZo-GG73/s1600/017+%25281%2529.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="742" data-original-width="703" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvtLlEn9F7CmQ9b8qswa6hgoBDrYrFMdhRNVJGs1V5BH2t6_WDRc7Ryo5755uwwLW0nnKMUEQCPrs6wb5o17tOFIcVHQAYY6TNBuWj4fIN96wTjobHepkiSuForfTjaXacQmPjKZo-GG73/s320/017+%25281%2529.jpg" width="303" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kathryn and Jerry were also in the class ahead of me, but<br />
they had no problem with faculty usurping the 2 leading<br />
roles. Kathryn was sweet as Mariana, inexplicably in love<br />
with Angelo. Jerry played the Duke, one of the thorniest<br />
and BIGGEST roles in Shakespeare.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
I suppose the director decided forcing an actor to appear in a show against his will would be more trouble than it's worth. I had been cast in the comedic role of Pompey the Tapster (Shakespeare gave him the last name "Bum." It was that kind of role). I don't count this performance as one of my successes. Like many of Shakespeare's comic clowns, a lot of Pompey's humor came from arcane language which was difficult for a modern audience to understand. It was my job to interpret this language, and since our director was also the Theatre History professor, I should have had lots of help. But Dr Hart was a pure academic with little theatrical sense, and the show reflected it. (Hart was the guy for whom I wrote many a term paper, I whined a bit about those struggles in <a href="http://armchairactorvist.blogspot.com/2019/09/gamecock-diaries-part-iii-details-of.html">this earlier entry</a>.) </div>
<div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFiXJwvLFCsV7imU3i9wkhtSSAUdudRoisTIca9pCdlXV-pD6-6Hqg4w5FcxxU_7d_JJQDl4Dn2iW4oXRQMu_UdXUMif9ZXSeo7f5DOa8-ztDgtaVsY4peSkQHYp5n2q7wwqzVuFzOlKA6/s1600/034.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="678" data-original-width="734" height="295" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFiXJwvLFCsV7imU3i9wkhtSSAUdudRoisTIca9pCdlXV-pD6-6Hqg4w5FcxxU_7d_JJQDl4Dn2iW4oXRQMu_UdXUMif9ZXSeo7f5DOa8-ztDgtaVsY4peSkQHYp5n2q7wwqzVuFzOlKA6/s320/034.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Patrick played Elbow, a dim-witted constable. While I spent<br />
the evening pretending to be funny, Patrick was<br />
ACTUALLY funny.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
My struggle with this show was reflected in the comments of my advisory committee, who were tasked with issuing an actual grade for my performance in the show. My chair, Jim Patterson, with whom I had already worked in <i>The Importance of Being Earnest</i>, put it bluntly: "I don't know why Pompey wasn't funnier." Thanks, Jim. I don't know why, either. (My committee gave me an A for effort anyway).<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYp8nULTSm8xZa4fUg0EPjjG7uULy9bK_5k7pPrLHqol8hDSW1D4zKM5tbcHbF2W8TYo1X9O852nfkXF2gqk5yPPw9lCx1ypQhd_2SSfDUnLWNYPv5UfjzdTvUsv8EaExfeU0VFikzV43O/s1600/longstreet+download_%25283%2529%2528247%2529.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="192" data-original-width="288" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYp8nULTSm8xZa4fUg0EPjjG7uULy9bK_5k7pPrLHqol8hDSW1D4zKM5tbcHbF2W8TYo1X9O852nfkXF2gqk5yPPw9lCx1ypQhd_2SSfDUnLWNYPv5UfjzdTvUsv8EaExfeU0VFikzV43O/s1600/longstreet+download_%25283%2529%2528247%2529.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Longstreet Theater featured stadium seating in the round. It was not used much during my tenure; I did eleven shows in two years at USC, but only 3 were performed in this space.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjC7oufrGAaJtk6oCKvnRySRRAfKlokqUlKwTCjkaTSfoIb6V-8Imc_J6xit2W1j7viT1QUlVWqqhSAE3DXYCurswyK5W2nl6jk62nLB5LcYoEuWPQprbqmxGxEifv437vhLC8vzPR3sUnX/s1600/018.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="692" data-original-width="488" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjC7oufrGAaJtk6oCKvnRySRRAfKlokqUlKwTCjkaTSfoIb6V-8Imc_J6xit2W1j7viT1QUlVWqqhSAE3DXYCurswyK5W2nl6jk62nLB5LcYoEuWPQprbqmxGxEifv437vhLC8vzPR3sUnX/s320/018.jpg" width="225" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I'm sure I did more shows with Nan, here<br />
as Mistress Overdone, than any other<br />
actor I've ever worked with. Out of my 11<br />
shows at USC, I think I did nine with Nan.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The show did, however, afford me with one of the best entrances of any show I did at USC. The show was performed in Longstreet Theater, an arena style stage in the round. The play was already well underway on the stage floor when I made my entrance, by surprise, along the upper riser at the top of the audience. It was pretty swift seeing every head in the theater suddenly turn around and look up at me as I delivered my first line to Mistress Overdone, who was down on the stage floor. The young juvenile had just been arrested for impregnating his fiancee.<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
Pompey: "Yonder man is carried to prison."</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Overdone: "Why? What's he done?"</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Pompey: "A woman." (big laugh)</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Overdone: "What is his offense?</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Pompey: "Groping for trouts in a peculiar river." (Another big laugh. It was all downhill from there)</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijhwsWmyNfgJk-ZCONyP8Ve63tnwB8cZCc2mqbp3DYSh8tSCoYbEwOVXIEgTYOjhERwSz7HjzXj24nWTKpfADjgf6YN0Y878LaQtiL1o5BkOP7-TM5B8qZtSKPPFEsoYgmBeAgO5r-FzTn/s1600/eef2584709cd1a4b0e573d4de0fd2b53.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="666" data-original-width="1000" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijhwsWmyNfgJk-ZCONyP8Ve63tnwB8cZCc2mqbp3DYSh8tSCoYbEwOVXIEgTYOjhERwSz7HjzXj24nWTKpfADjgf6YN0Y878LaQtiL1o5BkOP7-TM5B8qZtSKPPFEsoYgmBeAgO5r-FzTn/s320/eef2584709cd1a4b0e573d4de0fd2b53.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">As the play progresses, Pompey is sent to prison for pimping and lechery; he is given the chance to be released if he will aid in the execution of young Claudio, condemned for knocking up his girlfriend. It was decided I would carry a bag like this, filled with gruesome instruments of torture. While unpacking this thing, item by item, Pompey lists the various lowlifes and scoundrels who inhabit the underbelly of Venice. Someone decided it would be great fun to change these items every night, so I had no idea what peculiar props I would reach into the bag to pull out. I was already struggling with the text, as Shakespeare's lists are notoriously difficult (I've been saddled with more than my share over the years), and this added distraction pretty much did me in. I would never put up with such nonsense today, but I was still trying to make a good impression in grad school and never wanted to rock the boat. This bag pretty much summed up how I felt about my performance by the time we closed: dull, listless, beat-up, and worn out.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
So, the semester had a nice high, with our performances of <i>Earnest</i> at Charlotte Rep, and a mediocre finish with <i>Measure for Measure</i>. I have to mention, though, that the biggest low of the semester didn't have anything to do with grad school at all.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtB7yZ915F03aZkRFzzqZwQhjLegM6qvaOgDT92nBqOcORzuRnnrNLRFGnF23n11PnO-PbhkiANCZb4fL9YOb02aDRE1KGGIXQYVIssvwmlqOeoMcEbqEgxfibTgI_ndNpqcaNJ9PVqVrM/s1600/northridge+earthquake+08975a0d2db976239bdd6b90889d81be.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="512" data-original-width="768" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtB7yZ915F03aZkRFzzqZwQhjLegM6qvaOgDT92nBqOcORzuRnnrNLRFGnF23n11PnO-PbhkiANCZb4fL9YOb02aDRE1KGGIXQYVIssvwmlqOeoMcEbqEgxfibTgI_ndNpqcaNJ9PVqVrM/s320/northridge+earthquake+08975a0d2db976239bdd6b90889d81be.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is the parking structure at the Northridge Fashion Center, after the earthquake demolished it. I parked here when I worked at the Sears Complaint Department in the 1980s.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
In January of 1994, a huge earthquake struck the San Fernando Valley section of Los Angeles. This event, now known as the Northridge Earthquake, caused big damage to two places I had spent much of my young adulthood, the Northridge Fashion Center (where I worked at Sears for a whopping 15 years) and Cal State Northridge (where I spent 4 years earning my undergraduate degree). <br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEs_BKLviD8MFyxE_x-xX8lrNfxRyhmX0nbrQcZQuUO4j_m9oY81iyX1GvQcX06GqQD9yBfhYp1e866JohPSySnDCEAu0D7iRMXnnUgue3GKamOC5TBtcvataIy49h9cwIlZHJXadZRVry/s1600/northridge+earthquake+Sundial51.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="1016" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEs_BKLviD8MFyxE_x-xX8lrNfxRyhmX0nbrQcZQuUO4j_m9oY81iyX1GvQcX06GqQD9yBfhYp1e866JohPSySnDCEAu0D7iRMXnnUgue3GKamOC5TBtcvataIy49h9cwIlZHJXadZRVry/s320/northridge+earthquake+Sundial51.jpg" width="225" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
I was deep into my second semester at the University of South Carolina when this devastation occurred back in the place I considered to be home. I had been busy in South Carolina, dissecting Oscar Wilde and William Shakespeare, settling into a very new life of taking class, teaching class, making new friends, making a new life. I did not think I was moving back to L.A. after earning my MFA, but I still considered it home. These images of destruction were hard to take. While I was building a new life, the structure of my old life was being dismantled.<br />
<br />
<i>Next up: <a href="https://armchairactorvist.blogspot.com/2020/09/gamecock-diaries-part-six-my-summer-of.html" target="_blank">the summer season of 1994</a>, the busiest of my two years on campus. If you care to read the previous entries in this series, you can find them <a href="http://armchairactorvist.blogspot.com/search/label/Gamecock%20Diaries?max-results=20">here, in reverse chronology</a>. </i><br />
<h4>
</h4>
</div>
Armchair Actorvisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02873366521914303194noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7146900851769565592.post-10134901482451766332019-11-17T12:44:00.001-05:002020-08-08T18:59:55.674-05:00Gamecock Diaries, Part Four: What's It All About, Algie?<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>(another entry in the occasional series describing my adventures pursuing the MFA...)</i></div>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAzDR03t-pa290vPIuseWXzeg4va0n8JfFqjR4X7G_53halonN4X1vVQqibLhbBPFxwzT8T6S8Wd64pOk0EGx1MjpvThhXC7d1eaVKk7b_Kat7DvUxs8RbFQ7SWRVwuEhxp9XoFtqkQfRW/s1600/13568910_10154327312381941_7297897282407948470_o.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1190" data-original-width="698" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAzDR03t-pa290vPIuseWXzeg4va0n8JfFqjR4X7G_53halonN4X1vVQqibLhbBPFxwzT8T6S8Wd64pOk0EGx1MjpvThhXC7d1eaVKk7b_Kat7DvUxs8RbFQ7SWRVwuEhxp9XoFtqkQfRW/s320/13568910_10154327312381941_7297897282407948470_o.jpg" width="187" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Steve and I played brothers in <i>Earnest</i>, and hopefully overcame an age difference. I was 13 years older than Steve (still am, I think), but he was playing the older brother Jack to my younger, more impetuous Algernon. Thank god for my local hair stylist, who knew how to remove the gray so it looked natural. Steve and I had a lot of stage time together and worked well as a team, according to all the critics but one, who declared we were "dreadful." Ouch! I did three shows with Steve at USC, and after we both settled in DC after graduation, he directed me in a couple of productions.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span face="" style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">I was cast in </span><i style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">The Importance of Being Earnest </i><span face="" style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">as soon as my first semester at USC was underway. The director was Jim Patterson, who was the chair of my MFA advisory committee (they were tasked with guiding my collegiate career and making sure I didn't, you know, jump off the roof or something). </span><br />
<span face="" style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg46nem7buw1VkPczV0Qz7Buq1uN8ZIYafedX-dlIdN1fPvm53lOFq4Vd6oej5cu0Xvh-NF57mW5oxpT3Fa-GnsDfg6iC6BM-AFZ-EgcqGknbP21dm3G6ro8UKKOrcUz9lF2yC7Tz8Wrtwq/s1600/jim+patterson+imagesCAQE2CDK.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="207" data-original-width="140" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg46nem7buw1VkPczV0Qz7Buq1uN8ZIYafedX-dlIdN1fPvm53lOFq4Vd6oej5cu0Xvh-NF57mW5oxpT3Fa-GnsDfg6iC6BM-AFZ-EgcqGknbP21dm3G6ro8UKKOrcUz9lF2yC7Tz8Wrtwq/s1600/jim+patterson+imagesCAQE2CDK.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jim directed me in 3<br />
shows on campus<br />
and 1 show after my<br />
graduation. He's<br />
remained a cherished<br />
friend.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Jim was to become a good friend and mentor during my time on campus, I'm pleased to say we have remained in touch all these years later (in fact, it was <a href="http://armchairactorvist.blogspot.com/2013/04/gamecock-diaries-prologue-my-dinner.html">writing about a dinner with Jim in NY </a>that inspired me to begin this series of entries. So blame him). At the time, Jim was the head of the directing program and was in fact the department's premier director. His resume was long and varied, and he had a lively career directing off-campus as well as on-.</span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1dfOpUP4f0-WW_Vuu9MTwKiToVJJm_KNoPHnQFwTklZTOeT-HSuE6S58K_6UIa4hCUEvfh_AEurM8Maa8lU8LdobEd9BHqRwdJ9Y5_LD9C473WDMU-sYdy9ocDZteK8Km022-RMHggkJT/s1600/001+%25281%2529.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="700" data-original-width="844" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1dfOpUP4f0-WW_Vuu9MTwKiToVJJm_KNoPHnQFwTklZTOeT-HSuE6S58K_6UIa4hCUEvfh_AEurM8Maa8lU8LdobEd9BHqRwdJ9Y5_LD9C473WDMU-sYdy9ocDZteK8Km022-RMHggkJT/s320/001+%25281%2529.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The guy on the right was the artistic director of Charlotte Repertory Company, where we played for two weeks on the main stage. I think his name was Keith. He was to drive the company to bankruptcy a few years later, Charlotte Rep is now defunct.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span face="" style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;"><i>Earnest</i> was probably the highest profile show of the season at USC, due to the fact that the show was to transfer to Charlotte Repertory Theatre after its run on campus. This was a big deal for the Department of Theatre, as it would raise the regional profile of the MFA program at USC. </span><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3NcS5JQv24iSYsNV-K1rlp8fymJoV8nfEHnZRkwSVyWZwD4rUmjHlq_b7jZ208Kqy0Zpd5mnoV6R51s52-ZdB2VeZaFXsjR2Jc14w2KS8QlCiUf7iOH5pla75o9jOPrjuuSZEEro5nLIq/s1600/023+uncropped.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="926" data-original-width="695" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3NcS5JQv24iSYsNV-K1rlp8fymJoV8nfEHnZRkwSVyWZwD4rUmjHlq_b7jZ208Kqy0Zpd5mnoV6R51s52-ZdB2VeZaFXsjR2Jc14w2KS8QlCiUf7iOH5pla75o9jOPrjuuSZEEro5nLIq/s320/023+uncropped.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Christina played Lady Bracknell beautifully.<br />
She told me she thought she looked like<br />
a Muppet, but old age makeup was necessary, <br />
as she was decades too young for the role. Oh,<br />
and those clothes! I had two complete suits<br />
tailor-made to fit me, I've never felt so<br />
comfortable in costumes. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span face="" style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">There were a couple of casting kerfuffles surrounding the show, if I remember correctly. The actor who was meant to be playing Rev. Chasuble withdrew before rehearsals began, though I can't remember why. It was decided that the kid who was set to play the minor role of the butler, Lane, would bump up to the larger role of the reverend, and our director Jim would step in to play the butler. It was a small role, only appearing in the opening scene, but it had some importance as he and I (as Algernon) were tasked with getting the audience acquainted with the heightened language Oscar Wilde provided. Having your director onstage with you was a bit unnerving, particularly when he could not remember his lines. Well, that's a bit untrue, Jim knew all his lines, he just could never remember his entrance cues. After being late for one too many entrances, Jim finally grabbed a paintbrush and painted his cue lines directly on the backside of the scenery flat. That flat traveled with us to Charlotte, so we were set.</span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjN2HPihHeSc_6UxtgN2EKyemaYV41J1y6fAwsy8na5ZMEFR4y7ihoDb2jWDZGvYvqbYrfCRbH5NhcHJgBdeeHhNCswh4wRM5Gi6hx9GIzin969q4Akn_icM2ZdOsPyRcC5Fa-ij4VnLt8O/s1600/1931172_1058122368713_195_n.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="432" data-original-width="604" height="228" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjN2HPihHeSc_6UxtgN2EKyemaYV41J1y6fAwsy8na5ZMEFR4y7ihoDb2jWDZGvYvqbYrfCRbH5NhcHJgBdeeHhNCswh4wRM5Gi6hx9GIzin969q4Akn_icM2ZdOsPyRcC5Fa-ij4VnLt8O/s320/1931172_1058122368713_195_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">For some reason, I don't have a single group snapshot of the members of my own MFA class. Our group did not hang out much, perhaps because the class itself was so fluid. By the time our first semester ended, our program had lost two actors and gained one. We lost a third actor at the end of the year. By the time our second year began, we had shrunk from seven actors to four. The above picture is the MFA class ahead of me, with whom I bonded much more strongly than with my own class.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixDAZ70zVFij8da5FaZPhUBz3hO4dSbXIKWORdefzRYBKsAzIWJoFpuk9GhtmmjQVKfijRzLB62bljseyfDdcu1VxPoWUE_tbQtc_uInBE3n1F1Cs8V9WgXkfZh4ou8B39LB-0smgy-XGQ/s1600/016.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="788" data-original-width="987" height="255" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixDAZ70zVFij8da5FaZPhUBz3hO4dSbXIKWORdefzRYBKsAzIWJoFpuk9GhtmmjQVKfijRzLB62bljseyfDdcu1VxPoWUE_tbQtc_uInBE3n1F1Cs8V9WgXkfZh4ou8B39LB-0smgy-XGQ/s320/016.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Christina and Deborah took me in hand immediately, and we<br />
became very close very quickly.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span face="" style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">The second casting snafu was much more significant. To play the young ingenue Cecily, director Jim had cast one of my new MFA cohorts, a lovely girl named Riley. I have a clear memory of this gal, but I have no pictures of her, as she was gone before the first month of the semester had ended. Riley had entered USC directly after earning her undergraduate degree, with no time in between. So, counting from first grade to this first year of her MFA, she had been in school a whopping 16 years without a break. <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUKJI9T5eDWYkcD5WJ7newrP4gK5KJeRzN6WeGuwzZMmj2VMGn0jLflN_riBzKWTaCM5g9hyphenhyphenwHJoyYvray6VbsQYhZKEW9bOZe863cxiFGesY2a5a0i5sw9u-Jwnuef41IO9SMnCpxr8q_/s1600/067.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1009" data-original-width="816" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUKJI9T5eDWYkcD5WJ7newrP4gK5KJeRzN6WeGuwzZMmj2VMGn0jLflN_riBzKWTaCM5g9hyphenhyphenwHJoyYvray6VbsQYhZKEW9bOZe863cxiFGesY2a5a0i5sw9u-Jwnuef41IO9SMnCpxr8q_/s320/067.jpg" width="258" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mindi was a stranger to me at our first<br />
readthrough of <i>Earnest</i>. A year later,<br />
we were very tight.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
I am a firm believer that, in order to get the most out of the MFA, it's best to get out of school after college and live life for a while before tackling graduate work. Perhaps that's not true for more academic studies like medicine or the law, but in the arts, I think it's key. Riley was a perfect example of my thesis; she was a very fine actress, from what I could tell, and as she landed the leading role of Cecily as soon as she arrived, she was clearly going to be used a lot during her years at USC. (It was a surprise that she was not cast in the first show of the season, <i>The Cherry Orchard</i>, about which I wrote <a href="http://armchairactorvist.blogspot.com/2019/09/gamecock-diaries-part-2-everything-in.html">here</a>.) About three weeks into the semester, Riley folded up her tent and hit the road, leaving a big hole in the cast of <i>Earnest</i>.</span><br />
<span face="" style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTkZWJSuNvt9FylgUADMaGu-Q6tg0gM_3pCl1y9cf3JjZZADg5lhqBz8PILpMcqdPYqnRgfK4Kji8oV2ubzPJfMwGOFUpm8EKkfLvBNduf8OL2EvOiMwUuoyQgiVhgl_e4aVvwYejCmla0/s1600/024.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="992" data-original-width="712" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTkZWJSuNvt9FylgUADMaGu-Q6tg0gM_3pCl1y9cf3JjZZADg5lhqBz8PILpMcqdPYqnRgfK4Kji8oV2ubzPJfMwGOFUpm8EKkfLvBNduf8OL2EvOiMwUuoyQgiVhgl_e4aVvwYejCmla0/s320/024.jpg" width="229" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is the typical Mindi pose. Always<br />
upbeat and positive, she was to become an<br />
important part of my life at USC.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span face="" style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">This was weeks before rehearsal started, and Jim used the time to cast one of his favorite actresses, Mindi. Mindi had gone through the undergraduate program at USC, and was still living in Columbia and working at the local professional theatre, though she was not, at the time, a student on campus. I became very very glad Jim used an actress he knew and trusted, as Mindi was terrific in the role, and she became a close friend. (She would enter the MFA acting program the following year, so I worked with her often.)</span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgfBuL2lBkyNpRJN08C1w2caQB8lz8HiOfsHwS_4qT98ck1Ex-71ZXy8LWIXN0m6BSj-4xsQ0ZAFFOfJZf3Ru_O2olZ_k2rTKmiZeNJQuhqnL2-XTz4P4aD8RoP5fl30IxcJPgPe7X-B-S/s1600/029+uncropped.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="771" data-original-width="706" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgfBuL2lBkyNpRJN08C1w2caQB8lz8HiOfsHwS_4qT98ck1Ex-71ZXy8LWIXN0m6BSj-4xsQ0ZAFFOfJZf3Ru_O2olZ_k2rTKmiZeNJQuhqnL2-XTz4P4aD8RoP5fl30IxcJPgPe7X-B-S/s320/029+uncropped.jpg" width="293" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">In <i>The Importance of Being Earnest</i>, we don't meet Cecily until after the intermission. Because of this timing, Mindi and I often did not see each other backstage until we came face to face onstage. I'm sure it added to the spontaneity of the moment. I believe my favorite scene in the play was this one, during which Algernon and Cecily meet and instantly fall in love. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzGYnow2La-NBu4i3IgcZP0NytMYSjc2Sca-wW-f2baVXGzH7HeiFCpiWzk7suOyPa63LYLUQxRvgpcFhhzWpbOe49ejCovY6QSF6JJdTGtYMs72pipOa1RMXgGhwNT5MjbazNKtDt6l1E/s1600/030.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="486" data-original-width="208" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzGYnow2La-NBu4i3IgcZP0NytMYSjc2Sca-wW-f2baVXGzH7HeiFCpiWzk7suOyPa63LYLUQxRvgpcFhhzWpbOe49ejCovY6QSF6JJdTGtYMs72pipOa1RMXgGhwNT5MjbazNKtDt6l1E/s320/030.jpg" width="136" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Steve and Mindi cashing<br />
their first check from <br />
Charlotte Rep. It was the<br />
first paycheck Mindi ever <br />
received for acting.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span face="" style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">I had a great time playing Algie, but the opportunity to play the role again at Charlotte Rep had a downside. Our run on campus was in early 1994, but the run in Charlotte was later in March. That transfer directly conflicted with another show running on campus at the time, a show I dearly wished to be in. </span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcezfHjSCB1GGHd2lwSUHz-gKyJPpnftrSxXHOgasWLAF5A-qug6XQOv0rUpITkZbsZk8SZ4rwO5oadPLSkFWcwDgiJN3bQkLahmIiwDbkkiSXE9-9faie1rCmMiDOGx8fifKIdK0SQ3qU/s1600/023.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="740" data-original-width="955" height="247" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcezfHjSCB1GGHd2lwSUHz-gKyJPpnftrSxXHOgasWLAF5A-qug6XQOv0rUpITkZbsZk8SZ4rwO5oadPLSkFWcwDgiJN3bQkLahmIiwDbkkiSXE9-9faie1rCmMiDOGx8fifKIdK0SQ3qU/s320/023.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is directing stud Richard on the left, and my replacement Will on the right. I'm being dramatic; the transfer of <i>Earnest</i> to Charlotte Rep meant I could not be considered for Richard's production of<i> Equus</i>. Will played the role which was, let's face it, written for me. But I'm not bitter.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span face="" style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">The role of the psychiatrist Dysart in </span><i style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">Equus</i><span face="" style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;"> had been on my wish list ever since I saw Brian Bedford, then Anthony Perkins, then Anthony Hopkins, then Richard Burton play it (in fact, it's STILL on my wish list). The show was being directed by my friend Richard, who was earning his MFA in Directing, which required his directing several shows on the USC mainstage. I was to appear in Richard's next show the following year, stay tuned for that story, but I dearly wanted to play in </span><i style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">Equus</i><span face="" style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">. Alas, the timing would not permit doing both <i>Earnest</i> and </span><i style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">Equus</i><span face="" style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">, so I missed my chance.</span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFKTJ_KVdI_PEdMBGQz-T2qFMVR1_zar-Pz6AXpJ42aTId6Y3DjOg1DLejAEspNc3zfLsfGQ2uMEw0cjrKiZdeaQDv8MyfA9OTPq5gJwW48kqLQ7T8jtW4m94pi76MJtF9V-hY60CbbFi3/s1600/69101983_10157676668936802_2437456131606446080_n.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="564" data-original-width="960" height="188" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFKTJ_KVdI_PEdMBGQz-T2qFMVR1_zar-Pz6AXpJ42aTId6Y3DjOg1DLejAEspNc3zfLsfGQ2uMEw0cjrKiZdeaQDv8MyfA9OTPq5gJwW48kqLQ7T8jtW4m94pi76MJtF9V-hY60CbbFi3/s320/69101983_10157676668936802_2437456131606446080_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is what Brice Stadium, home of the USC Gamecocks, looks like today. During football season, the campus turned pretty rowdy, I was to learn. My house was so close to the stadium, I could always hear when the crowd sent up a whoop. I also learned to keep a sharp eye on the schedule of home games, not because I wanted to attend them (I never went to one), but because I was likely to be trapped at home during the games. My Shady Rest was at the end of a dirt road ("right next to the crik") which could only be accessed via the same main avenue leading to the stadium. Traffic was a nightmare on that road during home games, and southern hospitality went out the window when football fans needed to get to the game. After once or twice sitting at the entrance to my road, waiting for some kind soul to let me squeeze out of my street, I posted the full schedule on my fridge. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicDy5_DdClT5Gm4OrwZ36U8uX_b6gEy-Lv76xmf02r8Bgtot-5ADYjMBFuYfU8PfDtgxVzbDDU5ekGprud10acWGDi6TYdZQUvtH3gIrzqXzz78mgRfL8oHNWnFVQfY5K3QAGByji6T-EN/s1600/988743_10151647520711174_1120921903_n.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="292" data-original-width="292" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicDy5_DdClT5Gm4OrwZ36U8uX_b6gEy-Lv76xmf02r8Bgtot-5ADYjMBFuYfU8PfDtgxVzbDDU5ekGprud10acWGDi6TYdZQUvtH3gIrzqXzz78mgRfL8oHNWnFVQfY5K3QAGByji6T-EN/s1600/988743_10151647520711174_1120921903_n.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mindi and the famous nipple cap.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span face="" style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">Despite that lousy timing, I had a ball playing Algernon. In fact, I was surprising myself by how well I was growing accustomed to this new life of a grad student. I hadn't been in school in 17 years, but I was keeping up. </span><br />
<span face="" style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPZssBKQIhKwX2uBVjKGNLsXo57Dk73RatLW7-dhrwbJip6NbvDpH8Gg8TSsB0iCEbaUSp8ke8uVdBSmiYIe4U4cug_58_LmM-ziLzZ50JMz8CQgVb8J8xFQliqVkk6aEuQNG7IWgo7euP/s1600/017.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="443" data-original-width="619" height="228" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPZssBKQIhKwX2uBVjKGNLsXo57Dk73RatLW7-dhrwbJip6NbvDpH8Gg8TSsB0iCEbaUSp8ke8uVdBSmiYIe4U4cug_58_LmM-ziLzZ50JMz8CQgVb8J8xFQliqVkk6aEuQNG7IWgo7euP/s320/017.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span face="" style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">I actually liked the group mentality which formed among the MFA candidates, we were all in this together. It was easy to touch base with my family during the long holidays, as my father and sister lived only a few hours away in Atlanta, and another sister was in Raleigh, but really, in the tradition of all theatrical experiences, my MFA cohorts were becoming family too. </span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBaf0qFr2Zhy458ig_R04N-6nivWmaXA4g0pBPeBfmw2mvdt0zcJ59lg4DaTu3NtRNBPCm_mEF2fxnf3HyUmYxKoOi0OCjLURl-s6kqMBdqGUsdILv1VSM-SM0n6JYNyjZa-6ybqBgHq1Z/s1600/75550_10153345711876174_2139736495500617387_n.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBaf0qFr2Zhy458ig_R04N-6nivWmaXA4g0pBPeBfmw2mvdt0zcJ59lg4DaTu3NtRNBPCm_mEF2fxnf3HyUmYxKoOi0OCjLURl-s6kqMBdqGUsdILv1VSM-SM0n6JYNyjZa-6ybqBgHq1Z/s320/75550_10153345711876174_2139736495500617387_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fondue!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span face="" style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">So I'd call my first semester a smashing success. My second semester, in which I did my first Shakespeare at USC, was less so. More on that anon...</span>Armchair Actorvisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02873366521914303194noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7146900851769565592.post-58200600796631429132019-10-01T09:00:00.000-05:002020-08-11T09:58:31.433-05:00Gamecock Diaries Part III: Details of a Deadly Degree<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlJjeeyFgRwKvvSXpOWHZ-LCeJdC515cvlsMyuCikr-efQZiaLazSn4tQvxZ9hnC9nq_8QLdtXbTCuAgpsYdNuNCgtB0rI9bb8pJLp7yIIODJ66WeGnwtQlDqB3PIA3vGueMH4OX2QJd0d/s1600/016+%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="788" data-original-width="1175" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlJjeeyFgRwKvvSXpOWHZ-LCeJdC515cvlsMyuCikr-efQZiaLazSn4tQvxZ9hnC9nq_8QLdtXbTCuAgpsYdNuNCgtB0rI9bb8pJLp7yIIODJ66WeGnwtQlDqB3PIA3vGueMH4OX2QJd0d/s320/016+%25281%2529.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">What a slacker. This is me relaxing with a beer in my hotel room in Charlotte, NC. In early 1994, our USC band of players took our production of <i>The Importance of Being Earnest</i> to Charlotte Repertory Theatre, where we ran for two weeks and, in so doing, had a brief respite from our classes back in Columbia.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">"The MFA is a terminal degree," somebody reminded me while I was neck deep in my first semester at USC. I thought, "well, it's certainly killing me." But that's not what they meant. <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwGvPL0jA4Qmcx10bWCdp0Y9spYMGcTko2qW9pSZwU89Pk5eTjIIfLonl6ndQcLdYZu-twyxIcRSNjWkHTrn34G2ciyNNuT3u1SWXQfEUeANN56Lz7LK-6wOIIs9D2EOnycdFh55MggpXv/s1600/011+%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1180" data-original-width="811" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwGvPL0jA4Qmcx10bWCdp0Y9spYMGcTko2qW9pSZwU89Pk5eTjIIfLonl6ndQcLdYZu-twyxIcRSNjWkHTrn34G2ciyNNuT3u1SWXQfEUeANN56Lz7LK-6wOIIs9D2EOnycdFh55MggpXv/s320/011+%25281%2529.jpg" width="219" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I had support from old friends as<br />
well as new. My oldest friend<br />
Claudia flew out from LA my first<br />
semester and took this pic. She<br />
gave me that sweater too.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The Master of Fine Arts in Acting is the highest degree awarded in the field of performance, there is no PhD or DFA in the discipline of acting. USC took that fact seriously, so my training there contained the best (and hardest) aspects of both an acting conservatory and an academic university. My first semester (like all of them) was a complicated mix of both. I performed in two shows in those first few months (I wrote about </span><i style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;"><a href="https://armchairactorvist.blogspot.com/2019/09/gamecock-diaries-part-2-everything-in.html?fbclid=IwAR2pZRAB7Pj68S14DVbuWbFtwZc8ioYKExEk-SEQkVEVnfvGJYz4mLS5nVA">The Cherry Orchard </a></i><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://armchairactorvist.blogspot.com/2019/09/gamecock-diaries-part-2-everything-in.html?fbclid=IwAR2pZRAB7Pj68S14DVbuWbFtwZc8ioYKExEk-SEQkVEVnfvGJYz4mLS5nVA">in the last installment</a>, and I'll write about </span><i style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">The Importance of Being Earnest </i><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">shortly). Our curriculum featured the usual suspects of a conservatory: Acting, of course, as well as vocal and movement training. </span><br />
<div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNy6uxCdWXgAiCh5BXPux1USntzyB_Q6dKYKJuATJqls4JdgC1wkvkrwrAD8Q9fUjlATU7q3U_-O2brgaMYVkZaJjsQ78WFzwSbbrn6bfXyONknS1BBtB8KmjbiWh_IfkbRFS4mhKXpSuu/s1600/005+%25282%2529+uncropped.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="705" data-original-width="927" height="243" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNy6uxCdWXgAiCh5BXPux1USntzyB_Q6dKYKJuATJqls4JdgC1wkvkrwrAD8Q9fUjlATU7q3U_-O2brgaMYVkZaJjsQ78WFzwSbbrn6bfXyONknS1BBtB8KmjbiWh_IfkbRFS4mhKXpSuu/s320/005+%25282%2529+uncropped.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I took this picture of my fellow survivors. Elliott, Nan, Bodde (the blond head at left, pronounced Bo-Day, don't ask me why), and I were the only four actors in our class to actually make it to the finish line. Other members of our class either quit or were ejected.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Our vocal work was handled by two instructors, one who taught the IPA (International Phonetic </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Alphabet</span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">), and the other who acted as a vocal coach, of sorts. </span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4x9cDjtR4dFZhNn6LCAUluaphlnQvsf_lPpbt0fJYKjyACaLB5I7_CiSQoLpVrx-AONNGfSLBcI09oJjwPkAie8-N9CAB3vDE5JqB7e-A2bcuXj3KnXq8ZPK-IqhXIrbw65RlEtENYtEE/s1600/035.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="639" data-original-width="783" height="261" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4x9cDjtR4dFZhNn6LCAUluaphlnQvsf_lPpbt0fJYKjyACaLB5I7_CiSQoLpVrx-AONNGfSLBcI09oJjwPkAie8-N9CAB3vDE5JqB7e-A2bcuXj3KnXq8ZPK-IqhXIrbw65RlEtENYtEE/s320/035.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is Kathryn, who was not one of our teachers but she loved displaying examples of IPA. Each symbol represents a sound used in speech. I wonder if they still teach this alphabet? The internet arrived very shortly after I was in grad school, and now we have all sorts of ways to determine how words are pronounced, so perhaps this stuff is old hat now.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHLPBMdyknyjsO2sOJtMSP7Rc9EcV0JO7DUQjACbkX6RaQugyL_5W3K_wxXj5tDCclJeX_Bazlq4T4p3vzCYi0KlfrRCIOIgqLK1FPOU6x7beJwpmQOaU6dzlcIJdYVDLi8rvPo8M07iLA/s1600/sarah+felder+12-78d.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="356" data-original-width="251" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHLPBMdyknyjsO2sOJtMSP7Rc9EcV0JO7DUQjACbkX6RaQugyL_5W3K_wxXj5tDCclJeX_Bazlq4T4p3vzCYi0KlfrRCIOIgqLK1FPOU6x7beJwpmQOaU6dzlcIJdYVDLi8rvPo8M07iLA/s320/sarah+felder+12-78d.jpg" width="224" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sarah spent several years on <i>Ryan's Hope</i>,<br />
creating a role which was later played by<br />
Marg Helgenberger. By the time she was<br />
bullying students at USC, she had given up<br />
on an acting career.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Our second voice teacher was a retired soap opera actress who had found a niche for herself as a vocal and dialect coach for the stage. At the time, Sarah was the resident voice coach at The Shakespeare Theatre Company in DC, where the MFA actors would be spending our third year as interns. The Powers at the Shakes were extremely particular about how their actors sound, so once a week for two years, Sarah was dispatched to USC to insure the actors headed their way sounded the way they wanted us to sound. </span><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5FYktrwHdqf6cg7gpCM3QmMo31VzDNBzE_PWiRSiU-CFnCTTfMgqUJnBs3fIB3WF9ixaBQEoO_hApcsDeK0Zgce1DM7okiXzRwXKIQp8eagkrRUZCiELWQQnWE_e8KHFeUMQOtgmM7JrM/s1600/sarah+felder+s-l225.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="225" data-original-width="171" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5FYktrwHdqf6cg7gpCM3QmMo31VzDNBzE_PWiRSiU-CFnCTTfMgqUJnBs3fIB3WF9ixaBQEoO_hApcsDeK0Zgce1DM7okiXzRwXKIQp8eagkrRUZCiELWQQnWE_e8KHFeUMQOtgmM7JrM/s1600/sarah+felder+s-l225.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I was a victim of Sarah's<br />
abrasive style in the classroom,<br />
which often included ridicule as<br />
a teaching tool.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">She did not seem all that happy about taking round trip flights every week to South Carolina, I'm sure she felt she deserved something better. When we arrived at The Shakes in DC for our internship, she was still on staff, and I shudder to recall an embarrassing moment during a put-in rehearsal for <i>All's Well That Ends Well</i>, during which she threw me under the bus in front of the director. That's a story for another time...</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiExQ9VZ00Akj0NmNGdvNIGzm0X1nog8a8uIrF72kOtlfrDXkUjH2cqtxtnDa8y08hvoVbz9JwenJmnbeRN_MUVhQMUzQoqFAThcdMoKh1tXLsEmXVoLU9E5KzVEBvCa3H3JonmTBKZ8e0l/s1600/Melody+KCC_5987.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="754" data-original-width="500" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiExQ9VZ00Akj0NmNGdvNIGzm0X1nog8a8uIrF72kOtlfrDXkUjH2cqtxtnDa8y08hvoVbz9JwenJmnbeRN_MUVhQMUzQoqFAThcdMoKh1tXLsEmXVoLU9E5KzVEBvCa3H3JonmTBKZ8e0l/s320/Melody+KCC_5987.jpg" width="212" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Melody today. She left USC and now<br />
has a private practice in PA.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I got much more out of our Movement classes. We had a mix of the Alexander Technique and Laban Movement Analysis, led by our aptly named teacher, Melody. Though young, this gal was the real deal, USC was lucky to have her. So was I, as she sat on my advisement committee and was always enthusiastic. And she loved my chex mix.</span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyFah0ir92jGMJIKXURZLKdyCKfveVenZHeZEesnSfe5YaAhqfYRwHQf7FWgB7nDUPQEqn07JnxaMn4q0tIEnvCP20u-cTZS7PYp7Lqvzoon2aBGuGTUlNHbPIDf7lUnc_wBr6PBSfLSr8/s1600/006.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="705" data-original-width="916" height="246" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyFah0ir92jGMJIKXURZLKdyCKfveVenZHeZEesnSfe5YaAhqfYRwHQf7FWgB7nDUPQEqn07JnxaMn4q0tIEnvCP20u-cTZS7PYp7Lqvzoon2aBGuGTUlNHbPIDf7lUnc_wBr6PBSfLSr8/s320/006.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I was happy to host informal gatherings at the swanky Shady Rest, including this one, which, as I recall, was right before the Thanksgiving break. There's a videotape of this evening out there someplace, so I know one of the topics of conversation was Melody's movement class. According to that tape, Steve and Christina were not big fans. I still have that quilt.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Despite the fact that these courses all resembled those in an acting conservatory, we were in fact at a university, so there was a substantial academic component to our curriculum as well. </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">USC's program was performance-heavy (it's a big reason I chose to go there), but you could not be a slouch in academics. </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">A year of Theatre History was required, both for our degree and to pass the comprehensive exams which would determine if the MFA would be granted. </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">It had been a whopping 17 years since I had taken a test, or studied for a test, or even been in a classroom. </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">In the time between my college graduation and my grad school introduction, computers had swept in and taken over the world. Never having operated a personal computer, I arrived at USC with this:</span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaZZygdcAtWMUNt4JBTL0k0QNOcFu01fPTiTFZqPg7Bb9bN8JqXMIMrFVGTkXkz5sD9bQbQoBhpnTq1bxnlR1r9WaktlnqzK7BRTqhEHEgvC3WOCsk6sx_zogyN4LwEQI1XU5T8eT1nhNI/s1600/typewriter12.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1157" data-original-width="1000" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaZZygdcAtWMUNt4JBTL0k0QNOcFu01fPTiTFZqPg7Bb9bN8JqXMIMrFVGTkXkz5sD9bQbQoBhpnTq1bxnlR1r9WaktlnqzK7BRTqhEHEgvC3WOCsk6sx_zogyN4LwEQI1XU5T8eT1nhNI/s320/typewriter12.jpg" width="276" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yep, I thought I could survive in grad school with only a typewriter. Hilariously naive. Numerous term papers would be required in Theatre History, and of course my thesis would eventually need to be prepared. This antique would not cut it.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilMNHWW_IcwuLY4ca-nT3Jwgfnci9AaCnkDQ2iFlZVddC8gNX5AMJSjguRLoMG-U0T1L7Ux5Fa-Tv-Z1kVIv7QbbhxxNQQOpKHyVU47aM1-eh7iV-DO3ddpR_aXnpA8leM9i7nMNI_s4YA/s1600/003+%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1169" data-original-width="805" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilMNHWW_IcwuLY4ca-nT3Jwgfnci9AaCnkDQ2iFlZVddC8gNX5AMJSjguRLoMG-U0T1L7Ux5Fa-Tv-Z1kVIv7QbbhxxNQQOpKHyVU47aM1-eh7iV-DO3ddpR_aXnpA8leM9i7nMNI_s4YA/s320/003+%25281%2529.jpg" width="220" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Deborah and Richard helped ease my<br />
transition into USC life. This was a party<br />
very soon after I met them. We needed<br />
more beer, Richard and I went down the<br />
hill to buy some. I was carded, Richard<br />
leaned over to read my drivers license.<br />
"Good, you're older than me." That was<br />
the start of a great friendship.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Noting the panic on my face, my new bestie Deborah spent some hours giving me a crash course in computers in general, and how to use Word Perfect in particular. Microsoft Word had not yet bulldozed the competition, and WP was the preferred program at USC. Not for the first time, I blessed my late mother, who had insisted I take a semester of typing while I was in high school. I didn't know how to use a computer, but I knew my way around a keyboard.</span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguBhW6pqFxD8u0o3zU_t0CO5-304_h9w7l3j0QpZeHSfmu1A8gQHMIV4lqHzBOSMTRAEjTDEFLzIJNaEv1ZY911323xJWz3y0dqDCbcZyysA4O-uW3Lu_3mnZPyRQnS9M94G1yJkA_Okm3/s1600/007+%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="799" data-original-width="1159" height="220" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguBhW6pqFxD8u0o3zU_t0CO5-304_h9w7l3j0QpZeHSfmu1A8gQHMIV4lqHzBOSMTRAEjTDEFLzIJNaEv1ZY911323xJWz3y0dqDCbcZyysA4O-uW3Lu_3mnZPyRQnS9M94G1yJkA_Okm3/s320/007+%25281%2529.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is not me. It's the husband of one of my classmates. After the first week of class, I scrambled to purchase a second-hand PC, then Rob came over to install Wordperfect (they used to call this "shareware," now they call it theft). Nobody had a personal printer back then, you had to save your work on a floppy disc, inaptly named since it was not floppy at all, and take it someplace to be printed.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">If you take a look at the above picture, you'll see my "office," actually a corner of my bedroom. TWO desks, plus that hilariously oversized computer, my very first. You'll see from all the paraphernalia that the internet had not yet taken hold, so all the research for all the term papers required for the MFA had to be done the old fashioned way: books. At this graduate level, term papers were assigned, but their subjects were not. We'd be told, for example, that a paper was due October 10, but the actual topic was up to us, as long as it related in some way to the current study. I worked so hard on these papers, I have proudly saved them for 25 years. I'll remind you I chose these topics myself:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">"Lead Into Gold"</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The uses of alchemy in Chaucer's <i>Canterbury Tales</i> and Robert Green's </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><i>Friar Bacon and Friar Bungay</i></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">"The Antique Chorus"</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The birth and development of the chorus in Greek, Roman, Medieval, and Renaissance drama</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">"When? Where? What?"</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The unities of Time, Place and Action as discussed in John Dryden's <i>An Essay of Dramatic Poesy</i> and applied to John Guare's <i>Four Baboons Adoring the Sun</i></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">"Woyzeck"</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The unaccomodated man in the unadorned play</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">and finally:</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">"Little Rascals"</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Treatment of The Rake in Oliver Goldsmith's S<i>he Stoops to Conquer</i> </span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">as illustrated by Charles Marlow and Tony Lumpkin</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Let me know if you want to read any of the above. I've got that floppy disc somewhere. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">In our spare time from all of the above, we were performing. Or rehearsing. Or both. I did 5 shows my first year on campus, but this is the one which dominated most of the year:</span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWRn9RSmoPkoXGN5GcUEAXoQCXIrq5fNHONXp7_3NI3qbF2R5XfR7ibO2Y3I8aifJ-JXJ2N8OFalI_IKyHMr7OOUFCjZ_w_QP_4ArRYxKb1XC9OpEFIM-l54U_A4-JtNwzNun2jYkvFNQR/s1600/Algy%2527s+Pink+Rose.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="515" data-original-width="409" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWRn9RSmoPkoXGN5GcUEAXoQCXIrq5fNHONXp7_3NI3qbF2R5XfR7ibO2Y3I8aifJ-JXJ2N8OFalI_IKyHMr7OOUFCjZ_w_QP_4ArRYxKb1XC9OpEFIM-l54U_A4-JtNwzNun2jYkvFNQR/s320/Algy%2527s+Pink+Rose.jpg" width="254" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Algernon Moncrief and Cecily Cardew spent many months during 1993-94 trying to determine <i>The Importance of Being Earnest.</i><br />
<div style="font-style: italic; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: 12.8px;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">Our production of <i>The Importance of Being Earnest</i> played on campus in the fall of '93, then transferred to Charlotte Repertory Theatre in early '94. In the <a href="http://armchairactorvist.blogspot.com/2019/11/gamecock-diaries-part-four-whats-it-all.html">next chapter of this memoir</a>, I'll leave behind all this dull academic stuff, and regale you with lavish memories of <i>Earnest</i>, which was a delight, and <i>Measure for Measure</i>, which was not.</span></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>Armchair Actorvisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02873366521914303194noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7146900851769565592.post-68773666191963199282019-09-07T21:54:00.000-05:002019-10-01T15:04:10.169-05:00Gamecock Diaries: Part II: Everything In This World Comes To An End <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><i>It appears I'm writing my memoir, one episode at a time and in no particular order. This is the 3rd entry in a series I started several years ago, regarding my adventures earning my MFA in Acting at the University of South Carolina. Go <a href="http://armchairactorvist.blogspot.com/2013/04/gamecock-diaries-prologue-my-dinner.html">here for episode one (actually a prologue</a>), and <a href="http://armchairactorvist.blogspot.com/2013/05/gamecock-diaries-part-one-goodbye-and.html">here for episode two</a>, confusingly titled Part 1.</i></span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhJjoZ5DZHsuKCBR2Pl-IyMKYZtjpN_eASjKBy-R8SMOqfENVObZx8ofLybrj7BLn9Ae4jth8utFf0tbtOCBUvjWZxxktQSYZuExb13JA1_c0_dZsqvJSnDJ_Sh-fDiHlKfO8tWA1JDmZW/s1600/009+%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="794" data-original-width="986" height="257" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhJjoZ5DZHsuKCBR2Pl-IyMKYZtjpN_eASjKBy-R8SMOqfENVObZx8ofLybrj7BLn9Ae4jth8utFf0tbtOCBUvjWZxxktQSYZuExb13JA1_c0_dZsqvJSnDJ_Sh-fDiHlKfO8tWA1JDmZW/s320/009+%25281%2529.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is a good representation of me, upon arrival at USC. I settled into the Shady Rest right away, and set about trying to make sense of my nonsensical decision to uproot my life in L.A., and move across the country.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I arrived at USC in the early weeks of August, 1993. Classes were not to begin for a week or so, but the MFA candidates were required to arrive early in order to attend a week of orientation (I suppose we were called "candidates" to remind us that we had 3 years of hard work ahead of us before we would actually achieve MFA status, and that our "candidacy" could be revoked at any time). This orientation was largely a series of lectures on how to teach underclassmen. MFA actors, and many other grad students in other programs, earned tuition waivers and stipends by teaching the undergraduate students in "beginning" classes, while also attending our own graduate classes. I felt a bit awkward attending these orientations, as I was not yet scheduled to actually teach anybody. Truthfully, I was feeling inferior to the other actors in my new class, as they all had been offered these full stipends, and I had not. I was invited to USC fairly late in the recruitment process, and all the assistant-ship money was spoken for. </span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgSjE4shkP6CTEwm6Z1Tfe9_9opGKjxAUrO2eZzpu6qY1fQy89Jbv_pSjYueXrnRUPSAvKe_DWiKR6dlYF_v9iNDdzhr1ac4ocxKcLU6HU1BF9MV8wY1e5nioideioF8IwfL19EkWaAkYZ/s1600/001+%25282%2529+%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="788" data-original-width="1186" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgSjE4shkP6CTEwm6Z1Tfe9_9opGKjxAUrO2eZzpu6qY1fQy89Jbv_pSjYueXrnRUPSAvKe_DWiKR6dlYF_v9iNDdzhr1ac4ocxKcLU6HU1BF9MV8wY1e5nioideioF8IwfL19EkWaAkYZ/s320/001+%25282%2529+%25281%2529.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This very dark picture is Richard Jennings, head of the acting program. I must have really impressed him when I auditioned for him in Los Angeles (well, natch. Who could resist my Cassius monologue?), as he worked hard to get me to USC even though he had no stipends to offer me. He assured me that his first priority would be to find some kind of assistant-ship for me, once the semester started.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I had taken a leap of faith and moved my life to South Carolina without knowing if I could afford it. Richard Jennings, head of the acting department and the man who recruited me, was true to his word; within a few weeks, I was working part time in the box office to earn some dough, and by the second semester, I was given the same full assistant-ship which the rest of my peers received.</span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTNoVzwEOKyd-0N168pH0FNlcIqFND917p9KYJhl2vgoJ-RRnG_wwfDsk4ofA8icjWTRg3yaO8bvuEaHg2S75Imo2gBElYdqKaIeA8lWu6Mlr_cPLc5ysMzo5ogH989zjW5L8bEIfTZIBQ/s1600/shady+rest+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="564" data-original-width="756" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTNoVzwEOKyd-0N168pH0FNlcIqFND917p9KYJhl2vgoJ-RRnG_wwfDsk4ofA8icjWTRg3yaO8bvuEaHg2S75Imo2gBElYdqKaIeA8lWu6Mlr_cPLc5ysMzo5ogH989zjW5L8bEIfTZIBQ/s320/shady+rest+2.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It's hard for me to believe, but according to Google Earth, this is what my grad school digs look like now. The Shady Rest, in the early 90s, was an old duplex with a wooden fence and a peeling paint job. I happily settled into the roomy but ramshackled duplex. My furniture arrived several days after I did, and so did one of my classmates.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">With my money problems put on the back burner, I settled into my roomy duplex, nicknamed the Shady Rest (see the <a href="http://armchairactorvist.blogspot.com/2013/05/gamecock-diaries-part-one-goodbye-and.html">previous episode of this series</a> to find out why my place gained that moniker). My new classmate John had stuffed all his belongings into a rental truck and had made the schlep from Oklahoma to South Carolina without a place to live once he got there. I offered him temporary digs at my place while he looked for an apartment of his own. </span></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlE2U0EOCwM4FyG6Pe9L-ZqOhV8V0Y0vbVAb9C1TS0NNQB2A1VZtdHYOwCAmZ2zHAEVGNSHrTEnKXt3IiiAclQD1AqXX73oZX-4j14e17t6AR1nLg2Qsu7aHS-WtDkilQkicqWgi64CFLf/s1600/john+bailey2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="640" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlE2U0EOCwM4FyG6Pe9L-ZqOhV8V0Y0vbVAb9C1TS0NNQB2A1VZtdHYOwCAmZ2zHAEVGNSHrTEnKXt3IiiAclQD1AqXX73oZX-4j14e17t6AR1nLg2Qsu7aHS-WtDkilQkicqWgi64CFLf/s320/john+bailey2.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">That first week, as we all attended our orientation meetings, my fellow classmate John made no effort to look for a place of his own. He was getting pretty comfortable camping out in my living room, so I had to pointedly mention that I planned to live alone while going to school, and as school was to begin Monday, where was he planning to stay? (John was a very fun guy to be around, and was a very strong actor too, but it would become clear that he had the wrong attitude about grad school; he was dismissed from the program after the first semester. His withdrawal from USC didn't seem to hurt his career, which was soon to include more than a few television gigs, as well as professional theatre work).</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Anyway, while we attended daily lectures on How To Teach Underclassmen, the evenings were filled with rehearsals for the first show of the season. There were 6 actors in my incoming class (though that number was to fluctuate during the 2 years we were on campus, as we had two ladies drop out, one gal drop <i>in</i>, and one dude, as I mentioned, get dumped by the faculty). </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwn07bS9vjQhZXchIniHEwdwAH_jCHo-A8i1FVGqTQhd8EbrOn0Qtd78RsZVieKOZfUPj8bN4JLNjZ3YjjhKboSl08WY7mqZrMmQI1jQ-HbRgIfsO_KAVLgVIO98Gzndd94hiQzCX2eami/s1600/001+%25282%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="672" data-original-width="693" height="310" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwn07bS9vjQhZXchIniHEwdwAH_jCHo-A8i1FVGqTQhd8EbrOn0Qtd78RsZVieKOZfUPj8bN4JLNjZ3YjjhKboSl08WY7mqZrMmQI1jQ-HbRgIfsO_KAVLgVIO98Gzndd94hiQzCX2eami/s320/001+%25282%2529.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Christina and Deborah were in the MFA class ahead of me at<br />
USC. They quickly became my close friends. Christina had<br />
lots of professional experience and was already a member of<br />
Equity, the stage actors union (I was too, but this was unusual<br />
for MFA actors). Deborah taught me how to use a computer!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">There were 5 MFA actors (excuse me, <i>candidates</i>) already on campus in the class ahead of us. If my math is correct, then, there were 11 actors in the graduate talent pool during my first year (this number does not count the MFA candidates who were in their 3rd year and were thus in DC working their internships). </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNRSp7rFiaigVyvzEnrhCLKqCBGee_JllAkT2lJYK9yaN0YxHARpn6xsZLThV5ni7M9UT4yxH2CopeYz_RX-h_yAThRPmYhtW_tu1UahISCLe7jUJj4_XuDRiwKj4k08IQ6TxUhaJmUPk6/s1600/002+%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="729" data-original-width="537" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNRSp7rFiaigVyvzEnrhCLKqCBGee_JllAkT2lJYK9yaN0YxHARpn6xsZLThV5ni7M9UT4yxH2CopeYz_RX-h_yAThRPmYhtW_tu1UahISCLe7jUJj4_XuDRiwKj4k08IQ6TxUhaJmUPk6/s320/002+%25281%2529.jpg" width="235" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kathryn and Steve were also in the MFA class<br />
ahead of me. For some reason, I bonded more<br />
quickly and more thoroughly with this class<br />
than my own, I'm not sure why.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">It was the expectation that these actors would play the leading roles in most of the shows produced by the department. Due to time constraints, it was necessary that the first show begin rehearsal before classes even began, and in the case of the new incoming actors, we were cast by the director sight-unseen. The show was Chekhov's The Cherry Orchard, and I was pre-cast as the gregarious neighbor Pischik (there is no doubt I was given this role because I was the oldest of the incoming male actors, and the role was decidedly middle-aged). The show was to turn out to be one of the least stressful of the eleven (yep, count 'em: 11) shows I was involved with during the two years I spent on campus. It was also to be the smallest role I had while at USC.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXg4Jj1JOBEOwVQ0RWem_PxPE847DGKPUkmf4C6hNIK7XMqqknzy_AQcBLLMx49dWMaoI632ZGM0NVdUe0POhj6da8-payZotVXKAhkb_ucyd5T1WVuohnZUAX8oG4NqhmUVB7V_nHMg0m/s1600/014+uncropped.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="777" data-original-width="1148" height="216" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXg4Jj1JOBEOwVQ0RWem_PxPE847DGKPUkmf4C6hNIK7XMqqknzy_AQcBLLMx49dWMaoI632ZGM0NVdUe0POhj6da8-payZotVXKAhkb_ucyd5T1WVuohnZUAX8oG4NqhmUVB7V_nHMg0m/s320/014+uncropped.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Deborah and I got on like a house a'fire, we've remained close to this day.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> </span><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIBC3EPNbnFw-OyNgTi6qeYds4-yxueimFHhkN-xoxtJ9wF5i3OmdtuLavOKqspffoQJCRy05OV_0fGTWGdlhM0ulI8S6gIM69S4fw67cUYtJCNE9JYBYHvjwIxakJCrCVGnFfTQ9AhDIb/s1600/ann+dreher.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="165" data-original-width="97" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIBC3EPNbnFw-OyNgTi6qeYds4-yxueimFHhkN-xoxtJ9wF5i3OmdtuLavOKqspffoQJCRy05OV_0fGTWGdlhM0ulI8S6gIM69S4fw67cUYtJCNE9JYBYHvjwIxakJCrCVGnFfTQ9AhDIb/s1600/ann+dreher.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Our director was one of the most <ahem> <i>colorful</i> of the faculty members, Ann Dreher</span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">. Ann and I got along well during this period, but I'm sorry to say, our relationship soured a year later, for reasons I'm sure I'll describe in a later post. Ann was a bit of a legend on the USC campus; she had been on the faculty forever and tenure meant she didn't give a shit who liked her or who didn't. She led the undergraduate program, and her Introduction to Theatre class was a popular elective among the student body at large. (The class had a better name than Intro to Theatre; I seem to remember it was called Creative Play or something like that. It must have been easy to pass, since all the sections of it were always packed with non-theatre students, looking for an easy elective). Ann was probably the most well-known member of the theatre faculty among the larger student body, not only through the popularity of her Intro class but for the outlandish stories which circulated about her behavior. </span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTZLEfs3ZEDheUyxWUr9b6LxDAu-LHqhBhEHhaFFVPWF1Oijo8qsA7gzPZ2ewSkWigondG9rkoUwQ9K7TPdC5UTZXf9IOsTzosIkuBl5fAWvkyuPRs1RBz20GAbPxfnP7XwSLoiccY64em/s1600/ann+dreher+15152231_BG1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="199" data-original-width="247" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTZLEfs3ZEDheUyxWUr9b6LxDAu-LHqhBhEHhaFFVPWF1Oijo8qsA7gzPZ2ewSkWigondG9rkoUwQ9K7TPdC5UTZXf9IOsTzosIkuBl5fAWvkyuPRs1RBz20GAbPxfnP7XwSLoiccY64em/s1600/ann+dreher+15152231_BG1.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I heard this apocryphal story about Ann as soon as I arrived at USC: she was late one day for her big class, finally arriving out of breath. She turned to her students and said, "Sorry I'm late, y'all. I was fuckin'." I have no idea if that actually happened, but it sounds just like Ann.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV4b34EQHtTRHfsrTCEj6aR3jdw8fNXBBI3lbWTxYTnvVkyheSsgL4UqBNpwEbCb6V3Wy2wneSvQbsaV41UxbjNVlBrUqoZsqCrx19vwAEiZxa_M7HvF0GXZ7ew1A02uXTl1rQj9XN7btc/s1600/Cherry_Orchard_The_185_300.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="300" data-original-width="185" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV4b34EQHtTRHfsrTCEj6aR3jdw8fNXBBI3lbWTxYTnvVkyheSsgL4UqBNpwEbCb6V3Wy2wneSvQbsaV41UxbjNVlBrUqoZsqCrx19vwAEiZxa_M7HvF0GXZ7ew1A02uXTl1rQj9XN7btc/s1600/Cherry_Orchard_The_185_300.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Who knew David Mamet<br />
adapted other people's<br />
works? His version was<br />
sleek, with none of the<br />
huge speeches Chekhov<br />
loved.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">With Ann at the helm, rehearsals for The Cherry Orchard proceeded apace. My character of Pischik</span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> wandered in and out of the action, fairly peripherally, and was not really integral to the plot. It wasn't until I wrote a term paper about this play (I plan to write a bit about my Theatre History class in the <a href="https://armchairactorvist.blogspot.com/2019/09/gamecock-diaries-part-iii-details-of.html">next installment of this series, stay tuned for that riveting entry</a>) that I realized my minor character had been given a line of dialogue which exactly stated one of the major themes of The Cherry Orchard. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5RT6r7Uzc6yy7qMNEIVic38FPImaz_kPIW5EATeW-OVumCfIB0EUrI7hfPwitEyDKNw7quG_-sgX_jsumXGbC7B_vyMP9siFPNSDsz3ETYNejgq8z9K1YbCEx2xK_EcwztOBXWUZmz8UQ/s1600/Pischik.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="883" data-original-width="597" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5RT6r7Uzc6yy7qMNEIVic38FPImaz_kPIW5EATeW-OVumCfIB0EUrI7hfPwitEyDKNw7quG_-sgX_jsumXGbC7B_vyMP9siFPNSDsz3ETYNejgq8z9K1YbCEx2xK_EcwztOBXWUZmz8UQ/s320/Pischik.jpg" width="216" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Everything in this world comes to an end," Pischik proclaims as he sells his indebted estate and bids farewell to his entire way of life. I could relate. I did the same thing by deserting Los Angeles and taking this leap into graduate school.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiC8GltXGO_fQQPo05zyd4jortUeBQtyNGIN_Ric2e1ASNuRh91cBoxcC_wokY3QuMy0MQFG9h2ZmLoTcF-68UUDmrswXjMxDUzG4oagsouWnCOuuBenT_c2fp5ByZHGRJUIcijUwY2rYI/s1600/015.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="805" data-original-width="783" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiC8GltXGO_fQQPo05zyd4jortUeBQtyNGIN_Ric2e1ASNuRh91cBoxcC_wokY3QuMy0MQFG9h2ZmLoTcF-68UUDmrswXjMxDUzG4oagsouWnCOuuBenT_c2fp5ByZHGRJUIcijUwY2rYI/s320/015.jpg" width="311" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Christina as Lyubov and Deborah as Varya<br />
in The Cherry Orchard.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">During these first few weeks of my time at USC, one event stands out in my mind. When the new school year began, the Theatre Department held a big meeting in their main theater in which to introduce the incoming students to the faculty and to the students already on campus. I completely understand the reasoning behind this big event; the actors had, after all, been recruited by only one member of the faculty, yet everybody was expected to work with us for the next two years. The awkward part of this meet-and-greet was that all the incoming MFA actors were expected to present their audition pieces to everybody in the hall. One by one, the six of us traipsed onto the stage and performed the two monologues with which we had gained entrance to USC. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">God bless my cohort Elliot, who surprised the crowd when it was his turn to dazzle. Before performing his two pieces, he sang. Elliot was a strong singer and felt right at home belting a tune A'Capella (of course there was no accompanist, USC was a classical training program and rarely produced musicals). Another of my new classmates, Nanette, was also a strong singer, so she, too, included an impromptu song with her presentation. All of this happened very spontaneously, but I sure as hell wasn't going to be left out. I was the last of the new MFA actors to perform. I began: "Hi, I'm R. Scott Williams, and I'll be doing Cassius from Julius Caesar and Peter from It's Only a Play by Terence McNally. But first, your worst fears are about to be realized. I'm singing also." And then I did.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz60wHkgEp7fzP4Y_15DExVCUs4w7uxz4XnP17am3uFAKuZRouQxY4_dOSDUI2VdtQSIx1OFpoAX1EYUyAWahxuQKWJ-Tz_Yg2WFkWGgK-aACLT1EBYyDKRPd_O5TFnmE192391NQqhtNu/s1600/056.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="794" data-original-width="866" height="293" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz60wHkgEp7fzP4Y_15DExVCUs4w7uxz4XnP17am3uFAKuZRouQxY4_dOSDUI2VdtQSIx1OFpoAX1EYUyAWahxuQKWJ-Tz_Yg2WFkWGgK-aACLT1EBYyDKRPd_O5TFnmE192391NQqhtNu/s320/056.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nan and Elliot provided impromptu musical interludes during the USC Theatre Dept. Meet and Greet, causing me to sing as well. It turned out to be a smart move. Director Jim Patterson was in the room; he would soon schedule a production of <i>Anything Goes </i>for the following summer, at least partly due to the fact that he could see some of his actors could sing.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The Cherry Orchard opened, and I was pleased with my work in it. I was pleased with my living space and pleased to be making bunches of new friends; all in all, I was pleased with the decision I had made to uproot my life, move thousands of miles across the country, and to return to school. But as the semester got underway in earnest, I faced more challenges, in the<a href="https://armchairactorvist.blogspot.com/2019/09/gamecock-diaries-part-iii-details-of.html"> Theatre History classes I was required to ace</a>, and the fact that I had not been in an academic classroom in 17 years. And as soon as my adventure with Chekhov was over, I jumped into my first leading role at USC, and along the way, became acquainted with the gent who would become a friend and mentor, who would help guide the rest of my career at USC. More on that in my next chapter (whenever that may be) but meanwhile, enjoy this little clip I just ran across. It's some kind of feature about Longstreet Theatre, which housed the USC Dept of Theatre and Dance, and its reputation for being haunted. Longstreet was one of the very few buildings which predate the Civil War, most of the campus was burned to the ground by Sherman, but he left Longstreet standing. The narration is by Ann Dreher herself. You can get a glimpse of her eccentric personality here: </span></div>
<iframe allow="autoplay *; fullscreen *; encrypted-media *" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="395" mozallowfullscreen="" src="https://cdnapisec.kaltura.com/p/954571/sp/95457100/embedIframeJs/uiconf_id/29461131/partner_id/954571?flashvars[mediaProxy.mediaPlayFrom]=13&iframeembed=true&playerId=kaltura-player&entry_id=1_afzer50c&flashvars[streamerType]=auto" webkitallowfullscreen="" width="560"></iframe>
Armchair Actorvisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02873366521914303194noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7146900851769565592.post-811897915563626852018-07-13T07:18:00.000-05:002018-07-14T18:15:54.171-05:00Theatre Droppings: Oh Mary, Don't Ask<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmsmtwusj4cXSh5lcxQS5ubnPX4MqMOJwsLd-stGeQp-TIAOrkakK9S7UhYxxm-jf35omkvdAISYCPGbh-zN4faGFWu7TyQ4K3Le_arVol5bDU6AjDWcUhU-ep3ZFQfGS6i14VHP2OIa3d/s1600/boys-in-the-band-broadway.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="562" data-original-width="1000" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmsmtwusj4cXSh5lcxQS5ubnPX4MqMOJwsLd-stGeQp-TIAOrkakK9S7UhYxxm-jf35omkvdAISYCPGbh-zN4faGFWu7TyQ4K3Le_arVol5bDU6AjDWcUhU-ep3ZFQfGS6i14VHP2OIa3d/s320/boys-in-the-band-broadway.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Confetti and balloons, cake and dancing, hilarious quips and bawdy <i>bon mots</i>. There's even a parlor game. Who wouldn't have fun at a festive celebration like this? Turns out, NOBODY has fun. Welcome to Harold's birthday party.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlBc5Ilnpp-f_qxHPZeYOujI9N2KAwPxwHwS0jEOhqwHmMEE8tuaPG7QsXpzdQJupfW6h1W08FopaO8oKJFT2CWU4_BMfqafmRLiYYC_2vKUJCeZ8aAt4EDydOOwUsZzytYkKECBzoedHn/s1600/boys+in+the+band+NDkyZTgzXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyNzc5MjA3OA%2540%2540._V1_UY1200_CR79%252C0%252C630%252C1200_AL_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="630" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlBc5Ilnpp-f_qxHPZeYOujI9N2KAwPxwHwS0jEOhqwHmMEE8tuaPG7QsXpzdQJupfW6h1W08FopaO8oKJFT2CWU4_BMfqafmRLiYYC_2vKUJCeZ8aAt4EDydOOwUsZzytYkKECBzoedHn/s320/boys+in+the+band+NDkyZTgzXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyNzc5MjA3OA%2540%2540._V1_UY1200_CR79%252C0%252C630%252C1200_AL_.jpg" width="168" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This poster for the 1970 film was<br />
banned by many newspapers<br />
across the country. A more subtle<br />
poster replaced it (it's below)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">One of the buzziest shows in New York this summer is a 50 year old play considered to be a ground-breaker, finally making its Broadway debut. <i>The Boys in the Band</i> opened in a tiny hole-in-the-wall performance space in Greenwich Village back in 1968; it ran over 1000 performances and put gay characters front and center before mainstream audiences. At its opening, the play was celebrated as the first realistic illustration of the modern gay lifestyle. About a year into its run, the show ran into some trouble. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWjkK_JmlXdhD_0dJ4ODizac8dMtJ8Uh6tFOBWDy60tkbZuB9vJ_SmoVcMCaZArEn2j2T-tYB0MREAdrHb9X7YPFRHjJREbkVEzMcEsbmi-rKrqBvr6apN4PxEucxtlM_rc0nS5gT22EtK/s1600/boys+in+the+band+100048-10.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="300" data-original-width="800" height="120" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWjkK_JmlXdhD_0dJ4ODizac8dMtJ8Uh6tFOBWDy60tkbZuB9vJ_SmoVcMCaZArEn2j2T-tYB0MREAdrHb9X7YPFRHjJREbkVEzMcEsbmi-rKrqBvr6apN4PxEucxtlM_rc0nS5gT22EtK/s320/boys+in+the+band+100048-10.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A pre-<i>Exorcist </i>William Friedkin saw this original production, and signed on to direct the movie version, with one condition: that the full original cast recreate their roles on film. He needn't have made such a demand. No Hollywood agent or manager would have allowed a client to go anywhere near this thing, and even the New York actors involved were told playing gay would end their careers.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="186" data-original-width="308" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8br4VdoGoQXpcngA_aSuXLTAKSf0zGXoOqE1vFjTgvNUXEOpBGJVInGLbbzj2hme7zfCIiCDqPoaeW0xcOHr30uviXKx58plvogVmWDHayEiDyn0ZEkkwoocNZnY3XMDwKh1HvTnlL9pp/s1600/boys+in+the+band12.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Michael hosts a party for Harold. These two thoroughly<br />
nasty queens create the dramatic stimuli of the play.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">In 1969, a group of ragtag drag queens, hustlers, and other gay undesirables were harassed by police during a raid on a dive bar called The Stonewall Inn. Several days of rioting ensued, and the modern gay rights movement was ignited. This movement encouraged homosexuals to be proud of their identities, rather than to be ashamed, and to this day, celebrations of homosexual and gender fluid identities all carry the label of PRIDE. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRgQe1YEdZ19v1j1ah9U8blvcWt5309KqjgH6FKFIUaCiSkjIU2AhY-MLlOP1aCYvSixAVkP2STSVaRmb3M0YOul828eY_KfBUjDTwTZfPLFiWF8F2nDlwMh5SdMz7u4_cBCTCK5pz03ml/s1600/boys+in+the+band+118602894.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="835" data-original-width="1024" height="260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRgQe1YEdZ19v1j1ah9U8blvcWt5309KqjgH6FKFIUaCiSkjIU2AhY-MLlOP1aCYvSixAVkP2STSVaRmb3M0YOul828eY_KfBUjDTwTZfPLFiWF8F2nDlwMh5SdMz7u4_cBCTCK5pz03ml/s320/boys+in+the+band+118602894.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Boys in Mart Crowley's play are anything but prideful. Quite the opposite, these nine characters are filled with self-hatred and shame regarding their sexuality. During a booze-filled evening right out of the Edward Albee playbook, they punish each other for their own feelings of self-loathing. (Though Michael never says it, he is playing "Get The Guests" better than <i>Virginia Woolf</i>''s George and Martha)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuVuNKWLEUWcQp1zPk9SrUioL9vlI27jB8pRcChx1nqxgfSLUCWJndVJWNF-AwGEIuS9ANBoJoap25k-TRvHsi3-Vo1N6Igab1qHpfe0K1jwj7FMs0BC5S0bhHobTkguaxsjLPDSchJZNm/s1600/boys-in-the-band1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="321" data-original-width="500" height="205" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuVuNKWLEUWcQp1zPk9SrUioL9vlI27jB8pRcChx1nqxgfSLUCWJndVJWNF-AwGEIuS9ANBoJoap25k-TRvHsi3-Vo1N6Igab1qHpfe0K1jwj7FMs0BC5S0bhHobTkguaxsjLPDSchJZNm/s320/boys-in-the-band1.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Is <i>Boys in the Band</i> an honest examination of a generation of<br />
gay men forced to remain in the closet except in hidden bars,<br />
bathhouses, and the occasional Saturday night birthday party?<br />
Or does it offer a highly limited view of gay society in the late<br />
60s, portraying gay men as psychologically damaged, haunted<br />
and ashamed?</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Gay activists such as the Mattachine Society, one of the earliest gay rights groups, disowned the bitchy, sad, and fairly unpleasant characters portrayed in <i>The Boys in the Band</i>. So our Boys </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">became controversial not only in the mainstream, but also among the gay community; this controversy continues today.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I didn't know anything about this controversy when I first became aware of <i>The Boys in the Band</i>, when, at age 13, I opened the Sunday edition of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, and saw this movie ad: </span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKmtG9cBuhuhHEsDPVaJIn7QMhM9BcjaoVV_etAYdywjTl1R-LveFHlSe8oAga3el0ORYzH0XSw0ygsedqtmsFSaSGWU_PG7aUsA7PfpA74qAcUUNG8dwPuic2I-2mzsPST1JjwBWD9NIh/s1600/Boys_in_the_band_cover-WM.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="982" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKmtG9cBuhuhHEsDPVaJIn7QMhM9BcjaoVV_etAYdywjTl1R-LveFHlSe8oAga3el0ORYzH0XSw0ygsedqtmsFSaSGWU_PG7aUsA7PfpA74qAcUUNG8dwPuic2I-2mzsPST1JjwBWD9NIh/s320/Boys_in_the_band_cover-WM.jpg" width="196" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">As a pre-teen in the Deep South, I had no knowledge of the provocative Off-Broadway play depicting homosexuals; I never even knew the Stonewall riots had happened. But something about this poster told me I needed to see this movie. It was rated R. I was not able to see the film until several years later, and it has remained my only exposure to <i>The Boys in the Band </i>until last week, when I saw it for the first time onstage.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The first thing I can report about the Broadway production of <i>Boys in the Band</i> is this: it's friggin' hilarious. Somehow, the same text which comes off as vicious on film becomes enjoyably flippant onstage, at least initially. </span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Director Joe Mantello is not stupid.If you have a specimen<br />
like Matt Bomer in your gay play, you strip him to his<br />
underwear as soon as possible. This first scene between<br />
besties Donald and Michael plays like a dream,<br />
endearing both men to us,until Parsons's Michael<br />
picks up a gin bottle and turns into Mr. Hyde.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Congratulations in no small part must go to director Joe Mantello, who has guided his cast to mine the laughs, and they have struck gold. The first half of the show (in what used to be its first act; playwright Mart Crowley has wisely trimmed the play a bit and removed the intermission) feels like Terrence McNally wrote it. Jim Parsons as Michael, the leading character, knows his way around comedy, and his first scene, opposite Matt Bomer, is full of laughs. <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBZ2r9YrAuNSO1Q8R0JeC1d07yofGWaCh5Mz-Udvca3J3G5dKV1zEBAwiUDmzG2qxazso48RKjosV0oaxjTX0BoC7XqZGt2dhURqkZxtQ1MmbjPxe6LpyGp03HCd3LdPiGnUAG75G0Wihh/s1600/Boys-in-the-Band-Broadway-2018.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="360" data-original-width="620" height="185" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBZ2r9YrAuNSO1Q8R0JeC1d07yofGWaCh5Mz-Udvca3J3G5dKV1zEBAwiUDmzG2qxazso48RKjosV0oaxjTX0BoC7XqZGt2dhURqkZxtQ1MmbjPxe6LpyGp03HCd3LdPiGnUAG75G0Wihh/s320/Boys-in-the-Band-Broadway-2018.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Robin de Jesus as flameboy Emory, Michael<br />
Benjamin Washington as token black Bernard,and<br />
Andrew Rannells as promiscuous Larry, all add to<br />
the festive atmosphere of the first half. This party<br />
would have been such fun, if the host hadn't<br />
torpedoed his own event by showing that queers<br />
are not just self-hating, they're also self-<br />
destructive.</td></tr>
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We like these men immediately, and that fond feeling extends to the other Boys, as Andrew Rannells, Robin de Jesus, and Tuc Watkins join the party. I was joyfully able to put aside my distaste for this text and start to recognize that perhaps the original play can be treated simply as a period piece.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Except it can't. Many gay men of the generation depicted in this play have accused the playwright of displaying some very nasty stereotypes, as if all gay men of the period felt the same self-loathing expressed by the play's lead character, Michael. There is a seminal quote from Michael which is difficult to defend: "If only we could learn to stop hating ourselves so much." This is an exclamation difficult to justify, and one which I have trouble overlooking. </span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Once Michael (Jim Parsons) picks up that gin bottle, he turns from a charming and witty host into a vicious annihilator. He slings racial, ethnic, and anti-Semitic slurs at his guests, and conducts a party game aimed to humiliate the players. This sudden shift in character was very difficult to accept from Parsons, who did not handle this arc as well as the originator of the role, Kenneth Nelson. When the party is finally wrecked and done, Michael himself has a breakdown. As he recovers himself, he utters the sentiment which has alienated large portions of the gay population for decades; "If only we could stop hating ourselves so much."</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqw3NGaJBWOOq2JHd1Gywcog4V4u8XoChWzq86GQF5bcSGns68vDq51oNjQzKVXoV7USN2xPhaG5zbpIE4bPjwnV0i5R7r-kL44NpRVAXCw8ysEoSpruv2o0kmJ5kUTAm1OLCAncWMrwgy/s1600/boys+in+the+band+harold-and-michael-from-the-boys.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="675" data-original-width="699" height="309" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqw3NGaJBWOOq2JHd1Gywcog4V4u8XoChWzq86GQF5bcSGns68vDq51oNjQzKVXoV7USN2xPhaG5zbpIE4bPjwnV0i5R7r-kL44NpRVAXCw8ysEoSpruv2o0kmJ5kUTAm1OLCAncWMrwgy/s320/boys+in+the+band+harold-and-michael-from-the-boys.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Leonard Frey and Kenneth Nelson, as Harold and Michael,<br />
delivered two indelible performances in the film, pretty much<br />
steamrolling the other actors; it's hard to remember much<br />
about any of the others.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Michael indeed seems to be a self-hating homo, and I have no problem with such a character being portrayed onstage, we've seen many of them over the years. But he doesn't speak only of himself; he doesn't say "If only </span><b style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;"><i>I</i></b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> could learn to stop hating </span><b style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;"><i>MY</i></b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">self so much." He says "</span><b style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;"><i>We</i></b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">" and "</span><b style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;"><i>OUR</i></b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">selves," suggesting to the world that all gay men despise themselves. This is not true today, nor was it true in 1968. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDpo18LvKh78S_syRQ9bPC7xjpy9e9pKse_TU2mfUp23nomL-tXBMz2806-XH4SK4dQrSHLkY0m-j_Tqb7yl4rb8M9xxLAVRIc2vgx75_wvhuHN43RbNNWgF7vIS7kIHGvcLDz359IVbk3/s1600/boys-in-the-band-08.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="817" data-original-width="1222" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDpo18LvKh78S_syRQ9bPC7xjpy9e9pKse_TU2mfUp23nomL-tXBMz2806-XH4SK4dQrSHLkY0m-j_Tqb7yl4rb8M9xxLAVRIc2vgx75_wvhuHN43RbNNWgF7vIS7kIHGvcLDz359IVbk3/s320/boys-in-the-band-08.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"These are really Harold's friends," our host Michael explains before the birthday party begins. Really? We'll have to take that as a leap of faith, as there is scarce evidence that anybody has a friend in this room. I keep wondering, what is it that holds this group together? There doesn't seem to be much actual friendship apparent, in fact quite the opposite, as the evening progresses. And once the host turns from hospitable to hostile, why oh why do all these guys stay?? It takes a huge leap of logic to accept that all these guys sit still and take the abuse Michael dishes out. I wonder if playwright Crowley was attempting to show that gays tend to form their own ad hoc families, and will take all sorts of crap from them? Crowley's contemporary Terrence McNally (they are only 3 years apart in age) did exactly that 25 years later. McNally wrote his own version of <i>Boys in the Band</i>; <i>Love! Valour! Compassion!</i> succeeded in showing a group of 8 gay men gathering in celebration, and while there is PLENTY of queeny bitch-talk in that play, there is never any doubt that the group loves each other. I'm not sure the boys in Crowley's band even like each other very much.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I have huge respect for these two actors. I've seen Zachary Quinto onstage in <i>The Glass Menagerie,</i> and he's got the<br />
goods. Jim Parsons has won multiple Emmys and even better, appears to be an actor of intelligence and gentility. As with all the actors in this production, they are conducting their careers as out gay men. So I'm disappointed to report that their performances are the least convincing in the play. </td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Though the performances surrounding them cannot be faulted, I'm sorry to say that I was disappointed in the work of stars Jim Parsons and Zachary Quinto. Parsons has a congenial quality which simply cannot sustain the vicious behavior of his character Michael. And Quinto's entrance late in the play actually saps the energy in the room. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOuIdz5ipHEj9acjwChQirH30blWYQGCoDQhwiCwkhMCsCjeYkU_HRCNvwMXAd6PAQgEWbtCBylY2RCsucrxk4QyuloDWCD9wCjr_-6ZTf3EkzoQd-aslQB5pKMcxfwmrLZgU1-8e2wT8n/s1600/boys+in+the+band+DesU6KEWkAAUVvq.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="706" data-original-width="990" height="228" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOuIdz5ipHEj9acjwChQirH30blWYQGCoDQhwiCwkhMCsCjeYkU_HRCNvwMXAd6PAQgEWbtCBylY2RCsucrxk4QyuloDWCD9wCjr_-6ZTf3EkzoQd-aslQB5pKMcxfwmrLZgU1-8e2wT8n/s320/boys+in+the+band+DesU6KEWkAAUVvq.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Birthday boy Harold (Quinto) meets his "gift," the hustler called Cowboy. This is Harold's entrance into the play; we've been hearing about this character for almost an hour, and he arrives just after a climactic moment of physical violence which has shocked the audience. Structurally, these early moments are needed to re-center the energy of the play, and set it off into its new, darker direction. It's a very tricky moment, it's where the intermission used to be. Quinto's languid, reptilian way of moving and speaking does not give the play the new boost it needs, in fact it seems a lot of the energy already created by the other actors is sucked out of the room when Quinto takes over.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The real surprise in the second part of this play comes from one of my favorite stage actors, Andrew Rannells. <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXrB2mLrSyL32blS67RtxYnORbB96fmHgUZpTRQjvapKz4L1hNzSOr2vatG7MiGw2SLDiiQtoccx1pz6WKWFIvYGrrJO0AsSIZby_Ec7JeilSACvItcR5CGIogv3ZG1REYfta17qmXizcP/s1600/boys+in+the+band+1200x1200_Rannells_quote_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXrB2mLrSyL32blS67RtxYnORbB96fmHgUZpTRQjvapKz4L1hNzSOr2vatG7MiGw2SLDiiQtoccx1pz6WKWFIvYGrrJO0AsSIZby_Ec7JeilSACvItcR5CGIogv3ZG1REYfta17qmXizcP/s320/boys+in+the+band+1200x1200_Rannells_quote_.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
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He is playing Larry, a role which was quite forgettable in the film, one half of the only gay couple in the piece. Larry is the guy who picks up a different trick every night and has no desire to settle into a hetero-normative relationship. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicSD49JS0Zn6WvAUclp7MDzH_moPb6ff5mH2n08YP_Wo-m9UulJquGqQfz_c98ZIvjunh3MVmmDlZn1OhMyllUThNgALw3Kb7a3iET_YZJamW0jWQGG_GrZnPwblDXdPmH0_iqYNTAMjlt/s1600/boys+in+the+band+1200x1200_Watkins_quote_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicSD49JS0Zn6WvAUclp7MDzH_moPb6ff5mH2n08YP_Wo-m9UulJquGqQfz_c98ZIvjunh3MVmmDlZn1OhMyllUThNgALw3Kb7a3iET_YZJamW0jWQGG_GrZnPwblDXdPmH0_iqYNTAMjlt/s320/boys+in+the+band+1200x1200_Watkins_quote_.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tuc Watkins makes his Broadway debut in the role of the<br />
straight-appearing Hank. Tuc is proof that many so-called<br />
"soap studs" are gay; he spent years as the resident hunk on<br />
<i>One Life to Live</i>. His performance here is grounded and<br />
honest.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">But he has reluctantly fallen for the conservative Hank, a school teacher with kids who has recently left his wife but is looking to replace that marriage with a similar one with a same sex partner. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjz4g5qWQBJ0C5_jpvBK8gBbp6EEmgQkoL0O4rmb-0TNWHz8KXL87FFeRnG6Tzpr2Nzakm2EzhCIU49LX3UrSAaQ2Yf4gttRUXGRpPX24RENfd0baleGeVX4lBHEtO_ue1ZeGODr0drXjqQ/s1600/boys-in-the-band-10.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="762" data-original-width="250" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjz4g5qWQBJ0C5_jpvBK8gBbp6EEmgQkoL0O4rmb-0TNWHz8KXL87FFeRnG6Tzpr2Nzakm2EzhCIU49LX3UrSAaQ2Yf4gttRUXGRpPX24RENfd0baleGeVX4lBHEtO_ue1ZeGODr0drXjqQ/s320/boys-in-the-band-10.jpg" width="104" /></a></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">This subplot is dull as toast in the film, I'm sorry to say, but in this production, Rannells's sparkle moves it front and center. The sequence in which these two mismatched lovers declare their commitment to each other is, for me, the highlight of the show's second half.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">A word should be said about Charlie Carver as Cowboy, who appears to be making his professional stage debut in this production. I remember this kid from <i>Desperate Housewives</i>, and apparently he's maintained a lively career in TV/film (it has helped that he has an identical twin, they have often worked together). </span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Charlie Carver came out publicly several years ago, and has an interesting story. His parents divorced when he was quite young, and he only found out later that the split was due to his father's homosexuality. His own coming out must have been fraught with extra baggage.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Carver's role of the hustler is pretty one-note, though you can feel the audience turn against Michael when he makes snide comments about this poor kid's lack of intelligence</span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">. But Carver's final moments onstage are pretty poignant. As they are leaving, Harold asks his hooker how he is in bed. "I try to be a little affectionate," he replies. "It helps me feel less like a whore." </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><i>The Boys in the Band</i> is going to carry its legacy as a groundbreaking play despite the debate regarding its central theme. This Broadway production is a worthy revival of this problematic piece. I can't help but think about those actors in the original production, back in 1968. We now know that five of them were gay, all of whom died during the Aids epidemic. The original director and producer were also taken. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQnTS7NZm14tYQAh0sX0-UOJddG0sVHqh2ReHHWxOewpYCwtVoZnSGYjHN8O41aecuV-PimFW5iiQNaAFUKIZ0ompHb984bFV5AVSQh6LuBCdjXeUpvz8rIr8hDXf_Vfw2fI_Ttd7fXtVX/s1600/boys-in-the-band2.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="404" data-original-width="720" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQnTS7NZm14tYQAh0sX0-UOJddG0sVHqh2ReHHWxOewpYCwtVoZnSGYjHN8O41aecuV-PimFW5iiQNaAFUKIZ0ompHb984bFV5AVSQh6LuBCdjXeUpvz8rIr8hDXf_Vfw2fI_Ttd7fXtVX/s320/boys-in-the-band2.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ironically, Robert La Tourneaux's performance as the hustler Cowboy was prophetic. He had turned to prostitution when he died. Leonard Frey (left) had a more successful career, capped with an Oscar nomination as Motel the Tailor in <i>Fiddler on the Roof.</i> They both died of AIDS.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg43cVf62-ojQxLQboG8xdyF7HmiwxbDQqAZHYxKIxpQTSPfwAlqmDx8tAUcF08OM9zJ8nIWzRnqTVTEYWr6EPWbs13XrIOpLutMEXb0MgiNxP0Qnr-LggBIWtR8MemsLYKnP4-8_xl6Dd/s1600/boys+in+the+band+FRESQUES-Emory.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="258" data-original-width="381" height="216" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg43cVf62-ojQxLQboG8xdyF7HmiwxbDQqAZHYxKIxpQTSPfwAlqmDx8tAUcF08OM9zJ8nIWzRnqTVTEYWr6EPWbs13XrIOpLutMEXb0MgiNxP0Qnr-LggBIWtR8MemsLYKnP4-8_xl6Dd/s320/boys+in+the+band+FRESQUES-Emory.gif" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kenneth Nelson (left) was the original (and unforgettable) Michael. He had already created some theatrical history by appearing as The Boy in the original production of <i>The Fantasticks</i>. His post-Band career was definitely affected by his association with The Boys. He also died of Aids. Cliff Gorman (right) gave a very brave performance as the flamboyant Emory. Gorman was straight, and went on to win the Tony playing Lenny Bruce in <i>Lenny</i>.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpjO0NNefQuzdX3Hz02nUJc6Pfa8PtHsi8OvpHMHvD6p9CIYNvb3ZaWBOILGObTTS-sSOCcghhVyJfqj7RoxS8lP5z6OyhTgiNBf9oIpZlYu5-M-Ekk-n70DdGtZe9KFVx1ik2lFcYDhwu/s1600/boys+in+the+band4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="489" data-original-width="600" height="260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpjO0NNefQuzdX3Hz02nUJc6Pfa8PtHsi8OvpHMHvD6p9CIYNvb3ZaWBOILGObTTS-sSOCcghhVyJfqj7RoxS8lP5z6OyhTgiNBf9oIpZlYu5-M-Ekk-n70DdGtZe9KFVx1ik2lFcYDhwu/s320/boys+in+the+band4.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">These are the last surviving members of the original production (at least, we assume so, as nobody can find the black guy). They escaped the Aids epidemic, they are both straight. Peter White (right) went on to play Linc Tyler on <i>All My Children</i>, off and on, for 30 years. Lawrence Luckinbill (left) maintains an active film/TV career, and married into Hollywood royalty to boot (he's husband to Lucie Arnaz). </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnmZkHTdv4NFhmaW7N4wp8oxoTqeDFa_1VqtT_Mv4SsfgNBqsximmM_Cqt2ys4J837QNloWD0OY7DFXzxVH9eGHtVF4EzVJQ2XMjBlFVSmdL7ISOyc-7GvW-04tjCpWHkKW8gjJ4njS0Rw/s1600/boys+in+the+band+OFLTX7HMCIZ7RBJNFXGWZG7AEA.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1130" data-original-width="1400" height="258" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnmZkHTdv4NFhmaW7N4wp8oxoTqeDFa_1VqtT_Mv4SsfgNBqsximmM_Cqt2ys4J837QNloWD0OY7DFXzxVH9eGHtVF4EzVJQ2XMjBlFVSmdL7ISOyc-7GvW-04tjCpWHkKW8gjJ4njS0Rw/s320/boys+in+the+band+OFLTX7HMCIZ7RBJNFXGWZG7AEA.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
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<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">If you've gotten this far, you're clearly interested in this landmark play; there is a fascinating documentary, made in 2011, which explores the various reactions to </span><i style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">The Boys in the Band</i><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> when it first arrived on the scene. It's worth checking out, if only to hear how the play affected some younger playwrights such as Tony Kushner while it infuriated some of Crowley's contemporaries, such as Edward Albee. Here's the trailer for that documentary:</span></div>
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Armchair Actorvisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02873366521914303194noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7146900851769565592.post-78105079310271140802018-01-01T20:55:00.000-05:002018-01-03T06:38:10.233-05:002017: Old Friends, New Adventures, and Scary Numbers<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFYChDRyQ-1ITW8em2jcMwxlEz4T6fwL8TK-eMmBYtpg8U3hmF3WxJH4vZWnXrR7jOBUAd9-2o4VPCnOEkUW0MfYrR6_W7WjUT-7dJYwTFimTU4Xrx4fpe0K-vRoIQ_IqOYgafI_llPmS4/s1600/IMG_20170221_184136.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="480" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFYChDRyQ-1ITW8em2jcMwxlEz4T6fwL8TK-eMmBYtpg8U3hmF3WxJH4vZWnXrR7jOBUAd9-2o4VPCnOEkUW0MfYrR6_W7WjUT-7dJYwTFimTU4Xrx4fpe0K-vRoIQ_IqOYgafI_llPmS4/s320/IMG_20170221_184136.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">As soon as it was announced that <i>Boys of a Certain Age</i> would have an Off-Off-Broadway run, my best friend Judy (center) booked a flight from Milwaukee. She spent President's Day weekend with me, and our old undergrad buddy Patrick accompanied her to see my show. Afterward, we had a long evening of dinner and dish. Casual events such as these always turn out to be highlights for me.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">It's fun, enlightening, and slightly scary to sit down and decipher the highlights of a year. After looking at my 2017, I have to recognize that my "bi-urban" experiment is showing surprising results. Six years ago, I landed a super apartment in New York, and began splitting my time between New York and DC. I still feel a bit more at home in DC, but none of the following highlights of my year occurred there. In fact, all but one happened in New York. Somebody may be telling me something...</span>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhU99F_LPbi_JdaP3vw8TdS6cS1YHDkNAs4cU__krIUcBNVuHqSzFZHKe1Rd9wLHd1HaF3p8dRUupsZoqmetN-hOyoVDyh8Z4o4Q-gKgpDNH7-QjzFmj3JJ54gBG0mkkzxeR9JpCzAK2IXh/s1600/17016108_1400857593298184_6421153153297071397_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1067" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhU99F_LPbi_JdaP3vw8TdS6cS1YHDkNAs4cU__krIUcBNVuHqSzFZHKe1Rd9wLHd1HaF3p8dRUupsZoqmetN-hOyoVDyh8Z4o4Q-gKgpDNH7-QjzFmj3JJ54gBG0mkkzxeR9JpCzAK2IXh/s320/17016108_1400857593298184_6421153153297071397_o.jpg" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Boys of a Certain Age</i> was that rare new<br />
play which had humor and heart and very<br />
smart writing. All four of us were gifted<br />
with terrific material from which to craft<br />
four unique characters. <a href="http://armchairactorvist.blogspot.com/2017/09/where-do-good-boys-go-to-hideaway.html">I wrote about this</a><br />
<a href="http://armchairactorvist.blogspot.com/2017/09/where-do-good-boys-go-to-hideaway.html">experience here.</a></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Soon after the year began, I started work on a project which would turn into one of the most satisfying with which I have ever been involved. We began rehearsal for the official Off-Off-Broadway production of <i>Boys of a Certain Age</i>, which ran for three weeks in February. Performing the play, and playing this role in particular, ended up being the highlight of my year, but perhaps it's good I didn't know it at the time. Imagine knowing that the highest point of your entire year is in February, then having to face the next ten months sliding downhill. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzuZkLqz144hq3DFDyK5ooaordc3ivRiensTzboNtjfgHeZO0OKx1PyZF61a7ZM9GOiWM5l-C5nbCdR5CljqA9FhmmX6uxrkyhhZcaiJpMtMYFENedTTjUDDjoHHhDXBy5oQYoTaYKyCDt/s1600/Boys+Of+A+Certain+Age_76.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzuZkLqz144hq3DFDyK5ooaordc3ivRiensTzboNtjfgHeZO0OKx1PyZF61a7ZM9GOiWM5l-C5nbCdR5CljqA9FhmmX6uxrkyhhZcaiJpMtMYFENedTTjUDDjoHHhDXBy5oQYoTaYKyCDt/s320/Boys+Of+A+Certain+Age_76.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The role of Ira in <i>Boys of a Certain Age</i> was one of the best I've ever had. He was a survivor of AIDS activism and was haunted by the friends he lost to the plague, but he never lost his compassion or, thankfully, his humor. Ira was everybody's favorite Jewish grandmother, if your grandmother 1) had a penis and 2) was a cross between Larry Kramer and Julia Sugarbaker. He was great fun to play, and I consider the production to be one of the highlights of my career.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCUspI2zjiL6TnFDoZkjqFvxQ4pycwhgMVZn6yULaiDPYWuCbvvbqOC-LKvfQZGqfN5trAEFhQQNlA6TquIt6facetOUk62rXgckUn6A-_JXOm0gSROJYm4BmMgXj7QLdlp2svHvunM1n-/s1600/15110412_1291102267607051_6404925521693581979_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="1500" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCUspI2zjiL6TnFDoZkjqFvxQ4pycwhgMVZn6yULaiDPYWuCbvvbqOC-LKvfQZGqfN5trAEFhQQNlA6TquIt6facetOUk62rXgckUn6A-_JXOm0gSROJYm4BmMgXj7QLdlp2svHvunM1n-/s320/15110412_1291102267607051_6404925521693581979_o.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Brian Gligor played my nephew in <i>Boys</i>, and did me the biggest favor anyone did for me all year. He's a whiz with websites and such, and I have long struggled with setting up my own site. All actors are supposed to have them, at least in New York, and I purchased the domain name years ago but never did anything with it. After one of our rehearsals, Brian came over and, as I plied him with martinis, he set up my site. We had a blast that night, carousing until 3 AM, and the result was a smashing success. Thanks, Brian! Go here to see our handiwork: <a href="http://rscottwilliams.com/">RScottWilliams.com</a></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkPBct62ZPr2ldAGoJOg1Uhnzv0nXuenrjA17CR16Q_yMXWgIcuayhhVuZIXuY7ARGaH6LJs3a5EBJ9wlFtwn6O_ivgql3pBoxDM1uqt6-eMWOvJoUiXt5xaUtodFDmDJ80e7SbAX8k591/s1600/006.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="575" data-original-width="414" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkPBct62ZPr2ldAGoJOg1Uhnzv0nXuenrjA17CR16Q_yMXWgIcuayhhVuZIXuY7ARGaH6LJs3a5EBJ9wlFtwn6O_ivgql3pBoxDM1uqt6-eMWOvJoUiXt5xaUtodFDmDJ80e7SbAX8k591/s320/006.jpg" width="230" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jack Young hired me several times when he<br />
ran the Warehouse Theatre in South<br />
Carolina. I hadn't seen him in years, though<br />
I frequently work with actors he has trained.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">While in rehearsal for <i>Boys</i>, one of my old comrades from years ago came to New York. I was thrilled to be able to spend an hour or so with Jack, since I had not seen him in many years. Jack was not the only old friend with whom I reconnected this year. Over the summer, by coincidence, two friends from my undergraduate days in L.A. spent a weekend in Manhattan; our lunch date reaffirmed what I have always suspected: the friends we make in college are likely to be for life.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSXSa-ppGIeRlUil9UNR5ciku2FHx6KlNNBNv2I2s5fMX8TmnKyP_ifNEfk6Za55noDaafRSPnrEVDX2Zy67MLz7BnnHOh3xg9RDY9HHUAZylFAU0Scqxxa6qKuzzQGM_H9qDTQLpqRtDV/s1600/1799.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSXSa-ppGIeRlUil9UNR5ciku2FHx6KlNNBNv2I2s5fMX8TmnKyP_ifNEfk6Za55noDaafRSPnrEVDX2Zy67MLz7BnnHOh3xg9RDY9HHUAZylFAU0Scqxxa6qKuzzQGM_H9qDTQLpqRtDV/s320/1799.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It was such a treat to share a meal with Lisa and Barrie when they visited New York; I hadn't seen either one in at least 30 years. I met Lisa in high school and she later played my wife in <i>George M</i>. I met Barrie when she played one of the twins in <i>A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum</i>; she later directed me as Dr Einstein in <i>Arsenic and Old Lace</i>. All three of us shared many years together.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWHMEkVyEgPWIVGlqEo_Oat7XjssEpyysAGbqlxTjojNNdmhOllr65PPUmkZZ800rdGlBg5R73m3JPNAN2hPqm5omPpUHr1dMbJvvStyNiR3VX561GaXUN47Vbi4_X5PkJPPyjkgQ2ff7i/s1600/Duke+and+King+001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="895" data-original-width="455" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWHMEkVyEgPWIVGlqEo_Oat7XjssEpyysAGbqlxTjojNNdmhOllr65PPUmkZZ800rdGlBg5R73m3JPNAN2hPqm5omPpUHr1dMbJvvStyNiR3VX561GaXUN47Vbi4_X5PkJPPyjkgQ2ff7i/s320/Duke+and+King+001.jpg" width="162" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I met David when we played in<br />
<i>Big River</i> together. For years,<br />
he offered me his couch any<br />
time I went to NY to audition.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">One of the real blessings of 2017 was my rediscovery of my old friend David Beris. I thought he had moved to Florida, and he is not on social media, so when I opened the NY branch of my life, I never even tried to track him down. I bumped into him at an audition last spring. We've had lunch several times since then, but one of my resolutions is to see him more regularly. I have a lot of acquaintances now in New York, but very few real friends (I think it's true that the older you get, the harder it is to acquire friends).</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisWI-cGBjxvcuJPCLAQxlCybh9AESBqc8rhQLO_AxGFEUXROcHHyiTZwI8XHNfjq7zRJCn_iQrX1gayVwII763b3BbfK2ZY3BR5uhQdChoFZB_XaPO5kQiLec1cs7SyJD5oXvYeEEu5MEV/s1600/max+out.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="768" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisWI-cGBjxvcuJPCLAQxlCybh9AESBqc8rhQLO_AxGFEUXROcHHyiTZwI8XHNfjq7zRJCn_iQrX1gayVwII763b3BbfK2ZY3BR5uhQdChoFZB_XaPO5kQiLec1cs7SyJD5oXvYeEEu5MEV/s320/max+out.jpg" width="256" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">During the early part of the summer, I filmed my first web series. Well, I guess it's not a series yet, but the idea is for it to become one. A funny young gent named Max Talisman wrote a fictionalized autobiographical account of his life as a young gay man trying to make it as an actor, and he was able to produce a few scenes to be shown to various producers, in hope of gathering enough support to film the full series. I played a gay man who has aged out of the dating pool, but still submits himself on dating sites (using a 30 year old pic). The scene was great fun to film, I've seen the finished product and it's a hoot. Though the role was written as a one off, I have been campaigning to have the character return, should the project go to series. Every youngster in New York needs an older mentor, especially a comic one who also lives down the hall.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">In July, I participated in a staged reading of <i>The Tempest </i>for Titan Theatre Company. I dislike this play, largely because I have an ongoing problem with Shakespearean magic, but it was a fun experience, and set the stage for a more formal return to Titan in the fall. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3nK9GuB2TNiw7EtZQB9h5kPm47fJcYEIZ0suRGp8c4gHJourvK7sE1ol2BE3NHxaHlkU79PyRzGWeeiuLdrY9hWIoiUETXt2bRLFHwyveZWnVUQAZn921VwVjZ8L5LQe5v_l7DNemH-o7/s1600/Mayor.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3nK9GuB2TNiw7EtZQB9h5kPm47fJcYEIZ0suRGp8c4gHJourvK7sE1ol2BE3NHxaHlkU79PyRzGWeeiuLdrY9hWIoiUETXt2bRLFHwyveZWnVUQAZn921VwVjZ8L5LQe5v_l7DNemH-o7/s320/Mayor.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">As the Mayor of London in Titan's <i>Richard III</i>.<br />
I think there are 5 reasons to do a play; if none<br />
of them are present, it's best to pass:<br />
1) Money<br />
2) It'll be good for your career<br />
3) You'll learn something new<br />
4) It's a bucket list role<br />
5) You'll have a blast doing it<br />
None of these applied to <i>R3</i>. I should never<br />
have inflicted Titan Theatre with my lackluster<br />
performance.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I was asked to join the cast of <i>Richard III</i>, playing two small roles. In retrospect, I should have declined the invitation. I had already done <i>R3</i> twice, and I didn't really have much interest in playing either of the two roles. When an actor works on AEA's Showcase Code, I really think it has to be for love, as it's not the money (there is none). I have always enjoyed working for Titan (in fact they offered me my NYC debut years ago), but it is not very easy for me to do so. The company rehearses and performs in Queens, which is a schlep from my digs in midtown. But moreover, I never challenged myself to bring sizzle to these characters, and I must admit that I was not a success in the show. I wrote about my disappointment in myself regarding this project <a href="http://armchairactorvist.blogspot.com/2017/11/richard-cubed.html">here</a>.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9Z36CjEeB9C1mzCW9hz3oPx4eSXajb9xKSYewuETVvl7RH_OspaRxYCrR1QVVZpLpY5SaB9UUeJ0pD41andoFJi9wLdMTo3ZGNsSLPc-p452Hi7SbOV-C06R9zJjlsAETVDfGLmeGmN95/s1600/22467371_1709643092411425_1262750287017176207_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9Z36CjEeB9C1mzCW9hz3oPx4eSXajb9xKSYewuETVvl7RH_OspaRxYCrR1QVVZpLpY5SaB9UUeJ0pD41andoFJi9wLdMTo3ZGNsSLPc-p452Hi7SbOV-C06R9zJjlsAETVDfGLmeGmN95/s320/22467371_1709643092411425_1262750287017176207_o.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">As Brackenbury in <i>Richard III</i>. You remember the all-important role of Brackenbury, right? He's the guy who's always standing next to the person talking.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Before beginning <i>R3</i>, though, I fulfilled a big wish for my father. The pater turned a whopping 90 years old in August; as his birthday was just a few weeks before the Big Eclipse, Dad asked his kids to gather around him for that event. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7EsW1i36Ncuz4nhY_pREQRYPi8St6CW-yECnDKmXjq9ufYZg-9cd2DCl0hiRU-rls_8pE3nXcCBLALoplfyLeRjaehhqdIy39031KBAK4pCg10LQHbPBP4q1Sy3PG15UY6RbtKo08-qVa/s1600/20170821_134858.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="961" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7EsW1i36Ncuz4nhY_pREQRYPi8St6CW-yECnDKmXjq9ufYZg-9cd2DCl0hiRU-rls_8pE3nXcCBLALoplfyLeRjaehhqdIy39031KBAK4pCg10LQHbPBP4q1Sy3PG15UY6RbtKo08-qVa/s320/20170821_134858.jpg" width="192" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dad's fascination with the skies led<br />
him to join the military, but before he<br />
could get through flight school,<br />
WWII ended. His career at Lockheed<br />
gave him an unusual talent: he can<br />
look at an airplane flying over, and<br />
name it.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Dad spent his life fascinated with flight (he spent a full and successful career at Lockheed), and his home in North Carolina was right in the path from which this once-in-a-lifetime eclipse could be best viewed. I didn't have much interest in the eclipse, but I have not spent a great deal of time with my father through the course of my life. I was very happy to share this moment with Dad. We dragged camp chairs out to his front lawn and experienced the event together. Once in a lifetime indeed.</span><br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiksIRq42KAz3BVZ9bekhp4Fjh_M-tZmbftMfTOmyxO-CPIHapC3QUyJX36Zp3W9iNxmxcc1Tlcm9ChhaCLTaabSut5_7RqwZxxxAuT4uCbvTRmbgqtaca2xTw2J8qJOGuMJWJtMcQnENr/s1600/20170821_141354.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiksIRq42KAz3BVZ9bekhp4Fjh_M-tZmbftMfTOmyxO-CPIHapC3QUyJX36Zp3W9iNxmxcc1Tlcm9ChhaCLTaabSut5_7RqwZxxxAuT4uCbvTRmbgqtaca2xTw2J8qJOGuMJWJtMcQnENr/s320/20170821_141354.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A big highlight of 2017 was being able to spend this special moment with my father. He had just turned 90. He was excited about this August eclipse, particularly once he found out that his home was in the Zone of Totality (I thought that sounded like someplace the Starship Enterprise wandered into unexpectedly). Later they started calling it the PATH of Totality (which I thought sounded like a self-help book).</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNvGjK3aoI8yohKGbSFXKHHgcfsiuL-faoyzpmHKoUVIOekLqF0YKppzz5m9wdWellhD_2FKZGSgi8x2Cw7ockYWPWOMBTBbfalBYZX5oGQb93dZlQq-aTE7B4CM-2ovbvMrnt3hYXooZb/s1600/NewYorkInnovativeTheaterAwards.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNvGjK3aoI8yohKGbSFXKHHgcfsiuL-faoyzpmHKoUVIOekLqF0YKppzz5m9wdWellhD_2FKZGSgi8x2Cw7ockYWPWOMBTBbfalBYZX5oGQb93dZlQq-aTE7B4CM-2ovbvMrnt3hYXooZb/s320/NewYorkInnovativeTheaterAwards.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Playwright Dan Fingerman accompanied me to the IT Awards<br />
ceremony. It was a total surprise that our show received even<br />
one nomination, as we were not produced by an established<br />
company, we had a 3 week run and then were done. Such<br />
plays don't usually get noticed by the IT awards.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">In July, <i>Boys of a Certain Age</i> came back into my life, quite unexpectedly. I was nominated for the New York Innovative Theatre Award as Outstanding Actor in a Lead Role. These awards aren't exactly Tonys, but in a way, they kind of are. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDDIG86U1EFlq-3Vd2at58A_uN25h0HNUjD32AZN2gi2xsr1lGrQMcUFLVU7r2nYGfvlNKlFmIV7MyakQRVg9oXTkCmoJj8QEhUnau4dmkk1d0qDCnfwoNTlMZNRAKbqOHfjpKw0qFnIgY/s1600/034.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="678" data-original-width="1037" height="209" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDDIG86U1EFlq-3Vd2at58A_uN25h0HNUjD32AZN2gi2xsr1lGrQMcUFLVU7r2nYGfvlNKlFmIV7MyakQRVg9oXTkCmoJj8QEhUnau4dmkk1d0qDCnfwoNTlMZNRAKbqOHfjpKw0qFnIgY/s320/034.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The IT Awards celebration brought another reunion. The guy<br />
on the right is Jason Bowcut, who helped create these awards,<br />
and with whom I spent a season at the Shakespeare Theatre Co<br />
in DC (as you can see, many moons ago). It was great fun<br />
catching up with him over drinks after the ceremony, I hadn't<br />
seen Jason in at least 15 years.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The IT organization covers pretty much every professional performance in New York that is not either Broadway or Off-Broadway. That's hundreds of productions, so I was thrilled to be one of only 6 men nominated for the award. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhocDS-TwHpBN06RMkgaYftgUaI1R6jzzrH5B09BvIoRt52kb_U3ai-QOk4UtlD0Pwza9DZfJ8vVGr8_d7lptRK8RFNl1ES1H5WurH1hSjXRPmQARsKw_667xCI7Yc06443WXDCnW0lwHok/s1600/22007455_1372489222850446_4327849642380719977_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="536" data-original-width="960" height="178" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhocDS-TwHpBN06RMkgaYftgUaI1R6jzzrH5B09BvIoRt52kb_U3ai-QOk4UtlD0Pwza9DZfJ8vVGr8_d7lptRK8RFNl1ES1H5WurH1hSjXRPmQARsKw_667xCI7Yc06443WXDCnW0lwHok/s320/22007455_1372489222850446_4327849642380719977_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I crashed this picture of Hudson Warehouse, whose production of <i>Much Ado About Nothing</i> received several nominations. It was fun to share the evening with this crowd, with whom I have worked repeatedly since arriving in New York. None of us won that evening, but it was still a night to remember.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPqTo3IAdX3nDw7y665jeC6-6q1ZZRJpt0O4vIPPf94oE21gn_zpvyYWdfbHgpGXv239Q-QVcKXUybHIA_u0sVBcvymZA1bF0SgCfD6GfAC0BPh0EIEuwJPgURnYDme-SYlpMuFjjUGveD/s1600/001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1228" data-original-width="1600" height="245" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPqTo3IAdX3nDw7y665jeC6-6q1ZZRJpt0O4vIPPf94oE21gn_zpvyYWdfbHgpGXv239Q-QVcKXUybHIA_u0sVBcvymZA1bF0SgCfD6GfAC0BPh0EIEuwJPgURnYDme-SYlpMuFjjUGveD/s320/001.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This hangs on the wall of my New York branch. Yep, I'm THAT guy.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">This award nomination led to the most significant thing to happen to me in 2017, at least professionally. I snagged an agent. </span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUaXizu-FYmB0kHXRxmDkbFlPLUB4oUW3Ku7NgqyX6WffZ0_MqEmuCrvhh_RufeIh83YujpFSdkpE3jlugFnaya-wiZhxeooES6G9nt2JAO6UFksyDMBI6bHT4eYGGi_fH9X1dyg_JqSpe/s1600/about+artists.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="129" data-original-width="349" height="118" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUaXizu-FYmB0kHXRxmDkbFlPLUB4oUW3Ku7NgqyX6WffZ0_MqEmuCrvhh_RufeIh83YujpFSdkpE3jlugFnaya-wiZhxeooES6G9nt2JAO6UFksyDMBI6bHT4eYGGi_fH9X1dyg_JqSpe/s320/about+artists.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Ever since opening my NY branch, I've ducked the daunting challenge of finding representation (I never used an agent in DC). But even with the knowledge that my career would not likely progress very far without one, I avoided looking for one. I was told by more than one "well wisher" that, if you're over 30 and don't have an agent, you'll never get one. But once this nomination came out, I took the opportunity to contact about 20 agents, and the one who responded actually signed me.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFowIB555vpDVZPep_2Yd2H28NuGtHyjp339Dx7UOzgEBm1bnFW4KrTFVCLmAzI3jwHdvIXV0phJvvUzK-o1k6dhWdlKK12shvfz7wU_N-J05FV896rjuJZJJH2dhgCKXP4opgqT8hP34Y/s1600/R.+Scott+Williams.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1280" data-original-width="854" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFowIB555vpDVZPep_2Yd2H28NuGtHyjp339Dx7UOzgEBm1bnFW4KrTFVCLmAzI3jwHdvIXV0phJvvUzK-o1k6dhWdlKK12shvfz7wU_N-J05FV896rjuJZJJH2dhgCKXP4opgqT8hP34Y/s320/R.+Scott+Williams.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Inevitably, the addition of this important aspect of my career meant another important aspect had to be addressed: my headshots. I find the task of getting and keeping appropriate headshots to be dismal, so I rarely do it. Current headshots ranged from 6-10 years old (2-4 years is supposed to be the maximum age of your pictures). With Agent Renee's input, I spent the final part of 2017 getting new shots. The lovely and talented <a href="http://www.clintonbphotography.com/">Clinton Brandhagen</a>, who has taken my shots for years, spent all day with me and snapped over 1000 pics. Cutting that number down was mind numbing, but after several torturous weeks, I settled on the pictures which I'm sure will attract all sorts of attention.</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTH12TUqlB5DDN3vzxgfMpqe_YFRBIsUr22Gyy41Ens_9QJfzE5jsPtrZZy5Qf3IhRShjrWzcpVxi41trAvvd9qBzKg6Y-CWDL_iYFLuURb7_fTsML7uEfgXoEluwYyQW8qTi-wD22O8Qr/s1600/R.+Scott+Williams+-+theatrical.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="854" data-original-width="1280" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTH12TUqlB5DDN3vzxgfMpqe_YFRBIsUr22Gyy41Ens_9QJfzE5jsPtrZZy5Qf3IhRShjrWzcpVxi41trAvvd9qBzKg6Y-CWDL_iYFLuURb7_fTsML7uEfgXoEluwYyQW8qTi-wD22O8Qr/s320/R.+Scott+Williams+-+theatrical.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I'm hoping these shots will improve my chances of getting "into the room," as Renee says. Looking at the stats for 2017, I certainly could use some help, particularly in avoiding the dreaded Equity Principle Audition, otherwise known as the cattle call. I keep track of all the auditions I attend, the vast majority of which have been these general, union-mandated calls. </span></div>
<div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivW6XpAwn-DzZwJMp5HmPBdLiVIxkulP5YBHkintNzkfLC5Q29hEQznZ8xr5Ejxft64ShkzAWc8zfjdY8_ksR2LzuCMzThVjHoP_PrcNKgpevGODy6fa0zyK9AOpENM2tfcxWceihlIjRO/s1600/2017-gravestone-with-the-inscription-vector-17872100.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="780" data-original-width="1000" height="249" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivW6XpAwn-DzZwJMp5HmPBdLiVIxkulP5YBHkintNzkfLC5Q29hEQznZ8xr5Ejxft64ShkzAWc8zfjdY8_ksR2LzuCMzThVjHoP_PrcNKgpevGODy6fa0zyK9AOpENM2tfcxWceihlIjRO/s320/2017-gravestone-with-the-inscription-vector-17872100.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">In 2017, I broke my record in numbers: from my first audition of the year on January 4 (for Bucks County Playhouse, they were doing <i>Clue! The Musical!</i>) through my last audition on November 30 (a Shakespeare Festival in the Hudson Valley), I attended a whopping 101 auditions. In eleven months! I get woozy just thinking about that, then it gets even more depressing: those auditions yielded only 4 callbacks. From those 105 auditions, I got one job.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">So while the year was terrific for finding old friends and for some truly unique artistic endeavors, I'm ready to call 2017 dead and buried. Bring it on, 2018, but remember: I'm taking notes.</span></div>
Armchair Actorvisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02873366521914303194noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7146900851769565592.post-206343692555695302017-11-12T06:00:00.000-05:002017-11-12T19:03:14.158-05:00Richard, Cubed<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0fZOqavgB_WSf3-34pTq_MLVYg-LxkPs26PsqwcsVYu39ekQS7Wa97T8Qs3IVipzlBV2TJFA6Khjc5O8fgAYmdyWNi5uKuFSIsnn5SdeOJovYdufK5vBUOAaL9lR1dJ8t1OuVxVT3Iu3-/s1600/190012_10151090105022902_955671498_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="636" data-original-width="960" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0fZOqavgB_WSf3-34pTq_MLVYg-LxkPs26PsqwcsVYu39ekQS7Wa97T8Qs3IVipzlBV2TJFA6Khjc5O8fgAYmdyWNi5uKuFSIsnn5SdeOJovYdufK5vBUOAaL9lR1dJ8t1OuVxVT3Iu3-/s320/190012_10151090105022902_955671498_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A typical rehearsal look.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Actors who perform the classics are likely, if they've been around long enough, to appear more than once in certain plays. Two weeks ago, I closed <b><i>Richard III</i></b> for the third time. I was always a bridesmaid in these productions; I hoped to play Richard himself for years, but the chance never came. Instead, I've had to be satisfied by playing various supporting characters in various productions. </span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jack played <i><b>R3</b></i>, from his own adaptation, and<br />
directed the thing too. I was thrilled to be<br />
invited to play his Buckingham<span style="font-size: 12.8px;">.</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">My first encounter with the hunchback who had misplaced his horse was back in <gulp> 1999. My buddy Jack Young, at the time the artistic director of the Warehouse Theatre in Greenville, SC, invited me to join his production of the play, in which he was to both star and direct. It was a herculean task, in my opinion, but if anyone could accomplish it, Jack was the man.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This tableau, or a similar one, opens just about every production of <i><b>Richard III</b></i>, though Shakespeare did not write it. In his original, the play opens with Richard alone onstage, lamenting his fate and revealing his plans to the audience. Modern directors are convinced this is a weak beginning, and wastes a chance to illustrate the arrogant power of the Yorks who have, seemingly, won the Wars of the Roses. So every production of<i> <b>R3</b></i> you are likely to see will begin with this family's revels (or procession or coronation or whatnot), followed by Shakespeare's original opening.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Christina Keefe, a great friend from grad school<br />
suggested I play Buckingham. She played mad<br />
Queen Margaret, a brute of a role which is<br />
sometimes cut from American productions, as<br />
she serves no dramatic purpose and is confusing<br />
to viewers unfamiliar with the dynastic<br />
entanglements of the Wars of the Roses.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br />My grad school comrade Christina Keefe, Jack's wife and the leading lady of his theatre, had suggested he hire me for the show. I was told that my name first came up to play the small comic role of the Mayor of London; Christina wondered why Jack would waste me on such a minor character, considering he would have to hire me as an out of town actor, and provide lodging and transportation for me as well.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLqUCv_-olMYnOw0GFMnoCX6THfLIMwqx7meAfLw6_vMxGaqCMVq2gyYyy60MtnsnMoeI79vixHL0HbM6Ks2yYN2TjETIHeTp3QlTRQVP_D1dUR7Eq21ADy8TA8nXcDQXaMWAtqzyMFhfj/s1600/005+cropped.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="554" data-original-width="557" height="318" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLqUCv_-olMYnOw0GFMnoCX6THfLIMwqx7meAfLw6_vMxGaqCMVq2gyYyy60MtnsnMoeI79vixHL0HbM6Ks2yYN2TjETIHeTp3QlTRQVP_D1dUR7Eq21ADy8TA8nXcDQXaMWAtqzyMFhfj/s320/005+cropped.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This gal played the Mayor, a role I was later to play. Twice.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">They agreed I should play the much larger role of the Duke of Buckingham, Richard's co-conspirator and later, betrayer. Depending on the adaptation, Buckingham usually turns out to be the show's second male lead.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Buckingham ends the play being led to<br />
his execution. This photo was on my<br />
Christmas Card that year.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I have to admit that I don't have many specific memories of the experience at The Warehouse. I recall I spent a lot of time working the text; Buckingham was the largest Shakespearean role I had played to date. He is definitely one of those roles which I would like to attempt again, now that I'm more <ahem> seasoned. </span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our star was not the only one with a hump. Our stage had one too. We played in-the-round, with a misshaped hill in the center as the defining scenic element. </td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Fourteen years later, <i>Richard III</i> reentered my life. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-biMAhGmkqgXSSyHsViI1RCi5RZTLlAetMp2WDQka20HaGHUzH2PkxDgxu2CMVuImcvo3Fb1QxnZctrVo5NCKRwiQXKNpwQBg5DPKLl3Xk3JuwJStPT4KEQtblarBWipt_8LnAi-miC5e/s1600/534314_10151430188724762_925817956_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-biMAhGmkqgXSSyHsViI1RCi5RZTLlAetMp2WDQka20HaGHUzH2PkxDgxu2CMVuImcvo3Fb1QxnZctrVo5NCKRwiQXKNpwQBg5DPKLl3Xk3JuwJStPT4KEQtblarBWipt_8LnAi-miC5e/s320/534314_10151430188724762_925817956_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">After a prelude lifted from <i>Henry VI, Part III </i>(a prequel of sorts to <i>Richard III</i>), my second <b><i>R3</i></b> began with a procession of the royal family down the stairs of the playing space, through the audience . I'm up top, in the beard and white tie.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj494vk9D_upQYToaAjujJQLPrE47-lXhHQwEAhj8CTvYCH9I2txMwKTk0Nff0kLkVS74uGVNe0J-MbrpwORvp2TShAn_I5a-2o8Nel9mP4_y7_Wms4eGVVbQg8nMaP8tdSD9HrGCHmP9tz/s1600/221812_10151374944314762_972428325_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj494vk9D_upQYToaAjujJQLPrE47-lXhHQwEAhj8CTvYCH9I2txMwKTk0Nff0kLkVS74uGVNe0J-MbrpwORvp2TShAn_I5a-2o8Nel9mP4_y7_Wms4eGVVbQg8nMaP8tdSD9HrGCHmP9tz/s320/221812_10151374944314762_972428325_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Richard's opening "Winter of our discontent..." speech was<br />
delivered, in part, through a bullhorn as a political stump<br />
speech. In all the productions of <i><b>R3</b></i> I've seen, I don't believe<br />
I've ever seen one which begins as Shakespeare intended: a<br />
solitary figure limps onto a bare stage, turns to the crowd and<br />
tells them his plan. Too dull for modern audiences I suppose.<br />
Even Olivier began his iconic film version with pageantry.<br />
And McKellen's film begins with a tank breaking through<br />
a wall; his opening speech doesn't show up until scene 4.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I had only been in my New York apartment a few months when I responded to a casting call for Hudson Warehouse, a company which produced classic (mostly Shakespeare) shows outside in Riverside Park. </span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I never really adjusted to the weather issues, but I have<br />
to admit, when the sun is setting on your face, it gives<br />
the performance a glow which I've never felt from<br />
artificial lighting.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">It's probably lucky that I had not, at the time, experienced how hot New York summers got, especially if you're dressed in business suits spouting classical text, but I had never spent a summer in NY, so I assumed hey, if Joe Papp can attract all that A-List talent to do Shakespeare in the Park every year, the climate must be tolerable.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The playing space used by Hudson Warehouse is huge, well-suited for big Shakespearean epics (if not for acoustics, which are as you might imagine). I wrote about trying to meet the challenges of this space <a href="http://armchairactorvist.blogspot.com/2012/09/stratford-upon-hudson.html">here</a> and <a href="http://armchairactorvist.blogspot.com/2012/08/sunday-in-park-with-george-duke-of.html">here</a>.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">As the clueless Mayor of London.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Just as so many years earlier, it was the role of the Mayor for which I was initially engaged at Hudson Warehouse. Shortly before rehearsal began, an additional role became available, that of Richard's brother, the Duke of Clarence. It was possible to play both roles, and it was a terrific pairing. </span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Clarence is led to the Tower by<br />
Brakenbury, a minor character whom I<br />
was to play in my <i>next</i><b> R3</b>. The irony of<br />
this shot only became apparent recently;<br />
I conquered this scene when I was<br />
playing Clarence for HW, but in the<br />
smaller <span style="font-size: 12.8px;">role of Brakenbury for Titan,</span><br />
<span style="font-size: 12.8px;">I repeatedly fell </span><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">short.</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Clarence has a strong dramatic presence in the early scenes of <i>R3</i>, including a speech about a dream, full of imagery and dramatical moments. After this speech, Clarence is murdered, but not without a fight (and plenty of blood. Hudson Warehouse loves to work with blood). I loved the fact that, in our version, Clarence did not simply accept his fate, but instead fought back as best he could. His slaughter was inevitable, and very fun to play.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9mfMFePWzJPBN8kYAtWXR2gJtgVPf4pbsEj8KYWmKw1zTGSe4_-gV4XQnyOcmRMyuJ-wjWNIu4XKhXr6a_mH0cqLMcYhROMIAexiiw6BIGE9psx_MbIgO5wUp5CPd0vVgU7f3jZbxxijh/s1600/Richard+III+%2528Clarence%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="636" data-original-width="960" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9mfMFePWzJPBN8kYAtWXR2gJtgVPf4pbsEj8KYWmKw1zTGSe4_-gV4XQnyOcmRMyuJ-wjWNIu4XKhXr6a_mH0cqLMcYhROMIAexiiw6BIGE9psx_MbIgO5wUp5CPd0vVgU7f3jZbxxijh/s320/Richard+III+%2528Clarence%2529.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The murder of Clarence is written to be performed offstage, but Hudson Warehouse had other ideas. During rehearsal, we were wondering how to get my lifeless corpse off the stage when I joked that I could simply be tossed over the wall. Everyone looked at each other, and a dynamic fight sequence was born. This became my favorite moment in the play.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">After this very bloody scene, I cleaned up myself as best as possible in order to return to the stage as the Mayor, perhaps the only specifically comic role in <b><i>Richard III</i></b>. After getting a few laughs in a few scenes, I donned the bloody t-shirt in which Clarence had been murdered in order to reappear as his ghost, haunting his brother. The juxtaposition of these two roles, one dramatic and one comic, was great fun to play, making this my favorite overall experience with any of my <i>R3s</i>.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinXVm9Hu1FdvOkmOeNhiNN8ASAz_KXqGoUv9rzmgwOHb1A7T7Eajn7iz9Ei9fPdxEeNV_nnnZXwG43PbMNpLXYHKgRdSEJxux5MH3qBJPpP6pSenb77xS8OBRjZEbAby0bd7oYmczj-Ggo/s1600/561073_10101055529866583_1239760401_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="960" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinXVm9Hu1FdvOkmOeNhiNN8ASAz_KXqGoUv9rzmgwOHb1A7T7Eajn7iz9Ei9fPdxEeNV_nnnZXwG43PbMNpLXYHKgRdSEJxux5MH3qBJPpP6pSenb77xS8OBRjZEbAby0bd7oYmczj-Ggo/s320/561073_10101055529866583_1239760401_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">There were no artificial lights used outside at Hudson Warehouse, merely a few streetlamps of questionable efficiency. As the sun set, the play reached the sequence in which Richard is haunted by the ghosts of all whom he has murdered. I made my ghostly entrance by climbing the wall over which I had been tossed, reappearing with bloody shirt and a score to settle.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">My third go-round with <i>Richard III</i> ended only a few weeks ago. </span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDWI7X-bUTKNAH4FWsETimIw7RHBys13xFYEs83Eiu4CmaTDu1Ogm2-v2ZJ0cs8d15PBfZVVvSk7qBGOlWzWwg8SKdh2CwvUDJzzWlnmL640GQFrGQdFzefJF9sLLzstAVGRvkdPdcdNwA/s1600/22459147_1709653705743697_2078674366280633911_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1100" data-original-width="1600" height="219" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDWI7X-bUTKNAH4FWsETimIw7RHBys13xFYEs83Eiu4CmaTDu1Ogm2-v2ZJ0cs8d15PBfZVVvSk7qBGOlWzWwg8SKdh2CwvUDJzzWlnmL640GQFrGQdFzefJF9sLLzstAVGRvkdPdcdNwA/s320/22459147_1709653705743697_2078674366280633911_o.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Let's Partaay! Titan's production also opened with the royals celebrating their success, before brother Richard hobbles on to spoil everyone's fun.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I have worked repeatedly with Titan Theatre in Queens since arriving in NY six years ago (in fact, they afforded me my NYC debut, I wrote about that <a href="http://armchairactorvist.blogspot.com/2012/06/taming-of-show.html">here</a>), so when artistic director Lenny asked me to join his production of <i>Richard III</i>, I agreed. </span><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0xnPtTgSqeFBTHYYcuu9DSODZQVc_s0ycX0aT91QJ9l1lTkB-dzSewrQzlToG8cvXD6q_7F7Na3o5jD6xnu_lJwtj-IHfmmr_MVAqZr4I2T4kC5woODE4Uox-z0yStSlAJG_kAtX-fJmp/s1600/22366619_1709643112411423_582920238150190109_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="960" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0xnPtTgSqeFBTHYYcuu9DSODZQVc_s0ycX0aT91QJ9l1lTkB-dzSewrQzlToG8cvXD6q_7F7Na3o5jD6xnu_lJwtj-IHfmmr_MVAqZr4I2T4kC5woODE4Uox-z0yStSlAJG_kAtX-fJmp/s320/22366619_1709643112411423_582920238150190109_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This was my only <b><i>R3</i></b> which used actual kids to play the<br />
young Princes in the Tower (you know, the ones who get<br />
murdered). On the wall, you can see the major motif of<br />
Titan's <b><i>R3</i></b>: each time somebody bites the dust, our "hero"<br />
paints a line to keep score.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I was once again to play the Mayor; this time the role was doubled with that of Brakenbury, a minor official in the royal court whose primary duties seemed to be keeping the keys to the Tower. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjF0885Hf1HhuKOticUDUzhbywMtSG7w3nOU8DPp7fu6Du1bOMYJ5VxMKdHY17ofNwugrtPs_7aynwvDUk8p9ymJHz1b9BLC26kElYomMj0VSiRRcpK8GASRLzlZgH4dldNthI8t1CKLTF_/s1600/22467371_1709643092411425_1262750287017176207_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjF0885Hf1HhuKOticUDUzhbywMtSG7w3nOU8DPp7fu6Du1bOMYJ5VxMKdHY17ofNwugrtPs_7aynwvDUk8p9ymJHz1b9BLC26kElYomMj0VSiRRcpK8GASRLzlZgH4dldNthI8t1CKLTF_/s320/22467371_1709643092411425_1262750287017176207_o.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I mentioned on social media that Brakenbury is the guy who is always standing next to the person who's talking. I did a lot of "active listening" in the role. I also disappointed myself greatly. My lack of focus in this character led to several <ahem> senior moments, during which my mouth refused to do what my brain instructed, and the scene had to be rescued by other actors. I have never had such trouble onstage before, and I remain perplexed as to why my brain built a wall around this particular moment. It was embarrassing the first time it happened; when it happened a second time, I had officially humiliated myself.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi55ZJSABgOdJxzB6C4sw7k3uQPPdTEBe-TcqOotBtmof5BOVPNfLXD99ZF30wwvJAmoZ5mIPAbA5U6bnDrQqS__jPU4myWxRdK9RkXngJSVdPw_TqI6JyPxF2jzRUhCg-jLTYJ00ZhusDx/s1600/Mayor.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi55ZJSABgOdJxzB6C4sw7k3uQPPdTEBe-TcqOotBtmof5BOVPNfLXD99ZF30wwvJAmoZ5mIPAbA5U6bnDrQqS__jPU4myWxRdK9RkXngJSVdPw_TqI6JyPxF2jzRUhCg-jLTYJ00ZhusDx/s320/Mayor.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is a selfie I took in the dressing room, of<br />
the Mayor. I had to take a selfie because there<br />
was scant photographic evidence I was in this<br />
production. It became a running gag that I did<br />
not appear in any rehearsal photos nor any<br />
promotional materials nor any Instagram<br />
entries. So if I wanted a picture of myself<br />
as the <span style="font-size: 12.8px;">Mayor, I had to take it myself.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I brought a few new touches to the role of the Mayor, but overall, my performance in Titan's <b><i>Richard III</i></b> was not one to celebrate. It was the most limited amount of stage time I had experienced since playing a nameless fishseller in <i>Volpone</i> at the Shakespeare Theatre Company back in 1996. I had to admit that I was working my way DOWN the ladder of importance, role-wise, in this play: from the costarring villain Buckingham in my first <b><i>R3,</i></b> to the satisfying supporting role of Clarence in my second <b><i>R3</i></b>, to the most recent endeavor playing that guy who is always hanging around on the sidelines.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwQ4dNe1yG6Gr66DAZ-LXgQu85gghpwRWmjXO701-q9_nhcosL2YQxje9-fAtSCX04O-kZCuYjKb5V5O6Oeq4ZjINhnAsZAYCZeLGD42K3NZjn7NuefuDpTZmwT6_q9xv1u_486gMRMtzc/s1600/216081_10151374947554762_1407007299_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwQ4dNe1yG6Gr66DAZ-LXgQu85gghpwRWmjXO701-q9_nhcosL2YQxje9-fAtSCX04O-kZCuYjKb5V5O6Oeq4ZjINhnAsZAYCZeLGD42K3NZjn7NuefuDpTZmwT6_q9xv1u_486gMRMtzc/s320/216081_10151374947554762_1407007299_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Duke of Clarence pleads innocence, in Hudson Warehouse's <b><i>Richard III</i></b> (my second). I would welcome the chance to play this guy again, as well as the Duke of Buckingham (from my first <b><i>R3</i></b>). I'm afraid I have no desire to revisit my third <b><i>R3</i></b>, in which I was a major disappointment to myself.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKP2SkpQx6qWlvAWKdCNHyw9a_ghOoDh1AmgRCna2naLoYp81biVihbTQPkZuCHdu5QEB8sjxwSkpeKIV9nQEikltOHywEuZUpoItqebcpxZiQvy6rrA4dBZZOlmzEoYo4t3qW_pHbZvBA/s1600/20171029_142723.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKP2SkpQx6qWlvAWKdCNHyw9a_ghOoDh1AmgRCna2naLoYp81biVihbTQPkZuCHdu5QEB8sjxwSkpeKIV9nQEikltOHywEuZUpoItqebcpxZiQvy6rrA4dBZZOlmzEoYo4t3qW_pHbZvBA/s320/20171029_142723.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Another backstage selfie: Lord Brakenbury.<br />
We were not a good match.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">After our final performance, most of the cast remained behind to help with the show's strike, but I slipped out into the rain, to take the 15 minute walk from the theatre to the subway station. As I trudged along, getting wetter and wetter ("My kingdom for an umbrella!"), I had to admit this was an ignominious but fitting end to a theatrical experience in which I had disappointed myself so thoroughly. Not all artistic endeavors can be personal triumphs, but when it's a personal failure, the aftertaste is sour. It will be a while before I attempt my fourth <b><i>Richard III</i></b>.</span><br />
<br />
<br />Armchair Actorvisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02873366521914303194noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7146900851769565592.post-64531170229180084632017-09-27T19:04:00.001-05:002019-09-09T06:34:09.073-05:00Where Do The Good Boys Go To Hideaway? <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwTdJ12Um7BOSGcUVVpZ8SHYJbvlU9kad6D409dPv2T1s7OAJUNY-zlRXlZnhT020wqlClLyeYl0nBwrLsMcR1nuXnpkvlkEvQiaBOOqjn45gQBZ3aAbBVLAYKbXrHZ4ZrNyKG3m2vFE-M/s1600/001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1228" data-original-width="1600" height="245" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwTdJ12Um7BOSGcUVVpZ8SHYJbvlU9kad6D409dPv2T1s7OAJUNY-zlRXlZnhT020wqlClLyeYl0nBwrLsMcR1nuXnpkvlkEvQiaBOOqjn45gQBZ3aAbBVLAYKbXrHZ4ZrNyKG3m2vFE-M/s320/001.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I'm a bit obsessive about keeping notes regarding all my professional dealings, so I can say with absolute certainty that it was June 3, 2016, when <i>Boys of a Certain Age</i> entered my life. </span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdJIbop3SjX-e2b28qIs6XRXZP3Br18yLgIwFhR8aQF-FQKICFGgY_OJ89B4SR2y1E_DYzMtaUGQ8VTHvGJi1eJL4M_7qDRNUgAn5CI2j-CyQiKoDl0b4Am5efJhNY_HLaXZE09QJQyza1/s1600/15974963_10102556306757722_1542038577350407708_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="593" data-original-width="1600" height="118" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdJIbop3SjX-e2b28qIs6XRXZP3Br18yLgIwFhR8aQF-FQKICFGgY_OJ89B4SR2y1E_DYzMtaUGQ8VTHvGJi1eJL4M_7qDRNUgAn5CI2j-CyQiKoDl0b4Am5efJhNY_HLaXZE09QJQyza1/s320/15974963_10102556306757722_1542038577350407708_o.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">It was on that date that I ran across a casting notice on Backstage.com, a site I pay dearly for but rarely access. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPwNIMpne8tRjes9v7qoV970NZ5vndKLny3Ed3hxok9A6L43sIY_pL498elGt6IeIu5EXpHDFTbVovlv-ZdCSpCEfN-3RojSnzwEbZGL6yFeY2gTNOI4egUEO086DaX1ypZBJnxJ-JAhC0/s1600/Boys+Of+A+Certain+Age_110.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPwNIMpne8tRjes9v7qoV970NZ5vndKLny3Ed3hxok9A6L43sIY_pL498elGt6IeIu5EXpHDFTbVovlv-ZdCSpCEfN-3RojSnzwEbZGL6yFeY2gTNOI4egUEO086DaX1ypZBJnxJ-JAhC0/s320/Boys+Of+A+Certain+Age_110.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The show's description caught my eye, as did the description of one of the characters: "age 60, came out when he was 20; he is gay; playfully dramatic and vocally open about sex; a veteran of many movements, scenes, careers and love affairs; he is now mostly retired and has a cane." Those last three words are in fact what encouraged me to submit for an audition: "...has a cane." I was on occasion using a cane at the time, as back surgery was on the horizon, so performing the role WITH a cane would not be a problem. I did wonder, though, why such a detail was included in a character description for a casting call. Was anybody worried that an actor might be interested in playing a role UNTIL he discovered he would be carrying a cane, a detail which might cause him to up and quit?</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz7gY5zTDIMmOk-jqurmROJzlDLq568oMVqpnFwK2WJzEa-4nj9XWZ04rm2GpRpa3mObGCVqabyXk_ecNYp8-Ke8aFyvkhp8D8J1ci6B87AqFZnLbkRn8ThUE-Mbr97O4fOcfZt7VLIsFf/s1600/13690843_1175381495845796_150544317796777389_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="720" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz7gY5zTDIMmOk-jqurmROJzlDLq568oMVqpnFwK2WJzEa-4nj9XWZ04rm2GpRpa3mObGCVqabyXk_ecNYp8-Ke8aFyvkhp8D8J1ci6B87AqFZnLbkRn8ThUE-Mbr97O4fOcfZt7VLIsFf/s320/13690843_1175381495845796_150544317796777389_n.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I submitted myself, auditioned, and was cast in this brand new play. There were, at the time, to be only 3 performances, to be presented during one of NYC's thousands of summertime creative arts festivals. This particular festival celebrated gay theatre (and artwork and music and so on) and was rather preciously called the Fresh Fruit Festival. Yes, we get it: for two weeks in July, it was all gay, all day.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJe4cgZQprnNCx2MuXsyr6sWCzf8N61t5Zx_VtGtjo1IAEGkZBxm8yTzL56JhKyCCqNYXmThaMvnqyuMamSvvLLQssGxCw91jAQ0IvbDphjH0a8UEfS6jymuW3keDOYIjDWJQBixXS8BMJ/s1600/17016108_1400857593298184_6421153153297071397_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1067" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJe4cgZQprnNCx2MuXsyr6sWCzf8N61t5Zx_VtGtjo1IAEGkZBxm8yTzL56JhKyCCqNYXmThaMvnqyuMamSvvLLQssGxCw91jAQ0IvbDphjH0a8UEfS6jymuW3keDOYIjDWJQBixXS8BMJ/s320/17016108_1400857593298184_6421153153297071397_o.jpg" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Playwright Dan Fingerman created four<br />
interesting and dynamic characters and<br />
placed them in a fairly traditional setting,<br />
a beach cabin during a weekend. Think<br />
<i>Love!Valour!Compassion!</i> without the<br />
pond, or <i>Lips Together, Teeth Apart</i> without<br />
the straight people, or <i>Boys in the Band</i><br />
without the self-hatred. That was us.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Though </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">we rehearsed for weeks, I have to confess that it was not until our first public performance that I learned that the play had something substantial to reveal, and moreover, that I had been given a very showy part. (Full disclosure: I have NEVER been any good at reading plays, even established classics. I just do not have the skill to picture the action onstage while reading. The lack of this skill has always hindered my career). </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I learned, during those three performances at the Festival, that I had been very lucky to play Ira in <i>Boys of a Certain Age</i>. Director Dan Dinero had cast me into my strengths, as the role carried a lot of the comedy of the piece, but it also displayed an emotional depth which I don't often get a chance to play. Ira's quick wit was on display throughout the play, but in the second half, it was sprinkled among his heartfelt (and sometimes harrowing) memories of the past. </span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQm79A8Gk3Pnng1rxr8-A4vjnt_4Pml0ksG0MuBmo1TbAhmYYKo1Q_5KkcLIPh_Cu5tEbahlQkxJeHxkgmcb58kmJfxLGgwpmvigA_ksmMCyrHmhj5QEZX9IaTqLLg-lRhrppRquwTSprR/s1600/Boys+Of+A+Certain+Age_84.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQm79A8Gk3Pnng1rxr8-A4vjnt_4Pml0ksG0MuBmo1TbAhmYYKo1Q_5KkcLIPh_Cu5tEbahlQkxJeHxkgmcb58kmJfxLGgwpmvigA_ksmMCyrHmhj5QEZX9IaTqLLg-lRhrppRquwTSprR/s320/Boys+Of+A+Certain+Age_84.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ira's loss of so many during the early AIDS crisis thickened his skin but did not harden his heart, which remained compassionate and loving. He was a very rich character to play.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Our brief run at the Fresh Fruit Festival was sold out, and was a hit with the audiences (largely gay men. Our production won the Audience Choice Award, voted on by the public at large, and we were told our show was also the biggest box office draw of anything ever presented in the history of this festival). The company held out hope that perhaps a full run of the show might follow; I know all four actors were eager to explore these characters in a fuller way. Playwright Dan began the task of putting together an actual run of the show.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgruoBqnGuYkAAlYJqZUoOYAoGFhCBwhArK9DwvLEmZT-QHZLpDhM32bNENWi09y2srSX663hWNTcXb-mhebwslUS4n7G-mb-kxOYs3rKrlJnDNlFs3R2dRTnK8b0_tK0ufhpiAWFaWly2x/s1600/26f64dec-9c83-4ffd-a299-3b6d19cffe2e.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="378" data-original-width="1024" height="118" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgruoBqnGuYkAAlYJqZUoOYAoGFhCBwhArK9DwvLEmZT-QHZLpDhM32bNENWi09y2srSX663hWNTcXb-mhebwslUS4n7G-mb-kxOYs3rKrlJnDNlFs3R2dRTnK8b0_tK0ufhpiAWFaWly2x/s320/26f64dec-9c83-4ffd-a299-3b6d19cffe2e.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I don't even want to know how expensive it is to produce small theater in NYC, but our playwright did it. We had a fundraiser at a local watering hole to announce the run.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Fast forward to the fall of 2016. The Boys team booked a theatre in the Village, one usually occupied by Soho Rep, one of the more venerable of the smaller professional theaters in Manhattan. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjgViXcFTvrUWMxQE8eTqRQUFacuEmpP6EZKphO764nTZDyMyAkf2ndHdZ7T3s4iRdmmXCjo07jiegm6f9I4sRYn8yngYj0r6vRn2XrNWCVxMG-jqvB4mNRnalFcZKurlcf7uPtmyCBvZk/s1600/15110412_1291102267607051_6404925521693581979_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="1500" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjgViXcFTvrUWMxQE8eTqRQUFacuEmpP6EZKphO764nTZDyMyAkf2ndHdZ7T3s4iRdmmXCjo07jiegm6f9I4sRYn8yngYj0r6vRn2XrNWCVxMG-jqvB4mNRnalFcZKurlcf7uPtmyCBvZk/s320/15110412_1291102267607051_6404925521693581979_o.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Brian Gligor played my nephew Christopher, a gay<br />
Republican. He had the toughest job, I think, making a <br />
Trump supporter likable. Even back in Feb, it was hard to<br />
accept anyone with a brain defending Trump. <br />
Brian made it work. One of my favorite BOCA memories <br />
is the night I enticed him to my place after rehearsal, where<br />
I plied him with martinis and forced him to build my website. <br />
<a href="http://rscottwilliams.com/">RScottWilliams.com</a> is proof that booze works.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">We were to perform during one of the host theatre's dormant periods. We were all excited about this chance to revisit the material, and the dates dovetailed nicely for me, as I had committed to do <i>A Christmas Carol</i> for Titan Theatre for the holidays. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The best laid plans, right? Soho Rep abruptly shut down all operations at their theatre, there were apparently certain building codes which they had been ignoring (and violating) for many years. Our contract to sublet was yanked.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxNE2mlIKChONpepaDNlaNIVciqwxxSE14yTxUihn72exDVebqSdZsmNlt_ST_FiczQyKnAALKJhCRb1PMf48bFEFCfccmIExSTKbpb1nH7r8A0ohcdL-cLpUB_ITY-pcAFSHzgKohuIX3/s1600/Boys+Of+A+Certain+Age_125.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxNE2mlIKChONpepaDNlaNIVciqwxxSE14yTxUihn72exDVebqSdZsmNlt_ST_FiczQyKnAALKJhCRb1PMf48bFEFCfccmIExSTKbpb1nH7r8A0ohcdL-cLpUB_ITY-pcAFSHzgKohuIX3/s320/Boys+Of+A+Certain+Age_125.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Joe Menino played Larry, my first love who remained in the<br />
closet for most of his life. His arrival triggered memories of<br />
love and loss and regret and lots of recrimination. Joe was <br />
the only hetero in the cast, and needed footnotes <br />
to decode the script.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">This disappointment became a blessing in disguise. Another space was found, and our remount was rescheduled for February, 2017. This gave the playwright time to rewrite a sizable chunk of the script, a chunk which dealt specifically with the 2016 presidential election. During our summer run, the campaign had been in full swing, and it seemed assured that Clinton would win. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitadsSWaZxZjhB6tswchgV6yi2cVpc49HL1AKjoe82aOZfwWj4LiNv6PFh43NHdv1rBLHvgdKRYnmU6BdHRvr7-2RGLK0QlP-E3MOxYcSyruUI1XjWF0OD72sVAZyE2rH6nQaBGRjXVvRB/s1600/Boys+Of+A+Certain+Age_128.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitadsSWaZxZjhB6tswchgV6yi2cVpc49HL1AKjoe82aOZfwWj4LiNv6PFh43NHdv1rBLHvgdKRYnmU6BdHRvr7-2RGLK0QlP-E3MOxYcSyruUI1XjWF0OD72sVAZyE2rH6nQaBGRjXVvRB/s320/Boys+Of+A+Certain+Age_128.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Every gay play needs a shirtless scene, Marc Sinoway <br />
provided it, as snarky metro-sexual Brian. His was <br />
a thoroughly unpleasant character; Marc deserves kudos <br />
for grabbing this role by the balls and not letting go. <br />
In the end, we like the guy, as did the critics, <br />
one of which mentioned his thighs!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">It was logical, and even necessary, to include current politics in the text of <i>Boys of a Certain Age</i>; four educated gay men could never spend an entire weekend together without ever mentioning the current state of affairs. But with the play now taking place after the election, this dialogue had to be rewritten.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">We went back into rehearsal; we were a lively bunch. We embraced the theme of the play: the clashing perspectives gay men have with different generations of their own tribe:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">We now knew we had something special to which audiences would respond, and we were eager to improve the piece. Both Dans (director and playwright) were open to collaboration, and the actors took full advantage of the fact. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVOvTg1CpzT8zM-BfS7S16gJZK8pEoCghRwiTCiWoODCO1Ocxt0N25YFhoB_N4XVrhfAzd7IiJ5pPeO7N7PUuiFTK7F9qRCEkSe6BCRvcFmIWW0rk6XBNi35evNkbgZ3_8fGtXla6IYWzf/s1600/16864730_10102642325151172_8980710271186786847_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="720" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVOvTg1CpzT8zM-BfS7S16gJZK8pEoCghRwiTCiWoODCO1Ocxt0N25YFhoB_N4XVrhfAzd7IiJ5pPeO7N7PUuiFTK7F9qRCEkSe6BCRvcFmIWW0rk6XBNi35evNkbgZ3_8fGtXla6IYWzf/s320/16864730_10102642325151172_8980710271186786847_n.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Here is the "black box theatre" in which we<br />
performed. Notice anything? Yep, it's all white. Not<br />
a problem, but the permanent pole in the center of<br />
the playing space was <ahem>challenging. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Moving into the theater was particularly challenging, as it always is in such situations. Because the space was being rented, the only rehearsals we had there were technical. </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Actors hate tech rehearsals, as we always feel we are in the home stretch before the audience shows up, and we want the time to polish. But there is no time for such fine tuning, and in our case, our tech rehearsals were commandeered</span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> by a set which arrived more complex than anticipated.</span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> </span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVdlblR_zXsnnO3dSQy5WqqPITL_dAvvSly0nK6UMT_bf-FR7OinHaluX8I4l_MtNwUr-JbNjz4ODB6p7syFiJb3m7oAkaOomi3jHGABkSg0P3_0tIm9ydfQvC2SjrwsEIYd7GI53L2j4J/s1600/Boys+Of+A+Certain+Age_117.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVdlblR_zXsnnO3dSQy5WqqPITL_dAvvSly0nK6UMT_bf-FR7OinHaluX8I4l_MtNwUr-JbNjz4ODB6p7syFiJb3m7oAkaOomi3jHGABkSg0P3_0tIm9ydfQvC2SjrwsEIYd7GI53L2j4J/s320/Boys+Of+A+Certain+Age_117.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I loved our modular set, which strongly suggested the feel of a beach house, but it became the most controversial aspect of our production. The railings were movable, so they were adjusted between scenes to reflect the living room, deck, beach, even a local bar. Some folks loved the way the cast swept around the set rearranging things, while others wondered why all the fuss. These transitions had only been marginally rehearsed beforehand, so tech rehearsals were swallowed up by choreographing this Banister Ballet.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Further consternation was felt when, after several preview performances, edits to the script were delivered which were more substantial than expected. Tempers flared, and our opening weekend had lots and lots of <ahem> adrenaline.</span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl9-1jbAZvnZA1laoGI3V8kVDgFKCtgNSy-iXH0JmaaqljsWIbBZH6M4y_1o5YSzuEwIygUbb4ZOTT2POfReRvy-9B_FOCcRyDC_tnFOEwbj3d-z4JZqTlH9C6JOsf4Ob380DpCbjSZFFa/s1600/16700449_1392876677429609_1970764150781938825_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl9-1jbAZvnZA1laoGI3V8kVDgFKCtgNSy-iXH0JmaaqljsWIbBZH6M4y_1o5YSzuEwIygUbb4ZOTT2POfReRvy-9B_FOCcRyDC_tnFOEwbj3d-z4JZqTlH9C6JOsf4Ob380DpCbjSZFFa/s400/16700449_1392876677429609_1970764150781938825_o.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We opened to lovely houses and nice notices from the critics (shows such as ours do not attract the attention of the larger main stream media in New York, there are simply too many of us). Neighborhood papers and online sites all delivered glowing critiques, and we had a great three week run.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8h6aZKDb4MBb0E2PrK517LcieI_dVQm6yBLcrLN7VOqL-XxXiswK8G8iJWosGhCmso4dOMLdBqMSZt74-EbNsE_2j8uFg_st8e-cJOx5Feiwa3vtOMBCAb_w6DA4Fhcq9G8_XDlLVmWHR/s1600/angelalansbury2ee128aa-aed4-11e3-_542266c.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8h6aZKDb4MBb0E2PrK517LcieI_dVQm6yBLcrLN7VOqL-XxXiswK8G8iJWosGhCmso4dOMLdBqMSZt74-EbNsE_2j8uFg_st8e-cJOx5Feiwa3vtOMBCAb_w6DA4Fhcq9G8_XDlLVmWHR/s320/angelalansbury2ee128aa-aed4-11e3-_542266c.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our audience included a few distinguished<br />
folks, including this guy in the middle: Jack<br />
Wetherall played a large role in <i>Queer As<br />Folk</i>. We were also visited by Broadway<br />
director Jeff Calhoun and actor John Benjamin<br />
Hickey, an original player from <i>Love!Valour!<br />Compassion!</i>, to which we had been compared</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">All good things end, so I sadly said goodbye to </span><i style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">Boys of a Certain Age</i><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> on closing night in February.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The show was to reenter my life a few months later, quite unexpectedly. Our show had been submitted to the New York Innovative Theatre Awards, which celebrate Off-Off-Broadway productions. There must be hundreds of such productions in NYC every year, so I was stunned when this happened: </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZEaUwSbRVeoTidQZgnPUDADHtDdAR4E4J9XOZfaBZKMNCH4TtPVQCUOo8K6HAaEmx6ueNelQX_JqcVivOaVm2hHSOxr6E5yUZuFiX5DPTeE9akW3L6_Dq_njZGXfO9mGjpPAWI3Lz5KYG/s1600/New+York+Innovative+Theater+Awards.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZEaUwSbRVeoTidQZgnPUDADHtDdAR4E4J9XOZfaBZKMNCH4TtPVQCUOo8K6HAaEmx6ueNelQX_JqcVivOaVm2hHSOxr6E5yUZuFiX5DPTeE9akW3L6_Dq_njZGXfO9mGjpPAWI3Lz5KYG/s320/New+York+Innovative+Theater+Awards.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Playwright Dan Fingerman and I represented our show at the<br />
NYIT awards. I did not win the award, but it's true what they<br />
say: it's an honor to be nominated. Our show did not have the<br />
support of a large producing organization, our 3 week run was<br />
under the radar for most, but somehow, the judges concluded<br />
that my performance as Ira was worthy of notice.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The NYIT awards cover a large swath of art, including solo shows, performance art pieces, as well as traditional plays and musicals, but there were only six of us </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">nominated in the Outstanding Actor in a Lead Role category. This nomination was a very nice cap to put on the experience of <i>Boys of a Certain Age; </i>by the time the awards were given, all of us had moved on to other things. But I will remember Ira very fondly; his belief that there are things in the world worth fighting for was admirable. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Ira's sass was infectious, his compassion was humbling, his humanity was undeniable. I will always be grateful for the part he played in a year of my life.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>Armchair Actorvisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02873366521914303194noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7146900851769565592.post-65478800291947956282017-04-15T07:05:00.001-05:002017-04-15T07:28:24.258-05:00The Crown's Jewel<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I haven't written an obit/tribute in these pages since last year (when Patty Duke died, <a href="http://armchairactorvist.blogspot.com/2016/04/friday-dance-party-her-name-was-anna.html">go here</a> to read that one), but when this gent died last Friday, attention had to be paid. </span><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Tim Pigott-Smith</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoYnaHhV_PJXFPr-GoN-uV7OO4WgS-rnadxw_Xk-p1SOUEYx5X_8VX4BtQEEuqQ_gr2YXwboZaqff3CICAnfjNGkM4FIsekcljHy8UoOu1yXAol9XoEGv9SrgIldlU9NaVOI-4DDJpz635/s1600/timpiggottsmith4975.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoYnaHhV_PJXFPr-GoN-uV7OO4WgS-rnadxw_Xk-p1SOUEYx5X_8VX4BtQEEuqQ_gr2YXwboZaqff3CICAnfjNGkM4FIsekcljHy8UoOu1yXAol9XoEGv9SrgIldlU9NaVOI-4DDJpz635/s320/timpiggottsmith4975.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">1946-2017</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Our hero had a career spanning six decades with success on stage, screen, and television. He never stopped working, though his career had a couple of high points. One of those was very recent, as he introduced the world to one of the most admired new plays of the past few years, <i>King Charles III</i>. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ7sZBBXNQJRxrdCtHL2DXB78uQ7w_5SaCAlT4cA0JlVTt_abbhL0shnyjzWf5fen_0tnCFUexS8Qr3fG4AEvGF8zskfKLGAsyrw9JDNJ8gyrOKpSQGNkLu6xyUAigNTkQby6TYMIxs82z/s1600/tim+pigott+smithBN-KY166_NYCHAR_J_20151026140247.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ7sZBBXNQJRxrdCtHL2DXB78uQ7w_5SaCAlT4cA0JlVTt_abbhL0shnyjzWf5fen_0tnCFUexS8Qr3fG4AEvGF8zskfKLGAsyrw9JDNJ8gyrOKpSQGNkLu6xyUAigNTkQby6TYMIxs82z/s320/tim+pigott+smithBN-KY166_NYCHAR_J_20151026140247.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Truth be told, there's not much physical resemblance between Pigott-Smith and the royal he portrayed in <i>King Charles III</i>, but everyone thought he nailed the role. He was nominated for both the Olivier (he lost to Mark Strong in <i>View From the Bridge</i>) and the Tony (he lost to Frank Langella in <i>The Father</i>).</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Written by Mike Bartlett in iambic pentameter, the piece takes place in the very near future: upon the death of Elizabeth II, the Prince of Wales finally assumes the British throne, after 70 years waiting in the wings. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfIjDLNHHtH-Fa4rWs5ggcFW_x4yf8qEC4edhOkL3FNGyzah95fl2Jduy1aQ2rzMoxiEVCmdlpu4e004GKlqunoXBFBt6C6bgl09aomFZUqoFUBxCFUUf8InmSFgoBvRIsAN-69CwjLhbN/s1600/Tim_Pigott-Smith_in_King_Charles_III_%2528c%2529_Joan_Marcus_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfIjDLNHHtH-Fa4rWs5ggcFW_x4yf8qEC4edhOkL3FNGyzah95fl2Jduy1aQ2rzMoxiEVCmdlpu4e004GKlqunoXBFBt6C6bgl09aomFZUqoFUBxCFUUf8InmSFgoBvRIsAN-69CwjLhbN/s320/Tim_Pigott-Smith_in_King_Charles_III_%2528c%2529_Joan_Marcus_1.jpg" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It was great fun to watch this fictionalized <br />
portrait of the royal family with struggles<br />
right out of Shakespeare and O'Neill. And<br />
there was some great Hat Acting being<br />
done by the actress playing Camilla.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I saw the play in its regional theatre debut at The Shakespeare Theatre Company in DC, but I wish I had caught the original West End cast when it transferred to Broadway last year. Pigott-Smith (let's call him P-S for convenience from here on out, no disrespect intended) received rave reviews and a Tony nod for his work. He received an Olivier nomination for the performance as well, he lost them both. But his career was continuing non-stop; he has several films in the can, including a TV version of <i>Chuck 3</i> scheduled to be shown on PBS in May.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeZPO9AYsTsjAK6xftaPOXIJRRlyVlaha6zmppDKfM_GNegfZO0IwSYgFYRFY4CdZV2omXXp3dyOyvVx05Kfexm8390LiTD5SdHRtB-C5cDBAehcRVU7YvSAphdb9hM7cbDPvzL9MtHXsP/s1600/timpiggottsmith4256.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeZPO9AYsTsjAK6xftaPOXIJRRlyVlaha6zmppDKfM_GNegfZO0IwSYgFYRFY4CdZV2omXXp3dyOyvVx05Kfexm8390LiTD5SdHRtB-C5cDBAehcRVU7YvSAphdb9hM7cbDPvzL9MtHXsP/s320/timpiggottsmith4256.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">P-S's contemporary work included this production of Albee's <i>A Delicate Balance</i>; do you recognize the woman he's playing opposite? That's Penelope Wilton, <i>Downton Abbey</i>'s Cousin Isabelle, though I knew her work decades earlier, beginning with the PBS taping of <i>The Norman Conquests</i> back in the mists of time.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjs25M91E7c9fyEs9CRko9IRPNFTCoUNNH0ivEf5_mu_IDB3MNdqyjC7WHA8xlONh2H-4_jrD3RVh_5q6614a1DGPyfd1k9GPi1Js371z2PrAfFHWYmwyqX2SExtq6_MkOHF_HZvVXkilWI/s1600/timpiggottsmithprospero3480.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="231" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjs25M91E7c9fyEs9CRko9IRPNFTCoUNNH0ivEf5_mu_IDB3MNdqyjC7WHA8xlONh2H-4_jrD3RVh_5q6614a1DGPyfd1k9GPi1Js371z2PrAfFHWYmwyqX2SExtq6_MkOHF_HZvVXkilWI/s320/timpiggottsmithprospero3480.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">No, it's not Equus as directed by Bob Fosse. It's our hero as<br />
Prospero in <i>The Tempest</i>. I'm guessing his co-star is playing<br />
Ariel, though I suppose it could be Caliban by way of Bowie.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Standing over six feet and with a booming, majestic voice, our Tim excelled at playing authoritarian characters. His Shakespearean roles included two crowned heads, Polixines in <i>The Winter's Tale</i>, and <i>King Lear</i> himself (as well as the pseudo-Shakespearean Charles III). </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHhQMXKUgdpuN2RCBbvehYbiMUb5nmGAh4r91K7ngOC2Wk-q_oZvHEbeq_cyDyd7cYRRI9ErLh9qIXK18IMLVsuIXdjcPpWlqnEckh7xBDlB1UlWZjlizzL9cAlanLjdZmDb7B6rJXdiha/s1600/tim+piggott+smithf2fff9dab84a2110a467ea3c944a8951.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="223" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHhQMXKUgdpuN2RCBbvehYbiMUb5nmGAh4r91K7ngOC2Wk-q_oZvHEbeq_cyDyd7cYRRI9ErLh9qIXK18IMLVsuIXdjcPpWlqnEckh7xBDlB1UlWZjlizzL9cAlanLjdZmDb7B6rJXdiha/s320/tim+piggott+smithf2fff9dab84a2110a467ea3c944a8951.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tim made a splashy West End debut in the early 70s in this <i>Hamlet</i>. He played Laertes (here dead) opposite the Hamlet of a very young Ian McKellen.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWELUiuNddiDJU5evxSVXENtGE2fbuN4EDseH1SdaHRvDJWpJF6wdON_Ge6ywln1LVbQ-8l1DRuYz0RlwfYq4tHlWF_xXPrXHXXaWh5Z1TX487tY-S_YUI_x1yz_NdEj9mnlrKjlwrvLfK/s1600/timpiggotsmith3008.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="208" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWELUiuNddiDJU5evxSVXENtGE2fbuN4EDseH1SdaHRvDJWpJF6wdON_Ge6ywln1LVbQ-8l1DRuYz0RlwfYq4tHlWF_xXPrXHXXaWh5Z1TX487tY-S_YUI_x1yz_NdEj9mnlrKjlwrvLfK/s320/timpiggotsmith3008.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">American classics were fair game to P-S. He was scheduled for<br />
<i>Death of a Salesman</i> before he died, and here, he tangled with<br />
Dame Helen Mirren in O'Neill's monster <i>Mourning Becomes</i><br />
<i>Electra.</i></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Tim's Broadway debut in a Sherlock Holmes play (he played Watson) was well received. His stage resume includes Shaw, Albee, and lots of playwrights in between; he was due to begin rehearsals as Willy Loman, if you can believe it, a few days after he died.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBfj_PtU4yQvMIXC8BcV30kPNXu1xDpibBRLNVV5DIKJrWyVsAAeHN2RA8WexroYtrI9z5zeUx1KRUtnZTWNrKG76j69mKhoU9W5-ZwHJn2D6jZoGBEnguLQZ563j_DWvJfaSI2zYPkT-V/s1600/timpiggotsmith29675fef5b1cd69381c2638bbca05cca.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="186" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBfj_PtU4yQvMIXC8BcV30kPNXu1xDpibBRLNVV5DIKJrWyVsAAeHN2RA8WexroYtrI9z5zeUx1KRUtnZTWNrKG76j69mKhoU9W5-ZwHJn2D6jZoGBEnguLQZ563j_DWvJfaSI2zYPkT-V/s320/timpiggotsmith29675fef5b1cd69381c2638bbca05cca.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tim Pigott-Smith is not in this picture, but fans of <i>Downton Abbey</i> will know why this particular screen grab is displayed in a tribute to P-S. If you need a further clue, the person in bed is Lady Sybil. The episode in which the youngest daughter at Downton gives birth, then acquires a disease which ultimately kills her, is one of the pivotal moments of the series. Our hero guested on this episode, as the pompous London doctor who misdiagnosed Sybil, over-ruled the family doc, and caused her death. Not surprisingly, P-S's character never returned.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I mentioned his career had a couple of high points, one of which was his recent success with <i>King Charles III.</i> Decades ago, he achieved an even bigger high point as a central character in one of the most respected television programs in the history of the medium. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZAvyqpdSOqQSlioQtXmZQ8ZOyTph3cXcTb0M3vlm_5bkFT64VZzKgozcFBZIQE9cWAgSIUUubykbMMFKyt0rFV8QomyrjUVRmSkM7y-WJdruu-wSZDUSH6lx6pj2SWhmLm9B-j7zMigl5/s1600/timpigottsmithjewel_crown.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="114" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZAvyqpdSOqQSlioQtXmZQ8ZOyTph3cXcTb0M3vlm_5bkFT64VZzKgozcFBZIQE9cWAgSIUUubykbMMFKyt0rFV8QomyrjUVRmSkM7y-WJdruu-wSZDUSH6lx6pj2SWhmLm9B-j7zMigl5/s320/timpigottsmithjewel_crown.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">P-S spent some time on <i>Doctor Who</i>, I'm told (don't watch the thing myself), as well as several other British programs which did not jump the pond to the US. But everyone agrees his greatest fame came from his pivotal role in <i>The Jewel in the Crown</i>, the 1984 mini-series which is regularly included on lists of the best television programs of all time.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikbBBobxlSABHELHOhoJwkxC6FeCGW_84c1UpDgkZy2uyCgjBw90l9U9yGKyKXP-CsaeSjXiwYbPSwXpTmQaLbyeHlLzxXP8wwdPtZOwFJn-0M_WL8yepnjWgluVC0NE2sWvm23Mtj-jK2/s1600/timpigottsmithJewelCrown.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikbBBobxlSABHELHOhoJwkxC6FeCGW_84c1UpDgkZy2uyCgjBw90l9U9yGKyKXP-CsaeSjXiwYbPSwXpTmQaLbyeHlLzxXP8wwdPtZOwFJn-0M_WL8yepnjWgluVC0NE2sWvm23Mtj-jK2/s1600/timpigottsmithJewelCrown.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This love/hate triangle dominated the first episodes of<i> Jewel in the Crown</i>, and affected the later episodes in more subtle ways.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">It was this series which first brought Tim Pigott-Smith to my attention. I tuned in every Sunday night as this huge story of the last years of the British rule in India was broadcast on Masterpiece Theatre (I still miss Alistair Cooke's urbane commentary, don't you?). </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwcx1Yac_C806UbpLVLg_VQcrchNuEcAZmANkTZdPABdPsSXB7wBpeGw_OyqdXE6I_aU-EjAlZ_ReAJxAHDGOSgVHhXqpbYA-U7iHVMNcnD7J3j-n_YqDZ5DFfaq_OUnn6HPv_B7bbq0b2/s1600/timpigottsmith1224106422_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwcx1Yac_C806UbpLVLg_VQcrchNuEcAZmANkTZdPABdPsSXB7wBpeGw_OyqdXE6I_aU-EjAlZ_ReAJxAHDGOSgVHhXqpbYA-U7iHVMNcnD7J3j-n_YqDZ5DFfaq_OUnn6HPv_B7bbq0b2/s320/timpigottsmith1224106422_1.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The plot of <i>Jewel in the Crown</i> hinged on the brutality which<br />
policeman Merrick inflicted on the Indian who dared love a<br />
British woman. There was a hint of homo-eroticism in this<br />
interrogation scene which I bet many viewers missed.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I knew almost nothing about the British Raj (that's Hindi for "rule") and was fascinated by the Indian struggles for Independence while World War II raged. Sounds pretty, ahem, "educational," but the series itself brimmed with life. The show was based on a quartet of novels by Paul Scott, which explains the somewhat jarring shift of prospective the program underwent. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBRPokJJM9UjHMK3vfM-d4jMHp2Z5WWSHocTguVZyThMls1pqv42UUY7K9A5ziL91OYih6JuhS9sVU9hKlFG4rnAFJB-i1Zkx3OYxodsTFORt7hbd9Z31bh408-mUK8xCh4J4BDL_z2r8T/s1600/timpigottsmithjewelinthe.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBRPokJJM9UjHMK3vfM-d4jMHp2Z5WWSHocTguVZyThMls1pqv42UUY7K9A5ziL91OYih6JuhS9sVU9hKlFG4rnAFJB-i1Zkx3OYxodsTFORt7hbd9Z31bh408-mUK8xCh4J4BDL_z2r8T/s1600/timpigottsmithjewelinthe.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Peggy Ashcroft and Tim Pigott-Smith did not work<br />
much together on the sprawling series, but they<br />
walked off with the biggest kudos, well-deserved.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The first three episodes concerned the forbidden love affair between a British girl and an Indian expat, who had been educated in a British public school before returning to the subcontinent. A love triangle (of sorts) developed when the British lass caught the attention of a brutishly ambitious police officer, played by our P-S. Ronald Merrick was perceived to be the villain of <i>The Jewel in the Crown</i>, and I wouldn't argue that point, but P-S's performance was never one-note. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcahynWRjM8Wak9c1hauUzl-FdUBFzW8j9Qj0Q3WarXwPjBNpPmJ74qKuxK9pRhy_bmZRVuYV47hT9y4IYB3Fb3dlf3OukddNK9t3WZckIY5-EpLY3XREQY5BJYRNvVecJsE__POFvNPur/s1600/timpiggotsmith1255.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcahynWRjM8Wak9c1hauUzl-FdUBFzW8j9Qj0Q3WarXwPjBNpPmJ74qKuxK9pRhy_bmZRVuYV47hT9y4IYB3Fb3dlf3OukddNK9t3WZckIY5-EpLY3XREQY5BJYRNvVecJsE__POFvNPur/s320/timpiggotsmith1255.jpg" width="230" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Early in the series, Merrick had a soul and a<br />
conscience, just look at those eyes. They<br />
reflect a longing to be accepted and a<br />
deadening of the soul, simultaneously.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">His role was actually an illustration (or perhaps symptom) of the actual theme of the show, the violent animosity between the Hindu and Muslim religions as India struggled to become independent from Britain. Mix in the animosity between all Indians and their British rulers, and you've got a real pot-boiler, and our P-S's Merrick was in the thick of it.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzUZrjGimSLnxxJ1mnlVYQpw2T1UfW9zbxU01V1t7KbwwZoqB1JnobXIc6tAffYAAFO2azH7MkA_7JB96WHP7MbRF7xyUAAYey20bL-3nM6PO_WWXCjcNrURNn3EaGZAx9BYSGN2iDx-6V/s1600/jewelinthecrown1224106328_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzUZrjGimSLnxxJ1mnlVYQpw2T1UfW9zbxU01V1t7KbwwZoqB1JnobXIc6tAffYAAFO2azH7MkA_7JB96WHP7MbRF7xyUAAYey20bL-3nM6PO_WWXCjcNrURNn3EaGZAx9BYSGN2iDx-6V/s320/jewelinthecrown1224106328_1.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Susan Wooldridge as Daphne Manners, who had the bad luck to<br />
fall for an Indian, then get gang raped, get pregnant, give birth to<br />
a baby of uncertain paternity, then die. And in only 3 episodes!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The defining moment of the series (spoiler alert: it's a rape) occurred in the second episode, and by the fourth episode, this romantic triangle dissolved, and the focus of the series shifted to the Layton family, Brits who left England's middle class to settle in India and become part of the ruling elite. </span><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhn1pkgw0rEOmc9V9r2xpvu2AQnSz7F6fnhSDFHzzWUUc1ozXtJZFkyEmf9L2GqcOSDs6A48dwmQmCbWUaTHoqRDfCtX74RhLoWxi8tO4OkwFYbTBTDB95_CFxsSoL7BzT4a6Ttjo_Y409R/s1600/jewel+in+the+crown20141112_075824_161660jewel-ep-002.jpg.1280x720_q85.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhn1pkgw0rEOmc9V9r2xpvu2AQnSz7F6fnhSDFHzzWUUc1ozXtJZFkyEmf9L2GqcOSDs6A48dwmQmCbWUaTHoqRDfCtX74RhLoWxi8tO4OkwFYbTBTDB95_CFxsSoL7BzT4a6Ttjo_Y409R/s320/jewel+in+the+crown20141112_075824_161660jewel-ep-002.jpg.1280x720_q85.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">These star-crossed lovers gave way to another ill-fated couple.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">This storytelling shift was pretty abrupt; the characters we had met in the first 3 episodes, characters the viewing audience assumed were the stars of the series, receded into the background of the story, with the exception of our anti-hero Merrick. The remainder of the series centered on the Layton sisters: compassionate, level-headed Sarah, and Susan, whose sanity becomes more and more suspect as the series progresses. </span><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHMoGUxVfdWPouGekkQHUWVgSW8ebxaUoKi4B68cTxP9ZkAmeWmm6qLPTNMjcWdgKZIvuS65qT05u3o2SUBMgi-gua9bHCrMVtzZaZlRUMKre_h-v20dRlO8SBCx7SpFNOPeSyvKKikZJs/s1600/jewel-in-the-cro_3171697k.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="199" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHMoGUxVfdWPouGekkQHUWVgSW8ebxaUoKi4B68cTxP9ZkAmeWmm6qLPTNMjcWdgKZIvuS65qT05u3o2SUBMgi-gua9bHCrMVtzZaZlRUMKre_h-v20dRlO8SBCx7SpFNOPeSyvKKikZJs/s320/jewel-in-the-cro_3171697k.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Turns out THIS was the central romance of the series.<br />
Geraldine James and Charles Dance received big career boosts<br />
from<i> Jewel</i>... Their roles were understated and a bit subdued<br />
compared to the flamboyant performances surrounding them.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Judy Parfitt played their chilly mother (in what I think is the best performance in a series full of them), and Charles Dance played a young military man, whose life becomes entangled with Pigot-Smith's Merrick. <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxq2ZWXG806EMoS33HLBU8uJbLWk_FZ3BUfpPXcivUWPi4O2cU3wLVq2aUtnytZIkg_cZCv-IVrLWh1cJDIK5-JtPLub7xmlekvFRmWlcPFGP5C1SOycCPTPJ5wjga05evmIXclrqnF3SO/s1600/jewel+in+the+crowngioiello_della_corona_charles_dance_003_jpg_vdif.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxq2ZWXG806EMoS33HLBU8uJbLWk_FZ3BUfpPXcivUWPi4O2cU3wLVq2aUtnytZIkg_cZCv-IVrLWh1cJDIK5-JtPLub7xmlekvFRmWlcPFGP5C1SOycCPTPJ5wjga05evmIXclrqnF3SO/s320/jewel+in+the+crowngioiello_della_corona_charles_dance_003_jpg_vdif.jpg" width="218" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Judy Parfitt's gin-fueled Mildred <br />
was brittle,tense, and unlikable<br />
(I loved her)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Everyone on the show did yeoman's work, there are no shortages of stellar performances in this epic, and a few true greats wander through. </span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijprwDz15yxG-ou8DjCLj5Qpl3bjqW4V8nH7J9fkDn4CIJBUXIIRfZsIhL0GTSzeHZW03HP-rI3cNj8Cd7v2zc9H3SV5KnbKs-PtkD5z0kEMNH2bhWPATTFqiDm_AR3PHvnC_F9f5L5bhyphenhyphen/s1600/jewelinthecrown1224106465_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijprwDz15yxG-ou8DjCLj5Qpl3bjqW4V8nH7J9fkDn4CIJBUXIIRfZsIhL0GTSzeHZW03HP-rI3cNj8Cd7v2zc9H3SV5KnbKs-PtkD5z0kEMNH2bhWPATTFqiDm_AR3PHvnC_F9f5L5bhyphenhyphen/s320/jewelinthecrown1224106465_1.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dame Peggy Ashcroft as lesbian missionary Barbie Bachelor was a series highlight. After a prestigious stage career spanning decades, <i>Jewel in the Crown</i> catapulted her to international stardom at age 77. She won the BAFTA for her performance (everyone in the category that year was her co-star from the series, she beat them all). The same year, she won the Oscar for another trip to the subcontinent, <i>A Passage to India</i>.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5ItP_v2zwAMaXNjo9ClipGZ_Gdome6R7OPgK8ASFMsltgBSvx-Qtw_G0skIFvcSwlAL5qdNXdg1-cnG9pt-8NjUB99Di1rXN2c1ELIbK7V6o5GRB5nLKhls9fQCHlaxLqp5dxr3gNHXSP/s1600/jewel+in+the+crown+e3bf99ebf8fa3a914a17fb58dc3baffb.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5ItP_v2zwAMaXNjo9ClipGZ_Gdome6R7OPgK8ASFMsltgBSvx-Qtw_G0skIFvcSwlAL5qdNXdg1-cnG9pt-8NjUB99Di1rXN2c1ELIbK7V6o5GRB5nLKhls9fQCHlaxLqp5dxr3gNHXSP/s320/jewel+in+the+crown+e3bf99ebf8fa3a914a17fb58dc3baffb.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rachel Kempson's serene Lady Manners<br />
sailed through several episodes. She is better<br />
known to American audiences as mother to<br />
Vanessa and Lynn Redgrave.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">But in my mind, the series belongs to Tim Pigott-Smith's performance as Merrick. His journey was a violent one, and though he evolved into a pretty nasty degenerate, at the beginning of the series he was a devoted friend and hardworking officer of the law who, regrettably, allowed his personal bigotry to affect his character. </span><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaWOoefxaC9pxUXGipfWyzKAk01M43VX1lJ_CZKZtPju_2NW07burkA60DLXZZMD-NhY9cV7rk2wPLexgGFlmnAhZk64XDW6x12LuPUZ_gT5xiUx77Yrwyry_vT3d11CwyQx7ciO_Vl8-J/s1600/timpigottsmithcaptain-merrick-is-there-inside-my-mind.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="248" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaWOoefxaC9pxUXGipfWyzKAk01M43VX1lJ_CZKZtPju_2NW07burkA60DLXZZMD-NhY9cV7rk2wPLexgGFlmnAhZk64XDW6x12LuPUZ_gT5xiUx77Yrwyry_vT3d11CwyQx7ciO_Vl8-J/s320/timpigottsmithcaptain-merrick-is-there-inside-my-mind.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Merrick performs an act of heroism which disfigures him<br />
for life, and begins his descent into degeneracy.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Ah, those Brits really know how to put on a show with performances such as these. Pigott-Smith is one of those British actors who bursts on the scene with a pivotal performance for which they will be primarily remembered. He had a thriving career both before and after <i>Jewel in the Crown</i>, but his renown has always been linked to this performance. </span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-SLumMnoZuc-NQJhFSJ_pHPWa7hcciMp9n0MEZqRN611UrBFTV_bIZi-mDUWghkgUYXKocdoQ46QToOw6iHW3dDmZvNvsH-BSsJTojdTF4gwe1PlHnr6fL4XWTtWGouhx0VRvPe1aXsg9/s1600/timpiggotsmithpygmalian3504.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="209" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-SLumMnoZuc-NQJhFSJ_pHPWa7hcciMp9n0MEZqRN611UrBFTV_bIZi-mDUWghkgUYXKocdoQ46QToOw6iHW3dDmZvNvsH-BSsJTojdTF4gwe1PlHnr6fL4XWTtWGouhx0VRvPe1aXsg9/s320/timpiggotsmithpygmalian3504.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">P-S as Prof. Higgins brags to his housekeeper, while his creation looks on. It's <i>Pygmalion</i>, of course, but take a look at the gal playing Eliza. It's Michelle Dockery, star of <i>Downton Abbey</i>.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">There are a handful or more British thespians who never quite escaped their breakout performances, like </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Derek Jacoby in </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><i>I, Claudius</i> , David Suchet in the Poirot series, and Keith Michell's </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><i>Henry VIII</i>. Even including his recent international success as <i>Charles III</i>, Tim Pigott-Smith's Ronald Merrick was one of these career-defining performances. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpAkQbMkfHtDL4kld1Gy3lm3kYMZC9ZeitTzjSDfvQK-iepXFaBOLPmj_J2cWMht_WpDrDUhDMn682KSQ_qgqa8q_W1DjtLiyiFac4_H474mnITHouJJED64pe1ipHFRPC4feaXy7bKKw6/s1600/tim+pigott+smithnintchdbpict000314874918-e1491585772879.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="206" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpAkQbMkfHtDL4kld1Gy3lm3kYMZC9ZeitTzjSDfvQK-iepXFaBOLPmj_J2cWMht_WpDrDUhDMn682KSQ_qgqa8q_W1DjtLiyiFac4_H474mnITHouJJED64pe1ipHFRPC4feaXy7bKKw6/s320/tim+pigott+smithnintchdbpict000314874918-e1491585772879.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">He died last week at the age of 70.</span></div>
Armchair Actorvisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02873366521914303194noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7146900851769565592.post-53917918838708851612017-01-08T23:10:00.000-05:002017-01-08T23:10:30.160-05:00The Magic That Makes Things Grow<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhudeseX-tQmafuBLfjdsy1F7Kd8EVY1mqGcf4WQmywyc2NB5BRU1VhHbDesRMyWcu3X5raVGHjGWnPzZ6YzSe24GObn4jJZE4upvZt3siHMcjpi47AXYNBvPNSWeh6tLWw-RBHDz-kvg5f/s1600/tricia+018.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhudeseX-tQmafuBLfjdsy1F7Kd8EVY1mqGcf4WQmywyc2NB5BRU1VhHbDesRMyWcu3X5raVGHjGWnPzZ6YzSe24GObn4jJZE4upvZt3siHMcjpi47AXYNBvPNSWeh6tLWw-RBHDz-kvg5f/s1600/tricia+018.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">As I undecorated the Christmas tree the other day, I had to admit that the holiday season just ending was a very melancholy one. It hadn't started out that way; I spent all of December, and much of November, immersed in the Dickensian world of Ghosts Past, Present, and Future.</span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjG4MMAxQdKT6tsGbnllZ3m4sAI62_du32dyCSySp8jMO7D606nR00jJJatmun93grG5IXkujQnkAPDzlGeUVmX2l-Vo7H2Dha-_sOfvKi32UYXuvgW3X4Vaehrqvg9bYFSfoi2GXn7glOw/s1600/15578092_1318376471538091_2596229664442505619_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="228" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjG4MMAxQdKT6tsGbnllZ3m4sAI62_du32dyCSySp8jMO7D606nR00jJJatmun93grG5IXkujQnkAPDzlGeUVmX2l-Vo7H2Dha-_sOfvKi32UYXuvgW3X4Vaehrqvg9bYFSfoi2GXn7glOw/s320/15578092_1318376471538091_2596229664442505619_o.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I suppose you COULD be melancholy while appearing in <em>A Christmas Carol</em>, if you're playing Jacob Marley, but it would have been impossible for me to feel anything but jolly while playing The Ghost of Christmas Present (above). I also played Fezziwig in this production at Titan Theatre in NYC; both roles lent themselves to raucous laughter and robust attitudes. While there was some tediousness to the commute to and from Queens, the experience certainly was not melancholy.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "verdana";">Just a few days after closing <em>A Christmas Carol</em>, I flew down to North Carolina for my family's usual holiday. It's always a low-keyed affair, which suits us fine. It was while at dear ol' Dad's that, miles away in DC, this year's holiday turned frightening, then ugly, then ultimately melancholy. </span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEFIqBpNci9qH5DHs1L8JKVfW1hThFcQQUWwjq2ShWCyMY9eyOaa_ZNAxtMHJp0ihJcH20DHzWGysUTcAMF3CReQILMEz2lJYHnwEMldG5RNJ3QibpL8cWzryQg0eMhXf2pu3PqFGtqHgk/s1600/tricia-mccauley-facebook-02-1200x630.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEFIqBpNci9qH5DHs1L8JKVfW1hThFcQQUWwjq2ShWCyMY9eyOaa_ZNAxtMHJp0ihJcH20DHzWGysUTcAMF3CReQILMEz2lJYHnwEMldG5RNJ3QibpL8cWzryQg0eMhXf2pu3PqFGtqHgk/s320/tricia-mccauley-facebook-02-1200x630.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tricia McCauley was a DC-based actress, yoga instructor, and herbalist. Back in the 60s, these descriptions might have made her sound, well, "Hippy-Dippy". She would have embraced that label, I think.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "verdana";">The day I first met Tricia, years ago, remains vivid in my memory. I was asked by my grad-school buddy Steve Carpenter to appear in a staged reading he was presenting for his theatre company, the Washington Stage Guild. <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinvNMzcwlCRLdfVWJ_MaxylogezWNV3KqZDh19fV1US3993YAkzBV-nAcOxqCxZhhfct5aCJAwhhzC1SoiPMWTUc8du44klrWrrbAb4RQbckn1HUq95KyptC1WbAGUm0az00AOteWBfGsY/s1600/tricia+523957_4138264170780_387317968_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinvNMzcwlCRLdfVWJ_MaxylogezWNV3KqZDh19fV1US3993YAkzBV-nAcOxqCxZhhfct5aCJAwhhzC1SoiPMWTUc8du44klrWrrbAb4RQbckn1HUq95KyptC1WbAGUm0az00AOteWBfGsY/s320/tricia+523957_4138264170780_387317968_n.jpg" width="295" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">An outdoor Shakespearean performance,<br />
early in her career.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
I had worked with the WSG previously in <em>Opus</em>, after which the company lost their home and began many months of presenting these readings of interesting plays while they hunted for their next digs. (I wrote a bit about this reading series <a href="http://armchairactorvist.blogspot.com/2009/08/reading-stage-guild-style.html">here</a>. And I wrote about <a href="http://armchairactorvist.blogspot.com/2007/05/finale.html">appearing in Opus here</a>; I used to write a lot in these pages...). Anyway, we were to rehearse this reading only once, a day or two before the performance. I arrived at the home of WSG's executive director Ann Norton and was introduced to Tricia. With a wide grin and completely unabashed manner, she told me to sit down and show her my tongue.</span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR5sCKOqJlx0WZ6B9chng7GSmMpHjUgRob4ATVuuaTNoX8hipjNl3CEdeXNsui6_OJ-llDaVgBibfGYrfX-y5DvcdKPZc6Na-d_tT9ezVYKmN01w6iy2hZChfI0bMWAFQxNBeyo2jwE0gR/s1600/tricia+mccauleyhqdefault.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR5sCKOqJlx0WZ6B9chng7GSmMpHjUgRob4ATVuuaTNoX8hipjNl3CEdeXNsui6_OJ-llDaVgBibfGYrfX-y5DvcdKPZc6Na-d_tT9ezVYKmN01w6iy2hZChfI0bMWAFQxNBeyo2jwE0gR/s320/tricia+mccauleyhqdefault.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Trish was working on her masters degree in Herbal Medicine when I first met her. She was tortured by severe allergies, and the medical community didn't seem to be much help, so she took action on her own. Her training in medicinal herbs helped her overcome her own allergies and led her down another career path. When she demanded to see my tongue at our first meeting, she was completing a homework assignment to examine various tongues. She never told me what my tongue told her about my diet and lifestyle, and I certainly never asked.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii_b0R3aXaKYOVXkrSwDFmUR7GOT7E3ENL4g8zDKDoo1aX-RAfB5_Wt4Kgu7dCtMoiJBjC2FskjHaHFyH6AyjyUQyWgT_z3Q-9JBvoa2hF_R0xPU_BzNfN8zmKpX2u-BP41c_xA_5-687c/s1600/tricia+FB_IMG_1483220386221.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii_b0R3aXaKYOVXkrSwDFmUR7GOT7E3ENL4g8zDKDoo1aX-RAfB5_Wt4Kgu7dCtMoiJBjC2FskjHaHFyH6AyjyUQyWgT_z3Q-9JBvoa2hF_R0xPU_BzNfN8zmKpX2u-BP41c_xA_5-687c/s320/tricia+FB_IMG_1483220386221.jpg" width="202" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My first glimpse of Tricia, years before<br />
we met, was this production of <em>Major</em><br />
<em>Barbara,</em> in which she played the title<br />
role. I was drawn to the show because<br />
my grad school buddy Steve Carpenter<br />
was in it. I was later to become friends<br />
with many members of this WSG cast.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "verdana";">I did more than a dozen staged readings for the Stage Guild during this period, and a lot of them included Tricia. Our group spent a lot of downtime together, after rehearsal and before performances, and we had a habit of walking around the corner from the little black box used for these performances to some café or other to grab a bite. <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhX7G2bv1oY8xd3TPV6l2siuNicmTu6j3t_yOfegWsx3S1_CD5O4ExcGFiIG5W9YUzRoFDS2SkrDPGz4Tfp2dRfa-2VL8ajiH0VQ-_p_hRGtpdIGMjhyphenhyphen8y4CA_QLPeVICIrCG8x6ampAucH/s1600/tricia+15727068_1397851690226131_4233258065744327617_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="290" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhX7G2bv1oY8xd3TPV6l2siuNicmTu6j3t_yOfegWsx3S1_CD5O4ExcGFiIG5W9YUzRoFDS2SkrDPGz4Tfp2dRfa-2VL8ajiH0VQ-_p_hRGtpdIGMjhyphenhyphen8y4CA_QLPeVICIrCG8x6ampAucH/s320/tricia+15727068_1397851690226131_4233258065744327617_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Though a regular with Washington Stage Guild,<br />
Tricia worked all over, including Olney Theatre,<br />
where she played Sorel Bliss in <em>Hay Fever</em>.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
These instances illustrated Tricia's constant (at the time) battle with food. She was allergic to everything, even to some things she hadn't even encountered before, so dining out with her was a challenge.</span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4e5OWBTnMjhngMAUjEWk2FB2JGCovnaOEEpWBmf-1nfVy8lwfLJmrWBw2wYln_8A0oL1JD3KcwOQEM47_GZXEfdWVTBvZZJLWjoG26K8SZXm2jQQZtP-ywVcOp2qx-0DBGKaBO87koMKJ/s1600/Tricia+jars_assorted1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="318" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4e5OWBTnMjhngMAUjEWk2FB2JGCovnaOEEpWBmf-1nfVy8lwfLJmrWBw2wYln_8A0oL1JD3KcwOQEM47_GZXEfdWVTBvZZJLWjoG26K8SZXm2jQQZtP-ywVcOp2qx-0DBGKaBO87koMKJ/s320/Tricia+jars_assorted1.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tricia created her own line of herbal "lotions and potions," designed to give all-natural relief for various ailments and conditions. I admire the way she met the challenge of curing herself, leading to a new career helping others. Her company was called Leafyhead, which was a nickname she acquired when she appeared at some herbal event wearing a crown of leaves. Maybe she was working on a monologue of Ophelia's? The moniker stuck.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "verdana";">On stage, Tricia was particularly adept at various accents, a talent she was to use quite precisely in the only full production in which we appeared together.</span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNaqnlXepjgEZYtWLDAsgtvHjCMr73SjFrKibVRyPSW6KelcxvtQ8O0bB0DVmjtH9kq1AvoNSastJzdTwmyuSxmoGnkzG0p3_lPmw4_FRCtYl8X_GSCZSevVJCYaz78bAKWKS-kAyxgQQn/s1600/tricia+p474104684-5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="312" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNaqnlXepjgEZYtWLDAsgtvHjCMr73SjFrKibVRyPSW6KelcxvtQ8O0bB0DVmjtH9kq1AvoNSastJzdTwmyuSxmoGnkzG0p3_lPmw4_FRCtYl8X_GSCZSevVJCYaz78bAKWKS-kAyxgQQn/s320/tricia+p474104684-5.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">In <em>Lord Arthur Savile's Crime</em>, Trish played several roles, all with different accents. At various times, she impressed with her Scottish accent, her upper-class Brit, and, in a truly hilarious turn, her role as a Russian soldier (above). This show ran several years ago, but last fall, the cast gathered for a bit of a reunion. The Washington Stage Guild was presenting staged readings of plays they had produced in each of the five performing spaces they have inhabited over their 30 years. That reading of <em>Lord Arthur</em> was to be Tricia's final stage performance, and as fate would have it, an audio recording of it was made. It's now a treasure.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfqm4PdPNtN8K0F-6Ra-fsC3JEbXosTXaSi0Okd-5BdPpRxB0scziQBpjvmEQ4g0lKzWTjbbNZHquARR2B1xOwmliWtRUlfzuFPI_JpZkccrjjsiT6-3AswbFZvieZCFF5uWVp0I_19U3f/s1600/tricia+mccauley+charles11.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="262" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfqm4PdPNtN8K0F-6Ra-fsC3JEbXosTXaSi0Okd-5BdPpRxB0scziQBpjvmEQ4g0lKzWTjbbNZHquARR2B1xOwmliWtRUlfzuFPI_JpZkccrjjsiT6-3AswbFZvieZCFF5uWVp0I_19U3f/s320/tricia+mccauley+charles11.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rubbing elbows with a Royal, here's Tricia introducing HRH<br />
Prince Charles to the urban garden she helped to maintain.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "verdana";">While I have spent most of my Christmases with my family in the South, there have been two occasions when that did not happen. Those were the times I was able to accept the annual invitation I receive to dine at the home of WSG artistic director and friend, Bill Largess. He hosts this event every Christmas Day, and there are many DC folks who attend every year as part of their holiday tradition. Tricia was one of those folks.</span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIAJnlUNML0kKNokp0MC7NBncy8-bJRibJQ0aMOIYe1AN0UhDns1BEu-dRAbAqAgEA5oel08yafQ1ufz7rz5aUGQzdkju41y1_D75p8NEow_U6A1-8bI6K3BhuAhCajqNiptbbstgmp9Mg/s1600/15726689_10154028661862064_3891794542596181304_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIAJnlUNML0kKNokp0MC7NBncy8-bJRibJQ0aMOIYe1AN0UhDns1BEu-dRAbAqAgEA5oel08yafQ1ufz7rz5aUGQzdkju41y1_D75p8NEow_U6A1-8bI6K3BhuAhCajqNiptbbstgmp9Mg/s320/15726689_10154028661862064_3891794542596181304_n.jpg" width="180" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bill's annual Christmas Dinner is held in the basement of the home in which his grandmother once lived. The table takes up the whole room, so I'm not sure the basement is used for anything else, but once a year, it comes alive with flickering candlelight and dazzling conversation, as a dozen and more folks gather to celebrate the season. It's reminiscent of Dickens, or at least, of "happy" Dickens, perhaps Christmas Dinner at the Cratchits, after Scrooge has surprised them with a turkey as big as Tiny Tim. Even with Santa's Marching Band playing obnoxiously in the background (don't ask), it's a truly memorable way to celebrate the day.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "verdana";">I was to learn the following details (such as they are) a little later. Apparently Tricia made her traditional dish for the dinner (Brussels sprouts, I've had them, delish) and sent out word that she was on her way, around 5 or so Christmas evening. She did not show up at the party. Her absence was noticed but did not arouse too much concern. Apparently, one time in the past, Tricia had planned to attend the dinner, then slept right through it. </span><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWzmcwoT8Q-dcHq3VpAgSHbXGTQHa8ieS_rL9hJAOg8l_RZSR91gW-QaSkzCLq6Q_UgX900ToJAbdvKagKfdIPvedpbvIJuTqTchgNaoHUCCqsmVIPGgWmibVPHsfLftoqx20RUicGqE56/s1600/tricia+mcc15741276_10153943248610194_6578637112185123780_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWzmcwoT8Q-dcHq3VpAgSHbXGTQHa8ieS_rL9hJAOg8l_RZSR91gW-QaSkzCLq6Q_UgX900ToJAbdvKagKfdIPvedpbvIJuTqTchgNaoHUCCqsmVIPGgWmibVPHsfLftoqx20RUicGqE56/s320/tricia+mcc15741276_10153943248610194_6578637112185123780_n.jpg" width="314" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "verdana";">It was not until the following day that alarms started to go off. Tricia had planned to fly out of DC to visit family the day after Christmas; she never got on the plane. Missing a dinner party was one thing, but Tricia was not the kind of person who would miss a flight without alerting her family at the other end. Something was wrong.</span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "verdana";">I learned of these frightening developments late Monday afternoon, as word was sent out that Tricia was missing, and the internet exploded. I posted a notice on my Facebook, as did countless others. In DC, search parties were formed to scour Tricia's neighborhood, and the police entered the picture. Sometime during the day, they searched her apartment and found nothing amiss. Tricia's car, which she usually parked on the street, could not be located.</span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1GlR8a2fDPLs7NbnO69mmXqo1gmKmr7NhWcFZlL1LHvcs1voS_03QzEMbk6xJeKbNFh9SGRehxt-Gp7hWm8fty4Jaht_og6Q6rJGECamiAG5yU7ZworcK82kG-7rQybV-5TqZevveWo2x/s1600/Tricia+car.jpe" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1GlR8a2fDPLs7NbnO69mmXqo1gmKmr7NhWcFZlL1LHvcs1voS_03QzEMbk6xJeKbNFh9SGRehxt-Gp7hWm8fty4Jaht_og6Q6rJGECamiAG5yU7ZworcK82kG-7rQybV-5TqZevveWo2x/s1600/Tricia+car.jpe" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It may have been Tricia's car which cracked the case. This little two-seater is fairly uncommon, and may have attracted her killer's attention at a stop sign or traffic light, who knows? The bumper sticker reads "Plant More Plants." Pictures of this car circulated all over the internet and the media, the day after Christmas, and the vehicle was spotted by someone walking his dog. Tricia's killer was driving the car at the time, and apparently hollered out the window at the witness, who notified the cops. The suspect was apprehended shortly afterward, and the car was located, with Tricia's body in the back seat.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "verdana";"></span><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4UPyVpS6EjT94ssmdRV4MU5jJwocjvQkY_lkLA67tXzaBsVRxaKE44jjQvb-caniGRLIYj2oQauTu321WLy6JqJR3aeZI9IahX3JI54bmVsJnzy4uSh7frcatcsZdUgusb375jP901obm/s1600/tricia+15732103_10153941719745194_5454621677061574964_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4UPyVpS6EjT94ssmdRV4MU5jJwocjvQkY_lkLA67tXzaBsVRxaKE44jjQvb-caniGRLIYj2oQauTu321WLy6JqJR3aeZI9IahX3JI54bmVsJnzy4uSh7frcatcsZdUgusb375jP901obm/s320/tricia+15732103_10153941719745194_5454621677061574964_o.jpg" width="237" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "verdana";">I went to bed Monday night with the same sick feeling which everyone else must have had. I awoke the next morning and logged onto the Net; frankly, I was hoping Tricia had been found in a ditch someplace, injured but alive. That was the most positive hope we could hold onto, under the circumstances. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana";"></span><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyBt_TL40R-fDGp2ZrQQVKprpqE_wbiZY6HmV2M4az0c7Jqo5H1XTkNkmdZQIYrcYulEvyfX0bm231gpvTVMtGQzChIaaJbAXLIFJs-5hIizXJ7ec11L9fxC27VNaNAMeRJ879GkBzd6-s/s1600/tricia+mccauley-supsect.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyBt_TL40R-fDGp2ZrQQVKprpqE_wbiZY6HmV2M4az0c7Jqo5H1XTkNkmdZQIYrcYulEvyfX0bm231gpvTVMtGQzChIaaJbAXLIFJs-5hIizXJ7ec11L9fxC27VNaNAMeRJ879GkBzd6-s/s320/tricia+mccauley-supsect.jpg" width="234" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Surveillance cameras picked up this guy<br />
driving Tricia's car. His family reports he is<br />
homeless and has mental problems. His<br />
numerous arrests led a judge to require him<br />
to wear a tracking device, which he never <br />
showed up to receive. No one followed up.<br />
Our justice system at work.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "verdana";">The police had alerted Tricia's family that her body had been found. Details were sketchy, but apparently she had crossed paths with a homeless drifter with mental problems; this guy was seen driving her car around town on Monday, and was apprehended after robbing a CVS hours earlier. Recovery of her car (and a later autopsy) confirmed the worst: this monster had raped and strangled Tricia, then tied her up with a seat belt and stuffed her in the back seat of her own car. He then drove around the city, using her credit cards and even picking up a prostitute.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana";"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana";">I'm haunted by these images. Tricia was a force of lightness, and positive energy, and the webpages set up to honor her have focused on these attributes. No one wants to focus on the violent way she was taken from us, what does it solve at this point? But I'm not evolved enough to be able to ignore the horrific events which ended Tricia's life; I'm still wracked with questions. </span><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh72JChYkve_5HxIO6eNkTmPg-xD6Z18OlxItE6bzQMyIkTtdfyHbThCFUgaW9sXZ5p-tcn4AzF2y9Lts6lJeyj970-GIO8WPckvnnyB9TaW9pWo6YjqZaxdtnrrmVvEMQlnfNlkODZEcJo/s1600/tricia+McCauley17.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="270" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh72JChYkve_5HxIO6eNkTmPg-xD6Z18OlxItE6bzQMyIkTtdfyHbThCFUgaW9sXZ5p-tcn4AzF2y9Lts6lJeyj970-GIO8WPckvnnyB9TaW9pWo6YjqZaxdtnrrmVvEMQlnfNlkODZEcJo/s320/tricia+McCauley17.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tricia was also a Life Coach, both professionally, and to any<br />
friend in need.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "verdana";">Though we now know what this animal did to her, we still don't know exactly when, or where, or how. How and where did Tricia cross paths with this creature? Was this a carjacking gone bad? Did this guy have a gun, preventing Trish from escape (there has been no mention of a firearm involved)? As a petite woman, she could probably be overpowered, but she was in peak physical condition; what happened which prevented her from running? Judging from the pictures of this criminal, she might have outrun him if she'd had a chance to get out of the car.</span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSW09cqdl2xZrKNbFS4xfk-8WR3UABgeH-0es3Wpn4IYwcPd6TMJEkr89y1uBP4dzjI-7i25bvdY-6x_lVawwkIdhyphenhypheneNejX_zX9gAU7l9pTn6rEGjO1UTnagCuXciFLhkVoV3R310e9cZN/s1600/tricia+15747517_944518899823_1316329785225462911_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSW09cqdl2xZrKNbFS4xfk-8WR3UABgeH-0es3Wpn4IYwcPd6TMJEkr89y1uBP4dzjI-7i25bvdY-6x_lVawwkIdhyphenhypheneNejX_zX9gAU7l9pTn6rEGjO1UTnagCuXciFLhkVoV3R310e9cZN/s320/tricia+15747517_944518899823_1316329785225462911_n.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is Tricia, on the left and up in the air. Her career as a yoga instructor brought in a steady paycheck and also kept her in great shape. In fact, when the media released descriptions of her as age 47, I was sure they were wrong, she looked about 32. This picture, so full of life and fun, adds to the distress of her violent end. She was in terrific physical condition; what did this psychopath do to her to keep her from escaping? These thoughts don't help anything, but I'm still haunted by them.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "verdana";">These questions are torturous, and don't do anyone any good, but I'm afraid I can't help myself. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigtw6thPDd1tOb_9cpr8EKqa6Knv6HTjG1nll1_KIyf-lLvrE886F7iclVI2504fXECk8bmet_yyWlP40-q8FBhMcXgJe039x_ZzBheW0WojQX9GmPQysEFw25aGpTOa6AMG5pjzRsw5af/s1600/tricia+15740755_10210363231132779_2267886632046519134_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigtw6thPDd1tOb_9cpr8EKqa6Knv6HTjG1nll1_KIyf-lLvrE886F7iclVI2504fXECk8bmet_yyWlP40-q8FBhMcXgJe039x_ZzBheW0WojQX9GmPQysEFw25aGpTOa6AMG5pjzRsw5af/s320/tricia+15740755_10210363231132779_2267886632046519134_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This candlelight vigil was held for Tricia on the Tuesday after her death, focusing on the positive way she lived her life. This weekend, a more formal memorial was held, with friends speaking eloquently about the effect Trish had on their lives. I didn't, or couldn't, attend either of those events. I'm ashamed to admit I remain consumed with anger, unable to release the negative feelings Trish herself would advise are useless.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "verdana";">When all of us woke up on that Tuesday to that terrible news, many people in DC noted the rainbow in the sky that day:</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgB-VZiugLP4Xs8WeRlsHpSbcKHn4OJwUTVLXN-CQqIJx5Wz6BeGpLmUaUgs8PkXpx1QJjSszFt_9GxAp2x3N5Nw0X1lti4frYSMbq5BDKM6YTHknTwfMlTQ7VOlaHJrFW1l7LshgF5ahXD/s1600/tricia+15781690_10209825354925114_6485175331809059006_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgB-VZiugLP4Xs8WeRlsHpSbcKHn4OJwUTVLXN-CQqIJx5Wz6BeGpLmUaUgs8PkXpx1QJjSszFt_9GxAp2x3N5Nw0X1lti4frYSMbq5BDKM6YTHknTwfMlTQ7VOlaHJrFW1l7LshgF5ahXD/s320/tricia+15781690_10209825354925114_6485175331809059006_n.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "verdana";"> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana";">Tricia's pathway to the great beyond? Who knows, but it was a beautiful image on a truly ugly day, so perhaps it helps us to think so. We should follow Tricia's own words; believe me, I'm trying: </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana";">"Breathe.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana";"> Look up.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana";"> Love." </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana";"></span><br />Armchair Actorvisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02873366521914303194noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7146900851769565592.post-9591129249644088782016-06-03T20:56:00.001-05:002023-06-04T06:26:32.023-05:00Friday Dance Party: Muddy Waters Off The Tallahatchie Bridge<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">I love a good Story Song. Now I know all my composer friends will tell me, quite rightly, that ALL good songs tell a story of some kind, even if it's, well, non-linear. But I really love a song which tells a story in the traditional sense, a song with a beginning, middle, and end; one with characters and a plotline and a conflict, a climax, and even a denouement. </span><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEnx2478hILsc3wn-DZKbrhyphenhyphenxRxSZ1rgCoh_i-kqDZtqTY3U8RLVjGRLZK5QHoohe5_S52XYkLEI_dyCUiaHytnQo3dDoRdL-w9g5ZjOmBMEGQ_KHcPzOm3n_KJV1vutIIJpl6zdyhIHRu/s1600/dolly+parton+maxresdefault.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="210" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEnx2478hILsc3wn-DZKbrhyphenhyphenxRxSZ1rgCoh_i-kqDZtqTY3U8RLVjGRLZK5QHoohe5_S52XYkLEI_dyCUiaHytnQo3dDoRdL-w9g5ZjOmBMEGQ_KHcPzOm3n_KJV1vutIIJpl6zdyhIHRu/s320/dolly+parton+maxresdefault.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Many of the great Story Songs are in the Country/Western<br />
genre. Those dudes and dudettes from Nashville can really<br />
spin a tale with a tune. Dolly Parton is an expert; I'm a crusty<br />
old agnostic, but her rendition of the Resurrection as told by<br />
the Apostle Peter ("He's Alive") gives me chills. She didn't<br />
write it, but she performs it with gusto.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">This kind of Story Song has been around since the beginning of time, I imagine, when tribes of humans gathered around the fire and told stories of their ancestors. But when a modern Story Song pops up (and it's a good one), I'm in heaven. This week's Dance Party, in honor of the Third of June (another sleepy, dusty, delta day), is the best such song I have ever run across. It was written and delivered by this gal, way back in 1967:</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS3To6LRqVKnLB9Q08QCnEUcl2Vjt9GP9L0KsxcaYB3s8l1oUK19eIvoIiL9xDhmTBZrgVg1fD0-72PBLVPSftq3b9go46D7V9USBMkoSibL2P4VarDqlu7wtcjHkwjtZWio5iQW1H_U14/s1600/ode+to+bobbiegentry.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS3To6LRqVKnLB9Q08QCnEUcl2Vjt9GP9L0KsxcaYB3s8l1oUK19eIvoIiL9xDhmTBZrgVg1fD0-72PBLVPSftq3b9go46D7V9USBMkoSibL2P4VarDqlu7wtcjHkwjtZWio5iQW1H_U14/s320/ode+to+bobbiegentry.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bobbie Gentry</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">"Ode to Billie Joe" launched a pretty substantial career for Gentry, whose sultry good looks, voluminous hair, and down-home Southern charm made her a natural country/western star. Plus she wrote great tunes. </span><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhqGJUP8Upe5MbSzyW0R9MyDPVapuarcWM3VoSNrM29OC0coQmFkMN0msKOT7oK742_gSfoRNWMV9d7TWM1a3IkLYwx5a1pYxuu5xUYi_CENq7NCpLjsIMoIGJS8-PQqgfMBlyHxtbBV4p/s1600/ode+to+billietumblr_nela7lCLzC1qf4c00o1_400.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhqGJUP8Upe5MbSzyW0R9MyDPVapuarcWM3VoSNrM29OC0coQmFkMN0msKOT7oK742_gSfoRNWMV9d7TWM1a3IkLYwx5a1pYxuu5xUYi_CENq7NCpLjsIMoIGJS8-PQqgfMBlyHxtbBV4p/s320/ode+to+billietumblr_nela7lCLzC1qf4c00o1_400.jpg" width="227" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gentry's second Story Song was "Fancy." It<br />
described a cracker gal who was<br />
pimped out by her mother, in order to escape<br />
poverty.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">In addition to "Ode", our gal had success with duets with Glen Campbell, and on her own, she wrote another terrific Story Song, "Fancy", about some poor white trash who uses her feminine wiles to accumulate wealth and prestige. (Reba McEntire has often used "Fancy" as her encore number in her concerts, as well as recording a well-received cover in 1991). Sometime in the 1980s, Bobbie Gentry withdrew from public life, for reasons unknown. Nobody's seen or heard from her in decades, and when the Washington Post tracked her down this week, living on an estate just a few miles from the scene of her greatest song, she hung up on them. Certain wags have tagged her the J.D.Salinger of country music.</span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1QMNHYIrMUa8OlcIfBAH1ZmXXB-lS2MhRFdyWA6Ew3m3e-KjLSfgSzHNgRQow7Y4_u8VXKhK_4xUrvs-30jKSBW_hXH-7LO8BLLCrn0l17Ic6lyzdbr5ZmIuBEQ5EP6ijxU8oz6Zg4zl6/s1600/ode+to+billie+original.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1QMNHYIrMUa8OlcIfBAH1ZmXXB-lS2MhRFdyWA6Ew3m3e-KjLSfgSzHNgRQow7Y4_u8VXKhK_4xUrvs-30jKSBW_hXH-7LO8BLLCrn0l17Ic6lyzdbr5ZmIuBEQ5EP6ijxU8oz6Zg4zl6/s320/ode+to+billie+original.jpg" width="262" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bobbie recorded frequently with Glen Campbell, and appeared on his variety show as well. On the strength of her biggest hit, she maintained a thriving Vegas career for a while.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjONx1BjVL15cyh7Ba64RsiEAeZ5GFAoYQKL7gFz1_BkhGZOGOTCVy_FANmuEmsvxplORB2_RuG990HIoGYz1Diy2G3y4NxzkcFo76_Icmx6ePCMqc_UKv5fH88S-NW92e8f8OnMMvrVuJb/s1600/harper+valley+510JpJTzdyL._SY300_.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjONx1BjVL15cyh7Ba64RsiEAeZ5GFAoYQKL7gFz1_BkhGZOGOTCVy_FANmuEmsvxplORB2_RuG990HIoGYz1Diy2G3y4NxzkcFo76_Icmx6ePCMqc_UKv5fH88S-NW92e8f8OnMMvrVuJb/s1600/harper+valley+510JpJTzdyL._SY300_.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Both the film and TV series based<br />
on "Harper Valley PTA" starred<br />
Barbara Eden. I'm not aware of<br />
any other hits by singer Riley.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><br /></span><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">Everybody called Jeannie C. Riley a real copycat when she landed on the charts a year after "Ode" was released, with a Story Song called "Harper Valley PTA". The song, about a sexy single mother who scandalizes a small town with her mini-skirts, shares enough melodic similarity to "Ode to Billie Joe" that there were murmurs of plagiarism. In tone and rhythm, though, the songs couldn't be more different, with Harper Valley being a comedic look at small-town hypocrisy. Composer Tom T. Hall filled out the "PTA" album with other story songs about the other residents of Harper Valley.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxhMDlSGNj8hByjvc0bkoT6lXwa3786MeuUFzByDlzt4qcJECkMFeew7zM15Rq0SzCgKv9VrQRFz1X13_mv2isOg2Ftr7MWk0KKpOzD-_zAJwYh0UZOYyzDTE_QpSDAPSafaNh9kLFTayR/s1600/vicki+lawrence+-and-mama.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="196" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxhMDlSGNj8hByjvc0bkoT6lXwa3786MeuUFzByDlzt4qcJECkMFeew7zM15Rq0SzCgKv9VrQRFz1X13_mv2isOg2Ftr7MWk0KKpOzD-_zAJwYh0UZOYyzDTE_QpSDAPSafaNh9kLFTayR/s320/vicki+lawrence+-and-mama.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">People who know Vicki Lawrence only as her grouchy alter-ego, Mama, will be surprised to learn that, in her younger years, she was a One-Hit Wonder. "The Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia" was written by her husband (at the time), Bobby Russell. Vicki was enjoying some fame as a supporting player on <i>The Carol Burnett Show </i>and was certainly not a recording star, so her success with this Story Song was a total fluke.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">Vicki Lawrence's husband was having no luck with his composition. It was first offered to Cher (and turned down by Sonny) and composer Russell was ready to abandon the song when Vicki, who was sure it was a hit, recorded a demo herself. Most unexpectedly, the song took off,and soared all the way to #1 on the charts. The song has a tone similar to "Ode"; both tunes have been called Southern Gothic. </span><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggyuIxBE1xX4e02DViofT0QX7Bp2IGVGDmIRxpHeR-mHNX7q8ZbzWfPMympM3JX9UrljDCUmv_s4q1pq2xFCbynHtnDn5vZSTcSFeIL1ZIFxr8XTccvuVF5CeADMd1Ff2TwrWFnAdbgFVB/s1600/vicki+lawrence-the_night_the_lights_went_out_in_georgia_the_complete_bell_recordings-cd.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggyuIxBE1xX4e02DViofT0QX7Bp2IGVGDmIRxpHeR-mHNX7q8ZbzWfPMympM3JX9UrljDCUmv_s4q1pq2xFCbynHtnDn5vZSTcSFeIL1ZIFxr8XTccvuVF5CeADMd1Ff2TwrWFnAdbgFVB/s320/vicki+lawrence-the_night_the_lights_went_out_in_georgia_the_complete_bell_recordings-cd.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">In addition to recording a version of Gentry's "Fancy",<br />
Reba McEntire also covered this hit, 20 years after it<br />
rose to #1.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">There was a murder, you see, on that Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia: a philandering woman two-timed the wrong man, who had a sister (the singer) with justice on her mind. The denouement of the song reveals the singer to be the murderer (and she gets away with it! Hooray for Southern Gothic!)</span><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"> </span><br />
<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><br /></span>
<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><br /></span><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">While the Country/Western gang probably creates most of the Story Songs, several Folk/Rock artists have delivered admirable entries as well. Perhaps the most famous for my generation is Harry Chapin, who introduced his song "Taxi" on the Tonight Show in 1972. </span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYXD33yVXkz4kbi1BRZyKYwTRxrcdYoAyHwL7F0WajDL35F0VlTjQkoHgVHEQWw8AJo6rZk96IwHn1Zwa4t0QW0Z5MbX5BHGLZkf6IFe7V45jNQyr3lbPTBerDILgtfgPR3UZaRZ3i2R78/s1600/taxi+hqdefault.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYXD33yVXkz4kbi1BRZyKYwTRxrcdYoAyHwL7F0WajDL35F0VlTjQkoHgVHEQWw8AJo6rZk96IwHn1Zwa4t0QW0Z5MbX5BHGLZkf6IFe7V45jNQyr3lbPTBerDILgtfgPR3UZaRZ3i2R78/s320/taxi+hqdefault.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Harry Chapin hit the jackpot with "Taxi." Years later, he revisited his two characters by creating a sequel song, ingeniously called "Sequel." He wrote other Story Songs, and also delivered a huge hit with a tune which really isn't one, but reminds you of one: "Cats in the Cradle," a weepy song about fathers and sons.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdi-fgbIfWS3jKdQ5nluxTYhrLFYtrXEwGbU0hU5DM8dQIOTCIRKWxrLHu68tW720tpxCzbR363bblNpXXgRBdaRr1md_7F-wWRXx5K-V_PjesGxgkPs2FMhM20EigBy2bcdj6pKumqkxl/s1600/taxi+download.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdi-fgbIfWS3jKdQ5nluxTYhrLFYtrXEwGbU0hU5DM8dQIOTCIRKWxrLHu68tW720tpxCzbR363bblNpXXgRBdaRr1md_7F-wWRXx5K-V_PjesGxgkPs2FMhM20EigBy2bcdj6pKumqkxl/s1600/taxi+download.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This tune peaked at #24 on the charts. Its<br />
sequel, called "Sequel," hit #23.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">The response to "Taxi" was huge and immediate, and Johnny Carson invited Chapin back on his show the very next night. The song concerns a cab driver who picks up a female fare, soon to recognize her as a former lover from long ago. It's a pretty maudlin tale about lost chances and regrettable choices: the woman exits the cab and returns to her loveless marriage as the cabbie returns to the streets and his drug habit. Happy Valentine's Day!</span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmghifL68MhyphenhyphenP0sMVWERjSxuzWr-kq9KQtcTdXjrKf1y_2ltKSvQZk-xT4uPc5gV53vZmBYD0n90VYSo840pJ2K26CWJRWYTlXTA8r0MJrv284sCZULKJogzPMPDYF9F2dd3pfzmTPrM3t/s1600/dan+fogelberg-same-old-lang-syne.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="311" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmghifL68MhyphenhyphenP0sMVWERjSxuzWr-kq9KQtcTdXjrKf1y_2ltKSvQZk-xT4uPc5gV53vZmBYD0n90VYSo840pJ2K26CWJRWYTlXTA8r0MJrv284sCZULKJogzPMPDYF9F2dd3pfzmTPrM3t/s320/dan+fogelberg-same-old-lang-syne.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I love this Story Song and wouldn't be surprised if it showed up on the Dance Party one day.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">Two former lovers are also at the center of "Same Old Lang Syne", Dan Fogelberg's sad Story Song which takes place on Christmas Eve. The story is a true one: Fogelberg was attending a family Christmas in Illinois when he ran into his high school sweetheart at a grocery store. </span><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRBw32tAXZbOI68zW3r7g5Mwpu-sP20_XAPtLGWy1qCHAJ-WV3JX0m5M742S_Yum-_HM97ucIJsp8JPItw7GsJvneiP805r8CTJoBpsCee0-3Uvm4di3wh0sdLckFx8IyVARoY_PVZ2PBP/s1600/dan+fogelbert+images.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRBw32tAXZbOI68zW3r7g5Mwpu-sP20_XAPtLGWy1qCHAJ-WV3JX0m5M742S_Yum-_HM97ucIJsp8JPItw7GsJvneiP805r8CTJoBpsCee0-3Uvm4di3wh0sdLckFx8IyVARoY_PVZ2PBP/s1600/dan+fogelbert+images.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This Story Song peaked at #9 in 1980.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">The two wanted to reminisce but couldn't find an open bar, so they settled for a six-pack of beer in the car. As with "Taxi", there are intimations that neither of the old friends are happy with their current lives, and when they part, the "snow turned into rain," revealing a melancholy which a lot of people feel at the holidays.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguwKiwHNce6xLB3lYZb5FwQj-YzPvzqCm690cM_B25sTUXqEbzP0bz8vM9wFGxNbafRLpeEibwjgSRmqvTMf5JooFVuWIPZY6eKdRUDlp_YTEjvxebeWcppYiIsryFnRH7DDK1pSmOgSBf/s1600/creeque+alley+41FKGY2Z77L.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="282" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguwKiwHNce6xLB3lYZb5FwQj-YzPvzqCm690cM_B25sTUXqEbzP0bz8vM9wFGxNbafRLpeEibwjgSRmqvTMf5JooFVuWIPZY6eKdRUDlp_YTEjvxebeWcppYiIsryFnRH7DDK1pSmOgSBf/s320/creeque+alley+41FKGY2Z77L.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"And no one's gettin' fat 'cept Mama Cass," goes the refrain to this 1967 hit Story Song. Papa John and Mama Michelle penned this history of the formation of The Mamas and the Papas. It reached #5. </td></tr>
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<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">The Mamas and the Papas sang a Story Song about the formation of their group when John and Michelle Phillips wrote "Creeque Alley". The song mentions many of the folk/rock artists working in the 60s as they form groups, disband groups, form other groups, and generally chase fame while being broke. The story ends when "California Dreamin' is becomin' a reality," that is, when the group had their first hit song. I'd be interested in another song describing the dissolution of the Mamas and the Papas, which was messy and full of drama.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOComN9njmrfj1x300npZgkwl-ScisCB2mbj_URbICM9RFcE7VxdbE70l5A-YWM76_WWmUo0cYDHTUEtMwWUAS-1zgUdk1GpszYCus4engwFiULwApLaADMvbA9z6IHFsfKtFxx8WK5VF5/s1600/ode+to-billy-joe1.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOComN9njmrfj1x300npZgkwl-ScisCB2mbj_URbICM9RFcE7VxdbE70l5A-YWM76_WWmUo0cYDHTUEtMwWUAS-1zgUdk1GpszYCus4engwFiULwApLaADMvbA9z6IHFsfKtFxx8WK5VF5/s320/ode+to-billy-joe1.jpg" width="225" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This film was produced 9 years after the initial release of the song. Robby Benson and Glynnis O'Connor were a popular teen couple at the time, appearing in several films together as well as a TV version of <i>Our Town</i>. They were not a couple in life, but they had an onscreen chemistry. Note the director of this little film: it's the man who played Jethro Bodine. He knew what he was doing, as the finished product, made for 1.1 million, grossed about 36 times its budget.</td></tr>
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<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">This week's Dance Party is the best of all these Story Songs, in my opinion. "Ode to Billie Joe" is a haunting song, made all the more mesmerizing by the way Gentry composed it. Details of the suicide of the title character are revealed matter-of-factly, amidst the banal conversation at the table during a midday meal on a farm in Mississippi. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEil4qPBfs46AHdz3k3_XBmlSZpNSbBic8yUhsXFGiU8sLwlv63N9sZr6pd5VCyIdetleeXr0KcfEwFT0m43GSubjcwgbwl-71HttG9diQYTAhzTGoadRj7ehdruVXBbTF7-A8Qyn6c5ywfD/s1600/ode+to+billie+unnamed.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="251" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEil4qPBfs46AHdz3k3_XBmlSZpNSbBic8yUhsXFGiU8sLwlv63N9sZr6pd5VCyIdetleeXr0KcfEwFT0m43GSubjcwgbwl-71HttG9diQYTAhzTGoadRj7ehdruVXBbTF7-A8Qyn6c5ywfD/s320/ode+to+billie+unnamed.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Other than <b><i>that</i></b>, Mrs. Lincoln, how did you enjoy the play?"<br />
This is Ford's Theater at its grand reopening in 1968. After<br />
watching the televised concert, I dreamed the solution to the<br />
mystery of "Ode to Billie Joe."</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">There is a </span><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">mystery at the song's center which has never been solved. But I solved it, in my sleep, back in 1968. The night was January 30, 1968, and Ford's Theater in Washington, DC, held a huge gala to celebrate reopening as a legitimate theater. The event was televised, and I have clear memories of watching it, with great excitement, from my family's home in Atlanta. I was about 12, and the main reason I was tuning into this show was to watch one of the stars performing at the gala. Bobbie Gentry was to sing her "Ode to Billie Joe", and I was not going to miss it. The song had been around a year or so, and was still very prominent in the country's consciousness. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3mUyHNOWgihGbVip7OZ-sMD3l72EeIjlbVPiQTI98teSnFdnJ06WN4XiMlGY6Qz5s6luhlKExZ36q9eTanivFP7Zt6cPlsmY7hrdTiOkOKXgxVwwE7Bz1ILfVNt6tG7HH2rF677SaBbqp/s1600/ode+to+billie+MI0003276642.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3mUyHNOWgihGbVip7OZ-sMD3l72EeIjlbVPiQTI98teSnFdnJ06WN4XiMlGY6Qz5s6luhlKExZ36q9eTanivFP7Zt6cPlsmY7hrdTiOkOKXgxVwwE7Bz1ILfVNt6tG7HH2rF677SaBbqp/s320/ode+to+billie+MI0003276642.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">In 1967-68, you could tune into almost any radio station and wait only 10-20 minutes before hearing this song. It was the epitome of the cross-over hit; it reached #1 on the Pop chart (knocking the Beatles's "All You Need is Love" out of the top spot), plus the song also spent time on the Easy Listening chart (#7), the R&B chart (#8) and the Country chart (#17). The song earned 8 Grammy nominations and won 4, three of them for Gentry herself.</td></tr>
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<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">EVERYBODY knew this song, loved this song, and was mystified by this song, for the story had a mystery which even its writer, Ms. Gentry, has declined to solve. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK46kYJZxOlPPschJ3peGhpv6w8Kk3rcNIy1NnEpioEzvwEV9GOdgVjvBjTiU4aFZiN0xTEjVfikS3JfxlyNxxq7_IZuAisoEYRX2ydPA4ZO6oq2potD658tsxjhGWyOLcjyVLty6KI89R/s1600/ode+to+billie+BobbieGentry-2.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK46kYJZxOlPPschJ3peGhpv6w8Kk3rcNIy1NnEpioEzvwEV9GOdgVjvBjTiU4aFZiN0xTEjVfikS3JfxlyNxxq7_IZuAisoEYRX2ydPA4ZO6oq2potD658tsxjhGWyOLcjyVLty6KI89R/s320/ode+to+billie+BobbieGentry-2.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">What did they throw off the bridge?<br />
Why did Billie Joe kill himself?<br />
Why did the filmmakers change the<br />
spelling of Billie Joe's name to Billy?<br />
Ms. Gentry ain't talking.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">In the song, a young teen aged couple is seen throwing something off a bridge into the muddy river below; soon afterward, the young man throws himself off the same bridge. What the hell did they toss? That night in 1968, I fell asleep in front of the TV almost immediately after Bobbie Gentry's performance of the song. And I dreamed the rest of it. </span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiJiEehvf3v7lVzPJ4g3HRS63O1ayi5qMc5jZcBgpmQos_wg99w8yMT2yDDeyksKzn2-rrbfCll5nJVwIYbDHDcMNMli9bTfEsSE_ZQyQUVVpvjTDGUy8N8BwTS6GZcs_gpguB1AeesP6K/s1600/Ode+to-Billy-Joe-film-images-e86a97ee-9928-4d1b-8cf7-7aaa4871d2d.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiJiEehvf3v7lVzPJ4g3HRS63O1ayi5qMc5jZcBgpmQos_wg99w8yMT2yDDeyksKzn2-rrbfCll5nJVwIYbDHDcMNMli9bTfEsSE_ZQyQUVVpvjTDGUy8N8BwTS6GZcs_gpguB1AeesP6K/s320/Ode+to-Billy-Joe-film-images-e86a97ee-9928-4d1b-8cf7-7aaa4871d2d.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Robby Benson is now remembered primarily as the voice of the Beast in Disney's <i>Beauty and the Beast</i>. Glynnis O'Connor has maintained a steady but unremarkable career in film and TV.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">Oh, how I wish I could recall my dream exactly, because my subconscious was singing added stanzas to the song, all completely within the rhythm and rhyme. When I woke up from this dream, I told everyone I knew: the teens threw a baby off the bridge. (I have since learned that this conclusion has been reached by others over the years, but believe me, I had no idea until I dreamed the song). Years later, when a film was produced based on the song, the protagonists did not throw an actual baby off the bridge, they threw a doll. I was pretty damn close though, right? </span><br /><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjn2mjGBMjfM6ckU5a3nqV7OmvhN4o0Yy0dmAQSBSqXCFR7rHU4qdhM8MkCVGFb-BOMbILPAD9OKCemr-yEXMupyPc4dd-8IOOUvD6ZSq1n2OZUCQpSjzFTkvBpkywoXmZyF-5JyrOdBJnW/s1600/ode+to+billie+18.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="269" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjn2mjGBMjfM6ckU5a3nqV7OmvhN4o0Yy0dmAQSBSqXCFR7rHU4qdhM8MkCVGFb-BOMbILPAD9OKCemr-yEXMupyPc4dd-8IOOUvD6ZSq1n2OZUCQpSjzFTkvBpkywoXmZyF-5JyrOdBJnW/s320/ode+to+billie+18.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Poor Billy Joe had to pay for being gay.</td></tr>
</tbody></table> <span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">The film answered the question regarding Billie Joe's suicide as well: according to the screenwriter, our hero was a closeted gay kid who got drunk one night and Did the Deed with a Dude. His guilt was so strong, he could do only what every gay protagonist of the period was required to do: either be murdered or commit suicide. No happy endings for homosexuals could be allowed back then, so Billie Joe had to go.</span>
<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><br /></span>
<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><br /></span><div><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">Bobbie Gentry remained silent about the movie based on her masterful song, so we don't know if she agreed with the screenwriter's embellishments. She certainly didn't object. We'll probably never know, since she has been secluded for decades in her big house in Mississippi, for reasons unknown. Now THAT'S a Story Song waiting to happen!</span><br />
<br /><br /></div><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/SmFxvP9i2Fk" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen></iframe>Armchair Actorvisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02873366521914303194noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7146900851769565592.post-29543707752233970732016-05-27T21:38:00.000-05:002016-05-30T19:10:21.626-05:00Friday Dance Party: Once Upon The Natchez Trace, Twice<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1wg7UrM-pcuDIkBaZix9HG3mxLeIn7bMyqN_Z5OcsOv8AxsHiOUsdSfp5ElmO3p-9i_Uz86okk7OTymCs-5Dr1sj-pWBW5IQQi2pVczO2c1RPREFwYU2fVRhQDbu9RLYDAAyKpZmy5mfC/s1600/Robber+Bridegroom%2527s+landlord.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="309" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1wg7UrM-pcuDIkBaZix9HG3mxLeIn7bMyqN_Z5OcsOv8AxsHiOUsdSfp5ElmO3p-9i_Uz86okk7OTymCs-5Dr1sj-pWBW5IQQi2pVczO2c1RPREFwYU2fVRhQDbu9RLYDAAyKpZmy5mfC/s320/Robber+Bridegroom%2527s+landlord.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"> <i>The Robber Bridegroom</i>, CSUN, 1978.<br />
I still have this shirt.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I've been feeling a bit nostalgic for my old undergraduate college days, for a couple of reasons. Cal State Northridge's Department of Theatre celebrated its 60th anniversary a few weeks ago, and a big party was held. I couldn't attend; I'm afraid the days of my making frequent return trips to L.A. are behind me now, my finances just won't support such things. But thanks to the glories of Facebook, I was treated to many photos of the event, and it surely seemed "my generation" of alumni (who attended the college during the latter 70s and earlyish 80s) dominated the proceedings. We certainly felt "dominant" while we were there back then.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhG6b9DVc2BUH9Nb1JhJZbQXlLhtKFt9wjotRNjUZdOGXlegBSGu1-rt34TeoHh9QdWRze9zdqbfdfLoKr6RQ10VDPkPg4vEgdnDE9yPWcND8ujlXMnOggv3xU53Z5BgZQ_raTp4Qa5z6u-/s1600/ROBBER-BRIDEGROOM-photo-by-Joan-Marcus%252C-2016.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="174" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhG6b9DVc2BUH9Nb1JhJZbQXlLhtKFt9wjotRNjUZdOGXlegBSGu1-rt34TeoHh9QdWRze9zdqbfdfLoKr6RQ10VDPkPg4vEgdnDE9yPWcND8ujlXMnOggv3xU53Z5BgZQ_raTp4Qa5z6u-/s320/ROBBER-BRIDEGROOM-photo-by-Joan-Marcus%252C-2016.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Broadway heartthrob Steven Pasquale has been playing the title role in <i>The Robber Bridegroom</i> in a major Off-Broadway revival. It closed this weekend.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">By coincidence or providence, the weekend before this big event occurred, I snagged a ticket to the Off-Broadway revival of a barely-remembered musical from the 70s, <em>The Robber Bridegroom</em>. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhq2DhC0XFWmaKJxgdKwxE-emWSW-8-fZVmaKSh9Ebc270bfhjtfLXE0O4KNuC2oK_5SlklkwP2DmORdkzsAMT-ArfImhTPcnTye63oCwCAOEhFKZPhgsOxlcmshR53q9CP7vtU6BAnUGLq/s1600/robber+bridegroom+maxresdefault.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhq2DhC0XFWmaKJxgdKwxE-emWSW-8-fZVmaKSh9Ebc270bfhjtfLXE0O4KNuC2oK_5SlklkwP2DmORdkzsAMT-ArfImhTPcnTye63oCwCAOEhFKZPhgsOxlcmshR53q9CP7vtU6BAnUGLq/s320/robber+bridegroom+maxresdefault.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The musicians in this revival are not hidden in the pit. Here's<br />
Banjo-Boy Mike, center stage with the star.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I have an acquaintance in the cast, a young gent who played guitar for a production of <em>Man of La Mancha</em> in which I appeared in Virginia years ago (see a pic from that production in a moment). Michael Rosengarten has since graduated to the big time, playing and singing all over New York City, and he is a central part of the onstage band accompanying this new <em>Bridegroom</em>.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhN7UIctfRMkVKIluztRSuGtQygK9tHWb1IeMIYIETnG4d_wPWYbi8QiuTIsA8yKtE0YDErRo1uVam9GZyjyiR5r1YI4pA73QiQr8CU2eKazU9IMDFRuI2q1JlhZQCJsvA73BrZqqhLFZX3/s1600/10450338_10152555288142158_9137216297095026549_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="186" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhN7UIctfRMkVKIluztRSuGtQygK9tHWb1IeMIYIETnG4d_wPWYbi8QiuTIsA8yKtE0YDErRo1uVam9GZyjyiR5r1YI4pA73QiQr8CU2eKazU9IMDFRuI2q1JlhZQCJsvA73BrZqqhLFZX3/s320/10450338_10152555288142158_9137216297095026549_o.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our <i>Robber Bridegroom</i>, with a cast of about two dozen, plus a bluegrass band uptop.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhKe7ftm-at9H7hdrKOcXCBUfw6Uu1PBJyNRcKEI6Nqma4TYXM5qLGfA1zGJpWklPV4gl_31iP_xN1gtv6qW1DwIw3lzRuFdS6FwpWY5vUfqqHgU89tW9d6b29pX0cng4dRivdkBd34rLR/s1600/906637_10152555296432158_5865884452912774079_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="218" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhKe7ftm-at9H7hdrKOcXCBUfw6Uu1PBJyNRcKEI6Nqma4TYXM5qLGfA1zGJpWklPV4gl_31iP_xN1gtv6qW1DwIw3lzRuFdS6FwpWY5vUfqqHgU89tW9d6b29pX0cng4dRivdkBd34rLR/s320/906637_10152555296432158_5865884452912774079_o.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The "Story Theatre" style of the piece kept the full cast on<br />
stage throughout the show, as the actors created the<br />
atmosphere. Note my superb presence at the left. We call<br />
that "active listening."</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The show itself brought back many memories. I appeared in a college production of the piece, during my final year at CSUN (hence the heightened nostalgia I've been feeling lately).</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><i>The Robber Bridegroom</i> has had a unique history. It was developed in the early 70s during a musical theatre workshop, where John Houseman snagged the piece for his fledgling group of Julliard grads, The Acting Company. </span><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix2U17P6Zb3YcZCnEDbmI6sEjXwsk-fiPzmjI827oCFKCJwymJAKeIEMKctXigwbntgNBBZjRQTia5m9pHBCjn4md3VW_PRVAEXcjc8p8CDHTA_z_nLPdZ5EsCWQ79u1HKUC0bK8J9IFGq/s1600/robber+bridegroom+tumblr_lyajb1dooS1r5xsw9o1_250.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix2U17P6Zb3YcZCnEDbmI6sEjXwsk-fiPzmjI827oCFKCJwymJAKeIEMKctXigwbntgNBBZjRQTia5m9pHBCjn4md3VW_PRVAEXcjc8p8CDHTA_z_nLPdZ5EsCWQ79u1HKUC0bK8J9IFGq/s1600/robber+bridegroom+tumblr_lyajb1dooS1r5xsw9o1_250.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fresh out of Julliard, Patti Lupone landed her<br />
first Tony nod for her 2 week Broadway run in<br />
<i>The Robber Bridegroom</i>. That's fellow alum<br />
Kevin Kline with her. Whatever happened to<br />
those two?</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">They ran the show for two weeks on Broadway before setting out on a national tour. (Can we imagine such a thing happening today?) This first cast included Patti Lupone and Kevin Kline; Lupone actually earned a Tony nomination for her performance in the two week gig. The tour was such a success that another production was created, which reopened on Broadway the following season. Though the runs were barely a year apart, the show was now considered a revival (has there been another musical which was revived only a year after its first production?). </span><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9S9CQgzct7dcQmZPe9dhdxXJwNO8EWRXQATEgpN8_WhrD4fQYGjywI70DK8m68ovO2nRPkfl9tlRlkpnenJWnNpgqCMdEmxZ6uRjlOvpYzT34VG-0St_rJk_h7CrmvxDWv0RlrzJ9pcnb/s1600/robber+bridegroom+69c1d0b393b095142233005e21c598b8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9S9CQgzct7dcQmZPe9dhdxXJwNO8EWRXQATEgpN8_WhrD4fQYGjywI70DK8m68ovO2nRPkfl9tlRlkpnenJWnNpgqCMdEmxZ6uRjlOvpYzT34VG-0St_rJk_h7CrmvxDWv0RlrzJ9pcnb/s320/robber+bridegroom+69c1d0b393b095142233005e21c598b8.jpg" width="211" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Barry Bostwick won the Tony playing<br />
Jamie Lockhart, while the original<br />
Robber Bridegroom, Kevin Kline, was<br />
stuck on tour.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The national tour was still going strong, so the show was recast and the new leading man, Barry Bostwick, won the Tony. It is this cast which recorded the "original Broadway recording," though it in fact was not the original cast (Patti, Kevin, et. al., were still on the road).</span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirWE7GQ_EBg6HxRKosUNUIGruZf7XeN7TroZPGwDZfS-aP53yblg4GKVJrzvsKo7_cJpG4A154VggFwOUS8Gc_Zc3CJPvc1GM0-Wd63wPxVRV5MfAY76sb12Cw6NcaryipkDgUYZYeFUyT/s1600/robber+bridegroom.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirWE7GQ_EBg6HxRKosUNUIGruZf7XeN7TroZPGwDZfS-aP53yblg4GKVJrzvsKo7_cJpG4A154VggFwOUS8Gc_Zc3CJPvc1GM0-Wd63wPxVRV5MfAY76sb12Cw6NcaryipkDgUYZYeFUyT/s1600/robber+bridegroom.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This "Original Cast Recording" really isn't one, but it's the only one out there, so far. The Off-Broadway revival which just closed is set to release a new recording, which may renew interest in this very accessible score. It's a cinch to sing, and the show itself is catnip to any hammy actor.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I didn't know any of this history when <em>The Robber Bridegroom</em> was announced as the big fall musical at CSUN in 1978. This was toward the end of my college career, during which I made many close friends and learned a little bit about the Theatre as well. </span><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFCVHthmXihdih6jvAyFB1o1BP0y0KKHb9PEc2UdsT8xFsuq2pkJQzq_xpV4J2_K8qtS_FdRhhfVOZxjiMQKyzh3Rt5s1cxSPke-60ZFdxFSxhyL6VPlBeQi-XgUTW9Dj81lGbp5WglPVd/s1600/Maryellen+Clemons.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFCVHthmXihdih6jvAyFB1o1BP0y0KKHb9PEc2UdsT8xFsuq2pkJQzq_xpV4J2_K8qtS_FdRhhfVOZxjiMQKyzh3Rt5s1cxSPke-60ZFdxFSxhyL6VPlBeQi-XgUTW9Dj81lGbp5WglPVd/s1600/Maryellen+Clemons.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">No, it's not Frau Blucher, it's Maryellen<br />
Clemons, who guided our production. I<br />
did 3 musicals for her at CSUN, but she <br />
never gave me a chance at a substantive<br />
role.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I'm sure those years will occupy a few chapters in my memoirs, and the director of this production of <em>Bridegroom</em> will probably get a footnote. When she died a long while ago, I wrote about the director of <i>Bridegroom</i>, MaryEllen Clemons, with whom I had an oddly difficult relationship (<a href="http://armchairactorvist.blogspot.com/2008/02/fates-touch.html">go here</a> for that memory). Suffice it to say that whenever I auditioned for a MaryEllen musical, she trusted me enough to place me in the ensemble, but never gave me the chance to audition for a leading (or even supporting) role. <em>The Robber Bridegroom</em> was no exception. As I recall, the audition process for this show was lengthy, going on for weeks on end, and I auditioned exactly once for it, during the initial call. </span><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7ohyYN4DempT_yPfsJPj8Qe2pZEO61hploSHeoFiKoMwPS4U9jMZVbO-ocmQoVYD1w0AsYwKMgIRAXfCaQVLRISF2vvcmAYDtLY-Tn281mlz4HS0_wOM6L-2uHe7TNgupr6QUkKHtHVJ8/s1600/2600_57033117157_805617157_1429810_4214950_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7ohyYN4DempT_yPfsJPj8Qe2pZEO61hploSHeoFiKoMwPS4U9jMZVbO-ocmQoVYD1w0AsYwKMgIRAXfCaQVLRISF2vvcmAYDtLY-Tn281mlz4HS0_wOM6L-2uHe7TNgupr6QUkKHtHVJ8/s1600/2600_57033117157_805617157_1429810_4214950_n.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This cast was packed with<br />
my good friends, <br />
including these two, <br />
Valerie and<br />
Claudia.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">My great buddy Judy was MaryEllen's assistant director, and she later reported to me that, each time the auditionees were cut from consideration, I remained in the pile of actors to keep. Yet the director never called me back for an actual role, in fact I forgot all about the show until the cast list went up and I was on it. In the ensemble, natch.</span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxrCWiOHt3tnW84FxeA-FHajME8tDNMUQs8ARjOwLUMtDP81Pv-zUDFoY54vADKKBHtenG_XzTV7uSxZz_R3KnoaLwIDzv-nQwg4iAC-4xLQDZumWHf2nIn-HZnrUUPo4_HvHNYiXjPrLw/s1600/2600_57033107157_805617157_1429809_4964498_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxrCWiOHt3tnW84FxeA-FHajME8tDNMUQs8ARjOwLUMtDP81Pv-zUDFoY54vADKKBHtenG_XzTV7uSxZz_R3KnoaLwIDzv-nQwg4iAC-4xLQDZumWHf2nIn-HZnrUUPo4_HvHNYiXjPrLw/s320/2600_57033107157_805617157_1429809_4964498_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Maryellen cast the strongest ensemble I saw in any musical during my time in college. Most of us had played leading roles in other musicals, in fact, during our rehearsal period, I was in performance off-campus, playing the Dick Van Dyke role in <i>Bye Bye Birdie</i>.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4zySXHch0Q3eYzsSLP5Zj9mr5EnPKEaD7sK_xHQ5T2ovziaeTVblS9UAj76f_Z4YvHt43T2G1cbztBXuZYbOX598EPdPJs4bEUXcoGgak1Hikfx4JZbz7VsG024XojpQqF09a5wRA07FN/s1600/10489846_10152555280687158_7609759876779202959_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4zySXHch0Q3eYzsSLP5Zj9mr5EnPKEaD7sK_xHQ5T2ovziaeTVblS9UAj76f_Z4YvHt43T2G1cbztBXuZYbOX598EPdPJs4bEUXcoGgak1Hikfx4JZbz7VsG024XojpQqF09a5wRA07FN/s320/10489846_10152555280687158_7609759876779202959_n.jpg" width="251" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jenny and Ronnie were good friends of<br />mine, and very close to each other. I'm frankly<br />surprised MaryEllen allowed them to<br />choreograph several numbers, including the<br />hysterical highpoint of our second act, <br />"Goodbye, Salome."</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Everybody knows the chorus of a musical does a lot of the work, and ours even more so. We remained onstage throughout the show, singing back-up and moving various planks, barrels, and stools around the raked stage to create the world of the play. It's the usual concept for this show and it worked like gangbusters. </span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxdkQu6uFXAHySvQwIhVRylkw7xxIVyZCb0KQwD8q9oO3errq1NzTAXkDL6sh6hzbnCnwij4JrytZJgpwsDNtfOR-Pdc6NQ-_v2Lrt6M5Vx2oI6rpam-UkIqsxk-iu6Z6zcLRWMX1KenoR/s1600/10467118_10152555285982158_8498332152413984197_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxdkQu6uFXAHySvQwIhVRylkw7xxIVyZCb0KQwD8q9oO3errq1NzTAXkDL6sh6hzbnCnwij4JrytZJgpwsDNtfOR-Pdc6NQ-_v2Lrt6M5Vx2oI6rpam-UkIqsxk-iu6Z6zcLRWMX1KenoR/s320/10467118_10152555285982158_8498332152413984197_o.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is a typical moment in our production, hauling planks around the stage to reset the scene. This caused us some trouble at early blocking rehearsals. We would call it quits for the evening, then when we returned the next night, everything had been struck, since our theatre was used as a classroom during the day. We could never remember where the hell all the planks and barrels were, or even where WE were, when we picked up the action, so we'd have to retrace our steps by starting over.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">MaryEllen had cast the ensemble with actors who had played larger roles, so the background players of this show were very, very <i><b>alive</b></i>. </span><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhi2CJOXGj5zuXrjnylxylnSDynlJQkiPb11yi1kBODXFF9J37CrTTg5RXwvAaBp-0BVga5NdNBVtgGFyYok6_pkGRuayzpygV9oT3spIMyxVkjqcrLJDnxMvMwPI2RrUYZFmlHe3EeIIAq/s1600/1040041_10152555286662158_5898514159152756956_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhi2CJOXGj5zuXrjnylxylnSDynlJQkiPb11yi1kBODXFF9J37CrTTg5RXwvAaBp-0BVga5NdNBVtgGFyYok6_pkGRuayzpygV9oT3spIMyxVkjqcrLJDnxMvMwPI2RrUYZFmlHe3EeIIAq/s320/1040041_10152555286662158_5898514159152756956_o.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">In the midst of such a strong cast, it must be said that our show<br />
was stolen by these two first-class musical clowns. John<br />
Dantona as hapless thief Little Harp, and my best buddy<br />
Claudia DeCea as wicked stepmother Salome, were pure gold. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I recall being told by an audience member that he had returned to see the show multiple times, each time keeping an eye on one or another of the ensemble members, just to enjoy the individuality we were each bringing to these background roles.</span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGnqHCk3cM1QYcOlY1ExcroycZFUuTf_8lnw_dteYuh1l_DBv_ZZI8RhOFx8nHowwsHsFLXVz9Ze_bYG-VFfJ4f0wK6jN5lCr5eu55XN6gv94RGEhMATxEWGqFuJILBRCwWwoPqUvvHKJZ/s1600/ROBBER-BRIDEGROOM-photo-by-Joan-Marcus%252C-20161.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="174" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGnqHCk3cM1QYcOlY1ExcroycZFUuTf_8lnw_dteYuh1l_DBv_ZZI8RhOFx8nHowwsHsFLXVz9Ze_bYG-VFfJ4f0wK6jN5lCr5eu55XN6gv94RGEhMATxEWGqFuJILBRCwWwoPqUvvHKJZ/s320/ROBBER-BRIDEGROOM-photo-by-Joan-Marcus%252C-20161.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">In the revival, Leslie Kritzer as Salome is a human firecracker. Leading man Steven Pasquale (in the vest) throws himself into this show with huge abandon. They both won Lucille Lortel Awards for their performances.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7kOmpinDyp3vl4H7sBvTG-5zRx9v-gW6ukTOtjyZSzo5XCD7VeOrg2X62-9756UwAND7wzMFzZKuClgyvQNXwtX7YpdHEr0gaLQuZsN_HiPeuhb70_V4PMgVmL617eV8LFSbXfmg7bBKK/s1600/10255120_10152555277607158_6839652358948172493_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7kOmpinDyp3vl4H7sBvTG-5zRx9v-gW6ukTOtjyZSzo5XCD7VeOrg2X62-9756UwAND7wzMFzZKuClgyvQNXwtX7YpdHEr0gaLQuZsN_HiPeuhb70_V4PMgVmL617eV8LFSbXfmg7bBKK/s320/10255120_10152555277607158_6839652358948172493_n.jpg" width="251" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My buddy Susie Kaufman as simpleton Airie.<br />
The revival handed this role to a large black<br />
ensemble man, who plopped a silly blond wig<br />
onto his head to play the role. It was a hoot. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The Off-Broadway revival of the show maintained the concept of the ensemble creating the world of the play. The Laura Pels Theater is considerably smaller than the house we played in at CSUN (well it would be, wouldn't it?) and the cast was less than half the size of our college production (well, that's understandable too, isn't it?). The writers of <em>The Robber Bridegroom</em> were involved in this revival, trimming it down a bit so it now fits into the 90-minute, intermissionless formula current theatre-goers seem to prefer. Alfred Uhry, the lyricist and librettist, was a youngster when he adapted this American fairy tale into a musical; he went on to write a little thing called <em>Driving Miss Daisy</em> and to win a little thing called the Pulitzer. (He's won two Tonys and an Oscar as well.) So surely he knows what he's doing, but I still blame him for removing, in the current incarnation, my big scene:</span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzxP-c7_8h4oHMMdILMAM2YFQtk-yjfLZS-fF4whFabagzPe5nIT8QLIsIsTwLdqDmML6rAkgs4MgpwEM-6gdStdVqofNzL31AlcMCcfT4vJG3HN_eCnW-EBrmYHMAKXGRSd8JqKUpYvxX/s1600/2600_57032832157_805617157_1429783_8111131_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="264" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzxP-c7_8h4oHMMdILMAM2YFQtk-yjfLZS-fF4whFabagzPe5nIT8QLIsIsTwLdqDmML6rAkgs4MgpwEM-6gdStdVqofNzL31AlcMCcfT4vJG3HN_eCnW-EBrmYHMAKXGRSd8JqKUpYvxX/s320/2600_57032832157_805617157_1429783_8111131_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">In the original two act version, an early scene takes place at an inn and includes a duplicitous Landlord, who sets up a wealthy farmer to be robbed. I played that Landlord, so I waited with eager anticipation for the scene to be played in the revival. I waited in vain: it was cut. It must be admitted, though, that the scene wasn't really needed, so perhaps this guy Uhry knows what he's doing.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><em>The Robber Bridegroom</em> revival closed this weekend (it was always meant to be a limited run), so it's appropriate that this week's Dance Party come from the score. There are lots of clips out there of various regional productions of the show, as well as high school, college, and community theater versions. </span><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVH_8uqltR20uyeiS6N76VeW0rC_AZhvzyB-nbmjOZmg6YTSHsMkSyeZ7E-Gm9P7VwlK7zHNlHxaIUhyBuQEkCrMedU6BhLNzfT4pdJi7UDBxVPlt_nDQUiibqMg2nia3uxq3CDbDyYqRG/s1600/4464_101584217712_503117712_2037994_6039604_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="226" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVH_8uqltR20uyeiS6N76VeW0rC_AZhvzyB-nbmjOZmg6YTSHsMkSyeZ7E-Gm9P7VwlK7zHNlHxaIUhyBuQEkCrMedU6BhLNzfT4pdJi7UDBxVPlt_nDQUiibqMg2nia3uxq3CDbDyYqRG/s320/4464_101584217712_503117712_2037994_6039604_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is not <em>The Robber Bridegroom</em>. Years ago, I played<br />
Sancho Panza in <em>Man of La Mancha</em> in VA, and this guy<br />
(with the guitar) opened the show with impressive string<br />
skills and tenor notes in the sky. Mike Rosengarten always<br />
finds a way to grab attention! He's out of work today, but not<br />
for long, I'm sure.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">It seems the show is better known in the regions than in New York. All those clips are grainy and pretty much unwatchable. Sadly, the two years in which the show was nominated for Tony Awards occurred before it became traditional to showcase numbers from the nominated musicals on the broadcast; thus, there are no network quality clips of the show out there.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">But our gal pal Patti Lupone saves the day. She introduced one of the few ballads in the <em>Bridegroom</em> score, and still sings it on occasion. One such occasion gives us this week's Dance Party. </span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb38FIiwmzzPDZXvQyp5XwttlNBvI2X9nD0OD8_EntV4ScKvOwVrPzpUl8cNwj4WWxH4Xa2OyngUcO5O50E-2fwZP0fayFsPVGJX7Q0twLFSqM8zNubjpY5GvDxsYZ_CNK5JGn29uTXylu/s1600/10446082_10152555296622158_6741538856662180729_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="218" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb38FIiwmzzPDZXvQyp5XwttlNBvI2X9nD0OD8_EntV4ScKvOwVrPzpUl8cNwj4WWxH4Xa2OyngUcO5O50E-2fwZP0fayFsPVGJX7Q0twLFSqM8zNubjpY5GvDxsYZ_CNK5JGn29uTXylu/s320/10446082_10152555296622158_6741538856662180729_o.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our leading lady Cindy had a glorious voice and deliciously offbeat comic timing which served the piece well. This quiet moment between our lovers led to "Sleepy Man," my favorite song in <em>The Robber Bridegroom</em>.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuwEZFXFNlnBQD6iM2nZbLyVeW0lldyXuxstIZOo6PsOIst3cOiCP44QFLZfSNdu44IUc4gWAkyLVSnbVcsw5chknP3q_P5lwG8Pw-GQ526MjuqKpO9WOmcYzj8aUXN-uNqbUTT0GV-p4I/s1600/robber+bridegroomtn-500_wm176829074.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuwEZFXFNlnBQD6iM2nZbLyVeW0lldyXuxstIZOo6PsOIst3cOiCP44QFLZfSNdu44IUc4gWAkyLVSnbVcsw5chknP3q_P5lwG8Pw-GQ526MjuqKpO9WOmcYzj8aUXN-uNqbUTT0GV-p4I/s320/robber+bridegroomtn-500_wm176829074.jpg" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">At a recent benefit, Patti and Kevin<br />
recreated this moment from the<br />
original.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I love this simple song, which holds a special place in my memory. Back in my CSUN days, though I did my share of musicals, I did not consider myself much of a singer; this song proved to myself that I could deliver harmony, which was a bit frightening to me back then (I still remember my notes!) </span><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeQBX7s4ekX6mHKDtWhr6mwlCgpJyFxpuB6NEftHADPCFQ7gu9YfNtHB_8SIY_83p25Ljz-nZ0qoaTJ6RcV1HFw6IkeuSIW8c1PgN2CbY8Zu0h203TW1RlOi-XtTGdtPZavkJfOsYC3oEu/s1600/robber+bridegroom+3E58DDDB-BC8C-50E4-9EA7F425065663DD.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="318" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeQBX7s4ekX6mHKDtWhr6mwlCgpJyFxpuB6NEftHADPCFQ7gu9YfNtHB_8SIY_83p25Ljz-nZ0qoaTJ6RcV1HFw6IkeuSIW8c1PgN2CbY8Zu0h203TW1RlOi-XtTGdtPZavkJfOsYC3oEu/s320/robber+bridegroom+3E58DDDB-BC8C-50E4-9EA7F425065663DD.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lupone sings "Sleepy Man" to Kline in the original.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The men were the only ensemble members singing backup to this song, and the richness of the harmony comes through nicely with only the gents singing. It comes at one of the very few quiet moments in an otherwise raucous show, as our heroine sings to her sleeping lover while removing the disguise which fuels the mistaken-identity plotline. This one's for the gang who created the Natchez Trace at CSUN, so many years ago. Enjoy.</span>
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Y1IS2ZPCNqQ" width="420"></iframe>Armchair Actorvisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02873366521914303194noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7146900851769565592.post-51421158124029750902016-04-22T11:17:00.002-05:002016-04-22T16:27:32.259-05:00Friday Dance Party: Wouldn't You Like To Be A Pepper, Too?<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">When the news came over the interwebs this week, of the demise of this fellow, I was engulfed in a flood of memories. Turns out reports of his death were greatly exaggerated.</span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqnYGSaOoV3hMvFPVht8nH2BDLEBljL-7DlUixUomEPPuS3FJ5aQ5GYp2g6N1KkpCZb5WrbCkxEKix4yzcVdCLbEMWd9CzixtzHKAFKfCGYQPEWQNvvmIDfgGg9pvFy3zrmWD2ZjzcAsxD/s1600/dr+pepper+acl-10-2-4-bottles-5.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqnYGSaOoV3hMvFPVht8nH2BDLEBljL-7DlUixUomEPPuS3FJ5aQ5GYp2g6N1KkpCZb5WrbCkxEKix4yzcVdCLbEMWd9CzixtzHKAFKfCGYQPEWQNvvmIDfgGg9pvFy3zrmWD2ZjzcAsxD/s320/dr+pepper+acl-10-2-4-bottles-5.gif" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My father always claimed Dr Pepper must be drunk from an ice-cold bottle (no cans). I haven't seen a bottle in years. This week's internet hoax proclaimed that Dr Pepper had been sold to its chief rival, Coca Cola, who was planning to end production of this unique soft drink. I'm glad this was not the truth. Dr Pepper is the oldest of the major softies, having been invented in 1885. It consistently lags behind its competitors, Coke and Pepsi, but has such an unusual flavor, the rivals have driven themselves nuts trying to compete with it. Anybody REALLY want to drink Mr Pibbs?</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDHNOLGfpCOpW1GrCwZRnggPBK_umQTEEZR7DaA0H6xhX8Izl7-rsjuTLwMicfOpBASNKJ7BSpiZBX6jdfhVALvJx4ZDeGjCLj1IIs_dCljvPZOIB8-dTC_mvoV6wNbgYK9Yp8XgY3C1sX/s1600/drpepper.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDHNOLGfpCOpW1GrCwZRnggPBK_umQTEEZR7DaA0H6xhX8Izl7-rsjuTLwMicfOpBASNKJ7BSpiZBX6jdfhVALvJx4ZDeGjCLj1IIs_dCljvPZOIB8-dTC_mvoV6wNbgYK9Yp8XgY3C1sX/s320/drpepper.jpg" width="167" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Running across one of these was<br />
always a treat. It meant you could<br />
get a DP in a cold bottle. You<br />
put your money in, then opened<br />
the glass door and yanked out<br />
your choice.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I have to confess I don't drink this stuff anymore, mainly because it has become too sweet for my taste buds. But for many years as a kid and younger adult, Dr Pepper was my Go-To soft drink. Or, as Southerners would say, my favorite coke is Dr Pepper. (Because Coca Cola is based in Atlanta, and is such a giant of the industry, Southerners use the brand name instead of the generic word "soda." Nobody I grew up with ever wanted a "soda," or God forbid, "pop." They wanted a coke. Though sometimes it was a Pepsi. But we always went out for "a coke," not a "soda." Got it?)</span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9CHN9_1CVppwPmq-3XMx1X10u6d6bnV6Yjuw3tjApjCrQRjqL1CiCot5tAoguPrCXAwNb5Ly9LAqDzVWyHWqVfL2hrsdNlLS66oc6dU94IsVW4912z96et6AejLYUnsXcfvvPKpUQHLiy/s1600/david+naughton21.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="211" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9CHN9_1CVppwPmq-3XMx1X10u6d6bnV6Yjuw3tjApjCrQRjqL1CiCot5tAoguPrCXAwNb5Ly9LAqDzVWyHWqVfL2hrsdNlLS66oc6dU94IsVW4912z96et6AejLYUnsXcfvvPKpUQHLiy/s320/david+naughton21.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dr Pepper and its most famous spokesman.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1PqB9LhHYD9Dd2UKfz4z2pKoQSEi_agtlUniCFafsSf3tF6VeccLsEX0JzYpaQiTlJB75RK0ooGYai8RPGHm8mySsLEdXMWnSjOA4apG_ujpI6TwqZe6KN79wYtl3_u3759O7bcQT5zFZ/s1600/david+naughton+3905067968dad8e214f7b6e821e0de76.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1PqB9LhHYD9Dd2UKfz4z2pKoQSEi_agtlUniCFafsSf3tF6VeccLsEX0JzYpaQiTlJB75RK0ooGYai8RPGHm8mySsLEdXMWnSjOA4apG_ujpI6TwqZe6KN79wYtl3_u3759O7bcQT5zFZ/s1600/david+naughton+3905067968dad8e214f7b6e821e0de76.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A more recent shot of our hero and the actor<br />
he made famous, for a time.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Anyway, this week's internet hoax got me thinking about my history, particularly my teen years growing up in Atlanta. My old friend Donna reminded me that, along with our other friend Robert (we were the three musketeers for a while), I would dash home from school to catch <em>Dark Shadows</em>. </span><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0axW-cTc71_JG4tle2njdV69q6YfbhsXN52FcEmMr2mdBN-jQy6VGNa8dFN0thJOzE8k9On1E7PcoidqrhWFxJtvOs6Qy1zOboBsfOcrJliCVDHWzETS0UrBcLV2cqe2E5MKFYsKNdQKo/s1600/jonathan+frid+10393701_433776550124989_4534577184199417425_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0axW-cTc71_JG4tle2njdV69q6YfbhsXN52FcEmMr2mdBN-jQy6VGNa8dFN0thJOzE8k9On1E7PcoidqrhWFxJtvOs6Qy1zOboBsfOcrJliCVDHWzETS0UrBcLV2cqe2E5MKFYsKNdQKo/s320/jonathan+frid+10393701_433776550124989_4534577184199417425_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This star of <i>Dark Shadows</i> was not responsible for my sleep<br />
problems, though my parents thought so. Maybe it was the<br />
daily caffeine-filled Dr Pepper I drank while WATCHING<br />
this guy which was the problem.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Actually, we always went to Robert's house, never to mine. While watching, Robert and I would enjoy a Dr Pepper. This was dangerous behavior on my part for two reasons. I have always had trouble sleeping, and during this period, my parents were convinced my chronic problems at night were caused by this silly soap opera. So, being good parents, they forbade me to watch the program. And being the sneaky kid I was, I simply went to Robert's house every day to catch the antics of Barnabas Collins and Joan Bennett. (I wrote about this seminal series when actor Jonathan Frid died, <a href="http://armchairactorvist.blogspot.com/2012/04/dark-shadows-off-wall.html">go here for that report.</a>)</span><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPr5E2Vae1_rN1XrTgPmPIf-3w2UPpRu1_ARlCBCcSI5KqbINJKpurfswMrbnrX-zzzUVTs6IK70wrI5dHz-PGz8GUGLhR1bXeGcCRDiq-lMOBzNyEvDDOZdjFPNzTduswRllq1BWdwImR/s1600/david+naughton+7310249174_752b08eb8e_b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPr5E2Vae1_rN1XrTgPmPIf-3w2UPpRu1_ARlCBCcSI5KqbINJKpurfswMrbnrX-zzzUVTs6IK70wrI5dHz-PGz8GUGLhR1bXeGcCRDiq-lMOBzNyEvDDOZdjFPNzTduswRllq1BWdwImR/s320/david+naughton+7310249174_752b08eb8e_b.jpg" width="250" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">See? He's drinking it out of a bottle. The can's<br />
flavor was slightly rank. There was even a rumor<br />
that DP's recipe included prune juice. The rumor<br />
harmed sales so badly that the company had to<br />
publicly deny it.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">While watching this forbidden show, I was also drinking forbidden contraband. My parents always felt that soft drinks (or "cokes" of all types) were bad for kids, so for many, many years, I was allowed only one soft drink per week. Can you imagine such a thing today, when sodas are sold in vending machines in high schools? But back then, even though I doubt there was actual evidence to support my parents' beliefs (as there is now: the stuff is poison), they did not believe their kids should drink cokes. (They gave us Kool Aid instead...I wonder how healthy <i>THAT</i> turned out to be...). </span><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWZXN-z90lVTY68n8AVHCZijJpsbO1d4r1iF-Yb1xG5tZ85n1lRJp7bXJJJSDZIVK715e080EqOyGeFGfWsCYXaiCiGKu-ANqnzhjzjVMl13fA4WVM4v51g8uhhh-zRsBOZZJbmCS8qaPH/s1600/dr+pepper+photo4662.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWZXN-z90lVTY68n8AVHCZijJpsbO1d4r1iF-Yb1xG5tZ85n1lRJp7bXJJJSDZIVK715e080EqOyGeFGfWsCYXaiCiGKu-ANqnzhjzjVMl13fA4WVM4v51g8uhhh-zRsBOZZJbmCS8qaPH/s1600/dr+pepper+photo4662.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">OK, I had no idea THIS existed: DP bubble gum. yuck.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Once a week, though, I was allowed to indulge. I was always sure to announce to my mother and/or father that I was having my "Drink For The Week" (yep, I even named the event), usually Saturday afternoons after I finished mowing our expansive lawn. As I recall, this rule of only one soda per week became more and more contentious as I moved through my middle teens; everybody I went to school with drank soft drinks whenever they wanted, why couldn't I? </span><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDww64t6wnrK8DTwxibwu2h3dKbTpps9N7OOO22JtqfzfdfnCErhTiz75__lrFQ19KmFHpp8Ec_wR4K6T9WXdrpjpdL_0w3HZG_U1P81X2nmMstR6b0FHvlR7j7lp3N7Q0H0MIZreXZ2XH/s1600/fresca001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDww64t6wnrK8DTwxibwu2h3dKbTpps9N7OOO22JtqfzfdfnCErhTiz75__lrFQ19KmFHpp8Ec_wR4K6T9WXdrpjpdL_0w3HZG_U1P81X2nmMstR6b0FHvlR7j7lp3N7Q0H0MIZreXZ2XH/s320/fresca001.jpg" width="191" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My Friday night TV drink of choice.<br />
While everybody else watched the<br />
ABC lineup of <em>Brady Bunch</em> &<br />
<em>Partridge Family</em>, I chose adult fare:<br />
<em>High Chaparral</em> & <em>Bracken's World</em><br />
on NBC. There's a reason those<br />
shows are not remembered today.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Dear Ol' Dad compromised and allowed me TWO cokes per week. That second event became known as my Middle of the Week Drink, though as I recall, I usually saved it for Friday nights while watching <i>High Chaparral, The Name of the Game</i>, and <i>Bracken's World.</i> (This drink was not usually a Dr Pepper, as it had caffeine, and I was still suffering sleep issues, so I was granted a Fresca instead.)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Anyway, my buddy Robert's parents did not ration soft drinks, so I had an illegal Dr Pepper almost every week day while watching the adventures of Barnabas Collins. Sorry, Mom...</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I have surely wandered off into Me-Land here...</span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrM19Is9fPEke8h3ZY7JHDeU8NEhFjFILgpVrek4Q6_OtOQf748AjtvALJ4zOnxbR6T1lkzY7AAy_Cn8h7NGcr_WPCv2FOJVgjeh1e6zpNe_dYy66xcEh-4DUYdiDs4_wFEOUuI5swuvgR/s1600/dr+pepper-10.bmp" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="290" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrM19Is9fPEke8h3ZY7JHDeU8NEhFjFILgpVrek4Q6_OtOQf748AjtvALJ4zOnxbR6T1lkzY7AAy_Cn8h7NGcr_WPCv2FOJVgjeh1e6zpNe_dYy66xcEh-4DUYdiDs4_wFEOUuI5swuvgR/s320/dr+pepper-10.bmp" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Conventional Wisdom claims men won't drink "diet" soda, so DP has come up with this purposefully sexist version. It's not calorie free, so men can still maintain their masculinity while drinking it. Who dreams up this stuff?</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">This week's Dance Party comes from the most memorable (at least to my generation) ad campaign Dr Pepper ever presented. And this is saying something, since my research has unearthed the fact that Diet Dr Pepper is even now in the midst of a hilarious ad campaign starring <i>American Idol</i> loser Justin Guarini. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjermv5DpivUghg8ev_CXTSgChfxela2PJBGUcVZE4UEr74EW2Ce0LVrAqNK8wnbNEXDrhRDxAf-wt1rhE5LT4i8PONNqHt8g8Ls9vjpJgCtkP_ASufOVXHCUzLB_yI1oyfK2HeN0IEqGhJ/s1600/dr+pepper+1427490310_justin-guarini-zoom.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjermv5DpivUghg8ev_CXTSgChfxela2PJBGUcVZE4UEr74EW2Ce0LVrAqNK8wnbNEXDrhRDxAf-wt1rhE5LT4i8PONNqHt8g8Ls9vjpJgCtkP_ASufOVXHCUzLB_yI1oyfK2HeN0IEqGhJ/s320/dr+pepper+1427490310_justin-guarini-zoom.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Justin Guarini, then and now.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Playing an elfin cross between Little Richard and Michael Jackson, "Lil Sweet" pops up various places to convince people (usually men) that they deserve the "sweet, sweet" taste of Diet Dr Pepper. Take a look:</span><br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/56AzHWK0ekc" width="560"></iframe>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">This campaign, though enjoyable, will never top the most famous Dr Pepper ad campaign ever. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimisnz-bDOCrYs641SSyxIGeoIozvpbB_c_cJipY0ZR1G1q7DtBhDCpnwYEfzG9CqqWBNm86FoW03qYBahXn4v9ZcgXE-2oy8E3ZnLTGnCEYpWPSWMzCNyzJ2aNj99hFMviJjsnDTQ8GMx/s1600/dr+pepper+WPTV-Elizabeth-Sullivan-loves-Dr_-Pepper_1427044616836_15349233_ver1_0_640_480.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimisnz-bDOCrYs641SSyxIGeoIozvpbB_c_cJipY0ZR1G1q7DtBhDCpnwYEfzG9CqqWBNm86FoW03qYBahXn4v9ZcgXE-2oy8E3ZnLTGnCEYpWPSWMzCNyzJ2aNj99hFMviJjsnDTQ8GMx/s320/dr+pepper+WPTV-Elizabeth-Sullivan-loves-Dr_-Pepper_1427044616836_15349233_ver1_0_640_480.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This old gal is 104. Somebody asked her this week to <br />
explain the secret of her longevity. She answered that she<br />
drinks 3 Dr Peppers every day.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">In the early 70s, Coke hit the jackpot with their jingle "I'd Like to Buy the World a Coke," which was so successful it spawned an actual hit song ("I'd Like to Teach the World to Sing"). It was almost a decade later that Dr Pepper came up with their own ubiquitous jingle. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLVaLu9e6jBnZUfafqzHI6tG578JNgdeafoDjF1IGpOzu-ExNw7r0Sltwz-cEfMKcdJuh5IlXji3sVK6Jwdr6YwMnkjx-wS1zXs9yqs6KY5EgUvJqbldwGhtcE67s58djKurydUPEthJqD/s1600/david+naughton+138541993.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLVaLu9e6jBnZUfafqzHI6tG578JNgdeafoDjF1IGpOzu-ExNw7r0Sltwz-cEfMKcdJuh5IlXji3sVK6Jwdr6YwMnkjx-wS1zXs9yqs6KY5EgUvJqbldwGhtcE67s58djKurydUPEthJqD/s320/david+naughton+138541993.jpg" width="210" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">David had good looks and a non-<br />
threatening sexuality which appealed<br />
to everybody.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">An unknown actor named</span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> David Naughton was plucked from Joe Papp's Free Shakespeare in the Park, where he was carrying spears, to headline a series of toe-tapping commercials to celebrate our product. Our guy was an immediate hit. Naughton became a star from these commercials, a star which flamed for about four years, and included headlining a sitcom and releasing a disco tune which hit the Billboard Top 5 in 1979. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCl8K9mebE3a0y-HrJiVulp_XEZji0DNIgMnwUdxc_nAb2t418h1mfNJ9e_2GD6l-qkkE7ufXD2paTQ9limOkPjoho9Hmjuy7PfKd-8mY0OguM9KdIwc5W1TjS7LBh5yKrP6IKoYpdpkFD/s1600/dr+peppercans.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCl8K9mebE3a0y-HrJiVulp_XEZji0DNIgMnwUdxc_nAb2t418h1mfNJ9e_2GD6l-qkkE7ufXD2paTQ9limOkPjoho9Hmjuy7PfKd-8mY0OguM9KdIwc5W1TjS7LBh5yKrP6IKoYpdpkFD/s320/dr+peppercans.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">These days you can buy a Coke with your name on it, or a<br />
Dr Pepper with an Avenger. Give me back the bottle.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Take a look at the opening credits for his sitcom, which flopped after about 9 episodes. Trying to capitalize on <em>Saturday Night Fever</em>, the show centered on a poor shlub who worked in an ice cream parlor by day, and partied at the disco by night. John Travolta's sister Ellen was in the cast, but that did not help. The theme song, however, rose to #5 on the charts, months after the show was cancelled:
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/7We6t2qOG-o" width="420"></iframe></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjM5QLTJaiK92RWpkB6dEpyNDwRFCKnLzSPpvkQHfMLX1m7CbXJKm-unSx6WY_JvQGhboArAJEFYpf7lGIPLH2UhBu2EeqkCaTiT5f_P0w4U_8DOIhmXd4m_1jvgXAzQjjVMXc_5M5jomOq/s1600/david+naughton+887396976559_600x600-75.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjM5QLTJaiK92RWpkB6dEpyNDwRFCKnLzSPpvkQHfMLX1m7CbXJKm-unSx6WY_JvQGhboArAJEFYpf7lGIPLH2UhBu2EeqkCaTiT5f_P0w4U_8DOIhmXd4m_1jvgXAzQjjVMXc_5M5jomOq/s320/david+naughton+887396976559_600x600-75.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I remember this disco hit but never made the connection that<br />
it was the DP dude who was singing it.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">David Naughton's career was on the rise. In addition to starring in a string of snappy Dr Pepper commercials, he snagged the leading role in a motion picture. He will be remembered fondly for this film, which was an unexpected smash but which caused his career to stumble.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS3H_V_zePJhvvDUraWkI0t2H9NsfTvNEpnBwhW0LjRM_N1I89qv0Dmel3lhfCGXtWuZipHbkZRBwvaXbFAOFmuQVlyeGtwQFmG7AeaBp8kh2Y56wQFLfdJAFUzOiiN1PfPOQ57wkZwOW4/s1600/david+naughton-lower-right-l-r-jenny-agutter-david-naughton-on-19-342830.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS3H_V_zePJhvvDUraWkI0t2H9NsfTvNEpnBwhW0LjRM_N1I89qv0Dmel3lhfCGXtWuZipHbkZRBwvaXbFAOFmuQVlyeGtwQFmG7AeaBp8kh2Y56wQFLfdJAFUzOiiN1PfPOQ57wkZwOW4/s320/david+naughton-lower-right-l-r-jenny-agutter-david-naughton-on-19-342830.jpg" width="205" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This horror flick laced with humor was directed by John Landis, who had made his name with comedies such as <i>The Blues Brothers</i> and <i>Animal House</i>. The budget was about 10 million; everyone was surprised when the film garnered critical raves. The box office exploded, earning the movie $30 million in its initial release. David Naughton was now a movie star.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> The fact that their spokesman was now a movie star should have been good news for the Dr Pepper folks. But it wasn't, because of this:</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtgzzWXjoXpOwVDc7CE_Q1F1M7i0aH729YCcXBn0ngyPPC35k_Qt_7AWK-6DLKuBkjagqZ_gHP-PDPnCij42KBNGoEzFWiekstt7apOSK6TieURt1EW56wzWsR0LJhxWs802mpD_p5zC7f/s1600/david+naughton+bfi-00m-lq8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtgzzWXjoXpOwVDc7CE_Q1F1M7i0aH729YCcXBn0ngyPPC35k_Qt_7AWK-6DLKuBkjagqZ_gHP-PDPnCij42KBNGoEzFWiekstt7apOSK6TieURt1EW56wzWsR0LJhxWs802mpD_p5zC7f/s320/david+naughton+bfi-00m-lq8.jpg" width="258" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">When somebody turns into a werewolf, aren't they wearing clothes? Or does the animal tear them off during the transformation? John Landis addressed this question head on. A good bit of the humor of the film comes from the fact that, when our hero reverts to human form after a night howling at the moon, he's naked. Hilarious fun for everyone. Dr Pepper was not amused. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpy6SYZXhZDqk2YW8Cfd3wIQoqoC2QOVo74x6CPOiROP0RcfMeJAM-uU21CvLuRUFSmLt7y-hXUhYBIW_K1IajrnBN7g5d_TKSrmPMAgWh74QS4rd3GTggRCItEnQ6vHxu_-edMbP1qe8g/s1600/david+naughton+lobi1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="175" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpy6SYZXhZDqk2YW8Cfd3wIQoqoC2QOVo74x6CPOiROP0RcfMeJAM-uU21CvLuRUFSmLt7y-hXUhYBIW_K1IajrnBN7g5d_TKSrmPMAgWh74QS4rd3GTggRCItEnQ6vHxu_-edMbP1qe8g/s320/david+naughton+lobi1.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>An American Werewolf in London</i> actually won an Oscar:<br />
the first ever award given for make-up and hairstyling.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The Pepper people were not pleased that their star had performed in the nude, and he was sacked from the advertising campaign. Naughton's celebrity began to slide, and though he has maintained a career since, he never regained the momentum which the Dr Pepper ads gave him.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Time to take a quick look at one of these commercial spots. Forgive the grainy quality and enjoy instead the wholesome, fun energy which Naughton projects. And be thankful, as I am, that the rumors are false: Dr Pepper is here to stay.</span>
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/gQPN3UKQM-U" width="420"></iframe>Armchair Actorvisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02873366521914303194noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7146900851769565592.post-19873379591162929252016-04-01T20:27:00.000-05:002016-04-07T14:06:41.959-05:00Friday Dance Party: Her Name Was Anna<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Many well-deserved tributes poured in this week when this popular star unexpectedly passed away. I have to add mine.</span><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Patty Duke</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEie1w8aAjOHidSzK3WS7-VIxlD4TKi0u8-VTBeSfeN5NJXOPh1R8Rh_zR4hPW50mARd7SkUgPhtdO-Wv6qTBlavusIA5m_AMPtylxgWoeix9HREqqIBOQSOvQmkml-XQn4bbVwsuDl5qqWe/s1600/patty+duke+Hail-Chief-Duke-727x530.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="233" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEie1w8aAjOHidSzK3WS7-VIxlD4TKi0u8-VTBeSfeN5NJXOPh1R8Rh_zR4hPW50mARd7SkUgPhtdO-Wv6qTBlavusIA5m_AMPtylxgWoeix9HREqqIBOQSOvQmkml-XQn4bbVwsuDl5qqWe/s320/patty+duke+Hail-Chief-Duke-727x530.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">1946-2016</td></tr>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikNTQzth20BuPfuB44mwcd9O5yGHR5kZFu2fkKH9o3r8gieM6OVQDPwP9s159_QmAyDrQyMqD1RRy6vnOYNcSa98NlXmZkhj3TKTghF8V0M_R-THVi0mVfLlzEcyAVwDxw6gNupseIKAfH/s1600/patty+duke+51WUOMmWuEL__SX302_BO1%252C204%252C203%252C200_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikNTQzth20BuPfuB44mwcd9O5yGHR5kZFu2fkKH9o3r8gieM6OVQDPwP9s159_QmAyDrQyMqD1RRy6vnOYNcSa98NlXmZkhj3TKTghF8V0M_R-THVi0mVfLlzEcyAVwDxw6gNupseIKAfH/s320/patty+duke+51WUOMmWuEL__SX302_BO1%252C204%252C203%252C200_.jpg" width="194" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">With painful honesty, Duke revealed<br />
her mental illness, one of the first to<br />
do so publicly.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Much has been written about our gal's difficult childhood, which she revealed in her startling memoir, "My Name Is Anna". Abandoned by an alcoholic father and a mentally ill mother, Patty was raised by her managers, John and Ethel Ross, who abused her both psychologically and physically. Our heroine also suffered from bi-polar disorder, though it went undiagnosed for decades; her youth was a torment, with her work being her only escape.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHEn1Gb_AxE0XezJKiTPJCwukU-I0QzkL3DL3dYFp14UEXqCPrxmBQxSQtN6aj_zgrg1TGzVJ6zX2CO-k96C3MUCXFGugpG8bG0GdUn31RP0DZneeqrWGoqGpcIbaIg91ki72gEg5BTdKt/s1600/patty+duke+3dc1a30d29498bd7ef6fe5a780a62cec.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHEn1Gb_AxE0XezJKiTPJCwukU-I0QzkL3DL3dYFp14UEXqCPrxmBQxSQtN6aj_zgrg1TGzVJ6zX2CO-k96C3MUCXFGugpG8bG0GdUn31RP0DZneeqrWGoqGpcIbaIg91ki72gEg5BTdKt/s320/patty+duke+3dc1a30d29498bd7ef6fe5a780a62cec.jpg" width="259" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The New York Post headline screamed "They Even Fixed The Kid!" In the late 50s, Patty participated in the <em>$64,000 Challenge</em>, one of the quiz shows which, it was later learned, defrauded the public by giving their most popular contestants the answers in advance. She was 12 when she appeared on the show; 3 years later, she was hauled before the Senate subcommittee investigating the matter. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhs3yDqaii_BgmnkWbhalDeVjIFsMCMKTTHPQJZiNt8UzBcfDBiSgFMOFw-aTMGWrjudASyjRUBqgyBFFRslhYYvvFjO-kV7owxtnNRg3dEdkClaJcihbIO2ObFbxKqZT2hQ1UhL7g-iEL7/s1600/Patty+Duke+af85c27f319013849537992f63545ad4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhs3yDqaii_BgmnkWbhalDeVjIFsMCMKTTHPQJZiNt8UzBcfDBiSgFMOFw-aTMGWrjudASyjRUBqgyBFFRslhYYvvFjO-kV7owxtnNRg3dEdkClaJcihbIO2ObFbxKqZT2hQ1UhL7g-iEL7/s320/Patty+Duke+af85c27f319013849537992f63545ad4.jpg" width="249" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><em>The Miracle Worker</em> ran so long, star Anne<br />
Bancroft moved on. Recognize her replacement<br />
(above)? That's Suzanne Pleshette with Patty.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">At the same time she was appearing on the quiz show, Patty won the role which put her on the map, Helen Keller in <em>The Miracle Worker.</em> Her raw performance of the deaf blind mute child was a sensation, and when she recreated the performance on screen, she became the youngest performer ever to win a competitive Oscar (years later, that stat was broken by both Tatum O'Neal and Anna Pasquin).</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizki8dgpPp-1Ue5dr5WKKa-UKrNfiwEt9x4Hyc6FCw1xU32s-zeK8G43R44hrRunCnGsfAVf5MlQiVovOjg7h2-bkrX45bZy34_p5cwKhFwcDF6bI7ZWOOdzEbz7mRNdp8gTrNf9MPTDAz/s1600/Patty+Duke+8784cb3b42e91d741b40e5f8726ead58.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizki8dgpPp-1Ue5dr5WKKa-UKrNfiwEt9x4Hyc6FCw1xU32s-zeK8G43R44hrRunCnGsfAVf5MlQiVovOjg7h2-bkrX45bZy34_p5cwKhFwcDF6bI7ZWOOdzEbz7mRNdp8gTrNf9MPTDAz/s320/Patty+Duke+8784cb3b42e91d741b40e5f8726ead58.jpg" width="249" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">As everyone knows, <em>The Miracle Worker</em> was the story of Helen Keller's childhood, and of her teacher, Annie Sullivan, who was able to reach into the girl's silent world. Nightly, this 10 minute scene of physical and emotional domination formed the centerpiece of the play. Bancroft won a Tony, Duke was not nominated. Both women won Oscars for the screen adaptation.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAcohjpuecmgH1gEbPiCDyuGZ0QXis-lKVfMM8-4kPvHC-YI_7wGDxierbrAfsGkquChasjgXqxPx6wvN_1t-NAxv8WIDLJuOK5gooWHk2YuxAsGO7wF29CA0gE6F72t67X_mq3dfjbCuD/s1600/patty+duke+1024x1024.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAcohjpuecmgH1gEbPiCDyuGZ0QXis-lKVfMM8-4kPvHC-YI_7wGDxierbrAfsGkquChasjgXqxPx6wvN_1t-NAxv8WIDLJuOK5gooWHk2YuxAsGO7wF29CA0gE6F72t67X_mq3dfjbCuD/s320/patty+duke+1024x1024.jpg" width="246" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Patty's interpretation of the modern teen seemed<br />
real, but she actually had no idea how normal<br />
teens behaved. Her handlers kept her secluded<br />
from everyone and refused to allow her friends.<br />
She earned the first of her 10 Emmy nods for<br />
the show.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><em>The Patty Duke Show</em> was created around our star to capitalize on her Oscar fame. She was the youngest actress ever to have a self-titled TV series. The show was a major hit with the teen aged set during its 3 year run. The first two seasons were filmed in New York, which did not, at the time, have strict child labor laws (CA did). Though she was a minor, she usually worked 12 hour days. When she turned 18, the series moved to Los Angeles, where, as an adult, she once again worked 12 hour days. Playing twins was hard work, and Duke appeared in almost every scene as one character or the other or both. (Technically, they were not twins but "identical cousins," and in one episode, Patty played yet a third identical cousin, Betsy.)</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieD0uhSRyIKEkTw1EsfGxLDaL-qN2v7l0U5lU0h4KUZbvob4oeJYVdE2Pd6FPx-ru2i6UjCMOXjnFVl6xdc1WAuZXad9eS9ZnkHkXdBTn0V10P0MncbWWiyP-7twv7XAkLwIbG3k8dadvO/s1600/Patty+duke+show.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieD0uhSRyIKEkTw1EsfGxLDaL-qN2v7l0U5lU0h4KUZbvob4oeJYVdE2Pd6FPx-ru2i6UjCMOXjnFVl6xdc1WAuZXad9eS9ZnkHkXdBTn0V10P0MncbWWiyP-7twv7XAkLwIbG3k8dadvO/s1600/Patty+duke+show.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Duke remembers her castmates as the family she never had. "Poppo" William Schallert remained a lifelong father figure to her, and "Mommo" Jean Byron explained the facts of life to Patty.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjR8uh87JwckVIQ2HXmpAFlv3AT4GtWs_P_oIxC0HLgvUSAmSLXD0jnA_lsK_z68lSb_21j1T1nCO9cCYp6w3UmN2MszX3wXZ8OnMkgkTmPVO3KZIaJecsBAd2q8YoIXFTi4wtIzHAdSjq3/s1600/patty+duke+bbb5a5ef3f5ebb9009f91a146400af57.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjR8uh87JwckVIQ2HXmpAFlv3AT4GtWs_P_oIxC0HLgvUSAmSLXD0jnA_lsK_z68lSb_21j1T1nCO9cCYp6w3UmN2MszX3wXZ8OnMkgkTmPVO3KZIaJecsBAd2q8YoIXFTi4wtIzHAdSjq3/s320/patty+duke+bbb5a5ef3f5ebb9009f91a146400af57.jpg" width="231" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Patty the youngster and Ed Begley the oldster<br />
on Oscar night. Duke beat such heavy hitters<br />
as Shirley Knight and Angela Lansbury. Ed<br />
won for <i>Sweet Bird of Youth</i>.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">When the series ended, our gal finally extricated herself from the toxic influence of the Rosses, though they kept much of the money she had earned while in their care. On her own for the first time in her life, she made a move to escape the squeaky clean image of the teenie bopper she had portrayed in her sitcom. She chose a role diametrically opposed to the Patty Duke image.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJawvl-hdt7t20lw1cgUFTNTeV4N32K8onrB9siiUnrWxcvVKgQEKJYub7k1J4fFXx3ZXuIImhyphenhyphenOxg8i6m_0zkJZR7K3hwIL2jAa3lYBLnDnh8WIXxnYtwmITCUx5qRiJVyUz8VdoNLukH/s1600/Patty+duke+Valley-of-the-Dolls-466.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="139" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJawvl-hdt7t20lw1cgUFTNTeV4N32K8onrB9siiUnrWxcvVKgQEKJYub7k1J4fFXx3ZXuIImhyphenhyphenOxg8i6m_0zkJZR7K3hwIL2jAa3lYBLnDnh8WIXxnYtwmITCUx5qRiJVyUz8VdoNLukH/s320/Patty+duke+Valley-of-the-Dolls-466.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jacqueline Susann's sensational bestseller <em>Valley of the Dolls</em> was one of the most eagerly anticipated films of the period. It was purported to be a sizzling expose of Hollywood, though in reality, it's exploitative soap opera. Patty Duke took the role of Neely O'Hara, a rising starlet who ultimately becomes a washed out lush. She has said the part was based on Judy Garland, and there are some similarities (Garland herself was cast in the film but was fired after two days of shooting; her role was taken by Susan Hayward). </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3bn9qx7Km-iiJazyP_vpjoz7_neaMFfH9tdOchhgLOZWGgF34F5muyLiIqcfvOt5f3tet_Ims5Ve28XlznQfuKkQo8QnyWq7abW-FiKgplzBu3ctF4w4SoDqrxsWp5QxCvf3zSZLApxEp/s1600/patty+duke+9adbf63e3814812d8fcd20252ea0443f.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3bn9qx7Km-iiJazyP_vpjoz7_neaMFfH9tdOchhgLOZWGgF34F5muyLiIqcfvOt5f3tet_Ims5Ve28XlznQfuKkQo8QnyWq7abW-FiKgplzBu3ctF4w4SoDqrxsWp5QxCvf3zSZLApxEp/s320/patty+duke+9adbf63e3814812d8fcd20252ea0443f.jpg" width="251" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">In the tradition of Joan Crawford's "No wire<br />
hangers," Bette Davis's "But ya' are, Blanch, ya<br />
are in that chair" <span style="font-size: 12.8px;">and Norma Desmond's </span><br />
<span style="font-size: 12.8px;">"I'm ready for my close-</span><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">up," Patty's Neely O'Hara</span><br />
<span style="font-size: 12.8px;"> spawned a gay </span><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">catchphrase: </span><br />
<span style="font-size: 12.8px;">"Sparkle, Neely, Sparkle!"</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><em>Valley of the Dolls</em> was a critical flop but a financial success. Two years after its initial release, Duke's co-star Sharon Tate was brutally murdered by the Charles Manson family, and the studio returned the film to the theaters, where it made even more money. The film is so over the top it has achieved camp status, especially among gay men, and in her later years, Patty was often invited to attend screenings of the film for that audience.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLhoibURv-ZAzp2XwycATlz43qIlMGVAEOHAjxpDaMnxFp3jXlaRybZo96wMRSglwVWmiHhRV6dAfGS5ziF8xNhmvG4BG4XMxY4zsJ9V4E1UCBuDJtu5nTQ1a2KWGwf_zhP5y2SuA_aJMC/s1600/patty+duke+1557b10c4283ae8d7474ce2c7bbcd258.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLhoibURv-ZAzp2XwycATlz43qIlMGVAEOHAjxpDaMnxFp3jXlaRybZo96wMRSglwVWmiHhRV6dAfGS5ziF8xNhmvG4BG4XMxY4zsJ9V4E1UCBuDJtu5nTQ1a2KWGwf_zhP5y2SuA_aJMC/s320/patty+duke+1557b10c4283ae8d7474ce2c7bbcd258.jpg" width="272" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Neely O'Hara hits the skids.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Patty's new, adult career was launched. She won a Golden Globe for the feature film, <em>Me, Natalie</em>, and picked up the second of her 10 Emmy nominations for her performance in the TV film, <em>My Sweet Charlie.</em> When she won the award in 1970, her acceptance speech turned into one of the most notorious ever delivered at the Emmy Awards. Her stilted speech and disjointed thoughts were immediately pegged as the result of drug abuse, when in fact they were the result of a manic episode. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEido7oezaodsdl0Nj9yV1ADGAGKKP_cXMj49DH8YhxBYHJ0zEIRJYSiKWuRwRNxKdUZSaSPRe4nr3tQnjsStP0YpD_7gyq62YvrLIktcAdTTWEXsD3p0e6b0vO-PPPlC2xQldWsbFVFCNZG/s1600/patty+duke+untitled.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEido7oezaodsdl0Nj9yV1ADGAGKKP_cXMj49DH8YhxBYHJ0zEIRJYSiKWuRwRNxKdUZSaSPRe4nr3tQnjsStP0YpD_7gyq62YvrLIktcAdTTWEXsD3p0e6b0vO-PPPlC2xQldWsbFVFCNZG/s1600/patty+duke+untitled.png" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Duke's rambling,incoherent<br />
acceptance speech at the 1970<br />
Emmys gave her the reputation<br />
of a druggie, but in fact she was<br />
in the midst of an undiagnosed<br />
manic attack.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">( I remember watching this moment on TV, and I assumed, like everyone else, that Patty Duke was completely drugged out). Backstage, she stunned and amused the press when she announced she was retiring from show business and enrolling at UCLA to become a psychiatrist. </span><br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-xOer17orYKLTZcdhWd-_aPGBUpK_U3tovrq3uO-FJdxkZvlCqkq1YA5s_hQmLeXjXAYFKEIhZI4PMiUG22_tqDa-2S8P4wISI_fV0tXXIGa6Km0Nqw9cXPTLWLeL9VNk0oU6P-P649xo/s1600/patty+duke+001536_45.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-xOer17orYKLTZcdhWd-_aPGBUpK_U3tovrq3uO-FJdxkZvlCqkq1YA5s_hQmLeXjXAYFKEIhZI4PMiUG22_tqDa-2S8P4wISI_fV0tXXIGa6Km0Nqw9cXPTLWLeL9VNk0oU6P-P649xo/s1600/patty+duke+001536_45.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><em>My Sweet Charlie</em> concerned an unwed pregnant runaway and her uneasy, racially charged friendship with a black attorney falsely accused of murder. Duke was later told the project was the first actual TV movie (I'm not sure that can be verified) but it was surely a landmark. The film even received a theatrical release after its broadcast on TV. Patty sealed her credentials as an authentic actress in this piece, winning her Emmy against competition which included Shirley Jones and Dame Edith Evans. Her co-star Al Freeman, Jr lost his Emmy to Peter Ustinov.</td></tr>
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<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The critical success of <em>My Sweet Charlie</em> ushered in a golden age of Made-for-TV films. They peppered the broadcast landscape for the next several decades. Some were prestigious successes, others were schlocky claptrap. Patty starred in more than her share of both.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQQe-EMI-DQZHOlIkNGHbk5lSQmln5IcPF99yMvvpU2xkdeBWWaDPIJ3easGp-5Ix0tq5NjOId-vyxsyVeXsM_iFGBQzo6-r03rjn_y5KsWSa8g0pbZInjsuBm6iIAPHP7FjgckxW4kfNR/s1600/patty+duke+lookrosemarypic.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQQe-EMI-DQZHOlIkNGHbk5lSQmln5IcPF99yMvvpU2xkdeBWWaDPIJ3easGp-5Ix0tq5NjOId-vyxsyVeXsM_iFGBQzo6-r03rjn_y5KsWSa8g0pbZInjsuBm6iIAPHP7FjgckxW4kfNR/s1600/patty+duke+lookrosemarypic.gif" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><em>Look What's Happened to Rosemary's Baby</em>. Yep, that was an actual TV movie in the 70s, with Patty Duke taking the role of Rosemary. This sequel preceded author Ira Levin's own sequel novel and included only one actor from the original film, Ruth Gordon. Other cast members included Tina Louise and Donna Mills, so you can see what kind of film it was. Ironically, Patty Duke had been in contention to play Rosemary in the original film, losing the role to Mia Farrow.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkMxFVJx7wxD6zxmndEX0R29N34XJoKuwINb5PG6I9vKU0vuaDYm4E7APnNioYC42aboC6rGTlpsHOVxQFK0gGhWUyg1eyBc2xjhQmlHNT4Gi7i0muPo3-xwA-Wc2rzcG1BJ2VZ2JEymaO/s1600/patty+duke+ac52f2f3b4416e992b21e02dd2b3045f.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkMxFVJx7wxD6zxmndEX0R29N34XJoKuwINb5PG6I9vKU0vuaDYm4E7APnNioYC42aboC6rGTlpsHOVxQFK0gGhWUyg1eyBc2xjhQmlHNT4Gi7i0muPo3-xwA-Wc2rzcG1BJ2VZ2JEymaO/s320/patty+duke+ac52f2f3b4416e992b21e02dd2b3045f.jpg" width="257" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Soon after <em>The Miracle Worker</em>, our pint sized star<br />
worked with Laurence Olivier in a TV adaptation<br />
of Graham Greene's<em> The Power and the Glory</em>.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Duke's personal life was chaotic during most of her life, largely due to her undiagnosed mental disease, as well as alcohol issues. In 1965, she married a crew member on the set of her sitcom, in part to escape from the influence of her managers. The marriage lasted a difficult four years, marred by Patty's extreme mood swings and outlandish behavior. At age 23, she embarked on a very public affair with 17-year old Desi Arnaz, Jr.; when Lucy stepped in, the scandal provided the tabloids a field day. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMlvMmeruirbRqWnrEub5Ni5pwmbO4Q2gGNiHETCZFRy1nggBSa_2X6T8yydVbxBVj8tIOyQBNZjN8JPzA-OimswCoM_omM8T6RkugeqBLFtYAjPqSdwlvQSsMTEpnJ0u_mGwVE7RbtRQf/s1600/patty+duke+%2524_35.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMlvMmeruirbRqWnrEub5Ni5pwmbO4Q2gGNiHETCZFRy1nggBSa_2X6T8yydVbxBVj8tIOyQBNZjN8JPzA-OimswCoM_omM8T6RkugeqBLFtYAjPqSdwlvQSsMTEpnJ0u_mGwVE7RbtRQf/s1600/patty+duke+%2524_35.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sean, who's your daddy? In her memoir, Patty<br />
revealed that her first son was the result of her<br />
scandalous affair with teen ager Desi Arnaz Jr.<br />
She married 2nd husband Michael Tell to give the <br />
child a father. 3rd husband John Astin adopted<br />
Sean and gave him his last name.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">At the same time, she became involved with rock promoter Michael Tell, whom she married when she became pregnant. The union was dissolved less than 2 weeks later; throughout her life, Patty believed her first child, Sean Astin, was the son of Arnaz. (When he hit adulthood, Sean took a paternity test which proved Patty's husband, Michael Tell, was his father. Isn't this fun?) </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyRgN_RwkNOIHpq0aln-X8QRa33_9bH8_ec1KYHVnIcZVk95BBKd_3MgEzJ7r6dMoDzLBwUEm2fsl_ueZreBCt8oHGzaUlCGX3pcI_bTuDW4ogwbQ8iNKkICTx1fic50q5RO1Wok4VFMGx/s1600/patty+duke-3-800.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyRgN_RwkNOIHpq0aln-X8QRa33_9bH8_ec1KYHVnIcZVk95BBKd_3MgEzJ7r6dMoDzLBwUEm2fsl_ueZreBCt8oHGzaUlCGX3pcI_bTuDW4ogwbQ8iNKkICTx1fic50q5RO1Wok4VFMGx/s320/patty+duke-3-800.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Patty's marriage to comic actor John Astin (16 years her senior) produced another actor son, Mackenzie Astin, and lasted about a dozen years. During this period, she was known as Patty Duke Astin. The collapse of this marriage is more proof of my theory that Hollywood marriages never work out if the wife takes the husband's name. I wrote about this <a href="http://armchairactorvist.blogspot.com/2007/12/blame-it-on-name.html">here</a>, years before Kaley Cuoco and Courtney Cox reinforced my point. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> Our heroine took advantage of the heyday of the mini-series (late 70s into the 80s) by appearing in one of the most lavishly produced, <em>Captains and the Kings.</em> </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWT4SMytB64Qyn4dMU_iAGNZe5XOe3PSTCoQW_x56mXRFcuPiOV6BL9AY3R9pdELLCrGjUcjtQrHSjikxcSjXKmmofc0wKplqTSssVd8V3mFBN0pB3aaN-LnVR_wYs1tFNxirLQlmkkeb0/s1600/patty+duke+capitanesyreyes11.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWT4SMytB64Qyn4dMU_iAGNZe5XOe3PSTCoQW_x56mXRFcuPiOV6BL9AY3R9pdELLCrGjUcjtQrHSjikxcSjXKmmofc0wKplqTSssVd8V3mFBN0pB3aaN-LnVR_wYs1tFNxirLQlmkkeb0/s320/patty+duke+capitanesyreyes11.jpg" width="301" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><em>Captains and the Kings</em> was adapted from Taylor Caldwell's best selling potboiler and provided our gal with a juicy role. The story was a highly fictionalized account of the Kennedy family, and Patty played the role based on matriarch Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgequzNoM1E9pqLsOPRw9ckeB8YRL04u6IMdOk2DiyMMJHFhzuYP1uO7MA-4EUnShJzAsLnCtsUKN-IJ88PR5-Bpsfz5OvpmCCtUbfZXU371gzznElvze0h6NAaavM6xyZTha4ofmXRBEf5/s1600/patty+duke+edd85a27bbcc305aaeb59d2fb570cd87.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgequzNoM1E9pqLsOPRw9ckeB8YRL04u6IMdOk2DiyMMJHFhzuYP1uO7MA-4EUnShJzAsLnCtsUKN-IJ88PR5-Bpsfz5OvpmCCtUbfZXU371gzznElvze0h6NAaavM6xyZTha4ofmXRBEf5/s320/patty+duke+edd85a27bbcc305aaeb59d2fb570cd87.jpg" width="250" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Patty was lucky in 1977, the year she won her<br />
second Emmy, for <em>Captains and the Kings</em>. It<br />
was the year of<em> Roots</em>, which steamrolled its<br />
competition <em>(Roots</em> supplied a whopping 10<br />
acting nominations that year). But Duke's<br />
category, Lead Actress in a Limited Series,<br />
had no nominations from <em>Roots</em>.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Duke's third Emmy brought her full circle, as it were, with her Broadway triumph. In 1979, Melissa Gilbert had gained stardom with <em>Little House on the Prairie,</em> and her production company seized on the idea of a TV remake of <em>The Miracle Worker</em>. They offered Patty Duke the title role for which Anne Bancroft had won her Oscar.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuExPczslf_XG0xHemPhwZjcFXM1-UQjdLq1-ISYMxaTsDZ8L-oFt4w5gRB4RM_sb_EWLFxCb2PHn_TI2zmxPEfdvU6sj9GAlWaM5RjprSXutfRc2BRH538Vwnl7FX36k7_s_Z_xI2t4Rv/s1600/patty+duke+mw1979.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuExPczslf_XG0xHemPhwZjcFXM1-UQjdLq1-ISYMxaTsDZ8L-oFt4w5gRB4RM_sb_EWLFxCb2PHn_TI2zmxPEfdvU6sj9GAlWaM5RjprSXutfRc2BRH538Vwnl7FX36k7_s_Z_xI2t4Rv/s1600/patty+duke+mw1979.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Patty's third Emmy came in the same property which earned her Oscar: <em>The Miracle Worker, </em>which received a TV remake in 1979. That's Melissa Gilbert as Helen.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><em>The Patty Duke Show</em> notwithstanding, our gal did not have much luck starring in TV series. She headlined three different projects during the 1980s, during the unfortunate period when she was Patty Duke Astin. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF85rOEXRagnhAALUdU0vZGUY_eXhTAsa4aFqHYj70biLuFxZZLf3dtIBd962EAoPw_F8z-O0JIPSPC3YoOjQa3aqOLe_aGasaQQ2XUOQedrLtyGsY3F4bL-OS1iB6cQ-vDrPGab0xs6_D/s1600/patty+duke+hunt-it-takes-two.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="249" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF85rOEXRagnhAALUdU0vZGUY_eXhTAsa4aFqHYj70biLuFxZZLf3dtIBd962EAoPw_F8z-O0JIPSPC3YoOjQa3aqOLe_aGasaQQ2XUOQedrLtyGsY3F4bL-OS1iB6cQ-vDrPGab0xs6_D/s320/patty+duke+hunt-it-takes-two.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I remember<em> It Takes Two</em>, the first of 3 back-to-back TV series failures. This one concerned a career couple (she was a lawyer, he was a doctor) raising teenagers. Recognize anyone? That's Richard Crenna upper right. The kids were played by Anthony Edwards, pre-<em>ER</em>, and Helen Hunt, pre<em>-Mad About You</em>. Billie Bird played a mouthy mother-in-law. The show lasted one season, but its kitchen set was recycled by the show's creators when they went on to create a little thing called <em>The Golden Girls.</em></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0UNLmjXrHFzHcmQ9EI93jW1DtdgkGo4Y2eF3uZ0skY0xBSYOSSo50T1KFXoqkhjWL9CyJLUoUsWhkf0FmtYHOIkXhmWmRFvJdZ4nfP37tma1OTS1SGizra69HGtC5XRCM7n5wNCLZlS2Z/s1600/patty+duke+121.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0UNLmjXrHFzHcmQ9EI93jW1DtdgkGo4Y2eF3uZ0skY0xBSYOSSo50T1KFXoqkhjWL9CyJLUoUsWhkf0FmtYHOIkXhmWmRFvJdZ4nfP37tma1OTS1SGizra69HGtC5XRCM7n5wNCLZlS2Z/s1600/patty+duke+121.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">In <em>Hail to the Chief</em>, Patty portrayed the 1st<br />
female president (it was the first TV series to<br />
feature a female POTUS). That's Audra Lindley<br />
in the upper left, pre-Mrs. Roper. <em>That Girl</em> vet<br />
Ted Bessell played the First Husband. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><em>Hail to the Chief</em> lasted only 7 episodes, while <em>Karen's Song</em>, in which Duke played a divorcee dating a much younger man (Terri Hatcher played her daughter in that one) squeaked out 13 episodes before cancellation. During this period, Patty was elected president of the Screen Actors Guild; she served into a second term before retiring from the position due to exhaustion.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRbTQu3YqT_5_f-VtpNnT0ENxEOs-0QaG7k2E731C6NJyHBYjbhTmnclANji1xyPjgXZ7bbEN6qoElW2Kbd7e-kdhYoKLtyizQYJYBdWLzn4Z_GtP-gW0IxOOX2Zu31Zt8Ewh0mdLo2aen/s1600/patty+duke+GettyImages-1665041-XL.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="215" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRbTQu3YqT_5_f-VtpNnT0ENxEOs-0QaG7k2E731C6NJyHBYjbhTmnclANji1xyPjgXZ7bbEN6qoElW2Kbd7e-kdhYoKLtyizQYJYBdWLzn4Z_GtP-gW0IxOOX2Zu31Zt8Ewh0mdLo2aen/s320/patty+duke+GettyImages-1665041-XL.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The decline of her screen career brought Patty back to the stage. In the 2002 Broadway revival of<em> Oklahoma!,</em> she assumed the role of Aunt Eller when Andrea Martin moved on.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">When Patty moved, with her fourth and final husband, to his home in Idaho, her career slowed down. She busied herself with stage appearances, both locally and in regional theaters. She occasionally popped up in guest shots on TV (most recently on <em>Glee</em> and on something from the Disney Channel called <em>Liv and Maddie</em>, in which she played twins again). </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoO0oBmEKPNqTsQguzledYZ07aL3nTW-iXwY4ounDMluDeUxcHxZnlrWlavE6UwoRTxzpo_u-LQ13wJeew0UMkNhiBGxzcyNZUVpij1CwlLJVT7uQGhXjIF6Vl0lEFVuYehHc13POL4vLU/s1600/patty+duke+4ced8fbeec2df_image.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="303" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoO0oBmEKPNqTsQguzledYZ07aL3nTW-iXwY4ounDMluDeUxcHxZnlrWlavE6UwoRTxzpo_u-LQ13wJeew0UMkNhiBGxzcyNZUVpij1CwlLJVT7uQGhXjIF6Vl0lEFVuYehHc13POL4vLU/s320/patty+duke+4ced8fbeec2df_image.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">As Madame Morrible in <em>Wicked</em>, a role Duke played for six<br />
months in San Francisco.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">When I heard of her death, I watched her in-depth interview given to the Archive of American Television, where she spoke (for three hours!) about her career, her illness, and her family. She clearly had found some peace in her life, and was very proud of her activism on behalf of the mentally ill, one of whom she counted herself. She died unexpectedly this week, from a ruptured intestine, at the age of 69.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">This week's Dance Party comes from a forgotten film from 1965 called <em>Billie</em>, in which Patty, at the height of her teen stardom, plays a tomboy who also wants a boyfriend. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeSQ0elZV8cGF0M8OqNnVcNTrkByf0RwAQeOY8nDMH2_Ral-fXyHpGxQkathF2ev8X1U31hMZePLUp4ds3lfljWPbOMc4rOPlFEijTkgq_M36_0jyUMYZnHD3N43JpaRcC1h2EvcbpkVqu/s1600/patty+duke+762121db95d63309433a48e841edd7d5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeSQ0elZV8cGF0M8OqNnVcNTrkByf0RwAQeOY8nDMH2_Ral-fXyHpGxQkathF2ev8X1U31hMZePLUp4ds3lfljWPbOMc4rOPlFEijTkgq_M36_0jyUMYZnHD3N43JpaRcC1h2EvcbpkVqu/s320/patty+duke+762121db95d63309433a48e841edd7d5.jpg" width="268" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Patty was uncomfortable singing, but that did not<br />
stop her sitcom's producers from forcing her to do<br />
it. Here she is with Jeremy (of Chad & Jeremy).</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The movie was just another shrewd way to capitalize on Duke's popularity; there was a tie-in with one of her record singles as well. Yes, just like all young stars of her generation, Patty spent some time in the recording studio, an experience she does not remember fondly. She actually hit the Top 40 twice during this period; only a few years later, her ability was deemed too limited to sing her numbers in <em>Valley of the Dolls</em>, so she was dubbed. She doesn't sing in this clip, but she dances a bit, though she and her partner (Warren Berlinger, playing her love interest...he looks more like her Uncle Murray than her boyfriend), slip off screen while the real dancers take over. And speaking of the real dancers, keep your eyes peeled for the brunette in the red-and-white striped shirt. It's Donna McKechnie, in her first film appearance.</span> <iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/wCxK8ye1HYI" width="420"></iframe>Armchair Actorvisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02873366521914303194noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7146900851769565592.post-35029877495229896522016-03-25T20:22:00.000-05:002016-03-26T20:24:31.781-05:00Friday Dance Party: He Played The Violin<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I have mentioned my great affection <a href="http://armchairactorvist.blogspot.com/2009/06/friday-dance-party-independence-day.html">for the musical <i>1776</i> in these pages</a>, so when one of the show's original players passed away this week, to quote the show itself, "Attention must be paid."</span></div>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Ken Howard</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgn7nftfvabsOF-je-BEi9yVQ8MbDhyRSheBaDzz4fVkNdmYe0LzglsM6aHQj4WH2Jt09oEBNXaPuA4AbJCyq9FliW2D8mpbwyuaxWPa8Piweb6XMZiWARsxi_BQabhRPQNo5_okX2f1WCF/s1600/ken+howard+52236425.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgn7nftfvabsOF-je-BEi9yVQ8MbDhyRSheBaDzz4fVkNdmYe0LzglsM6aHQj4WH2Jt09oEBNXaPuA4AbJCyq9FliW2D8mpbwyuaxWPa8Piweb6XMZiWARsxi_BQabhRPQNo5_okX2f1WCF/s320/ken+howard+52236425.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">1944-2016</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUfpAue3V8_BkwGb4sGamy2Nvya6T0XsO_Ci9xnQwgRYSVubZKvJAdhkcrhrtoIhxOTWGSy832iv_ZrjrjSkBLS_J2XpkPuE9S7A7cSxE3pU4egUrAHNSXL8TjqwMHUQeveaqrDqeLtR1A/s1600/ken+howard+281698.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUfpAue3V8_BkwGb4sGamy2Nvya6T0XsO_Ci9xnQwgRYSVubZKvJAdhkcrhrtoIhxOTWGSy832iv_ZrjrjSkBLS_J2XpkPuE9S7A7cSxE3pU4egUrAHNSXL8TjqwMHUQeveaqrDqeLtR1A/s320/ken+howard+281698.jpg" width="255" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ken Howard and Blythe Danner played husband<br />
and wife more than once. In <i>1776</i>, they played the<br />
Thomas Jeffersons and on TV, they played spouses<br />
who battled each other in the courtroom in <i>Adam's</i><br />
<i>Rib. </i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Ken's career was long and varied, but he is probably primarily remembered as a screen actor. In particular, his television work spanned decades and included not only starring roles on several series, but also hundreds of guest appearances on various episodics. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEP5ZtoBmAvHAViS0Mf1xx4Fz7QORaBL2tzEEjaCSLNBYdVflyQRIzmf9MPJPSw6tWTqzVHVO5zer6FhM0AzFcnLy1X-VcMVH3OFZlpGb5HGVnVbyFXz8zYBn9xK1Skq3h5BL640d8U-XX/s1600/ken+howard+garrett01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEP5ZtoBmAvHAViS0Mf1xx4Fz7QORaBL2tzEEjaCSLNBYdVflyQRIzmf9MPJPSw6tWTqzVHVO5zer6FhM0AzFcnLy1X-VcMVH3OFZlpGb5HGVnVbyFXz8zYBn9xK1Skq3h5BL640d8U-XX/s1600/ken+howard+garrett01.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I did not watch any of those 80s soaps about <br />
the rich and wicked, but Ken spent several<br />
years on<i> Dynasty</i> and its spinoff <i>The Colbys</i>.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCK4AMdYs0_V5a9HVdY5Noq2oMlT9fEcTwN34L_havZJSeFMSYY7zRo9aUhtuWz-gKTdpJURIBC8EaeYgy-zqyGhfi2eXfGvgSREG9bOcd_5eY1c1UWiMloMqlyg9u1pZC6YQ5McvCxck8/s1600/ken+howaRD+season1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCK4AMdYs0_V5a9HVdY5Noq2oMlT9fEcTwN34L_havZJSeFMSYY7zRo9aUhtuWz-gKTdpJURIBC8EaeYgy-zqyGhfi2eXfGvgSREG9bOcd_5eY1c1UWiMloMqlyg9u1pZC6YQ5McvCxck8/s320/ken+howaRD+season1.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ken Howard could be found all over the TV screen. He played Jill Hennessey's father in <i>Crossing Jordan</i> (above) and spent some time on <i>The Young and the Restless</i> too. He played Mark Twain on <i>Bonanza</i> and on PBS, and had some fun as Blanche's beau on <i>The Golden Girls. </i><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></td></tr>
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</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">One of my particular favorite Ken Howard Sightings occurred during the first season of <i>The West Wing</i>; Howard portrayed a potential supreme court nominee, and had a powerful, racially charged scene with series regular Dule Hill. (Martin Sheen ultimately didn't go with our boy Ken at all, and nominated Edward James Olmos for the position instead.) Early in his TV career, Ken was teamed with his <i>1776</i> costar Blythe Danner in <i>Adam's Rib</i>, a seriocomic series based on the Tracy/Hepburn film. </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilClXEQm3Ct7mbR5Nj6ZcUp1ZDn988kM8T79v0yOmPe5JlYH-Na7q_bUVzNd0y2ob-Ag4gqMZja5CYXSIFHq9nE56rMiOHjQd31lwWJUXNgCpmU79P8nz_gGxZAjOLJwyc7hoCtRAJ0moU/s1600/ken+howard+24howard-obit-master675.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="253" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilClXEQm3Ct7mbR5Nj6ZcUp1ZDn988kM8T79v0yOmPe5JlYH-Na7q_bUVzNd0y2ob-Ag4gqMZja5CYXSIFHq9nE56rMiOHjQd31lwWJUXNgCpmU79P8nz_gGxZAjOLJwyc7hoCtRAJ0moU/s320/ken+howard+24howard-obit-master675.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">All the obits this week mentioned Ken's groundbreaking series from the 70s, the idea for which began with Howard's own childhood. Though born in CA, he spent his school years in the east; he soon reached his full 6'6" height, making him a natural for the high school basketball team. He was the only white player and was dubbed "The White Shadow". </span><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinizKbyduSc_wp7YGCir_qgUpHUtJpbgrQH5V-SaOC47PziE0VHbe5FI2nchx7j62NzBdM-z62_k-VC2NQD9v37Spe9hQERnmg8TvvuH-YylpFOXZIU9GWiPs8cHIgTbvBqSTTqn53qDbJ/s1600/ken+howard+the-white-shadow-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinizKbyduSc_wp7YGCir_qgUpHUtJpbgrQH5V-SaOC47PziE0VHbe5FI2nchx7j62NzBdM-z62_k-VC2NQD9v37Spe9hQERnmg8TvvuH-YylpFOXZIU9GWiPs8cHIgTbvBqSTTqn53qDbJ/s1600/ken+howard+the-white-shadow-1.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ken's frequent costar Blythe Danner was married to<br />
writer Bruce Paltrow, who produced their series <i>Adam's</i><br />
<i>Rib </i>as well as <i>The White Shadow</i>. With so many years<br />
working with the Paltrows, one wonders if Ken is<br />
Gwyneth's <span style="font-size: 12.8px;">godfather.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Ken turned this history into an idea for a TV series, which he brought to his colleague and friend Bruce Paltrow. Together they created <i>The White Shadow</i>, which featured a predominantly black cast, a first for a weekly drama. Controversial but topical themes were explored during the show's 3 season run, and while it was never a ratings winner, the series is credited with paving the way for later shows to tackle such subjects. (The series was also a strong launchpad for producer Paltrow, who went on to create <i>St. Elsewhere</i>, widely considered one of the best and most influential TV series in history.)</span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQaNTnDl7C5rW1IlPC4OvVG2Yv1QN0cobVf8EY9qirK2U12Ik_DnQdTLfkfeXftQON4JcvMASNNf67HDnCcWDSjDcrqK2TizdDZV-GMSJyZ6bTebRVvhsAJlKY3iaJQ4m85NtBVUvhur6f/s1600/ken+howard.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="158" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQaNTnDl7C5rW1IlPC4OvVG2Yv1QN0cobVf8EY9qirK2U12Ik_DnQdTLfkfeXftQON4JcvMASNNf67HDnCcWDSjDcrqK2TizdDZV-GMSJyZ6bTebRVvhsAJlKY3iaJQ4m85NtBVUvhur6f/s320/ken+howard.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>The White Shadow</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I remember<i> The White Shadow</i>, but I confess that I never watched it (what did I care about basketball?), but by then, I certainly knew who Ken Howard was. I first encountered him in his film debut, opposite a young Liza Minnelli (pre-<i>Cabaret</i>), in <i>Tell Me That You Love Me, Junie Moon</i>. <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWXUzCxw09zpZrGUOYTVWLGEH_2zrBnoLUU6cjKX88X33FM_n2XnjoYThowrsG7nSKnZWvOyFF8bxxP0llyz1WHStORTlolQGmg7o54Qiv1qT1-20p90zsvJ2fPaOHVQpps-oM_PHxNkNk/s1600/ken+howard+Tell_Me_That_You_Love_Me_Junie_Moon_photo__00965.1411476233.1280.1280.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="232" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWXUzCxw09zpZrGUOYTVWLGEH_2zrBnoLUU6cjKX88X33FM_n2XnjoYThowrsG7nSKnZWvOyFF8bxxP0llyz1WHStORTlolQGmg7o54Qiv1qT1-20p90zsvJ2fPaOHVQpps-oM_PHxNkNk/s320/ken+howard+Tell_Me_That_You_Love_Me_Junie_Moon_photo__00965.1411476233.1280.1280.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Liza played a young gal disfigured (with acid!)<br />
by a vengeful boyfriend, Ken played an epileptic.<br />
Both their careers recovered quite nicely from this<br />
financial and critical flop.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The film, about a trio of misfits who share a house together, was a favorite of mine, but apparently nobody else's. Minnelli's first film, <i>The Sterile Cuckoo</i>, had been warmly received (earning her an Oscar nomination), but this follow-up disappointed everybody. </span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhk9vvEdhdR3T1w-M5p3iMuw8JyibPFVa0V1X3lWx5NK_JXbODUpslnhgzlna6Q9fcr9CWov7hw3wGWXZF94HNH7HFPH_JonQhSkMvoYLGCDIWNntTl9kua-bXZ_LrYGNAbAf4qYHxCZ91j/s1600/ken+howard+original_junie2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhk9vvEdhdR3T1w-M5p3iMuw8JyibPFVa0V1X3lWx5NK_JXbODUpslnhgzlna6Q9fcr9CWov7hw3wGWXZF94HNH7HFPH_JonQhSkMvoYLGCDIWNntTl9kua-bXZ_LrYGNAbAf4qYHxCZ91j/s320/ken+howard+original_junie2.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A group of outcasts form a family in <i>Tell Me That You Love Me, Junie Moon</i>. I'm not sure why I loved the film so much (I haven't seen it in decades, it vanished from view shortly after its release in 1970). Part of the appeal may have been the hilariously fey performance of Robert Moore (left) as a gay paraplegic (it was that kind of film). The movie also featured two more favorites, James Coco and Nancy Marchand, in supporting roles. Director Otto Preminger had such high hopes for this film that he took it to Cannes, where he was nominated for the Golden Palm. But stateside, everybody hated this thing, and it has been largely forgotten.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">It was only a few years later that Ken Howard co-starred in the film which furnishes this week's Dance Party. He created the role of Thomas Jefferson in the original production of <i>1776</i>, and (along with almost everyone else) recreated the performance for the film version. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhydoQQvKfug0Nd-xOBvwyJm9OD3cuY9rCHk_CyUzB10s1kbhP0BSl43HnXtJn0VXxk7zlpicb9K0BqQRgqIzyN0-8iajANlkcQ-fKgOJdfzWKpScEh0CAYW90UuWQVkglc1ANLvXGEXtO5/s1600/ken+howard+seesaw3+%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="234" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhydoQQvKfug0Nd-xOBvwyJm9OD3cuY9rCHk_CyUzB10s1kbhP0BSl43HnXtJn0VXxk7zlpicb9K0BqQRgqIzyN0-8iajANlkcQ-fKgOJdfzWKpScEh0CAYW90UuWQVkglc1ANLvXGEXtO5/s320/ken+howard+seesaw3+%25281%2529.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>1776</i> was not Ken's only foray into musical theatre. <i>Seesaw</i> was a particularly troubled musical during out of town tryouts. Michael Bennett was brought in to fix things; he dumped just about everything, including leading lady Lanie Kazan. Michelle Lee, left, replaced her. Bennett doctored the script, with help from Neil Simon, and created a supporting role for one of his chorus members. That's Tommy Tune, center, who choreographed his own show-stopping number in the show and won the first of his ten Tony awards for his efforts (I wrote about <a href="http://armchairactorvist.blogspot.com/2012/02/friday-dance-party-tune-up.html">Tune here</a>). Ken remained one of the few constants in the show.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Howard made more than a few appearances on Broadway; by the time he was cast in <i>1776,</i> he had already won the Tony for <i>Child's Play</i>, a non-musical which concerned the faculty at a Catholic school. Howard played an easy-going coach; his winning the Tony did not insure his participation in the film version, however. (When Sidney Lumet made the movie, Beau Bridges played the part).</span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi96dB_EoIJnBp3K4hVwJd9Eax6fXfNthIupYzgjEj-F3RhLr4R1hyMEZF1B3fDOUUKYbHy9RS8X9WtKhvKwgeRpvVyn3dKmOER2X-RQkheVi_8T7OL7XxNry0jtYiXjPdQXL68bpLKNB5t/s1600/ken+howard.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi96dB_EoIJnBp3K4hVwJd9Eax6fXfNthIupYzgjEj-F3RhLr4R1hyMEZF1B3fDOUUKYbHy9RS8X9WtKhvKwgeRpvVyn3dKmOER2X-RQkheVi_8T7OL7XxNry0jtYiXjPdQXL68bpLKNB5t/s320/ken+howard.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ken's performance as Thomas Jefferson in <i>1776</i> is smooth as silk. Described as the most silent man in congress, much of Howard's performance is non-verbal. The clip below illustrates the strength of this interpretation. I've included a snippet of dialogue with co-stars William Daniels and Howard da Silva (both excellent). They are on high octane in this scene, while Ken chooses understatement. It works like gangbusters.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">In addition to his Tony, Ken also won two Emmy awards. Those of us "of a certain age" remember the preachy Afternoon Specials which were occasionally produced in the 70s and 80s; Howard won a Daytime Emmy for his appearance in one of them, playing a father in <i>The Body Human: Facts for Boys</i> (aren't we sorry we missed THAT one). More recently, Ken won a Primetime Emmy for his performance in the 2009 TV film <i>Grey Gardens.</i></span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnKy9cr3kf3phMNy3F9M8RdbdLNgLNqijtMTQsHkEHQvUtyNBYAdKBHWZxAdY23N-31Ym2rOlQ6bKPMLLsIycpHTqpk2hS3DHUA8nHzInhk3rhkWBY0myS1hyphenhyphendsiPM_t1VwdRY3FAgDM3s/s1600/ken+howard+phelan-beale-1024.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnKy9cr3kf3phMNy3F9M8RdbdLNgLNqijtMTQsHkEHQvUtyNBYAdKBHWZxAdY23N-31Ym2rOlQ6bKPMLLsIycpHTqpk2hS3DHUA8nHzInhk3rhkWBY0myS1hyphenhyphendsiPM_t1VwdRY3FAgDM3s/s320/ken+howard+phelan-beale-1024.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our hero wasn't much of one in <i>Grey Gardens</i>, a TV film which told the story of Jackie Onassis's aunt and cousin first told in the acclaimed documentary of the same name. This HBO version included a character missing from the original: Phelan Beale, the wealthy attorney who deserted his wife and daughter ("Big Edie" and "Little Edie"), leaving them to rot in the mansion of the title.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">As president of the Screen Actors Guild, Ken was a prime proponent of the union's merger with the other film actors' union, AFTRA. He spent many years working to achieve the merger, which was bitterly contested by many members of both unions. When the two organizations finally joined, he became its first president, a position which he held until his death a few days ago.</span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhN8hv8Uoj9a6c94J4heOYX52lhW0AiUnfXX2jDVdhfhAROWZKZvsRXUBFmvFqWv1q-UQK-RBDMZOJb1WJNjknhXdAAzAlNjQIO6_x8FSWEpyNpSqE1LJ_lo1qe6d1HlORHeKXK6mlwg7YK/s1600/ken+howard+r620-9277d89ea29ed23c639244ec483e63f9.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhN8hv8Uoj9a6c94J4heOYX52lhW0AiUnfXX2jDVdhfhAROWZKZvsRXUBFmvFqWv1q-UQK-RBDMZOJb1WJNjknhXdAAzAlNjQIO6_x8FSWEpyNpSqE1LJ_lo1qe6d1HlORHeKXK6mlwg7YK/s320/ken+howard+r620-9277d89ea29ed23c639244ec483e63f9.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Both Jessica Lange and Ken Howard won Emmy Awards for their work in HBO's<i> Grey Gardens</i>.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Ken Howard died just a few days shy of his 72nd birthday; his family has not released his cause of death, but he has battled kidney disease in the past, even receiving a transplant (he thanked the donor in his Emmy acceptance speech). In his honor, please enjoy this moment from <i>1776</i>, in which several founding fathers debate the emblem of the new nation.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/5Ubj8G5smeA?rel=0&controls=0&showinfo=0" width="560"></iframe>Armchair Actorvisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02873366521914303194noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7146900851769565592.post-14240517611613751722015-11-27T22:16:00.000-05:002018-12-01T09:29:04.802-05:00Friday Dance Party: You're Still A Good Man, Charlie Brown<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Charles Schulz would have turned 93 years old last week, if he hadn't died 15 years ago. His death has not seemed to affect the cultural significance of his Peanuts gang, who are as present in our society as ever.</span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix3rhyphenhyphenkIO7KOsiaSuvJh92XHHc3tU49rleBPztH1DoAmXUwKGbSP8otuxCuB9ImOQNYfMM7X1zBYR3ButLlaKz5lx1hdt1aXJfvThT5BrDyXlL2bFT94Bx4PxFVcXg6b-U-x2ECAgOYGEU/s1600/charlie+brown+File0357.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix3rhyphenhyphenkIO7KOsiaSuvJh92XHHc3tU49rleBPztH1DoAmXUwKGbSP8otuxCuB9ImOQNYfMM7X1zBYR3ButLlaKz5lx1hdt1aXJfvThT5BrDyXlL2bFT94Bx4PxFVcXg6b-U-x2ECAgOYGEU/s320/charlie+brown+File0357.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Wait for it...INCOMING!" Gary Burghoff might never have been able to repeat those famous words had he not been in the touring company of <i>You're A Good Man, Charlie Brown</i>. The show landed in LA while Robert Altman was casting his feature film <i>M*A*S*H</i>; Burghoff snagged the role of his career, Radar O'Reilly.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">It always seems to me that the Peanuts gang become even more present this time of year. </span><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiP9LpMvcLhwXXMkS_2VR3dIohrxj56NeXtc-2ZuVU_7SO_OwIhN_O_exQbTiTtSGtQLREeYQ0NIUt1NsJxyAIXrT1Dn0laxsR8l0TyoKLC5IAjn0EMQR2TaJGbkMQLlzg_5um8Y82_Ni55/s1600/charlie+brown_the_peanuts_movie_ver34.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiP9LpMvcLhwXXMkS_2VR3dIohrxj56NeXtc-2ZuVU_7SO_OwIhN_O_exQbTiTtSGtQLREeYQ0NIUt1NsJxyAIXrT1Dn0laxsR8l0TyoKLC5IAjn0EMQR2TaJGbkMQLlzg_5um8Y82_Ni55/s320/charlie+brown_the_peanuts_movie_ver34.jpg" width="216" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The gang is back on the big screen, after a<br />
35 year absence. This time they're in<br />
3-D. I haven't seen this one, but the idea of<br />
these folks reaching out of the screen to<br />
touch me is a little frightening.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Perhaps it's my imagination, or perhaps it's the repeated showings of various holiday specials starring our gang which pop up this time of year. There is, of course, the flagship of all Peanuts Specials, <i>A Charlie Brown Christmas</i>, the program against which all others are compared. Its 50th Anniversary this year is getting lots of hoopla.</span><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI9j7eFsZym5MPQKekorbGxNUqOmjo0mc64-w4NYJ2cFD7PSGI9toKdcL1u6XtI5pHrAiheD4rSwTo8Xk4z5fRXgJTDtUurRS-NYNxjoqu2GccEKhoqUoPhKNzwj_Ed4yl89hgLRPc1UPN/s1600/charlie+brown+landing-peanuts_hero-01_102315_2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="206" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI9j7eFsZym5MPQKekorbGxNUqOmjo0mc64-w4NYJ2cFD7PSGI9toKdcL1u6XtI5pHrAiheD4rSwTo8Xk4z5fRXgJTDtUurRS-NYNxjoqu2GccEKhoqUoPhKNzwj_Ed4yl89hgLRPc1UPN/s320/charlie+brown+landing-peanuts_hero-01_102315_2.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The only piece of Peanuts memorabilia I own is a commemorative plate with this image. I did not pay much attention to it before buying it, as a short inspection would have revealed its glaring inaccuracies. Ostensibly, this is the final moment of <i>A Charlie Brown Christmas</i>, but as you have undoubtedly recognized, it's been bastardized with the addition of characters not present (or even yet invented) in the special: Franklin, Peppermint Patty, Marcie, and Woodstock. And where the hell are those obnoxious busybodies Violet and Patty?</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">There are also two Thanksgiving specials, The Great Pumpkin for Halloween, and at least three (!) additional Christmas specials starring our gang. This year, a new feature film has been released as well.</span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCMiOcJfPA0_TZ8TofmeUOepI-DEW8lwjcCMRZL5MTnf-OotrJ3-D0fkq-jn5oOAXl5FTj8s4iSg3eoGzlWNComhICxxhR_S2gsRMe_IQWaBzEyqhTDAoYCqgPojNcrgNPQw0_410VK94P/s1600/Charlie+Brown-Show.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCMiOcJfPA0_TZ8TofmeUOepI-DEW8lwjcCMRZL5MTnf-OotrJ3-D0fkq-jn5oOAXl5FTj8s4iSg3eoGzlWNComhICxxhR_S2gsRMe_IQWaBzEyqhTDAoYCqgPojNcrgNPQw0_410VK94P/s320/Charlie+Brown-Show.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">There are two musicals actually created for the stage featuring the Peanuts gang, but the success of <i>A Charlie Brown Christmas </i>on TV was so huge that theaters can now license it as a stage show.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">This week's Dance Party doesn't come from any of those pieces. Instead, we'll feature a clip from the most famous and successful of the Peanuts stage musicals. Yes, there are more than one.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggTwuDhNPy60Gxo9Mp2_6l6ECZlu3Hx5rrNonXgc7FfXUjvtCh8k82bJHGuB0ynBIaiAFTuh7Bmu35kka-8Ko5IVoeWM3F-XoRLkKq5KpHLhJU2EOGXPIuFvj6aCXaxdo-OgRjU9rBXxrn/s1600/charlie+brown+File0355_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggTwuDhNPy60Gxo9Mp2_6l6ECZlu3Hx5rrNonXgc7FfXUjvtCh8k82bJHGuB0ynBIaiAFTuh7Bmu35kka-8Ko5IVoeWM3F-XoRLkKq5KpHLhJU2EOGXPIuFvj6aCXaxdo-OgRjU9rBXxrn/s1600/charlie+brown+File0355_1.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My first knowledge of <i>YAGMCB</i> was this TV<br />
version, shrunk to fit into an hour slot on the<br />
<i>Hallmark Hall of Fame</i> in 1973. That's Wendell<br />
Burton as Charlie Brown; he's primarily known<br />
for costarring with Liza Minnelli in <i>The Sterile<br />Cuckoo,</i> and for getting raped in <i>Fortune And<br />Men's Eyes</i>. That's Barry Livingston as Linus,<br />
best known as one of <i>My Three Sons</i>.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The story goes that composer/lyricist Clark Gesner grew tired of writing music for <i>Captain Kangaroo</i> and, in the early 60s, penned a series of songs based on the Peanuts characters. He had no luck getting the rights to perform these ditties from the company in charge of syndicating the Peanuts comic strip, so eventually he leapfrogged those losers and sent his music to Charles Schultz himself. Sparky gave his blessing for a concept album to be produced. It was a bit later that a stage production was planned, which opened in 1967 Off-Broadway in New York. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl64b8A0K2Ua_FziWWBERgmhB5aWpKwip4dam3a2uIOZpS_k00ilA9dX_EbkMjrzihG3g2qcmWMnVjDdaTAy6GQTdPHD9CGqE-NSq_RFItRxxCbo936hp-4mmKtNgHHeEuJ-if44-OsbDe/s1600/charlie+brown+d78a9a20b8124901abd1eaef8738dd87.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl64b8A0K2Ua_FziWWBERgmhB5aWpKwip4dam3a2uIOZpS_k00ilA9dX_EbkMjrzihG3g2qcmWMnVjDdaTAy6GQTdPHD9CGqE-NSq_RFItRxxCbo936hp-4mmKtNgHHeEuJ-if44-OsbDe/s320/charlie+brown+d78a9a20b8124901abd1eaef8738dd87.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The original cast of <i>You're A Good Man Charlie Brown (YAGMCB)</i>. You'll recognize the pre-Radar Gary Burghoff on the far right. That's noted character actor and director Bob Balaban as Linus (holding the blanket); his long career has included several Christopher Guest films and a story arc on <i>Seinfeld</i>, playing a lovesick studio head. The top left is Reva Rose, playing Lucy, who became the go-to gal to play harried housewives in commercials of the day. One of the talents behind the scenes was Patricia Birch, who went on to choreograph a little show called <i>Grease</i>.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">That first production was a success story, running a whopping 1,947 performances (that's almost four years). The critics loved the simplicity of the show, which is really a series of gently comical vignettes featuring characters we already know. The adult cast played with the openness and innocence of children, and not a hint of irony. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6RK2fpBPPa5G2IiNMG3Di-ocE21OW4b34_QEF-ElJvIEIZJGN6dzPb85LgCy-h9ZjPAW-4-DA9Up9tmvswcagShxU5d8vCjDkHNc0ul_Mka2-uNo9Y3vYa1xFHm3KzS_M2RIXfemcRRHt/s1600/charlie+brown+goodman4.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6RK2fpBPPa5G2IiNMG3Di-ocE21OW4b34_QEF-ElJvIEIZJGN6dzPb85LgCy-h9ZjPAW-4-DA9Up9tmvswcagShxU5d8vCjDkHNc0ul_Mka2-uNo9Y3vYa1xFHm3KzS_M2RIXfemcRRHt/s1600/charlie+brown+goodman4.gif" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Some scenes from Off-Broadway.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">It was said that after a few minutes, the audience forgot they were watching adults. Gary Burghoff was probably the most recognizable face to come out of this original cast. </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">After opening the show in New York, he joined the national tour, which landed in Los Angeles in 1969 (future Tony winner Judy Kaye was also in this cast). It was lucky Gary was in LA so he could audition for the role of his lifetime, Radar O'Reilly, which he was to play in the Robert Altman classic <i>M*A*S*H</i> as well as the resulting TV series, for which he won the Emmy.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihPQ0eWNkgK8jEcncZGS5GzEXfsggbKedtSjfNr0sioUirY-RnkQljiB6Lf3IRwRkEvRRWmNQT99QmLysrezDwF-_aWH6vDgTJpCL6Q3PsR0MeSeLQGPUaes91GFT7FHqZAV1u6rm97Ww6/s1600/snoopy+513px43bshl.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihPQ0eWNkgK8jEcncZGS5GzEXfsggbKedtSjfNr0sioUirY-RnkQljiB6Lf3IRwRkEvRRWmNQT99QmLysrezDwF-_aWH6vDgTJpCL6Q3PsR0MeSeLQGPUaes91GFT7FHqZAV1u6rm97Ww6/s320/snoopy+513px43bshl.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This was the sequel to <i>YAGMCB</i>, which opened in San Fransisco before landing Off-Broadway in 1975. It was certainly not the embarrassment other musical sequels were (nobody could be proud of <i>Bring Back Birdie</i> or <i>Annie Warbucks</i>), but its run was only 4 months. David Garrison got nice notices as Snoopy, and Peppermint Patty, absent from the original <i>YAGMCB</i>, was played by Sondheim expert Pamela Myers, then by future sitcom star Vicki Lewis, and finally by Lorna Luft. Like its parent <i>Charlie Brown</i>, <i>Snoopy</i> is often revived in schools and amateur theaters.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Despite endless tinkering, expanding, and crossing of media, the original Off-Broadway production remains the most successful version of <i>You're a Good Man Charlie Brown. </i> A few months after the Off-Broadway production closed, the show re-opened on Broadway, with a new cast, a bigger orchestra, and a more lavish set. The thing sank under the weight of all those changes, and closed after 32 performances.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyNOK4FOHtUKCirpi6HXw_LErRYrc73oea9vYpre_QPvg-UJbki42-sVimXjouhsNtVkB-esdECvql8HJyMTiIH851qhkBZH68HD0hvpcMXS6HdNVtmEeDNBse56v808fvNYpDRNg2bZp0/s1600/Charlie+Brown-Original-541x346.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="204" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyNOK4FOHtUKCirpi6HXw_LErRYrc73oea9vYpre_QPvg-UJbki42-sVimXjouhsNtVkB-esdECvql8HJyMTiIH851qhkBZH68HD0hvpcMXS6HdNVtmEeDNBse56v808fvNYpDRNg2bZp0/s320/Charlie+Brown-Original-541x346.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">My first introduction to this little musical came in 1973, when I saw a TV version produced for the <i>Hallmark Hall of Fame</i>. This was not the musical's only TV adaptation; in 1985, the decision was made to actually animate the musical with the cartoon characters which had become so recognizable to the general public. (CBS also produced an animated version of the sequel to <i>You're A Good Man, Charlie Brown</i>: <i>Snoopy! The Musical</i>.) </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3DzJaC3_iIH92eERtedVnqK1lHebjIc1NfWja1V1DigHqkIRq-E0CTykz9MDzF9n8yf8G67N10nObN5ZP_WepFmSnYKE4SJsujwqtLKAfkcp034erhXspeUZ0yU_s_-xAbmeUng-ks4eZ/s1600/charlie+brown+youregood02.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3DzJaC3_iIH92eERtedVnqK1lHebjIc1NfWja1V1DigHqkIRq-E0CTykz9MDzF9n8yf8G67N10nObN5ZP_WepFmSnYKE4SJsujwqtLKAfkcp034erhXspeUZ0yU_s_-xAbmeUng-ks4eZ/s1600/charlie+brown+youregood02.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">This week's Dance Party doesn't come from any of these productions. Instead, it comes from the most recent Broadway revival, which ran about 4 months in 1999. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibHWbUpmgEU6HTAhOMjwPA6n9bzoJzsvuAiSWyBn9va_1pOi-n46OkDivOlQtlwcAqW7tz_qAeojJunw9NDPxcMwUJITb2D5ustSLOlEZQJDqLlxw2ivH-4xsvAw9_12GryTSGZxHhkDnZ/s1600/Charlie+Brown_Christmas.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibHWbUpmgEU6HTAhOMjwPA6n9bzoJzsvuAiSWyBn9va_1pOi-n46OkDivOlQtlwcAqW7tz_qAeojJunw9NDPxcMwUJITb2D5ustSLOlEZQJDqLlxw2ivH-4xsvAw9_12GryTSGZxHhkDnZ/s320/Charlie+Brown_Christmas.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">If it weren't for this snow tasting scene in the Christmas show, nobody would remember Patty, an early Peanuts character who was included in the original Off-Broadway <i>YAGMCB</i>. She's now long gone.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">This incarnation was again revised and enlarged, with notable changes being made in the cast of characters. The original show featured Patty, an obnoxious secondary character in the strip (not to be confused with Peppermint Patty); she was replaced in the updated musical by Charlie Brown's sister Sally. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEis_G_5gfYbb7Kq1pff4Z6sKJKUfkNhKqAMU1Jr3tqFRsr2IggtxHS-FDaJXj-jfUpJXHlnEX1z-w-XxeFFPB3AwdfC_W9lMVg33TmPFVmZRc5ZYr4xjv7WnjQF4zBfJ59OiwbygbtMaP00/s1600/charlie+brown.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="210" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEis_G_5gfYbb7Kq1pff4Z6sKJKUfkNhKqAMU1Jr3tqFRsr2IggtxHS-FDaJXj-jfUpJXHlnEX1z-w-XxeFFPB3AwdfC_W9lMVg33TmPFVmZRc5ZYr4xjv7WnjQF4zBfJ59OiwbygbtMaP00/s320/charlie+brown.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The 1999 Broadway revival of <i>You're A Good Man, Charlie Brown</i> was stolen by these two. Roger Bart as Snoopy and Kristin Chenoweth as Sally snagged all the good reviews and the only Tonys the production won.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The show now featured a multi-cultural cast (Schroeder was black, Linus was Asian) and some new music from Andrew Lippa. It is one of Lippa's new songs which you can see below, sung with flair by Kristin Chenoweth. </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">(Chenoweth received a Dance Party a long while ago, one of my favorites in fact, <a href="http://armchairactorvist.blogspot.com/2009/10/kudos-for-kristin.html">go here to enjoy</a>). So, in honor of Charles Schultz and his recent birthday, here we go:</span>
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/JcVa_qe1itE" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>Armchair Actorvisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02873366521914303194noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7146900851769565592.post-8496454642475197862015-11-24T12:30:00.001-05:002015-11-24T19:43:18.621-05:00Theatre Droppings: Thomas Nostradamus Invents The Musical<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The producers of the musical <em>Something Rotten!</em> (and according to the program, there are about 112 of them) gambled big with their show, and it looks like it has worked out for them. I saw the show many months ago, during its preview period, when its future was far from secure.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsCyBmMFRcdwZY2vUUyQY6P7yzrZbE-WithKKbdFLFW4AQ8MVJ76nmjlj0K0F1UkH_5rGy3yUh2Qq00Bc1QPka2KiDUjKUddAUf9hDxuLPjcPlnuA19gFs2tudiBquOzQ4dRvj4Vcw624R/s1600/something+rotten+8_209665.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsCyBmMFRcdwZY2vUUyQY6P7yzrZbE-WithKKbdFLFW4AQ8MVJ76nmjlj0K0F1UkH_5rGy3yUh2Qq00Bc1QPka2KiDUjKUddAUf9hDxuLPjcPlnuA19gFs2tudiBquOzQ4dRvj4Vcw624R/s320/something+rotten+8_209665.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Brad Oscar's soothsayer (left) predicts the Next Big Thing: the Musical. This sequence occurs about 20 minutes into the first act; the resulting song stops the show cold. I've truly never witnessed a standing ovation for a musical number in the middle of Act One, but apparently it's become a usual occurrence in <i>Something Rotten!</i>. An abbreviated version of the song was presented at the Tonys, but the full effect of this showstopper can only be witnessed in the theatre. (Another of the show's songs was featured a few weeks ago in these pages, go <a href="http://armchairactorvist.blogspot.com/2015/11/friday-dance-party-mad-about-borle.html">here if interested</a>.)</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana";">The show was originally scheduled to premiere in Seattle, where the creators planned to work out any kinks and then, if all went well, move to New York. <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikY-jdvkOwPuUToCMMwLcVtDupywImL4ZF_-QB_A_-1zqc2K9Ju5HE7Z7UbIAF06RX8wSgIMNvamYogg56PVAQVr5OY1FbxozR41PgK2dnRJIuUPbnbHUFq4jgh2J8JN50ThqUtCGXZ6Xe/s1600/something+rotten+8_209669.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikY-jdvkOwPuUToCMMwLcVtDupywImL4ZF_-QB_A_-1zqc2K9Ju5HE7Z7UbIAF06RX8wSgIMNvamYogg56PVAQVr5OY1FbxozR41PgK2dnRJIuUPbnbHUFq4jgh2J8JN50ThqUtCGXZ6Xe/s320/something+rotten+8_209669.jpg" width="233" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Brian d'Arcy James as Nick Bottom.<br />
When the show's Seattle engagement<br />
disappeared, James chose to withdraw<br />
from <em>Hamilton</em>, where he was playing<br />
George III, in order to lead this cast. </td></tr>
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Those plans went out the window when a theatre suddenly became available on Broadway; noting the absence of a breakout new musical, they bypassed that out-of-town tryout and opened cold in New York. This took some major stones, as <em>Something Rotten!</em> is that rare musical which is brand new. It's not based on any existing work which might provide a pre-sold audience, it was cooked up from scratch.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDbUMD9somccktq3mvp83FKRz_TQFB6v32pFM1r-yaiM7fBt0ksz7Z8MH8GFnVHdWGEdtaLvmoUyEjwV0J1RC8VmZbfB21FJ2nkMqKTsHhaGQBs5ueyGXps-KWgDRbfrQ0v0Fd_u-7AowY/s1600/something+rotten+7_210172.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDbUMD9somccktq3mvp83FKRz_TQFB6v32pFM1r-yaiM7fBt0ksz7Z8MH8GFnVHdWGEdtaLvmoUyEjwV0J1RC8VmZbfB21FJ2nkMqKTsHhaGQBs5ueyGXps-KWgDRbfrQ0v0Fd_u-7AowY/s320/something+rotten+7_210172.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Bottom Brothers want to be on top. <i>Something Rotten! </i>is at its best when it's sending up the theatrical culture which it also celebrates. Shakespeare and musicals take the brunt of the kidding. There is a plot here, concerning two brothers who scheme to create something new while in the shadow of that Elizabethan horndog, the Bard.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana";">Because nobody had ever heard of this thing, tickets were available for a song during the preview period, so I picked one up. They were offering seats to their first few previews for only 20 bucks; </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I can no longer afford to attend Broadway shows, even ones on the half-price board, but this was too good to pass up. I saw the show's 3rd public performance, which included scenery bumping into itself and a couple of mangled lines. </span><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRjyQ_nb89_tLc_TqOvRvb-lcT5wd4GLRWvit9z96pIRQwC0RTQjxH0-GvOlvz3dKPuGfAZoM6gy_i8HVn_rvjka13MakDygFg8XLgMkQFTLUZsKmilWC1WyQba1qSvGJgGK1kL587lYJN/s1600/something+rotten+9_209667.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRjyQ_nb89_tLc_TqOvRvb-lcT5wd4GLRWvit9z96pIRQwC0RTQjxH0-GvOlvz3dKPuGfAZoM6gy_i8HVn_rvjka13MakDygFg8XLgMkQFTLUZsKmilWC1WyQba1qSvGJgGK1kL587lYJN/s320/something+rotten+9_209667.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">John Cariani and Kate Reinders play roles meant to provide<br />
some romance. I recognized Cariani from his many TV<br />
appearances, notably a recurring role of a forensics nerd in the<br />
<i>Law and Order</i> franchise. He is also a playwright; his<br />
<i>Almost, Maine</i> has become one of the most frequently <br />
produced plays in recent years.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">In one scene a platform slid in from stage left (it's called a wagon, but it isn't one, it's simply a flat platform that moves). Clearly it was supposed to land center stage and stop, but it hooked itself onto a standing flat and was stuck. There were a table and chairs on the wagon, where our two heroes were to play their next, interior scene. </span><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj51GJZFtTHUaOToKpyIzqEhNwmLWXd_oTzc_6reByZDs4Qv6G_-Eshn9HmaQ3JvrGLdEboahqGVCFTUVMR1uXQwJ8NrESAoJ5NmgZPUjZS1XEkJLe4PylNwU6at2tZtaJaS9fHHfgWNneQ/s1600/something+rotten+1_173964.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj51GJZFtTHUaOToKpyIzqEhNwmLWXd_oTzc_6reByZDs4Qv6G_-Eshn9HmaQ3JvrGLdEboahqGVCFTUVMR1uXQwJ8NrESAoJ5NmgZPUjZS1XEkJLe4PylNwU6at2tZtaJaS9fHHfgWNneQ/s320/something+rotten+1_173964.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Heidi Blickenstaff plays Bea Bottom (the show is peppered with names like that). She's perhaps the only true belter on Broadway today (ok, there are a couple of screamers over at <i>Wicked</i>, but is that belting?). Heidi first caught my attention years ago when I attended the abysmal <i>Addams Family</i> musical during the final week of a very tired run. She was a replacement for Mrs Beineke, and stole the show from stars Roger Rees and Brooke Shields. She is <i>Something Rotten</i>'s voice of reason, and she gets to do a little Shakespearean crossdressing as well.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Brian d'Arcy James and John Cariani simply glanced at each other, shrugged, and moved the furniture off the platform and placed it on the flat stage where it was supposed to land. </span><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikMnOd4WRx5Ft5p-VvRXFZoTb6Bxcmd61X4Ck63KBGXO7QJV-NPqwribFVpTakvBcNQ21S2HyJl0FPCKqDp9fqnEL0WvPjQciHQR8dLaASe8V_J7mA3g95HhCdKGxpk3N0JiWDos7ZQpIy/s1600/christian+borle46.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikMnOd4WRx5Ft5p-VvRXFZoTb6Bxcmd61X4Ck63KBGXO7QJV-NPqwribFVpTakvBcNQ21S2HyJl0FPCKqDp9fqnEL0WvPjQciHQR8dLaASe8V_J7mA3g95HhCdKGxpk3N0JiWDos7ZQpIy/s1600/christian+borle46.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Christian Borle won the Tony<br />
playing Shakespeare as an<br />
ego-driven rock star. He was<br />
the show's only Tony winner.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Of course, anytime something like this happens, the audience eats it up, particularly if the actors handle it with humor and professionalism (as these guys did). They were faced, however, with the problem of what to do with this furniture once the scene was over, since the wagon could not return to the stage to remove it. James took the lead and, while continuing the dialogue of the scene, simply slid the table, then each chair, off-stage. Thunderous applause.</span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5PeHABnqd52M2cnuN5PDI4SgKxogEJmjjyuHkIY3oiJSSv9r1KBwkKZt2XLU3S05Jh98LdT2ePwQSMjuA0uUNf1WDNZY1fDgYQOTEc1ZjcpeE8tsNs_LiptHhCL9z_pVE4SuS5OxMHlF4/s1600/something+rotten+19ROTTEN-master675.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="237" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5PeHABnqd52M2cnuN5PDI4SgKxogEJmjjyuHkIY3oiJSSv9r1KBwkKZt2XLU3S05Jh98LdT2ePwQSMjuA0uUNf1WDNZY1fDgYQOTEc1ZjcpeE8tsNs_LiptHhCL9z_pVE4SuS5OxMHlF4/s320/something+rotten+19ROTTEN-master675.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">In a fairly convoluted plot twist, Shakespeare disguises himself as an itinerant player and auditions for the Bottom Brothers' show. At the preview I attended, Christian Borle mangled his "audition speech" pretty badly, but gamely went back to correct himself with the ad lib "Let me do this again. I really want this job." The house roared approval</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Who cares about such mistakes, particularly at a preview? Our audience surely didn't. Despite the various mishaps, the cast was clearly having a ball, so we did too. <i>Something Rotten!</i> is not the greatest musical out there (it runs out of steam a bit in Act Two), but is certainly great fun and deserves a long, healthy run.</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjLjJ-DdRLndzf8H103_6JdfffllYWAbhBh6CPRWfW_ObHMMABEcdq1mv8l5hyphenhyphenf230CeIwY2EWb4z3_RI_EmfZvZvSFMrX8djD4UF1kDo62apCoSYf58d2MB0_0POuawlNvsgc1jAJqdY7/s1600/something+rotten+1_173217.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjLjJ-DdRLndzf8H103_6JdfffllYWAbhBh6CPRWfW_ObHMMABEcdq1mv8l5hyphenhyphenf230CeIwY2EWb4z3_RI_EmfZvZvSFMrX8djD4UF1kDo62apCoSYf58d2MB0_0POuawlNvsgc1jAJqdY7/s320/something+rotten+1_173217.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>Armchair Actorvisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02873366521914303194noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7146900851769565592.post-48872463528367519592015-11-20T06:45:00.001-05:002021-05-24T05:58:12.654-05:00Friday Dance Party: The Last Time I Saw Paris<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">Everyone's minds and hearts have been on Paris this week. I can only obsess on such tragedies for a while before my mind goes a little berserk. I think it's a coping mechanism. The mind wanders, stream-of-consciously, bringing other, happier, thoughts about Paris to the fore.</span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXxrXbqQKDgnSZatCtMDcGOnWWVVKouKL-aYZ9kTmQVvbLH-GhCzbH4iGXeFMiD7iROTgOp23Glhk4D8zo0VhSjtx31SuoGg5zZk6W6DErDmST_eMJUPHhBTpjFlfyCt5zjABR_oJnbhoy/s1600/Europe+never+recovered.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="151" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXxrXbqQKDgnSZatCtMDcGOnWWVVKouKL-aYZ9kTmQVvbLH-GhCzbH4iGXeFMiD7iROTgOp23Glhk4D8zo0VhSjtx31SuoGg5zZk6W6DErDmST_eMJUPHhBTpjFlfyCt5zjABR_oJnbhoy/s320/Europe+never+recovered.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I spent four days or so in Paris as a teen-ager, and have always had the intention of going back. My memories of the city are sketchy, as my visit was so many decades ago, but until I finally get back there, I revel in the various artistic depictions of the City of Love.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">This week's Dance Party comes from an unusual little film which presents quite a stylized picture of Paris.</span><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTF5evsoVn934eJontzYYExg42YoKX029scEHKybW5X0KYB2eZFGU7VfQTdIc-ce8IfSqZX6_voDQrPqFoqRo4dcU4VXRKoRuxsZlisl1VW9TKFspiRgYFlGlqtSAy8QYsWD7MJ9WCTMpG/s1600/gay+purr-ee+51AQ2E2KPRL.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTF5evsoVn934eJontzYYExg42YoKX029scEHKybW5X0KYB2eZFGU7VfQTdIc-ce8IfSqZX6_voDQrPqFoqRo4dcU4VXRKoRuxsZlisl1VW9TKFspiRgYFlGlqtSAy8QYsWD7MJ9WCTMpG/s320/gay+purr-ee+51AQ2E2KPRL.jpg" width="181" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><br /></span>
<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">In 1962, the scrappy independent animation studio United Productions of America, or UPA, released an artsy cartoon feature which set a bit of a precedent. </span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-oj3mnEpS1ZeWrDeJa3hDwkUS8yC6cC11VHhAO_KVx3tYxNMnzxlnKY31NRilTEBZXQGohyphenhyphen4A0VF5KQDwG3XE8K6w2xjYArMj-Q5QUVVo1kzLAxYuRx9e8rEu8nkRdG6PyaBrheshlGT7/s1600/gay+purr33.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="295" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-oj3mnEpS1ZeWrDeJa3hDwkUS8yC6cC11VHhAO_KVx3tYxNMnzxlnKY31NRilTEBZXQGohyphenhyphen4A0VF5KQDwG3XE8K6w2xjYArMj-Q5QUVVo1kzLAxYuRx9e8rEu8nkRdG6PyaBrheshlGT7/s320/gay+purr33.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It was highly unusual, at that time, for established stars to lend their voices to animation. The thinking, I suppose, was that producers did not want audiences picturing famous people when watching their cartoons. It's commonly done now, of course, and in fact, it's difficult to find ANY animated feature film these days which does not brag a boatload of stars voicing the characters. Back in 1962, this was quite unusual.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><i>Gay Pur-ee</i> placed two stars in its two leading roles, and two other stars as featured players. </span><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">Judy Garland was in the midst of (yet another) comeback, and Robert Goulet, fresh off his breakout performance in Broadway's <i>Camelot</i>, was at the height</span><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"> of his celebrity. Character actors Red Buttons and Hermione Gingold were enlisted to support these headliners, together bringing a lot of star power to this animated flick.</span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEij_ps3a9NQKtUwOM04tPd6E8rDHv3UjBfn4swAgQ6hzb5hDk_yf6j67jzEEzHnyv-bcNvzUYbHlXUHOe4vziu9oVaqKq251ecFpRBzR-DbILaFqbeR87Kjko9w3lIZ1QJTTzFX4uA9EUdZ/s1600/gay+purr+ee+MV5BMTg1MTkzMTI4Nl5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTYwMTc2MjU2__V1_SX640_SY720_.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="251" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEij_ps3a9NQKtUwOM04tPd6E8rDHv3UjBfn4swAgQ6hzb5hDk_yf6j67jzEEzHnyv-bcNvzUYbHlXUHOe4vziu9oVaqKq251ecFpRBzR-DbILaFqbeR87Kjko9w3lIZ1QJTTzFX4uA9EUdZ/s320/gay+purr+ee+MV5BMTg1MTkzMTI4Nl5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTYwMTc2MjU2__V1_SX640_SY720_.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 12.8px;"><i>Gay Purr-ee</i>'s story was definitely overshadowed by its score, </span><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">which includes one of Garland's favorite songs, "Little Drops</span><br />
<span style="font-size: 12.8px;">of Rain." The tune made its way into Judy's subsequent acts </span><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">(she also sings it on the Christmas episode of her </span><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">variety series). </span><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">The clip below is not that song, </span><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">but showcases the stylized </span><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">animation of the film, </span><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">as well as Garland's flawless vocal </span><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">performance.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihDPhLzjbEnyRqslOWdr6luU7RSgdIEM0i1EFxNvLGs6OyuMmNTfrXXbf9kvDf_dKIPh_VdhNVu0CsUHpWPt3xYesEdl1Z-QTQvv2IYDcZMSLFuyqdhZI-ARSNlJkVVsxqPPr6rWOFMO4F/s1600/gay+purr+ee+imagesFFAGLM0K.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihDPhLzjbEnyRqslOWdr6luU7RSgdIEM0i1EFxNvLGs6OyuMmNTfrXXbf9kvDf_dKIPh_VdhNVu0CsUHpWPt3xYesEdl1Z-QTQvv2IYDcZMSLFuyqdhZI-ARSNlJkVVsxqPPr6rWOFMO4F/s1600/gay+purr+ee+imagesFFAGLM0K.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Director Abe Levitow used the paintings of Monet,<br />
Cezanne, and others to create the film's very<br />
unusual look.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">At Garland's suggestion, UPA enlisted Harold Arlen and E.Y. Harburg, the songwriting team famous for, among other pieces, a little thing called <i>The Wizard of Oz.</i> They provided a musical score which was much more sophisticated than was usually heard in animated films. They made very good use of their stars; Garland and Goulet both sound fabulous on the film's soundtrack.</span><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-BZyVZuQfIkSKP2KJYvdn9BiFvDuhH5IefhZi94u56jJ-54nJS6mijFw5aYeqnxbAJzGtTnMd6Af7GHl9Kf1jmc013kXhNzaViRIVj6_3NH0doxLeDnWmh6_33i7ZHwTWrnZV_hXFj7aB/s1600/Dick+tracy1961cartoon.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-BZyVZuQfIkSKP2KJYvdn9BiFvDuhH5IefhZi94u56jJ-54nJS6mijFw5aYeqnxbAJzGtTnMd6Af7GHl9Kf1jmc013kXhNzaViRIVj6_3NH0doxLeDnWmh6_33i7ZHwTWrnZV_hXFj7aB/s320/Dick+tracy1961cartoon.jpg" width="234" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">UPA's technique of "limited animation"<br />
allowed the product to be completed in<br />
record time. The studio moved into TV,<br />
creating one of my favorite series as a kid.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><br /></span>
<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">The film was written by Dorothy Webster Jones and her husband, Chuck Jones, who was a giant in the cartoon industry. He actually worked on the film in violation of his contract with Warner Brothers, an act which caused his dismissal from the studio which had benefited from his prestigious work with Bugs Bunny and his crowd. (Mel Blanc, the major voice artist for Warner Brothers animation, was also involved with <i>Gay Purr-ee</i>).</span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3LNxPPHzZOKNgosWKOFwbHn3_eEAHLdPJSkiylJY-JYTGtyRKblb5W07cJjlLyotWZbCRqR4efJcxxUl3Z34Nf0wjtSOu5iQS4IYNS2OURXEB_9Ns2KIo9ZT05QvpBl10hzAElzwHUW9G/s1600/gay+purr-ee+tumblr_me519pHhuY1qklbyzo1_500.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3LNxPPHzZOKNgosWKOFwbHn3_eEAHLdPJSkiylJY-JYTGtyRKblb5W07cJjlLyotWZbCRqR4efJcxxUl3Z34Nf0wjtSOu5iQS4IYNS2OURXEB_9Ns2KIo9ZT05QvpBl10hzAElzwHUW9G/s320/gay+purr-ee+tumblr_me519pHhuY1qklbyzo1_500.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I did not see <i>Gay Purr-ee</i> in the theaters, and once it hit television, I did my best to love it. I find it more admirable than lovable. Even watching it as an adult, I find it difficult to get through in one sitting. Cloying character names like "Mewsette" and "Meowrice" don't help.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9FPSp4LXVJBKh9zjJAbvrvVtKSk0laIR5REQUBWtbEDDCUJv7rlR3nplQChjmd_rDcUb2qfwTpZA08Z86_fc7yZgfME2VbroZxUIuwV9Plu3DalXcw8bonV7YcFSE8Ua38JFrvFoOa8wH/s1600/gay+purr+ee+imagesVHSNDPEP.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9FPSp4LXVJBKh9zjJAbvrvVtKSk0laIR5REQUBWtbEDDCUJv7rlR3nplQChjmd_rDcUb2qfwTpZA08Z86_fc7yZgfME2VbroZxUIuwV9Plu3DalXcw8bonV7YcFSE8Ua38JFrvFoOa8wH/s1600/gay+purr+ee+imagesVHSNDPEP.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The villains in <i>Gay Purr-ee</i> were voiced by Hermione<br />
Gingold and voice-over legend Paul Frees.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">UPA pioneered a new process called "limited animation," which reused backgrounds much like live action films use stock footage. This technique drastically cut down the amount of time it took to create animation, and was a direct contrast to the prevailing Disney style of super realism. The technique also gave the finished product an unusual stylized form which, to me, looked cheap. Well, what did I know? It was less expensive, but it could also be used in imaginative ways, which was certainly the way it was used in <i>Gay Pur-ee.</i> This week's clip illustrates the point.</span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdJfd1lhv10Zw-V1CUHQ0-rgo9LYAPsNH3e0s3Wf1gpBvLhvqJOyTiRT5ORUi86AnPS_Q6YEwORoCYtCH5gB0nS_IqhUUet71W18B1mOlF1Z0KhvpItAwmpKtMMzSQnKifVWOj7C1mKy4t/s1600/gay+purr+ee+imagesN6MSJUZB.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdJfd1lhv10Zw-V1CUHQ0-rgo9LYAPsNH3e0s3Wf1gpBvLhvqJOyTiRT5ORUi86AnPS_Q6YEwORoCYtCH5gB0nS_IqhUUet71W18B1mOlF1Z0KhvpItAwmpKtMMzSQnKifVWOj7C1mKy4t/s1600/gay+purr+ee+imagesN6MSJUZB.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Unfortunately, the story containing these artsy images is a pretty lousy one, concerning a country cat who, longing for the excitement of the big city, escapes to Paris, where she is seduced by evil forces and is ultimately rescued by the love she left behind.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">UPA only produced two feature films, and was known primarily as the studio which brought us Mr Magoo. (I was never a fan of Magoo, but UPA also produced a pretty slick Dick Tracy series of which I was quite fond). The same year <i>Gay Pur-ee</i> was released, UPA created a Christmas classic for television when it presented <i>Mr Magoo's Christmas Carol</i>. </span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhO1qAlvYZNyxGd2QmetyOZ06V7rQGH_8muVPl3HT3AYuoCng6Z9btqzwQRbnjgucQ2p3KOKOZ0jKQX3-OqjaxEJP_6Vxnn2764UNFbJ7bJRQ6Wyo3xFkO6ugQ2LKqbAGtZXWqqkaStKCKC/s1600/mr+magoopic1.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="153" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhO1qAlvYZNyxGd2QmetyOZ06V7rQGH_8muVPl3HT3AYuoCng6Z9btqzwQRbnjgucQ2p3KOKOZ0jKQX3-OqjaxEJP_6Vxnn2764UNFbJ7bJRQ6Wyo3xFkO6ugQ2LKqbAGtZXWqqkaStKCKC/s320/mr+magoopic1.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Like <i>Gay Pur-ee</i>, this one hour version of Dickens's story featured an established songwriting team. Jule Styne and Bob Merrill were working on their score for <i>Funny Girl</i> while writing the tunes for this project, which is in fact the first animated Christmas special ever produced for television. It received its own <a href="http://armchairactorvist.blogspot.com/2008/11/winter-was-warm.html">Dance Party here.</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">UPA's newer, faster animation technique was well suited for the pace necessary for television production, and it was adopted by other studios, most notably Hanna-Barbara, who had great success using it for their Flintstones and Jetsons franchises. UPA itself ceased producing cartoons in the early 70s and became known as the American distributor of Japanese movies such as <i>Godzilla</i>.</span><br />
<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><br /></span>
<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">Here's Judy Garland singing an ode to Paris. It's a pretty torchy number, perhaps the only of its kind sung by an animated cat, but this clip gives a very good illustration of the style of this unique film. It's not much solace for the horrors of the past few week, but it makes me feel a little better.</span> <iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/flGvpq9qGs8" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>Armchair Actorvisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02873366521914303194noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7146900851769565592.post-47135413001440419922015-11-13T10:13:00.000-05:002015-11-15T10:13:59.770-05:00Friday Dance Party: Seven Year Itch<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT_nC3yEEyDYTriWRxfEM5hJtCXhjxK1bbTwJU4Y1l_-jYe09A7VBUsUOCYYpSBi_jtkXjw43pa5xywh3PbQIJ9C1FsLULwom56Xo2pnLEU5LqcYS31D96F7PbmHbRVadAFbYIItIZKb9G/s1600/7th+anniversay+tija.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT_nC3yEEyDYTriWRxfEM5hJtCXhjxK1bbTwJU4Y1l_-jYe09A7VBUsUOCYYpSBi_jtkXjw43pa5xywh3PbQIJ9C1FsLULwom56Xo2pnLEU5LqcYS31D96F7PbmHbRVadAFbYIItIZKb9G/s1600/7th+anniversay+tija.jpg" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">Just as I attempt to reactivate the Dance Party (only last week, as a matter of fact), I turn the page of my planner (yes, I still use a planner. It's 22 years old and I'll never give it up) and find that this weekend marks the 7th Anniversary of the weekly Dance Party on this site. Yikes.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana"; font-size: small;"></span><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaYa9ViPpgme_V9CA2hpi1pYZwzX-GeR8S1u4U9GMnDkgR-e97Ce8IP_IAygydcEMkJfMOH9yFq0iV6VD7t2Q5SOaSH67zwC4TF1g_zLJbaqB1ZsBYwFEu6ygMth3lSRui6aF0gZNhey4W/s1600/larry+dalke+the-mini.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaYa9ViPpgme_V9CA2hpi1pYZwzX-GeR8S1u4U9GMnDkgR-e97Ce8IP_IAygydcEMkJfMOH9yFq0iV6VD7t2Q5SOaSH67zwC4TF1g_zLJbaqB1ZsBYwFEu6ygMth3lSRui6aF0gZNhey4W/s1600/larry+dalke+the-mini.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I used to give an annual shout out to this<br />
guy. Larry Dalke invented the Dance Party <br />
and promptly gave up on it. <br />
He probably saw the monster it would <br />
become in these pages.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "verdana"; font-size: small;">In its early years, in fact up until about 2 years ago, I was very conscientious about creating an entry every week. At each year's anniversary, I would congratulate myself by writing a little rundown of all the clips presented that year. Once I fell out of the habit of the weekly entry, the annual review also disappeared. I hope to continue the Party on a weekly basis, since I actually enjoy the research and the compiling of the entries, I just got lazy. Allow me to review the relatively few Dance Parties which have appeared in these pages the last few years. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana"; font-size: small;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana"; font-size: small;">I used to celebrate various holidays with DP clips, but I'm surprise to see that, looking over the past two years, I did that only four times. </span><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7Q8nCP7WNxGmwlU1evNSKjOF1NsOeaFdgIuLfPuP94c_cb4ZtFpNI1Ec7Vvtlc5fU_vtyTK0Htm_LQdLckEd_A-s7MDLavR0c3VI9mCtydPXAPKUiosMEmUDcyMFlBlDBCEuWs1xvoANy/s1600/rita+moreno+hqdefault.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7Q8nCP7WNxGmwlU1evNSKjOF1NsOeaFdgIuLfPuP94c_cb4ZtFpNI1Ec7Vvtlc5fU_vtyTK0Htm_LQdLckEd_A-s7MDLavR0c3VI9mCtydPXAPKUiosMEmUDcyMFlBlDBCEuWs1xvoANy/s320/rita+moreno+hqdefault.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://armchairactorvist.blogspot.com/2013/11/friday-dance-party-working-on.html">Rita Moreno's turn as a waitress in the musical <i>Working</i></a><br />
reminded me of the many Thanksgivings I worked as a waiter. Confession: I actually considered using her song as an audition piece.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "verdana"; font-size: small;">For Christmas, I talked about my favorite Christmas carol ("Little Drummer Boy") which <a href="http://armchairactorvist.blogspot.com/2013/12/friday-dance-party-boy-and-his-drum.html"><i>The West Wing </i>used to great effect here. </a></span><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi93c66Gubv0nMmMaO5me6ISj1sTWdn0Fwu_Id5DY_a-xJ78Rnv2nqlEKbv-dynB1e-QMafJENu77IsRt4CcT62YCGkj9t5m_-ioWUjRrTkD9yaxU54WV3bJRlmOOrXT4d5FRH0msBAtPeV/s1600/christine+ebersol_lgl.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi93c66Gubv0nMmMaO5me6ISj1sTWdn0Fwu_Id5DY_a-xJ78Rnv2nqlEKbv-dynB1e-QMafJENu77IsRt4CcT62YCGkj9t5m_-ioWUjRrTkD9yaxU54WV3bJRlmOOrXT4d5FRH0msBAtPeV/s1600/christine+ebersol_lgl.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Independence Day was celebrated with a very revolutionary<br />
outfit, courtesy of Christine Ebersole.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "verdana"; font-size: small;">As almost always happens, New Years rolled around a week later, so I wrote about the great Frank Loesser song which he meant to be sung in springtime, but which has now become <a href="http://armchairactorvist.blogspot.com/2013/12/new-years-dance-party-jackpot-question.html">a New Years Eve perennial.</a> And the 4th of July last year gave me the chance to showcase one of the <a href="http://armchairactorvist.blogspot.com/2014/07/friday-dance-party-heres-to-lady-whos.html">great Broadway stars of our generation, Christine Ebersole.</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana"; font-size: small;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana"; font-size: small;">Speaking of Broadway, the Tony Awards inspired two entries a year ago. <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFew6Uu1clyN7TIVG71BIGUkYu_KFL-0yiS_vHFj0PhYZImUJ-PPj4M7oUS-63lkQoI5ZPPwbCLEKvQrqS9V3w9TDpJ9oU4VxFAko7OA0V3-96tcb-Hd1BrEiNFPXo1fUhPPMoUKYVhlhE/s1600/jessie+mueller+beautcurt13_1389628883.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFew6Uu1clyN7TIVG71BIGUkYu_KFL-0yiS_vHFj0PhYZImUJ-PPj4M7oUS-63lkQoI5ZPPwbCLEKvQrqS9V3w9TDpJ9oU4VxFAko7OA0V3-96tcb-Hd1BrEiNFPXo1fUhPPMoUKYVhlhE/s320/jessie+mueller+beautcurt13_1389628883.jpg" width="211" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tony winning Jessie Mueller as<br />
Carole King.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Carole King, who was not nominated for anything, came up a winner anyway when her portrayer, my favorite <a href="http://armchairactorvist.blogspot.com/2014/06/friday-dance-party-tapestry-of-rich-and.html">Jessie Mueller, snagged the Best Actress prize.</a> Sadly, another of my favorites, Tyne Daly, was a big ol' loser that year, so I compensated her with <a href="http://armchairactorvist.blogspot.com/2014/06/friday-dance-party-andres-mother-and.html">her own entry</a>.</span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikdk6uK149L1oVJmUUDnidoSWAmSPNtkbPTad6hCLpZs5m1J_OFgRZ87cfmh9EBacqgwgrB68mSigtoh72hQaFlqDDu8K5oAKK54Zdr0qyuOgRKfzmneeFDSMdnC-c92mB062-U_plKwal/s1600/tyne+daly+untitled.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikdk6uK149L1oVJmUUDnidoSWAmSPNtkbPTad6hCLpZs5m1J_OFgRZ87cfmh9EBacqgwgrB68mSigtoh72hQaFlqDDu8K5oAKK54Zdr0qyuOgRKfzmneeFDSMdnC-c92mB062-U_plKwal/s320/tyne+daly+untitled.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Terrence McNally wrote a play specifically for Tyne Daly, <i>Mothers and Sons</i>, for which they each received a Tony nomination. They both lost, and the show closed a week later. The least I could do was give them a Dance Party.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "verdana";">Speaking of the Tonys, did <i>The Sound of Music</i> win any awards way back when? I'm too lazy to look it up, but I do know that the Live presentation on NBC last year, starring a reality TV star turned C/W singer, won derision from critics but ratings so stellar that it triggered a mini-trend. </span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji19qjpU7L33M0zk_lPGUf6zd6HIn3Nr37LfMGkXtvefoIswOhaBRdyZXjSAiCxScFLtfpi918JYfB1Ca8NZD03_u8zHxaCo128S-iU4e_PY4OgpGJ7dHb1hkx2uvfTwIPBO5ZOAFo66s1/s1600/sound+of+music+untitled.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="192" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji19qjpU7L33M0zk_lPGUf6zd6HIn3Nr37LfMGkXtvefoIswOhaBRdyZXjSAiCxScFLtfpi918JYfB1Ca8NZD03_u8zHxaCo128S-iU4e_PY4OgpGJ7dHb1hkx2uvfTwIPBO5ZOAFo66s1/s320/sound+of+music+untitled.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Is there anything more frightening than a nun with a guitar? The masses didn't care, as the ratings went through the roof for <i>The Sound of Music Live!</i>. <a href="http://armchairactorvist.blogspot.com/2013/12/friday-dance-party-funny-thing-happened.html">Go here for my report, </a>which included my wish for a future live presentation (complete with Perfect Casting Suggestions)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2lcfv5IO4N2Cyf2_vHxoTXdGxftqdQ4t45BvxJ8A9msUn-eKXL_PuvzFYJm-y_oi0JTFurTWg0pAkPjHHpq7Ojordv2GnISBSHpk8N6FUw0I60TBl3qwLPw6lmzFS62rsx6sY52SisdIJ/s1600/christian+borle+vlcsnap-2014-12-05-18h28m04s145.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2lcfv5IO4N2Cyf2_vHxoTXdGxftqdQ4t45BvxJ8A9msUn-eKXL_PuvzFYJm-y_oi0JTFurTWg0pAkPjHHpq7Ojordv2GnISBSHpk8N6FUw0I60TBl3qwLPw6lmzFS62rsx6sY52SisdIJ/s320/christian+borle+vlcsnap-2014-12-05-18h28m04s145.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">NBC followed up their <i>Sound of Music Live</i> with a truly<br />
dreadful <i>Peter Pan</i>, starring a somnambulent Christopher<br />
Walken but co-starring current Broadway Stud Christian<br />
Borle, who appeared in <a href="http://armchairactorvist.blogspot.com/2015/11/friday-dance-party-mad-about-borle.html">last week's Dance Party</a>.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "verdana";">Birthdays and Deathdays have always played a big part in inspiring Dance Parties, and the past 2 years were no exception. When Sondheim (he doesn't need a first name in these pages) turned 85 the same week his hit film <i>Into the Woods </i>was released on DVD, </span><span style="font-family: "verdana";">we had to <a href="http://armchairactorvist.blogspot.com/2015/03/friday-dance-party-or-means-more-than.html">hear from Meryl Streep</a>. When Jerry Herman hit 83, we enjoyed the <a href="http://armchairactorvist.blogspot.com/2014/07/friday-dance-party-dancing-at-prom.html">danciest party in recent years</a>, imported from Britain. When <a href="http://armchairactorvist.blogspot.com/2014/05/friday-dance-party-neither-pastoral-nor.html">Charles Kimbrough turned 78, we got two little clips</a>, a live action song and a cartoon ditty. Neither of them came from his biggest success, <i>Murphy Brown.</i></span><br />
<div style="text-align: right;">
</div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmfFFuNafJJ0cPH8b4XuoLTwaQ6ZGLhYjD6cjDdF8E8nE0A75brIOTbJozQIwQRLuVMkSLn5J6W5C-fJmvv3Lay8KlvanDqsPyTSkFofW_gflleaUA6YeElhHmQjlW2fridf7PIK8cuYrx/s1600/karen+Morrow-7-edit.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="279" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmfFFuNafJJ0cPH8b4XuoLTwaQ6ZGLhYjD6cjDdF8E8nE0A75brIOTbJozQIwQRLuVMkSLn5J6W5C-fJmvv3Lay8KlvanDqsPyTSkFofW_gflleaUA6YeElhHmQjlW2fridf7PIK8cuYrx/s320/karen+Morrow-7-edit.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 12.8000001907349px;"><a href="http://armchairactorvist.blogspot.com/2013/12/friday-dance-party-on-morrow.html">Karen Morrow is one of my very favorite belters</a>, so when she</span><br />
<span style="font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">had a birthday, we had to take note.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "verdana"; font-size: small;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana"; font-size: small;">As I mentioned, Deathdays also inspire entries. Being dead does not disqualify anyone from the Dance Party. </span><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5jz0Xbz778ynRf2gTfdfVqnIaw3n4M9-BNawo0Bns0AcP0IIA4mmuibytldM6dOsBvvmvUz9GTHRaG8TRoTge2PW-jpill6EFVhCeN8QCkrAJh8esS5xjQMVr4qoOgMcc9V9ftvNP4m9P/s1600/Sammy+Davis-374x252.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="215" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5jz0Xbz778ynRf2gTfdfVqnIaw3n4M9-BNawo0Bns0AcP0IIA4mmuibytldM6dOsBvvmvUz9GTHRaG8TRoTge2PW-jpill6EFVhCeN8QCkrAJh8esS5xjQMVr4qoOgMcc9V9ftvNP4m9P/s320/Sammy+Davis-374x252.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sammy Davis, Jr., as Mr. Bojangles</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "verdana"; font-size: small;">The anniversary of the death of Sammy Davis, Jr reminded me of his fondness for <a href="http://armchairactorvist.blogspot.com/2014/05/friday-dance-party-bojangles-in-jumpsuit.html">a particular song about a particular hoofer</a>, which he performed on Flip Wilson's ultra-groovy TV series. </span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhedApZKV8PXWCDTitymZh9s-dlS0C52ZeFiFPmd0nlZ87knHXGNsLhfnHUbeG00MdnfdLtg84gUEiRcRBSVpo_CbA01KliN1eBqngS5s1TvnHRPaAtvQ4cxmM_fiZ8Be0QD-Nl7t5tvL1c/s1600/moms+mabley-jackie-moms-001-jpg.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhedApZKV8PXWCDTitymZh9s-dlS0C52ZeFiFPmd0nlZ87knHXGNsLhfnHUbeG00MdnfdLtg84gUEiRcRBSVpo_CbA01KliN1eBqngS5s1TvnHRPaAtvQ4cxmM_fiZ8Be0QD-Nl7t5tvL1c/s320/moms+mabley-jackie-moms-001-jpg.jpg" width="254" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Moms Mabley provided the most <a href="http://armchairactorvist.blogspot.com/2013/11/friday-dance-party-abraham-mobley-and.html">unlikely Dance Party </a>of the past two years, on the 50th anniversary of the assassination of John F. Kennedy.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFxtyQ1TKWmt1jAE-xiqIRIGOxa8ya56f0RMhJ4E6WyQDM3VrL19cRIqO0Bqi2vbQ2xpbVEsHuTebfGB99ebJbJdbm7o8gqZ6HaHtqoV81oRKRh0Ztc03viITIcuUFrrdGrksFRDHUXf4n/s1600/lucille+ball+02c48280ab48f60fff828ca415f07ef4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFxtyQ1TKWmt1jAE-xiqIRIGOxa8ya56f0RMhJ4E6WyQDM3VrL19cRIqO0Bqi2vbQ2xpbVEsHuTebfGB99ebJbJdbm7o8gqZ6HaHtqoV81oRKRh0Ztc03viITIcuUFrrdGrksFRDHUXf4n/s1600/lucille+ball+02c48280ab48f60fff828ca415f07ef4.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">When director Gene Saks went to his maker, I<br />
enjoyed reviewing his illustrious career, but<br />
could no resist capping it with <a href="http://armchairactorvist.blogspot.com/2015/04/friday-dance-party-simonizer.html">his most</a><br />
<a href="http://armchairactorvist.blogspot.com/2015/04/friday-dance-party-simonizer.html">notorious bomb: Lucy as <i>Mame</i>.</a></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana";">Elaine Stritch's death did not come as a surprise, as she had retired due to ill health and advancing age less than a year earlier, but it was a sad event nonetheless. Instead of presenting one of her signature tunes ("I'm Still Here, Broadway Baby, Why Do The Wrong People Travel", etc), I was pleased to showcase her very dry humor with <a href="http://armchairactorvist.blogspot.com/2014/07/friday-dance-party-that-existential.html">this clip from a Rodgers and Hart classic.</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana"; font-size: small;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana"; font-size: small;">"You can't have New York City without Queens," some wag once said, and it's equally true that you can't have the Dance Party without them either. <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjS_ZeBuMRbaOfmQr7tdiYB8Yuo4CI7iYfFE8gJMG4NITaqRS3pAvWMxASkQwSUJJJEJjXlLdjW8tShZPqNkPyyUhhd2Y1KA3tvmxVXgTimBKhmuJKDHxxDRBr1_s4EtrIIUns4B2es5IYw/s1600/barry+manilow+imagesOVFCBA4N.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjS_ZeBuMRbaOfmQr7tdiYB8Yuo4CI7iYfFE8gJMG4NITaqRS3pAvWMxASkQwSUJJJEJjXlLdjW8tShZPqNkPyyUhhd2Y1KA3tvmxVXgTimBKhmuJKDHxxDRBr1_s4EtrIIUns4B2es5IYw/s1600/barry+manilow+imagesOVFCBA4N.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Manilow's gay marriage was met<br />
with shrugs. Show biz types rarely<br />
get much press for coming out<br />
these days<span style="font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Two gents got their own entries when they stepped out of the closet. I was pleased to report that both revelations induced more shrugs than shrieks; show biz personalities revealing their homosexuality isn't newsworthy anymore, all those histrionics are now saved for the instances when sports figures come out. But still, when <a href="http://armchairactorvist.blogspot.com/2015/04/friday-dance-party-barry-oh-marry.html">Barry Manilow married his longtime business manager, he got a cartoon DP</a>, and when octogenarian <a href="http://armchairactorvist.blogspot.com/2015/02/friday-dance-party-joel-and-me.html">Joel Grey revealed his sexuality, I discussed how we are practically twins.</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana"; font-size: small;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana"; font-size: small;">There were a handful of Dance Parties which were inspired by nothing much. Angela Lansbury has made frequent appearances here over the years, so when she was Damed by the Queen, we took a peek at one of <a href="http://armchairactorvist.blogspot.com/2014/01/friday-dance-party-there-is-nothing.html">her very early film musicals.</a> When I saw a local production of <a href="http://armchairactorvist.blogspot.com/2014/06/friday-dance-party-mackies-back-in-town.html"><i>The Threepenny Opera</i>, Pearl Bailey and Dinah Shore dropped by for a duet</a>. <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqhm7KQiYo1iucSiUpKHp1xjXWkn3eE_OkNU1yu1BbTjBUuL1E4EfoJ5CRT0g192XahuEYnig3GqimmCwam02QgN_y1xwPqFL4UIZ9mYsGD2PWz5Knwp8gioC3L-BTp59phOCKUh8yzl0I/s1600/jane-lynch-206.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqhm7KQiYo1iucSiUpKHp1xjXWkn3eE_OkNU1yu1BbTjBUuL1E4EfoJ5CRT0g192XahuEYnig3GqimmCwam02QgN_y1xwPqFL4UIZ9mYsGD2PWz5Knwp8gioC3L-BTp59phOCKUh8yzl0I/s1600/jane-lynch-206.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jane Lynch channeled Madonna when<a href="http://armchairactorvist.blogspot.com/2015/03/friday-dance-party-strike-final-pose.html"> I</a><br />
<a href="http://armchairactorvist.blogspot.com/2015/03/friday-dance-party-strike-final-pose.html">wrote a bit about <i>Glee</i>'s finale.</a></td></tr>
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Though I'm not a huge fan of Rodgers and Hammerstein, I had to admit that their <a href="http://armchairactorvist.blogspot.com/2014/05/friday-dance-party-girl-whos-merely-she.html"><i>Stepsisters' Lament</i> is a real hoot, and always has been</a>: two versions, starring three of my favorite character actresses, proved the point.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana"; font-size: small;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana"; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: small;">When the Dance Party first appeared in these pages, it was envisioned as a way to enjoy pure dance. That concept fell by the wayside pretty quickly, and the majority of entries over the years (a whopping 276 of them!) have featured musical performances which did not necessarily feature dance. But in keeping with tradition, the Annual Review Dance Party presents a clip starring amateur youngsters displaying enthusiastic talent. Here are a couple of teens who love to boogie.</span></span>
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/1QQzbCmlZM4" width="420"></iframe>Armchair Actorvisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02873366521914303194noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7146900851769565592.post-15885229291044365512015-11-06T20:11:00.000-05:002015-11-08T19:16:23.794-05:00Friday Dance Party: Mad About The Borle<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgF8eNB5Srpu6oI0VEY-y_ZHjv36yB9ueyNHuDGXYkkrAB9KMJQrdYCsRhCTt0QfLSKW5tc0fmBOb2uwo40LT83R0ogFYABKRgSvEw_z2D6Um0wB_M3ZgFJleCkJ1wliNlafqNLodF_AWHL/s1600/christian+borle+463772536.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgF8eNB5Srpu6oI0VEY-y_ZHjv36yB9ueyNHuDGXYkkrAB9KMJQrdYCsRhCTt0QfLSKW5tc0fmBOb2uwo40LT83R0ogFYABKRgSvEw_z2D6Um0wB_M3ZgFJleCkJ1wliNlafqNLodF_AWHL/s320/christian+borle+463772536.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">As this site lurches uncertainly back to life, we pay tribute to my favorite Broadway Go-To Guy. He first attracted national attention more than a decade ago, in this fun commercial below. Who IS this guy??</span><br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/9SQKJkmTAhE" width="420"></iframe>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I confess I don't remember ever seeing this commercial, but it is fondly remembered by most fans of Christian Borle (and I am one of those).</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana";"></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-YUu8azq-WzwdIJ5tMocnfQHS6kd65f2Uu3ZH8KHHuavD0oUjUa2Ggbq0CSIeG5HN33ZPckvVBRyA1aZkkrNHuZ0Hz3J-NTdhYNG_xpXy8xPg7uxcV7PZmNsGSjLxvchdcUiGR4reQcMc/s1600/christian+borle+tn-1000_wm00189844156.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-YUu8azq-WzwdIJ5tMocnfQHS6kd65f2Uu3ZH8KHHuavD0oUjUa2Ggbq0CSIeG5HN33ZPckvVBRyA1aZkkrNHuZ0Hz3J-NTdhYNG_xpXy8xPg7uxcV7PZmNsGSjLxvchdcUiGR4reQcMc/s320/christian+borle+tn-1000_wm00189844156.jpg" width="221" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Broadway musicals do not usually appeal<br />
to the MTV audience, even one based on a<br />
tweenie movie, so the network's broadcast<br />
of<em> Legally Blonde</em> still confuses me.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana";">The first time I ever saw Borle's work was probably in the stage version of <em>Legally Blonde</em>, though I didn't know it at the time. In 2007, MTV made the unusual decision to air the original Broadway production in its entirety. I did my best with it, but could not get through the thing, mostly due to the unending commercial breaks inserted. So I know I saw Borle, who played love interest Emmett (and who earned a Tony nomination for his work), but frankly, I don't remember him.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-byCK02rVvJ9sMpx1mEQDEo82GrLpQmFDVXjhEQY6_vUPRDDsQwayqoyaIOVrvN5GfbmxKtsJdP3_WLNq0ThxmevX8KrjIj1TQHE0tJyXaMLRP51ZeseMyZ4m2LovbREW8YJuu-dlcEdQ/s1600/christian+borle+100513-marypoppins_grid-6x2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-byCK02rVvJ9sMpx1mEQDEo82GrLpQmFDVXjhEQY6_vUPRDDsQwayqoyaIOVrvN5GfbmxKtsJdP3_WLNq0ThxmevX8KrjIj1TQHE0tJyXaMLRP51ZeseMyZ4m2LovbREW8YJuu-dlcEdQ/s320/christian+borle+100513-marypoppins_grid-6x2.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">As Bert in <em>Mary Poppins</em></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLnKi0hTj5QjiLuayeuXeEFHsQnWmzRfqPOi94D-bup2u6h3Ttuu4eFePjyjXcPjrb7jM47h42HNvYqnQ8Zkt5mEQvrvDEh2gGbxdv9cZ5c4akHmuwu1TJHhZx4VG62oen6_N9bLWlcJdT/s1600/christian+borle1_1337966738.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLnKi0hTj5QjiLuayeuXeEFHsQnWmzRfqPOi94D-bup2u6h3Ttuu4eFePjyjXcPjrb7jM47h42HNvYqnQ8Zkt5mEQvrvDEh2gGbxdv9cZ5c4akHmuwu1TJHhZx4VG62oen6_N9bLWlcJdT/s320/christian+borle1_1337966738.jpg" width="189" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Borle held his own among comic<br />
experts Hank Azaria, Tim Curry,<br />
and David Hyde Pierce in <em>Spamalot</em>.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "verdana";"><em>Legally Blonde</em> was Borle's first Tony nod, but not his first Broadway appearance. He had replaced actors in <em>Thoroughly Modern Millie</em> and <em>Mary Poppins,</em> and originated several roles in <em>Spamalot</em> (including everyone's favorite Not Dead Fred). I had heard Christian Borle's name tossed around theatrical circles for quite a while before I actually saw the guy, and it wasn't onstage at all. <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5Zt8DvohWDNmDXWYN3atj0T3vRvJ_9Up9JOWnlCuGhTXqidfQWzsg3tYJDB5OQ3UQcmX2jBcFIXV-0koHwMrPF1XsP9Z_aLSob1W0j4Orgnmi7r6x9tSoVOrFYuhoER4YgC9OYLYrHmtt/s1600/Christian+Borle7-DebraMessing.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5Zt8DvohWDNmDXWYN3atj0T3vRvJ_9Up9JOWnlCuGhTXqidfQWzsg3tYJDB5OQ3UQcmX2jBcFIXV-0koHwMrPF1XsP9Z_aLSob1W0j4Orgnmi7r6x9tSoVOrFYuhoER4YgC9OYLYrHmtt/s320/Christian+Borle7-DebraMessing.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">On stage he's often flamboyantly<br />
theatrical, but in <em>Smash</em>, Borle gave<br />
a nuanced and unassuming<br />
performance.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
He gained national attention with his leading role in <em>Smash</em>, NBC's noble attempt to musicalize episodic television. The show ran two seasons, and Borle's character was a major presence throughout. (<em>Smash</em> had its own Dance Party a while back, <a href="http://armchairactorvist.blogspot.com/2013/04/friday-dance-party-national-smashtime.html">go here</a>.)</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhC15st0MAJYT8sXJPY62C58G-_-jhI-kHekWGSUl4Lw1b_bmSeuuzhMHgZZuW5_lVQOflqPDkYqhu7n7uTLzGnyYIwbzKBqzWa5sa5eFN6lGVwwoVzI-cPcQG5yf2zpYVQheMFVT3_50wz/s1600/christian+borle+mqdefault.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhC15st0MAJYT8sXJPY62C58G-_-jhI-kHekWGSUl4Lw1b_bmSeuuzhMHgZZuW5_lVQOflqPDkYqhu7n7uTLzGnyYIwbzKBqzWa5sa5eFN6lGVwwoVzI-cPcQG5yf2zpYVQheMFVT3_50wz/s1600/christian+borle+mqdefault.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Christian's costar in the current <em>Something Rotten!,</em> Heidi Blickenstaff, hosted a video blog for a while, an entertaining look at the backstage shenanigans. Borle was regularly seen sitting in his dressing room clutching a book (he spends more time offstage than just about anyone else in his cast). "Book Nook" became appointment viewing among us Borlites.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana";">During this period, Borle was also heavily involved in <em>Peter and the Starcatcher</em>, an unusual little play-with-music which was an impressive Off-Broadway hit. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana";"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQU-wAak2VLriUOqJJ21RjzKbzJOxpnyKPZk9YihGLVNBgZW9afK5tY2OxoOBXIhcKnBLR6SYntDGON3_M5ZtwABRwegErYMBfIMxaRwgc6l0_aYGupB23m-9pszKbK7afMaomRtnzuJ3p/s1600/christian+borle+PETEROPEN200.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQU-wAak2VLriUOqJJ21RjzKbzJOxpnyKPZk9YihGLVNBgZW9afK5tY2OxoOBXIhcKnBLR6SYntDGON3_M5ZtwABRwegErYMBfIMxaRwgc6l0_aYGupB23m-9pszKbK7afMaomRtnzuJ3p/s1600/christian+borle+PETEROPEN200.jpg" /></a></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "verdana";">The show transferred uptown and Borle went with it, opening the Broadway production during his hiatus from <em>Smash</em>. He won the Tony for his efforts, an award I can attest he deserved, as I saw his energetic performance. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAT7dP6hAq_g4APW361-DSv-KqEzwvFny6LWfmZ_MZSIJwEj5MmJF-Bz1L2NJ_wju0enJ96VNYrYIGwb8uO3AehB2rVAPhgr3EZE0OEoFyFtpOKyvcYEOCkhxzmjZIuY3JN2PSl4U3a8Er/s1600/christian+borle+image.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAT7dP6hAq_g4APW361-DSv-KqEzwvFny6LWfmZ_MZSIJwEj5MmJF-Bz1L2NJ_wju0enJ96VNYrYIGwb8uO3AehB2rVAPhgr3EZE0OEoFyFtpOKyvcYEOCkhxzmjZIuY3JN2PSl4U3a8Er/s1600/christian+borle+image.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">As Black Stache in <em>Peter and the Starcatcher</em>. The show isn't exactly a prequel, but is rather an imagining of how the Peter Pan myth may have begun.<em> Finding Neverland</em>, a giant show currently on Broadway, is also Pan-adjacent, though it covers the supposed inspiration for the writing of the original story. What the hell is it about Peter Pan that attracts people, over and over again?</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "verdana";"><em>Smash</em> did not survive its second season, but that did not stop our hero, who has maintained a television presence in recurring roles on <em>The Good Wife</em> and <em>Masters of Sex</em>. </span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqvqC477KQkWUuiIW8j81dnLB_YdJotf5uSsvM5_5NwWy8XRr49ElaR4vxOGyIenc7GQ_Z2W6csipc0jHDP97rArXb1X2U1zCTdtdyRkdCusY3RS8k1nnG5c8YtPUt26xLJOUbI8b5lbi0/s1600/christian+borle+TheGoodWife-6x3-AliciaChristianBorle.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="208" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqvqC477KQkWUuiIW8j81dnLB_YdJotf5uSsvM5_5NwWy8XRr49ElaR4vxOGyIenc7GQ_Z2W6csipc0jHDP97rArXb1X2U1zCTdtdyRkdCusY3RS8k1nnG5c8YtPUt26xLJOUbI8b5lbi0/s320/christian+borle+TheGoodWife-6x3-AliciaChristianBorle.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I'm a big fan of <em>The Good Wife</em>, so I'm delighted when Christian shows up to play one of Alicia's many nemeses.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "verdana";">Impressively, Borle has given satisfying performances in both of the live productions of Broadway musicals with which NBC has had such ratings success during the past two holiday seasons. His stage cred came in handy as Max in <em>The Sound of Music</em>, opposite stage vet Laura Benanti (I <a href="http://armchairactorvist.blogspot.com/2013/12/friday-dance-party-funny-thing-happened.html">wrote about that production here</a>). He was happily back when NBC's <em>Peter Pan</em> took flight (or rather, floundered), playing Mr. Darling and Smee. </span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_lzboJbteKvUtWcH5yvQL-SUizZAhVm_Du2nRdfPMaPACcezvwI7RZSkqEQ79knqJPD1M4tayhcn9y9rwWXyjxi1dupHCxfI_FdjjKJDZMwO9kgG1-pLoFuKtiLJllboQNJ7u7lt3xzp9/s1600/christian+borle+PeterPanLive-9.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_lzboJbteKvUtWcH5yvQL-SUizZAhVm_Du2nRdfPMaPACcezvwI7RZSkqEQ79knqJPD1M4tayhcn9y9rwWXyjxi1dupHCxfI_FdjjKJDZMwO9kgG1-pLoFuKtiLJllboQNJ7u7lt3xzp9/s320/christian+borle+PeterPanLive-9.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Arms and the Man. Borle began working out during his <em>Smash</em> days, when bedroom scenes revealed a slender physique. Boy has that changed. His appearance as a pirate in<em> Peter Pan Live</em> ignited major interest in his huge arms. Some viewers suspected they were faked for the show, but no, it's really him. These days, Christian's biceps even have their own twitter account (which our hero claims he does not run).</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "verdana";">Though neither of these live shows received much critical praise, they were ratings winners, and one would think Christian might be a good luck charm worth keeping (as far as I can tell, he is the only performer to appear in both <em>The Sound of Music</em> and <em>Peter Pan</em> live productions). <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5FvCcaGQ66Z20Q4yo47pw__VAeVq1cI50UtZx5f8OWSXVt7hzk37dYalHCihwQe5hP9IvNwGa3HSu-rpmR0lIsTG9BpqjEIbCYjFj_E-qWye7vKiygMM07MzBCFUFg7Ft3ucXynZKySZY/s1600/christian+borle+untitled.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="198" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5FvCcaGQ66Z20Q4yo47pw__VAeVq1cI50UtZx5f8OWSXVt7hzk37dYalHCihwQe5hP9IvNwGa3HSu-rpmR0lIsTG9BpqjEIbCYjFj_E-qWye7vKiygMM07MzBCFUFg7Ft3ucXynZKySZY/s320/christian+borle+untitled.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Before the big Borle Bicep Bulge, our hero starred<br />
in a prestigious revival of <em>Angels in America</em>,<br />
opposite Zachary Quinto. This guy does not need<br />
song and dance to excel.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
It was announced a while back that this year's event would be <em>The Music Man</em>, which is a show I dislike but one which might have given Borle the MUCH deserved leading role he has earned. I'd love to see how he handled conman Harold Hill. Soon after that announcement was made, it was rescinded. Instead, <em>The Wiz</em> will be easing on down the road, live, this Christmas. If the producers really want to insure ratings success, they should consider putting Borle in blackface to play one of Dorothy's cohorts. EVERYBODY would watch THAT, if only to complain about racism in Hollywood!</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhorph1m2SdG9ylmtui0gsqgx5oX-ILpH4MuIc49V-FVaXookQJ-ID-p3MBwzSmSWMYGtF7UCY1hyphenhyphenPqXjSDx8mbzOay933ipMyNf3XjhsUTa5JXkbFO2qr1CBWVEopHoK8ATeiyN2ffSDQV/s1600/christian+borle+2_173242.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhorph1m2SdG9ylmtui0gsqgx5oX-ILpH4MuIc49V-FVaXookQJ-ID-p3MBwzSmSWMYGtF7UCY1hyphenhyphenPqXjSDx8mbzOay933ipMyNf3XjhsUTa5JXkbFO2qr1CBWVEopHoK8ATeiyN2ffSDQV/s320/christian+borle+2_173242.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "verdana";"></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAaP6SK4lNl_Ja-fCE364kD9P77XoksjVKnp6_yG9hHIhknfAShVSDmNSnatm7Gqmm9P-ENn0EiSDo1uxLIqWFQVuvfPl-b1EoPQRM62uH9Aw8mDs1yz5bAXsAB2o7XaxLgqTvyCB7T1bH/s1600/christian+borle+31666.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAaP6SK4lNl_Ja-fCE364kD9P77XoksjVKnp6_yG9hHIhknfAShVSDmNSnatm7Gqmm9P-ENn0EiSDo1uxLIqWFQVuvfPl-b1EoPQRM62uH9Aw8mDs1yz5bAXsAB2o7XaxLgqTvyCB7T1bH/s1600/christian+borle+31666.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I have a hunch Borle is a bit of a hound<br />
around the ladies, but why not? He was<br />
married to his college sweetheart until<br />
their individual careers really took off.<br />
Yes, that's Sutton Foster, the former<br />
Mrs. Borle. He's been linked to others<br />
of his costars as well; who could resist<br />
that wide, toothy grin?</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "verdana";">Well, we finally come to our Dance Party, which features Christian singing one of his songs from his current hit, <em>Something Rotten!</em> (Look for my thoughts on seeing this show soon, as I attempt to get back in the habit of updating these pages. I saw the show months ago, early in its preview period.) </span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrIo-onT5ttL7Rj3CK7uj6J1HsTrdOvYaL_w-M_55XWlog1khiwCk65D6C9bc4G46CygQxS4vm6_GfKNTl7pVt-Fv7wNBQwkMHGsDtxmcGWt2lOtjNrE4Jl5WfDwaQDhMfbiegaP81pdAk/s1600/something+rotten+untitled.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrIo-onT5ttL7Rj3CK7uj6J1HsTrdOvYaL_w-M_55XWlog1khiwCk65D6C9bc4G46CygQxS4vm6_GfKNTl7pVt-Fv7wNBQwkMHGsDtxmcGWt2lOtjNrE4Jl5WfDwaQDhMfbiegaP81pdAk/s320/something+rotten+untitled.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The principal cast of <em>Something Rotten</em>!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "verdana";">This show is populated with many of Broadway's current creme, but when the show opened last spring, Borle was the face most recognizable to a network audience (due to his <em>Smash</em>ing appearances), so there are several clips out there of Christian performing on the various morning/talk shows. </span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana";"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ7UaE4tdK42E50TtYLULeFGqyi01Uj50EvX9qCamZ96dB7xHfAcmscMWRe9TFFtTAJNXdiKwmjCWYUWbOpztFHZVVuM6xT0mSS3An0fcqZMLM3BfronW-hV4XZhh6ka7J1uwvTnxZ0Lbg/s1600/christian+borle+SomethingRotten19.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ7UaE4tdK42E50TtYLULeFGqyi01Uj50EvX9qCamZ96dB7xHfAcmscMWRe9TFFtTAJNXdiKwmjCWYUWbOpztFHZVVuM6xT0mSS3An0fcqZMLM3BfronW-hV4XZhh6ka7J1uwvTnxZ0Lbg/s320/christian+borle+SomethingRotten19.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "verdana";">Instead, please enjoy this little video which the Broadway.com team produced themselves, to showcase the show's only Tony winner (did I mention Borle won his second Tony with this performance as Shakespeare?). It's a fun little number capitalizing on Christian Borle's comic timing. And of course, his arms.</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_hbh3tm73lqcUY_QhHKkbeYtGbhugo-Wrb3fYtlYdI5lk0U2jgFsDKMZEW-3K_I81rXp32Rh7qAIO2i_eV9Pl7j6qGOVE6XvG24upvOWloqlpVmQTJQij-7vj_zi-QDpWKGCVBbIDBhfH/s1600/christian+borle+040915borlezm0101_28.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_hbh3tm73lqcUY_QhHKkbeYtGbhugo-Wrb3fYtlYdI5lk0U2jgFsDKMZEW-3K_I81rXp32Rh7qAIO2i_eV9Pl7j6qGOVE6XvG24upvOWloqlpVmQTJQij-7vj_zi-QDpWKGCVBbIDBhfH/s320/christian+borle+040915borlezm0101_28.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "verdana";"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana";">As I watched this music video below, it occurred to me: isn't there a Popeye musical out there, just waiting to be put on the stage? Arms And The Man, indeed.</span><br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/8hnI7yhIWGY?rel=0&controls=0&showinfo=0" width="560"></iframe>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"></span><br />Armchair Actorvisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02873366521914303194noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7146900851769565592.post-42923480097441894012015-04-17T15:54:00.000-05:002015-04-18T14:30:29.024-05:00Friday Dance Party: Barry, Oh Marry!<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">He got married a year ago, but the news just trickled out last week. And like other recent, shrug-inducing announcements, the revelation that 70s superstar Barry Manilow married his longtime male manager isn't cause for much excitement. </span><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicRGetL1Vwz7enzbRBKqoRsrHJ0v6BI4fLUGce86PaRPBJI6b5_4971xUdyONL4aumxjZPx3lNbrhyt6JGpD-dOTS0wudwj1BILi_OSXs7k-1JQSomkp6IDW3tHUxam3J1CDySUsX7K1OZ/s1600/barry+manilow+untitled.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicRGetL1Vwz7enzbRBKqoRsrHJ0v6BI4fLUGce86PaRPBJI6b5_4971xUdyONL4aumxjZPx3lNbrhyt6JGpD-dOTS0wudwj1BILi_OSXs7k-1JQSomkp6IDW3tHUxam3J1CDySUsX7K1OZ/s1600/barry+manilow+untitled.png" height="140" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Though he married a woman, briefly, about a hundred years ago, Manilow successfully ducked questions about his sexuality for most of his career. He seemed like the kind of guy who would always be single.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguRJbk_hKyxuKlnhPdIdGbnGcCuNkQ1NxwIcoSX2k-uGoPin8hBYUpF4-vp12IV3QG3-Vjv7j48x3PedJ5Rxxa_kqDgms_IRnzsN7yb4Zmmv2EXRprPKgTAJ0_X_i6ihif_iy0py2zcO9c/s1600/barry+manilow+5untitled.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguRJbk_hKyxuKlnhPdIdGbnGcCuNkQ1NxwIcoSX2k-uGoPin8hBYUpF4-vp12IV3QG3-Vjv7j48x3PedJ5Rxxa_kqDgms_IRnzsN7yb4Zmmv2EXRprPKgTAJ0_X_i6ihif_iy0py2zcO9c/s1600/barry+manilow+5untitled.png" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This was the only Manilow album I ever<br />
owned. He proved himself a lively showman<br />
and his concerts were lavish events.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Except that Manilow really was a huge star of the 70s who built his music career on scores of weepy ballads of love and yearning. He was the most unlikely of sex symbols, with a tall gangly frame and, let's face it, a real Jimmy Durante shnozz. But something about his music, and his public persona, struck hard. I was not a big fan, but you really couldn't get those earwick ballads out of your head.</span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3K5nM9jxolXantkkRkaQaDgR7INTeGuC1r6H7XZwAcqSkp0gNxesgAlnthA2PUDti0mDBE3WMFxqfIzi1lvC9kYmNMuTzDuut3R5ELYZU_BBN8au_2C_laSe9TRhLiJoTdWhaouQQ1OOO/s1600/barry+manilow+copauntitled.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3K5nM9jxolXantkkRkaQaDgR7INTeGuC1r6H7XZwAcqSkp0gNxesgAlnthA2PUDti0mDBE3WMFxqfIzi1lvC9kYmNMuTzDuut3R5ELYZU_BBN8au_2C_laSe9TRhLiJoTdWhaouQQ1OOO/s1600/barry+manilow+copauntitled.png" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Barry had the occasional uptempo hit, like the disco-tinged "Copacabana," but primarily, he was known for sappy ballads with refrains that churned around in your head long after the song was over.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUYc_i0j7PdBJEjxVzHqqumG9M1UPBSZ5gMx_8zcZ2ALP2Ijf5NKMQCLvrfimPJ-7IVgE64CAbpnwc5nbB3zRgzJ8SAMrloNdnG4S6V1y8u57n_iQR59tEfYWBJx00aAigFLrINrb4NpAo/s1600/barry+manilow+imagesRJN0FR6D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUYc_i0j7PdBJEjxVzHqqumG9M1UPBSZ5gMx_8zcZ2ALP2Ijf5NKMQCLvrfimPJ-7IVgE64CAbpnwc5nbB3zRgzJ8SAMrloNdnG4S6V1y8u57n_iQR59tEfYWBJx00aAigFLrINrb4NpAo/s1600/barry+manilow+imagesRJN0FR6D.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">He's hardly recognizable here. He<br />
spent some time in TV production<br />
before his career as a jingle writer<br />
took off.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Funny thing about those love ballads. For the most part, the lyrics were not gender specific. Did anyone notice this back then? </span><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu22sJqNY9aUMyOuby1yrFgUgNXVshFZ55jGyeW93NRFtqVR1v9aMj8exAt61kFqPsSmGHugfJQLmrs3tZgBGobdVaHGJCHD2nun5QAGWyNtZvNw6W2KFboieGLZwpgmYalw7R3Q9y8KmO/s1600/barry+manilow+1untitled.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu22sJqNY9aUMyOuby1yrFgUgNXVshFZ55jGyeW93NRFtqVR1v9aMj8exAt61kFqPsSmGHugfJQLmrs3tZgBGobdVaHGJCHD2nun5QAGWyNtZvNw6W2KFboieGLZwpgmYalw7R3Q9y8KmO/s1600/barry+manilow+1untitled.png" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our hero hit #1 for the first time<br />
since "Mandy" with this song.<br />
"I write the songs that make the<br />
whole world sing," except he <br />
didn't write it. Nobody cared.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Many, many songs were actually direct address, with the song aimed directly at the subject, rather than a tale of woe about the time "she" left me. Was this a subtle way for Manilow to duck questions regarding his own romantic life? Whatever it was, it allowed gay men to appropriate those songs without the hassle of changing pronouns.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Ah, who cares at this point. I find that I am more interested in the on-again, off-again relationship Barry had with another music superstar, Bette Midler. </span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjglRTRG3Jtk821eyBftHovAQGBRBeAaiyyYOpdRm4sYx3Rq0J3eynQMd5jLZYXFSnbZBMIwq9OwbPliHLlg423IAvspiS2bFRlQql2NJcivKjv-2JidgDClGcfWADBKgeh45TVMSFMHdmz/s1600/barry+manilow+img1221.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjglRTRG3Jtk821eyBftHovAQGBRBeAaiyyYOpdRm4sYx3Rq0J3eynQMd5jLZYXFSnbZBMIwq9OwbPliHLlg423IAvspiS2bFRlQql2NJcivKjv-2JidgDClGcfWADBKgeh45TVMSFMHdmz/s1600/barry+manilow+img1221.jpg" height="320" width="232" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">These two met back in the 70s, when Manilow was hired to accompany "the talent" who entertained at Manhattan's Continental Baths on Saturday nights. I guess back then, gay bath houses offered entertainment to the deviants wandering around the club in towels. Bette Midler made her first big splash performing there, with Barry at the piano. This club provided the inspiration for Terrence McNally's 1975 play <em>The Ritz</em>. Rita Moreno won a Tony playing a role loosely based on Midler. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Barry and Bette hit it off (not surprisingly, as The Divine Miss M has always been Best Friend to the Gays), and their professional lives were intertwined for about 3 years. Manilow produced her first two albums in the early 70s, just as his own career as a solo artist was unexpectedly taking off as well. </span><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz9Zy7t7c2n7bAdy5VzkEyyr53BjqNHWJjZAb180viqBUFhyphenhyphenVsCi4iNk5MT8I3SbdmvnCTIaQ6RQVG-5sZxPFy8FaRY_-mP9DlP2JhME5ziGl7tvsXq9gMg5KPErGor6DbEmgDg3y3zrTc/s1600/barry+manilow+2untitled.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz9Zy7t7c2n7bAdy5VzkEyyr53BjqNHWJjZAb180viqBUFhyphenhyphenVsCi4iNk5MT8I3SbdmvnCTIaQ6RQVG-5sZxPFy8FaRY_-mP9DlP2JhME5ziGl7tvsXq9gMg5KPErGor6DbEmgDg3y3zrTc/s1600/barry+manilow+2untitled.png" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gotta love those 70s fashions.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Somewhere in there, the Great Feud began, which was to keep the two apart for several decades, as they each rose to fame. As much as I love Miss Midler, from what I've read, the fault was mostly hers: she had trouble accepting the fact that her records sold "only" 30 million copies, while Barry's topped 80 million. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFGRgvaUdB4LREj8s3XNzcw1c8VlA-VoHQwuuzTcOLzWrOcmeVvCZmn_pAbnbX8eYbPk7ZlPmyycOA6N-IkcBav7SY5IaiItGFhjYQ9d7OXGoFKIdd4wSdwYIYGT6NegRrn3XpaFPmr97A/s1600/barry+manilow+3untitled.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFGRgvaUdB4LREj8s3XNzcw1c8VlA-VoHQwuuzTcOLzWrOcmeVvCZmn_pAbnbX8eYbPk7ZlPmyycOA6N-IkcBav7SY5IaiItGFhjYQ9d7OXGoFKIdd4wSdwYIYGT6NegRrn3XpaFPmr97A/s1600/barry+manilow+3untitled.png" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">By 2003, two older and wiser heads prevailed, and the Bette/Barry team was back in business. Manilow produced Midler's well-received tribute albums to Rosemary Clooney and Peggy Lee, and the two even recorded a few songs together.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Tensions linger, apparently. In 2013, Barry and Bette were both, coincidentally, on Broadway. A concert evening called <em>Manilow on Broadway</em> was selling out, while Midler's one-woman play <em>I'll Eat You Last</em> was packing them in as well. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEWJpSVkB-2ZQI97fy0nysUvhwIAy7LFaSBiQYITZdPhZgYxOEQGiJu8-aLbmJE4rA-FtrkrRxCnjzVy8o4ZBgPtt51xhzLCb8x-1mblQF4PJGD0iZ-uefpzcAs-Sxas6nR5Go-dmwP5E2/s1600/bette+midler-sue-mengers-los-angeles-001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEWJpSVkB-2ZQI97fy0nysUvhwIAy7LFaSBiQYITZdPhZgYxOEQGiJu8-aLbmJE4rA-FtrkrRxCnjzVy8o4ZBgPtt51xhzLCb8x-1mblQF4PJGD0iZ-uefpzcAs-Sxas6nR5Go-dmwP5E2/s1600/bette+midler-sue-mengers-los-angeles-001.jpg" height="216" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">There was talk of Midler and Manilow opening the Tony Awards with a duet, since they were both on Broadway at the time. When it didn't happen, folks were sure the feud was still smoldering, but in reality, I think Bette was pissed she did not receive a Tony nomination for her work playing Sue Mengers. Her show was a smash and did not need the publicity of a Tony appearance, so she skipped it.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">There are a couple of clips out there, of the two superstars together, but for this week's Dance Party, here's another, more unlikely, collaboration. In 1988, Disney released an animated musical adaptation of Oliver Twist, rewritten as a story about dogs. The score for <em>Oliver and Company</em> was written by a bunch of people, and included one song written by Barry Manilow. The tune was given to the character of Georgette, a spoiled showdog, which, by coincidence or not, was being voiced by Bette Midler. So, inadvertently, Barry and Bette were collaborating again, though in different rooms, and at different times.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFKEHL7KKhLq-m-c2zrH3i4RT27eNNDiybIG1FJSdbCRLiS4mI0mFw8cjdocbBV08CvaAIBsbRI-QE6JqUaFQeSDCEyZjrluRg1Yts7hYlEM-wqM8WFsbJS_se78EnV-Ha8rKoIFV4uuL4/s1600/bette+midler+6untitled.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFKEHL7KKhLq-m-c2zrH3i4RT27eNNDiybIG1FJSdbCRLiS4mI0mFw8cjdocbBV08CvaAIBsbRI-QE6JqUaFQeSDCEyZjrluRg1Yts7hYlEM-wqM8WFsbJS_se78EnV-Ha8rKoIFV4uuL4/s1600/bette+midler+6untitled.png" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><em>Oliver and Company</em> predated the great animation renaissance which Disney was to enjoy a bit later, but the film was a modest success.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">I've never seen this film, but it's kind of a fun song. So, in the spirit of congratulations to Barry and his hubby, enjoy Bette Midler belting a Barry Manilow song.</span>
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/-M6UYwaYRqw?rel=0&controls=0&showinfo=0" width="560"></iframe>Armchair Actorvisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02873366521914303194noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7146900851769565592.post-34024298415349616172015-04-03T20:06:00.000-05:002015-04-05T07:42:41.118-05:00Friday Dance Party: The Simonizer<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Broadway lights were dimmed this week in honor of one of the most successful stage directors of his generation. At the height of his career, he was responsible for bringing smash after smash to the stage, though in a curious twist, one of his greatest musical stage hits became one of the biggest musical film flops, both under his hand.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Gene Saks</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjte1KB26ZXDlIjIrON0gJKkwBmWLej-7wIcwNHTahgq7T5FVdZusSrNhWrKNVDZzXaJDOQ5kgxDtTJHdn8ny7cFsLyKduofLyh06ctr_CEIMRGAu94o6vSu41V0xhpQXCwrKk8p8qvsKo3/s1600/gene+saks+images1TK660YJ.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjte1KB26ZXDlIjIrON0gJKkwBmWLej-7wIcwNHTahgq7T5FVdZusSrNhWrKNVDZzXaJDOQ5kgxDtTJHdn8ny7cFsLyKduofLyh06ctr_CEIMRGAu94o6vSu41V0xhpQXCwrKk8p8qvsKo3/s1600/gene+saks+images1TK660YJ.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">1921-2015</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGdPONH2G9jcNlWDUMWFJm33C9lDayi7gjxU3qO3SkS7kPckOvst6eEaAp-y9cLotC6STgFdP4kpNPD0I8A1hM17w3GKAdh8jj5KKIsTB6uftuN2smM0oKzQPRsunXXfUDuX8ToRQf3JPv/s1600/gene+saks+images6JV4BPM5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGdPONH2G9jcNlWDUMWFJm33C9lDayi7gjxU3qO3SkS7kPckOvst6eEaAp-y9cLotC6STgFdP4kpNPD0I8A1hM17w3GKAdh8jj5KKIsTB6uftuN2smM0oKzQPRsunXXfUDuX8ToRQf3JPv/s1600/gene+saks+images6JV4BPM5.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">In <i>A Thousand Clowns,</i> Saks played neurotic kids'<br />
show star Chuckles the Chipmonk, a role he<br />
repeated for the film starring Jason Robards.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">He started and ended his career as an actor, but is far better known for his directorial knack with what someone called "Theatre of Repartee." His friends reported that, though he himself was not particularly funny, his expertise with finding The Funny in a script, and bringing it out, was unparalleled. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLI5VNB-1HfetMdxNVTJqsYm9EwMWQCSSPfm5M2Uo8P-21NSpV0VXF-U2h021Fb6XDMvGJbyCqzfdMtQXwiHoqLy4wy5PK3AWqHSxA1qkbP17Du3roc366N2QxPZpGXrvwIs4-DOi4ArOl/s1600/gene+saks+imagesL41EJL5N.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLI5VNB-1HfetMdxNVTJqsYm9EwMWQCSSPfm5M2Uo8P-21NSpV0VXF-U2h021Fb6XDMvGJbyCqzfdMtQXwiHoqLy4wy5PK3AWqHSxA1qkbP17Du3roc366N2QxPZpGXrvwIs4-DOi4ArOl/s1600/gene+saks+imagesL41EJL5N.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Saks's first film as director was<br />
Simon's <i>Barefoot in the Park</i>, which<br />
brought attention to Robert Redford<br />
and Jane Fonda.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It was no surprise, then, that he became known as a premiere interpreter of the work of Neil Simon. He directed eight of Doc's plays on Broadway, and translated three more to film.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCMskVo7YImwBvuIR6kNyRG5hJhtJMc7Pg4Bi-W0gLQxZ2ugKh7JRlOZ6Nno2AlrU_fcmuJ08bz0p8RLKQM2sb9MEdiJzzbchyvZTDd59gq1XOg_yHQ9pL4r2zORVjO4XIUATP3ApROieh/s1600/gene+saks+1untitled.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCMskVo7YImwBvuIR6kNyRG5hJhtJMc7Pg4Bi-W0gLQxZ2ugKh7JRlOZ6Nno2AlrU_fcmuJ08bz0p8RLKQM2sb9MEdiJzzbchyvZTDd59gq1XOg_yHQ9pL4r2zORVjO4XIUATP3ApROieh/s1600/gene+saks+1untitled.png" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Neil Simon's plays translate to film with varying degrees of success, but no one complains about <i>The Odd Couple</i>, in which Saks directed Lemmon and Matthau to greatness.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKZ6gxYrmoekN_LafrMhVsfNQlHIURSbaEuid8VaEh4-edsIJdaywGeEYyx2Q6ea5ewmWdpFoSUYH__SKcOATXoD7A7G8aDMqegS4s4UfrgWfMixY0jJ8_RyNh-qOAJDVQMjW6dzRolwVB/s1600/gene+saks+imagesMW8DAKOF.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKZ6gxYrmoekN_LafrMhVsfNQlHIURSbaEuid8VaEh4-edsIJdaywGeEYyx2Q6ea5ewmWdpFoSUYH__SKcOATXoD7A7G8aDMqegS4s4UfrgWfMixY0jJ8_RyNh-qOAJDVQMjW6dzRolwVB/s1600/gene+saks+imagesMW8DAKOF.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Saks brought Neil Simon's mid-career, autobiographical works to Broadway, including the so-called "B&B" plays. <i>Brighton Beach Memoirs, Biloxi Blues,</i> and <i>Broadway Bound </i>were successive hits for Simon, and all concerned his adolescence and young adulthood. Matthew Broderick became famous for his leading portrayals in the first two of these pieces.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSEErwmRiVHKM6H_MYNI1ezygNrutaFZcv1p-v7iM8i4RxmxxpFckZgYrADYJCO2xKbqxL5wagOrFjM2o0jzvouU3wLfKlDgcSRstdxB3bbU15FND4i3h2DRP5Oh_odUdzxCKzc7z2gAMl/s1600/gene+saks+imagesOUAKNZEX.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSEErwmRiVHKM6H_MYNI1ezygNrutaFZcv1p-v7iM8i4RxmxxpFckZgYrADYJCO2xKbqxL5wagOrFjM2o0jzvouU3wLfKlDgcSRstdxB3bbU15FND4i3h2DRP5Oh_odUdzxCKzc7z2gAMl/s1600/gene+saks+imagesOUAKNZEX.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Neil Simon won the Tony, <br />
and the Pulitzer, for<br />
<i>Lost In Yonkers</i>, in which Saks<br />
directed unknowns Kevin<br />
Spacey and Mercedes Ruehl.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Gene had other substantial hits. He directed the slight 2-hander by Bernard Slade, <i>Same Time Next Year</i>, to a three-year run, and his guidance of the film version of <i>Cactus Flower</i> earned Goldie Hawn the Oscar. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-m9fAbDI2Kpw8tlBMQjx_YKqLULu4UvyFV7vEWw3ddqUOWjKiCwvNlp7rbLS6TfhrZzj19a-AMpmEVxuRqpbNdQNgzgFYiAkAvMc5n8JEz2MmIbzqIFmhCv6728WBwPzJhYVefTZ5bUvC/s1600/gene+saks+images58TA6N2J.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-m9fAbDI2Kpw8tlBMQjx_YKqLULu4UvyFV7vEWw3ddqUOWjKiCwvNlp7rbLS6TfhrZzj19a-AMpmEVxuRqpbNdQNgzgFYiAkAvMc5n8JEz2MmIbzqIFmhCv6728WBwPzJhYVefTZ5bUvC/s1600/gene+saks+images58TA6N2J.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">When I saw <i>I Love My Wife</i>, Lenny Baker, above,<br />
had already won the Tony for his performance, but I<br />
was bowled over by the unknown playing his best<br />
friend's wife. It was Joanna Gleason<br />
in her Broadway debut.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">He won the first of his three Tony Awards for his direction of <i>I Love My Wife,</i> a musical concerning the wife-swapping phenomenon of the early 1970s. No wonder the show is rather obscure today. I wrote about <a href="http://armchairactorvist.blogspot.com/2008/02/theatre-droppings-new-york-1977.html">seeing the show here</a>, and one of the comic numbers of the piece showed up <a href="http://armchairactorvist.blogspot.com/2010/10/friday-dance-party-when-glue-was-pasted.html">here</a> a while ago on the Dance Party, in a duet between Bea Arthur and Rock Hudson.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Saks won his other two Tonys for Simon plays, though he was nominated several more times. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnm0IgSoGxP8cn7xWduofBhfvU_HvSJfdnZHV75o2EPWFIPk3THHd14iPIWaLe_vAHWPNKPlYvScd4BRboRef1I_Exl_zHzVEfYL4uToaW3eq1zEiaCssrs7Y8jhGn8pQHOgBQ8blqCcUg/s1600/gene+saks+imagesG5I9SO35.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnm0IgSoGxP8cn7xWduofBhfvU_HvSJfdnZHV75o2EPWFIPk3THHd14iPIWaLe_vAHWPNKPlYvScd4BRboRef1I_Exl_zHzVEfYL4uToaW3eq1zEiaCssrs7Y8jhGn8pQHOgBQ8blqCcUg/s1600/gene+saks+imagesG5I9SO35.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Saks was sacked on the road with this<br />
musical, and replaced by Michael<br />
Kidd. The show became a major flop<br />
and ended the Saks/Simon partnership.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">His final show on Broadway, <i>Barrymore</i>, earned star Frank Langella the Tony in 1997. By then he had fallen out with Neil Simon, after he had been fired from the musical version of <i>The Goodbye Girl</i>. Perhaps they should have listened to Gene, as his success rate with stage musicals was impressive. He not only won the Tony for <i>I Love My Wife</i>, but years earlier, his direction guided one of the most enduring hits of the 1960s and beyond, <i>Mame</i>.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">There are a few grainy clips of Angela Lansbury as <i>Mame</i> out there, but a while ago, Lansbury appeared in <a href="http://armchairactorvist.blogspot.com/2009/10/friday-dance-party-thoroughly-modern.html">this Dance Party</a>, in which she displayed all the characteristics of her signature role. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheFh5zzttrRFoaiRRb7V63h3rb22lwxz0A7cPF4Qjj_1WmHfWNE8mEqvICfcP5j5G_kHtzigCiKP6IyvV-RA0WQbR-d_wm5-m0IKnPVHyr5S75fsecACIYIar_0mJn7Bs612ztNGNwKJPx/s1600/gene+saks+2untitled.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheFh5zzttrRFoaiRRb7V63h3rb22lwxz0A7cPF4Qjj_1WmHfWNE8mEqvICfcP5j5G_kHtzigCiKP6IyvV-RA0WQbR-d_wm5-m0IKnPVHyr5S75fsecACIYIar_0mJn7Bs612ztNGNwKJPx/s1600/gene+saks+2untitled.png" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Angela Lansbury was already an established star when<br />
Saks placed her in the role of <i>Mame,</i> but the marriage<br />
of character and star was so spectacular that she rose to<br />
the top of Broadway stardom, where she has remained<br />
to this day.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Angela won the Tony, as did her costar, who was Gene Saks wife at the time. The story goes that Bea Arthur lobbied hard to play Mame, but her husband wisely gave her the drunken sidekick Vera Charles. </span><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3h5GuEuSEz3r5Xe1YBgW5eMR_A7YumLnxI63fMj0V7QcZMVrk7cadn6ErV-UZOuLeL7igvHNRFFUxLzLeMR6kpUSIg8DfLoBrvDEO1EVXv4AAo18wyKWIQVcCuTd57ViaANGCDoIMrHPN/s1600/gene+saks+untitled.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3h5GuEuSEz3r5Xe1YBgW5eMR_A7YumLnxI63fMj0V7QcZMVrk7cadn6ErV-UZOuLeL7igvHNRFFUxLzLeMR6kpUSIg8DfLoBrvDEO1EVXv4AAo18wyKWIQVcCuTd57ViaANGCDoIMrHPN/s1600/gene+saks+untitled.png" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Imagine going home to your wife, Bea Arthur, and<br />
telling her you decided she will NOT be playing the<br />
leading role in the play you are directing. "God'll Get<br />
You For That, Gene". In fact, He kinda did, with this<br />
week's Dance Party.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Imagine that conversation at home? I suppose Bea forgave her husband, since she won her Tony playing Vera Charles, and even repeated the role in the miserable film version, also directed by Saks.</span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjshUNyhDv-G7RjDEW_7X2IUcdn51Zf2cbRWHkXoZcsCGgEGJS3L9cwgbsZYkxURe082wVjyDD2AtdWdDCRs7jkaBJZUMUx0rlALfrDzPGJWifw2XPEJxgMpB-_ZyWjLRrlyd-ijA-yXsVJ/s1600/barbra+streisand+images5BPIXZPB.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjshUNyhDv-G7RjDEW_7X2IUcdn51Zf2cbRWHkXoZcsCGgEGJS3L9cwgbsZYkxURe082wVjyDD2AtdWdDCRs7jkaBJZUMUx0rlALfrDzPGJWifw2XPEJxgMpB-_ZyWjLRrlyd-ijA-yXsVJ/s1600/barbra+streisand+images5BPIXZPB.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">What were they thinking as they turned Jerry Herman musicals into movies? The casting corps had a great sense of talent but a lousy sense of timing. Barbra Streisand was a great choice to play Dolly Levi, in about 25 years. Conversely, Lucille Ball would have made a great Mame Dennis, about 25 years earlier.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZUBOCfKDm7-E_RpIMaxy13S86h7kZpxAg0YtUwzpTk2KTpLbycH7rDHFEkwUGpYtv6-Ns2OiRrcPhSjmLbGqeAr9bnTuLlg3LLdgTdXW7l3tcl65sBmbvmz5mEb-F5XIJKORhIF1hvlCN/s1600/gene+saks+5untitled.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZUBOCfKDm7-E_RpIMaxy13S86h7kZpxAg0YtUwzpTk2KTpLbycH7rDHFEkwUGpYtv6-Ns2OiRrcPhSjmLbGqeAr9bnTuLlg3LLdgTdXW7l3tcl65sBmbvmz5mEb-F5XIJKORhIF1hvlCN/s1600/gene+saks+5untitled.png" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">You may think this week's Dance Party is<br />
torture, but at least I didn't present a<br />
number from this TV movie, also helmed<br />
by Gene Saks.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Gene was not originally slated to direct the movie <i>Mame</i>, but there was a year-long delay in filming as they waited for Lucille Ball to recover from a broken leg. Original director George Cukor took that opportunity to bale, and Saks was signed to replace him. I wrote about the disastrous result when <a href="http://armchairactorvist.blogspot.com/2013/05/friday-dance-party-mamed.html">Lucy and Bea Arthur appeared in this Dance Party</a>, feel free to read all about it. But we can't let the late Gene Saks get away from us without one more dig at his lousy movie. <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4Y2u3_gpqgxlS6oe6tHs8vSCGUlabtS1477i-vlsL5JR9lTbKdG_FdDQE_00Cid87zNGBTw1Ecd7m02Z6GhxltzKV0ySCsLy5I7UICwRB28M837jxzfkgYhl61qBWwdd_Z0PI_43gkJDO/s1600/gene+saks+3untitled.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4Y2u3_gpqgxlS6oe6tHs8vSCGUlabtS1477i-vlsL5JR9lTbKdG_FdDQE_00Cid87zNGBTw1Ecd7m02Z6GhxltzKV0ySCsLy5I7UICwRB28M837jxzfkgYhl61qBWwdd_Z0PI_43gkJDO/s1600/gene+saks+3untitled.png" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Here's Angela Lansbury in the opening number of <i>Mame</i>, "It's Today." This number is this week's Dance Party, starring Lucille Ball; I'm afraid it should have been renamed "It's Too Late."</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
After a brief song which acts as a prelude to the action, <i>Mame</i> opens with a bang. Here is the film version; in lieu of actual choreography, Lucy gamely allows herself to be grabbed, shoved, and tossed around by the chorus. At her age (62), and recovering from a broken leg, she does her best.</span>
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/lKcMQkdTRiY?rel=0&showinfo=0" width="420"></iframe>Armchair Actorvisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02873366521914303194noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7146900851769565592.post-70201669769989683332015-03-27T06:23:00.000-05:002019-03-29T15:14:32.221-05:00Friday Dance Party: The Or Means More Than It Did Before<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Stephen Sondheim turned 85 this week, coinciding with the DVD release of <i>Into The Woods</i>, which is the most successful of his stage-to-screen musicals. Naturally, a Dance Party is in order!</span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbu5gM-VZYxUSg4siWWzmKTfaE3MSw0Sml54Tpnn5cnpKxqkt1Lhi9kf9M1NiHqNZxAEl2tPrdlZCf9ogNz-A-zCSb6orrsDFZn0YSqwyP16DwXVIFLm7l5IcMODA3II5c85wBYs8VMKxe/s1600/into+the+woods+2untitled.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbu5gM-VZYxUSg4siWWzmKTfaE3MSw0Sml54Tpnn5cnpKxqkt1Lhi9kf9M1NiHqNZxAEl2tPrdlZCf9ogNz-A-zCSb6orrsDFZn0YSqwyP16DwXVIFLm7l5IcMODA3II5c85wBYs8VMKxe/s1600/into+the+woods+2untitled.png" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I didn't have a single problem with this cast, all of whom did their own singing, and quite creditably too.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkWf7aeCGp68h0gH-ZUtA15EtygNqw54bxb8ZUjD6wahgIzwr8NqRJ47Z1_5pztdIzWGbZ_Hcbz0FTuaSdQBLz9X3d8Pve8ZMoasbydQ6rTv4ybS4t8yongi8p2U-59nmk-HtSyQsQmREC/s1600/sweeney+todd+imagesJUSUEMBF.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkWf7aeCGp68h0gH-ZUtA15EtygNqw54bxb8ZUjD6wahgIzwr8NqRJ47Z1_5pztdIzWGbZ_Hcbz0FTuaSdQBLz9X3d8Pve8ZMoasbydQ6rTv4ybS4t8yongi8p2U-59nmk-HtSyQsQmREC/s1600/sweeney+todd+imagesJUSUEMBF.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Sweeney Todd</i> made money and<br />
raised eyebrows: could Sondheim<br />
musicals become hit films?</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">When the <i>Sweeney Todd</i> film was released several years ago, I lamented the fate of Sondheim fans (or"Sondheimites," pardon the double entendre) who are always disappointed in our hero's screen adaptations. <a href="http://armchairactorvist.blogspot.com/2007/12/sondheim-on-film.html">Go here for that report.</a> But <i>Sweeney</i> ended up making money, earning legitimate critical raves to boot, and <i>Into The Woods</i> has done even better. The release has grossed just shy of $200 million, worldwide, and the video release will surely increase that number exponentially. Sondheim can celebrate his 85th birthday with a legitimate film hit.</span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMVODYQelw_xCXVR8HGXEy6fPld9phOlOO5dMfimhwk69zw8OjmD_lZqooRXuPZGBkag8J3xQTnw-piHB-HKDFjGhewZhzuN2Vtp7GZKkHm8uIdmRspW0IOna2j5K2ZEVeUKzIG31ipVrP/s1600/into+the+woods+imagesZQWFD20C.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMVODYQelw_xCXVR8HGXEy6fPld9phOlOO5dMfimhwk69zw8OjmD_lZqooRXuPZGBkag8J3xQTnw-piHB-HKDFjGhewZhzuN2Vtp7GZKkHm8uIdmRspW0IOna2j5K2ZEVeUKzIG31ipVrP/s1600/into+the+woods+imagesZQWFD20C.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This week's Dance Party showcases the work of Meryl Streep, who previously appeared on the Dance Party in one of the more bizarre entries in the series, <a href="http://armchairactorvist.blogspot.com/2012/06/friday-dance-party-meryl-at-palace.html">go here for that oddity. </a>Her portrayal of The Witch earned another Oscar nod. Cynics were all over that, but one need only see her scenes with her adopted daughter to admit that she was doing award-worthy work. This was not Margaret Hamilton's witch.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The </span><i style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Into the Woods</i><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> adaptation is an excellent one, and only Sondheim Poops complained. By necessity, certain aspects of the original had to be "adjusted" (read CUT), but even purists had to have been pleased. The songs excised were, with a few exceptions, reprises (though Sondheim reprises are never mere rehashes of previous songs, they stand alone). Most of the missing music served to update the theatre audience on the passage of time and the progress of the characters's various journeys. They were not necessary in the film. </span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4ZhchvI18j1jn9cp89OUT3XUYhhYmKjQBmpw2Bi-4MaDrwTO-09bRwSlMSRRyOippfEDF7bP1Y6Qyoyy61BWjXw-tooKVgDjL5o7w6ZwU16F6u3RhN4qi6SA86Q9QRMfgFNzt-9XXkznR/s1600/into+the+woods+images2A0OES8T.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="128" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4ZhchvI18j1jn9cp89OUT3XUYhhYmKjQBmpw2Bi-4MaDrwTO-09bRwSlMSRRyOippfEDF7bP1Y6Qyoyy61BWjXw-tooKVgDjL5o7w6ZwU16F6u3RhN4qi6SA86Q9QRMfgFNzt-9XXkznR/s1600/into+the+woods+images2A0OES8T.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I wish the reprise of "Agony" might have been filmed for a DVD extra, as the original was one of the highlights of the film. No one knew Chris Pine could sing, but the bigger surprise was Billy Magnussen, a surfer dude turned soap star (he spent several years on <i>As The World Turns</i>) whose previous claim to fame was stripping to his skivvies as boytoy Spike in Broadway's <i>Vanya & Sonia & Masha & Spike</i>. He won a Tony nomination for his work in his underwear, and has a major film career brewing.<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> </span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi04lXmJaJj_0pePa6fJAAXe519zP3FRKfoxaYsGqzw9uuAKU2w8B4amEQV_yHVQ-psd8klyz-FSoD8lWAdu0LCFYHN-TNHBBikmu8weCbNOCKulJfr5usXDUqdWQjXjfS3HNpohnMvpM9Y/s1600/into+the+woods+1untitled.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi04lXmJaJj_0pePa6fJAAXe519zP3FRKfoxaYsGqzw9uuAKU2w8B4amEQV_yHVQ-psd8klyz-FSoD8lWAdu0LCFYHN-TNHBBikmu8weCbNOCKulJfr5usXDUqdWQjXjfS3HNpohnMvpM9Y/s1600/into+the+woods+1untitled.png" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tom Aldredge played the Baker's Father in the original. I<br />
<a href="http://armchairactorvist.blogspot.com/2011/08/we-die-but-we-dont-obits.html">wrote a bit about him when he died</a>. The theme of absent<br />
parents was much stronger in the stage play than the film, a<br />
theme which always resonates with me. But it had to go.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I felt the loss of the ballad "No More" most heavily, but have to admit that, here again, it simply was not needed. It's a raw and wonderful duet between the Baker and the father who deserted him as a child, and is probably my favorite song in the show. But the Baker's Father was a minor character in the film, and the exclusion of his subplot was probably a wise, if painful, decision.</span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjimeRoU7GAXL-y0GwhlsVdEKTMltbdGECgCcoSjnUil7mfAC98Bk_k4gc5npSSvBuTM5sSHwXW4EU3VcmS-v8xs_WYQtJGbQA-8yEiY6rZhJBzclmRKuKua71g5zIEgEYSHEiZ-kAnuJ-/s1600/into+the+woods+imagesTD3JJAZ2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjimeRoU7GAXL-y0GwhlsVdEKTMltbdGECgCcoSjnUil7mfAC98Bk_k4gc5npSSvBuTM5sSHwXW4EU3VcmS-v8xs_WYQtJGbQA-8yEiY6rZhJBzclmRKuKua71g5zIEgEYSHEiZ-kAnuJ-/s1600/into+the+woods+imagesTD3JJAZ2.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I suppose there are always complaints to be heard, in this case, regarding both Johnny Depp and Lilla Crawford. Depp received the usual snark regarding his eccentric choices; I rather enjoyed his portrayal of the Wolf. Unbelievably, there were those who actually complained that the two younger roles, Jack and Little Red, were being played by children. Are they kidding? On stage, we might suspend our disbelief and allow 20-somethings to portray pre-teens, but on film, that would be ridiculous. Crawford in particular handled the intricacies of her role quite well. She has substantial stage cred, having played <i>Annie</i> in the most recent Broadway revival.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The success of </span><i style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Into the Woods</i><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">, following that of </span><i style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Sweeney Todd</i><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> several years ago, has awakened interest in translating Sondheim to film. Our birthday boy has revealed that someone who shall remain nameless is tackling his Pulitzer prize winner </span><i style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Sunday in the Park with George</i><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> for film. Considering it took decades to get <i>Into the Woods</i> into the theaters, no need to hold our breaths. </span><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9jvgqgomn5bCqhg8zqfOMo0X9IWLQBJ0EbJ-EQsbvZCvYhjL3c6DuiIo1doFCE66WKhRwnYDpVvo8ZB_S5HXQw_A-NuT6Grsd83Trz91Nw_LQBJ2I18SWC9qiFtjrarT00cNiW9Li5eTm/s1600/little+night+music+untitled.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9jvgqgomn5bCqhg8zqfOMo0X9IWLQBJ0EbJ-EQsbvZCvYhjL3c6DuiIo1doFCE66WKhRwnYDpVvo8ZB_S5HXQw_A-NuT6Grsd83Trz91Nw_LQBJ2I18SWC9qiFtjrarT00cNiW9Li5eTm/s1600/little+night+music+untitled.png" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"The Send In The Clowns Musical"<br />
was the only way they could think<br />
to promote this disastrous Sondheim<br />
film adaptation. It was more than 30<br />
years before anyone tried another.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I myself wish Steve's most cinematic work, </span><i style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Follies</i><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">, would make its way to the big screen; it really belongs there. And boy I wish one of those TV networks planning live presentations of Broadway musicals would take a long look at </span><i style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum</i><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">; before Robin Williams died, <a href="http://armchairactorvist.blogspot.com/2013/12/friday-dance-party-funny-thing-happened.html">I wrote a piece about how suitable the show would be for such a treatment</a>, and I even cast the thing with TV-friendly stars.</span><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIiqXlI60vtHEZ7oiGX86W4vJjJOxN_H3kT35e1j0evcm7YPoHhESg2sJA10tgxSkj40b3Ty6KXMIPIh9lboFMOMCd6YlVDEO0BR72Dn4aqEv9Un9ZUEu13-UJ5bbxenZC6IdERyfpmdLm/s1600/funny+thing+happened+untitled.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIiqXlI60vtHEZ7oiGX86W4vJjJOxN_H3kT35e1j0evcm7YPoHhESg2sJA10tgxSkj40b3Ty6KXMIPIh9lboFMOMCd6YlVDEO0BR72Dn4aqEv9Un9ZUEu13-UJ5bbxenZC6IdERyfpmdLm/s1600/funny+thing+happened+untitled.png" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Zero Mostel. Phil Silvers.<br />
Jack Gilford. Buster Keaton.<br />
What could go wrong?</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Ah well, maybe one day. For now, enjoy this week's Dance Party, in which Streep has been betrayed by her daughter, who must now pay the price. Happy Birthday, Steve, and congratulations.</span><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/nyTfuCwo3vY" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>Armchair Actorvisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02873366521914303194noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7146900851769565592.post-53753733704125312112015-03-21T16:15:00.000-05:002015-08-01T18:54:09.561-05:00Friday Dance Party: Strike A (Final) Pose<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Two pop culture phenoms intersected this week to inspire this week's Dance Party.</span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghotCC8e8qo2XWUwdY7r4_BZcbu1Gl-kzPJifR9eaxzYOYJCTOT7se4akDqEOsUZ6tcVtccskUWm_8rcDVC5jpoCfCxixJW96Izdncq7PvU2cSdZkOcNG7spSwBbhEYiwIQFHCsocleiHx/s1600/Jane+Lynch+images1QYZZDPA.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghotCC8e8qo2XWUwdY7r4_BZcbu1Gl-kzPJifR9eaxzYOYJCTOT7se4akDqEOsUZ6tcVtccskUWm_8rcDVC5jpoCfCxixJW96Izdncq7PvU2cSdZkOcNG7spSwBbhEYiwIQFHCsocleiHx/s1600/Jane+Lynch+images1QYZZDPA.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nobody in their right mind would suggest these two women resemble each other. Except those dreamers over at<em> Glee</em>.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8B-do0e8DqSag2xRjCLKoP60uXiqc7O9Zi9YRzch9USVerL-DkMT4bSItD4RWetln3WFaFgx7lUWPV2Ahk-7wInk93mXGpusga1O-PPa3aNGDZEpz328fgLgqSTByrt9-jmLkuZ6iks_y/s1600/Madonna+untitled.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8B-do0e8DqSag2xRjCLKoP60uXiqc7O9Zi9YRzch9USVerL-DkMT4bSItD4RWetln3WFaFgx7lUWPV2Ahk-7wInk93mXGpusga1O-PPa3aNGDZEpz328fgLgqSTByrt9-jmLkuZ6iks_y/s1600/Madonna+untitled.png" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Well, okay, here is one instance when Madonna<br />
does resemble Lynch. She recently took a topple<br />
during a live performance in Britain; Lynch is a<br />
bit of a klutz herself.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Madonna's "Vogue" turned 25 years old on Friday, the same day <em>Glee</em> ended its 6 season run. I must first point out that I am not, nor ever have been, a slavish devotee to Madonna, though I have admired her work ethic, and her business sense, over the years. For decades she's been known as the woman who can, quite cagily, reinvent herself with new images. That rare ability has kept her on the A list of recording celebrities while other performers' careers wane and fizzle.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIb4CIXdANEWf5uL-NyW4eVlV6ETy21RYjmVX2HAvq_EeQulotRVHi0ZdpiLezLZl7Iu7KioF7pPTDDpuF1jwdB-YnId71IYq_XVsLuWEYAJU8S7FYQNlT7Jvxr6F02cv9gNwuZseSwUYB/s1600/Madonna+images232KA6U7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIb4CIXdANEWf5uL-NyW4eVlV6ETy21RYjmVX2HAvq_EeQulotRVHi0ZdpiLezLZl7Iu7KioF7pPTDDpuF1jwdB-YnId71IYq_XVsLuWEYAJU8S7FYQNlT7Jvxr6F02cv9gNwuZseSwUYB/s1600/Madonna+images232KA6U7.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It was during Madonna's fling with Warren Beatty that she appeared in his film <em>Dick Tracy</em> and began her Marilyn Monroe period. While portraying mob moll Breathless Mahoney, she was prompted by Beatty to examine her character's inner thoughts/desires. A list of celebrities was already percolating in her mind when Madonna became aware of the newest dance craze in hip gay nightclubs. She married the two concepts, and "Vogue" was born. It hit #1 around the world.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;"><em>Glee</em> was unable to repeatedly reinvent itself like Madonna, so after an opening season which dominated pop culture for a time, the show slid into irrelevance pretty quickly. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpqN1vzOJuhz5HJYE8h0adUX9nixYRxF_URRGI-I2DI-0BVCY8FoDHchtzY0ftCZtvLT7sdp66hMg8pkwxbOp0lo-uzJzl3UovwIt3r1qmLQT1E81SmfozcCz-0zdU9FTpR78sWvjkeONV/s1600/glee+funny-quotes-free-finn-from-glee-hd-553830.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpqN1vzOJuhz5HJYE8h0adUX9nixYRxF_URRGI-I2DI-0BVCY8FoDHchtzY0ftCZtvLT7sdp66hMg8pkwxbOp0lo-uzJzl3UovwIt3r1qmLQT1E81SmfozcCz-0zdU9FTpR78sWvjkeONV/s1600/glee+funny-quotes-free-finn-from-glee-hd-553830.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I claim to have ignored <em>Glee</em> since its first season, but the<br />
Dance Party in these pages begs to differ: the show has<br />
provided 3 previous entrees. When juvenile male lead Corey<br />
Monteith OD'd, I wrote a little obit<a href="http://armchairactorvist.blogspot.com/2013/07/friday-dance-party-he-stopped-believin.html"> here</a>.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">I watched the show during that first season, but must confess that I abandoned it thereafter; I was too frustrated by the wildly fluctuating quality of the show, where one episode would be clever and heartbending and true, and the next would sink like a boot in quicksand. But there were enough "Gleeks" out there to sustain a run of 6 seasons.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuOoEO_BuCErlo7nB11GicPlE9bitiez0_IjfegqhSWKadu1nl6JFriTDqtlGWdqFyrSBepaXxehfs8jPTW58UHQNQZm0L0xSCQUeKlPrt3FoQFb2ia9P44KlmwcOK8rPnw7Gq92C7Vwwt/s1600/glee+lea-michele-matthew-morrison-tony-awards.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuOoEO_BuCErlo7nB11GicPlE9bitiez0_IjfegqhSWKadu1nl6JFriTDqtlGWdqFyrSBepaXxehfs8jPTW58UHQNQZm0L0xSCQUeKlPrt3FoQFb2ia9P44KlmwcOK8rPnw7Gq92C7Vwwt/s1600/glee+lea-michele-matthew-morrison-tony-awards.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">After its first season, Lea Michele and Matthew Morrison were invited back to their Broadway roots to perform at the Tony Awards. Michele was an alum of <em>Spring Awakening</em>, and Morrison had a slew of White Way Credits. I included <a href="http://armchairactorvist.blogspot.com/2010/09/friday-dance-party-emmy-loser.html">his Tony performance here.</a></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;"><em>Glee</em> had its share of compelling characters, most of them teenagers who were treated as outcasts by their peers, but the single Emmy winner among the regular cast was Jane Lynch. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2Kt9lD0gfQ4Xa9oKHo3xNUJBjYg-vX13l71QqTIXdXOkc9r3gIKBOn6Mysncsr9GaJXVZSvT2-ba5RytyvyRULqy6OZUo4a_w1AqpthqtlbuS5haiy2e2soV4zoH7V_wdqc9K15907yyN/s1600/jane+lynch+imagesAVPFQSC1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2Kt9lD0gfQ4Xa9oKHo3xNUJBjYg-vX13l71QqTIXdXOkc9r3gIKBOn6Mysncsr9GaJXVZSvT2-ba5RytyvyRULqy6OZUo4a_w1AqpthqtlbuS5haiy2e2soV4zoH7V_wdqc9K15907yyN/s1600/jane+lynch+imagesAVPFQSC1.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Turns out Jane Lynch CAN sing, and<br />
CAN resemble Madonna. After this<br />
breakout episode, Jane sang quite a<br />
few times on <em>Glee</em>. She also headlined<br />
the<em> Annie</em> revival on Broadway, and now<br />
that the show is done, she is constructing<br />
a cabaret act. I toasted Lynch on her<br />
birthday a <a href="http://armchairactorvist.blogspot.com/2010/04/friday-dance-party-good-lynching.html">while back, here</a>.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">As she was playing the in-house antagonist, it seemed inappropriate that her character break into song, so for the majority of the first season, Jane's Coach Sylvester remained musically mute. Then an episode came around which featured the music of Madonna, and <em>Glee</em> took a chance that Jane Lynch could carry a tune.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6kv8WfyawwnK-cwwFKsjOVDbMjY90w30p3VfXHc_lszQIsHdbUotOvdMR_Xht7xrWrzzrKy2UN1F81b90cg5PSvrHooffewvcCnMCp-kXfHFBRiRUUnALJF84NO4e6vk2rT7NOnlIRMzz/s1600/Glee+imagesS5Z1CY6R.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6kv8WfyawwnK-cwwFKsjOVDbMjY90w30p3VfXHc_lszQIsHdbUotOvdMR_Xht7xrWrzzrKy2UN1F81b90cg5PSvrHooffewvcCnMCp-kXfHFBRiRUUnALJF84NO4e6vk2rT7NOnlIRMzz/s1600/Glee+imagesS5Z1CY6R.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><em>Glee</em>'s finale spent a lot of time in Flashback Mode, but as far as I could tell, all the material was new except for this poignant moment. They included the first, and best, sequence which defined the show. In this pivotal scene from the pilot, the original Glee club perform "Don't Stop Believin' " in an empty theatre; it is the first time we see these kids triumph. The recording of this song became a substantial hit during season one, and it has special significance as it showcases the late Corey Monteith.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">As I mentioned, the series finale of <em>Glee</em> was broadcast on Friday; I succumbed to the temptation to tune in. I was lost only a bit of the time, as the creators wisely chose to focus the finale on the original members of the glee club, those same characters which had drawn the audience to the show in the first place. They shamelessly pulled at the heartstrings, showing us "before and after" portraits of these folks; it was a fitting end to the series.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdXJVrfhyphenhyphenKAhIdS4fzJjblodAt_DqyE1z3evha92ZuPaWsnBMyF-ZNO-FMEhKiJeJNPuCFSE3trnyAxiJFiJdk71MYcBKbbgquQqwm68lUowxgTwD2GKKeO9y6YLw-fB-pIOWIqnefY32O/s1600/Glee+Series-Finale-Songs.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdXJVrfhyphenhyphenKAhIdS4fzJjblodAt_DqyE1z3evha92ZuPaWsnBMyF-ZNO-FMEhKiJeJNPuCFSE3trnyAxiJFiJdk71MYcBKbbgquQqwm68lUowxgTwD2GKKeO9y6YLw-fB-pIOWIqnefY32O/s1600/Glee+Series-Finale-Songs.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I suspect that most of<em> Glee</em>'s large cast will sink into obscurity soon enough, but a few of them are already making waves on their own. Lea Michele is rumored to be returning to the stage in the first major revival of <em>Funny Girl</em>, and Amber Riley is touring with Beyoncé (just as her character announced in the "flash forward" segment of the finale). Chris Colfer has already written and produced a well-received indie film, and Matthew Morrison is in previews on Broadway playing J.M.Barry in the musical version of <em>Finding Neverland</em>. And Jane Lynch is hitting the road with her new cabaret act.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">But back to this week's Dance Party, which features Jane Lynch performing the Madonna smash "Vogue." I do not know if this is a true, frame-by-frame recreation of Madonna's video, but who cares? It's great fun. Like Rita Hayworth, she gives good face.</span><br />
<br />
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/QD9EN38NT6Y" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>Armchair Actorvisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02873366521914303194noreply@blogger.com0