Alarming News

...on the Musical Theatre front. The only positive spin I can put on this bit of horrifying news is: at least it's not "Cats 2, the Purring Continues..."

Let's see:
"Bring Back Birdie"
"Annie Warbucks"
"Best Little Whorehouse Goes Public"
"Divorce Me, Darling" ("The Boyfriend 2")
"Shock Treatment" ("Rocky Horror Show 2")

... has there ever been a successful sequel to a musical?

I eagerly await other possibilities:

"Jersey Men"

"Beauty and the Beast Go Hawaiian"

...and one really worth waiting for:

"Monday in the Park with George"

Shear Shock

This was the view out the windows of the Kennedy Center's Theatre Lab for much of this week, but the mood inside was anything but gloomy. An enthusiastic group of actors was being led through their paces with verve and just a bit of urgency. The Second Company of Shear Madness was being assembled and rehearsed, under what must be considered complicated circumstances. But Shear has been doing this for almost 20 years, so somebody knows what they are doing.

The actors all have varying degrees of experience with the Madness, and were in fact rehearsed semi-separately due to the requirements of the ongoing production, which played 9 performances this week.

Our cast includes:

One undisputed veteran of the show, playing the sleazy antiques dealer. Mark fits the role like a glove. He must have played the part a thousand times or more, so we only saw him twice this week. He doesn't need the rehearsal.

One semi-vet, playing the lead detective on the case. Matt has been with Shear off and on for many years, playing three of the four male roles many, many times. He has surely worked his way up from the young cop to the role of Rosetti, who runs the investigation (and the audience participatory parts of the show).

Two actors new to the production, playing the young detective and the society grande dame. Matthew and Catie both rehearsed last month, and joined the evening company for two weeks to get their feet wet with 8 (or 9) shows a week. As they have both been performing in the evenings, we saw them only twice this week.

One brand new actress, playing the gum-smacking Barbara. Tiernan went through the challenging process of rehearsing a week all by herself, with director Bobby and stage manager Robert playing all the other roles. It's guerrilla theatre, necessitating absorption of the entire show in 6 days. I know exactly what she went through, as my first engagement with the Madness years ago was rehearsed in the same way, by myself, with no other cast members available to play with.

Oh, and we have one actor who should have remembered much more than he does, from his two previous stints with the show. That would be me. I joined Tiernan and Matt in rehearsal this week, and was surprised at how little of the previous experiences had stuck with me. But director Bobby pressed on, and as we moved through the show, moment by moment, beat by beat, and bit by bit, the thing has begun to take shape. We won't know for sure until Monday night's opening performance, but from where I'm sitting, this looks to be a comically talented group of very smart actors who know what they are about.

The fact that all six of us will be together to run the show only once, on Monday afternoon, gives only minor trepidation. This show runs like a Swiss clock when it's done right, and all of us are determined that on Monday, it will be right.

Diving In

It's long been said, "If you want to make an actor complain, give him a job." I hope I am not one of those. I'm looking forward with great anticipation to the next several months of work, the first of 2007, actually.

My rehearsals for "Shear Madness" begin tomorrow, and end on Monday. Yep, only a week's worth, but surely enough for a returning actor. The "Second Company" opens Monday night, and will run roughly four shows a week through June 21. It looks to be a very fun group this time out, including several actors I've worked with in the past on other projects. Always fun to reconnect.

Once "Shear" is up and running, I'll be starting rehearsal for "Opus" at the Washington Stage Guild. Very very excited about this production, a DC premiere directed by my grad school buddy Steve Carpenter. So, I'll be in rehearsal, or performance, or BOTH, every day from now until the end of June.

But believe me, I'm NOT complaining...

Who needs a day off from doing what you love?

out the window

Gotta admit: I'm a sucker for the snow.

Rejoining the Madness

Popped down to KenCen for a photo call for "Shear Madness," which I will be rejoining for the spring daytime company (actually, three days and one night per week). I'm sure I will be blogging more about the Madness that is Shear, a production I have been privileged to participate in a couple of times over the years.

For today, the task at hand was snapping pix of the actors, in character, for the lobby display. I was very glad to be present, as the picture previously used for me in the show resembles neither man nor beast. It was fun meeting the newbies who will be learning the show from scratch, and especially hoot-full to be working with Catie Flye, who directed me in "Christmas at the Old Bull and Bush" at Arena many moons ago.

Rejoining the show will be the first in a series of very nice gigs scheduled for the coming months. 007 is looking up!

The Shakespeare Reach-Around

The Shakespeare Theatre (now: Company) has been bestowing their annual Will Award since 1988, and the Gala Awards Ceremony is a big money-maker for the Free For All at Carter Barron. It's a worthy cause, so the occasional eye-roller (Mel Gibson?) can be overlooked. From Joe Papp to Christopher Plummer, from Patrick Stewart to Maggie Smith, the recipients list reads like a who's who (or who used to be who) of high-profile classical theatre. Of course, because the event during which the award is bestowed is a fund-raiser, all the recipients are substantial stars. We are not likely to see the Will Award bestowed on Simon Russell Beale or Antony Sher until they star in a hit movie or TV series.

Until now. This year, The Shakespeare Theatre Company will be bestowing the Will Award upon...themselves.

Emery Battis, Floyd King, Ted van Griethuysen, David Sabin, and Ed Gero are all actors who helped ignite excitement in the classics through their performances over the years. Helen Carey, Andrew Long, Tana Hicken, and Philip Goodwin have all lent their talents to the company many, many times. But I wonder about a few of the other recipients. Avery Brooks? Patrick Page? Geraint Wyn Davies? These fine gents have appeared a few times at The Shakes, and apparently are now considered actors who have substantially influenced the success of the theatre.

Good for them and the theatre, I suppose.

But if Mr. Page is considered a member of the company after a grand total of two roles, and Mr. Wyn Davies after three, then where are Kelly McGillis, Pat Carroll, Caitlin O'Connell and Craig Wallace? How was this list of "company members" compiled?

Wally Acton and Fran Dorn have not been seen in these parts in many moons (the Twelfth Night reading at KenCen notwithstanding), but congratulations on your lasting influence on the company.

There is even confusion about how many actors are actually receiving the award. The Shakespeare Theatre website announces 13 honorees, though Michael Kahn is excited about only 11 of them. Apparently, the press release announcing the recipients lists 15 actors scheduled to get the award, including Nancy Robinette, who is not mentioned elsewhere.

So maybe the Awards list continues to grow. Better snag your ticket to the ceremony; you might be winning one.

2/15/07

A very nice and relaxed general for Carlyn Davis today. She called last week to set up a meet-and-greet, completely forgetting that I met her several years ago. Ah, well, maybe this one will stick. They put me on tape for their files, with a brief monologue, then reading a very generic side. But the techie, Jan, was warm and welcoming.

My film career has been fairly limited, with the exception of a terrific little part in John Waters' "Pecker." (My catch phrase swept the nation: "Everybody wants to be in Vogue!") Otherwise, background work has been my bread and butter in the film world. I've hauled dead bodies in "Homicide," lectured (in silence) the young Jeb Bartlett in "West Wing," and helped Kirstie Alley and Tim Allen escape legal punishment in "For Richer or Poorer." My significant role in the indie "Red Nights" has been relegated to the VHS bin, with little hope that the film will ever be released on DVD.

So Carlyn, do with me what you will...