The Buchanans of Llanview

One Life to Live fans are reeling with the double loss of two long-time Buchanan cowboys. Phil Carey, who played Texas tycoon Asa Buchanan for over 20 years on the show, died last week from lung cancer. His death comes on the heals of that of Clint Ritchie, who played eldest son Clint Buchanan during the same period. Though both actors had left the show (another actor currently plays the role of "Clint" and the role of "Asa" died months ago), they left an indelible mark on the canvas of the program. Robert S. Woods, who plays younger brother Beau, remains with the show.

Frankly, I was never a fan of One Life to Live, though I don't doubt it when others proclaim the long-time star of the show, Erica Slezak, to be the best actress currently in daytime (she has six Emmys to prove it, more than any other actress in soaps).

The Buchanan clan was introduced to the show's landscape in the early 1980s as a direct rip-off of prime time's smash at the time, Dallas. Like JR Ewing, Asa Buchanan was a modern Texas oilman with questionable ethics and a killer bedside manner. His eldest son Clint became entangled with the show's heroine and remained central to the action for decades.

(If imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, the Dallas creators should be blushing with pride, as several other soaps of the period introduced similar characters. "Cal Stricklin" was a knock-off character over on As the World Turns, and "HB Lewis" brought his two sons with him from Oklahoma to Guiding Light, where the brothers remain major players today).

Anyway, in honor of the Buchanan boys of One Life to Live, giddyup.

Phil Carey (Asa Buchanan), 1925-2009

Clint Ritchie (Clint Buchanan), 1938-2009

R&G on the move

I returned to North Carolina to rejoin rehearsals for Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead, and found that the cast, particularly the three leads, had been working hard. The complicated wordplay is making more sense now, and it's obvious these guys have been doing lots of homework. There are whole scenes in which they are off book, which motivated me to get on the stick and accomplish the same. I have very little dialogue in this piece, and it does not look quite right for me to be carrying around the script while others with dramatically more to learn, are not.

We've had a few days off, and I am now ready to attack the piece free-handed. Tonight, we move into the theatre, with about a week to go before the first audience shows up. (This is earlier than usual for this group). I know I'm glad to be out of the depressive surroundings of the rehearsal hall, located in a run-down industrial complex along the poluted river. The room had a stuffy quality which prohibited both creativity and breathing. But it's not unusual, even for theatre companies with far more resources than this, to put a lot of those resources toward their playing space and their administrative offices, and to ignore the one area with which they cannot do without: a place to rehearse.

But for now, who cares? On we go...

Blossom Dearie

1926-2009

Cabaret artist, influential jazz stylist, long-time Manhattan/London icon, chanteuse.

James Whitmore

1921-2009

One of the most prolific actors of his generation, Whitmore's theatrical career was launched when twin knee injuries sidelined his college football career (he attended Yale on a sports scholarship and was coached by future President Gerald Ford). After a stint in the military during WWII, he landed on Broadway in Command Decision and won a Tony. The project took him to Hollywood, and though he lost his role in the film version to Van Johnson, he soon picked up his first Oscar nomination for his early film Battleground (his performance won the Golden Globe that year).

Whitmore was never out of work, appearing in countless films and television programs. He starred in several short-lived series in the 60s, and on film, appeared in a wide variety of genres. His contract to MGM placed him in the unlikely position of introducing the novelty song "Brush Up Your Shakespeare" in the film version of Kiss Me Kate, in a duet with another non-musical talent, Keenan Wynn:

In 1964, he took a rare starring role in Black Like Me, the filmed version of the non-fictional account of a white journalist who changed his skin pigment with medication and masqueraded as a black man in the south. The movie was his favorite film role:

His resonant voice and cinematic gravitas could not be buried under piles of make-up in the original sci-fi classic Planet of the Apes, in which he played the President of the Assembly. Recent audiences know him best for his soulful performance as "Brooks" in the prison drama The Shawshank Redemption, in which he played the librarian who could not face the outside world. This appearance late in his career propelled him to high-profile roles on television, including a three-episode story arc on The Practice, for which he won an Emmy in 1999. He later received another Emmy nod playing Josh Brolin's father on the political series Mr. Sterling.

As with so many actors, Whitmore was most proud of his stage career, to which he returned over and over. He became known as the King of the One-Man Shows for a trio of performances throughout the 70s. As Will Rogers in 1970:

His 1977 performance as Teddy Roosevelt was less successful, but he is most famously remembered as Harry Truman in Give 'em Hell, Harry, a stage performance which is preserved on film. It brought him a second Academy Award nomination in 1975, and placed him in the history books as the only solo-actor in a movie to receive an Oscar nomination.

He was diagnosed with lung cancer late last year, but continued to maintain a television presence as the spokesperson for Miracle-Gro plant food. He died this week at the age of 87.

Friday Dance Party: I Don't Think I Got It

I wrote recently of my Split Focus, and this week has been more of the same. I have returned to NC to rejoin rehearsals for Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead, which have been ongoing in my absence. There was certainly no need to suspend rehearsals while I was in DC, as my role is quite small. We are now nearing the end of our second week of rehearsal (out of only three and a half), and I have yet to rehearse any scene in which I speak. There aren't many of those, granted, but so far, I have been working on the "tragedian" scenes in which I take part. Limited action, no dialogue, and lots of what we used to call at The Shakespeare Theatre Co. "active listening." It's a fancy term for hanging around in the background and not looking dead.

The trip to DC was action-packed, to say the least. I returned for three days to help run the annual Liaison Committee Auditions, in which several hundred Equity and EMC (Equity Membership Candidate) actors presented their talents for several dozen theatre companies. My volunteer job, which I handled last year as well, was to coordinate the actors, gathering them into groups, giving a short orientation, and leading them to the slaughter. All with generosity of spirit and respect.

Why are you laughing?

I took the opportunity to audition myself as well, with my new, though temporary, "Polonius look." This is a substantial departure from my normal self, and those who knew me were...um...surprised, to say the least. Oh well, maybe it will increase my chances of snagging a gig out of the audition. My three minutes went well, I thought, though only time will tell if the audition yields fruit. I did come away from the auditions a bit deflated, though not as a result of my work on The Day. With the childish naivete which only actors can muster in their adult years, I had hopes of being asked to return to the local production of Shear Madness again, having played in their "day company" the last two springs. Sadly, that will not be happening, and I was more disappointed than I had a right to be. In the past, there have been YEARS between my engagements with The Madness, so I really have no right to be surprised that I am being passed by this year. In addition, I had a remote hope that a buddy who now heads one of the nice summer stock theatres in the region might offer me some work this season, but that hope is dwindling as well.

Any wonder I'm having trouble focusing on the project at hand?

Regarding our Liaison Auditions, there is a musical component for those who wish to sing. It's hardly a full-fledged musical audition, but it reminds me of the most arresting "Audition Story" out there. I've already written of my admiration for the original production of A Chorus Line, which contains the single most dynamic opening sequence of any musical. The 1975 Tony Awards devoted their entire opening to it, and it contains all the performances which later became lore. It's a blurred copy included below, but even with poor quality, the excitement cannot be denied. The clip includes Donna McKecknie (in the red), who won the Tony, as well as Sammy Williams and Kelly Bishop ("I knew the routine when I was in front"), who also snagged awards. Keep an eye out for Priscilla Lopez (in the red jersey,dancing with her tongue), who lost her Tony bid to costar Bishop, but later won the award for A Day in Hollywood/A Night in the Ukraine. And if your eyes are sharp, you'll glimpse Wayne Cilento, ("What happens now...?"), who later became a Tony-winning choreographer (Tommy) and is currently represented on Broadway by Wicked. By the way, the director/choreographer who takes center stage in this sequence is Robert Lupone, Patti's brother. But you don't have to know any of these people to be fascinated by this dynamic clip.

So, in honor of all actors auditioning everywhere, here is this week's Dance Party:

Duck and Cover

Patti Lupone has always been a showstopper, and she proved it several weeks ago in the final weekend of her celebrated turn as Mama Rose. She got very mixed response to her actions. During her climactic song in Gypsy, really only a few minutes before the final curtain, she stopped everything to complain about an audience member who was taking pictures. This, of course, is a big no-no, and apparently she had had enough. There are folks out there who wonder what the hell she thought she might accomplish by halting her own performance to insist the poor schnook be removed. Others, including the audience in attendance that night, applauded her actions.

Well, I wouldn't have done it, but I'm not Patti Lupone trying to scale that monumental breakdown number, "Rose's Turn." And the fact that this was the day before the show's premature closing probably weighed heavily with her. Lupone fought long and hard to play Mama Rose on Broadway, including having to convince author and director Arthur Laurents, who resisted the idea for years. Lupone finally proved herself during the New York concert staging of the show several years ago, and Laurents himself directed her in the revival. The show won lots of Tonys, for Lupone's performance and those of her two co-stars. As I wrote previously, the show was scheduled to conclude when the stars' contracts were up in March, but the tanking economy took its toll, and the production instead closed two weeks ago. I have no doubt Lupone was deeply disturbed by this, and I can verify (as can any stage actor) that the final few performances one gives of a beloved role are precious and personally valuable. To have one of her last shows marred by flashing cameras was apparently too much for the diva.

Frankly, I run hot and cold on Lupone. I have never seen her on stage in a musical, but have seen her in two straight plays, one of which (Master Class) she improved simply by her presence in it. (I wrote about seeing that show here). It's hard to find a subtle moment in any Lupone performance, on stage or screen, but who cares? I believe she gives her all to whatever she attempts.


Now that Gypsy is history, Lupone is hitting the road in a concert which should be...um...well... quite something. If there is a male counterpoint to the histrionics of Lupone's performances, it's Mandy Patinkin. Remember his performance of "Buddy's Blues" in the Lincoln Center Follies concert? Yikes. Here's a quick song which is very indicative of his musical performances these days. Get this guy a Valium...



I loved Patinkin's work in Sunday in the Park with George, a performance, preserved on video,which continues to make me weep. Nowadays, though, his singing makes me wince.

Lupone and Patinkin, who won twin Tonys for their performances in Evita decades ago, are joining forces for a concert tour. That may be a truly frightening evening. I'm serious here. Take this guy:

...and team him up with this gal:

...and all I can say is, TAKE COVER.

In an irony which theatre folk really enjoy, the very moment Lupone was going off on that audience member for snapping pictures , someone else was illegally audio-taping her performance. It is that audio tape which steals this clip:



With Lupone and Patinkin on the road together, nobody's safe.

Where can I buy a ticket?

Friday Dance Party: HAMLET !!

I've had only two rehearsals for Ros and Guil so far, but it is enough to reinforce a belief I have long held about Tom Stoppard. He uses too many words. Yes, I know, a stage actor who dislikes Stoppard? That would be almost as bad as disliking Shakespeare; my peers would never respect me again. So, I will fall a little short of claiming to dislike the playwright whose work I am now rehearsing. Perhaps I will fall in love with his esoteric wordplay as the process continues (but I have doubts. I have already played a much larger Stoppard role, Bernard Nightingale in Arcadia, and the experience failed to win me over). And I admit to being perplexed that I have these negative opinions, as Stoppard's Oscar-winning screenplay for Shakespeare in Love remains a particular favorite of mine. Ah, well. My opinion of Stoppard's wordplay does not matter too much in the case of my current project, as I am not speaking any of his words. As Polonius, I am speaking only Shakespeare's lines (and not many of those). So, I've been thinking more about Hamlet than Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead, and as such, present this week's Dance Party. There are lots and lots of Hamlets out there, but this one is probably the one most true to the original spirit of the tragedy. Feel free to sing along.