Opening tonight

Post by **Pisces** » Fri Oct 06, 2006 6:14 pm

Well, everyone wish me luck. I'm playing the lead in "Arsenic and Old Lace", and we open tonight.

This is the first lead part I've played in years, so I'm hoping I do well. Reviewers from the papers will be here tonight, too. I'm pretty confident things will go well - we have a great cast, and we all have good chemistry acting together.

May the spirit of Cary Grant be with me.

ilovemyguitar · Post by **ilovemyguitar** » Fri Oct 06, 2006 9:07 pm

I LOVE Arsenic and Old Lace!

CHARGE! *runs up the stairs*

Post by **Pisces** » Fri Oct 06, 2006 9:56 pm

Me too. It's one of those classic comedies that's not run-of-the-mill. And we managed to get a cast that was good enough to create three-dimensional characters and ground the humor in realistic emotions, rather than the stock-character broad comedy thing. It works very nicely.

One interesting change we made - our Dr. Einstein is played by a woman, which gives the relationship between evil brother Jonathan and Dr. Einstein a whole new layer to it.

ilovemyguitar · Post by **ilovemyguitar** » Fri Oct 06, 2006 10:27 pm

That's very cool. Too bad you're in Nebraska, or else I'd try to come see it, haha.

YoshiMars · Post by **YoshiMars** » Sat Oct 07, 2006 12:19 am

Sounds great! Be sure to give us a full review when its done!

Post by **Sonic#** » Sat Oct 07, 2006 1:22 am

Oh, yes! It's funny, it's been since the summer that you've mentioned this... but now I remember it.

For a long time, I didn't warm to it, because the person introducing it to me at the time... grated against me badly, so I (regrettably, in some cases) didn't grant his praises much credit.

Break a leg? Or two!

LuNaRtIc · Post by **LuNaRtIc** » Sat Oct 07, 2006 2:01 am

Yes, break a leg! ^_^ I hope everything runs smoothly and that you have a fun time. Wish I could see it! :cry:

phyco126 · Post by **phyco126** » Sat Oct 07, 2006 3:02 am

I'm pretty late, so I assume that it's over. How did it go?

Post by **Pisces** » Sat Oct 07, 2006 3:41 pm

The opening went GREAT.

We just had one problem - the guy playing our Teddy in the show was seriously ill last night, and the director had to go on as his character. But amazingly, he did just fine. He only forgot a couple lines, but we were able to fluidly improv around them, so it didn't seem like any lines were forgotten.

But other than that...the audience was wonderful. They were laughing at nearly everything. I got a ton of laughs from them, yay!

I'm glad, too. There were reviewers there last night. Usually, the reviews come out the next Thursday, so once they do, I'll post a link to them here.

I love my costume, too. See, I'm really, REALLY tall, and it's usually hard for them to find good clothes that fit me well - but since I'm the lead, and the character of Mortimer needs to look really nice and debonair, they actually took me to Men's Wearhouse and special-ordered me a brand new, tailored suit. It's the nicest and most comfortable thing I've ever worn in my life! (I'm used to just having to settle for clothes that are a size too small.)

But yes, overall, great opening night.

ilovemyguitar · Post by **ilovemyguitar** » Sat Oct 07, 2006 6:05 pm

How long does it run?

Post by **Pisces** » Sun Oct 08, 2006 5:08 pm

We run until Nov. 19th, every other weekend. (We're alternating with the other show I'm in, Macbeth.)

ilovemyguitar · Post by **ilovemyguitar** » Sun Oct 08, 2006 7:11 pm

Good times.

I sing in an opera company in Palm Beach, Florida, and we start rehearsals for the upcoming season this week.

Post by **Pisces** » Sun Oct 08, 2006 11:11 pm

I have friends who do opera here in Omaha. I don't do opera myself, but I have done a lot of musical theatre. I'm a Sondheim fanatic. I've written a musical script, too, actually, and composed themes for it on the piano.

A couple of my friends recently were in "Turandot", which I enjoyed.

ilovemyguitar · Post by **ilovemyguitar** » Mon Oct 09, 2006 2:13 am

I did a bunch of musical theater before I got the job with the opera company, actually.

I'm definately of two minds when it comes to Sondheim's works. He's got a bit of a tendency to fall back on writing lyrics that are more clever than insightful. I'm more a fan of Jason Robert Brown myself.

Post by **Pisces** » Mon Oct 09, 2006 4:34 pm

I'm definately of two minds when it comes to Sondheim's works. He's got a bit of a tendency to fall back on writing lyrics that are more clever than insightful. I'm more a fan of Jason Robert Brown myself.

I guess I disagree there. Although I will say that I think his work has gotten more emotional and insightful and less "clever" in his later works.

Ever seen "Sunday in the Park with George?" The lyrics in that show are very insightful, in my opinion. I actually cry at a lot of the lyrics. And by "cry", well...I'm one of those people who cries at things that somehow touch or move me - I don't cry so much at things that make me sad.

I guess I like his lyrics because they're less "poetic" and more colloquial, so that they sound like DIALOGUE, and have a fluidity to them that's easy for actors. It makes the music more "natural" in the world of the script for me, and instead of the poetry in the lyrics moving me, what moves me instead is the character intention and the subtleties in the what the character is saying versus what's going through their head and their emotions. Sometimes counterpoint works best for me - things like someone being witty and cynical while inside they're hiding an emotional wreck ("The Ladies Who Lunch" is an example, if you've ever heard that song.)

Jason Robert Brown...name sounds familiar, but I can't think of him. What has he done?

ilovemyguitar · Post by **ilovemyguitar** » Mon Oct 09, 2006 4:54 pm

I've seen "Sunday." It's alright, but not my favorite piece of theater. I think Sondheim's a gifted lyricist, but he definately has a tendency to rattle off a bunch of words simply to sound impressive. And he'll fall back on recurring themes within a show that sometimes works really well (Into The Woods), but sometimes it just feels flat (Evening Primrose).

Jason Robert Brown's works include "Songs For a New World" and "The Last Five Years." Judging from what you say you like, you'd probably really enjoy "The Last Five Years."

Post by **Pisces** » Mon Oct 09, 2006 5:53 pm

I've only heard one song from "Last Five Years" and I enjoyed it. Can't remember the name.

I once saw someone perform the song from "Songs for a New World" where the lady is on the balcony threatening to her husband (Murray) that she's going to jump.

That song actually got my attention. I liked how at the beginning she was doing it for attention, and there was actually a lot of humor, like where she sings that Connie Chung is covering the event below, and then that "false" cry of falling, the "AAAAaaaaahhhhhhh.......... (no response) Oops....ALMOST FELL, Murray!!!"

And then, I liked how in the final verse of the song she starts seeing how he really doesn't pay attention and it gets really dark and serious, as if she's decided she really IS going to jump.

I should show you my musical script, sometime. My lyrics are similar to Sondheim's, though they (and my music) tends to be less dry and a little more obviously emotional. But the script itself is very surreal. Well, it's realistically played, but it has dream-like elements in it.

ilovemyguitar · Post by **ilovemyguitar** » Mon Oct 09, 2006 6:41 pm

"Songs" is a really interesting sort of show. It's more of a cabaret show, than an actual musical. It's typically done with two men and two women, and they portray different characters in each song, with each individual song presented as a snippet of different peoples' lives. While the characters they play throughout the production vary drastically, they're tied together with a general thematic idea that true happiness is found when a person makes a bold decision about the way they live their life. (An excellent song to check out from this is "Stars and the Moon." It's been recorded by a few different singers.)

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