Thursday, May 28, 2009
Hermosa Beach Playhouse's The Green Room a Winner
If you haven’t seen Hermosa Beach Playhouse’s world premiere of The Green Room by Chuck Pelletier, C. Stephen Foster and Rod Damer, you have one more weekend. And believe me, this one you don’t want to miss.
From the first note of this fresh new musical, you’d better pay attention because the words fly fast and furious, with energy to spare, from the sparkling young cast. If you’ve ever been an actor, wanted to be an actor, or known an actor, you’ll relate to the Broadway-hopeful dreams of these characters in their home away from home -- the green room.
The cast includes Stephanie Burkett Gerson, Zane Gerson, Jessica Gisen and Michael Willett. Book and lyrics are cleverly written and succeed in conveying the spirit of the characters, often using humor to make the point. Pelletier’s music satisfies the audience by moving through a number of styles. Together, the elements work to create a thoroughly enjoyable evening.
After I saw the show, I asked book writer, C. Stephen Foster to tell me a little bit about the evolution of The Green Room.
Where did the idea for the show come from?
The show originally came from Rod Damer’s one-act play based on his college experience. It was about the 4 characters' last college all-nighter.
The show is so entertaining and upbeat. What were you hoping the audience would take away from The Green Room?
The story follows four college theater students searching to find themselves as they question their parents, each other and their professors, but we didn’t want them to be bitter and jaded. The thrust of the show is “green” which represents growth and yearning. We’re hoping the audience takes the spirit of youth from the show.
How did you connect with HBP and how did that lead to them producing the show?
Chuck Pelletier (composer/lyricist) was cast in Hermosa Beach Playhouse’s musical Godspell. After the show wrapped, we gave artistic director Stephanie Coltrin the CD of the workshop recording. She immediately liked it and wanted to workshop the script with us and mount the show. We spent a long time reworking the material, the characters and the story line until we felt it was “right”.
What is the developmental history of the show....and where is it going after HBP?
Chuck originally brought the show to my theater company Off-Hollywood where we mounted the one-act of the musical. It contained, “It’s All About Me”, “Destination Stage Left”, “I Want to Go to Extremes,” “Waiting in the Wings” and “In the End”. It was a huge success. We felt we were on to something big and we decided to develop it into a full two-act musical! We fleshed out the story, characters and plot and did a 2-nighter of it at the Group Repertory Theater in the valley. The show was successful and then we found Stephanie Coltrin.
As for the future of The Green Room, we have a production opening August 7th in Sacramento starring Courtney Parks as Divonne, which is being presented at the California Stages by Friends of Dorothy Productions. We may also have a production in the fall in Orange County and we have several theaters across the country interested. We’re hoping to have it “sit” at a theater like the El Portal or the Colony in Los Angeles for an extended run. Of course, we’d love to have it at the Next Stages in New York.
Show runs through May 31. For tickets go to www.hermosabeachplayhouse.com/. You can also purchase the “workshop” recording at www.amazon.com/ or www.cdbaby.com/.
"And the future stands before us like a child, screaming out to know our plans..." from The Green Room: the College Musical
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
Casting Notice for The Green Room
Looking for non-union actors for Fall Orange County production of The Green Room: The College Musical.Project Rate: some pay for special circumstances
Run/Usage: 3 Saturdays – November 7, 14, 21
Contact: Hunter Dion at 714-501-3466 or octc@cox.net
Audition Dates: July 25, 2009 w/ call backs August 1, 2009
Roles available: Anna Kerns (soprano) 20 yrs old; Cliff Kerns (tenor) 19 yrs must be funny; John Davis (bass) 20 yrs old cocky; Divonne Bruder (alto) 20 yrs old very outspoken.
For more information about The Green Room, see previous Musicals in LA article at http://tinyurl.com/m8yeej.
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
Stuart Gordon's Re-Animator Reinvents Itself as a Musical
Rachel Avery, George Wendt and Jesse Merlin
Photos by Thomas Hargis
Update: Due to popular demand, Re-Animator has extended through August 14, 2011. For tickets call 1-800-595-4849.
When Miguel Rodriguez and Beth Accomando heard there was going to be a splash zone at Re-Animator: The Musical, they knew they had to make the drive up from San Diego to be part of it. Dressed in bloody lab coats and an assortment of plastic bibs and aprons, they and their friends happily ended up front and center in the saran wrapped seats of the second row. They weren’t disappointed one bit.
The blood and guts flow freely in this campy musicalized version of Stuart Gordon’s horror film Re-Animator, directed for the stage by Gordon himself. It is a gore fest, complete with severed limbs, bloody heads, and yes, even squirting intestines. (Oh, beware the squirting intestines!) Die-hard Re-Animator fans will be pleased to note that special effects for the musical have been done by Tony Doublin, John Naulin and John Beuchler, the team who provided the gruesome effects for the film. It’s clear they've had a great time setting up the show for a live audience.
When it first came out in 1985 Re-Animator, quickly became a hit among horror fans and established a cult following both for the film and its mad scientist, Jeff Combs, who played Herbert West. Graham Skipper (pictured left), who plays West in the musical, is just as fiendish as his film counterpart, and every bit as funny.
Original music for the film was done by Richard Band and composer Mark Nutter takes Band’s original Re-Animator motif and uses it as the basis for the score. Many of the songs follow a stream of consciousness recitative style, and you probably won’t leave singing any familiar tunes, but that’s not the allure of this musical. Come for the horror, stay for the camp, and you’ll be happily satisfied.
The plot concerns West’s discovery of a fluorescent green serum that can re-animate the dead and his arrival at Miskatonic Medical School where he plans to continue his experiments. There he meets the amiable Dean Halsey (George Wendt), the dean’s lovely daughter Meg (Rachel Avery), her handsome boyfriend Dan Cain (Chris L. McKenna) and his soon-to-be nemesis, Dr. Carl Hill (Jesse Merlin).
The story follows the film pretty closely and horror aficionados will gleefully know what’s coming next, but I won’t spoil it for the horror neophytes in the audience. What I will say is that there is plenty of death, sex, horror, comedy, music, and yes, even dancing. It is a musical, after all.
Chris L. McKenna, Rachel Avery, Jesse Merlin
and George Wendt
George Wendt, best known as Norm on Cheers is the show’s headliner, and he goes for it, game on, all the way through. Whether he’s being thrown around the stage by a zombie or beating his head up against an imaginary wall, Wendt gets the laugh, and we love him for it. Cain and Avery provide the sex and a dose of sweetness amid the craziness happening all around them, and Merlin’s pompous Dr. Hill is full of the cocky assurance of a man who doesn’t know he’s wearing a really bad toupee. When he tangles – and tangos – with Herbert West, we know we’re in for some madcap fun.
I didn’t see the film when it originally came out, but did watch it recently to get a better feel for the genre. What I found most interesting was the treatment of the material depending on which medium I was watching. In the film, the actors play the scenes realistically making the horror aspect really quite horrifying. Humor came as a relief to the psychologically gruesome situations.
The action is heightened in the musical with heavy emphasis on the comedy and interactive onstage gore. The Second City/SNL feel of the scenes is fantastic on the Steve Allen Theater’s intimate stage. In fact, the set consists of only one doorway that becomes the entrance to all of the locations in the musical. Great use of the space by set designer Laura Fine Hawkins, who last designed the set for The Lieutenant of Inishmore at the Taper. She proves it’s not how big the space is, but what you do with it that counts.
Get your tickets now, however, because online horror film fan sites have been singing Re-Animator’s praises since the show went into previews, and the musical is already developing its own cult following. Sunday night’s performance was standing room only with audience members lining the aisle.
So what did the San Diego foursome think when I saw them later in the evening? “It was great!” said Accomando, and the enthusiastic, bloodstained smiles of her friends confirmed it. They did sit in the splash zone after all…
Performances of Re-Animator - The Musical run Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights at 8:00 pm through March 27 at the Steve Allen Theater, 4773 Hollywood Blvd., Hollywood, CA 90027. For tickets call 1-800-595-4849 or go to http://www.steveallentheater.com/.
Book: Dennis Paoli, Stuart Gordon and William J. Norris
Music & lyrics: Mark Nutter
Adapted from the story by H.P. Lovecraft
Based on the film H.P. Lovecraft’s Re-Animator produced by Brian Yuzna
Director Stuart Gordon
Musical director: Peter Adams
Choreography: Cynthia Carle
Producers: Dean Schramm and Stuart Gordon
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Labels: stuart gordon
Tuesday, June 20, 2017
Review: Rethinking OKLAHOMA! For Today's Audience
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| Julia Aks, Zachary Ford and the cast of Oklahoma! All photos by Salvador Farfan, Caught in the Moment Photography |
Just when you thought you knew what the Rodgers & Hammerstein musical Oklahoma! was all about, along comes a revival by 3-D Theatricals that makes you rethink everything.
Yes, it will always be the story of a headstrong young farm girl and a charismatic cowboy whose romance is challenged by a menacing hired hand, but there is another layer to it I’ve never seen emphasized in any other production; Oklahoma’s ethnic makeup at the time and how it may have impacted those who lived there.
The musical is set in the days leading up to Oklahoma’s bid for statehood in the early 1900s and is based on Lynn Riggs’ play Green Grow the Lilacs. Riggs grew up on a farm near Claremore, Oklahoma (the same Claremore mentioned in the musical) in what was then known as Indian Territory so it is natural he would recreate the world of his youth for this particular story.
The eastern part of the state had been set aside by the U.S. government for the relocation of Native Americans whom the Feds had evicted from their lands. It was also where many African Americans, some free and some still enslaved, occupied towns alongside immigrant settlers. Whether farmers or cattlemen (or black, brown, or white), to live here was to be committed to the hard work necessary to make the harsh surroundings habitable. Survival meant learning to get along, though one can imagine the tensions that might have arisen in such a melting pot.
This is the landscape for director T.J. Dawson’s revival, one that creates a vital new narrative in the wake of contemporary racial and political tensions. Against this backdrop, Laurey (Julia Aks) is no shrinking flower but a hardy young woman who takes the demanding work of running a farm seriously. Her standoffishness with Curly (Zachary Ford) lasts longer than usual, and verges on becoming unlikable, but it is grounded in a reality that is believable, making her eventual admission that she needs him a powerful turn. It doesn’t happen until the box social but, when it does, the payoff is a satisfying one.
Ford’s Curly isn’t the typical self-assured leading man you’re used to seeing either. When he and Aks engage in their Beatrice and Benedick style sparring, a boyish vulnerability is evident behind the mischief. He may be confident on the surface but casting a character leading man instead of the usual baritone romancer means you’re going to see an unpredictable Curly with the potential to make some extremely affecting choices, which Ford does. Plus, he gets more mileage out of the humor in the libretto.
Dawson’s critical decision to cast Rufus Bonds, Jr. as Jud Fry – were it done in the context of non-traditional casting – wouldn’t be so unusual, but that’s not the purpose here. Borrowing from a line in both the musical and the play referring to Jud as “bullet-colored” he is intentionally presenting a world in which a man of color could legitimately find himself in this story. Bonds doesn’t waste the moment. He reinvents the character with remarkable insight into his humanity and, in doing so, gives us an opportunity to see our own human failings in the process.
Now when Curly picks up a rope in Jud’s room and jokes about how easy it would be for a man to hang himself from the beam above them, we are eerily reminded that, throughout our history, something as simple as the color of a man’s skin could get him killed. If that’s not relevant to today, I don’t know what is.
Taking a page from the Agnes de Mille philosophy of dance, which uses the art form to further the storyline, Leslie Stevens choreographs two bona fide showstoppers. Her staging of the Dream Ballet is fifteen minutes of searing emotion – joy, pain, lust, innocence, horror – and it’s a knockout. She expands the story even beyond what de Mille first presented as Laurey struggles to make up her mind in a dream turned nightmare. This is a career milestone for Stevens whose dancers, like Missy Marion and Dustin True, (Dream Laurey and Curly) elevate the soul of the production with their technical skill.
Then, after intermission she does it again with an athletic, exuberant ensemble number for the entire 53-member cast in “The Farmer and the Cowman,” a competition of one-upmanship that builds to a breathless climax.
Musical director Julie Lamoureux accomplishes the same feat musically in the large choral numbers and her 23-piece orchestra spins one of the most beautiful scores to come out of the Golden Age into gold. Forget third time’s a charm; for Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II, their first time changed the game for the entire musical theatre genre, and this is a chance to hear the full power of Rodgers’ angelic harmonies that so beautifully defined the movie musical period of the forties and fifties.
In any production it’s always a toss-up whether Will Parker or Ado Annie (played by Tom Berklund and Kelly Dorney) will be the dumber of the two comic roles but here they rival each other for the title. Neither develops beyond on a single overriding character choice pushed to the extreme, although Berklund’s dancing is so brilliantly executed it almost doesn’t matter. Ali Hakim (Drew Boudreau) and Aunt Eller (Tracy Rowe Mutz) are high energy roles that still leave themselves someplace to go within all the melodrama.
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| Tom Berkland and the cast |
3-D Theatricals always over-delivers on the technical aspects of its productions and this show doesn’t disappoint. Jean-Yves Tessier’s lighting at the fish pond and inside Jud’s smokehouse makes the moments seem particularly intimate, in sharp contrast to the bold colors he uses to flood the stage during the Dream Ballet’s dramatic shifts. Andrew Nagy’s projections enhance the feeling of great open space on the prairie (but for a little overkill on the birds flying by) and in a creative decision that might escape notice anywhere else, Peter Herman’s long side-swept ponytail for Laurey makes exactly the right character statement.
There is an unparalleled thrill that occurs when a director takes a well-known musical like Oklahoma! and finds what others have missed, especially when it was there all along. T.J. Dawson’s thoughtful undertaking of the search to answer the question, “Why Oklahoma! and why now?” proves classic productions can be as significant today as when they were first written. It’s all in how you see it.
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| Rufus Bonds, Jr. and Julia Aks |
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| Julia Aks and Kelly Dorney |
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| Julia Aks and Zachary Ford |
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| Zachary Ford and Rufus Bonds, Jr. |
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| Estevan Valdes |
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| Dancers in the Dream Ballet |
OKLAHOMA!
3-D Theatricals
www.3dtshows.org
June 16 – 25, 2017
Redondo Beach Performing Arts Center
1935 E. Manhattan Blvd., Redondo Beach, CA 90278
June 30 – July 9, 2017
Cerritos Center for the Performing Arts
12700 Center Court Drive, Cerritos, CA 90703
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Labels: 3D Theatricals
Friday, March 27, 2015
BEHIND THE SCENES: From Oliver Twist to LA
How One Midwestern Girl Followed Her Dream Out West--by Tanna Frederick
I grew up in Mason City, Iowa, or, as the rest of the city knows it, River City with, “A capital T that rhymes with P that stands for Pool.” Oh, yeah. We had one of THE BEST MUSIC programs in the nation, let alone the state. We sang at Carnegie Hall, for example, my sophomore year. None of us had been to New York, and we were selected for our excellence under the guidance of award-winning choir director, Joel Everist. We competed all over, winning event after event. And boy, we were expected to represent. We were serious, we were competitive, and we were expected to work with each other. “An invisible thread connected us,” Mr. Everist used to say. “Work like adults; work like professionals.”
When I was in Girl Scouts in the fifth grade, growing up in this beautiful, progressive, serious artistic hub (that was a great big city for Iowa – population 35,000) in the middle of green oceans of cornfields, we did what people did as entertainment for our field trip. We went to see the musical Oliver.
I had heard about this children’s theater from my classmates; the ones who could afford to be in it. They were obsessed with it. Gary Ewing was the teacher, the master, the MAN. Five shows a year, classes every Saturday, auditions. They were always eagerly waiting to hear what the next season’s line up would be. The classes were a mix of 4th graders to seniors in high school, all in the same class; all treated the same, worked the same, and rehearsed the same amount of hours with the same intensity, the same expectations; all required to paint the scenery, scrims, run light boards, and sound cues.
When we auditioned, it was a brutal process. Imagine a 9-year old, sitting with 8-18 year olds in the audience and watching them compete with utter focus, trying to act cool as a cucumber while reading cold and brilliantly (the older ones had it down WAY better than the young’uns), while by process of elimination those that didn’t fit were asked to leave.
I learned to cry young. I learned to take a complete day and cry at 9. I learned to realize ‘no’ was a positive answer. That ‘no’ meant working harder, learning more, taking the smaller part and making the performance big and bold, even if your heart was breaking on stage through two months of rehearsals and performances. I learned ‘no’ was the best answer I could be given at nine years old because I went through my crying and disappointment days early, took them for what they were worth, felt the hurt deep down to my belly and all the way out to my fingers. I learned what rejection was and I learned I could handle it because right around the corner was a lead role that would knock my socks off and outshine any hurt and pain I had endured.
I was just a kid but I knew I had a knack for acting. As I sat there with my girl scout troop, not enough seats for an overflowing house, I knew my best friend was playing Oliver Twist, at nine, and I couldn’t really conceptualize, now having been moved to the hard-on-the-tush aisle steps because of the sold-out house, what it would be like seeing him on stage. Already a young prodigy in his own right, he was winning dance competitions at the Iowa State Fair. That may sound like small potatoes but put any professional in one of our state fairs and we’ll give them a serious run for their money. Remember there are three films titled State Fair which were all based on the Iowa State Fair, a mighty important event. Tait Moline, talented beyond belief, my hero, my best friend, by then we had watched all the Broadway plays we could on Iowa Public Television, and worshipped Bernadette Peters.
When the house lights went down and the stage lights came up, everything around me stopped. I remember every single second, detail, note, and position of that musical. I remember the adults’ faces, the kids’ hutzpah, the box steps, the smell of the lights burning dust and gel, the happiness and sadness of every character’s face, the tears, the smiles, and the suspension of disbelief. The commitment from the characters to play, to pretend, to pain, to joy. I must have been eight at the time, taking hardcore (for a first grader) classical piano lessons that my parents had scraped together for and I was thrown ahead into a timeless floating ether of ecstasy.
It was a rivalry of power and life and I wanted it. I wanted it forever.
I joined The First Act (now Stebens Childrens’ Theatre) the next year. It changed my life. It WAS my life. It IS my life. It taught me to follow my dreams and that dreams can turn into a reality through hard work, dedication, sweat, breakthroughs, teamwork, and tears.
Way Out West
My letter prompted a meeting and, pleasantly, a budding friendship. Henry had given me his play, A Safe Place to work on in my acting class but I thought I would do him one better and find a theater to produce it. Finally, that “no” was a “yes.” I got to get up on stage and transform the room. It was so exciting to feel the heat of the lights. It continued to fuel my desire for a life in show business.
After that, I continued to collaborate with Henry and I’m currently playing Katia Wampuskic in his play, Train to Zakopane, one of my most challenging roles to date. She is an anti-Semitic nurse who falls in love with a Jewish man. Every night I have to channel hatred from a place that isn’t present in my own life. It is a true story about Henry’s father, by far one of his most personal pieces yet.
Prior to performing Train to Zakopane, I got to perform Amiri Baraka’s The Dutchman directed by Levy Lee. It was a theatre marathon; an emotional ride that could and maybe will never be matched in my performing career.
Before each new project, I take a moment to remember the Girl Scout sitting in the aisle of the children’s theater watching my future peers perform. I remember the magic that comes with transforming the mood of an audience, the magic of baring your heart on stage. It is a rush that cannot be matched with anything else in the world.
When I lose myself, I think of Oliver Twist...what I knew then and what I know now: that I love what I do, that I want to keep learning, that I never turned back, never gave myself a safety net, and never will. Times are hard, times will be hard, the sweat doesn’t stop, the hard work doesn’t stop, but I learned how to cry at nine and get on with it.
* * * * * * * * *
Train to Zakopane: A True Story of Love and Hate has been extended and is currently playing at Edgemar Center for the Arts, 2437 Main Street, Santa Monica, CA 90405 through June 28, 2015. For tickets go to www.edgemarcenter.org.
Photo credit: Leslie Bohm
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Labels: behind the scenes, edgemar center
Wednesday, September 9, 2015
From Green to Groovy - Nicole Parker Gets a '60s Makeover for THESE PAPER BULLETS
Still high on the adrenaline of a full day of rehearsal, an energetic Parker spoke to me about her experience working on the new production. I think you’ll see why the former star of Wicked and MADtv landed the role. This is one all-around great gal.
Nicole, what has it been like working on a brand new show like this one?
What’s great about working on something new is, while the creative team has done a version of the show before, they’ve made sure we know, as the new actors to the piece, that we can make it our own. That’s something you never get when you’re plugging into a show that already exists where you really need to hit the marks and you can give it your own flair but it needs to be what it is. This show isn’t set. Even from a comedic standpoint, I won’t even know whether some things I’m doing work until we get in front of an audience and they tell me.
Both you and your leading man, Justin Kirk, are new, right?
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| Nicole Parker and Justin Kirk |
What are your overall impressions of the piece?
It’s not a musical proper. What I mean is it’s really a new, unique hybrid show. Even though the songs Billie Joe has written are stand-alone Beatles-esque songs, they drive the show and fit what’s going on in the plot. In that sense, where a musical will forward plot or character with a song, or even heighten an emotion, it is similar. But it’s only done in a very realistic way with the band – in this case they’re called The Quartos – singing their songs.
That is something I haven’t seen before where, in a proper musical, someone is just going to sing out to the audience and share with us their deep wants and desires or fears. It’s all sitting within this very neat thematic idea of The Quartos existing as a very popular Beatles-like band but the band is comprised of the Benedick and the Claudio so they’re going through things even as their characters are having to perform and sing these songs.
What effect does the time period have on the play?
I love that it’s set in the ‘60s because I think that was the beginning of the movement when women really started standing out, especially in London, with Mary Quant fashioning the mini skirt and really pushing the envelope with the look. It sets up the Beatrice/Benedick story perfectly. In this case Benedick is a John Lennon/Paul McCartney type and Beatrice is a fashion icon and a successful woman in her own right. They both are very strong individuals who don’t need a mate. But then obviously they ‘doth protest too much’ and we know that they are meant to be together. I think that only supports what we love about Much Ado, which is that great sparring between Beatrice and Benedick.
Is it written in verse?
Yes…kind of. That’s what I mean about it being unique. I don’t think I’ve seen a show like this before that folds in the original text with updated verse. Shakespeare fans will recognize some of their favorite lines and it’s brilliant the way that Rolin wrote it. In some instances it just seamlessly goes from one into the other, and then it can also be used comedically to have Shakespeare’s verse all of a sudden updated as modern dialogue that might even comment on what the actual text was saying. It makes it really fun to do. I feel like it’s one of the coolest shows I’ve ever been in. Even listening to the read-through the first time and having the four guys sitting there singing was cool. They’re all proper musicians. That’s exciting to me as an audience member.
Is the show for musical theatre people or Shakespeare lovers or both?
I think there’s something for everyone in it. Even if you’re not familiar with Shakespeare’s language, you’ve got this text that’s integrated with modern language. Of course, if you’re a lover of the classics there’s something in there for you as well. I’m not sure that there’s a dull moment in it. There’s so much going on and there’s so much to look at and listen to. Every single actor is such a brilliant comedian and physical performer. It’s one of those shows where you think, wow, I wish I could sit and watch the show…oh wait, I’m in it.
How did the role come to you?
It’s always that story of being a random thing that drops out of the sky. It really was the middle of summer and I had heard about this show and had that passing thought, ‘oh, that sounds so cool, it would be awesome to do it…not gonna happen.’ You know, that positive attitude we sometimes have as actors. Then the audition came up and I got to read the script. It was really up my alley and seemed like something that I could maybe be the right fit for. But just like anything, you show up to audition and see every other gal who is so great and you think, oh that’s right. I’m not the only person who wants to do this for a living. There were so many amazing women at the auditions that I’m a geeky fan of, or just good friends with. Any one of them would have been amazing. I feel very fortunate that, for whatever reason, they thought I would be the right fit.
So it wasn’t a situation where you knew someone or had an inside track?
Oh no, it was definitely a serious audition process. In fact, I don’t think people realize that, even for an actor that you might think has had great success and would never have to audition for anything – I’d say there are about 7-10 people who never have to audition for anything and the rest of us, we’re all auditioning – you’ve still got to go out there and get it.
Even after you’ve done Elphaba on Broadway you’re still auditioning?
Even after you have done Elphaba on Broadway. You just see all the other Elphabas at all the other auditions. Here we are. All the Elphabas auditioning for the next Elphaba-like part!
That would make a hilarious premise for a show.
Oh wow, it would be loud, that’s for sure.
What did you learn from playing Elphaba?
That’s a great way to look at it.
It’s very empowering in terms of realizing what you’re made of. It really asks everything of you and if you can learn how to conquer it – and no one ever really feels like they’ve conquered it – what I mean is, if you can even just get through a week of shows, that’s an accomplishment. I don’t know any girl who’s ever walked away from Wicked saying, ‘nailed it, perfect, every time, wouldn’t change a thing.’ That’s too big of a beast.
It was also a great lesson in what you think you can do versus what you really can do. It made me a much more fearless performer, and a stronger one. I know if I can handle that I can handle this.
Do you mean vocally?
Vocally, yes, but also mentally and physically. Those times when you wake up for the Saturday matinee and you think, yeah, I don’t really see how this is going to work. And then you’re sitting in the chair at the end of two shows and you say, well, I did it. Just the fact that you can get through it is an accomplishment. I mean, we’re all human, we get tired, and we think maybe I have to give up or maybe I can’t go on. When you’re in that kind of situation where so many people are depending on you, it’s interesting what you can dig up.
What a great lesson. Anything else?
I also learned if you treat your body a certain way it will reward you. I didn’t speak on Mondays. I was on full 24 hour vocal rest. Obligatory joke – my husband says that was his favorite day (she laughs). I’m kidding. He’s very, very supportive but we have a good laugh about what it was like when I was Elphaba and just how much he helped me.
I also learned a bunch of tricks about how to take care of myself and at the same time, how to perform when you’re not 100%. You learn how to do it even when you’re not having a perfect vocal night, which honestly is what I think half of theatre is, especially with an 8 show a week schedule. Your body is not going to comply, nor is your personal life going to comply, with some things like that 8 times a week. But you learn how to manage it and that’s an incredible lesson.
You also worked on MADtv. What did you learn from that process?
I also learned to not be so sensitive, to not be so attached to ideas, especially from working with Marty Short. A joke gets 3 choice chances and if it doesn’t work it’s out. Or if someone in the writers’ room has a better option or someone wants to pitch you a joke and it’s great, I love the spirit of, yes, take it. All that matters is what works best. It’s sort of the improv idea of ‘yes, and’ which is just continue to move forward and take ideas, say yes to them, and implement them.
That sounds like something you can use in any situation, and especially on stage.
It definitely helped me as an actress as well because you have to let go of your ego. If you don’t you’ll be crying every night. It can be very hard when you’re working on a new show – say it’s a musical – your song might get cut, your scene might get cut, your character might get cut down. You have to always remember that it’s all about what tells the story best. As solid an ego as you have to have in the business, it’s interesting you have to put it aside for the good of the whole. It teaches you to be flexible and to think on your feet. And it sharpens your brain.
One of your other talents is doing impressions, both singing and speaking. What goes into that process?
Whether it’s speaking or singing, it starts with the shape of the actual mechanism. So, if I’m looking for Ellen DeGeneres, for example, I’m looking at the shape her mouth makes when she talks because some people will hold their jaw forward, their jaw back, they’ll be lisping slightly, they’ll be barely opening their mouth, they’ll be using their teeth too much. Then that becomes the character. When I’m searching for a character who’s not a well-known celebrity I find that maybe this person has Ellen-like qualities or I feel like this person’s voice wants to live in the place that Ellen’s voice does. It’s about characteristics. There are also times I’ve based a character on a person in my life. Certain family members have made it into many sketches. I just don’t think they know it. But they’re there.
Who are you using for Bea?
That’s an interesting question. I remember when Meryl Streep was doing interviews for The Devil Wears Prada and she said she noticed that men in power don’t raise their voices, ever. They never have the need to. So she decided her character in The Devil Wears Prada was really never going to raise her voice at all. And it gave her so much power. I just loved that. I had the same thought when I was watching Mary Quant. She was the Anna Wintour of the day – that fashion-forward, super-hip icon – and she’s very soft-spoken. I loved how laid back she was.
Bea is supposed to be iconic so how do you be someone who stands out? I think it’s very specific things. She’s a smoker and it’s the ‘60s so I decided I would start from a very low place, a very floaty place. She’s also a trendsetter and even within the way she talks she can set a trend. She’s definitely not high up in energy in terms of where I normally am in a musical. In musical theatre we’re always in the mask, we’re always up here [she demonstrates the sound and laughs (think Seth Rudetsky doing the great divas)]. I’ve done that a lot so I really thought about how I wanted her to be someone totally different. Plus, I have an accent on top of that.
It sounds like a lot of fun.
It is a lot of fun. We’re wearing vintage dresses and, as a gal, even that is fun. It’s play time.
Why do you think theatre matters?
Theatre matters because it’s one of the few things that, even in this crazy day and age, can’t be replaced. It’s important to have a cultural shared moment with the community. It reminds us of the real stuff we’re all made of and if you’re telling a good story and people care about what’s happening on stage then that’s where real magic happens. It’s its own wonderful ephemeral art and it exists only for that one night and it will never happen again…unless it is recorded and played on YouTube 60,000 times… I may or may not be talking about Wicked… but in general, theatre is designed for just that one exact moment and then it will never happen again.
The title comes from a line in Much Ado About Nothing. Does it have any special significance for you personally in the show?
From my perspective, ‘these paper bullets of the brain’ is all about the words that Beatrice and Benedick use to throw at each other, these barbs and insults and jokes we come up with. I like that because they are such intellectuals. They constantly use their brains and by the end of the play their hearts outsmart all those little paper bullets and overcome the obstacles. By that time, they have no words and so they end up together. It’s one of Shakespeare’s greatest examples of that fun back and forth banter between characters. That’s what Beatrice and Benedick are famous for.
We were talking about it today in rehearsal, it’s such a miracle that it actually works out for any two people to find love. We get to see in this show how many different ways you can screw that up and still have it work out. The story has a very lovely real life element to it about what a miracle it is that this thing called love actually works out sometimes. We celebrate that in the end.
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These Paper Bullets is currently in previews at Geffen Playhouse and will officially open September 16, 2015. For tickets and more information, go to www.geffenplayhouse.com.
Photos of These Paper Bullets! by Michael Lamont.
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Labels: geffen playhouse
Friday, May 2, 2014
Musical News for Friday, May 2, 2014
The Hollywood Pantages announces a lottery for tickets to Green Day’s American Idiot, which returns to L.A. for a limited one week engagement; May 13 – 18, 2014. www.hollywoodpantages.com/Lottery
BENEFITS: Pasadena Playhouse has confirmed some of the guests who will be in attendance for its premiere gala – Take The Lead at the Playhouse on Sunday, May 4 at 5:30 pm. They include
Nigel Lythgoe, Bonnie Lythgoe, Kris Lythgoe, Becky Baeling Lythgoe, Mandy Moore, French Stewart, Mario Lopez, Mary Murphy, Stephen “tWitch” Boss, Lindsay Arnold, Allison Holker, Ben Vereen, Adam Shankman, Spencer Liff, Patricia Ward Kelly, Du-Shaunt “FIK-SHUN” Stegall. Tickets: www.pasadenaplayhouse.org.
Rubicon Theatre invites you to An Evening with Megan McGinnis and Krysta Rodriguez on Monday, May 12 at 7pm. Tickets are $125 ($75 is tax-deductible). Limited to 70 attendees. Click Here for details and reservations.
On May 15, Rogue Machine will host its annual Benefit Gala, which will celebrate theatre through song. One Night in Santa Monica will take place 6pm – 10pm at the Santa Monica Bay Women’s Club, 1210 Fourth Street, Santa Monica, CA 9040 featuring live music, cocktails, a silent auction, and MORE. Tickets: www.roguemachinetheatre.com.
CABARET/CONCERTS: Due to popular demand, Jeremy Jordan’s concert, with special guest Ashley Spencer, has added a third performance at Hollywood’s Catalina Bar & Grill on Tuesday, May 6 at 8pm in addition to the two shows scheduled for Mon. May 5 at 7:30 & 10pm. Tickets: www.ChrisIsaacsonPresents.com
Miscast’s next show will takes place on Monday, May 19 featuring Mandy Kaplan, Todd Sherry, Will Collyer, Patrick Gomez, Wendy Rosoff, Netta Most, Mona Chatterjee, Marc Hawes, Tom Metz III, and Kathryn Lounsbery. We've got 2 new singers in songs from shows like Chicago, Les Miserables and Frozen. Seating is first come, first served. Dinner and Drinks at 6:30pm, Show at 8pm. $19 Cash Only at the door. Sterling's Upstairs at The Federal, 5303 Lanksershim Blvd, North Hollywood, CA. Reservations: (818) 754-8700. Proceeds go to Project Angel Food.
Mary Wilson, indelibly known as one of The Supremes, joins the cast of STAGE Goes to the Movies, which takes place on Saturday, May 10, at the historic Saban Theatre in Beverly Hills. Tickets: www.stagela.com
The Oak Ridge Boys will appear at La Mirada Theatre for the Performing Arts for two performances only, May 17 at 2pm and 8pm. Tickets: (562) 944-9801 or www.lamiradatheatre.com.
Arcadia Performing Arts Foundation presents The Temptations, for the final performance in its inaugural season, on Saturday, June 7 at 8pm. Tickets: www.arcadiapaf.org or call (626) 821-1781. The theatre is located at 188 Campus Drive at North Santa Anita Avenue, Arcadia CA 91007.
Venice, the band created by and consisting of members of the Lennon Sisters family will appear at the Grove Theatre one night only, May 18 at 6pm. Tickets: (909) 920-4343 or www.grovetheatre.com. The Grove Theatre is located at 276 E. Ninth Street, Upland, CA 91786.
The men of Black Hi-Lighter (the Highland Park, glitter-garage psych rock band) are set to take the stage on Saturday, May 17 at the Viper Room in West Hollywood for the second installment of their buzzworthy residency series, The Black Hi-Lighter Affair. They will be joined by Toy Bombs and Washing Machines for this appearance. www.blackhi-lighter.com
CLASS: Pat Whiteman will offer her Summer Musical Performance Workshop Sunday afternoons in June and July (June 15, 22, 29 and July 6 13). 1:30-4:30 pm at Madilyn Clark Studios, 10852 Burbank Blvd. North Hollywood, CA 91601. Ron Snyder at the piano. Cost: $395/six week class ($150 deposit will hold your space). Work on any type of material you’d like (pop, rock, musical theater, country, standards) for anything you want: audition pieces, studio work, upcoming performances, cabarets, one/two person shows or acts, or just getting your voice out into the universe in a safe, supportive environment, etc. The class will culminate with a performance at a local club. www.patwhiteman.com
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Labels: colony theatre, festival of new american musicals, la mirada theatre, old globe, pasadena playhouse, upright cabaret