Tell you all my secrets

Friday night I stage managed the rehearsal for the Civic Orchestra while LonelyDumptruck hung out with Frank, Kamala, Rodney, Jay and Gus. I missed Frank and Kamala, but got home right after Frank and Kamala left and Jay went downstairs and Jay had gone downstairs to get something. Gus peed and pooped on our floor, found and ate a coffee bean and Uncle LonelyDumptruck and Aunty Ghost_Light got to be bad influences on little Gussy. Want to see how bad?




Saturday I had Drama Center classes and then went straight to auditions for Becky's new Car. Zod bless my friend Patrick who taught for us and badgered the director into giving him a couple of the scenes she was using for auditions because we got to rehearse them between classes. While I was doing that LonelyDumptruck met Rodney for brunch.

I got to come home for a bit after auditions and buy Beartooth for lunch to celebrate making callbacks, then I had a perfectly uneventful night stage managing the show for the Civic Orchestra. LonelyDumptruck was going to go to the roller derby with Rodney, but he started coming down with the crud and opted to stay in.

Today we had a choice between rehearsing for the Brr-lesque between 9 and 11 or 11 to 1. Evil genius that he is, Rodney got everyone to agree to 9 to 11 by suggesting we could go to brunch afterward. LonelyDumptruck was feeling too poorly for brunch, his rehearsal and the Super Bowl party at Geolinguist's, so I had brunch (where the theme seemed to be Great Stories from Childhood), went home for a nap and made an appearance at Geolinguist's party before callbacks.

Geolinguist's sister is fostering a cat who Geolinguist, in a moment of dirty pool, told me reminded him of Mao, so I had to make an appearance just to see that.

Geolinguist, the fucker, was right. Foster Kitty looks very much like Mao. She even let me hold her until the Steelers made a great play. When the made a good play only Dave yelled and I was able to calm the kitty down, but when they made a great play even Geolinguist
started yelling and Foster Kitty needed to go hide after that.

Callbacks were...okay. I didn't really rock it, but I didn't do any worse than the other 3 ladies called back. At the end, I read a lot for the character role, which is what I usually play. I told LonelyDumptruck about the best parts of both the lead and the character part as his assessment is that I need to be in this show. I hope he is right

Guess who has two thumbs and made callbacks for Becky's New Car!

On the happier side of things, YOu Can't Take It With You continues to go very well. We've been sold out pretty much every night and the former Artistic Director of ACT sent a review in to Cyrano's:

Cyrano’s Theatre Company

You Can’t Take It with You

by

Moss Hart and George S. Kaufman


This play has been called a chestnut, fluff, a farce and a mindless theatre escape. In truth, Hart and Kaufman’s third collaboration, You Can’t Take It With You, remains to this day an important theatre piece. Certainly both the funny and regressive sitcoms of our day owe a lot to the madcap offering from Hart and Kaufman. The 1936 Broadway cornball play won the Pulitzer and when it was quickly turned into a film, with James Stewart, Jean Arthur, and Lionel Barrymore, it won Oscars for best picture and, for Frank Capra, best directing. Why, you might ask? it’s not Shakespeare. Well, during the Great Depression, for film and theatre, escapism was the order of the day. Times were hard and, unlike today, everybody knew it then. You Can’t Take It With You has withstood the test of time, and several recessions, becoming a classic to be found in continuing production at high Schools, community theatres, and an occasional visit back to Broadway. In 1983, on Broadway, acting heavyweights Jason Robards, Jr. and Colleen Dewhurst were in it and this November another Broadway revival is expected.

Cyrano’s Theatre Company continues to show courage in bringing large cast plays to a relative small space. You Can’t Take It With You is a production that sometimes has a life of its own off stage. The opening at Cyrano’s was delayed a week and still opened to a full house. Circumstances caused the role of Henderson (the I.R.S. man) to be assigned to three different actors, Richard Benavides, Mark Stoneburner, and Pat Killoran. Even director Dick Reichman joined the on stage cast as Grandpa Martin Vanderhof late in rehearsal. Producing Director, Sandy Harper’s positive attitude that all will work out was, again, justified; the opening was a success.

You Can’t Take It With You is not a call that justifies higher taxes or that you need to max out your credit cards; rather, it is a raucous duel between the ultra conservatives and the eccentricities of run away popularism – think of early Homer.

Dick Reichman’s directing kept the farce moving and the actors on their toes, one literally. The cast was largely a ‘look at me’ ensemble. Dick Reichman is usually impressive in directing or in acting, but not usually both in the same play. Reichman performed Grandpa as the philosophical oracle center of his whirlwind family.

Among the impressive attempts to keep the outrageous viable was Erick Hayden as Boris Kolenkhov whose hint of Rasputin grew to the level of endearing his character of Boris to the audience – an artistic seduction. We believed him even when we didn’t believe him. Kelli Brown, as Alice, performed so well as the one in the family trying to attain normalcy by falling in love with the upper class, but somewhat normal Tony Kirby and yet still love her own outrageous family. In this dilemma, Alice has to straddle the river of chaos. Janet Stoneburner gave such substance to the inhibiting character, Mrs. Kirby, so often presented as a two dimensional character. N’Kia as Rheba really shines bright in her scenes.

You Can’t Take It With You allows us a fantasy fix. If you don’t like what the government is doing with your taxes, then don’t participate. It’s a fantasy to be sure and, by definition, unrealistic. So, you should attend the Cyrano’s production of CTIWY; you deserve such a delightful escape. Do keep in mind, though, you can’t take it with you – can’t you?

It's been a wild week for You Can't Take It With You. I don't think we've had a single rehearsal with everyone here. This weekend we learned a cast member has pneumonia, so lonelydumptruck was called in to replace him for the first two weekends. Tonight we found out Grandpa went to the hospital with heart flutters, but his daughter insists he's doing fine and will be back tomorrow.

I will post pictures of my new hair color and hopefully pictures of me in the show tomorrow. I bear a striking resemblance to Dr. Girlfriend in my pillbox hat.

Saturday was the brace fitting and the near-death orchestra incident previously recorded. After the show we went to a friend's birthday party and stayed until after 3. By that point I was nap-jerking through Wii karaoke and insisted on some bed. Today we went to brunch with Rodney and Tina, then I spent some time working out internet rp while lonelydumptruck played Borderlands and finally headed to load-in/rehearsal while lonelydumptruck met with friends in Mountain View.

The rehearsal part of /rehearsal never happened. I was very sweet to myself during the load-out and didn't lift anything heavier than an abandoned screw. When load-in started in earnest, I parked myself in the front row and studied instead of throwing ribs out working a paint roller. This was not only the best choice for me physically but the best choice for the show. I guess the stumble-through they had while I was pitching myself headlong into violins was more stumble than anything else. While I was idling through the cafe tonight, the juvinille threw me a cue to which I responded 'Bu-WHA??' She just muttered 'God you are so lucky you weren't here yesterday' and moved on.

While I was buried in my lines, lonelydumptruck was at Frank and Kamala's waiting for Mexican food. I guess they ordered around 6 and around 8 the place called to say they were out of everything ordered. They made order 2.0 which arrived while lonelydumptruck was getting me from the theatre and I had a lovely dinner of mooch before watching the DVD of the Christmas Brr-lesque show.

It was nice to have a quiet night before the week before tech.

How can a weekend with so many canceled things still be so damn busy?

I worked a Late Nite Catechism matinee, then I was supposed to go shadow stage managing a dance show, but it was decided that I should wait and do the evening show tomorrow instead of tonight or tomorrow's matinee, so I went downtown to meet up with Dave, Krista, geolinguist and lonelydumptruck at Sub Zero.

geolinguist got tickets to the symphony from his work and was taking lonelydumptruck as his date since I had to work. The drinks and the conversation were so good they decided to go late, then just miss Act 1, then we just ended up staying until we realized the symphony crowd was arriving. We're going to head over to Frank and Kamala's now.

Tomorrow we have a Toad brunch to begin planning the Fair. I had rehearsal, but they decided to block Act 3, which I am not in, and I don't have to be at the ballet until 4:30 or so now. It will be good to have time to relax.

We had a great last weekend for Afterlife. With the review and postings from Facebook we had great crowds. Saturday was hands-down our best show. We were almost sold out and everyone brought their A-game. We even got a standing ovation.

Today's house was large but quiet in comparison. The director and costumer made us all gift bags that included one of her paintings and all the photos taken of the show. I'm really going to miss this crew.

The Brr-lesque went well too. I didn't get there until Boobie Prizes both nights, so I just ran the spot for the second half. I wore my last costume from Afterlife - leather pants and the corset I bought at the State Fair. I was too chicken to be up on the ladder in my fetish heels though. Maybe next show.

We've had a nice Valentine's Day so far. lonelydumptruck made crawfish and grits for brunch before the show and I have a couple gifts for him hidden around the house. We stil have to decide on what to do for dinner. I'm so glad You Can't Take It With You rehearsal was canceled for tonight, it's good to just sit after working and 2 shows yesterday.

Only 3 more chances to see The Afterlife of the Mind!

I am so worn out I kept promising I'd go right to bed after the show tonight, but of course I need to unwind for a bit. It's going to be a mad-house of a weekend. I have work, a show and then the Brr-lesque show tomorrow. Saturday I work at the Center from 9 until 2:30, have a show and the Brr-lesque show. Sunday I'll have Valentine's stuff, the show, strike and rehearsal from You Can't Take It With You.

I need a snow day. A nice, guilt and consequence-free day off.

I just got cast as Mrs. Kirby in You Can't Take It With You!

The Afterlife of the Mind had a soft opening!!

Thursday night I was worried. After the decision to push back the official start of the show a week it was decided this week would be all pay-what-you-can tickets for whoever came. And no one came.

But last night we had a nice little group (most of them shared a surname with the director or the leading man, but still) and we kicked some butt! I didn't get quite the reaction I thought I would in places. One of my favorite lines turned out to be a time-release joke. Luckily I have business before my next line so the audience had time to get it and then react.

I'm excited! We're actually open!!