That time of year...

This weekend, I caught the opening night performance of Phoenix Theatre Artists and Company One's second stage production CHRISTMAS BELLES, and boy, was it a great time. I did not work on this show, nor did I have the chance to read it, so going into the show on Friday night, I had no idea what to expect. I walked in the packed house, and the first thing I see is a banner running across the upstage wall reading, "Jesus loves almost everyone." When I saw that, I immediately laughed, and the show hadn't even started. (Don't worry. This is the only spoiler that can be found in this post. From this point forward, out of respect to those who have yet to see the show, I will give nothing away.) From the moment the lights went down, it was one hilarious moment after the next, and it was a rioutous good time, with a great, lively cast that leaves everything on the stage. What more can you ask for? I mean, really?

One thing I always ask myself when watching a play, especially one with which I am very unfamiliar, is: "How much of what I'm seeing being played out before me was written into that script, that is, intended by the playwright(s), and how much of it are choices the director, actors and designers made during the rehearsal process?" When watching CHRISTMAS BELLES, I found that I was asking myself this alot, and even now I'm still not so sure at certain moments which was which. You see, some directors view a script as a rigid text that must be adhered to, as a piece of literature or almost like a sacred scripture. Other direstors take a script and follow it more like a loose blue print towards discoveries possibly not intended by the playwright or originator of the work. And, of course, there's everything in between.

But, back to this show, what's interesting is that as I watched the show, I could not tell what was a directorial choice and what was originally written into the script. What this means, to me anyway, is that if they were indeed directorial choices, they did not stand out as being out of place, dramaturgically. That is, they were all bold, yet wholly justified, choices, that added to the new layers to the text, and brought out new ideas that still fit in with the original concept. (Again, I'm not going to give anything away.) And with theatre, when it all fits together, and you can't tell which came first, which came last, but it all seems to fit together naturally, you can't ask for anything more. Moreover, sometimes it's not about what was originally intended by a playwright or what a director decided to do, it's just about what you see before you. The best thing to do then: enjoy!

If you'd like to know more about exactly what I'm talking about, do yourself a favor, get in the holiday sprit and see CHRISTMAS BELLES!

Over and Out,
Max

Closing Night! (and some concluding thoughts...)

Hey, hey, hey!

Well, as it is well known by now, THE OVERWHELMING, sadly, has closed. The show wrapped up last Saturday with a truly brilliant performance given before a very enthusiastic and appreciative crowd. Not surprisingly, it's always sad for me to see a show wrap up. Everyone, from the actors to the crew to the design team, put so much into the show, and, in some ways, you don't want to see it ever end. There's so much preparation, so much that goes into the staging of a production, only to have the actual run just fly by. So much time is taken in getting the show ready and on its feet, and then, it's over so fast. But, this is the nature of theatre. In fact, this is what's so amazing and vital about theatre. You have to catch it before it's gone. Theatre is a must-see event that waits for no one.

What's amazing though, is how together we all created a coherent world on a formerly empty stage. We took a gutted playing space, a blank canvas if you will, and sculpted on it a fully realized, unified world by bringing together costumes, lighting, set, sound, and actors. What's amazing is how less than 12 hours after the show ended, the stage is back to its "natural" state, eager for the next company to come in and create any entirely new world. It took almost two months to create the world of the OVERWHELMING, yet it took mere hours to remove it. But, again, that's theatre for you!

Another thing I want to talk about is something that I brought up in a previous entry: the way in which the show changes over the course of a run. During the three weeks, I saw about 7 performances, and each one, however subtle, was very different from the next. Sometimes, the actors were doing things you did not necessarily want to see. Sometimes scenes moved too fast or too slow, or the actors skipped a small section of text, things that happen in all productions all the time. The kinds of things that only I or someone who's worked on the show, been at every rehearsal, and is intimately familiar with the text and flow of the show would observe, but that would easily pass by unnoticed by audience members. But, other things that changed were simply great to see. I saw so many of the actors become increasingly more comfortable in their characters' shoes and in the space. They realized new things about the text and came to a different, while still justified, delivery of a line. Sometimes, even a whole scene shifted dramatically, taking on an entirely new meaning, while still fitting in with the play as whole. What many people don't realize is that prior to the official run of a show, actors and stage management often don't have that many opportunities to run the whole show from beginning to end. I don't think many people realize this, but we ran the whole show in its nearly final state with all the actors less than 5 times prior to opening. With the myriad of things that needed to be figured out - all the scenes and scene shifts, the costume changes, the huge list of technical cues - it was hard to get in a lot of actual runs, not nearly as many as I'm sure everyone wished we could have afforded. Although the actors certainly covered it well, because they're all such skilled performers, they were still feeling out what the whole show was supposed to be from beginning to end and at the pace at which it needed to be maintained, even by opening night. The actors were still figuring things out during the run, and it was so great to see them continue to explore and try new things, while still sticking to the overall layout of the show as decided in rehearsals.

After the curtain call of the final performance and after the audience had departed from the lobby, the entire cast, crew, and C1 staff came together in the theatre and raised a glass to commemorate everyone's efforts. It was the first time in a while I saw everyone in the room together at the same time, and it was quite moving. You could feel the real emotion that was present among all of us collectively. Everyone knew they had just wrapped up something really important, and pride was resounding off the walls as hugs and kind words were exhanged. It was a joy to take on this play, and everyone certainly knew it without ever having to say it.

The book may be closed on this show, but the best thing you can do is move on to the next. Company One is following up this great show with an equally challenging yet inspiring show, THE GOOD NEGRO. I can't wait to see what happens with that. And honestly, who possibly could?

Over and Out,
Max

McCaela Joins the Blogging Ranks

Hey, it's Nik. May I present...a guest blogger! McCaela Donovan, playing Lynette "Squeaky" Fromme, is here to share a bit of her mind with us. And it was her birthday on Wednesday, so she's really cool now.

Hey. It's McCaela.

When Nik first asked me to write a blog, my first thought (to quote Sarah Jane Moore in "Gun Song") was “…Shit!” Rather than give you some boring overview, however, I would like to take this time to give you a brief synopsis of why I love this cast:

-Nik (The Balladeer) - is the glue. There has not been one day where Nik has not been smiling, laughing, and talking to each and every member of this cast. He is genuinely thankful and happy to be there each day and you can tell he loves this show. His spirit and energy are both beautiful and palpable.

-Liz (Sarah Jane Moore)- is a character. Insane, bubbly, a clumsiness oddly reminiscent of the role that she plays. Liz is all of these things but she also has a quiet thoughtfulness to her who takes her work seriously, and then knows when to let it go and have a great time. If I were trapped on a desert island I would want Liz there to entertain me.

-Blake (Giuseppe Zangara)- is my little muffin. It is unfair because I’ve known Blake for two years prior to this experience, but I’m so thankful to be in a show with him. His raw sense of humor, solid commitment, and his ambition are just a few things I admire about him. Plus, he makes me loosen up and laugh my ass off, which is just a pure gift in itself.

-Ed (Leon Czolgosz)- is a working man, born in the middle of Michigan. Or he’s just Ed. Intimidating at first until you hear his infectious laugh, and then you just want to hug him and put him in your pocket. Although out of touch with today’s world, as in the facebook generation, we forgive him because Ed knows when it is time to work and when it’s time to crack the group up with a joke or comment. And we forgive him even though he cannot remember when to come in with his lines for Scene 16.

-David (John Wilkes Booth)- as Aretha once sang, the only word for David is R-E-S-P-E-C-T! Although I still have yet to know David as well as some others I know that he takes his craft very seriously. His commitment to this show and his dedication to this character make me want to work harder, if only to bring my work to his level. I know many among us feel the same. We could not have found a better leader.

-Jeff (Charles Guiteau)- drives a truck. Which is perfect. I don’t know why, I just love it. I have said this before, but I did not think that someone could impress me as much as Dennis O’Hare did when he played this role, but Jeff has done just that. His comedic timing and loveable spirit engulf the stage, not to mention the crazy twinkle in his eye that tells us that something is a little…off. Always professional, always positive and joyful, Jeff is a wonderful piece of the puzzle that completes this cast.

-Chris (The Proprietor)- is a badass. And he’s loving it. It has been wonderful watching Chris’ interpretation of the Proprietor grow. He keeps finding small but crucial moments to seduce us and the audience with his intentions. And if Chris’ voice could be described as a food, it would be Velveeta shells and cheese….delicious. He is quiet at first but there’s a lot to him and I look forward to getting to know him more.

-Mason (Sam Byck)- is not an asshole. His character is, but he’s not. He is a bit disconcerting when onstage, because he swears at everyone, but he has a lot of commitment to this role. His monologue work is genuine, funny, and twisted all at the same time. He’s the only person that could say ‘fuck you’ to Jeff and still be likeable.

-Penny (Billy Moore)- is a coin, but also a beautiful person. Our bonding began over a giant bowl of JP Licks ice cream and I hope it continues. A gorgeous and powerful voice, great stage presence is overshadowed by her genuine sweetness and fun personality. Don’t let her fool you, she may look sweet but there’s a wild child in there somewhere!

-Danny (David Herold)- cracks me up. He has that kind of ‘huck finn’ boyish face that I just want to squeeze. Adorable and funny, he is a no nonsense talent that I am excited to get to know when we finally have more than one rehearsal together! Plus his face in the ‘Roosevelt’ song could not be more perfect. Love it.

-Meredith (Emma Goldman)- eminates strength and beauty. Her scenes are full of power, touching moments, and clear glimpses of spot on humor that make her such a complicated character. I believe that Meredith is all of these as a person as well, and more, I’m sure. I’m excited to get to know her better as this process goes on. In the short time I’ve been around her, I feel that she has a maternal presence that makes you feel like everything is going to be ok, and maybe a little crazy sassy lady in there as well…we will see…

-Jon (Lee Harvey Oswald)- is like a ken doll except with a lot of substance. Adorable and sweet, Jon views his character with a positive hopefulness that only Jon could. Most people wouldn’t want to dig into Oswald’s motivations. Jon is not only willing to go there, but is willing to view him in a sympathetic light instead of pinpointing him as the villain. I think this speaks to Jon as a person and it will be interesting for the audience to see this side of his character as well.

-Nathanael (John Hinckley)- is my favorite duet partner. We bonded way back when we auditioned together. Nathaniel has a quiet exterior at first, but once you crack through the shell he has a ridiculous sense of humor and is just an all around great guy that you can count on. He has put so much research into his character and has made you want to root for Hinckley, even if he is a loser. And it’s nice to be around a person who you know will always make you smile.

Sorry if that was a bit indulgent and long winded, but all these people have made this a wonderful experience so far. Although I didn’t describe them, Shawn (the director), Emily (the stage manager), Jackie (the choreographer), Greg (asst. to the director), Jess and Ellyn (the asst stage managers), Jo (the musical director) and Sarah (the production manager), and everyone else with Company One have been amazing to work with, and continue to challenge me and all of us everyday. Thank you to them and everyone! (And Emily…I will try to be early to rehearsal from now on!!)

-McCaela