Sorry for the long period with no update.
I left off on January 20th. MVP blocking rehearsals started. Pretty cool ensemble show. We took 3 rehearsals to block it. If I remember correctly, we ended up not having a rehearsal for Smoke on Sunday the 25th, which allowed me to come home that Saturday night. I made an extra round trip home and back that week because I got a reminder call that I had a dentist appointment. I decided to go rather than cancel again and not know how long I had until I saw them again. Plus, I had 2 problems I wanted looked at.
1. I had a cavity in an upper right tooth. The last one before the wisdom tooth, where the brush doesn't always reach.
2. Had some sensitivity returning to the top front of my first bicuspid on the upper left. In 2006, I had that same sensitivity which was caused from brushing too hard. They put coating on it, and I've been damn careful ever since, but the coating must have worn off or something.
The dentist appointment went perfectly. First of all, I submitted our new insurance so I didn't have to pay a dime for the first time in a couple years. And apparently what I thought was a cavity wasn't - it's just a strange spot that feels like a hole and makes me play with it with my tongue. And they weren't concerned about the sensitive spot. They said that it looks like I've been doing a great job with being gentle about brushing, and to start (or continue) using Sensodyne, because it will naturally coat it.
I even got myself an appointment for August.
It was an assload of driving, but I'm so glad I went.
Which brings us into tech week for Smoke. It was the usual run the show, then do notes. Most of the time, notes were e-mailed. I like that. 2 nights before opening, Amanda (my housemate and twin sis in Smoke) and Scott (another housemate and director for Smoke) were mysteriously MIA after rehearsal until 2 AM. I found out they had gone to one of my favorite places and didn't tell me: Taco Mac. Talk about an "aw MAN!!" moment. But not to fear: most of us (sans Amanda) went there the next night upon my request. Scott was okay with going there 2 nights in a row - said he's been known to eat at the same place 3 times a day. I knew there was a reason I liked him. Smoke opening weekend was great. My mom saw the afternoon show on our first Saturday. Was nice enough to take me out to Taco Mac after the show.
The next week was tech for MVP. With both these shows, I did a good job of doing outside homework and getting off book. (So THAT'S what being on top of your homework feels like!) What I was worried about with MVP was the damn transitions. i.e. scene changes where we move the benches around. And where the benches go. And which benches do I move. And when I don't do any bench moving. But I finally got that down. In the last few shows, I don't think I had to look at the cheat sheet that's posted backstage. I got that into my bones. The show has some impressive quick character and costume changes. I have fun with those.
I play 5 characters, but my two largest are Pee Wee Reese and Clay Hopper. For Pee Wee: I take Seymour from LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS, get rid of the New York accent, add more energy like he just came from Starbucks, and you have Pee Wee. I make Hopper a slightly old man. Old enough to have a pot belly and move gingerly. There's a character on The Simpsons with no name. He's known only as Rich Texan. I used to do Rich Texan for my Clay Hopper voice, but at the very last run-through before opening, I decided to do a fusion of Hank Hill and Billy Bob Thornton from U-TURN, and the director said he loved that voice the best.
I'm not sure if you can call that being derivative or drawing from inspiration.
Last week, I was down there for 5 days, and like a moron, I forgot to pack undershirts. I almost made an extra trip home, but decided to just launder the two I happened to have with me, and wear one of my outer shirts while the 2 unders were in the laundry.
I've been TiVoing a few movies from the TCM channel. Last week I watched A FUNNY THING HAPPENED...FORUM. I hadn't seen that movie in over a decade. I really enjoyed it. Would give it a B+. I thought it was brilliant that they changed so much and almost made it a new plot. It still ends exactly the same as the show, but the path they take to get there is vastly different, and it was refreshing to see that, since so many movie musicals are just carbon copies of what was on stage. And I saw CARNAL KNOWLEDGE for the first time. Really good stuff - Jack Nicholson and Art Garfunkel had amazing chemistry together. The ending was strange and abrupt, and I missed a key plot point (if it ever was revealed in the first place), but well worth seeing. I'd love to see this made into a 4 person (or even 2 person) play.
And finally, my impressions of the Smoke cast and its music. My vote for best singer in the cast goes to Mike Parker, who plays Burl, my father. A very close second place goes to Amanda Bridgette. My overall favorite song in the show is The Filling Station. Makes me think of The Eagles, with the harmonies, and the tempo/strum pattern is nearly identical to Peaceful Easy Feeling. Don Henley would do a very good job covering this song. If you see the show, watch me during this song. I play guitar and I bust out some Dave Matthews and Ed Robertson finger stylings. Lyrically, my favorite song is the "Mountain Railroad" part of the Transportation Medley. But it's the part of the show I dread. I work so hard to keep myself hydrated and in good voice during the show. I drink a whole Mason jar of water in each act. But right before this solo I have to do these rhythmic pants, resembling a train. Whoever decided it was a good idea to have an actor do a series of "hah...hah...hah hah hah hah hah hah"-ing and then sing a big solo 10 seconds later was sadistic. It toally dries me out.
That's it for now. Both shows are up and running, and I finally enjoyed the unique experience of doing both in the same day.
It won't be so long before you hear from me again.
Monday, February 9, 2009
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