Stop the World!

Hey there! I mentioned a few posts back that I'd likely update regarding the process of jumping into Musical Theatre Guild's Stop the World I Want to Get Off. Well, here we go!

Not gonna lie... when I was offered the role of Littlechap, it took me a little time to fully decide to accept. It's a huge undertaking! Littlechap solos in a majority of the songs including the three tunes that have become more or less the hits of the show. There are upwards of 18 monologues of varying sizes. And depending on the direction of the show (thankfully in this case, a staged reading) there could be any combination of mime, clowning, dance, hat tricks, etc. I was scared! I'm still carrying a decent amount of apprehension and worry at being able to pull it off. BUT... I've turned the corner and have begun accepting a couple things: 1. This is a fantastic opportunity! I get to step beyond my usual comfort zone of being the sidekick/supporting character/secondary lead. 2. I get to work with a fantastic team that is really committed to telling the story of this über-flawed, somewhat misunderstood character and those in his life. 3. This is sort of alluded to in the comment 1, but a few years ago, I took to heart the quote (Was it from Eleanor Roosevelt?), "Do one thing every day that scares you." A good number of my most cherished accomplishments to date have come from taking this quote to heart.

So Stop the World scares me. But I have an amazing, supportive show family to rely upon and learn from and cling to. Producers Michelle Duffy and Scottie Dreier made me do this. Ha... just kidding. Sorta. Director Doug Clayton and music director Ron Colvard have been great to work with in our meetings and music rehearsals and I have complete confidence in them (and choreographer Joe Giamalva and assistant director Ken Werther and stage manager Art Brickman). The cast is incredible, and I'm particularly thrilled to be playing opposite an actress I've idolized for so long (as well as cherished the friendship of her and her family), Tracy Lore. I feel blessed. As I mentioned, we had a couple days of music rehearsals and we get together tomorrow for a potluck and some fun before we look ahead to our wacky rehearsal weekend. Here we go!


Here's a peek at my script. Since this is a staged reading, the script will be an extension of my arm for most of the performance. I decided to create a personal master script and neurotically scanned the script and bits of the score into Photoshop. I cut and pasted the few edits and inserted the score bits where I thought I might need them. I just picked up the preliminary copy from the printer today. And after highlighting, it looks like you'll find a pot of gold tucked behind the last page. Since I have so many words, I decided to color code various scenes. Yellow shows typical lines. Orange features lyrics (anything sung). Pink shows the eight "Stop the world!" monologues in which Littlechap steps out distinctly to the audience. And blue highlights the "interview" sections where Littlechap converses with his unseen boss (voiced by a horn from the orchestra). It's a nice visual reminder when scenes shift gears.

The thing I've latched onto at this point is that this show, while a behemoth pile of songs and scenes, is just a series of moments. I just need to tackle each moment as they come and worry about the next one when it comes. That's the best I can do. I'm excited. Here we go!

Hitting the ground running...

I'm back home. After the whirlwind of yesterday, I'm happy to say I got a good night's sleep (despite our crazy LA heat). And now it feels like I'm juggling 18 projects and not accomplishing much on anything. Gotta focus!

One thing that's been on my mind lately is the lack of acting projects on the immediate horizon. In an actor's life, there are times the work feels like it's rolling in, and then there are other times when you feel like you'll never work again. I was feeling the latter after a few unsuccessful auditions. But in addition to the imminent Stop the World reading for MTG, I've just booked a couple workshoppish projects (actually within the last couple hours). First is a table read of a new musical The Roxy which may continue into a staged read in November. Second is a workshop concert version of Snow White at Disney Concert Hall (conducted by John Mauceri) produced by Disney Theatricals. I'm super excited about A) the opportunity and B) getting to perform on the stage of that beautiful building! So sometimes it's good to keep putting it out there and be patient.

And the schedule seems to be falling into place. All three of these projects lined up just right, and my trip to NYC at the end of September also fit right into the puzzle. We'll see if I can get a family trip or two onto the autumn calendar as well as a return to DC to curate my next exhibit in early November. I'm counting my blessings.

Well, I've got to stop procrastinating and focus on the tasks at hand. Whee! Take care, all! Peace and love.

D.C... Last day in town.

Gotta admit it... if I see one more large stone thing (building, monument, or monolith) or one more piece of art of any kind, my brain is going to explode. I need to go hang out in a Walmart to balance my culture quotient. I have had such a blast canvasing this city with eager eyes and adventurous feet. This final day was no exception.


Although I had a hard time getting myself out of bed, I had reserved a ticket to visit Ford's Theatre and their tour. There I am in the theatre with the Presidential box behind me. I'm sad because the entire theatre is actually a reproduction (except for select artifacts). I then went to the International Spy Museum, but if I show you any of the photos I'd have to kill you. Seriously, photos were prohibited but I was so enthralled that I didn't think to take any. Cool museum. Then I walked a couple blocks to the amazing National Gallery of Art and spent a few hours wandering the seemingly endless labyrinth of rooms of the main gallery (West Building – see above) and the modern art area (East Building – look below). It was a prime example of feeling cultural overload.


Then I made my way out to Arlington and Signature Theatre. After grabbing a bite, I picked up my ticket and headed up to see the show – and the gallery space on the way. I'm excited about the possibilities of exhibiting here. The building itself is amazing, and it reflects well the amazing artistic vibe and adventurous mission of this theatre. Dirty Blonde was really amazing!

Now I'm packing for my early-ish flight and returning e-mails and prepping for tomorrow's audition and music rehearsal. Who says I ever take the easy road? I'm planning on greeting whatever end I meet (hopefully far in the future) with blisters on my feet and my drawing hand, and with a head and heart full of adventuresome memories and love for those I meet along the way. Can it get better? So take care, all! Peace and love.

D.C... Morn 'til night.

I realize that over the past couple days, I've walked a number of miles. Just yesterday, I'm sure I walked at least a few miles, hauling my booty almost the entire way around the National Mall (which is around two miles all said and done) and a trip around the tidal basin, a jaunt through Chinatown, and various journeys around Dupont Circle. That's quite a bit of hiking. Today, I took advantage of a couple city bus tours. Well okay... before the tours, I did have a couple of walking adventures...


I finally took a photo of the site of the Reagan assassination attempt corresponding with that live video footage I remember so well from the TV. Yes, I actually went to YouTube to see it again, and a few of the frames show the building in which I'm typing this. Weird. I then took the Metro to the National Holocaust Museum. Such a powerful place. Everyone gets a booklet featuring someone with Holocaust involvement. After viewing various displays following the rise of anti-Semitism and witnessing second-hand Hitler's incomprehensible "master plan", those of us at the exhibit were funneled through an actual train car that took folks to the concentration camps. We saw horrendous footage of Jewish folks subjected to scientific experiments and viewed representations of gas chambers. I had to look at my little booklet to see if the person represented therein had survived or not. He had miraculously survived. But as I read this and rounded the corner, I smelled leather. I looked up and found myself in the middle of a room full of shoes... thousands of shoes that had been confiscated from people that met their end in the gas chambers. My blood ran cold. Very powerful.

I was able to meet up with my friend Mindy once again (after she joined me at the MetroStage opening Sunday). She and her little Zoe and I visited a fab pizza place in the lovely Georgetown neighborhood. It was a lovely lunch. Mindy dropped me off at the Natural History Museum where I took a brief trek through the collections. Above, you'll see the elephant in the main lobby. I saw the Hope Diamond too, but for some reason didn't take a picture. Anyway...



I then boarded the Open Top Sightseeing bus tour and ventured through many of DC's neiborhoods. As a side note, here's a shot of my well-worn Doc Martens that have accompanied me on every new city experience since 1994 (London, NYC, Chicago, Wichita, Milwaukee, Houston, Fort Worth, etc.). One of my favorite things about this particular trip was viewing the National Cathedral. Just beautiful! Throughout the woodsy neighborhoods around there, all of us on the top of the bus had to duck to avoid the low-hanging branches. Whee! Also on the tour, the fire station pictured above caught my eye. So much red in the scene. I used an effect on my new camera and blocked out all the other colors. Odd effect, but fun.


The evening brought a return to Union Station and the start of the twilight/night tour on the Tourmobile. What a treat! First off, here are some shots taken as the sun was setting.



Then as darkness fell, the lights on all the monuments were just stunning... FDR, Lincoln, Korea, Vietnam, Washington. It's like an entirely different show at night! And the weather was just perfect. I was perfectly comfortable in shirtsleeves, and the humidity was low. So nice!


Then we headed to the World War II Monument that was dedicated just five or so years ago. It's just massive and honors everyone from all walks of life and all branches of the military who served in WWII. I found the pillar that featured the home state and the wall of gold stars representing the fallen. We also passed the White House (which, of course, is currently vacant-ish as the Obama's are still on vacation).

It was a wonderful day full of fun and reflection. Oh... and even though I almost fought my urge to be too "punny," I took a photo that I've entitled "right on Q." [Cue the rim shot and then the trombone says "wah waaaaah.")

Anyway... that's all for now. Tomorrow, I'll be taking the Ford's Theatre tour and catching up on stuff that I've missed thus far. Then in the evening, I'll venture out to Arlington to catch Signature Theatre's Dirty Blonde. Can't wait! So until next time, loved ones... take care! Peace and love.