Another glimpse backstage...

Plaid Tidings is rockin' along quite nicely. I'm finally feeling like I'm beating the cold that hit me towards the end of last week. And this brings to mind another opportunity to share a peek backstage at – drumroll! – bodily fluids and functions. There are certain types of the aforementioned that shouldn't be witnessed (at least in excess) by those attending a shiny, happy holiday show. I'll break it down...

1. Mucus: I've been dealing with this quite a bit lately because of the cold, and like all folks who regularly make use of their voice, I have my cures... some sort of medicine containing guaifenesin (Mucinex, etc. which "thins the mucus and makes coughs more productive"), lots of warm liquids (tea), and significant sleep. Still, the cures aren't always totally successful so there may be an occasional (or ubiquitous) blob on the vocal cords one has to "sing around." It makes things interesting, sometimes resulting in not-so-pretty sounds.

2. Sweat: I've always been a rather heavy sweater... a somewhat fluffy, Cosby-type. Ha. Seriously, I sometimes sweat through heavy costumes. Attractive, I know. But I'm not alone. In Plaid Tidings, even with as relatively fit some of these guys are, we are usually drenched by the end of the show. This is partially because we work so hard, and also the theatre is sometimes kept a bit warmer than we might be comfy with. But we try to keep things in check with our own personal sweat-mopping hankies and towels stashed off-stage. Still, it becomes a lesson in Zen-type concentration when there's a bead of sweat slowly trickling down the nostril and it would be distracting to dab it.

3. Spit: It's par for the course when you sit in the front row at a concert or show that you may be occasionally spattered with singer spit. It's definitely not something we're purposely doing, but it happens. Sometimes I feel that between the spit and the sweat, that folks in the front row should be provided with Gallagher-type tarps.

4. Flatulence: Don't be too incredibly appalled. Everyone does it. In the theatre, we generally have enough control to hold it until safely away from the audiences or fellow cast members. The one time I knowingly broke the "fourth wall" (with my wind) was back in 1996 at the Candlelight Pavilion Dinner Theatre. Right at the edge of the stage, I jerked suddenly in a bit of staging and... totally grossed out a teenage girl who hadn't quite finished her dessert. I was mortified (likely more than the girl). That was an isolated incident, though. As things typically go, we're mostly concerned with avoiding offending fellow cast members. At the Plaid show, we have a policy giving a nod to A.A. Milne (or Disney or Loggins & Messina)... If we have to take care o' business, we go to a corner or remote bathroom set aside for that purpose which we call "Pooh Corner."

So that's a little glamorous peek behind the scenes. The next time I share a little sneaky peek, I'll pick a topic that's a bit more elegant.


This week has been lovely so far. The day off was great – hanging with friends, strolls around Balboa Park (see photo) and La Jolla, some good food, and a really amazing sight in the sky... a lovely crescent moon and two bright planets. Last night, Paul and Humphrey and I caught the amazing Tuck & Patti at a jazz club in San Diego. And our audiences at the show have been growing like crazy. The holiday season feels like it's really here. It's a beautiful thing. And now I need to jump in the shower so I can go do two shows. Take care, all! Peace and love.

Day off and some fun news...

The week brought a great Turkey Day and some really fine audiences at our Plaid Tidings show. But I spent the weekend fighting the sniffles and those crazy mucus monsters from that commercial. I think I'm winning the battle, though. Now we're at our day off, and I'll soon be heading down to San Diego to meet up with friends and maybe hang out a bit at the coast. (This photo is from South Carlsbad on my last day off.) It will be nice to get some r & r before...


Our first nine-show week is coming! Throughout December, we regularly add a Friday matinee. The tickets are selling, though, and we look forward to some great audiences! Backstage, we're hunkering down for four weeks of Plaid. I understand that Secret Santas will be organized soon. We're planning some outings – a concert, taking in some other folk's shows. And we're just looking forward to a lovely season. It's a blessing and a gift to be working and to be doing something so enjoyable. I also need to give thanks for another bit of good news...

I recently found out that I will be spending a bit more time at the Welk next year. I'll have a month off after Plaid, and then I'll start rehearsals for The Scarlet Pimpernel. I get another crack at Ozzy, the character I've played a couple times previously, and I look forward to finding out who else I'll be getting to play with soon. The run goes from mid-February until close to the end of April. So YAY for work!

I'd best be hopping in the shower so I can hit the road to San Diegy. Take care, all! Peace and love!

Turkey coma and a mea culpa...

We had a lovely Thanksgiving dinner at fellow Plaid David Humphrey's place. He and his lady and mom-in-law made an amazing turkey dinner, and we had some great conversation. And watched his son gradually come out of his shell until he was racing around the house playing with Cars cars and Madagascar animals, and tossing couch pillows. Really great evening! And now I'm almost recovered from the turkey coma. Yay turkey!

As I've said before, our audiences at the Welk Resort Theatre rock. Being of a certain age range, they know and appreciate the music in Plaid Tidings more that those who might dig the hippity hoppity rappy music of the day. We love our Welk crowds, and the last thing I want to do is offend any of them or appear insensitive. In my post about "Funny Crowds" (Nov. 19) I wrote of some of the quirky audience members we've experienced at the show, and I especially pointed out some ladies who had mono/binoculars in the first couple of rows. "Candleshoe" wrote:

my mom is a "binocular in the front row" ladies. She has macular degeneration and is legally blind. If she uses her peripheral vision with the binoculars, sitting that close, she can actually see some of the performances. She's always terrified that someone onstage will make fun of her...but she won't let that fear prevent her from enjoying her love of live theatre. Just helping to spread some acceptance...

First off, I apologize for my insensitivity. While not ignorant of the condition (my Grandma has been managing with it for a while), I did not know of the binocular technique. I am truly sorry if I offended or discouraged.

That being said, I would like to use this opportunity to give a little peek into wacky perspective of a stage actor, since this is partially the purpose of this blog (in addition to keeping my family informed of what I'm up to – Hi Mom!)...

1. While it is incredibly enjoyable to do a show like Plaid Tidings, it is sometimes a challenge to make the same lines and songs seem fresh eight or nine times a week. We really do enjoy and cherish when things go a little bit askew... or when funny and/or interesting things happen with our audiences. In this show, we're very involved with the crowd and the "fourth wall" is nonexistent. The audience is almost like another character. You've got to admit that if you were onstage in a small theatre and saw someone very close looking at you through binoculars, you might find that somewhat unexpected and, hence, humorous – even with the knowledge of why it was happening. If not, maybe consider my next point...

2. In the show business – and particularly in a show like Plaid Tidings – we as actors are regularly required to exploit our own foibles (physical and otherwise), and we do so proudly. If we didn't, we really couldn't make it in this business. Personally, I'm nine inches shorter than two of my fellow cast members. I'm also significantly wider the skinniest of them. It's the type of stuff that gets laughs onstage and gets mentioned in reviews for thousands to see, and I'm fine with it. It pays the bills and provides me my health insurance. It also brings me great joy to bring happiness to the folks I perform for. What that some folks might not understand is that this perspective about ourselves occasionally spills out to how we view others. I don't mean anything personally by it. It's just that I have a thicker skin than some and I sometimes forget that non-actor types might not approach things in the same way.

While I've learned something here, I hope you have learned a little something about me too. I love what I do, and I love that people like your mother love what I do. Especially in a difficult time like our country is in right now, it's incredibly valuable to cultivate and value live entertainment. Creatives and audiences supporting one another is a beautiful thing that enriches us all. Best wishes to you and yours. Peace and love!

Thanksgiving, Part Deux...

First off, the trip to the theatre earlier brought an amazing sight. The clouds that had been bringing us the lovely rain had broken up to create huge, crisp, fluffy giants in the sky (cumulonimbii?). The sun shone through and the sky was an amazing vivid blue, and the freshly washed hillsides were stony and verdant green. Even now, huge patches of blue are punctuated with fluffy white and grey and will soon sport a wash of amazing color from the soon-to-set sun. If you can't tell, I'm blown away by such a show. It really is amazing. Yet one more thing to be thankful for.

I made some "thankfulness" calls this morning and will soon make some more soon, but in the middle was an incredibly rewarding performance to a thankful and responsive crowd. We got to meet many of them after the show and the gratitude poured out (from them and from us). Now it's time to shower and hit the road down to San Diego for turkey. It's a great day. I hope you all are having one just as wonderful. Blessings to you and yours! Peace.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Just wanted to post a quick "howdy." It's a lovely rainy day here in Escondido. I'm watching the Macy's Parade and sipping coffee. We have a matinee in Plaidland which I'm excited about. Should be a lovely crowd on this Thanksgiving. I'm thankful to be able to spread some joy today.

Speaking of being thankful, I give thanks today for my family, my friends, my health, and the opportunities I've been afforded. I'm so thankful to be making a living doing what I love to do. And while the country is in a rough place right now, I feel optimistic that things will turn around soon.

A little parade-related side note: I always love watching the first hour of parade coverage because of the numbers from Broadway shows, and I've got to admit that part of the reason is to giggle at the rather awkward lip-synching. But these casts are really synched up this year – especially that Lin-Manuel Miranda from In the Heights. Rock on!

So, Happy Turkey Day, y'all. Have an attitude of gratitude. Peace and love, y'all!

Oops: November 20

I almost totally went up in my monologue this evening. After a wee pause, my line that normally goes "As if that didn't stir our kilts..." then became "As if that didn't get our kilts in an uproar..." Then I was fine.

And I had the toots. But not onstage.

Funny crowds.

Down here at the Welk, we love our audiences. The median age skews a bit older than even your typical theatre since it is a favorite destination of various retirement communities. Bring on the buses! Sometimes, though, we get some characters in the crowd. For instance, today there were a couple talkers – one talking back to the actors as if she were watching TV ("Look! Snow") and the other explaining the show to a friend ("He's trying to move into the spotlight! I said, 'He's trying to move into the spotlight!!'"). We had a snorer (or throat clearer... we couldn't really tell). And, among the favorites, a woman with a monocular in the second row. I'd occasionally scan the crowd as we do in the show, only to find monocular lady keyed right in on me. She'd drop the eye contraption and pretend there was nothing unusual here. And to cap it off, there was actually a lady who trumped monocular-in-the-second-row lady... BINOCULARS-in-the-FIRST-row lady! As if they couldn't see how much I sweat, they had to look up my pores. Ha! It keeps things lively here at the Welk. Sometimes it's hard to keep from getting the giggles. And we really do love our crowds. Bring 'em on.