Almost Monday...

Hey all! It's getting close to Monday which means I'll be posting a new sketch over at Squigs Knows His Lines. Here it is. I'm commemorating A Chorus Line which opened 34 years ago last week (April 15). The composition features a swirl of audition activity in the upper left and a segment of the resulting chorus line. In the middle is a collage of some of the gypsies brought to the forefront back in the mid-70s... Kelly Bishop as Sheila, Donna McKechnie as Cassie, Sammy Williams as Paul, Priscilla Lopez as Morales, Wayne Cilento as Mike, and Kay Cole as Maggie. I wanted particularly to include Kay because she was the first original cast member I had the pleasure of meeting. She choreographed a production of The Pirates of Penzance I took part in in 1994, and I always enjoy seeing her around town now and then. Anyway... I hope you enjoy the sketch. I'm having a great time coming up with something to sketch each week, and while it's obvious that the world of musical theatre is where I live the most, I promise to revisit the non-musical world again soon. (Well, that's not to say that non-musicals are non-musical. Some of the most poignant music is unsung. Ooh... deep.)

I'm happily writing this post from my own place in North Hollywood. After the matinee today, I packed the car with an early load to bring home, and then I jetted off to a callback for the Moonlight Amphitheatre. It went well, but the results will partially have to do with that wacky dance of the availability of Equity contracts. I was up against some great guys too, though, so who knows how things will go. But now I'm home for a moment, looking forward to just one more week of Pimpernel shows and a more permanent return to the ol' stompin' grounds.

Tomorrow, I'll be heading to Long Beach and Forbidden Broadway rehearsal at Musical Theatre West. I'll be meeting with the gang there because I'm happy to say that my squiggles will be featured on the header of the show's proscenium. That's fancy theatre talk that means that my art will be hanging over the stage. The day after I close at the Welk, I'll be putting in long hours at the ol' Carpenter Center to make everything look just right. I'll post photos when they're available.

Well, that's all for now. Take care all! Peace and love.

Sketching for the Broadway....

A couple days ago I showed you my weekly sketch featuring new Broadway show, Next to Normal. Ironically, just after I had completed it, I received an e-mail from Rita Kitt, the wife of Next to Normal composer Tom Kitt. She asked about commissioning a last minute sketch to celebrate opening night. We were able to make it work out, and after a crazy whirling dervish of ink-slinging and an overnight shipping, the sketch was presented earlier to cast members and creatives. (The sketch features composer Tom Kitt, lyricist Brian Yorkey, director Michael Greif... and cast members Alice Ripley, Bobby Spencer, Aaron Tveit, Jennifer Damiano, Louis Hobson, and Adam Chanler-Berat.)

I'm really looking forward to catching this show when I visit NY in May. The music I've heard while researching it has been absolutely stunning, and friends who have seen the show have just been floored. Can't wait!

UPDATE: The reviews are in, and Next to Normal has received some fantastic notices. Congrats to the Next to Normal family!

The drawing board is getting crowded... some caricature commissions, a birthday card, and work towards putting my art on the proscenium of a production of Forbidden Broadway (at Musical Theatre West in Long Beach... on which creator Gerard Alessandrini is involved). Pimpernel is heading into its final performances too. So life is busy and full of art and music. I feel so grateful. Take care, all! Peace and love.

Lots of art and memories...

Hey all! I hope y'all are doing great on this Monday. I've been a whirling dervish of ink-slingin' amidst the continuing adventures with the Scarlet Pimpernel. We now have two more weeks of our run at the Welk Resort and folks are getting stir-crazy. I'm still enjoying the show (and the steady paycheck), but I've got to admit that I'm looking forward to getting back to the neighborhood.


As I mentioned, I've been sketching like a fiend. Two rather last-minute commissions landed in my lap towards the end of the week. I won't post them yet because they have yet to be presented (or even shipped). BUT I do offer for your perusal my latest weekly sketch over at my Facebook 'fan' page, "Squigs Knows His Lines." Next to Normal is a musical about a family dealing with their past, future, and mental illness. After quite a journey, it opens on Broadway on Wednesday. My best wishes are going out to the team for a fab reception on their official opening.


I've recently received some sad news. My first grade teacher, Mrs. Lori Van Leeuwen (nee Ohling) passed away last week. Here is a bit of a tribute that I've written...

I was in the first grade at Queen Anne Elementary in Lebanon, Oregon. It was a really fun year. Some of my memories include playing an elf in the holiday show, watching Pippi Longstocking at a school assembly, pretending I hadn’t just vomited so I wouldn’t be sent home from our field trip to the city jail, and winning a citizenship award (a plastic loving cup). And I really liked my teacher. Miss Lori Ohling had recently graduated from college and we were her very first class. She was fun and bubbly and I could tell that she really liked being a teacher.

At some point in the year, Miss Ohling gave us an art assignment that would be entered in a contest. I remember little about the project except that I drew a barnyard full of animals, some of which I had to look up in books around the house. But what I do remember came weeks later.

I rarely stayed late after class, but for some reason this particular day I was still gathering up my things and was the last one in the room as Miss Ohling looked through some mail. I was almost out the door when she screamed. It startled me, but as she started jumping up and down, she proclaimed, “OH JUSTIN, YOU DID IT!!” I had placed first in the art contest and had received a prize of ten dollars. It’s funny… as I think about it, the most vivid memory wasn’t the money which was a decent little sum for a first grader to deal with. What sticks with me most is the incredible reaction of my teacher, such outspoken pride and joy. Her support in that one moment has stayed with me throughout the years. I have received amazing support in my life. My parents and grandparents and other relatives, other wonderful teachers, and mentors of all kinds, but there’s something special about Miss Ohling and that wonderful reaction.

Mom just let me know that Miss Ohling – or more recently, Mrs. Van Leeuwen – passed away last week at the young age of 54. I sincerely regret that I never sought out the opportunity to express my thanks. I actually kind of ache right now. I really hope she knew the difference that she made in young lives.

Teachers, thank you for all you do every day to show kids that they are special. It makes a such difference.

Just so I don’t leave this post on a sad note, I want to tell one more story about myself and Miss Ohling. When I was in the first grade, the nation was in a Star Wars frenzy. On the playground, when we weren’t pretending to be members of the band KISS, we were swinging imaginary light sabers (or “light savers”as I referred to them). But I really wanted to fight off the Stormtroopers with more than just twigs I found under the big fir trees near the baseball diamond. My young scheming sent me on a quest through our big house on the corner of Oak and Williams. I found a possible weapon under the sink in the bathroom. The next day, a giggly Miss Ohling was forced to call my mother and inform her that I had been fighting the forces of the Dark Side with a rather skillfully decorated tampon. Oops.

Well, after a heartfelt yet wordy post, I offer my best wished to all of you. Take care, loved ones. Peace and love.

Queen Califia's Magic Circle.

It's funny what you can find if you only know where to look. There is an immense sculpture installation in the middle of a park in Escondido called Queen Califia's Magic Circle by "new realist" Niki de Saint Phalle. The installation is the only one of four major installations around the world and alludes to so many of the various cultures and traditions and mythologies represented in California. I first visited with my friend Nancy and the wonderful Molly Dog (see above). It was a bright sunny day and the circle was packed with folks attending an international mosaic convention. Really a sense of celebration there that day. As we left, the conventioners were making a circle around the center sculpture and in unison yelled "Thank you Niki!!" Pretty neat.



I returned a week later and brought my friend and fellow Pimpernel peep, Victor. There were far fewer people (almost no one besides us) and the sun wasn't shining quite as brightly. So it gave possibly a better chance to explore all the colors and textures. I'm convinced that you could look around here a hundred times and find something new each time.



I highly recommend a visit if you're in the area. It's only about 40 miles north of San Diego... and on the route to the San Diego Wild Animal Park if you happen to be headed there. Hey! I think I know what my next little adventure will be!


Take care, all! Best wishes in all that comes next. Peace & love.

Art and auditions and taxes... oh my.

Now I've been down here in Escondido going with the flow, doing my show, doodling my squiggles. For some reason, this week things have amped up a couple notches. In addition to Pimpernel and my weekly sketch work, a few illustration projects stepped off the back burner and my many irons in the fire have necessitated driving north on both my days off. First off, I headed home Friday to happily meet up with friends associated with Music Theatre of Wichita. I'll be heading out to Kansas again this summer which I'm thrilled about, and it was nice to see friend Wayne Bryan who was in town for auditions. And, you know, sometimes the schedule just jumps on you from all directions... I'm happy to be going to an audition tomorrow in Vista, but I also have my tax appointment in North Hollywood tomorrow afternoon. So, after working hard this week on my audition material AND my tax prep, I will be driving all over creation tomorrow. A coaching down here at 10am, then up to NoHo, then back down to Vista by 7. Whew! I must get my rest and eat my Wheaties tomorrow morn.


Here's my weekly sketch over at Squigs Knows His Lines. I'm a huge fan of Stephen Sondheim's work. His smart and innovative music and lyrics have provided fans of musical theatre with bliss for so many years. One of my most prized possessions is a Hirschfeld lithograph of Sondheim which hangs over my desk at home, so the pressure inherent in tackling a sketch of Mr. Sondheim (albeit mostly self-imposed) is not taken lightly. This is the first time I've made the attempt. Anyway... my inspiration for this piece was two-fold: First, the wealth of photos available online shows him from the potential of his youth to his current positioned as elder statesman of the American musical theatre. I've caricatured four images of Mr. Sondheim. Second, it is my understanding that one of Mr. Sondheim's favorite songs from his own canon is "Someone In A Tree" from Pacific Overtures. So I've arranged the images in a nod to the four characters in the song, and the titular "tree" is made up of musical notes and snippets of lyrics. I'm basically happy with the results, although I'm sure I'll take another crack someday.

Well, I think I'm going to call it for the evening. I have a couple things to do before I catch a few winks. Take care, all! Peace and love.

Some new art and a step back in time...

Hi all! First off, here are some recent pieces that have fallen from my pen. Stage manager Ronn Goswick is currently working on a show called Baby It's You which tells the story of a chapter in pop music, a woman who fostered the beginning of the Shirelles and went on to manage such artists as Burt Bacharach and Dionne Warwick. The show closed yesterday, but it will likely be starting up again soon.

Also, here is my contribution to my weekly project over at Squigs Knows His Lines. Jason Robert Brown, creator of such amazing Broadway shows The Last Five Years and Parade, is married to Georgia Stitt, a brilliant composer in her own right and music director/vocal coach. They and their daughter Molly currently live in LA when not gallavanting around the world on musical adventure. Georgia commissioned a sketch last year when Jason opened his most recent Broadway show, 13, and I was able to work with both of them on the piece which was presented on opening night of the show.

I had a lovely time last night as the guest of friends John and Victor at the Candlelight Pavilion in Claremont. We had done shows together there back in the late 90s, and now John is artistic director. We had a good meal and watched 42nd Street. So many old friends were in the cast, and it was lovely to see them doing good work AND truly wonderful to reminisce on so many fond memories of that place.

Today is a day off from the Pimpernel show and I look forward to getting out and enjoying this beautiful day. In the midst of all I have going on (the show, lots of fun art, a looming tax prep appointment) I'm trying to get out and have some adventures. I did make a fun trip with my friend Nancy yesterday. I'll post some photos of that... but not yet. I'm taking some other folks to see this spiffy site on Thursday and I don't want to spoil the surprise. Other than that, I'm looking forward to our weekly visit to the Escondido farmer's market and a trip back home to visit with my Wichita peeps and possibly see a show. So as you can see, I'm staying happily busy. Life is good.

So until later, y'all... Take care. Peace and love!

Quick post: Grandpa and tires...

Just so I'm not posting my once-a-week entry about the weekly art, I thought I'd jot a quick note about some recent thoughts...

I just got the tires replaced on the car. I'm hitting that point in the ownership of a vehicle that things start wearing out, and most recently the tires have been wearing down. I found a flat tire last week which gave me some incentive to shop around for package deals. Anyway... it feels good to have some new stuff helping me roll along. Next... brakes.

I've been thinking about my Grandpa lately. He passed away around 13 years ago which seems like an incredibly long time. Grandpa Al never met a stranger. Seriously. He could strike up a conversation with anybody. I have a harder time with this. While I have found that chatting with "strangers" has led to such interesting revelations, it's still difficult. Grandpa was such an example of how we can all make the world a better place. If there are fewer strangers, the world is smaller. And it's a shorter distance between need and help. Just my brain working overtime.

Hope y'all are doing great. Keep an eye out for new Monday art as well as a posting of a piece I recently created for the closing of a fab show.

That's all for now. Take care, all! Peace and love.