Behind the Stop the World scenes...

Here's a wee video I cobbled together. You can see a little bit of the behind the scenes happenings when putting together a staged reading... and a backstage glimpse of the wonderful folks I get to play with. We done good on Monday night. For those not familiar with the show, the histrionics I'm in at the beginning refers to the size of the role. And my absence from a good portion of the thing is because I was running the camera (when I wasn't busy talkin' and a-singin'). Take a peek...



The rendition of "Gonna Build A Mountain" is by Rachel Bay Jones on her CD, ShowFolk.

All the crazy effort has been worthwhile. I've received so many amazing comments from people I love and admire... and folks I didn't know previously. Also, there was a super positive review by a critic who really understands the quickly-paced staged reading format, Les Spindle of Backstage West... click here.

We have one more performance in Thousand Oaks on Sunday. Come see us at the Thousand Oaks Performing Arts Center at 3pm. Take care, all! Peace and love.

Instant bio...

At the headwaters of my theatrical career, I remember reading the voluminous bios of actors who had amassed vast amounts of credits. Some of these bios just went on and on. I remember thinking that I would instantly have a lengthy bio if I could only perform in three particular shows with long titles... Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat (which I landed early on in 1994), How to Succeed In Business Without Really Trying (eight years later in 2002), and A Funny Thing Happened On the Way To the Forum (finally achieved last year). And now I've tackled Stop the World – I Want To Get Off. Another longish title. Instant bio. At least they balance out my single word credits... Carousel, Camelot, and Seussical. Anyway... These are the things I think about when the mind wanders. Back to work.

Victory on a few levels...

Short post. I'm tired. The show went well tonight. Things just clicked. Teensy missteps gave way to some solid storytelling. I felt so proud and happy to be a part of the show this evening, especially playing opposite the amazing Tracy Lore and the rest of our amazing cast. The whole Stop the World team was fantastic and put together a show to be proud of... in 25 hours. I think it was a great kickoff to the Musical Theatre Guild's season.

And something happened for me that has never happened before. I stopped a show. It's an absolute treasure of a moment for stage actors. There's nothing like an applause that goes on a bit longer than your typical ovations. I'm so grateful for the opportunity and the moments and the wonderful audience. And now I'm going to hit the hay with joy and gratitude in my heart. Take care, all! Peace and love.

It's the day of the show, y'all...

Tonight, we'll welcome our first (and penultimate) audience to see our staged reading of Stop the World I Want To Get Off. Yesterday's rehearsal brought our first run-through of the show which went as well as can be expected in a down-and-dirty process like this. We get to the Alex Theatre in Glendale around noon. We'll run-through the show with our orchestra and then we'll dress up, take photos, and open the doors. At this time tomorrow, I'll have one official run of this beast of a show under my belt. I'm nervous, but I'm excited too. Here we go...


And briefly, here's today's sketch over at Squigs Knows His Lines. My goal on that page is to occasionally be current with my illustrations (to show my editorial capabilities I guess). If my topic net were cast a bit wider, I would have given a tip o' the hat to Taylor Swift and Beyonce regarding last night's VMAs incident with that butthead. But rather in Broadway circles, breaking news from yesterday was that Avenue Q had their big closing on Broadway BUT they're moving to New World Stages off-Broadway. I'm trying to figure out if other shows have made this move. It's sign of the times, but still encouraging that producers felt that the show was worth keeping open.

Well, I've got to get all my wheels going in the same direction (towards Glendale). Wish me "break a leg!" Take care, all! Peace and love.

Littlechapped...

I'm finding that it's rare at this point in my life that I work as hard at my acting chops as I do on my illustration chops. This weekend is an exception, but I'm actually finding it rather exhilarating. Hard work. Challenging task. Many rewards to be had. Here we go...

Stop the World update...

Hi all! Just a wee shout-out from the trenches. We're in the midst of our fast and furious staging rehearsals, yesterday getting through a good portion of the show. We're back at it today. With so little time in the schedule, the blocking (and minimal choreography) is taught to us and we pretty much have time to write it down and move on to the next scene. Once we're entirely staged, we'll get the chance to run the show tomorrow. Monday afternoon brings a final run with the orchestra, then there's show prep, photo call, and a 7:30 curtain. Whew! Talk about a whirlwind!

I'm feeling good overall, but my head is swimming just piecing together the staging with lyrics and subtext. It can be a lot even while none of the elements on their own is particularly complex. But I've done a bunch of homework so many sections of the show bring a big sigh of relief when they arrive. I never thought I'd say that about the monologues, but those moments are typically just me and my script (and sans the worry of messing someone else up). I've just got to remind myself to live in each moment as it comes... and not to get too cocky and ignore my script too much.

I've gotta give a shout out to the whole Stop the World gang... Everyone is just fab and so fun to play with. I feel incredibly supported by this group of friends. In the midst of all my brain fry, I really am having a great time and I look forward to the art and entertainment that we are going to create. Peace and love, y'all!

Some recent and upcoming art...

Me again. Just thought I'd elucidate (Aristocats, anybody?) on the recent art projects. I was happy to get a call from Christian Hoff asking about a caricature. He'll soon be honored by Junior Theatre (the San Diego educational arts program he participated in when he was young), and will present a concert and a limited edition CD to raise money for the program.






Here are a few pieces I recently posted over at Squigs Knows His Lines. First off, here's a tip o' the hat to the folks involved in 9 to 5 on Broadway. They just closed on Sunday after a five month run. Then here are a couple images from my trip to DC... Musical of Musicals the Musical at MetroStage and Dirty Blonde at Signature Theatre.

The drawing board has a bit of a stack going in the in box... a couple personal caricature commissions, a show or two two sketch, and a whole lot of stuff I'm doing on my own (prep for the Broadway Flea Market on September 27 and the art for the Signature exhibit in November). Lots of fun in the works! Take care, all! Peace and love.