Since my last successful audition, Saddam Hussein was arrested, Boston won TWO world series, and Bill Murray was nominated for an academy award. So when my buddy Mike told me about "Jekyll & Hyde" auditions, you'll have to pardon me for not getting immediately excited about the opportunity to fail again....
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By the time Saturday morning at 10:30am rolled around, I had sung the last 16 bars of “Love Changes Everything”, including the final b-flat, about 35 times choking only twice. I felt pretty good. And the strain I felt in......
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Although I felt completely satisfied at my effort during the auditions, I tend to analyze why they would NOT call me back. Tone, look, shirt color, hair...all of it comes in to play. Doing the best you could has little to do with how well you did...
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Anyone who has a competitive bone in their body has a Tommy Tubberman in their life. He usually has a goofy smile, a false sense of modesty, a laid back attitude and beats you every time you go up against him for anything. ...
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"The Final Four." Each with tremendous strengths. Each with the ability to perform at high levels. These other three guys were awesome. Trained voices, powerful interpretations. presence, confidence, and a passion for the part that exceeded the norm. But I was sure I had an ace up my sleeve: the hysterical joy of Edward Hyde....
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There are two kinds of waiting: the kind you use when you stand by for the opening of a summer tent pole movie (the easy kind) and the kind that you use when dealing with the maddening lull that undoubtedly ensues that allows the production staff to make their final casting decisions (the ridiculous kind)....
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October 3 - 30, 2008. When else? Easter? Christmas? Think not. It is called a "GOTHIC MUSICAL THRILLER" after all. Doesn't sound like spring fare to me....
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With two casts, the workload is split up 3 performances a week, generally. But the downside of having two casts assigned so early in the game is that the question of chemistry and sometimes murderous intentions come into play......
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When I walk into a room for the first time, which has a group of individuals brought together for a unified purpose, I often daydream. My mind races to usually one of two scenes: the famous astronaut walk from "The Right Stuff" or Batman's Entrance to the Art Museum just before Vicki Vale gets a face full of acid from the Joker. Neither of them happen, of course....
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In every show I've ever been in, I have had an Eleanor. Sometimes it's a song, sometimes, it's a particular piece of dialog, sometimes it's even another actor. In Joseph it was the Hoedown scene. In "Another Story" it was the whole last scene. And in "Jekyll & Hyde" it is "Alive."...
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Being evil is hard. Really hard. (I am hoping) You cannot imagine just how soul-ripping difficult it is. Just ask Richard Roxburgh. What is hard about it is this: realizing there is a fine line between Snidely Whiplash and Hannibal......
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In reality, who actually desires to see their spouse kissing another someone that doesn't even come close to having their last name? That's right. No one in their right mind. Still, I'm attempting here to explain why, though it looks convincing, a stage kiss is about the least romantic event, you know, ever....
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Chemistry? Means more than one thing in a show about a scientist on the brink of discovering a chemical formula to rid the world of evil. But to believe any of that, there's another type of chemistry that must be discovered. And it may not mean what you think it means....
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Things are getting intense. And busy. We take the stage tonight for the final two weeks of rehearsal. You would think it would be a step forward, but as Willy Wonka did not say, "You have to go back to move forward." ...
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Panic! | Wed 24 Sep 08
You know how waking up in a strange house can cause that moment of confusion and breathlessness until you realize that everything is the same as it was when you fell asleep? I had one of those last night, and I wasn't even dozing!...
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If you don’t understand the purpose and relevancy of Joe vs. The Volcano, then chances are, I don’t understand you. It could be, and I know that six dozen critics are about to “Pffff” me out of validity, but I......
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Tonight is the last rehearsal before previews. Second to last for notes. Let me tell you about notes. Notes suck....
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It's here. Finally. After ten weeks of intensity, we open. All the notes are over, all the scheming, screaming, and dreaming become one. This is the day when all that I've worked for becomes mine. Except for the wig, the sweat, and the unseen opponent....
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The night my family attended the show, I felt like Roy Hobbs in the playoff game against Pittsburgh. I was coming up to bat in the ninth and my insides were bleeding....
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Family is one thing. But the wife, who has seen you go through it all, heard the complaining and the self-doubt, picked up the slack at home while you're out at rehearsals every night, when she comes, the pressure mounts. So what do you do? You call John Utterson to save the day....
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It's been an extraordinary adventure. I am a very different individual when all is said and done. And anything that makes me relate to both The Princess Bride and A Charlie Brown Christmas has to be considered life changing, right?...
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