Ramma Lamma Ding Dong Forever!

Since October of 2013 I have been involved with an original theatre production called A Lugnuts Christmas. We began rehearsals on October 21st and we just closed the show last Sunday, January 5th, 2014. It was a small cast of 6, so you can imagine that we got to know each other pretty well. I had worked with and known 2 of the members of the cast for years, but the other three were brand new to me. As an actor, there are many times that you do shows, and there is at least one person who is difficult to be around, to put it mildly. Not so in this case. We all got along GREAT! Rehearsals were challenging, to say the least. Learning 4 and 6 part harmony is not easy, especially for this gal. I have sung soprano in choir all of my life for a reason, it's the melody. I found my self singing every part but Bass in this show and many times I felt inadequate which brings me to the first person I want to mention in this post, our musical director and arranger, Jason Marks. Jason was beyond patient with all of us, and if it had not been for him, this show would have fallen flat on it's face. His arrangements were beautiful and the harmonies were tight. My personal favorite was What Child is This? He spent countless hours laying down rehearsal tracks for us, making orchestrations that would rival any live orchestra or band, and finally plunking out our parts over and over again. Jason, you will never know how much I appreciated you, and I am sure my cast mates would feel the same!
As the title reveals, this was a Christmas show. GEEK ALERT!! When I was a teenager and it would snow, I would wander outside and walk in the softly falling snow, and sing Christmas songs pretending I was filming a Christmas Special, a la Andy Williams or Perry Como or Bing Crosby. I know, lame, right? I have also said often that if I ever get enough money to record an album, it will be a Christmas album. Suffice it to say, I love Christmas and Christmas music! I grew up watching those family Christmas specials, so you can imagine that I was thrilled to be able to be in one of those Christmas Specials just live and on stage. All that being said, the thing that made this experience wonderful for me was the people.
We started rehearsal with an incomplete cast. We were missing our high tenor. Boy, were we lucky when Steve Travers walked through the door! Not only did he have the voice of an angel, he could sight read like a mad man, a big plus for this show! On top of that, he's a pretty nice guy, and I am so glad to have a new friend!
Before rehearsals even began, I found out I would get to work with 2 guys that I have known forever. The first was Eric Williams. I have known Eric since 1975. He was in the very first professional show I ever did, The Music Man, at Swift Creek Mill Playhouse. I was 10. Okay, put away your calculators. I'm 50. Eric is just a shade older, but you'd never know it to look at him. He hasn't changed a bit, and I mean that. He looks exactly the same. Amazingly as much as both of us work in Richmond Theatre, Lugnuts was the first show we had done together since '75. Eric is also the nicest person I have ever known, and I mean that sincerely! I have never seen him when he was not smiling. He is supportive and loving and never has a mean thing to say about anyone or anything! It was a joy to see him 5 times a week. The second was Ford Flannagan. I have known Ford since 1986. We did a show together at Theatre IV called Scapino. Ford's comic skills are unmatched, on stage and off. He is quick witted and always has a great comeback for everything. Ford surprised me when we did a show together a few years ago for Stage 1 called Nor mal. I had always seen Ford do comedy, but he kicked major ass in a very serious role of a father to an anorexic daughter. I was privileged to work beside him. I had the wonderful fortune to work with him twice this year in To Kill a Mockingbird and Lugnuts with Va-Rep. Ford worked his tail off learning the music for this show, and it was evident. He played the character of "Moe", and I kidded that "Moe" was my character's favorite. Aside from his amazing talent, Ford is a true gentleman and an all-around nice guy. I got to know Ford a little bit better personally this show, and I am really glad I did.
The other two people rounding out the cast were Jody Ashworth and Mandy Williams. I had seen Jody in a few shows but had never worked with him on stage. Jody is an AMAZING bass, and he was the foundation that made all the Doo Wop just incredible! It is hard to find a good bass, but it is impossible to find a bass that sings with the authority that Jody does. His low notes are the kind that make your toes tingle. I was also lucky to add Jody to my list of friends, and he and I were always the last ones out of the dressing room. Truth be told, he probably could have gotten out earlier, but was nice enough to hang around so I wouldn't have to walk to my car by myself. Mandy came to us from New York. If I had to use one word to describe Mandy, it would be vivacious! She came in full of energy and ready to dive in. She was very easy going and easy to work with. Certainly no drama there. And every night when she sang "Let Me In" with the boys, she took us to church! Hallelujah! And for one week I got to work with Ben Houghton who came in to replace the vacationing Steve. I don't know how you did it, buddy, but you did it well! I hope we get to work together again.
No show is complete without crew. It is a blessing to have a great crew to support us. Without them we would be nothing. Kim Pawlick was a wonderful stage manager. I was shocked to find out at the cast party that she is only 18. She definitely has a future in this capacity, she was amazing. This was not an easy show for the stage manager as she is the Jill of all trades at the Tavern, sound cues, light cues, and microphones, she did it all flawlessly! And my beloved little Snowbear, Katie Peterson who knows how to shake tail, Snowbear tail that is. Thanks for making sure I was attired properly every night to hula!
Last but not least, I have to thank Bruce Miller, our director, for bringing us all together. Obviously we were a good fit because we didn't have a show that did not get a spontaneous standing ovation every night. People  had a great time, and that's what it's really about. People laughed and sang along and tapped their feet and smiled. We, as actors, couldn't ask for anything more.

A Guest at Norman's Summer Home

This past Saturday, I was treated to an afternoon at the theater by my sister. She had won tickets to "On Golden Pond" at Barksdale's Hanover Tavern on Facebook. I had been wanting to see this show since its opening, so I was a happy camper, or should I say happy pond tourist? I loved this movie back in 1981, but I had never seen the play. It was delightful, especially watching the back and forth between Ethel, played by Kelly Kennedy and Norman, played by Joe Inscoe, but this play is not about a summer's stay on Golden Pond. It is about Norman Thayer and everyone's relationship with him, his long and loving relationship with his wife, Ethel. His brief, awkward encounter with his soon-to-be son-in-law, Bill Ray (played wonderfully by Andy Boothby), the new bonding relationship he builds with soon-to-be grandson Billy Ray ( a role you could tell Eric Pastore had a wonderful time playing) and his strained relationship with his daughter, Chelsea. Considering the play revolves around Norman, he has to be played by a POWERHOUSE of an actor. Joe Inscoe is that and so much more! I had the honor and privilege of working with Joe this past December in "A Christmas Carol" with Theatre IV. Eventhough he and I have been in Richmond Theatre for a lot of the same years, this was the first opportunity I had gotten to work with him. Joe was our Scrooge, and he was amazing!!!!! I found myself standing in the wings many times just watching him work. Cedric Hardwicke said, “When [actors] are talking, they are servants of the dramatist. It is what they can show the audience when they are not talking that reveals the fine actor.” If there was ever a quote to describe Joe Inscoe as an actor that would be it. When you watch Joe on stage, you never think, "He's acting." He never looks like he's "acting". You feel like your watching this person's life, that you have been invited in to look through that 4th wall to glimpse a piece of the everyday of whichever character he happens to be playing. Last Saturday, I happened to be invited into the world of Norman Thayer, and I found myself wishing I were older so I could trade places with Kelly Kennedy just once to play Ethel. If you can't tell, I'm a big Joe Inscoe fan, and Richmond Theatre is lucky to have him. Henry Fonda won an Oscar for his portrayal of Norman back in 1981. I sure hope we'll be hearing, "And the RTCC award for Best Actor goes to Joe Inscoe." It plays at Hanover Tavern through August 28th. From what I've heard, most performances are sold out, but you owe it to yourself to call just in case a seat has opened up.