Not your mamma’s puppet show

While the concept of a dick show seems vulgar, I have to admit that I truly enjoyed myself tonight. I kidnapped an innocent bystander, my good girlfriend Kat, and headed out to Los Angeles to see Puppetry of the Penis at the Coast Playhouse. You may have heard of this international sensation; or it may come as a surprise to you that this show is a major success. Whatever the case, your jaw will drop, your stomach will roll, and your funny bone will be tickled –yes, I mean that in the dirtiest way possible. Tonight was a full house, with the audience (which was young and old, male and female) packed into the tiny theatre like sardines, in an all too intimate situation. I recommend arriving early so you can sit with your party. If you are squeamish do not sit in the front row – then again, if you are squeamish you probably shouldn’t attend a penis production. Gentlemen, don’t be afraid to attend this outrageous show – in fact, I think you might even learn a little something to impress your girlfriend. Rich Binning and Christopher J. Cannon are the puppeteers, trained in "The Ancient Australian Art of Genital Origami." This is apparently what happens when talented, intelligent male college students get bored: they practice dick tricks in their dorm room with their best buddy. There are several references to Australia in the show, paying homage to Simon Morley, an Aussie who conceived the show in 1996. Once you get past the initial shock, you may find yourself relaxing into the humor and technical skill displayed by these young men, as they stretched and manipulate their unmentionables into “hamburgers, “sombreros,” and various animals.

"Puppetry of the Penis: The Ancient Australian Art Of Genital Origami" at the Coast Playhouse in West Hollywood through March 28. It plays Wednesdays and Thursdays at 8 pm; Fridays and Saturdays at 7 pm and 9:30 pm; and Sundays at 5 pm and 7:30 pm. Tickets are $39 Wednesdays/Sundays and $45 for all other performances.

Sweet Margaret

Rehearsals for Edward II are coming along slowly but surely. We began blocking Margaret’s wedding night. There is so much emotional turmoil in this particular scene, I felt a little overwhelmed holding my book and frantically accessing the physical movement of the scene in an unfamiliar rehearsal space. We have a break in our rehearsal schedule, to which I will devote the majority of my time refocusing my character and memorizing my dialog. My text analysis work has prompted new discoveries about my character. I realized early on that Margaret must be a genuinely caring individual. She rarely talks about herself, expect on her wedding night, when she is faced with a life-altering, tragic situation. When others speak of her they refer to her as sweet: “Sweet Margaret,” “Sweet Niece”, “Sweet Wife”, and “Sweet Lady”. She regards the Queen as her friend and confidant, and thinks of her before all things, until the doom of her wedding night approaches. She makes the majority of her entrances “quickly” or “rushing”, “looks pale” and though Gaveston has no intimate or logistical desire to be her husband, he believes she “deserve(s) affection and regard”. I am investigating new ways to approach my objectives and work to create interesting points of attack. I am very interested to know what drives Margaret through the course of her journey.

Springing forward into Marlowe

Yesterday I beat the urge to sleep in on a Sunday morning,” sprang forward”, and drug myself out of bed to do what I love best. Our first read-through for Edward II enthused my desire to get this show on its feet. Unfortunately I will have to guide my way through the next week of table work in order to get to that point. I think the table work will be exciting in itself though, as I will be able to have an hour one-on-one with our director to discuss character. The script diverges from Marlowe’s version in a very sincere and exciting way. Darcy has added language, re-assigned dialog and added characters to create a much improved emotional journey which electrifies the characters of the show. After listening to the readings, I think there is some very strong talent in the show. It is wonderful to have the opportunity to work with fellow actors whom I esteem as my peers. I think it will be difficult at first to get to know everyone, as this is a very tight knit group that seems to all know each other. But I am going to put my best foot forward and try to be as outgoing as I can manage. I am ready to make strong choices and collaborate on this unique look into one of Marlowe’s greatest.

Starting with some Ian McKellen for inspiration!

On the rocky road to Dublin 1, 2, 3, 4, 5!

Tonight I wanted to stand up and dance, stomp my feet and sing at the top of my lungs. Yet, I was confined to my seat and had to be content with clapping along with the music. When the Young Dubliners come back to town, the party is usually filled with feet stomping and drunken sing-a-longs, but the La Mirada theatre goers were a bit too polite to enjoy themselves. I wish I had seen tickets for the House of Blues in Los Angeles before I bought tickets for the La Mirada Performing Arts Center. The Young Dubs were better than ever! It was a special night because they had Eric Rigler with them (the piper and whistle player heard on the Braveheart and Titanic soundtracks). I love their smoky voices and rip-roaring instrumentals. They always put on a high energy show. I am really looking forward to attending the Irish Music Festival in Irvine this year. Both of my favorite Irish bands, the Young Dubs and The Fenians, will be performing! I need to find my green top hat and get my Guinness hand ready for action.

"Buy You a Life"
Young Dubliners

Can’t fake a free fall
You get what you see
The next move is your call
There’s no guarantee
Careful what I might come to
Open the door. Beware.

Don’t live your life like you’re the only one in it
Don’t waste another minute
Thinking about yourself
Open up and throw back all your covers
Your sisters and your brothers will buy you a life

Lower your defenses
Come follow me
We go in a perfect circle
End where we both can see

Don’t live your life like you’re the only one in it
Don’t waste another minute
Thinking about yourself
Open up and throw back all your covers
Your sisters and your brothers will buy you a life

Don’t fake a freefall
No movie scene
The next move is your call
Or get the better of me

This is where I have come to
This is where I begin, again

Don’t live your life like you’re the only one in it
Don’t waste another minute
Thinking about yourself
Open up and throw back all your covers
Your sisters and your brothers will buy you a life

Edward II Casting!

On Saturday I attended an audition for Edward II at The Empire Theatre in Santa Ana. Sunday I was blessed with a callback, and to start my Monday morning off right, I received notice that I have been cast as Margaret. The joyfully pleasant Darcy Hogan called me Monday morning to announce my inclusion in Theatre Out’s adapted production of one of Marlowe’s greatest. In addition to playing the emotionally tragic role of Margaret, I will also be playing the messenger! I think the juxtaposition of these roles provide a worthy challenge for any actor. I am excited to begin this journey with this liberating theatre company. This play marks one year of back-to-back productions on my resume! We have our first read-thru this weekend. I am excited to meet the cast, make new friends and work on this fabulous piece of theatre!

Northern lights

Tonight marks the second weekend of Almost, Maine. We have managed to pull in two fabulous reviews and the audience feedback has been wonderful. On opening night I heard both laughter and cries of despair as our audience invested themselves in our characters. After weeks of rehearsing with only our director in the room, the validation our audiences have been graciously bestowing on us has been refreshing. I can only imagine what this weekend will hold, with a packed house. We had a pick-up rehearsal last night, and despite all the goofball antics and Cruz feeling under the weather, we fell right back into place. Consistency has always been something I strive to achieve in this art form that is constantly changing and evolving every time the lights come up, as the northern lights dance behind us in the sky.

Murder on the High C’s - A Murder Mystery

Rose Center Theatre’s Murder on the High C’s pays tribute to the golden age of musical theatre, set in the 1930’s and mimicking the musical stylings of Cole Porter. At the heart of the production is a farcical plot based in the genre of a mystery novella. Faced with a mysterious set of deaths, the passengers and crew aboard the S.S. Van Dine frantically struggle to solve the murders and avoid their own deaths. Professor Alastair Kenworthy (Scott Ratner), probably the world’s worst detective, leads the remaining passengers on a misguided journey to find the killer. Ratner cleverly wrote the book and lyrics alongside lyricist, director and musical composer Tim Nelson. As a seasoned actor, Ratner’s comedic timing as the riotous Alastair heightened the comedy of the production. Dolores Kimble is delightful as his love interest/side-kick and mastermind behind solving the puzzles posed in the play. The set proved much like one would expect to see in a production of Anything Goes. On a sour note, some of the costumes were poorly fitted and appeared cheaply made. The vocal quality of Ratner and Kimble could not be matched by the supporting cast, who seemed to underperform their roles. Ratner seemed to poke fun at the ridiculousness of his character, which created hysterics among the audience. However the supporting cast members took themselves much too seriously. The young lovers fall flat, the movie actress seems contrived and the singing trio of flappers is devoid of star quality. This created a tension in the audience: Do we laugh? Is this funny, or is it just extraordinarily bad acting? It took about 20 minutes into the production (a horrific amount of time for both cast and audience) to accept the farcical nature of the play and have fun. It was fortunate that this transition was made before intermission, as the audience may have been much reduced at the start of the second act. Nothing about this production is exceptional or unusual, but one can expect to leave with a smile on their face. As this play continues to evolve and revisions are made, one can expect great things to come of this refreshing musical extravaganza.

Performances are 7:30 pm, Fri. & Sat, 2 pm, Sun. February 5-February 21, 2010. Tickets are $17-20. The Rose Center Theatre is located 14140 All American Way, Westminster CA. For more info call 714-793-1150 or visit www.rosecentertheater.com.