I Understand the Importance of Frequent Posting...

but what if I feel I have nothing of extreme import to say, except for the usual complaints and praisings...and stop.  Right there.  Negativity out.  I'm expelling you.  Instead, here comes a list of things I'm grateful for in my life, for your reading pleasure (And in no particular order)

I Am Grateful For...

1. Oprah Winfrey, and Lee Daniel's The Butler-  Yes, Lee Daniel's The Butler was manipulative and cliché at times, and the parade of celebrities playing political figures was a little ridick (that's not referencing THE CHRONICLES OF, but being an abbreviation of ridiculous) butit was many times extremely moving, and I was in tears through much of it, especially when it covers the strengths and travails of the Freedom Riders.  It's spiked my interest in learning more about this part of history, that for me is mostly comprised of a Quantum Leap episode and what I've heard on NPR.  Plus, Oprah was amazing. What she can do with one tiny narrowing of her eye.  I want to hug her, whether or not she would hug me back.

2. Discovering a friend of mine is friends with Charles Busch.  That man is a genius.  And so prolific.  He carved a niche in theatre and puts out things that are uniquely his own, that he is passionate about, and that makes people feel good.  The added treat that she said I had his same spirit was more than just icing.  It was cake filled icing.

3.  The reviewer saying I had "untouched good looks".  It doesn't happen all that often but when it does "I'm gonna ride that chocolate pony all the way to the bank", as my friend Kate says.

4.  My roommate.  He's a delight.  A kind, intelligent, soulful delight.

5.  My mother.  It's easy to take some things for granted, but I am constantly being reminded of how lovely she is.

6.  ZEUS IN THERAPY.  This has been such a challenging experience.  Lots of hours, lots of feeling like a novice at something I'm supposed to be pretty good at (if my above mentioned mother is any barometer) and a little wondering, after five and a half weeks of work with just the ten of us actors jiggling around and speaking poetry, "is this going to work?"  Well, the cast and crew have been so lovely, the audience and critics seem to really enjoy it, I really enjoy doing it, The Long Center is a dream, and I get to croon a sweet song written by Court Hoang.  Who could ask for anything more?  I'm also grateful to everyone who has come and supported me in this show.  It's meant a lot.

7.  My callback.  I got one.

8.  The book "The Secret Historian".  It's my current reading, and a window into a soul who thinks and does things very differently from me. 

9.  My friends, one of which came through and made a possibly stressful video audition into a smooth and easy peasy-macaroni and cheesy experience.  Yahoo.

So here's to all those blessings, those I haven't mentioned, and those that even now are heading my way.

Another Review

Our latest, and most likely our last official review, has come out, and it's the one I was sweating a bit.  But there was no need to worry.  It's from Elizabeth Cobbe of The Austin Chronicle. 

In other news, as much as I was looking forward to a break for a bit, I was synchronicitously made aware of a show coming up, and invited to submit for it.  I heard the score and instantly fell in love,  not just with the music, but with a particular character that I feel completely in synch with.  So, as much as video auditions freak my shit out, I learned a song from the score, taped it with a pianist and submitted it.  Here's hoping, and yet, staying unattached to the results

Michael Meigs, and Jeff Davis, you charmers you.

A couple of reviews came in and they are both glowing, which allows me to breathe a sigh of relief.  The first is from Michael Meigs at Austin Live Theatre, and is an unqualified rave. 

The second is a lovely review from Jeff Davis at  Broadway World. 

We have another one coming from The Austin Chronicle, and whatever news it holds, I'll link to it here.  You've got my word on it. 

Adolescent Obsession: Julie Brown

I was browsing around on the computer today and am not sure how, but I started thinking about one of my favorite childhood films...oh yeah.  I was looking on Spotify for more music by my current love Zooey Deschanel, and that made me think that maybe New Girl had a soundtrack, which made me think about Brand New Girl, the Julie Brown track from my childhood fave  Earth Girls Are Easy, which led me to a pretty rare and kind of  bizarre reading of a proposed musical version from 2002 with no less a monumental talent than Kristin Chenoweth (I'll link to it later, but the video quality is low, and I want to start with a bang).

For those of you who don't know her, she was this outrageous red haired eighties comedienne who had a couple of hits (for example I Like Them Big and Stupid, and The Homecoming Queen's Got A Gun) and for a time she hosted an MTV comedy/video show that  I adored and recorded and watched over and over, mostly with my best friend Wes. 

For awhile she was pretty  well known.  Tiny Toons named a character after her, she was largely responsible for getting Earth Girls Are Easy made, she appeared in Clueless as the gym teacher...
she put out an album, Trapped In the Body of A White Girl, that quickly went away, but when I got a little older I sought it out and when I located it, transferred it to tape so I could listen to on bus rides, in the car, and sing along loud and proud and wish she was my friend.

As a sample of her delights, I put up for your amusement...Girl Fight Tonight.  Here's to you Julie Brown, you zany, sexy lady you.  You helped make me what I am today!

 

And for those of you wanting more, here's that clip I promised you earlier...

 

 





                          

Aquaman Has Had It

I have always loved Aquaman, and have admittedly never understood why he's gotten such a bad reputation.  Either the character fascinates you, or he doesn't.  It didn't matter to me that he didn't get a lot of attention from a 70's TV cartoon because his powers were not completely compatible with land walkers like Superman and Batman.  So, when I was made aware of this monologue "Aquaman, King of the Seven Seas has F***ing Had It With You, Man", written a few years ago by Glen Weldon, and recently brought to life by actor Scott Wichmann, I was pretty excited.  It's hilarious as hell, and makes a solid point.  See if you don't agree.

                                                                        

Zeus is here! And so is all the info you might need...

ZEUS IN THERAPY opened on Friday.  I'm really grateful that the old superstition rang true, because a slightly off-kilter dress rehearsal/preview made for a really solid opening night.  In the meantime, we have one show tonight at 8, and another weekend of shows (beginning Wednesday), and a ton of publicity has come out to tout our arrival.  Here is most of it, compiled for your convenience.

• The Statesman made us the #1 thing to do in Austin this weekend.

• The Austin Chronicle featured the late great classics professor who authored the poems that make up the text of ZEUS IN THERAPY.  (Incidentally, the cast got to meet his family last night and they could not have been kinder or more welcoming.  It meant a lot to  hear their thoughts on the piece and how Prof. Parker would have loved it)

• L Style G Style featured us in their latest issue.  You can pick up free copies all around town, or view the content here.

• For those of you that would like an audio experience, we are also currently being featured in "Arts Eclectic"  on KUT. 

• The Westlake Picayune recently featured ZEUS, and the artists contributing to ZEUS who are representin'.

Finally, we do have a show tonight at 8PM and 10% of our ticket sales will benefit TEAM JAY, in a joint effort with the Leukemia Lymphoma Society.  So, if you want to come see the show and fight cancer, tonight is the night.

You too can make that stack of books on your bedside table even larger!

I, like a lot of people, have too many things I'm desperate to read and not enough time to read them.  Unfortunately the list of books I'm wanting to read keeps growing and growing.  And with this list from Flavorwire, it grew by six. It's a collection of 50 lesser known, but worthy books by authors you already know and love.  I was particularly intrigued by Adverbs by Daniel Handler (AKA Lemony Snickett), Just Above My Head by James Baldwin, and A Long Fatal Love Chase by Louisa May Alcott. 

Tuff Enough? Hell no.

Fair warning: this is going to be one of those hodge-podgey, poorly thought out, poorly constructed posts in which I basically rant until my fingers get tired.  Please forgive.  And enjoy. 

We started Tech Week last night, and I would like to say for the record, how much I love working in The Long Center.  Is it expensive to rent?  I imagine so.  Are the dressing rooms, monitors, etc. a delight to my mind and soul?  Yes.  Does the bone chilling cold back there thrill my little heart, and do I not give a shit when I hear my friends and fellow actors bitching and moaning about how cold it is?  Yes.  Yes it thrills, and no, I do not give a shit.  Toughen up, you little titty-babies. 

One thing I am not loving, are the mirrors.  The dressing rooms are LOADED UP with mirrors.  Huge mirrors on both sides, a mirror over the dressing room sink... there's no escaping yourself, or pretending you haven't gained 12 pounds in the past year.  There's just taking your own effing advice and sucking it up and swearing to eat better from that moment on.

Weight has been a struggle lately.  Admittedly, it's been a struggle a long time.  It's probably the thing I'm most sensitive about and something I have been dealing with since I was twelve.  Around 30 I started to win the battle and dropped a hundred pounds, but it's something I think about every day of my life.  Sometimes I walk past a mirror and see "Pretty damned cute", even if it is me saying so, and other times I see a bulbous monster that there's no escape from.  Usually I run the treadmill to manage it, but lately a bone spur has kept me from doing that... I finally scheduled a doctor's appointment to handle it, and as soon as the show is over, I will get it taken care of and be back to running and walking a week or two later.  Halleluja.    In the mean time I'll look at that Melissa McCarthy quote in which she talks about accepting yourself for who you are and realizing that you may never be what you consider "thin enough", but that what you are is beautiful.  That may pacify me for about 30 seconds.

Random Advice:  If you ever appear in videos on youtube...do NOT look at the comments.  I made a few videos a couple years ago with "Project Rant" and made the mistake yesterday of checking out a couple of the comments.  If you are an absolutely perfect specimen of male or female and fit perfectly within societies confines and made a youtube video, well then look away because you will find your sweetest thoughts reaffirmed...however, if you are me you might discover that you are even gayer than you knew yourself to be.  You are "shitting unicorns and cumming rainbows" gay, and this is by and large not considered to be a good thing.  And PS: you are too old to be wearing a t-shirt with a cupcake on it.  Touche, youtube commenters.  Touche.

Now, this titty-baby is going to go work out with really big and heavy weights.  Afterwards I will wash up with "Lava" soap, and sit down to a lunch of Sandpaper salad.  Tough enough?  Mayhaps.

Zeus is Coming!

 

My next show, "Zeus in Therapy" opens on August 16th at 8PM and runs for two weekends at The Long Center.  I play one of the eight facets of Zeus portrayed in a pretty daring and original new show which dramatizes a group of thirty six poems by Douglas Stott Parker that look at the persona of Zeus, and all his travails, in a modern context.  The piece also utilizes the elements of  music, dance, animation, and some pretty beautiful artwork.  It will doubtless be a unique theatre experience for the audience and I'm proud of all the work and energy that everyone's put into bringing this piece to fruition.  For ticket info and performance time, please check out the Long Center website, and if all that doesn't make you want to come, then how about this photo by Daniel Brock, of me in my Zeusly form?

 

When you come, I cannot promise I will look this intense or that my eyes will be quite this blue, but it should be a good time for all.  We have sold quite a few tickets already, so I would recommend being proactive and getting your reservations now. 

ALSO-  check out Tutto Theatre on Facebook to see all the other character portraits taken.

 



My Crush

My latest crush arrived in the mail, or rather, his picture appeared on an envelope that I received at work, and he's just about perfect.  Strong, dazzling white smile, bulging biceps, and handy around the house.  I don't even know his first name.  I just know him as the Anchor Ventana man.  And yeah, I know it's creepy as hell to have a crush on a drawing, but I just can't help myself.  See if you agree...

Brand New Day

 

Well, the big chunk of time I thought I was going to have to work and write and laugh and live, vanished rather quickly.  I moved, started a nine to five, started the writing workshop and began intense rehearsals for the upcoming "Zeus in Therapy" debuting at the Long Center in mid-August.  All of this has made it a little difficult to get back to the blog, but never fear!  I have not forgotten you. 
All of this activity has left me longing for a recharge, and as I've been listening to "The Wiz" soundtrack a lot lately, I thought I'd share my recharging song with you.  Incidentally, if you've never hear the Broadway soundtrack I highly recommend it (but do try to avoid the movie version, or at least don't look at the woefully miscast Diana Ross as some jittery neurotic "20"-something who's afraid to go out into the world).  It is the movie version of the song I'm sharing, but luckily, Miss Ross' appearance is minimal.  Enjoy!