Life musings, off-the-wall subjects, and serious cases of "open mouth, insert foot".
Sunday, July 24, 2005
BTW, I finished "Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West" by Gregory Maguire. (The Broadway musical of the same title--well, "Wicked"--is based on this novel, although the musical differs to varying degrees from the book.) FABULOUS book; it would be a safe bet to say it ranks on my top 5 list.
Next in line is "Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister" by the same author. THEN, is "Mirror Mirror", again by Maguire.
She couldn't help but inhale deeply every time he was near- The outdoorsy scent of sweat coupled with sweet-smelling soap invaded her brain. Nestling her head comfortably against him, He draped an arm around her shoulders and lightly stroked her arm, Daring to place a soft kiss on the crown of her head. She smiled as the piano played on.
Why was I in a sappy mood Saturday night after poker? And why did I end up bawling--a good cry--in the car on the way home from Dennis & Jenny's? Here's why: I always miss my grandpa. And that is one reason I cry during curtain call. There is one specific song, by Garth Brooks, that always stops me dead in my tracks and makes me think of him: "It's Your Song". I can remember, my Senior year in highschool, grandpa came to see "Bye Bye, Birdie" with grandma and some other family members. He may have come to other shows I did in highschool, but this is THE ONE I really remember. It was my final (or so I thought) show on that DB stage, and as I came out into the crowd, I saw grandpa standing there with tears in his eyes. I knew he had been crying. I went over to him and grandma, hugged them both, and I'll never forget my grandpa's words as he hugged me: "That was a great show. I'm so proud of you." Grandpa passed away on St. Patrick's Day in 2001, and ever since, on every Sunday show I do, I pray the Hail Mary (just like we did at DB), ask for St. Genesius' prayer (DB again there), and tell grandpa, "This one's for you."
At last night's cast party, we sent a group of 7 or 8 Guildos on a snipe hunt in the woods behind Ellen's house. I believe it was Bob who came up with the idea to do so, and many of us who had been on snipe hunts convinced the others of how much fun it is. It wasn't quite dark enough to catch any, but the rookies did very well at imitating the snipe call that Bob taught them; they also did well at squatting on the ground, holding the bags open and ready for the creatures. Just a few lessons for those who go on or lead a snipe hunt, though:
1) Make sure you COVER yourself fully w/ bug spray, like "Off!", to avoid mosquito and other bug bites (missed one freakin' spot on my leg, and of course that's where 2 mosquitos flocked to bite), 2) Do NOT wear flip-flops--not very easy to walk through the woods, up and down hills, and over branches / foliage (Bob and I learned this the hard way), 3) Likewise, if you're a gal, do NOT wear a jean skirt on a snipe hunt--since I was at a cast party, I wanted to be semi-dressy, but learned the hard way that that's not appropriate dress, 4) If you've never been on a snipe hunt before, make sure you pay close attention to what your group leaders are telling you: snipe are not dangerous creatures, but catching them is a fine art, 5) Enjoy yourselves and have fun!!!
*sigh* After a (successful) four-day run, the Guild Summer Alumni Theatre's presentation of "42nd Street" has closed. It was great to be back "home" again on that old DB stage--that's where it all really started for me. This was such a neat show, and any drama aside, I had a blast with this group of people, this family. Old friendships were rejuvenated, and foundations for new friendships were laid and built upon. Some people returned from last year's inaugural season production of Pippin, while many more were new additions to the group.
There were just so many really neat people in it; it's amazing. Molly--a 22 year old I was friends w/ in highschool--landed the role of Peggy Sawyer and did a fantabulous job. Joe--a 17-year-old senior at DB this year--was in the male chorus and scored a few bit parts; he was a jock for 3 years then decided to take a stab at theatre. His bio even states, "The stage is where I belong and I'll never look back." Ann--who choreographed for "Pippin" last year--was a dancer and has become a very good friend of mine. Just so many to name and yet not enough room!
Mom helped out w/ costumes this year, and I could tell she had a blast. She made yellow scarves for everyone in the cast--Peggy has a lucky yellow scarf in the show--and we all wore them onstage during curtain call last night. Mom was choked up, nearly in tears. And of course I bawled--sad it's over and I always think of grandpa on Sunday performances since grandma is there. (Grandpa, yesterday was for you; I hope I made you proud.)...
I believe--but don't quote me on this one--that we were sold out 3 of the 4 nights; we were over-sold on one or two occasions, and maybe close to sold out the 3rd. Mr. L made the comment that, when you teach a baby to walk, it may take the first step okay but you have to keep pushing and helping it with the 2nd step until it can walk on its own. He said the S.A.T. works the same way: we made our first step with "Pippin" last year, and while shaky, we've made our 2nd step this year with "42nd Street". Hopefully next year's step will be stronger and more sure, but that's something we're all going to have to work on together. Dustin told me yesterday after the show that he heard an elderly woman say this was "the best show" she's "seen in a long time", and that it "looked like so much fun." Those are the comments and attitudes that are going to keep this 'experiment' going for years to come.
One of the coolest things EVER happened this weekend during the show as well. In a recent post, I congratulated DB alumni Norbert Leo Butz for winning the Tony award for best leading actor in a musical. On Saturday, Mr. L 'surprised' (word travels fast in the green room ;) us by announcing at intermission that Norb was at the show that night with his daughter, mom & dad, brother & nephew. How cool is that? Performing in front of a freakin' TONY AWARD WINNER!!! It was so very cool of him to come see the show; he even took the time to 'tour' the new green room, dressing area, and costume storage, PLUS he was gracious enough to pose for pictures and sign autographs. True, he's a regular guy, but it's so fantabulous that he's made it like he has. I mean, it's someone totally relatable--growing up in south St. Louis, graduating from the same highschool, having the same passion for theatre as many of us "Guildos" do...and he's made it. I don't even know the man personally, but I have much respect for him.
All in all, the run of the show was good (though at some points shaky) and I really am going to miss everyone.
Opening night of "42nd Street" last night was a success, in my opinion--as far as opening nights go. There were glitches and screw-ups, as is prone to happen (like the settee breaking ONSTAGE during the bar scene--lol), but I think it went rather well. I think some of the cast was thrown off, due to Mr. L. finally getting up on stage with us--he is Oscar since Kevin dropped out, and last night was the first time he'd been up on stage with us for the show--but it was entertaining. I was pleased with myself on the dances--I felt like I really solidly nailed most of them, with only a few minor slip-ups on others. What a thrill and rush of electricity after the opening number, with the entire audience applauding and cheering...unbelievable. I've felt it before (I do every time I'm up on stage), but this was just...COOL. (*side note: my feet are KILLING ME!!!) Steak N Shake was fun afterward; I had planned on having a quick bite to eat, then heading straight home for some much-needed sleep, but when you spring 35 people on one unsuspecting waitress, it tends to take a bit to get your orders. (And, understandably so.) It took probably about an hour for my table to get our orders, then we all sat around BS-ing. Chatted w/ Ann in the parking lot afterward, then headed home. You know, I can say that I am looking forward to having my week nights back, a regular sleep schedule, and spending more time with my husband....yet I still don't want this show to be over. Through the hard work and crankiness, theatre just does something to me that is completely inexplicable. "I live for this sh*t!"
Between painting sets, going to a pre-cast party, rehearsing for almost 5 hours, swimming, and barbequing, this 3-day weekend went by wayyy too fast...
On the holiday front, the 4th is just kind of a difficult holiday for me. It makes me really nostalgic, for 2 reasons: 1) it would have been my grandma and grandpa T's anniversary, and 2) every year for the 4th, we used to go to my grandparent B's house in Arkansas. It was a huge deal--all the extended family on my mom's side, more than enough food to eat, and thousands of dollars worth of fireworks between all of us. It was usually a week-long excursion, but toward the end it became just a weekend thing. However long or short we stayed, it was a blast! (Except for the red ants...*shivers*...get bit by 'em once, and you NEVER forget it...) We'd swim in the lake, take walks down the country road, go mud-riding on 4-wheelers, typical Arkansas country fun. But ever since my grandpa's passed away, we don't do it anymore; my grandma moved back to Belleville, and the tradition just kinda passed, too. I sure do miss it, though, and I think about it every year...
As for "42nd Street", the show is slowly coming along, but at least it is coming along. We still haven't completely run through the show, but we are supposed to tonight. Even though that makes me incredibly nervous, I am still confident in the show. Having been a "Guildo" since 1996, I know the caliber of performances we all are capable of, and I know Mr. L's knack for getting us motivated with his pep talks. I'm sure this will be a great show; how it always comes together in the end, I'll never know, but it does and it works.
Other than that, not much to report about the long holiday weekend. There was a pre-cast party on Saturday at Stefanie's house--we barbequed and swam, drank too much, and just kinda hung out bs-ing. It was a nice time, and I had a blast; it's a shame that this whole thing is so close to being over. That part always gets to me when I do a show.
I'll probably be too tired and un-focused to blog much this week, but I'll try. Otherwise, I'll let you all know next Monday how the show went!
