This is the Moment/Week!

We are in the throes of tech/hell week currently; cue-2-cue rehearsal yesterday and sitzprobe today.  More often than not I loathe these rehearsals.  They tend to be tedious, and I always get antsy since there is so much stopping and starting.  However, I must say that I always enjoy New Line tech weekends.  Let's break this down real quick:

• Cue-2-Cue: 
• Started at 1ish in the afternoon; finished around 6:30.  
• That 5.5 hours included 
• excessive gunfights, 
• one 10 minute break for stretching/use of facilities
• over 200 light cues.
• random Charlestoning    
• Sitzprobe: 
• Actors required to arrive no later than 12:30, with intent to start at 1.  I wasn't looking at my clock, but I do believe we started on time.   
• Finished in probably 2.5-3 hours, which is a beautiful thing
• 16 body microphones, with occasional feedback
• 7 musicians that sounded amazing (especially the reeds and guitars)
• The most eclectic choreography and staging you are apt to see anywhere

New Line tech weekends seldom seem like work.  Instead, I find myself seeing the show through a brand new set of eyes (especially with how the lights illuminate this set, it's almost surreal).  Plus, THE NEW LINE BAND KICKS ASS!  Bonnie & Clyde is my fourth show with New Line, and the band always varies from show to show depending on what is required by the score.  Nevertheless, all 7 pieces were on point today.  Let's break down the band too!

• Jeffrey Carter, Music Director and First Keyboard
• Sue Goldford, Second Keyboard
• D. Mike Bauer, Guitars (fun fact: the man loves Little Shop of Horrors)
• Andrew Gurney, Bass
• Nikki Glenn, Violin (fun fact: has performed on stage with New Line as well)
• Robert Vinson, Reeds (fun fact: has played three of my four shows: Evita, Cry-Baby, and B&C)
• Clarence Newell, Percussion

We preview on Thursday, and Opening Night Party on Friday. For more information, visit http://www.newlinetheatre.com/bonniepage.html

StrawPun Out!

Dying Ain't So Bad

Bonnie and Clyde are the Tinker Bell and Peter Pan of Crime

Sounds crazy, no?  But here, in our little village of West Dallas.....
Sorry, wrong show (though Stages St. Louis is doing Fiddler on the Roof right now)

We attempted our first full run-thru the other night, and though there is still room for improvement, no one died that wasn't supposed to.  Therefore, it was a success.  Plus, I didn't hurt myself, which I always consider a plus.

Anyway, back to my initial statement: I was sitting in the audience during the beginning of Act 1, and for the first time I just watched Larissa and Matt do their meeting scenes.  They have been doing wonderfully, but it was a different show than what I had been listening to for the past month.  Without scripts in their hands, they had to rely on each other more.  There were some great moments between them, and a remarkable childishness seemed to evolve.  You could see in his eyes just how much she mattered to him, and it was apparent just how much she wanted his approval during her poem.  It was similar to watching two kids meeting on a playground and innocently flirting.

Now, I'm not saying that Bonnie and Clyde were innocent by any means, but they were incredibly young; Clyde was twenty-four and Bonnie was twenty-three when they were gunned down.  They had no problem laughing in the face of adult society.  They even had their own group of "lost boys", fellow criminals aiding the fearless couple in crime sprees.

I realize this entire idea may be far-fetched, and I could potentially be grasping for connections, but after reading about Bonnie and Clyde, you get under the impression that these two were ready to die at any time.  Hell, Bonnie has a song called "Dying Ain't So Bad" in the show where she remarks that the only problem she would have with dying is if Clyde died before her; she would rather go first so that she wouldn't have to live without him.

In Peter Pan, when facing imminent death at the hands of Captain Jas. Hook, Peter spits in his face "To die would be an awfully big adventure."  Pan is not afraid to die.  To him, death is just the next great thing that he can conquer.  He has no true sense of right or wrong, and was prone to killing off the Lost Boys whenever he felt that they had grown too old.

In other news, we open in two weeks.  The show is looking good, but I'm so glad that we have several more run-thru rehearsals.  I am facing my eternal problem: not being big enough.  I always think I'm making a strong difference between the characters I play, but I never make the differences big enough.  I am prone to feeling awkward about going over the top (BAD ACTOR!).  Oh well, it just means I have to lose myself in the show a bit more.

Two weeks to go!  Make sure to check out Bonnie & Clyde at New Line Theatre!

StrawPun Out