And Now . . ?

My show That's What We're Here For (an american pageant) closed yesterday after six performances at The Brick in The $ellout Festival.

I was very proud of this show.  All the performances went well, except the first one, which is, unfortunately, the one where I had a reviewer present.  Here is Martin Denton's review at nytheatre.com.

It's a fair review, given the performance he saw.  Unfortunately.  It's one of those shows where, if it's just a little ragged or sloppy, the whole furshlugginer thing doesn't work, even if all the little bits and pieces do.  Martin likes my work, and was fair in his assessment -- frankly, I was a little surprised at how fair he was . . . though given the rave review he gave my production of Foreman's Symphony of Rats in February,  which he also saw at a ragged and sloppy first performance, perhaps I shouldn't have been.

But the rest of the performances were more than acceptable, and by both of the shows we did yesterday it was really special.  Okay houses -- the first was not huge but not small, and reacted wonderfully, the second was larger, but very quiet compared to most audiences we've had.  They seemed the most stunned and impressed, though.

I've gotten some of the most  . . . don't know how to say it . . . wonderful?  moving?  touching?  ego-stroking? . . . comments from audience members on this show, people that it hit just right.  People who really got what I was going for, who it got inside and did what I wanted it to do.  I want more of them.

So, yeah, I'll be bringing this back, but almost certainly not in August.  And when I do, what will I do to get more people in?  I dunno.  In the meantime, I'll keep working on the show -- maybe meet with the cast, if I can, twice a month or so August-November, then start working more frequently after that, aiming for a February run of 10-16 performances or so.  Revise some of the show, cut some of it, expand some of it, juggle it around.  Just hope I can keep this cast together.

Next, Temptation in the Vaclev Havel Festival this Fall.  Have to get another cast together for that.  Lots of possibilities.  Get Berit making props, too. 

Wanted to go up to Maine right away after the show closed, but there turned out to be a lot to do this week -- shows to see every night.  Tonight, Orgy of the Dead at The Red Room, tomorrow, Lisa Ferber's Bonbons for Breakfast at the $ellout Fest, then Can't Get Started from Tom X. Chao ("a dryly funny downtown comedian" -- New York Times!) on Wednesday, then Trav S.D.'s Health and Wealth Elixir Program on Thursday, and, finally Piper McKenzie's Sexadelic Cemetery on Friday.  And somewhere in there Berit and I have to drive up to Westchester to see my dad & stepmom before we vanish to Maine for a few weeks. 

I'm going to need a rest from this week as much as the show by Saturday.

Oh, I Forgot . . .

. . . go see . . .

Robert Honeywell's Greed: A Musical Love Story, which is excellent.  The Brick.  The $ellout Festival.  Probably extending in July/August, but don't rely on it, just in case.

Berit and I saw it before the first of our two shows yesterday and were quite knocked out.  Robert's book and lyrics, the music composed by Robert with Whitney Gardner and Meighan Stoops, and Robert's elegant, simple staging are all terrific, but in particular, the acting from the cast of 5 is amazing.  Four of them, Bryan Enk, Gyda Arber, Michael O'Brien, and Moira Stone are actors I've worked with repeatedly as a director (Gyda and Bryan were also in my just-closed show simultaneously with this), and who I like a lot, but their work here was a surprise to even me -- except perhaps for Moira, who I'm always blown away by, so her incredible work here was only a mild surprise (Robert was the other performer, and was also great, I haven't had the chance to direct him yet).

I was maybe a little disappointed by the opening musical number, and worried (there's something herky-jerky and "off" about the structure/dynamics of the song, dunno what), but everything after that just got better and better, climaxing in an amazing, extended, mostly-silent dinner sequence where the focus becomes entirely about an actor's face and her subtle changes of emotion for quite a long time.  Incredible.  And a lovely "twist" at the end, which you can see coming, but is immensely satisfying as it falls into place.

More comments on what I see this week as they come up . . .