In the Middle

Really good shows of Everything Must Go on Wednesday and Harry in Love last night. Not the most sizable houses for either, but large enough to feel good performing to, and both of them very responsive in all the right ways. Fun and rewarding.

We had the AC off during Harry for the first time last night, and while I have absolutely no way of proving if the sonic reduction affected things for the better or not (we got more laughs, certainly, than ever before but it could have simply been a friendlier house), I know it made my own performance subtler, more shaded, and more responsive to the vibes I felt coming off of the audience, and I felt like I was able to "play" them better. Fun.

Spell is off for this entire weekend (I miss it), so, as I may have mentioned, we're alternating EMG and Harry, which is a strain, as they're both physically demanding shows on me.

When I planned doing these three shows, I was only going to be acting in Harry, but then someone dropped out of EMG and rather than look to strangers in recasting, which I am always far too nervous about, and having no one else I knew appropriate for the part, I took it on myself. Not smart. I'm doing it okay, but I wish I was only acting in one show. I tried to diet and exercise to be more ready for doing both, but, unlike Hamlet last year, where I got it together pretty much as I wanted, I wasn't as ready as I'd hoped for these two. I can pull it off, but I suffer more the rest of the days when I'm not doing it.

Ah, well, just have to keep myself together, at least through this weekend - the next two days I'm looking at doing BOTH shows each day, matinee and evening, plus having to deal with striking and setting up the sets. Oy. Won't be doing anything like this again.

Spell got a nice little notice from Ellen Wernecke online at Edge, which was rewarding to see. Mixed to positive, really, without much in the way of pull quotes, except for this one, which may be my favorite one I've ever got:

" . . . Spell is, like a wall-sized Brueghel painting, a sight to contemplate."

We should be getting another notice for Spell, but really late in the run. I think we've got all we're going to for Harry. No apparent interest in Everything Must Go critically, unfortunately. Damn.

This morning, as I type this, here's the first Random Ten that comes from the 26,103 tracks on the iPod:

1. "You're Everything to Me" - The Orchids - A Taste of Doo Wop Vol.1
2. "Tiny Sick Tears" - Frank Zappa & The Mothers of Invention - You Can't Do That On Stage Anymore, Volume 4
3. "Damn Good Times" - They Might Be Giants - The Spine
4. "So Come On" - Les Fleur De Lys - Jimmy's Back Pages...The Early Years
5. "She's Looking Good" - Rodger Collins - Soulin' Vol 3
6. "At Night" - The Killjoys - Raw Records - The Punk Singles Collection
7. "Homesick" - Homesick James & Johnny Shines - Chicago Slide Guitar Masters From Tampa Red To Elmore James
8. "Little Boxes" - Teenage Head - Teenage Head
9. "Is Anyone Out There?" - Altered States - Return of the Batcave volume 2
10. "California Dreamin'" - The Mamas & The Papas - Rock Archives - 60's, 70's, 80's

Sorry I have no new cat photos; I can't seem to get the camera and the cable that connects it to the computer in the same place at the same time.

Okay, more paperwork to deal with. Back to it . . .

Notes on EVERYTHING MUST GO

So, as part of promoting the shows, I'm writing some pieces about them over at The Brick's appropriately-named blog, B(rick)log.

The first piece is up, a rather long text piece (it has been suggested in future, correctly, that I break these things up with some pictures) about the origins, creations, and meaning of Everything Must Go (Invisible Republic #2).

You can find that specific post HERE.

That is all. Come see the shows if you haven't yet.

Five more performances of Everything Must Go.

Four more performances of Harry in Love.

Three more performances of Spell.