freezing

I'm sitting in an art classroom at Overton and it's got to be forty degrees in here. Anybody who knows me knows I'm unhappy. I'm hoping I can figure out how to completely disable the air conditioning in here soon. Tonight is Hallowe'en, and Deb and I are going to have trunk and treat at the apartment complex, followed by Sweeney Todd at Theatre Memphis. Then we're probably going to One More for Karaoke. I will probably be warmer outside tonight than I am right now in this Memphis City School classroom.....

Kallen Fatigue????

The Commercial Appeal sent Jon W. Sparks to the Orpheum to see us in Traviata and wrote a review that prompted a response from a reader concerning Kallen Fatigue.  The writer said he suffers from this malady as well but still enjoyed the production.   I agree with Michael Ching when he states that regulars are a good thing and all the big houses do this.  If Pavarotti wasn't at the Met one year, there was talk as to what was wrong, not a yippee from the press.  I enjoyed doing the show, not just because of Kallen, but because I thought it carried out the reason I fell in love with Opera at the age of 13-it was a metamorphosis of theatre, art, music, and dance.   

as you like it, traviata

I've been in the wonderful predicament for the last two weeks of rehearsing one show while performing another. As You Like It closes Sunday after three wonderful weeks of performances. We got one "review" so far from Christopher Blank, and I guess you'd call it favorable. He liked the show. He just didn't, and doesn't, really mention the players and their performances.

I've been rehearsing Traviata with Kallen in the afternoon and at night when I didn't have an AYLI performance. Kallen is her usual wonderful self, Quinn Kelsey is the Germont and he is fantastic, Bill Joyner is Alfredo and is simply wonderful. Karen Tiller is directing and she's doing good things. We open next Saturday...come see us! And if you haven't been to the forest of Arden, you need to get there by Sunday!

More later...

Steve

four weeks, you rehearse and rehearse....

Well, here we are at our first preview. We'll rehearse this afternoon from two to five and then our first real audience comes in. I'm at Overton today, so I'm tired, but excited. I think it's gonna be really good-everyone is so talented and Dan has done a wonderful job of using the space, or should I say wide open spaces. Deb came last night after she got out of church and had MacGregor with her. She said it looked good because so much of the woods is being used. MacGregor barked at Dan-I hope it didn't make him mad to have the dog there.:)

Hopefully I'll be able to give you some post-opening thoughts here in a a couple of days...

Steve