Dear Readers,

Monday was Valentine’s Day, and in the spirit of the holiday, we at “The Wedding Guests” held a mock proposal in Humanities Plaza.  It may have been windy and threatening to rain, and in retrospect, I really should have given our two able proposers, senior Chris Poeschl and first-year Margie Powell, microphones, but all things considered, we grabbed some folks’ attention, and more than a couple of people though the proposal was for real.

These past two days have been full of optimism and contentment for “Wedding Guests.” I want more than anything for that momentum to carry. Today (Wednesday) and Thursday are busy days indeed, what with Flyer News deadlines, a demanding Public Relations Campaigns assignment, and a Sociology midterm on the horizon.  It’s at times like this I want to shout, “Anything that’s not involved with the show, kindly defer to it and stay out of my life until Sunday!”  But I can’t do that, and besides, time’s the real taskmaster.

I look back at experiences like last night (Tuesday), when few of us could keep it together.  All that laughing, all that free-spirited energy. That’s what I’ll remember.  Not the stress.  Not the craziness.  Just the laughter

This marks the last blog post for “Wedding Guests.”  Nearly 20 out of 70 seats have been reserved for Friday’s performance.  That makes me happy.

Other romantic gems that friends and I love:

“Then when I was thirteen, Mom, she put me up against my locker and she kissed me. I mean, she gave me my first kiss. She taught me how to dance. She was always talking about these crazy things and I never understood a word she said. All I understood was that she was the girl I sat up every night thinking about, and when I’m with her I feel happy to be alive. Like I can do anything. Even talk to you like this. So that’s, that’s what I feel is love, Mom… When I’m better because she’s here…” – Cory Matthews (Ben Savage), “Boy Meets World”

“You’re not perfect, sport, and let me save you the suspense: this girl you’ve met, she’s not perfect either. But the question is whether or not you’re perfect for each other.” – Sean (Robin Williams), “Good Will Hunting”

“And you can tell everybody this is your song
It may be quite simple but now that it’s done
I hope you don’t mind
I hope you don’t mind that I put down in words
How wonderful life is while you’re in the world ” – Elton John, “Your Song”

“I am no one special. Just a common man with common thoughts. I’ve led a common life. There are no monuments dedicated to me and my name will soon be forgotten, but in one respect  I’ve succeeded as gloriously as anyone who ever lived. I’ve loved another with all my heart and soul and for me that has always been enough.” – Noah (Ryan Gosling), “The Notebook”

“Love has no other desire but to fulfill itself.

-      But if you love and must, needs have desires, let these be your desires:

-      To melt and be like a running brook that sings its melody to the night.

-      To know the pain of too much tenderness.

-      To be wounded by your own understanding of love;

-      And to bleed willingly and joyfully.

-      To wake at dawn with a winged heart and give thanks for another day of loving;

-      To rest at the noon hour and meditate love’s ecstasy;

-      To return home at eventide with gratitude;

-       And then to sleep with a prayer for the beloved in your heart and a song of praise upon your lips.” – Kahil Gibran

“Me? I’m scared of everything. I’m scared of what I saw, I’m scared of what I did, of who I am, and most of all I’m scared of walking out of this room and never feeling the rest of my whole life the way I feel when I’m with you. – Baby (Jennifer Grey), “Dirty Dancing”

“Maybe I could love you. Maybe I was lying because when you do love someone sometimes you say you don’t because you’re playing hard to get, playing a game.” – Howard (Julian Barratt) to Old Gregg (Noel Fielding), “The Mighty Boosh”

Dear Readers,

Last Friday, Jan. 28, my stage manager Josh Chamberlain and I sat and ran through the entire “Wedding Guests” script, deciding what would be cut and what would be kept in the transition from full production to staged reading.  It was invigorating, cutting the fat and finding out the bare bones were just as funny.

Monday, Jan. 31, marked our first “real” rehearsal with me as Tom, and although I’m still finding my way in the character (the old refrain of “Well, you wrote it” is second nature to me) and we’re still playing with the Act 1 and Act 2 finales, there’s been growth, and support, and overall, a lot of talent on the Black Box stage.  I couldn’t, nay, wouldn’t, want to do this show without Josh, Emily, Pat, Lauren and Anne.

Just under 10 rehearsals remain (we’ve been giving the actors the weekend off).  To be continued …

Dear Readers,

I caught the opening performance of “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee,” playing at the Dayton Playhouse, 1301 E. Siebenthaler Ave. from now until Sunday, Feb. 13.  But I was not alone.  I brought Chris Poeschl, Mary Mykytka, James Benze and Steven Ahlrichs, who, last spring, were cast-members of UD’s DayTony award-winning production of “Putnam.”

Overall, the actors approved of the Playhouse’s minimalist set (which included a fork-lift for a surprise entrance) and costumes created with attention for detail, such as the multi-colored bowtie worn by Errik Hood’s Vice Principal Panch.

“I felt like the numbers dragged a little bit,” Benze said, a sentiment shared by all, who agreed that despite the slowed tempo, the actors sang on key.  Mykytka said Corinne Derusha, as Rona Peretti, was not “as strong as she should be on certain songs,” but did improve in the second act.

On the other hand, director Natalie Houliston’s allowing the Playhouse orchestra to shout out comments during the show was roundly panned, and the vibratto and dipthong heavy performance of David Stone as Mitch Mahoney was deemed inappropriate for the character.

“Carried the show” was how Benze described Hood as Panch.  “He had the greatest one-liners,” Mykytka said.  “He pulled them off like he didn’t know he was making them dirty.”  All agreed that Hood was a fine ad libber, and covered up any possible hiccups in the show.

David Stone, whose mother I sat next to at the performance, played Mitch Mahoney, Benze’s role last spring.  Benze cited his vibratto as “overpowering,” and “was unsure of his gangster accent,” but did say he delivered in his act one closing number.  Mykytka and Poeschl said Stone’s physical presence in the character was strong, but he had trouble conveying other aspects of Mitch.

“He was a character,” Ahlrichs said about Matthew Smith as William Barfee, the role he previously played.  “He was so involved in the part I couldn’t tell, was he acting, is he really this character? He did the part justice.” Ahlrichs’ only problem with Smith’s performance, he said, was that Barfee didn’t appear to grow more likable as the show went on.

Mykytka, reminded of Philip Seymour Hoffman’s performance in “Capote,” agreed with Poeschl that Smith stayed completely in character.  Benze, who said Barfee emerged as the most memorable character in the show’s opening minutes, said Smith did a nice job of not overpowering the rest of the evening.

“I Speak Six Languages,” a song meant as a showcase for Charity Farrell’s Marcy Park, was deemed underwhelming, both in choreography and talents displayed.  Poeschl called Farrell too demure for the role of Park, “a savant, brilliant, who is completely aware of her talents and brilliance and lets people know of it, frequently.”

“She didn’t have an ego,” Ahlrichs said.

Lindsay Sherman played Logainne Schartzand-Grubeniere, Mykytka’s former role.  Mykytka said Sherman played up the role’s youth (Logainne is a second-grader), and was “very strong” and had excellent interaction with her gay dads.  Ahlrichs and Benze said Sherman’s performance had new energy and choices, and resulted in a likable character.

Posechl, “as a Leaf [Coneybear] myself,” thought David Thomas made good choices and also slightly dangerous choices with his role, such as doing a fall off the set’s bleachers.  Thomas’ relative youth didn’t work against him, although Poeschl was “bothered” by his trance-like spelling and said Leaf’s ADHD was “forced.”

“I’m Not That Smart,” Leaf’s song, originated by Jesse Tyler Ferguson (“Modern Family”), could have been improved, Ahlrichs said, and Mykytka said Thomas’ decision to have Leaf spell with a mitten was a hard character trait to consistently uphold.  Benze said Thomas was good at making big movements but was lacking in overall energy, and had trouble understanding some of Thomas’ lines as the now German CarlDad.

Also notable, the actors said, were Bobby Mitchum as Chip Tolentino and Hannah Berry as Olive Ostrovsky (“She killed ‘The ‘I Love You’ Song,” Ahlrichs said; “Cute and adorable and tragic, all at the same time,” Benze said). All four agreed that for an opening performance, what they saw was deserving of its standing ovation.

Student tickets for the Dayton Playhouse’s “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee” are $10.

Dear Readers,

Nominations for the 83rd Annual Academy Awards were announced Tuesday, and it is with great pride that I announce the “Guess the Winners” contest.  I’ve provided the full list of nominees, and everyone who wants can send me their picks.  The contestant with the most wins receives special recognition on this blog!

The Academy Awards, hosted by James Franco and Anne Hathaway, will air at 8 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 27, on ABC.

Best Picture:

127 Hours
Black Swan
The Fighter
Inception
The Kids Are All Right
The King’s Speech
The Social Network
Toy Story 3
True Grit
Winter’s Bone

Best Director:

Darren Aronofsky, Black Swan
Joel Coen and Ethan Coen, True Grit
David Fincher, The Social Network
Tom Hooper, The King’s Speech
David O. Russell, The Fighter

Best Actor:

Javier Bardem, Biutiful
Jeff Bridges, True Grit
Jesse Eisenberg, The Social Network
Colin Firth, The King’s Speech
James Franco, 127 Hours

Best Actress:

Annette Bening, The Kids Are All Right
Nicole Kidman, Rabbit Hole
Jennifer Lawrence, Winter’s Bone
Natalie Portman, Black Swan
Michelle Williams, Blue Valentine

Best Supporting Actor:

Christian Bale, The Fighter
John Hawkes,Winter’s Bone
Jeremy Renner, The Town
Mark Ruffalo, The Kids Are All Right
Geoffrey Rush, The King’s Speech

Best Supporting Actress:

Amy Adams, The Fighter
Helena Bonham Carter, The King’s Speech
Melissa Leo, The Fighter
Hailee Steinfeld, True Grit
Jacki Weaver, Animal Kingdom

Best Adapted Screenplay:

Simon Beaufoy and Danny Boyle, 127 Hours
Aaron Sorkin, The Social Network
Michael Arndt, John Lasseter, Andrew Stanton, and Lee Unkrich, Toy Story 3
Joel Coen and Ethan Coen, True Grit
Debra Granik and Anne Rosellini, Winter’s Bone

Best Original Screenplay:

Mike Leigh, Another Year
Keith Dorrington, Eric Johnson, Scott Silver, and Paul Tamasy, The Fighter
Christopher Nolan, Inception
Stuart Blumberg and Lisa Cholodenko, The Kids Are All Right
David Seidler, The King’s Speech

Best Foreign Language Film:

Biutiful (Mexico)
Dogtooth (Greece)
In A Better World (Denmark)
Incendies (Canada)
Hors La Loi (Outside The Law) (Algeria)

Best Documentary:

Exit Through The Gift Shop
Gasland
Inside Job
Restrepo
Waste Land

Best Animated Feature:

How To Train Your Dragon
The Illusionist
Toy Story 3

Best Cinematography:

Matthew Libatique, Black Swan
Wally Pfister, Inception
Danny Cohen, The King’s Speech
Jeff Cronenweth, The Social Network
Roger Deakins, True Grit

Best Editing:

Jon Harris, 127 Hours
Andrew Weisblum, Black Swan
Pamela Martin, The Fighter
Tariq Anwar, The King’s Speech
Angus Wall and Kirk Baxter, The Social Network

Best Art Direction:

Robert Stromberg and Karen O’Hara, Alice In Wonderland
Stuart Craig and Stephenie McMillan, Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows, Part 1
Guy Hendrix Dyas, Larry Dias, and Doug Mowat, Inception
Eve Stewart and Judy Farr, The King’s Speech
Jess Gonchor and Nancy Haigh, True Grit

Best Costume Design:

Colleen Atwood, Alice In Wonderland
Antonella Cannarozzi, I Am Love
Jenny Beavan, The King’s Speech
Sandy Powell, The Tempest
Mary Zophres, True Grit

Best Makeup:

Adrien Morot, Barney’s Version
Edouard F. Henriques, Gregory Funk, and Yolanda Toussieng, The Way Back
Rick Baker and Dave Elsey, The Wolfman

Best Original Score:

A.R. Rahman, 127 Hours
John Powell, How To Train Your Dragon
Hans Zimmer, Inception
Alexandre Desplat, The King’s Speech
Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, The Social Network

Best Original Song:

“If I Rise” from 127 Hours, by A.R. Rahman, Dido, and Rollo Armstrong
“Coming Home” from Country Strong, by Tom Douglas, Troy Verges, and Hillary Lindsey
“I See The Light” from Tangled, by Alan Menken and Glenn Slater
“We Belong Together” from Toy Story 3, by Randy Newman

Best Sound Design:

Lora Hirschberg, Gary A. Rizzo, and Ed Novick, Inception
Paul Hamblin, Martin Jensen, and John Midgley, The King’s Speech
Jeffrey J. Haboush, Greg P. Russell, Scott Millan, and William Sarokin, Salt
Ren Klyce, David Parker, Michael Semanick, and Mark Weingarten, The Social Network
Skip Lievsay, Craig Berkey, Greg Orloff, and Peter F. Kurland, True Grit

Best Sound Editing:

Richard King, Inception
Tom Myers and Michael Silvers, Toy Story 3
Gwendolyn Yates Whittle and Addison Teague, Tron Legacy
Skip Lievsay and Craig Berkey, True Grit
Mark P. Stoeckinger, Unstoppable

Best Visual Effects:

Ken Ralston, David Schaub, Carey Villegas, and Sean Phillips, Alice In Wonderland
Tim Burke, John Richardson, Christian Manz, and Nicolas Aithadi, Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows, Part 1
Michael Owens, Bryan Grill, Stephen Trojanski, and Joe Farrell, Hereafter
Paul Franklin, Chris Corbould, Andrew Lockley, and Peter Bebb, Inception
Janek Sirrs, Ben Snow, Jed Wright, and Daniel Sudick, Iron Man 2

Best Animated Short:

Day & Night
The Gruffalo
Let’s Pollute
The Lost Thing
Madagascar, Carnet De Voyage (Madagascar, A Journey Diary)

Best Live Action Short:

The Confession
The Crush
God Of Love
Na Wewe
Wish 143

Best Documentary Short:

Killing In The Name
Poster Girl
Strangers No More
Sun Come Up
The Warriors Of Qiugang

Dear Readers,

I will be playing the role of Tom Abbott in the upcoming reading of “The Wedding Guests,” happening from Thursday, Feb. 17, to Saturday, Feb. 19, at the Black Box, Room 137 of the Music and Theatre Building.  For those who didn’t know, I also wrote and directed the play.

The role of Tom is challenging on some levels.  How does one play a deceptively charming sexist?  I’ve had the good fortune of watching my friend Jarrod Kinkley play the part in rehearsals, and I intend to absorb and build onto his characterization in the next few weeks.

One way or another, the show goes on.

Dear Readers,

Due to circumstances beyond my control, it’s become necessary to scrap the full production of “The Wedding Guests,” and replace it with either a staged or semi-staged reading.  The show will continue in some form, it just will be done with a minimal set, plain clothes, etc.

Casting is still being worked out — I may be taking on the part of Tom — and a final time on Friday, Feb. 18 is still being worked out, but the show will be performed in the Black Box, room 137 of the Music and Theatre Building,  from Thursday, Feb. 17 to Saturday, Feb. 19.

Also, I am proud to announce that the entire cast of “True West” will be contributing to “Star Like Me.”

Stay tuned.

Dear Readers,

Belated well wishes are in store for “The Lion King,” which on Sunday, Jan. 2, became the seventh longest-running show on Broadway, surpassing Disney’s own “Beauty and the Beast.”  “The Lion King,” which plays at the Minskoff Theater, opened on Nov. 13, 1997, one day shy of the still playing “Chicago” revival’s first anniversary.

Instead of doing a Disney musicals retrospective, I’d like to talk about the long-runners on Broadway, the “Phantom of the Operas,” the “Chicagos,” and such on.  I’m fascinated by these shows, and their ability to run for decades at a time.

Let’s start with the two current shows with the longest runs, “The Phantom of the Opera” (22 years at the Majestic Theater) and “Chicago” (14 years at a number of theaters; seven years at the Ambassador Theater).

Over the Christmas holiday (Monday, Dec. 13 — Sunday, Jan. 9), “Phantom” had consistently successful business.  It played 32 performances in those four weeks, and, if it wanted to, could only have afforded to cancel two performances in a given week.  “Chicago,” which also played 32 performances, had a wider range, although two performances was also the averaged amount it could cancel.

For the record, “Phantom” has played over 9,500 performances on Broadway, and I wouldn’t be surprised if played over 10,000 (achievable within the next two years).

“Chicago,” which is less than 100 performances away from the top 5, is a bit harder to categorize.  It seems to ebb and flow in terms of popularity.  Still, with “The Lion King” breathing down its neck, I think that’s going to inspire the “Chicago” gang to stick around sooner and defend their turf.

“Mamma Mia!,” which is just over 200 performances away from the top 10 and plays at the Winter Garden Theater, still has some life in it (it averaged an allowable loss of one to two performances per week over the Christmas season).

“Wicked” (at the Gershwin) and “Jersey Boys,” (the August Wilson) two shows that consistently can’t afford to cancel any performances, aren’t going anywhere soon.  Ditto “Mary Poppins” (the New Amsterdam Theater).

Seven long-running shows (nine if you count “Billy Elliot” and “Rock of Ages,” just out of the top 100).  Nine shows out of 40 Broadway theaters.  Not too shabby.  The long-runners can share space with the season players and the “repertory” houses like the Vivian Beaumont, the American Airlines, and the Samuel J. Friedman.

Dear Readers,

When announcing the cast of “True West,” which premieres at 8 p.m. Friday, Feb. 4 in Boll Theater, I mistakenly referred to cast-member Saverio Perugini as an assistant professor.  He is actually an associate professor, a Ph. D. in the computer science department.  My apologies to Dr. Perugini.

Over Christmas break, I had the pleasure of reading “The Wedding Guests,” my play premiering at 8 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 17 in Rm. 137 of the Music and Theatre building, to my grandmother.  It wasn’t easy reading four characters at once, but I did develop a system: right and left hand up for the men, leaning forward and back for the women.

Overall, Grandma enjoyed the show, but she did see it as more of a drama with occasional humor than a sex comedy with dark edges.  Still, I’m proud that I got to read it for her, and I know she’ll enjoy the final copy.

Also this week, I created the “Wedding Guests” survival pack, which ensures that if I were injured, the show could be directed by Lauren Berndt and Josh Chamberlain, my able co-directors/stage managers/ assistants/ etc.

This pack includes a list of the props, costumes, sounds, light cues, and even ideas for the poster.  Note to readers: expect a shot of Emily Smith, Jarrod Kinkley, and Pat Coyle.

Well, that’s all the latest for right now.  Happy New Year!

Dear Readers,

Well, rehearsals are in full swing at the Black Box. As of tonight, we’ve finally got all five members of the cast together. Anne Arezina is working her comedic magic as Judith Madison, the MOB (mother of the bride) who’s not in the mob.

And, we’ve got some war stories to share about stage combat. During the show, Marilee (Emily Smith, who was gracious enough to come to rehearsal despite a minor injury) chases her best friend Paul (Pat Coyle) around the show’s set, a motel room. Well, since Emily was already injured, and I wanted to make sure that no one else in the cast would be hurt.

So I personallly ran through the set, leaping onto a thankfully stable makeshift bed, and managing not to trip on a slick floor. All in all, I’d say it’s a good omen, that we can make it look so dangerous, yet always be in control.

Now, onto this week’s math report, plus a news headline:

According to the New York Times, not only will “Long Story Short” expand its run until February, but the Helen Hayes Theater will continue to have a tenant until at least 2012. That’s right, ”Rock of Ages” will be moving to the Helen Hayes, while “Rain — A Tribute to the Beatles” will replace it at the Brooks Atkinson Theater (“Rain” wll vacate the Neil Simon Theater, future home of  ”Catch Me if You Can”).

This would be more impressive, IMO, if these shows were doing better at the box office. Last week, “Long Story Short” could have missed four performances, while “Rock of Ages” and “Rain” could have missed three.

Two shows — “American Idiot” and “La Bete” — could have canceled five performances (“Idiot” is slated to run through at least February, while “Bete” will close in early January).

In happier news, four currently running shows — “Wicked,” “The Lion King,” “Jersey Boys,” “The Merchant of Venice” — and one in previews — “Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark” — did well enough that none could cancel performances.

And the band plays on…