ENTRY
#1
July 15, 1999
At the time of
this writing, I sit in my dressing room at SUNY Purchase, where we are
holding all of our technical rehearsals before hitting the road for
Dallas. I’m sitting here in sweatpants and a T-shirt with calf-high
boots and a wireless mic strapped around my waist – I look like some
kind of high tech Nike pirate. This has been my basic rehearsal garb for
the last few weeks, minus the mic. We are officially "in
tech", which is that critical period of time before public
performances when all the elements of a show are slowly put together,
hopefully to ultimately give an audience chills. Currently we are
working with sets, lights, piano and percussion. Next week we add
costumes and wigs and orchestra, although all of those departments are
up here now, working away.
Spirits are high
among the cast and, though this is a slow moving and time consuming
process, everyone is keeping a sense of humor and enjoying the work. I
have to say that this is an exceptional group of people, not only in
talent, but also in chemistry. There is very little ego (if that can
ever be said about a group of actors) and an overall feeling of, well,
fun. I always feel a show is at its best when the actors are truly
having fun, in which case this one should be a blast to watch.
We have
graduated to this stage after 6 weeks of rehearsal in NYC, 2 weeks with
just principals and understudies, 4 with the entire company. We began
fight rehearsals (for the final duel) immediately. This is one of the
most complicated elements of the show because it is one of the most
dangerous. Swing a couple of metal blades around at high speed and, even
when choreographed, the risk level jumps up there. Fortunately our fight
director, Rick Sordelet, is one of the best in the business. Though a
good deal of the fight from previous versions of the show is intact,
there are a couple of differences. Marc Kudisch and I are both
accomplished stage fighters (Marc was also on the fencing team in
college), so we’re pushing the envelope a little more. Also, I’m
left handed, which has brought about some revisions.
Anyway, we spent
about an hour and a half each day getting that up to a thrilling pace.
Some elements of rehearsals moved very quickly because of an existing
idea or version that Bobby Longbottom was happy with or that he felt was
working. Other things took more time because of new or different set
pieces or ideas. This is a rare opportunity, the chance to re-envision
or refocus an existing production and I believe Bobby is taking full
advantage of the situation, taking a wonderful show and making it even
better. I have the utmost respect for him. There’s nothing more
frustrating for an actor than working with a director who doesn’t have
a clear vision of their show. That can never be said of Bobby. In most
cases he knows exactly what he wants, what’s believable, what
surprises or pleases an audience, what makes you look best. But he
remains open to your contributions, valuing what you’re bringing to
the party. It’s an actor’s dream to feel so well guided, yet free to
invent and play.
The opportunity
has not been missed by our designers either. Each day of tech brings a
new surprise of ingenuity from Andrew Jackness, Natasha Katz or Jane
Greenwood. Small touches like Andrew’s re-thinking of "the
hideaway" (set), Jane’s revision of "The Ball"
(costume) and Natasha’s bending and shaping of mood and environment
throughout (lighting) are making "SPIII" its own, unique
animal. There’s much more to say, but the surprises are worth the
wait, believe me.
For me the
process of finding Sir Percy is not too different from other characters
I’ve worked on. I always start with myself, and I always start at the
beginning. What is the original source of the character, what do I have
in common with him? Reading the novel brought to light a couple of
things…
One element is
the sheer audacity of Percy; that he will hide in plain site, using
disguises that play more on his enemies homophobic fear or prejudice,
letting that be the screen which prevents his enemy from really taking a
good look at him. In the novel for example, there is a character very
similar to the "Grappin" of this version, that Percy chooses
to use at a time when he is closest to Chauvelin. Because of
Chauvelin’s prejudice, as well as his singular focus in catching the
Scarlet Pimpernel, Percy is better hidden by his knowledge of his
adversary’s psyche than by his false nose and wig.
This clever
creation on Baroness Orczy’s part has informed all of the characters
of our modern comic books. Batman, Superman, Spider-man, they all live
double lives, hiding there daring deeds behind a disguise that protects
the ones they love. And their disguises play against their heroism;
Timid, clumsy Clark Kent; self- centered, reckless playboy Bruce Wayne.
And, for a boy who grew up pretending to be all of these heroes, getting
to bring the granddaddy of them all to life is quite a rush.
Another element
that the novel inspired me toward is the intensity of the romance
between Percy and Marguerite. A passage of the book describes Percy,
after a moment of hiding his true self once again from Marguerite, Upon
her leaving, falling to his knees and kissing the very ground where she
has stepped. This may seem melodramatic by today’s standards, but it
certainly paints a picture of devotion; one cannot deny the intensity of
such passion.
Though this
musical veers from and improves upon many elements of this story, I
believe that these essential elements are what make it appealing to each
gender, to all ages. This is an adventure I think we’d all enjoy
having.
That being said,
there are lots and lots of layers to put on top of that, many of which
will continue to reveal themselves over the coming weeks of
performances. I certainly feel fortunate to be a part of this adventure.
I look forward to sharing it with you…
ENTRY #2
August 18, 1999
Well, my goodness a lot has
happened since I put fingers to keyboard last on the subject of the
mini-tour. When last I wrote we were right smack in the middle of tech
in Purchase. This was a wonderful but odd experience, putting on a full
scale Broadway musical in a theatre that seats maybe 500, 475 of those
seats empty for all but one dress rehearsal. I thought, if I have to do
this "spelling scene" to an empty auditorium one more time, I
will go insane. Sir Percy is one of those roles in which you have many
acting partners; the audience is one of them. It was difficult to wait
until opening night in Dallas to find out what my acting partner was
going to do!
We finished our time in
Purchase rather successfully, with only one hair-raising moment for
me—during the final Duel with Chauvelin, I fell off the top of the
Guillotine. Certain set changes were still being timed and worked out
and on this day, the seacoast set hadn’t gotten completely assembled.
We reached the point in the duel where Chauvelin chases me up the stairs
toward the guillotine and I suddenly turn on the narrow steps and attack
him. With a sword in one hand, there is a "mooring post" that
I use to steady myself as I turn on the stairs. I reached out for the
post with my other hand – and it wasn’t there. It simply hadn’t
been attached to the set during the scenery change. I suddenly felt all
of my weight falling backwards, 11 feet off the ground with a sword in
my hand.
Two things happened; one of
my long flowing sleeves (which I had been cursing just the day before
for being difficult to sword-fight in) caught a piece of wood on the
back of the set. As it ripped, it slowed my fall and turned my body up
toward the ceiling. At that moment Liz Ward Land, who plays Marie,
literally "saved my ass". She was waiting below to make her
final entrance and when my falling body swung around above her, she put
her hands under my butt and guided me to the ground. I landed square on
my feet. The whole thing took about 7 seconds, but apparently stopped
about 50 hearts (mine included). When I started breathing again I looked
around me and the entire cast plus the 30-odd production people who had
been out in the auditorium had flown up onto the stage to see if I was
alright. It was certainly re-assuring at that scary moment to have so
many caring people there. Except for a rather ugly black bruise that
materialized on my rib cage the next day, I was completely uninjured,
thanks to my guardian angel, Elizabeth Ward Land.
We finished our tech week in
great shape; everyone seemed very pleased and excited, from Bobby
Longbottom to Nan Knighton and Frank Wildhorn to the MSG folks. And I
can’t begin to tell you what a thrill it was to finally put all the
elements together and to hear this great score with a live orchestra! We
had a couple of days off before the trip to Dallas. I had a final
Costume fitting with Jane Greenwood before leaving NYC; They had decided
to re-design a few of my costumes (same fabrics but different styles),
to better suit my body and to give me my own unique look as Percy. The
new "Ball" costume is in now, the rest will be appearing in
NYC. It’s been a wonderful feeling for me, how everyone on the
production and design staff has passionately contributed toward
personalizing this role for me. It’s rare in "taking over" a
role that you really get the chance to reshape it. But from the
beginning, everyone has been there for me to help me make Sir Percy my
own. I’m very, very grateful for that.
Coming soon…our opening in
Dallas, performances in Houston and hopefully some photos!!
Best,
ENTRY #3
September 27, 1999
Oh
dear, I’m waaaayy behind in my journal, so I’m gonna try to hit some
highlights and move through quickly.
Dallas
This
was my first experience of taking my Dog, Griffin, to a hotel. We had
worked it out in advance that he would be welcomed at all 3 hotels for
our mini tour, but still the “Gestapo” met us at the door. After a
round of 20 questions everything was cleared up and it wasn’t long
before Griffin was the most popular guest in the hotel, fondly greeted
by every member of the staff wherever we went. This continued throughout
the tour in each city, much to Griffin’s delight and inflated
self-esteem!
I
had not been to “Dallas Summer Musicals” since the late 80’s. I
had come through with a tour of “Sound of Music” starring Debby
Boone, in which I played the oldest living “Rolf” ever (Liesel was
Emily Loesser, daughter of Frank Loesser and Jo Sullivan, a brilliant
actress whom some of you may have seen in “Titanic” on B’way).
Though I felt that SP would be a hit, I was not prepared for the
overwhelming reception we received. They LOVED the show!! I received
letters and e-mails from people saying they had been long-time
subscribers to DSM and that this was the best show they’d seen in 10
years. We had hundreds of repeat customers. The ovations for
“Creation” some nights would last close to a minute! And what a
rush, coming from close to 3,000 people per show. Reviews were all
glowing and supportive. What a great start!
As
an opening night gift, our Radio City/MSG producers very generously gave
each member of the cast crew and staff gift certificates from the
Western Warehouse. So, it was a trip to see us all look more and more
like cowboys as the weeks went on, acquiring boots and jeans and what
have you (Marc K. bought 2 pair!). Michael Jenkins and his staff at DSM
treated us like kings and showered us with gifts, which we greatly
appreciated. I also received a surprise visit from several “Buddies”
or “BB’s”, which included Kristine, looking smashing in her new
“Creation of Man” costume. What a treat!
Houston
Things
were only slightly tougher for us in Houston, which I attribute mostly
to the Theatre we played. The Wortham Center, though a beautiful
facility was primarily intended for Opera, Ballet and Concerts. It is a
cavernous space, with a stage at one end, shaped like a smokestack or
the inside of a nuclear reactor, tall with many balcony levels. It makes
it rather difficult to give an intimate performance (this is only a
temporary home for “Theatre under the stars”, ‘til their new
theatre is completed in 2002). Nonetheless, we had a great 2 week
run, made many new friends and played to packed houses. We received a
slightly more reserved response, but still wonderfully enthusiastic. I
met many new “Buddies” there, which was very cool. We continued to
tighten the show, to experiment. My daughters visited for the first
week, also my Birthday week, and we had a blast, filling our days with
trips to the Houston Space center, the skating rink and of course, the
pool. Having them at the show for the first time was a trip; Austin, my
youngest, said her favorite part was “…when you got your head
chopped off”. Everyone’s a critic.
Atlanta
I
came down with a terrible cold the night we left Houston and was fearful
of missing shows, but luckily my voice held out. We played The Fox, an
incredible theatre with the outline of a castle surrounding the stage
and a cyclorama of evening stars on the ceiling (it was very cool to
sing “…but the stars and I begin to blurr…” and actually look up
at them). Though old and quite large, it is a magical and charming
theatre and felt much more intimate to me. Audiences were remarkable. I
met many Leaguers, there for their first taste of SP3, and was thrilled
by their enthusiasm and encouragement. Now at the end of our brief
summer jaunt, we were all quite anxious to get home…
Coming
next, The road to New York, inside info on the new “Grappin” and
Opening night!
Best,
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