To paraphrase Parker Posey from "Waiting for Guffman," "It's the week of the show, y'all!" That's right, Unbroken Circle starts previews on Wednesday. We have a contest to give away two tickets to the first day of previews so save money and go to facebook.com/UnbrokenCirclethePlay
I'm seeing the first performance at 2:30 PM then hightailing it to Tampa where I'm presenting the upcoming season at the Straz. Then I fly a little west of Florida to New Orleans and do a show with Megan Hilty! Get my whole (headache-y) schedule/buy tickets at SethTV.com.
Speaking of New Orleans, I got back and felt extra fat from the non-stop eating. I decided to go jogging but thought that if I did it outside instead of on a treadmill, I'd have a better workout. I didn't want to haul around my whole wallet, so I just took a credit card. I feel I have to carry something in case I get the urge to buy something and/or I pass out from exhaustion and someone has to identify me. Anyhoo, I kept my credit card in the same pocket that my phone was in. When I got home, I discovered the card was gone! Why? I decided it possibly had something to do with me taking my phone out to check the time. Essentially, every five minutes on the five minutes, I would think, "Surely, it's been 45 minutes and I can go home now." I'd check my phone and then angrily put it back in my pocket. On one of those many trips in and out of my pocket, my charge card must have joined in and never went back in. I was in denial for two days and refused to cancel my card. Surely, I'd get it back from a passerby. Crickets. Finally, I got a new card and went a full three days without losing anything else. Then on Friday, I showed up at Unbroken Circle rehearsal to do some videos. They came out so well! Everyone in the cast talks about why the show is special to them, and they all have a hilarious comment about their character. Watch the videos at UnbrokenCircleThePlay.com.
Well, right before I filmed, I went to check my phone messages and realized that this time, the reverse happened. That's right, I retained my credit card (firmly ensconced in my wallet) but now I had lost my iPhone! That's called "mixing it up." I had a "great" time retracing my steps in the pouring rain and finally realized I left it in the cab. Of course, I had no way of reaching the cab driver because I hadn't taken a receipt. Now, before you get mad at me, just remember that when I left my laptop in a cab back in November, I also hadn't taken a receipt so there was no way to trace it. Wait. You should get mad at me. Anyhoo, I did the lost-iphone-App thingy (where it beeps and shows a message with a phone number to call) and soon a passenger in the cab called me! She was on her way to LaGuardia and wouldn't be back til Tuesday (!) but the cab driver was kind enough to come back to the city and met me on the corner of 57th and 6th. And who says cab drivers are surly? Well, I do, based on experience, but this one was super nice!
Photo by Robb Johnston |
Stark made his film debut in "Die Mommy Die" written by and starring the great Charles Busch. Stark said it was a fantastic way to begin because Charles was so helpful and gracious. He also gave Stark a list of all the old films he had to watch to understand the style of "Die Mommy Die." Watch this clip with the two of them. I love how Charles does his "trip," as he calls it. The hilarious vowel change in "I toured (toooored) with a band" and the complete voice change on "…and fully acquainted with its dangers." Watch it here!
photo by Robb Johnston |
Stark auditioned and was told that was great, but they were getting pressure to find a name actor. If they couldn't get on, the role was his. Luckily, they couldn't get one and Stark was cast in Journey's End which led to his first Tony nomination! Stark didn't expect to get one for Kinky Boots but watched the nominations because he wanted to see how many the show received. He really wanted his co-star Billy Porter to get a nomination and was thrilled when he heard Billy's name called. Billy was the fourth nominee and there was only more slot for a Best Actor nominee after Billy's name was called…and it went to Stark! He's super happy he was nominated but told the audience that he wants everyone to vote for Billy. Very sweet! At the end of the show he sang his 11 o'clock number from Kinky Boots and sounded so great. You can watch the whole thing on SethTV.com so get thee!
Photo by Robb Johnston |
Right now, she's starring as Reno Sweeney in the national tour of Anything Goes where she gets to show off her tapping chops, but the one thing she doesn't use is her amazing skill at impersonations. She can really recreate voices so well and I remember my friend, Joe Thalken (whom I subbed for on Victor/Victoria), telling me about tech rehearsal. It led to a quote we now always say to each other. The cast was doing mic checks, and when Rachel was asked to test her mic, she did it by singing "I Have Confidence" as Julie Andrews. Julie heard her and simply said, "Can it, Rachel!" Joe and I are obsessed with saying that phrase in Julie's voice. It's like when "Top Chef" judges talk about the different flavors in a dish; "Can it, Rachel" as Julie Andrews has all the directness and sass of the expression but is tempered with her signature soprano voice and British accent.
Rachel also talked about doing Victor/Victoria the month that Liza Minelli replaced Julie. First of all, I'm so crazily excited that Liza is back on Netflix' new "Arrested Development" episodes. Her vertigo collapses that happen every time the door closes in the first episode are hilarious. Anyhoo, Liza didn't have a lot of time to rehearse, but nailed the first performance. After that, it was similar to what happens with understudies; they focus incredibly hard on their first performance, do it perfectly and as soon as they relax for the second performance, they start to make mistakes. One of the biggest mistakes happened at the end of the first act. Victoria is supposed to tell Toddy (played by Tony Roberts), "Even when I was a second-rate hoofer, I had my own dressing room." Unfortunately, one night it came out, "Even when I was a second-rate hooker, I had my own dressing room." Brava! A whole new backstory was added to the character.
OK! Don't forget about my Unbroken Circle discount code; go to BroadwayOffers.com and put in UCSETH. I hope I see "y'all" (the show takes place in Galveston) there. Peace out!