We had a KICK-ASS second weekend of ROCKY HORROR... this time both the Saturday 8PM and midnight shows were packed and rowdy. Oh, and my parents came to see the show on Friday night... my dad forgot it five minutes later, but my mother enjoyed it (much to my surprise--these days it takes a lot to faze her).
No rest for the weary, however... now I'm on my way to play Delegate William Gwin in the annual re-enactment of the drafting and signing of the Constitution of California...
This is a FREE show... but this time WE get paid as it's sponsored by the city...
A couple of personal notes now, if you don't mind?
If you've followed this blog for a while, you may recall that I have an affinity for befriending fellow performers significantly younger than myself (innocently, of course). More often than not, they happen to be young ladies. At ROCKY, however, the rule was bent.
It seems we have a young fellow in the cast (playing Eddie in his very first show) who's very unhappy with himself. He thinks he doesn't fit in... that he's a bore... oh, and that he's a "prick." Which he isn't. I don't know his exact age but it's obviously less than half of my own. He's significantly overweight--that's an undeniable fact, not a criticism. He may or may not be gay (I couldn't possibly care less, but he's certainly drawn to my company). The point is that I can imagine all too easily the sort of childhood he must have endured, and I applaud him for having the gumption to show up for auditions in the first place, let alone snag the ROLE.
And yet he still thinks that nobody likes him (he makes an exception for me when I protest). He has yet to catch on that the Paper Wing is the most welcoming of all communities when it comes to people of all ages, shapes, sizes, colors, genders (including trans) and orientations. We are the entire RAINBOW, dammit!
I reassured him (this was between the 8PM and midnight shows) that he wasn't just part of the cast and show... he was part of the team, the circle, the pow-wow, you name it. He EARNED his spot in the show, and our director doesn't merely cast "bodies." Had she not found what she wanted in him, the producers would have cast their net elsewhere. Know how I know that? Because that's how they found ME! I wrapped up my pep talk with "And goddammit, we LIKE you!"
Well, that seemed to get to him, but then it was "Thank you, Mr. Dallmann." No way I'm standing for that. No matter how much older I am than you, I am SHANE to you, buddy. "Remo" will do nicely, too.
The strangest part came later when he expressed a desire to touch... my mustache. He has a fascination with mustaches, what can I say? And mine is especially thick and luxuriant (while my regular hair is super-fine and super-fast-growing beyond the point of manageability (which is why I love hats). Normally, I shy away from such personal attention, but in this case, I let it slide. You just don't rebuff someone when you're trying to build him up. So now I have another Winger under my wing. Maybe that's part of my altogether "role." And I can certainly accept that.
Oh, and in other theatre news? I was far and away the top ticket-seller for ROCKY, so I won "the prize." Of course, I was asked what I wanted (awkward!), and I'm no good with that. Then it occurred to me... "Instead of something for me, how about a little surprise for my..." (naah, I'm going to let them wonder if I'm talking about them). ;)
Okay, a few new sets (this is the only way I can keep up progress... the days of my "big" blogs are apparently over. Oh, and I have yet to be able to view a single video on this new site... I can hear the audio, but I get nothing but the "loading, loading, loading" symbol for eternity).
Former Hopeful Friendlies include Renesme...
...and Chie!
We have wonderful Hopeful Friendly Encores from the mellifluous Mikaul...
...and the charming Changeling_!
And it's debut time for the scintillating SarahSkittles...
...and the delightful Dejaa!
And with THAT, I'm once again out of time! Off to entertain you afresh!
Remo D.
