As I set these notes on paper, I am obsessed with the thought that I might be the only artist to ever have witnessed this amazing journey as simple words on a page are converted into a mysterious and dynamic drama. Toward the end of a rehearsal Aradhana asked the actors who play the parts of “the Public” to all sit in a circle so they could read lines from a book of interviews of people who had lived through the panic caused by the Orson Wells radio broadcast. Everyone insisted I join in this reading circle so I did. Each actor in turn would read a line or paragraph from the interviews and revised excerpts from the readings were incorporated into act 2 of the show. It is surprising what people think of when they assume the end is inevitable. A policeman has to calm callers on one hand while wishing he could escape. A young woman wishes she had lived long enough to have a baby. An impoverished woman is glad she doesn’t have to pay the butchers bill and thinks to herself she might as well eat the chicken in the freezer. Some people heard about the broadcast from friends and tuned in as the worst of the Grover’s Mill invasion took place. For some it was just important to be with family and friends and accept their fate and trust in God. Sitting in this circle and adding my own voice to the confessions and lost hopes was sobering and magical.
In this sketch the actors are highlighting lines that they will later be asked to recite in the final play. When I saw the second act with these lines added the result is haunting and unexpected. This scene is lit with a ghost lamp. The tradition of the ghost lamp is that in Shakespeare’s times the lamp was used to scare ghosts away from the performance. The ghost lamp is left burning in the middle of the stage all night. This superstition continues to this day.
War of the Worlds
We interrupt this blogcast to bring you news of an unexpected nature developing in Orlando! “The War of the Worlds” is about to hit this town like a firestorm and I fear that local residents might not be ready for the invasion.
Aradhana Tiwari, one of the Directors, of this intense and panicked staging gave this reporter the opportunity to observe the chaos and heated action first hand as it developed. I sketched as this group of individual actors became a unified group. Aradhana played the infamous Orson Wells radio broadcast and asked the actors to draw any images or write down words or thoughts that the broadcast evoked.
The radio broadcast is chilling to this day. It’s visceral first act panic brought back feelings that have been dormant since the Terrorist attacks of 9/11. One actor felt he would have never fallen for the hoax, but others like myself felt that the American public would easily be swayed even today. The radio broadcast has causes outbreaks of hysteria in other countries as well over the years.
To help bring the cast together as an ensemble, Aradhana asked Associate Producer, Erika Wilhite to lead the group in an exercise called View Points .
Aradhana explained to the cast how this production would be built around the abstract imagery of radio waves. Radio waves can be pulled apart and put back together and yet at the core they have a central DNA like signature. In a related exercise, the actors were divided into two groups and each group was shown a different radio wave. The groups were then asked to stage performances that demonstrated the imagery. One performance was built around two chairs. On actor would sit stare out into space and say “It looks like lightning”. Another actor would respond “Its not lightning”. This back and forth exchange continued and built its tempo and pace becoming frantic over time. Two other actors then joined in the frenzied action talking over others and moving in fast clipped fashion about the stage. The radio wave they had enacted was a multi layered waveform with many high and low peaks and valleys.
The other group entered stage left hunched forward emitting a shrill Eeeee noise as they slowly moved across the stage. The shrill noise grew louder as the group picked up its pace until the exited stage right at a full run screaming. They had demonstrated a linear wave form which built steadily in volume. Every aspect of the rehearsal was fascinating to watch and draw, I plan to return as often as possible to follow the shows progression.
Legally Blonde Cast
I like totally got to meet the cast of Legally Blonde The Musical along with 80 other 13 year old aspiring actresses and stage moms wearing hot pink and sequins. The event was hosted by Barnes and Noble and it was a smash hit.
Becky Gulvig plays Elle Woods in the play. She went to a casting call right out of high school with thousands of other girls and was picked to be the understudy for Laura Bell Bundy in the Broadway production of Legally Blonde. She admits her life was tuned upside down. The other cast members wanted to stress the landing such a dream job on the first try isn’t par for the course as an actor. Most actors must go to hundreds of auditions and live in quiet desperation until they land a part. Several other members of the cast are runners up from an MTV Reality show “The Search for Elle Woods”. I was particularly impressed with the story of the bulldog Nellie who plays Rufus in the play. Nellie was discovered in a dog shelter in Hoboken and was found to be a true ham. From rags to riches, she now finds herself touring the country with a talented band of actors. Nellie was on hand and let out a loud bark once in a while to express her opinion.
I must admit Legally Blonde is a guilty pleasure. Gulsvig says every one can learn from the character of Elle. “If you stay true to yourself and work very hard you can get what you want. You just can’t let other people’s judgements about you – get you down.”
Sweeney Todd
The Orlando Philharmonic and Mad Cow Theater joined forces to bring Sweeney Todd to the Bob Carr Performing Arts Center. Davis Gaines performed the title roll and Faith Prince performed as, Mrs. Lovett. This production far exceeded my expectations. Gaines voice resonated with loathing and impatience. Faith also had a magnificent performance. Having seem Tim Burton’s movie last year, in which a girl with a thin mouse of a voice sang as her window, I cringed at the thought of listening to Christina’s song again. However, Shelly Cooper performed with a warmth that mesmerized. The whole cast deserved the standing ovation that they got. The hall was as full as I have ever seem it.
I quickly sketched the stage before the play started and when the lights went down, I had to stop since I could no longer see the sketchbook. I tried lifting the book off my lap up to my chest to catch some ambient light off the stage, but the man seated in front of me was tall and had a huge head. His head eclipsed all available light. The lady seated beside me seemed amused with my contortions. During intermission she asked “Are you a stage designer?” I replied “No I am a blogger”. She pulled out her iPhone to show me the picture she had taken of the stage. Although I might complain, I prefer the challenge and personal view point of a sketch. Besides before the play starts they always announce that there is to be no photography. They never say no sketching.