Mystery Sketch Theater

Posted on by Thor

Mystery Sketch Theater, a live model sketch session, is held on the first Wednesday of every month at A Comic Shop
114 (South Semoran Blvd. Suite 6, Winter Park). On February 6th the model will be Ivy Les Vixens. Who’s got more pink frilly things in her closet than
Ivy? Not many, and that’s why she’s back to help us Celebrate
Valentine’s Day at our February session! Ivy is the powerhouse princess pussycat, ringleader of the Les Vixens, a
post-modern burlesque experience. She thrives on glamor, go-go,
glitter & girls. With more than six years entertaining the gay
community, she has established herself as the energizer bunny of the
go-go world, with the sweat, blood and hair flips to prove it. She
performs every Saturday night at Revolution, dances at Rain on Tuesdays,
and travels the country with a multitude of different entertainers,
leaving a trail of sequins and glitter wherever she goes.

A Comic Shop recently received a restaurant license to serve food
and drinks (including wine and beer). We will no longer be able to
bring in outside food and drink (so they don’t get into trouble). Please
feel free to purchase snacks and beverages from them during our
session.


Come
early for a good seat. Those drawing tables go quickly! Sessions
cost only $5 for two hours of drawing fun and prizes, and start promptly
at 8PM at The Geek Easy, located inside of A Comic Shop:

Hedwig and the Angry Inch

Posted on by Thor

As Dorothy Massey who plays Yitzhak and Brian Thompson who plays Hedwig sat on the tailgate of the van filled with costumes, Dorothy lamented that the show had a hard run. Some nights they had performed with only 3 people in the audience. The night before closing night they had 15 people. They always gave their all regardless.

After sketching back stage, I settled in at the back of the small Majestic Theatre and Lounge inside the Revolution Nightclub (375 South Bumby Avenue). It is actually the perfect venue for the show, being small and intimate with flaming touches of gold opulence. Hedwig is a Punk Rock princess in search of someone to complete herself, her other half. In search of validation and love, Hedwig had an operation in Germany that left him with an angry inch to express her sexuality. A small group of tattooed punk teens filled the front row. They shouted and talked on their cell phones. Hedwig shouted back, “You came here to see ME, darlings!” I thought they were part of the show at first, but Ally Gursky confided that they slipped in late without paying. They were gone by the second act.

Hedwig treated Yitak as his male side kick whom he berated and joked about as he talked about Tommy Gnosis, a boy he loved who went on to become a rock super star with the songs Hedwig helped him write. Dorothy as Yitzak was sullen and angry for most of the show.  When Hedwig stripped off his woman’s clothing standing naked and sweating before the audience they went wild, over his song of acceptance and affirmation. We all hide a part of our true selves but he finally realized he needed to love himself before he could find acceptance and love from someone else.


Dorothy came out, this time dressed in a bright pink form fitting sequin gown and a blond wig. She sang Midnight Radio, a song of love, joy and acceptance. The room filled with an awe inspiring energy. Everyone raised their hands, waving them above their heads. Tears rolled down Dorothy’s cheeks as she sang. I turned to look at Director, Tara Corless, who was aiming the huge theater spot light. She was in tears as well. Ally was rushing down the isles with her hands raised and beaming.  The audience was on fire. This was not your average performance. This was an overwhelming emotional catharsis on the closing night of the show. I was swept along with tears of joy and I put down my brush and raised my hands to clap loudly. After the show Tara got on stage to thank the audience. She got choked up as she said, “We’ve had a tough run, but you were the audience this show deserved.” A performance like this affirms the absolute undefinable magic of theater when an audience and cast are one.

Hedwig Manifestation

Posted on by Thor

 

Director, Tara Corless, invited me to sketch as actor Brian Thompson got ready for the final night’s performance of Hedwig and the Angry Inch at the Majestic Theatre and Lounge inside Revolution Nightclub ( 375 South Bumby Avenue). I arrived a bit early and all the doors to the club were locked. A fellow with long dark hair was waiting in the parking lot. It turned out he had left his cell phone in the club from the performance the night before. He had been waiting since 4PM and I believe the performers started arriving around 6PM. The lead actor and actress, Dorothy Massey who plays Yitzhak, and  Brian, who plays Hedwig, pulled up in a van. All the costumes were piled up in the back and they opened the tailgate and started eating their takeout Chinese food. Andy Matchett pulled up, rolled down his car window, and he asked if anyone wanted a drink since he was making a drink run. Dorothy began relating Saint Augustine ghost stories as the sun set. Every fifteen minutes or so, Cessna airplanes would swoop down over the Club on their approach to the Executive Airport.

The dressing room was maybe 10 feet square and the entire cast had to use the space. I found a spot to sketch from, and I checked with Dorothy to make sure I wasn’t blocking anyone. It would take a full two hours for Hedwig to manifest and transform himself into a woman. His eyebrows were already shaved which would save time. Dorothy explained that her transformation to a man would take much less time. Stage manager, Ally Gursky, arrived with a container of fresh baked chocolate chip cookies. She had skinned her knee the night before and somehow every piece of musical equipment carried through the dressing room managed to bonk her raw knee. Being insensitive, I couldn’t help but chuckle.  On her iPhone, she played a wonderful video that pointed out the obvious and hilarious reason to be supportive of gay marriage. Then Tara arrived with containers full of red white and blue cupcakes left over from Veterans day no doubt. Dorothy straddled Brian’s lap and started painting decorative swirling eyebrows. Andy arrived with a bottle of Burbon. He said to me, “Care to take that sketch to the next level?” He filled my cup and asked if I wanted some Ginger ale to water it down. I decided to taste the burbon first. My throat lit on fire and I whispered, “Yep, I need some ginger ale.” My lines loosened up with each sip. Dorothy started dancing in wild abandon to “Do It With a Rockstar“.

One of the Guitar players started to thank every one. “I started this show tentative and unsure, but you all made me feel at home. Thanks you everyone for your friendship and support, I’m going to miss you all when this show is over.” Andy said, “No problem, Uhm, what is your name again?” Everyone laughed. Tara circled everyone up for a pre-show ritual. Half of the cast circled up their index finger and thumb creating a cavity in their palms while the rest of the cast inserted their index fingers in the warm cavities. All their hands and wrists intertwined. Ally shouted, “Five minuted to show time!” actors shouted back, “Thank you 5!” There was an electric excitement in the air. Tara announced that they had 30 people in the audience, that was the largest audience they had in the entire show’s run. Andy claimed that on some nights they performed with only three people in the audience. This was a case off life imitating art imitating life,  The band went on stage and  a flash of electric music filled the theater with the Origin of Love. These rock stars were ready to raise the rafters!