Backstage...A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum...2003

Forum. Wowsers. So much happened during this show...
It was my last Non-Equity show, and was the first show with my hubster, Matt at Signature.
Sean MacTool played Hero, R. Scotty was a fellow Protean, Mrs. Mig played Domina.
Matty swung the Proteans, and understudied Hero. I understudied Hysterium.
The process of putting this show together was great fun. The show itself is a laugh a second romp of a show, and this was my first time of ever seeing/hearing it.
With a cast of old time regulars, mixed with much fresh blood, it was an exciting blend of personas.

I met Kara Tameika Watkins during this show. I'll never forget the first time that I knew she was cool.


Me being the horror freak that I am, I announced to the cast near the end of rehearsal one day that me, Matty, R. Scott, and Sean were going to go and see the remake of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre after rehearsal, and anyone who wanted to come was welcome.
Silence.
Kara alone spoke up..."I'd LOVE to see it !".
I made a new friend.
She sat next to me and we barely flinched the whole time. Several times we looked at each other and rolled our eyes after some ridiculous thing happened on screen.
We got out of the movie, and she asked if I owned the original, I said, "OF COURSE!", and she said, "Good-can I come over and watch it to forget this awful version?".
I was in love.


Kara remains great friends with me to this day. She currently is in Las Vegas, playing one of the doo-wop girls in Hairspray.
During the last couple of weeks of the show, everyone started coming down with a mysterious illness that we all dubbed, "The Creeping Crud". We all started to fall like flies.


This was THE SHOW of understudies. Every understudy went on at one point or another.
Matt went on as Hero, R. Scott went on as Miles Gloriosus, Shelby Sours went on as MANY a courtesan, and in the last week, Floyd King got struck with "The Creeping Crud", and was out for almost the whole last week. Buzz Mauro was his understudy. I was Buzz's.

This all happened the week that me, Matt, and Ryan's house burnt down. PLUS, I was in 1st week of rehearsal for Allegro. Ugh.
Eric was gracious enough to let us stay with he and Norman until we got back on our feet. The following weeks were a whirlwind of confusion for us both. We didn't know where we were going, or how we were going to get there.
I have to confess, I knew my lines, knew my songs, but was somewhat nebulous on my blocking. Donna shared most of my tricky blocking scenes, and thank GOD, she threw me around the stage to where I needed to be. Luckily, the character relationship was totally appropriate for her to throw me around.


On closing night, the cast of Forum presented me and Matty with a small box full of cash that they had collected from the cast and staff.
This money gave us just enough for a first month's rent plus deposit on a new place.
I was never so grateful. I felt like George Bailey in "It's a Wonderful life".
I have bittersweet memories of this show, but all in all, it was a very special time for me and Matthew.
It was definitely a gateway to a new period in our lives.
For us, it wasn't necessarily a "Funny" thing that happened on the way to the Forum, but it was a meaningful thing, instead. It showed us who cared for us, and who our true friends were.
We will both never forget that.


Luv,
SGS