Death of a Salesman...Keegan Theatre

Jesus Christ...
Matty and I went to see Death of a Salesman at Church Street Theater by Keegan Theatre tonight. Wow.
Across the boards, the performances were incredible. From the smallest of players to the biggest, it was incredible.
I could not help but to think of my own father. This is the classic American tragedy.
All that your parents want to give you, yet cannot...
I was reminded of Cal Trask in East of Eden trying to give his father something, and that gift being not enough in his Father's eyes.
Alright, I have already said that the entire cast is strong.
Let me focus on what moved me.

Brian Hemmingsen as Willy Loman is a triumph. His depth and understanding of the role is so layered that you lose yourself in him. I never felt anger at this character..this seems to be a theme that is discussed in abundance with this show.
I felt no anger for Willy Loman. I understand him.
Someone once told me that everyone in their own lives is really trying their best. In whatever it is, they really ARE trying their best to be a good person.
Here is this man genuinely TRYING his best in a world that won't have him.
It is devastating to watch.
It reminds me in a strange way of Monster, or even, Nevermore.
Mark Rhea is devastating as Biff.
I see so much Cal Trask from East of Eden in his performance of Biff. I am SO envious of him, in the fact that he has got to play this AMAZING role that SO suits him, and that he is so heartbreaking...it is an actor's dream come true. He and Brian capture the essence of the play so gorgeously. I absolutely GEEKED over Mark Rhea in this play.
Charlotte Akin is an understated and gorgeous exercise in patience...When her rage at her sons comes through, it is so extremely powerful. She is measured patience personified.
I recall a line from "The Bridges of Madison County", where the housewife talks about her "Life of Details.."
Her final monologue at the gravesite shattered me. "We're free..."
I will say that a woman during a crucial scene, had her cell phone ring, and yes, she was in the front row, answered it, and had a full conversation.
This URKED me to no end. In her defense, they were from Egypt, and were visiting. They wanted to see this show, and did not know theatre etiquette.
Whatever.
I hear that tomorrow was supposed to be the last performance of this AMAZING show, but happily, I report that it will play 2 more performances next weekend.
I advise you to go and see this 2006 Helen Hayes front runner before it passes by.
You will not be sorry. Willy Loman and his clan have never been shown to you in such a devastating light.
Keegan Fucking Rocks.
Luv,
SGS

Buddha and Sadie

Here are some shots of my baby Buddha playing with Sadie, Lynn Filusch's dog who was been staying with us.
They leave tomorrow. Buddha-buddy-bear will be so sad.
So will I.
:(
SGS

Cell...my book report.

OK...just finished Cell by Stephen King. *sigh* What a breathtaking ride.
The book shoots you out of a canon from page 2. You never stop after that.
I have always been a fan of Stephen King, but sometimes find him to have a rambling narrarative... Not the case with this sleek and quick novel. You are never checking your watch with this one.
Sure, it bears similarities to many modern works...his own, The Stand....28 Days Later...also, his own-The Long Walk.
But hey...what IS original anymore, right?
The basic premise is such...all of the sudden, anyone on a cell phone gets some frequency that is transmitted through it that makes them go feral. They attack anyone around them in blind rage. Catastrophe springs forth. More people call people on cell phones to see what is going on...they are taken by "The Pulse" as well, and join the madness. And on and on. The world quickly goes ker-plewy.
Soon, we are focused on our main character, Clay. He is a regular guy, as is usually the case, caught in a web of violent and startling evolution. Or revolution. He is written so comfortably, you feel like you have known him for your whole life.
I will not throw away the plot twists involving those effected by "The Pulse". I will say this, however- they start to organize. They start to have other abilities.
NO, this is no pseudo-zombie tale. It is reminiscent of, but these are NOT zombies.
They are simply "re-programmed" humans getting their frequency from a new programmer.
The book is heart-stopping.
I was about 50 pages from the end, and took the book to Cap City to finish it.
I promptly gave it Channez McQuay, who was curious.
In the end, if you are a King fan at all, this is one hell of an adrenaline shot to the heart.
I am, admittedly, a fan of works that discuss the apocalypse, or the breakdown of society. I love to see how it would go down, you know?
This is another in a sling of great interpretations of it.
And how clever...
Cell phones are the gateway to madness and death.

I only got a cell phone 3 years ago. I never owned one. Now I cannot imagine life without one.
Funny enough, my latest cell phone has metal in the face of it. Metal that I am am apparently allergic to. For months it quietly ate away at my face, as I wondered how my face was decomposing before my eyes. I have metal allergies, and never thought to look at my little communications friend as a suspect.
Now I know.
I have regarded cell phones with much more suspicion since...this book didn't help.
:)
I highly advise that you pick it up, since it is impossible to put down once you do...
much like a cell phone.

SGS

A Thought...

...Ever think about the fact that in Oliver! the musical, there is a lyric sung by the boys to Fagin that says, "Have no fear, attack the rear!"....
?
Just a thought.
SGS

Euan Morton...

Matty and I went to see our friend,Euan Morton in concert tonight at Signature Theatre...
He did a fantastic job...the set list was VERY diverse, from "If I loved You", to "Hallelujah" by K.D. Lang...to original songs from his new album, like "NewClear".
Such a stage presence, and such a gorgeous voice...I was so happy I went.
Then, of course, pints at "The Office" with the whole gang....
Most of my night was spent talking to Rachel Applegate, of the Signature, who I helped reunite with my newly adopted big brother, Parker Esse.
Good times were had by all.
Check ya' later...
SGS

Closings...

Well..I'm honestly sad that these two shows are closing this weekend...
I am sad about the Chita show closing because I worship her, and wish that I could have seen the show before it closed...she is one of our National Treasures.
I am sad that The Woman in White is closing, mostly for Judy Kuhn, who was to take the role over for Maria Friedman. She was 3 weeks into rehearsal when the plug was pulled...
Having done The Highest Yellow with Judy here at Signature, I spoke to her when it was announced that she was to take the role over. She was SO excited to take on the role, that I think would have been a fantastic fit for her. How sad we will not get to see that.
As stated earlier on this blog, I am not sad for Sean "The Tool" MacLaughlin, for he is already deep into rehearsal for Lestat...
Well...off to "The Office" for a pint or two with the hubster.
Is anybody else going to be watching the Project Runway marathon on Bravo starting at 11AM tomorrow? This show is my ONLY reality TV obsession. It is like crack.
OK...talk soon...
Love,
SGS

Movie Poster of the Week...

Not trying to send out a message here, folks...

The Week in Review...

Wow. Sorry it's been so long! I really have been a busy man of late...
Well, I was house sitting for a client this past weekend, and their GINORMOUS Great Danes! (Pictured here).
It was a snowy weekend, as you all know, and to tell the truth, I really just wanted to be snowed in at my own home. But, alas, I was not.
I got to read a little...which is unheard of for me. No, I am not an idiot, but it is a time factor. I can watch TV or DVDs because I can muliti-task while they are on. Reading takes total concentration...and this ADHD boy has issues with that kind of devotion.
I did get to read what I consider to be a whole bunch. 46 pages. Ok, before you start making fun of me, you must understand...there were 2 huge Great Danes running around, and that is one thing...the other is this.
Whenever I read, bacause my mind is like in warp drive all the time, I have to re-read paragraphs to make sure I was paying attention.
Ok, I am sounding a little bit like an idiot at this point to you...but it is true.
And no, it is NOT the Red Bull giving me the hyperactivity and lack of attention span. I have given Red Bull up. It's been a week.
Stop laughing.
The book is fantastic so far...no high and lofty prose, but something right up my alley.
The rest of the week has been about friends visiting, which has been lovely.
R. Scott Thompson is in from California to visit and see Nevermore, and so is Lynn Filusch...(previously featured in On The Heels Of...)
It has been great to see them both and let Lynn's dog and my own buddy boy have some playtime...they are so adorable.

I have heard from my baby girl, Eleasha Gamble. She is deep in rehearsals for Hair at the Perserverance Theatre. Yes, she is loving Alaska. She says that it is gorgeous, of course. She made me laugh when she told me...
"Your people are crazy..there are about 10 people skating out here on this lake...don't they watch movies?? Don't they know what happens every time?? White people ar crazy...you would never catch me out there on that ice..."
And the subject of white people and black people led us to the Olympics...
How about all of the falls this year? Seems like every night I tune in to see somebody falling out of a luge, or on the ice, or somewhere. They must make the ice slicker in Torino, I guess..
I talked with Parker today, and he is well. All seems to be going great with the production of The Wizard of Oz that his wife, Maria is directing at their son's school. He sends his love along.
Ok...that has been the week in review. I'll check in this weekend with more.
Sleep tight.
love,
SGS

Hit Me With Your Best Shot!

OK....I had to weigh in on this...too funny.
The man just looks SO evil...I can't believe it was an "accident".
SGS

BREAKING NEWS:

Sean "the tool" MacLaughlin doesn't have to worry so much about The Woman in White closing next weekend, because he just got into Lestat!!!!
Good for you, buddy.
SGS

Milk,Bread,Eggs

...it snows and everyone bakes, apparently...my checklist usually includes Beer and Pizza, personally...
So this comes in my inbox today...
...WINTER STORM WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM SATURDAY MORNING THROUGH LATE SATURDAY NIGHT... A WINTER STORM WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM SATURDAY MORNING THROUGH LATE SATURDAY NIGHT. A STRONG LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM WILL DEVELOP ALONG THE GULF COAST TODAY...AND MOVE NORTHEAST TO THE MID-ATLANTIC SATURDAY. A BAND OF MODERATE TO HEAVY SNOW IS LIKELY TO DEVELOP ACROSS THE REGION SATURDAY AFTERNOON AND SATURDAY NIGHT. SNOW MAY MIX WITH RAIN OR SLEET SATURDAY MORNING THROUGH SATURDAY AFTERNOON SOUTH OF THE WASHINGTON DC METROPOLITAN AREA...BEFORE COLDER AIR MOVES IN LATE SATURDAY AFTERNOON AND SATURDAY NIGHT AND TURNS ANY MIXED PRECIPITATION TO ALL SNOW. AT THIS TIME...A SWATH OF SNOWFALL OF 5 INCHES OR MORE IS LIKELY ACROSS THE AREA...WITH ACCUMULATIONS UP TO TEN INCHES POSSIBLE. NORTHEAST WINDS AT 15 TO 25 MPH SATURDAY WILL SHIFT TO THE NORTH SATURDAY NIGHT. THE COMBINATION OF MODERATE TO HEAVY SNOW AND WIND HAS THE POTENTIAL TO REDUCE VISIBILITY TO BELOW ONE HALF OF A MILE. PLEASE BE PREPARED FOR THE POSSIBILITY OF HAZARDOUS WINTER WEATHER SATURDAY AND SATURDAY NIGHT. A WINTER STORM WARNING MAY NEED TO BE ISSUED LATER TODAY OR TONIGHT. STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO...OR YOUR FAVORITE LOCAL SOURCE OF WEATHER INFORMATION FOR THE LATEST STATEMENTS CONCERNING THIS POTENTIAL WINTER STORM.
ok....fuck.
Normally, I would jump for joy...being a Pennsylvanian boy, we eat, drink, and breathe snow...I have been so bummed by the lack of in recent years...well, of all weekends...this one is a bad choice.
I am pet/house sitting a household about 10 minutes away, at the top o' ye VERY steepish hill.
2 Great Danes, one cocker spaniel, and a cat.
sigh.
Also, my Mom and Dad are coming in to see Nevermore...
It's gonna be a long weekend, I feel.
Updates to follow, when possible.
SGS

And special congrats to those Nominees who were profiled in my On the Heels of... series of interviews. Some amazing perforormances/choreography by these women.
Here are the interviews again, if you missed them..



Donna Migliaccio, Nominee for Best Leading Actress in a Resident Musical
Eleasha Gamble, Nominee for Best Supporting Actress in a Resident Musical
Erin Driscoll, Nominee for Best Leading Actress in a Resident Musical
Karma Camp, Nominee for Outstanding Choreography

My Joys...

Here's to my fellow friends who were nominated...
Felicia Curry, Erin Driscoll, Meg Gillentine, Donna Migliaccio, Karma Camp, George Fulginiti-Shakar, Jon Kalbfleisch, Joe Calarco, Eric Schaeffer, Jim Kronzer, Chris Lee, Anne Kennedy, Chris Bloch, Larry Redmond, Stephen F. Schmidt, Harry A. Winter, Kay Walbye, Jenna Sokolowski, Brad Oscar, Will Gartshore (2x!), Molly Smith, Ilona Kessel, and my baby girl, Eleasha Gamble....!
Congrats, folks...
Luv you all...
SGS

Helens...

Click here to see the 2006 nominees.
Lots of nods for Urinetown, Pacific Overtures, and Damn Yankees.
A lot of shockers, too.
Good and Bad.

My Humps....explained...

This comes to me from Hunter James...
I had to put THIS LINK up for Parker and Craig.
Enjoy, boys...
:)
SGS

Hollaback Girl...explained.

This from our friends at Orange county Weekly...sent by our California friends...
All I have to say is ....
"This shit is Bananas-B-A-N-A-N-A-S"

Recovering

(PHOTO: Us watching the game backstage during the show)
Me and the husband spent the evening with J. Fred Shiffman at his abode, down the street from us.
The evening intended to be an occasion for us to watch A Very Long Engagement. Instead, we just sat around and talked for the whole evening.
It was very healing for me. It reminded me that I now had the option to have a social life for awhile till Assassins starts.
How were the cigarettes today?
Hmmm...well...less than a full pack....but approaching it.
Not bad for a pack and a half a day smoker.
Baby steps.
So sad that Damn Yankees is over...but...new projects leer on the horizon. New goals are being set by yours truly.
I have week of my dear Eleasha before she leaves us for Alaska... but what a great spring awaits after 9 weeks...a fantastic Sondheim show with my husband by my side, Parker will be back for Mame, Kevin Burrows will be here in Spamalot, Eleasha will be back...Craig D'Amico will be through visiting, as will Kim Shriver...
I will be playing a sizeable role for the first time since One Red Flower...I look forward to the challenge and the work. And a priceless 10 minute scene between me and Will Gartshore. One of the best scenes in musical theatre....I look forward to that...and being with my dear Donna Mig again...who has closed her Dino musical in Philly, and is back to her devoted in DC. She gives you one HELL of a Sarah Jane Moore. Look out.
On a sad note, The Woman in White, who my dear friend, Sean "the tool" MacLaughlin was in, is closing on February 19th. So sad. I feel for him.
Well, that is the drunk o'clock update from your proud lil' Steelers fan, who couldn't have been happier last night as we watched backstage during closing.
My mood will improve as the week goes on, I swear.
:)
Luv,
SGS

More...

Closing Night...

Here we are....

Damn Yankees

Photos by Scott Suchman

Clockwise from top:Tracy Lynn Olivera and J. Fred Shiffman, Deanna Harris, Brad Oscar, Kim Shriver, Ellyn Marie Marsh,Christina Lynn Phillips, Michelle Liu Coughlin, Christopher Bloch, Harry A. Winter, Matt Bogart, Meg Gillentine,Rayanne Gonzales, Kay Walbye, Lynn McNutt, Matt Bogart, Lawrence Redmond, Kay Walbye, Matt Bogart, Lawrence Redmond, Brad Oscar.
Some images from Damn Yankees to take us through closing. *Sigh* I'll miss you folks.
SGS

Halfway There...

OK....hmmm...I open up the front door this morning to grab the paper and see that the gourds are gone. Have some gruff, power lesbian-types been reading SGblogspot??? Probably not, because if they were, they would take down the damn wreath as well!!!
Baby steps. Come on folks, I am NOT out of bounds on this...when was the last time you found yourself throwing out your Halloween pumpkins from OCTOBER out in February??
Yinz should be glad you didn't smell the hallway, because, yes, they started to rot where they sat!
Ugh.
OK...pumpkins down, wreath to go....
*sigh*
Good Morning, Arlington...
SGS

Helen Hayes Predictions...

Here we go...HH noms go out on Tuesday...a month earlier than usual...
What are my predictions??
Hmmm.. Here are some thoughts...just thoughts, mind you...only based on what few shows I have seen.
I think that this will be the year of Urinetown and Take Me Out.
I think that Damn Yankees will get a nod or two...Pacific may get a nod for Direction.
This will be the year of Will Gartshore...for Frog and Toad...or Pacific..or Urinetown...
He has done such great work this year, it is hard to tell..
Probably Urinetown.
Look out DC men...he is clearly the Clidesdale out for the trophy this year...
Maybe a Donna Mig nom for Pacific...
Erin Driscoll for Urinetown...clearly.
Jenna Sokolowski...clearly. (Urinetown)
Donna again for Pennywise (Urinetown).
Meg Gillentine, Matt Bogart and Brad Oscar for Damn....I would love to see Cindy Marchionda for Supporting for Damn. Stephen F. Schmidt for Urinetown.
Choreo for Damn....Choreo from Dracula at Synetic. Choreo for Urinetown...(will win in my polls)
Tracy Olivera for The Last Five Years.
Me as Geisha/10 year old Japanese boy in Pacific...just kidding.
Felicia Curry for Aida at Toby's...
Fallen From Proust or Columbinus as Charles MacArthur...
Rick for Take Me Out.
Jon Kalbfleisch for Pacific Overtures.
Best Musical looks like this to me....Urinetown, Frog and Toad, Damn Yankees, Aida, Pacific Overtures....maybe Once on theis Island...

My thoughts...What are yours?

OK...I'm officially sad...

All Photos feature the cast from Damn Yankees at Arena Stage. This post is RIDDLED with links to all of my rehearsal process posts about the show. Please check them out. This post is a scrapbook of my journey through this amazing time. Enjoy.






Damn Yankees is coming to a close this weekend, and I have to say that I am really getting upset thinking about it.
I am always bad with transitional periods...if I had something to jump into right after, I'd be better, but this time of year is never too generous to me. I think I am gonna have to write to the riddler man, Matthew Lesko to find a grant to pay my taxes this year...ugh.
Anyone got about $2,000 dollars to spend on me?
:)
I have made so many good friends in this show. You form a family with any show that you do. With so many good friends from DC and new friends made from NYC, I feel like I am leaving my family to be poor and not work for awhile. Not a good feeling.
It is so amazing to me that 7 years ago I followed my friend, Kristina Sine around at Arena, (she was the wardrobe girl then), and sat in the smoking greenroom with Marva Hicks, who was then doing Thunder Knocking at the Door, and the first day on set, I walked into the smoking green room, and there sat Marva Hicks, there doing Cutting Up...we fell out. She told me 7 years ago to pursue my dreams and think about DC as a start. Here I am 7 years later, doing pretty well for myself, I'd like to think. It is such a small world.
I look back to the beginning of November, when we started rehearsal...it really has been awhile. I remember all of those mornings of getting up at ass crack to be at warm-up, and then rehearse for 8 additional hours. All the weight I lost. All the stress and exhaustion.
All for good.
The friends I have made and the experience I have had is priceless.
In the Kreeger side of the theatre, there is something spray-paint stenciled onto the shop door. It is a man holding a house that says underneath, "Uniontown". ...Fred Shiffman pointed this out to me....(being a fellow Western PA boy) ...this is the town that is 3 minutes from my house.
Signs are everywhere, if you look for them.
For some reason, I was destined to work in this building.
My next case in point is Parker Esse.
Parker is the Assistant Choreographer(who will be back in town working on Mame at the Kennedy Center with Signature's Eric Schaeffer)...he is such a great guy, and SO great to work with. When he was doing Fosse on the B'way, he always would exchange hellos with a girl selling programs for Chicago that he passed on the way to Fosse. This girl was Jenny Cartney. They reunited the other night. Jenny, as you know, is one of my best friends, and brilliant Music director of Nevermore. He also knew a girl from the age of 5, who happens to be a relatively new employee of Signature, Rachel Applegate...yes, Applegate, and we are doing Damn Yankees...they reunited last night....He also has worked with my much admired friend Karma Camp before...I reunited them...
Signs.
Meg Gillentine ,(Lola in our Damn Yankees),went to High School with my beloved roommate, Ryan Halbrook, (currently understudying Dan Cooney in Nevermore at Signature)...I reunited them...
Signs.
Where does this long experience and work go to when it is done and I am sitting in my living room alone, flipping through TV?
I listed my goals when I went into this rehearsal process. Have I met them??
Yes....I think I have.
I have lost the 13 pounds I wanted to. Want another sign? 13 pounds...I was number 13 in the show. This was my choice, but still...I would like to think that I have become a better dancer through Parker and Baayork's process, and I believe that I have learned many lessons about myself as a performer. Not to be a diva at all, but I usually do more in a show than this...this experience taught me many things...how to have a complete character with no lines...how to justify my presence onstage with no lines to justify myself with. I would like to think that I have done this.
I am proud of my work, and the cast's work, and will be sad to see this grand time end. I dreamt of working at Arena for years...I am so happy to have done so and had a great time along the way. I hope this is one of many to come for me...
In the meanwhile, it's hard and cheap living for awhile, till I am back at my artistic home, Signature Theatre, doing 2 in a row of musical theatre's master composer. And 2 with my husband in them too...wow....I'll get to see him. Nifty concept.
SO...9 weeks of nothing, then Assasins and Into the Woods...I am so ready.
I have about 5 more pounds to lose, and some muscle to build. Another goal. Oh....and the biggest one....I am trying to quit smoking starting Monday. This will be the hardest challenge of all. I will keep everyone posted on this blog as to my progress. I will be trying, and for the first time, for myself...
Colors of purple and blue bathe me in melancholy tonight. Sorry.
Combination of Eleasha and the show ending....and being poor again. We Cancers HATE transition.
:)

Doomsday Prophecy...

This is brought to you courtesy of Towleroad...

All my California readers check this out! I hope I don't see you on the news tomorrow!
Hmmm...Is it time to look into property in Arizona (future beachfront)???
:)
SGS

The Mourning begins...

Eleasha got a great gig. Doing Dionne in Hair....at the Perserverance Theatre in...ALASKA!!!
She leaves next week for 9 weeks...*sigh*
I told her...I ain't writin another cabaret about this. :)
To quote Take Me Out, "What will we do till Spring??"

Star Fucker

Ok...so I know I will get blasted for this...but...tonight at the usual watering hole, Capitol City in Shirley=ville, There was Euan Morton, Brad Oscar, Flo Lacey, Fred Shiffman, David Nehls (writer of "The Great American Trailer Park Musical", not to mention half of the cast of Damn Yankees, Nevermore, and Two Queens one Castle.
Sometimes I just look around and go, wow.
Funny.