Sweet Freedom-Redux

So, Matt, Ryan, and I will start the Summer off right on the Sweet Freedom yacht. Here are some favorite pictures from last Summer's adventures...

For Gary Oiler

Timeline

Tech Week.
Sorry.
This is what is on my mind.

Love Bites

Lestat closes this Sunday. Short notice, there...
Sorry, Sean.

RED NO MORE

Got my hair dyed the Lee Harvey Oswald way tonight. Here it is....

Lil' Peep

Matthew 10:29-31 - Are not two sparrows sold for one farthing? and one of them shall not fall on the ground without your Father. But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear ye note therefore, ye are of more value than many sparrows.
Earlier this week, I was at rehearsal at Signature, and on a break out in the lovely alley. I was smoking a cig, and I noticed a baby bird that was up against the wall of theatre. The bird was so small, and was so still...
I approached it, and it barely moved. It feared that it was injured, but it was merely frozen with fear. A moment later, it hopped away a few feet.
Something was wrong here...it's wings looked wet. Then I saw Momma bird fly down, chirping loudly. She would fly a few feet, then come back...almost as if to say, "Come on you stupid shit, get your wings in gear!"...sorry...no, as if to say, "come on lil squirt...you can do it!".
My heart started breaking as I watched this. You must understand...I was a bit extra emotional, after rehearsing Assassins all morning. I saw Momma fly back with food. Baby ate. The baby was hopping along fine, and it's wings didn't seem to be injured, just wet. A fledgling who had either been blown off the roof nest, or simply didn't read up on gravity before wondering what was over the edge.
One by one, other Assassins cast members started to inquire as to what I was watching on breaks...I decided to consult our resident bird expert, Donna Migliaccio.
She observed the situation, and predicted the inevitable...if the bird was still in the alley by night, it would meet it's maker-either by cat, rat, or exposure.
Hmmm.
I know all of the Darwin crap, ok....survival of the fittest, and whatever else.
I just couldn't accept that. In rehearsing this show with such a dark subject matter, I simply couldn't turn the other way and ignore this baby who had lost it's way.
Maybe if someone had tried harder to reach out to any of the subjects of this show, then what happened would not have come to be.
In all of this mess in my head, I couldn't let a baby bird die. I would try my damnedest to save it, if from nothing else but cats and rats.
Donna said that if we could get it up off of the ground a few feet, and maybe put it in a box with newspapers that it may stand a fighting chance. OK.
Back to rehearsal.
It was also Donna's birthday that day, so after rehearsal, we all had ice cream cake and sang the B-Day song. As soon as I finished my cake, I was searching for a box.
Found one. Mika, who plays Guiteau, asked me what I was doing. I informed him of the lil' peep in the alley, and my fears that it would be taken by cats, rats, or just smouched by tire or foot that trampled ignorantly down the alley. He was on the case within seconds. I spotted a City Paper, and knew that I could use that to rip up and provide warmth to the lil' peep. PS...that's what I called him in my head...Lil' Peep. I did so, and Donna, Matty, Mika, and myself went out to the alley.
Mika and I managed to wrangle it into the box, and then we found a place for the box to be wedged into some pipes that were about 4 feet off of the ground.
OK....then we waited to see if the Momma would find the baby.
We waited forever. She didn't seem to know where he was, and he wasn't cheeping on little cheep.
By the way, that movie, 10.5-the earthquake movie is on channel 4 right now, and it is fu*king dreadful.
Anyways, Donna started to fear that we had done the wrong thing, since the Momma couldn't find the baby, and would surely abandon the search before too long.
And no, folks, if you touch a bird, the mother doesn't abandon it...an old wives tale, Donna informed me...
So after almost an hour had passed after rehearsal was over with no Momma-baby connection, I enlisted a favorite Signature Technical staff friend, Andres, to help me pull a ladder out to carry the box to the top of the roof, where Momma was, and where it might be able to be helped by her again.
We lugged the beast of a ladder out to the alley and I carried the lil' peepster to the top. I gently got him out and onto the roof, said, "Good luck, lil' guy", and made my way back down.
Several minutes later, there was a Sparrow party on the roof, as several birdies seemed to be celebrating the discovery of Lil' Peep.
We all walked away, not knowing if the bird would still make it or not. We never will know. I rationalized to myself that if the bird died, it would at least be a little bit closer to God.
And what a heart warming and funny thing...there was John Hinckley, Sara Jane Moore, Charles J. Guiteau, and Lee Harvey Oswald helping to save a baby Sparrow. Hey, everybody's got a heart. Except some people.

Luv,
SGS

Tube TIme

Yeah... I know you get sick of it...I'm just a lil' bit busy with Assassins right now, so I have not that much available brain cells for the ol' bloggety...so more Tube Time will ensue...
In the meantime...here's some classic Bette Davis...1st a favorite scene of mine from "All About Eve"...also translated in Spanish...

Then a little clip from a famous appearance on the Tonight Show...

Then Bette singing in "Thank Your Lucky Stars"...

A great TCM montage of her work...

And the famous prediction of a disaster of a cocktail party...

Seatbelts fastened.
Luv,
SGS

Faust

Oh yes...Synetic Theatre... the theatre company that makes me feel fat when I watch their shows.
The show was fantastic, as Synetic's shows always are. The look, the feel, the soundtrack, the MOVEMENT...my god.
Now let us talk about the performers...As always, the ensemble of any Synetic show is a strong unit. My body hurts just watching them. They bend and twist themselves in ways that confuse my spine.
Phillip Fletcher, Andrew Zox, and Matthew McGloin-yes, recently Huck Finn at Imagination Stage, all looked luscious and the fight scenes were so smartly executed by them.
Katherine Hill, who had the generosity to help us get tickets today, had her hair braided in dreads, and never looked hotter.
Anna Lane and Dan Istrate's bathtub sex dance is so inventive in it's use of contact. It was so exciting to watch, I cannot shame it with words.
Greg Marzullo as Faust,...first of all...NONE of the men have even 1% body fat. NONE!
They all look amazing. As for the women...well...they all looked hot, but I guess I had my eyes on the guys more. Go figure.
Greg was wonderful, yet again, as always, as was the palpable and captivating Dan Istrate as Mephistopheles.
Words cheapen the show, in all truth.
Irina Tsikurishvili was also haunting as Gretchen. Ugh.
The Direction and choreography are so inventive, and a red cloth suddenly becomes a baby, and a bathtub takes "flight"...imagination always runs wild with Synetic's direction.
And the sex scenes. wow.
Full on tit, folks.
A couple of tits, actually.
Nice ones, too...(thanks Meghan and Katherine).
This weekend is closing weekend at the Rosslyn-Spectrum space, but it will then move on to the Kennedy Center from June 1st through June 18th.
I highly recommend that you see this sexy and stylishly smart piece. Yes, most will be motivated by the flesh...but I tell you...this is more than a skin show...it is breaking the bounds of theatrical convention and discovering something exciting and new. You don't see much theatre like this, folks.


G'night.
Luv,
SGS

Edith Massey Mini Documentary

A mini doco on the John Waters star...

Susan...Susan Jane...

One of my favorite educational films, edited tight to just the essentials...

Tick-Tick-BOOM!

I have had 2 disgusting experiences with parasitic organisms in the past week.
That is quite an opening statement, I know, but truth do I speak.
About a week ago, Matt called me over to the couch, where Buddha was contently laying on his back, and said..."Is this a scab?"...
I saw the mark on Buddha's armpit that he was referring to...
I remarked.."Scabs don't usually have legs..."
I pulled the tick with tweezers, and flushed it down the toilet.
It was still wriggling.
Gross.
Tonight I am on the phone with Lynn Filusch...I randomly look at my left finger...a black spot....
I go inside...the black spot has legs....
I freak.
I dig it out. I do this on the phone with Lynn...I'm sure this was better listening than whatever Howard Stern had on today...
I later am on the phone with Eleasha...I feel something in my hair after a brush with the pine tree...I pull it out, and see a tick...I throw it on the ground and kill it.
What the fuck gives?


Tick outbreak in Arlington?
Knowing several people who have had Lyme's Disease, this is a serious thing to pay attention to...
Get someone to look at every inch of your body naked before you go to sleep each night..
Not only is it fun, but healthy at the same time.
Luv,
SGS

Miss Celie!

My Miss Celie, (Eleasha Gamble) is featured in THIS STORY from DCTHEATREREVIEWS.COM about her recent appearance at an ACTCO Theatre cabaret....
And on a side note, doesn't she look gorgeous?
:)
Luv,
SGS

Extra Virgin

This past Friday night, was Extra Virgin Part 2.
Steve McWilliams yet again put on a killer show at Extra Virgin.
Providing support on vocals and guitar was again the ever talented Mike Kozemchak.
Guest singers were...
Donna Migliaccio, treating us with "Walkin' After Midnight" in her best Patsy Cline way...
Eleasha Gamble...giving us some "Georgia on my Mind"...earning her $20 from some random drunkard...

Amy McWilliams...giving us several songs, including one of my favorites, "Jackson", by Johnny Cash and June Carter Cash...Steve and Amy tore this number up!
I sang "Midnight Rider" by The Allman Brother's Band, "Amie" by Pure Prarie League, and "Landslide" by Stevie Nicks.
Many Assassins cast members were present, along with other Signature staff and supporters. I also got my boss, her husband, and 2 friends (hot lesbians) to come as well!
Things that stick out like a sore thumb in my memory....
Drunks starting to dance during my songs...to see people attempt to dance to "Midnight Rider" is funny in itself....let alone fat drunks...they at one point joined a 6 person "Drunken Amoeba", as quoted by Donna Migliaccio.
A fun night, yet again, and I wish that I had put new batteries in my camera, but I didn't, so no shots of the event.


Steve's rendition of "Folsom Prison Blues" still is rocking in my head...
A fun night, and Steve McWilliams has really caught on to something new and exciting with these nights of rock-a-billy paired with an American Idol style guest singer appearance thing...the crowd loved the switch up...it was like a theatre show.
Here is to hoping for many more such nights!
Luv,
SGS

Happy Birthday, Donna!

Today is national belter holiday...AKA-Donna Migliaccio's birthday...
Happy Birthday, Mama Rose.







Luv,
SGS

Happy Mother's Day

Image of the Week

Worst Job Ever....

Music Video of the moment...

Just what I felt like at the moment...A little Annie Lennox never hurt anybody...

ASSASSINS...

Another pre-show buzz blurb on the DCist website...

Anatomy of a Mix Tape...."Tough Guy"-2000

I mentioned this tape in my first post about mix tapes, but due to the "Soundtrack of Your Life" post and the fact that I listened to this tape while walking dogs today, I had to follow up on it and reveal it's entire contents...this is one of the best mix tapes that I have ever made, I think...The attitude of the tape is very defiant and punkish...There was a ton of transition going on in my life at the time, and I guess I needed songs that voiced strong control to sing along to and empower myself...Here is the song list...
SIDE A
1) "Awful" by Hole....
"If the world is so wrong, you can break them all with one song..."
2)"Red House" by Jimi Hendrix-Just a classic sexy and sultry number...
3)"Who is Tyler Durden?"-The Dust Brothers...A few numbers that I love from "The Fight Club Soundtrack...

4)"Homework"-The Dust Brothers
5)"This is Your Life"-The Dust Brothers, featuring Brad Pitt as "Tyler Durden"
As Brad says..."We are the all singing, all dancing crap of the world"
6)"Tell Me Something Good"-Chaka Kahn..Ultimate seduction song
7)"Too Good to be True"-Lauryn Hill...Just a great song that makes me smile...
8) "Heatwave"-Martha Reeves and the Vandellas...Yet another...
9)"Connection"-Elastica...Rocking little indie rock jam...
10)"What it Takes"-Aerosmith...Another classic, and fun to sing...
11) "That Thing"-Lauryn Hill...Makes me dance in my car....
12)"Mother"-Tracy Bonham...Ultimate maternal defiance.
SIDE B
1)"If You Were My Woman"-George Michael...oh god...so sweet and sexy.
2)"Erotica"-(Sex Mix)-Madonna...Tough Bitch Madonna at her best.
3)"Are You Gonna Go My Way"-Lenny Kravitz...kick ass 70's nostalgia.
4)"Cadence to Arms"-Dropkick Murphys...a great Irish Punk band...
5)"Do or Die"-Dropkick Murphys
6)"Celebrity Skin"-Hole..."Yeah...SO glad you could make it...yeah, now you really made it...yeah, there's only US left now..."..It makes you feel as if you were about to spar off with your competition.
7)"The Wrong Way"-Sublime...Another Classic. I miss Ska music.
8)"My Baby's Got Sauce"-G Love and Special Sauce...SO sexy and smooth...
9)"Red Right Hand"=Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds...Ultimate CREEPY song.
10)"Turning Japanese"-Liz Phair..Great cover...punked up by Liz.
11)"Flower"-Liz Phair...Detached sexuality at its best...monotone and numb.
12)"You Bring Me Joy"-Mary J Blige...2 songs by the Queen of R&B Soul that make me dance in my car....
13)"Be Happy"-Mary J Blige

This tape is a pretty fun listen, and has kept my walking days exciting. More Mix Tapes to come.
Happy Hump day...
Luv,
SGS

BOO

Boo has been blogging again....