I keep telling myself that all this hard labor will be worth it. After all, lots of great actors got their starts here, including Christopher Reeve, David Hyde Pierce (from Frasier), and more recently, Bradley Cooper (from The Hangover) and Chris Pine (from the new Star Trek movie). Who knew.
Anyhooters, with all that hard labor to do, it's been challenging to find time to do other things, like eat, sleep, go to the bathroom--you know life's essentials--to say nothing of the work I need to do in preparation for the Montreal launch of The Manhattan Comedy Project, which includes writing for this Blog. But I figure, there is no better time than the present, and I had about 5 free minutes this evening, so I decided to take a few minutes to write a short post.
Just to get you up to speed on what I have been doing in Williamstown, I was cast in the Main Stage production of Children by A.R. Gurney, in which I got to share the stage with Judith Light for 6 minutes every night. Her wig was FABULOUS! She also happens to be a powerhouse of an actor, and she would hold the audience riveted every night during her final monologue (which she delivered directly to me, as I stood there glaring at her...).
I am currently working on a new play entitled What Is The Cause of Thunder? by Noah Heidle (a young, up-and-coming New York playwright who apparently thinks wearing the manufacturer's tag on his suit sleeve looks cool). Wendie Malick (best known for her turn as Nina Van Horn on NBC's Just Shoot Me) plays an aging soap opera actress who is losing touch with reality. Hilarious! And Wendie, who started her career as a runway model, is not only gorgeous (and at almost 60 years of age, is still turning heads--look out Mrs. Robinson!), she is also a total jokester backstage, and she is a ball to work with. So at each performance, right before she takes the stage, the Apprentices on the show (Stage Left--represent!) serenade her with a song that symbolizes how we feel about her that day. So far we've done "If You Think I'm Sexy" by Rod Stewart, "I'm Bringing Sexy Back" by Justin Timberlake, and perhaps my personal favorite, "Supermodel" by Rupaul. ("Wendie, you better WORK!")
Tonight is the opening night party for the latest Main Stage show, The Torch-Bearers, which stars Andrea Martin (from My Big Fat Greek Wedding and SCTV) and Edward Hermann (the grandfather on The Gilmore Girls and President Roosevelt in the movie-version of Annie). The fun never stops here at Williamstown...
So that's the latest from me and my adventures in Williamstown. The Montreal launch of The Manhattan Comedy Project is only 3 weeks away now! If you are in Montreal on August 20, 21, or 22 (or know someone who will be), get your tickets today. (Reduced-rate $15 tickets are now available through Brown Paper Tickets online at http://ca.brownpapertickets.com/event/71088.)
