Another Opening, Another Show

Opening night was this past Tuesday, and it went pretty well. I have to admit that I'm used to opening night audiences that are a little more supportive than this one's was... it seemed, really, like an audience that was daring us to make it laugh - not so much like one that had come there with laughing in mind.

That having been said, I think the cast performed suberbly... I wasn't entirely on the top of my game, but a little mishap partway through the show got me on track but fast. I slapped a table top during this scene where I'm laughing at a joke and knocked my own drink into my lap. Greg Wood and Kate Norris, who play the owners of the bar, Freddy & Germaine, reacted flawlessly, tossing me towels and helping me clean up the mess. The bit of unusual activity was enough to get me out of my spaciness and get me focused on the play.

So all in all it was an okay evening. I think this show is going to do really well. I've heard that it's already 90% sold out, and it's pretty certain that we'll be extending by a week.. The sell-out is well deserved. Everyone has put such a tremendous amount of work into the show, and it's showing.

Here's a picture of the set that I snapped during preshow recently, isn't it beautiful? The design is by Bob Phillips, who's the designer for Sesame Street:

I think it's a really beautiful set... You can't see it so well in this shot, but the woodwork above the bar has stained-glass bunnies in it, and is carved with carrots. A little inside joke - since the play is Picasso at the Lapin Agile...Lapin Agile is "Nimble Rabbit" in French.

I haven't had many chances to snap pics of the folks in the show, so I should probably take the opportunity to post what I have, so you can see the cool folks I'm working with... at some point, I'll do a page of show pictures and put them on the Show Pictures page, but for now you'll have to settle for what I throw up here.

Here's Charles Antolosky, who's playing Gaston in the show... Charlie's a great guy, and was one of the first people here to go out of his way to make me feel at home. I hope he knows how much I appreciate his help and kindness.

This picture was snapped at a rather sedate moment, but these two wild children are Ian Merrill Peaks ("Picasso") and Kate Norris ("Germaine"). Kate's my room-mate in Actor Housing Central, and Ian is a local Philly actor. It's been such a joy to work with each of them. Ian's been great to work with, and our scene together as Einstein and Picasso is one of my favorite parts of the evening.

Here's Greg Wood, another of my new favorite people. Greg's also a local Philadelphia actor - a guy I think is pure joy to be onstage with. I should knock it off with the superlatives, since they're gonna start ringing insincere, but boy, I enjoy working with this group of folks, and I genuinely do think they're really, really talented. If you look really closely, you may recognize Greg from The Sixth Sense. He played Mr. Collins, the father of the dead girl with the videotape. It's an awful picture (I was trying to snap photos without using the flash), but you get the idea.

Here's a picture of Tony Braithwaite, who plays "Schmendiman" in the show. He's been very popular with audiences. And that's only partly because he's got the plum funny role in the show... Tony's one of the funniest guys I've ever met... his brain never shuts off. It's kinda frightening, in a way. A good way.

Here's the last of the pictures I've gotten so far (at least that I can access... remember, there's still a ton of 'em on that damn CD I burned... I just can't get to 'em). This young fella is Youssef Kerkour, who's playing "The Visitor." He shows up at the end of the show to complete the triumverate of genius. Youssef is my other roommate. He and Kate and I have been having some pretty fun times together. Here's hoping they continue!