In Praise of My Cast


I love the smarmy look on D's face in this picture. I also love that everyone seems to be having such a good time while gathered around a casket. It certainly says "black comedy," doesn't it?

This picture was taken in April at the funeral home next door to our producer's house. The lighting was terrible, so it didn't get used as an official publicity photo for the show, but it has a certain skewed quality about it that I really like. From left to right that's K; Alice W.; D; Glen C. and Nicole P*, all of whom I have worked with before (this is D's 6th show with me and Thespis only knows how many shows K and I have done since we met in 1989).

These 5 people were the first I invited to play with us this year and each of them said "Yes," immediately. That left six roles left to fill. Heather M. and Tracy H. also immediately said "Yes," when I asked, Jenn had worked with us on The Odd Couple and said she wanted to do so again, so she was in and Snoop Doug (the whitest gay Jew -- and a dear friend who will totally agree with this statement -- in all of NJ) was the only ever choice for Brother Boy. That left two roles open at auditions, both most ably filled by Rob S. and Matt D.

I have worked with some talented folks in my day. You may remember how I gushed about last year's JTMF cast. Well, I am gushing again. This cast has brought their "A" games from the beginnning, and they continue to play, grow, explore and invent with every rehearsal. We have load-in and costume parade on Sunday, and then just 4 more rehearsals before we go up. Yikes! Still, if they are having half as much fun as I am, then that should translate to a whole lot of fun for audiences.

The worst part about a JTMF show is its brief run. I always feel that the show is just getting where it should be, and then it's over. Of course, that's part of the beauty of live theatre; each performance happens only once, and can never be exactly replicated again. Try that with your Blu-Ray edition of Avatar.

Tickets for the 8th Annual James Tolin Memorial Fund AIDS Benefit featuring Del Shores' Sordid Lives are still available at www.kelseyatmccc.org, by phone at 609-570-3333 or at the Kelsy Box Office, one hour before curtain. For more info, please visit www.jtmf.org.

More, eventually...
Prospero

*You can find out all of our real names at the JTMF site and blog, but I like the semi-anonymity afforded here.
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