Archive for March, 2008
She looks like she’s about to wink at you, doesn’t she?
Like she knows something, and don’t you wish you did too?
Last night, we saw “I’ve Got Your Number: Romance, the Rat Pack and Carolyn Leigh” at the 92 Street Y. It was a wonderful show, with some amazing performers singing some of Leigh’s most memorable hits.
The show kicked off with a bang as all four singers sang “The Best is Yet to Come,” (which Sinatra made famous, and loved so much as to have those words inscribed on his tombstone).
At the end of the first intermission, the audience was invited to sing along to “Young At Heart,” Carolyn’s first major hit, which she was inspired to write after visiting her father in the hospital after he had coronary trouble.
As we sang aloud, and my voice rang higher, I realized the truth of her lyrics…
You can go to extremes with impossible schemes…
You can laugh, when your dreams fall apart at the seams
How else could I keep going in the face of “no”? How else could I still keep believing that my fairytale of Broadway can come true?
Though some may think I’m crazy, or unrealistic… I say I’m the most in touch with reality, because when my time is up, I wanna know I spent my life chasing and making my dreams come true. And I think Carolyn would agree with me…
And if you should survive to 105…
Look at all you’ll derive out of being alive!
Here is the best part,
you’ll have a headstart–
if you are among the very young at heart…
The finale was one of Carolyn’s most seductive lyrics, “Witchcraft.”
Deborah Grace Winer, the evening’s moderator, cited the song for having one word more than any… “craft,” which fittingly describes Carolyn’s work.
To say the evening was inspiring would be an understatement.
–Sue
March 31st, 2008
This past weekend, I caught the middle of the movie “In Her Shoes” on TV with my husband.
A major part of the story revolves around memory… How each of the characters perceives events, and how those perceptions shaped those characters.
Notice I said perception, and not experience or memory. The perceptions, the filters each character has for seeing the world and their place in it, is even more telling than the actual memories themselves… In this movie it was mainly a matter of what was left out of some memories that was so telling.
Alternatively, what was left in, the focus of the memories was the most telling…
The most poignant moment in the movie was when the older sister (played by Toni Collette) filled in the pieces of the story her younger sister (Cameron Diaz’s character) had left out.
Memory has always been a fascination for me, though it is oftentimes not done well…
The master of memory is Tennessee Williams.
“The Glass Menagerie,” a “memory play,” as Tom calls it , is still an inspiration to me.
I’m working on a new musical that’s steeped in the memories and perceptions shared by a group, and their current perceptions of one another.
Navigating a sea of faded watercolor memories is not smooth sailing, but it does make for wonderful drama!
–Sue
March 26th, 2008
We came across a New York Times article that nearly beckons the production of our musical, Another Place In Time. The writer, Robin Pogrebin, begs an interesting question:
Many shows seem to beckon families with children but on closer inspection come with caveats, be it crude language, racy behavior or complex plot turns. If you’re going to make the investment — which can run more than $400 for a family of four — what is worth the tab? What is appropriate?
And maybe this is a question producers need to hear so that they entertain musicals that aren’t edgy, but friendly, for families and anyone else who doesn’t feel the need to see or hear obscenity.
Don’t get me wrong, there’s cursing in some of my straight plays. In one of my plays, I have the lead actress masturbate on stage — but I never market that as “family friendly.”
My first show as a kid was A Chorus Line, and I remember being asked in the third grade what I wanted to be when I grew up, and drawing a picture of Cassie dancing in my notebook as part of a composition I wrote. (We left at intermission, so I never saw the whole thing as a kid. Luckily, my husband took me to see it last year. Helping me make good on that memory was one of the best presents Scott’s given me.)
The memory of Cassie and that drawing came flooding back to me when I was in grad school, depressed over my thesis and wondering if this was the right career for me to pursue. I had forgotten that picture, and how affected I was, even by half that show. That memory helped push me to the finish line to complete my thesis.
Our show is free from obscenity in terms of language and content. A sweet kiss is as sexually charged as it gets. The underlying themes are the importance of family, home, and doing what one believes is right — even if it means taking a risk or losing something dear. The most important themes in the show are about helping those less fortunate that you, and what one puts out in the world is what one gets back.
After reading this article, I know there’s an audience out there for our work. Now it’s simply a matter of convincing theatres, directors, and producers of that. Hopefully, this article is a push in the right direction.
–Sue
March 21st, 2008
My lovely and talented twin sister got her first photography show today!!!!! I couldn’t be more proud of her and can’t wait for the world to see just how talented she is.You can visit the “The Promised Lands,” The Jewish Experience in America and Israel
For a look at Dina’s portfolio, click here.
This is a treat even sweeter than hamentaschen! Check back for an update on how the show goes…
–Sue
March 20th, 2008
Last night was interesting… I went to a networking event/panel discussion with Director Hal Brooks as one of the guest speakers.
There’s a lot of money to be had in theatre, the problem is that it’s not evenly distributed… It is the complaint of many artists. At one point, Hal decided to take a break from directing and make websites. He got to a point where he was making a six figure salary, but found himself crying in the shower his first day at this last high paying job… He had morphed into someone he no longer recognized.
Looking straight at me, he said, “Decide that this is what you want.”
And though I feel theatre chose me, it is my choice to choose it back. I could go and do a hundred other things, and I’ve already done some of them, but it usually doesn’t take too long for that gnawing feeling to devour me whole… So that I wake up in the middle of the night to go write and I sing my songs in the shower, trying to figure out if they convey what my characters are trying to say…
Hal also said something reminiscent of what Michael Kors told Ricky… Hal said, “There’s always something that’s slipping. You could be very well established and still feel anxiety… There’s this scraping and clawing you have to do.”
And I guess I keep hearing this because I have to, because I was hoping that once I got established I wouldn’t have to worry as much, or that the door would always be open. But the only way I’m going to open the door and keep it open is by opening it myself.
The same holds true for large corporations: When they get too big and flabby, when they don’t put as much effort into R&D or developing new products or services, they get eaten alive by the competition…
So what makes me think that theatre, with PLENTY of competition, is any different?
It’s EXACTLY the same.
And yet, theatre is EXACTLY what I want to be doing with my life.
–Sue
March 19th, 2008
Scott and I saw closing night of a high school production of “The Wiz” this Saturday. I’d never been to a high school production before, and wondered what Smalls and Brown would think about their production performed by these kids.
For the most part, it was what you would expect from a high school production, but there were three things that really stood out for me that night:
a.) The actress playing Dorothy, Carly Valentin, blew everyone away! No one could keep up with her, and she basically carried the show on her petite shoulders. Carly had been on “Showtime At the Apollo, ” twice. She has performed for former politicians.
Carly’s obviously already been wowing audiences for quite some time. On a sweet and humble note, in her bio she wrote: “Carly would like to thank her family, friends, and boyfriend for believing in her and pushing her to audition for The Wiz.”
b.) The second thing I noticed was that there were FORTY FIVE, yes, 45 students on that stage for curtain call. That’s not even including the pit… As a former teacher, I was floored and amazed that the Director and AD were able to get all those kids together at once, and get the best out of them.
c.) We found out that there was no budget for this production. The school employees and the cast (with help from family and friends) raised the entire budget themselves. (Over $8,000 dollars.) They had been working since September to raise funds for three nights of performances.
And it’s really this last point that stuck with me. That’s dedication to theatre if I ever saw it, and it’s awe inspiring!
I have a feeling these kids will remember this experience and take it with them wherever they go as they “Ease on Down the Road” of life.
–Sue
March 17th, 2008
Disney’s Beauty and the Beast is part of the reason I started writing musicals. I remember sitting in the movie theatre thinking the same thought over and over again: This is what I want to do with my life.
Mind you, I wasn’t even exactly sure what, but I just knew it is what I want for my life. It was only a few years later that I realized I could write stories and songs.
And though I did not see the Broadway production, I did stumble upon Chuck Wagner’s page a few days ago (I had a link to Chuck reading from “Yertle the Turtle,” see my blog post from 2/29). Chuck played the title role of Beast on Broadway.
To witness Chuck’s transformation from man to beast, click here to catch a glimpse of behind the scenes Broadway magic!
Enjoy!
–Sue
March 14th, 2008
We were having cable issues in our new place… It’s nice having art imitate life.
–Sue
Filtered Through
He was just doing his job… He came to clean up someone else’s sloppy work. I could tell he’d fix it when I opened the door to greet him.
Augustine had served in the army, and by the way he held his tool box, it was easy to see his competence.
He must have used his scanner ten times to figure it out… through the wall jack, through the box — it was a mystery… so we headed up to the roof.
The wires were tangled, and the edges of the box were rusted. Brown leaves filled the bottom of the box, and multicolored tags dangled loosely — he shoved his hands right in…not a moment of hesitation.
“Welcome to my days,” he said. They were obviously long days, but he did what he needed to do.
“So you were the geek who used to fix radios, right? That’s how you got into working with cable?”
“Yeah, and I did this stuff in the army too…I went to pay for college.” He studied the wires. “When I got out, it just made sense.”
His hands traced the lines nimbly, delicately.
“Is this what you want to do?”
He looked up at me.
“I was actually an artist.”
“I could tell.”
“Yeah?”
“The way your hands move.”
“I wanted to do graphic design… You know, like decals for trucks and stuff.”
“So why didn’t you?”
He stared at the wires and found it, the root of it all. It looked like a long, black magic wand.
“Is that it?”
“I think that’s it.”
“What is it?”
“Honestly, I don’t know.”
He called one of his buddies on his 2-way radio. It was a filter to block out the cable. With a few snips it was gone.
“This thing is from like twenty years ago! I don’t even know if they make these anymore. I’m gonna take this back… show the guys.”
“Show and tell?”
“So we can laugh at the guy who left this here.”
He put a cap on the ends of the wire and got his tools together. We headed back to the apartment.
On the stairs I asked him again, “So why didn’t you?”
“I have a family to support…”
He ran the scanner again.
“Don’t you wanna get your stuff out there?”
I handed him a children’s story I had written about a bear who loves to dance and sing, and starts a party wherever he goes by sharing his gifts with the animals in the forest.
He read each word thoughtfully, carefully. He looked up and smiled.
“You can keep it.”
“I think my little girl would love this.”
“I hope you read it to her often.”
“I’ll read it to her tonight!”
The TV suddenly beamed brightly, and so did he. My cable was working.
As he packed his things to go, he nodded and smiled to himself.
“Thank you, for everything,” he said. “I’ll read it to her tonight.”
“Let me know if she likes it!”
“I will!” He tapped his chest pocket. He had folded it and placed it to rest there.
I knew my story had filtered through.
March 13th, 2008
Sometimes, a song’s lyrics just hit you… They sum up everything in your heart, even things you didn’t know you were feeling or thinking… That’s part of why I love writing songs so much, and it’s part of why I love listening to and singing them.
The car is still the best place I know to really hear a song, to let a song get inside you. Acoustics, maybe… but I think it’s more than that… I think it’s because there’s no where else to go.
As many songs as I’ve heard, sung, and written, there are some that just stay with me. It might be because they marked a certain era for me, or a certain event.
Billy Joel’s “James” is one of those songs:
“James”
James
We were always friends from our childhood days.
And we made our plans,
And we had to go our sep’rate ways.
I went on the road,
You pursued an education.
James
Do you like your life?
Can you find release?
And will you ever change?
Will you ever write your masterpiece?
Are you still in school
Living up to expectations?
James
You were so relied upon,
Ev’rybody knows how hard you tried.
Hey
Oh, look at what a job you’ve done,
Carrying the weight of fam’ly pride.
James
You’ve been well behaved, you’ve been working hard
But will you always stay
Someone else’s dream of who you are?
Do what’s good for you
Or you’re not good for anybody.
James
I went on the road,
You pursued an education.
James
How you gonna know for sure?
Ev’rything was so well organized.
Hey
Oh, now ev’rything is so secure,
and ev’rybody else is satisfied.
James
Do you like your life?
Can you find release?
And will you ever change?
When will you write your masterpiece?
Do what’s good for you
Or you’re not good for anybody.
James
I heard this song at a point in my life when I’d had enough. This song gave me the courage to leave my family’s business… At the time, I hadn’t finished any masterpieces yet, and that thought scared me…
Today was the first time in a long time that I’d heard this song. I was in the car, and I was driving on many of the roads that I drove then. A lot has changed, yet, I still have a similar fear:
And though I’ve completed a few of my works, what worries me now is not getting them out there… I’m still figuring out how to balance work and following through on my dreams and family without sacrificing any of them.
Even famed Broadway producer Rocco Landesman (in Freakonomics: Rocco Landesman Answers Your Broadway Questions) seems to be stumped when he answered a reader’s similar query with the following response:
Q: How do you “break in” as a director or performer? How do you then balance family, children, auditions, rehearsals, etc.?
A: I can’t really help on this one. It’s very hard, and you have to be incredibly determined — to be incapable of not doing it. There is no real work/life balancing — the profession tends to be all-consuming.
This seems like a problem of Solomonic proportions. A life cannot be split in two, neither can a heart, and neither can a person. So what’s the answer?
Maybe the answer is a simple one: To stop trying to split myself… To feel blessed that my life is so full of so much love–for my family and my work. As I write this, I am remembering Edward Albee’s tender words from his acceptance of a Tony Award for Lifetime Achievement:
“If they wait until you do achieve lifetime work, you probably will have died. This is better.
…He made me a happy playwright. And you have made me a happy playwright tonight.”
Albee dedicated his award to the cherished memory of his partner of 35 years, sculptor Jonathan Thomas, who passed away a short time ago.
Even with the daily minutiae, I’m a happy and blessed playwright.
–Sue
March 11th, 2008
