The audience, on the other hand -- as Mary knows all too well -- is another story...
Did that woman really HAVE to get up to go to the rest room during the a cappella verse of the LAST SONG in the first act? Did that other person have to make so much noise moving his or her paper bag out of the way for "rest room woman"? Do people have to take FOREVER to unwrap a hard candy? Did the women sitting behind me HAVE to discuss each joke and song right after it happened? Oy!
Went to hear jazz vocalist Jim Porcella at the Island Merchant Restaurant in Hyannis, MA earlier this evening. What a great time! Jim really did a nice job with lots of jazz standards, accompanied by Chris Rathbun on bass, Bart Weisman on drums & Fred Boyle on piano. What a talented bunch of guys! It was Jim's first time singing with this trio but you would never have known it. Jim & Bart invited me up to the mike for a couple of numbers, and I was happy to oblige with "All of Me" and "Almost Like Being in Love." The fun part was singing the verses for these guys because, as often happens, jazz instrumentalists will know the refrain but are often unfamiliar with the verse. Luckily, I brought charts with me. :-) I look forward to singing at Bart's open jazz jam on the 3rd Sunday of each month sometime soon. http://www.bartweisman.com/
Decided to try the Monday nite Open Jazz Jam at "My House" Bar and Lounge in Quincy, MA this week. Met up with my high school friend Karyn for drinks and music. I sang the Gershwins' "Love is Here to Stay" and Lerner & Loewe's "Almost Like Being in Love". Great fun!
I had a thoroughly enjoyable time performing with Hildy Grossman, Kathy St. George, Krisanthi Pappas, and Tim Evans on the stage of the Roberts Theatre at the Calderwood Pavilion in Boston's South End on Tuesday night. Boston TV personality Joyce Kulhawik was our perfectly charming host. We raised money for a non-profit called Upstage Lung Cancer. Former Red Sox star Jerry Remy received a special award for his help in raising awareness of lung cancer by telling his own story over the past year. You might not know that lung cancer is the #1 cancer killer of men & women. And it strikes non-smokers, too. Please consider going to the website to learn what you can do to help raise awareness -- and money -- for early detection and research.
Last night, I had the opportunity to perform in the opening number (The Ballad of Sweeney Todd) at New Repertory Theatre's Annual Gala, celebrating 25 years of presenting thought-provoking and entertaining theatre to Boston-area audiences. The event was also a farewell to long-time artistic director Rick Lombardo, who will be dearly missed. I have had the opportunity to work with Rick in two shows at New Rep -- Moby Dick: An American Opera, andAndrew Lippa's The Wild Party. I also appeared in another Rick-Lombardo-directed show: Overture Productions' concert-staging ofStephen Schwartz's The Baker's Wife, at Boston's John Hancock Hall, starring Judy Kuhn. All the actors who have worked with Rick -- myself included -- wish him all the best in his new position as artistic director at San Jose Repertory Theatre. I also want to send out a break-a-leg to New Rep's new artistic director, Kate Warner, who comes to Boston from Dad’s Garage Theatre in Atlanta.
Today is Barbra Streisand's 67th birthday. Happy Birthday! If you haven't heard her recordings from the early to mid-1960s, I recommend them highly. She sang with a sense of abandon and humor that made her performances so fresh and exciting.