It Sucks To Be Me

I'm running behind meeting every deadline I've imposed on myself. It's a nasty, rainy Monday and I'm wearing the only clean pair of underwear I have left. My right eye feels like somebody poked it with a fork (did I sleep on my fist the other night?) and I can't stop rubbing it. I need a haircut. Spring is here and my winter fat (see previous post) isn't shedding as fast as it usually does. Victor Zambrano is still in the Mets' starting rotation. It sucks to be me.

Actually, I have no room to complain. None at all. There are a lot of folks out there with worse lives than mine. So while it may suck to be me ... it really sucks to be you. And that makes me feel better.

Avenue Q

Most people generally assume that because I am a "theatre person," that I follow the trends in the industry and am familiar with current shows on Broadway and in London. People assume I know this actor or that actor and that I watch artsy-fartsy stuff on cable TV. I don't. Typically, I catch up a few years after the event.

This holds true with 2004 Tony winner Avenue Q, which I just saw this weekend. It was a very enjoyable evening (not just the show, but we won't go into that here) and was the most I had laughed in a theatre in a long, long time. I gotta admit ... I love puppets. Puppets are so damn cool. And although I have never been a big fan of the "Broadway musical," this show's music was fun, lively and thoroughly enjoyable. Like music from a really hip episode of The Electric Company. Thus I've been singing "It Sucks To Be Me" for the past couple of days. The score sticks in your head as much as those tunes from children's television growing up. Guess maybe I am a member of the slacker generation.

If my naughty weasels in Weasel Erotica are half as amusing as Trekkie Monster, I think we might be on to something. One of the things that has concerned me a little with W.E. was how people would view the weasels. Would they watch the little critters or only pay attention to the actors bringing them to life? While watching Avenue Q I realized that, although I was conscious of the puppeteers at first, they soon blended in and really only functioned as the puppets' shadows. Hopefully we can capture some of that same magic when the weasels do their adult-oriented dance routine.

James Lipton & King Talent

Since it is highly unlikely that I'll be appearing on a future episode of Inside The Actor's Studio (which has become more about celebrity and less about actors) a friend recently recommended that I take the famous Bernard Pivot questionnaire and post it on my blog, since James Lipton will never be asking me these questions. This was advice again from one of those friends who remind me that, although this blog is amusing every-now-and-then, it tells you nothing about me. So, here you go ... something about me:

What is your favorite word?
Passion.

What is your least favorite word?
Failure.

What turns you on creatively, spiritually or emotionally?
Laughter, confidence, security. Eyes that flash.

What turns you off?
Selfishness. Even my own.

What is your favorite curse word?
F*ck.

What sound or noise do you love?
The gentle breathing of a loved one.

What sound or noise do you hate?
The sound of people smacking while they eat.

What profession other than your own would you like to attempt?
Baseball player. I did attempt it, but kind of half-assed.

What profession would you not like to do?
Umpire. Or anything in the medical profession.

If Heaven exists, what would you like to hear God say when you arrive at the Pearly Gates?
"It's only intermission."

Scratchy Throat

Well, I'm finally done yelling at Jesus. The Passion Play has closed it's run for 2006 and I couldn't be happier. Now I can really devote my attention(s) to the major projects Baby Hippopotamus has coming up. I've been really remiss over the past three or four weeks and have a lot to do to get things back on track. I don't know why, but I constantly seem to find myself in these circumstances where I have projects overlapping. It's exhausting. And year after year, I do it. Last year it was directing Loves Labours Lost while prepping Abnormal Stew. The year before it was working on a film during the run of Coriolanus. I gotta cut this crap out. It really cuts into my nap time.

Oops ... I've Been Remiss!

Okay, so after doing a pretty bang-up job updating this blog every week or so, it looks like I've let it slip for a while. Needless to say, I've been busy and distracted ... which is just a fancy way of saying that I've slipped back into the old habit of being just plain lazy. So while this may be far from the most entertaining post, I'll go ahead and give everybody (all three of you who read this thing) an update on what the ol' King has been up to.

Almost Done Yellin' At Jesus

This year's run of The Passion Play comes to an end this coming weekend. I give my final performance as Pilate on Saturday and then finish the run off playing some much smaller roles on Sunday. It's been a fun experience and, as it was three years ago, has been quite rewarding. On a personal note, I feel I gave some pretty good performances and at least one miserable one. It happens. I don't beat myself up over it ... at least, not any more. Bouncing back and forth between the roles of Caiaphas and Pilate has been something of a challenge and I'm glad I came back to the Park Performance Arts Center for this run. Yeah, it helps that the theatre is only ten blocks from the house. It was the 90th Anniversary of this production and I am proud to have been a part of it.

Although I touched on reviews several posts ago, I'm gonna dredge up the subject again. We were fortunate enough to get a review from the Newark Star-Ledger that, while mostly a positive review, brought up some more thoughts on the subject of reviews and critics. Now, I haven't any room to complain ... I came out smelling like a rose. Here's what critic Peter Filichia had to say about my Pilate:

"Rich Warren -- a non-Equity actor, by the way -- gives the best performance as Pontius Pilate, though villains are often the easiest characters to play. Warren has a deadness in his eyes that shows Pilate has made one important decision too many, and that he no longer believes the shekel stops here. To him, Jesus is just another annoyance in a busy day."

Like I said, I have no room to complain. But I couldn't help but notice the little jab about villains. I never once have thought about Pilate as a villain ... at least not in the Snidely Whiplash, Iago, Darth Vader kind of way. That may fly in the face of somebody's theology, but I don't see why. I think of him more along the lines of somebody who was trapped between a rock and a hard place who had to make a very difficult, very political decision. I certainly wouldn't classify the role as one that has been "easy to play."

But this particular critic liked to take jabs here and there. He points out that the actor playing Jesus has a Southern accent, that the fake beards worn by many in the show (myself included during Caiaphas performances) "look silly," and that many of the actors in smaller roles "make overly expansive gestures." Ah well, you can't please all the people all the time. But judging by the audiences reactions each performance, I think we came awfully close.

Majestic Dementia

Progress on my one-man show is being made very steadily and I can honestly say that I am at least to the point where I am starting to visualize what the show may finally become. I started taking a weekly class with a wonderful talent named Cheryl King each week with other students also working on solo material. Each person in the class has very different ways of approaching their material and each person's material is unique and intriguing. Never having had an acting class (nor a writing class) of any kind, I have to admit I was a little worried going into this. But it has turned out to be a very rewarding and constructive experience so far. Needless to say, dramatizing what is essentially my auto-biography is not an easy thing to do. I'm curious to find out how difficult it will be to perform it.

I'm still targeting the fall (after Weasel Erotica's run) for the premiere production. I may workshop parts of the show at Cheryl's studio (Stage Left on 37th Street) here and there through the summer, but I don't expect the full thing to take off until fall. Additionally, I'll be doing bits and pieces as stand-up at open-mics just to get them in front of an audience. Will try to keep everybody posted on when I'm performing and where.

Weasel Erotica

I am putting the pieces of Weasel Erotica together with performances already scheduled for August. It looks like The Talented Talent Brothers are going to reassemble soon. I am very lucky to have already begun to assemble a remarkable team for this project ... in terms of on-stage talent as well as folks the audience will never see. Just wait 'til you see the weasels themselves ... that alone may be worth the price of admission. Keep checking babyhippopotamus.com for details ... and while you're there, order yourself a Weasel Erotica t-shirt. I just got mine and it kicks a$$. Auditions will be held in the coming weeks ... expect a major press barrage soon.

Film Talent

Last week I attended the premiere screening of The Interrogation, a film shot in late '04 (I still can't believe it was that long ago) featuring yours truly in the lead role. It was a festive occasion as Zanadune Productions screened both that film and one they had made previously entitled Mitosis. Two very different, yet very creepy films made by some very impressive people. Well, that's my take, and I'm sticking to it.

It was great to catch up with that wonderful family of filmmakers (Sabahat, Shafaat and Sabila Khan) as well as the talented crew and my co-star, in incomparable Max Tapper. I was also pleased and rewarded that many close friends attended and that I was surrounded by friendly faces. However, it was, for me, a very awkward experience. I'm just not a big fan of watching myself on screen. I'm even less of a fan of watching myself on screen in a crowded room. So, in lieu of watching, I kind of just listened and stared at the wall next to the screen. Hopefully Shafaat will get me a copy on DVD so that I can watch in the privacy of my own home and come to a decision regarding how happy I am with it.

The experience, though, was definitely one I was happy with. Thrilled, even. What a great group of people to work with. They were very welcoming and made me feel like part of the family. That's important. I've been on quite a few film sets, but never any that was so relaxed and accommodating, especially considering the intense nature of the story being told. I'm not gonna spoil that here ... you'll have to check out the film. Most folks at the screening certainly seemed to enjoy it and the feedback was very positive. Even after some technical difficulties got the film off to a big silent start. Many, many thanks right here and now to you who came and checked it out. And a note to the good Zanadune folks ... anytime you need me, I'll be there.

Added a couple of new links here to Zanadune's website as well as to Sabila Khan's addictive blog. Click the links over there and check 'em out.