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.