History of The Talented Talent Bros -- Chapter II

Abnormal Stew’s opening in August 2005 was fast approaching and I was stretching myself way too thin. In the months leading up to our stage debut I had played the title role in a production of Hamlet and directed a production of Love’s Labours Lost. In addition to that I was working 60+ hours a week at the day job. As we learned in Chapter I, The Talented Talent Brothers had been a focus for nearly two years. Time had been invested … and like I always do, I pressed on.

I neglected my family. I neglected my health. I would pay dearly in time … but let’s not get ahead of ourselves.

The Stew Is In the Pot

We hadn’t even taken the stage and we had already lost three Talent Brothers. The whole idea was originated with Clyde and Jabbar. When they left I was certain that bringing in a guy like Jef would be perfect. For a couple of days an extremely impressive actress named Paige Lussier was on board. Every time I started to gain confidence that this idea and this show would be something special … somebody walked.

I was frustrated … nobody was grasping hold of the idea, the concept, the gimmick. As a child, whenever I played with my brother, I was Robin to his Batman. Tonto to his Lone Ranger. I didn’t really want the spotlight. I wanted to showcase the talents of others and give myself a moment or two to shine. My focus would be to support the group … I never wanted to be a star; I just wanted to be part of something special. I would focus on the “business end” and try to get us as much press as possible. What would lead to success would be unity, a commonality. “If mama says we’re family, we’re family!”

Maybe I should have been more of a leader.

The week before Stew opened we had a blurb in the Village Voice, a listing in Time Out New York, been booked as part of the 2005 Fashion District Arts Festival and an exclusive interview featured on nytheatre.com. We had shot and edited a handful of cute, funny little skits to show on a television during the show while we made costume changes and such. What we hadn’t done is actually run the damn show. We had no idea of how it might flow … I was worried that it would run way too long.

This is where writing this little history gets tricky. It’s hard to write anything negative about people who I genuinely care about. But the truth is the truth, right? So, before we go any further, let me point something out. Today JB is a good friend and I respect him and his talents a great deal. The past is the past. We were both man enough to recognize our mistakes and make peace with them and each other. He’s grown and I’ve grown.

But back to August of 2005 …

I was stretched nearly to the breaking limit. My marriage was in jeopardy, my health was on the decline, my job was frustrating and Abnormal Stew kept trying to fall apart. Kat Castaneda wasn’t anywhere to be found, JB’s wife Tammy would be stepping in for our first performance, Jillyn McKittrick was obviously growing unhappy with the whole sock monkey idea and had her own issues … with her husband Chad, with me and apparently with Andy. I’ll leave what those issues might be to your imagination. Laz and Giselle were slowly evolving into a couple … at least something really good would come out of all this.

I scheduled a rehearsal at my place a few days before we opened. We would relax. We would have a little fun, enjoy one another’s company … and run the freaking show from top to bottom. We would get back on track …

… or not.

That rehearsal did not go well. Too much alcohol was served, too many egos were bruised. We never ran the show and JB left … quite literally just went out to smoke and was never seen again. We were hours away from opening … and I had no idea what was going to happen.

Give credit where credit is due: Laz Viciedo is one of the most talented and confident performers I have ever met. He would become a good friend and, in some ways, a mentor. I could riff with him better than I had been able to riff with any other actor or comedian … ever … and I’ve done this for a while. I wasn’t terribly worried about getting on a stage… I knew that, if push came to shove, Laz and I could take the ball and run with it. Giselle (who I also respect and love and who will forever be my sister) and Andy had some funny moments together that were can’t miss. Jillyn would be dressed in a ridiculous sock monkey costume. We would be okay.

But I was distracted, angry and frustrated. JB may have pissed me off, but he was my brother. You don’t talk shit about my brother to me. Most of the cast (Laz, Giselle and even Andy) tread lightly around the subject … at least with me. They were hurt and angry and they had every right to be. But they had the tact to be cognizant of my feelings – they expressed their disappointment and anger, but stopped short of insulting me or what JB and I had accomplished thus far. They made me aware of their feelings and concerns and I certainly appreciated and respected them for it. They could’ve just said, “Screw this!” and walked out.

All I could do was question all the effort, all the thought, all the money, all the time that I had committed to this project. I had put even more than I intended on the line. Was the whole concept of The Talented Talent Brothers worth even pursuing? I had made two new friends, Laz and Giselle, who I respected and appreciated … but my idea, my dream, kept trying to come crashing down.

Would Stew even open? And if so, at what cost?