Friday, June 27, 2008

"Oi, Oi, Oi!"

Well we started our third week of performances, and the show was great. Of course we had friends in the audience that helped with the laughter, but our cast just gels. The second time coming back from four days off, and we nailed it. Kimi and Jeff are remarkable, as is the whole cast. After having a birthday on Wednesday, number 41, and it being such a downer day doing the show again woke me up, and I had fun. We sold out last night and supposidly Saturday night is completely sold out too. Wow, granted that space is a small space and doesn't take a lot to fill it up, but to be totally full three times now, and four on Saturday it is an awsome feeling. I have a feeling that tonight will be a sell out too. Next week, unfortunately doesn't look as promising. Especially the 4th of July there is only like 30 seats sold, if that many. You don't do too many shows where you sell out this many times in a run.

Well this old grey haired fart better get back to work. Don't lift anything I wouldn't lift.

Klepto-boy, Joel

Sunday, June 22, 2008

And so it goes!

Ok so we have finished our second weekend of performances for High Fidelity. I am sad to see that it is half way over. I may have been to myself during rehearsals, but now that the show has opened I have made a lot of friends that I will cherrish for a long time. I have really only been involved with two other productions that have made me feel this way. One was Big River with Spotlight Productions, and the other was Into the Woods with Kirkwood Theatre Guild. Both shows had casts that were amazing and gelled together. Well the productions may not have been the best, but there was energy, and feeling put into those performances, there was a "truth" to the acting, something that Scott tells us every night before High Fidelity, that stays with me through the entire performance. Keep the story truthful, and the caharacters will be believable.

I felt bad last night that I couldn't go out and bond with the cast after the show, but I had to travel home to Wentzville, and then this morning had to be at work at 8:00 (12 minutes ago). I am sure everyone had a blast. This cast just gets along so well, and has fun with each other. You can see that onstage and offstage. God how did I get so lucky. I hope everyone else in the cast is resting peacefully this morning while I get ready to do exercise with my residents at the nursing Home. Yes I work in a nursing home, and I love it. I can't see myself working anywhere right now.

This weekend gave us two more nights of pretty much sold out houses, and what a great feeling that is to perform for a crowd, how ever small your house is. We continue to get nothing but praise. One of our friends who does theatre around St. Louis, and loves to go see shows here and on Broadway, who always has something that bothers him about the show, he LOVED it, except for my hair. That was his one thing with this show. If you come to see it, you will see my beautiful hair. Well I better get to work. I hope this finds everyone well. Klepto boy will return shortly, until then he will be lowly Activity Coordinator by day, and rocking Klepto boy with the bad hairdo by night.

ROck on!

Klepto-boy, Joel

Wednesday, June 18, 2008

Here we go again

SO it has been a while since the last post, but I have sort of been unwinding, and going through realtor hell! I put a bid on a condo, got accepted, and then my dad is going in on the loan with me to help me out, I have to say I have my problems with my parents, but they are some of the most supportive parents you could ever have. Well yesterday after a decent day at work, I get home, and they say they have bad news, the loan didn't go through. I was devistated, so I sat downstairs feeling sorry for myself, and just sulking. Well After coming home tonight my dad went to a different bank, and they are going to give us the loan, so hopefully the paperwork will go through on this one. I know I am not getting my hopes up, until I have those keys in my hand.

Last weekend was such a rush. What a great opening weekend. I am so proud of this show, and so happy that my good friend Robin, mentioned me to Scott to be a part of this show. Everyone says there are no small actors, I am the largest actor onstage, but with one of the smaller parts, and I can tell you I feel like I am working just as hard to give a great performance just like our leads are.

I have been reading the reviews and they have been great. Of course there has to be that one, that mentions something negative, and really there hasn't been much negative said about this show. I have to disagree with the review about Nikki. It is one persons opinion. I remember getting a review once that said my singing didn't impress, and I pride myself on my voice. That review knocked me down for a long time. You know what that review pushed me even harder to be better, even if I wasn't bad to begin with. Pleas Nikki don't take these reviews too seriously. I don't know who the reviewer was, but sometimes these people think they know everything about music, but don't know squat! You are fabulous onstage, and we are happy that we got you in our show....Miss Liz 3.0! You are amazing, and just keep doing what you are doing!

God I love this cast! Thank you guys for making an old fart like me have so much fun onstage. And again thank you Scott for giving this fat, grey-haired Klpto-boy a chance to be onstage again.

See everyone tomorrow, to get pumped up to do the show!

Love you all!
Klepto-boy

Friday, June 13, 2008

OPENING NIGHT!

I can't believe it is finally here. It really seems like this rehearsal process has flown by. It has! I think with such a talented group of people we took Scotts blocking and went with it, and fine tuned the things that he wanted tuned along the way. Last night we had a decent crowd, about 45, not too bad, but it gave us a feel for when the audience might laugh. There were a few chuckles, and a few "Ahhs" but the wierdest thing was standing right in front of people and singing right to their face, when al this time you have gotten used to singing to the empty chairs. I guess the people sort of pumped up the adrenaline, and I felt like I was bouncing all over the place, I may have not been, but hey at least it felt like I was.

After the show last night a majority of the cast went to Joanie's Pizza down in Soulard. DUmb mistake on my part, but I am glad I did it. It was a time to talk to the rerst of the cast, you know something that I haven't really done throughout this whole rehearsal process, because I had to drive to Wentzville every night. Well I did last night too, and it was a long, scary ride that I don't remember parts of, but I am glad I got to know some of the other cast members. Talking to Scott I realized that I was the one that had done the earliest New Line show besides himself. Granted it has been 15 years since I did my last New Line show, but Attempting the Absurdwas I think the second season. It was that and a Sondheim Revue, and and auction fundraiser that wwe put together a cabaret type thing that was a blast.

I do have to say that I am struggling to stay awake at work today, but I think that I will have plenty of energy tonight. Two more hours and I will be done with work and then I'll go to Break Co. or something and just chill until I have to be at the theatre.

Well I hope to see some of you over the next four weeks of this show. And maybe you'll have to come again, because you liked it so much that you want to pick up on new things.

Klepto boy has left the buiding.

Joel (Klepto-Boy)

Thursday, June 12, 2008

"Turn the world off....."

Ok time to start the run of the show with preview night tonight, and we open tomorrow night, and just let the rest of the world float on by, and just conentrate on the show. We had our laast dress rehearsal last night, and what a blast. Scott was thoroughly please, with only a few nit-picky notes, and a majority of positive notes. I have got to hand it to the leads Kimi, Zack, Aaron, Nikki, Katie, Margeau, Rob, and wow Jeff, who knew you had all this inside of you. I watch all of these performances each night and I am still amazed, and keep wondering how I got put with such a great group of performers. I still feel like I am the high school kid amongst all of the professional actors. Everyone sounds so natural when they deliver their lines, and I feel, even though it may not come accross that way, that I am just reciting lines, and reading them off of the page. Then there is my hair style for the performances, you'll just have to come and see. My clothes, and hair and everything is just not me, and I mean REALLY NOT me!

HUge thanks needs to go out to Scott who fought to do this show, and got the rights, and went through all the stuff with the writers. He has really bout the emotion to the show, and it isn't just another musical comedy, where everything is played for the laughs. I have learned a lot. I think that is what I need to do, is do more shows, and watch different directors, and soak up everyting that I can. I love the way scott delves himself into each show, I mean thinking of all the hidden things, hidden meanings in dialogue, relationships, and what those relationships mean, and all that stuff. Yeah I am babbling, but I am at work and working on five hours of sleep, and usually I don't function with that little sleep, and to top it all off my air conditioning went out in my car, I still have the blower going but the cool air isn't coming through.

I have also put a bid on a condo here in Kirkwood, which is exciting and scary, but I am totally pumped.

So we will see you at the record store, and don't steal any thing....that is my job.

Klepto-boy.

Monday, June 9, 2008

"Sometimes all you need is a sliver of hope...."

Well yesterday (Sunday) we had our Sitzprobe with the band. Overall I didn't think it was that bad. I know how Scott was feeling, I have been in that position so many times, you know how you want it to sound, and it doesn't sound that way, and you are trying to think of how to improve it, and you hear everyone talking around you and you just want to explode. Well that is the way I feel during tech week sometimes. Either that or I just have a complete melt down, totally breaking down and crying because I can't handle the pressure anymore.

I think this show is in good standing, now the band knows sort of what is going on, they know what they need to practice on, and where they have solo lines. I think once the band starts to groove we are going to blow the audience away.

I feel sort of bad that I havent' gotten to bond with this cast as much as I usually do. Well for this show I am still living in Wentzville which is a bitch to drive every night, especially after the days when I work and then do a full out rehearsal. Hopefully that will change soon or at least during the run of the show. I am looking for a place to live, had a couple of options, but some have fizzled out. Started out looking for just an apartment but now it looks like I am looking for a house.

Well I think rehearsal tonight should be great. I know everyone is worried about one thing or another, but I think that will bump the adrenaline up, and give us the energy we need. Yeah we run with costumes tonight if you choose to. I only have one costume change and there is plenty of time for me to change so I am not worrying about it.

Well I better get to work. Thanks for reading, and we will let you know how HELL week is going!

Klepto-boy