...and We're Inviting You!

It is hard to believe that tomorrow night we start our final weekend of this show. It seems like auditions were a year ago, and that we rehearsed for like forever, and then we started performances and they have just flown by. Should that be the part that should last the longest? I guess not.

Looking back I still have to reiterate what a wonderful experience this has been. Starting with the damn audition that I had to do. Auditions, I HATE them. Why can't people just ask me to be in shows anymore? It is funny, because I used to be pretty much well known amongst the St. Louis Theatre Community, but the last decade or so, I have been mainly concentrating on directing and musically directing, and my performance side sort of died away. I remember during High Fidelity, people that had known me just as a direrctor came to the show, and they were like "Wow, I didn't know you could sing." During Wild Party I have had some friends come to see the show that knew me in my prime, and now they are telling me "Man it is good to see you back on stage." I like being back onstage, BUT I DON'T LIKE TO AUDITION! LOL. If it would have been for other people I probably would have been fine, but for Wild Party auditions the only people in the room were pretty much people I knew, Scott, Robin, and Taylor, and then Alison who I didn't know but I had heard great things about her, and I guess I was a little intimidated. Now I have gotten to know Alison, so if I go through another audition for New Line I'll be that more nervous. I am glad I did it though. I remember the day of auditions that I attended, I almost backed out. I remember telling that to Robin and Taylor, and they convinced me to do it, so I owe them big time for kicking me in the butt and getting me to go to that audition.

Then hearing about the part I received-Phil D'Armono. Who the hell was Phil anyway? At the read through I was looking for lines as I always do, well if you know Wild Party there aren't many speaking lines, so that didn't help a lot. It wasn't until Scott made us talk about our characters, and then in the next couple of weeks we explored some of the relationships with some of the other characters, that was really where the fun crept in. I remember when Mike decided that Queenie was his role model. Well then that finalized who wore the pants in our relationship. We did have the whole discussion of how Mike wanted to get over to Queenies make up table and start putting on make up and then wanted to come out in Queenies Robe at one point. Well we got the make up worked in, but the robe thing didn't quite work.

It was also funny how Phil and Oscar relate to Kate. Phil doesn't like Kate, but Oscar just thinks she is the bee's knees. And through the whole rehearsal process Queenie has turned into the idol that Phil and Oscar worship. And that can be seen from Queenies entrance before Raise the roof all the way to the end during the confrontation. I feel Phil is super worried about Queenie, more than he is worried about Burrs or Black, he just doesn't want his Queenie to get hurt.

Well tomorrow is the beginning of the end. If you haven't seen the show, I hope you get to come see it, and if you have made it to the show already thank you for coming to support us and joining in our Wild Party.

Til later

Phil D'Armono