April 5, 2010

Hello Friends!

It’s starting to feel like home. This was our FIRST week to just do the show and not rehearse for this thing or that thing. Felt great. I think everyone had a lot more energy last week and now we can really get into the rhythm of the long haul. Shout out to Lee Zarrett who went on for Margaret Meade last week for a few performances. He was excellent and FUNNY! It’s always a “visual” shock to see someone else doing a role other than the person you are used to seeing, so I have to say when Lee walked out in that wig and dress, it was hard for everyone to keep from breaking. Then, he stood in this Mary Poppins fifth position when he was speaking…HIGHLARIOUS!

Also, I wanna congratulate our swing Nick Belton who made his Broadway Debut Sunday. It was a great week. Oh and our cast joined the Broadway Bowling League under the team name the “Merkins”. I wont explain what a Merkin is…I’ll leave that to you to find out, but I’ll give you a hint, it’s a Toupee, um…of sorts. (Annaleigh and Diana came up with this one) I’m not so sure how well we scored…but we had TEAM SPIRIT!

Now on a more personal and funny note, I had a minor injury during the Saturday Mat. I stubbed my toe pretty hard coming down the stairwell from the Mez during Hare Krishna. When I got down to the orchestra I realized I needed to get off stage quickly and address my wound. So as I am going to my “Ohms” with Diana, I exit the stage (much to her confusion) and there was NO ONE THERE TO HELP ME! I panicked for about 2 secs then I said to myself: “you’re an adult, there is a First Aid kit, and you have about 4 mins to get yourself together before its obvious that you have left the stage”. Well, for minutes later, big toe in bandage, I was back out there “Taking Trips”. It was a minor laceration but it hurt like hell! Well as Murphy’s Law would have it, wouldn’t you know it, in Act II that same exact toe was crushed (never happened before) by the heel of Kyle’s boot. I THOUGHT I MIGHT DIE!! (And I almost slapped him in one of those involuntary-you-just-caused-me-great-pain-and-you-don’t-even-know-it knee jerk reactions.) It was a traumatic show for my big toe but we survived.

Well that’s about all. We celebrated the One Year Anniversary of HAIR last week, so we are ready to keep rockin’ and rollin’.

Until next time folks.

Here are a few backstage pics. I could caption them, but it’s better to just see them and make up your own story line.

Tags: backstage, blog, bowling, broadway, HAIR, musical, rehearsal

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So on Saturday, there was a lady who sat in the front row of our evening show and man was she excited to be there!! She knew ALL the lyrics to all the songs in the show. Now, this is not uncommon for a show like HAIR; however, she was determined to sing and dance from her seat to every number. It was certainly entertaining to the cast onstage and probably more annoying to the audience members on either side of her. But then the strangest thing happened, by Act II she was comatose. Some of us wondered if she was maybe bipolar and suffering from bouts of mania and depression while watching the show; but alas, the culprit of her drastic change in behavior was not a lack of meds but the gentle chastisement of her fellow Hair watchers in the front row and probably an usher or two.

Witnessing her drastic change made me miss the excited lady who was with us during Act I. I preferred her to the barley breathing woman she reverted to, so that got me thinking. Which is better for us and the audience as a whole, the over-enthused audience member who might bother those less outgoing theater-goers or someone who is less involved?

I don’t really know what makes a GREAT audience member, but I compiled a list of things that you CAN do to piss off an entire ensemble of performers trying to put on the best show for you that they can.

So here it is…

Top 10 things you SHOULD NOT do when coming to see HAIR. PLEASE!

10. Laugh when Shelia says, “That’s when they tear gassed us.” (Not too funny to us)

9. Stay in your seat for the dance party. (I mean you don’t have to join us onstage, but it’s like sitting in a chair at a club. Really!?)

8. You sing the songs in the show louder than the cast onstage. (If we can hear you and  we have mics, you’re TOO loud!)

7. You fall asleep during the first act. (Surely we haven’t bored you yet!)

6. You stand up and yell “I knew it!” when Claude doesn’t burn his draft card. (It’s a silent, sensitive moment. If you wanna be heard that much…audition for the show.)

5. You take pictures during “Aquarius”, the opening song, right after you’ve been reminded not to TAKE PICTURES! (People, for the record we can see the infrared focus light on your camera!)

4. You sit on the front row and wear sunglasses. Are you kidding me? (Unless you’re a senior citizen and you have an aversion to lights- in which case maybe consider…a movie???)

3. You steal props from the show when you’re invited onstage after the show to dance with us. (Do I go to your house and take things? NO!)

2. You leave during intermission. (You leave a big empty hole. We see it. Take the journey…you may learn something.)

1. You take pictures DURING THE SHOW!!! (Hello people! We get naked! It’s rude and you should be ejected!!!)

Honorable Mention: You defecate in the mezzanine prop closet and then wipe yourself with a curtain in the closet. (This apparently REALLY happened so it’s worth mentioning. DON’T DO THIS AGAIN!

Tags: aquarius, audience, backstage, broadway, funny, HAIR, musical

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The Broadway cast of Hair performed on Live with Regis and Kelly Tuesday morning. Kelly Ripa joined with the cast in a performance of the show’s opening number “Aquarius.” Hair was invited to perform as part of Live’s annual Broadway Week, saluting Broadway’s hottest new shows.

Click Play below to watch the performance.

Hair is currently performing at the Al Hirschfeld Theater, at 302 West 45th Street.

For more information, and how to get tickets. Visit the show’s website by clicking here.

Tags: aquarius, broadway, HAIR, kelly, live, musical, performance, regis, revival

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End of April HAIRTICKER…

The president of the country of GEORGIA came to the show, accompanied by about 15 security guards. Intense.

A woman tries to sneak into the show after intermission with the cast as they burst through the outside doors. She is quickly subdued by our security. (Really lady?)

We performed at Earth Day and it was awesome. We were told The Mayor asked that we stick around for his arrival (as he would be there later) because he wanted to say “HEY”. We’re all cool with MJB like that. J Also, rumor has it the Wailers, who also performed, asked the cast of HAIR to join them onstage in an upcoming concert to perform “ONE LOVE”. That would be amazing…fingers crossed.

The recently crowned Miss America, Caressa Cameron, attended our show. Then to my urging, she sang “Listen” which she performed as her talent during the pageant to an empty house on her FIRST Broadway Stage. And, um…she can SANG!

As you probably ALREADY KNOW the cast performed “Aquarius” on LIVE with Regis and Kelly. AWESOME!! (Kelly actually clocked me with her elbow during rehearsal, but she’s such a professional and during the actual taping, there was NO CLOCKAGE. LOL)

Our director, producers, and many other “key” players in HAIR returned from their forced 1 week VOLCATION in London after being trapped since the Aquarius Company opened there.

An IMPOSTER called in to Howard Stern’s Sirius radio show pretending to be Paris (one of our cast members) and lied about being onstage with Diana and was asked questions about her and her involvement in the show which he couldn’t answer because he’s not in the show!!!  He’s a fake, a liar, a phony, and a low life with nothing better to do than LIE. I detest LIERS. I really do. Plus he targeted one of the most sincere, professional, honest, and protective tribe members in our company to lie about being. To this jerk I say, “Get a life dude, don’t defame and misrepresent people, and don’t piss off a bunch of hippies—some of them are only “peaceful” 8 times a week. To Mr. Stern, …really??? Check your sources man and if you want to know that bad about Diana and what she’s wearing and/or not wearing COME SEE THE SHOW. Matter of fact, buy some additional tickets for your listeners and send them too—don’t stoop to spying. It’s beneath…well, even you.

Lastly, here we go…AGAIN. April showers will bring MAY reviewers. We are so excited about yet another “We are here world….Groove with us baby!” statement to the public!

Bonus: My birthday is this week and my mom is coming in to town…so I’m super goosey gassy baby! J

Tags: blog, broadway, HAIR, lawrence stallings, musical, revival

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Thursday, May 13, 2010

Hello hippie lovers! Things are going great here in the HIPPIE HANGOUT!  I wanted to give a BIG CONGRATS to Nick Belton who went on for “Berger” for the first time last night! You were awesome dude!! You should be proud of your work mate J Also this week Justin Badger will also make his “BERGER” debut starting tomorrow. GO JUSTIN! I am sure you will be equally fantastic my friend! It’s always exciting to have the swings and understudies go on. The energy changes slightly, and everyone has to be slightly “more” on their game to adjust to the minor changes. It’s great and it’s what acting is about…a sense of spontaneity. Everyone in our show is so talented. When a new person steps in we just surround that person with “hippie” love and watch them soar. It’s a beautiful thing. And if you happen to be at a show where the person you wanted to see is out…first…breathe!-it is going to be okay. I’m sure once you get over your personal disappointments that the person you WANTED to see is not the person you WILL see, you will find that their performance will be quite exceptional. You will learn to appreciate the energy of a swing/understudy who is giving you “opening” night energy in the middle of the week, five months into the run, because they don’t do the role everyday or it may very well be their opening night. So sit back and enjoy. You man just discover a new star!

To all the swings, standbys and understudies on Broadway I say, “ROCK ON!!!”

Peace.

Tags: backstage, blog, broadway, HAIR, musical, theatre

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