But no ADHD diagnosis was available during my school years.  As I can recall I would have to study, study and restudy to absorb information.  By the time I got to college, I would listen to the professor’s lecture and write down every word as fast as I could using little tricks like an upward slash would indicate the word “the” or an “x” would indicate of.  I would then review those copious class notes that night and once again before the next class.  This repetition was a valuable tool for my otherwise easily distracted mind.

As a writer, playwrighter specifically, being easily distracted is both good and bad.

The bad: You have an idea for play “A”, the characters start to gel in your mind, and then you start to write.  Another idea for play “B” pops into your head and you’re off.  You know you should continue with play “A” but play “B” is so tempting you decide to go with it.  All the files for play “A” are closed as you start on play “B”.  See where I’m going with this?  Damn you, ADHD.  (Thanks Dell for nearly unlimited space on my computer for barely started play concepts.)

The good:  As I have written on this blog previously, once I have an idea for a play, its characters and its basic plot(s), I will jump to the end (back again, ADHD?)  and write the last few pages first.  No need to call Dr. Phil, folks, I’ll willingly admit this must be some unnamed playwrighting psychological disorder (PPD?).  Why is this good?  Once I start writing, you know Act 1, Scene 1”, my clearly defined characters start to flow to the end of the script aboard the SS ADHD.  After various twists and turns they do manage to get to the end.

A friend from college contacted me last week about a short story she had written that was published a few years ago.  Although embarrassed, I told her I had not read it so she emailed me a copy.  After reading it, I called and told her with more research it would make a great plot for a play.  Close play “B”, here comes play “C”.

Not to stray too far off topic  but maybe this condition explains why I love dogs so much.  Jackson, my yellow lab, could be outside, snoringly bathing in the sun and all I have to do is toss a ball across the yard, he’s on it.  Brings the ball back to me for a repeat performance and instead I pick up a twig. He drops the ball and jumps for the twig.  Was that his ADHD kicking in?  (A cat, on the other hand, does not exhibit any signs of being easily distracted.  She will look at you.  Yawn. And think “You fool, you threw the darn ball, you go fetch it.”)

P.S. Perhaps the worse demon for a writer using a computer is being notified when new email arrives in your inbox.  I enable my computer to ping me whenever a new email arrives and then immediately flash the details of this email (who it’s from and the subject line) on a small box on my computer screen.  It happened a couple of times while I was writing this.  Of course I had to drop everything to go read and answer them.  Now where was I…

42^nd Street

When I heard that this musical was being performed by The Community Players (Pawtucket, RI) I had to go and see it.  Not that I have never seen 42^nd Street before, but more out of curiosity to see how a local theater group would find the needed talented pool of dancers needed to pull off the frequent tap dancing routines.

We sat in the front row, one foot away from the platform steps that the cast fully utilized.  (I tucked my feet under my seat out of fear that one of the performers would trip over them.)

Andy Lee, the show’s choreographer and lead tapper had me during the opening number, The Audition.  He brought out the spirited dancing fever by the entire company.

For those who are not familiar with the 42^nd Street plot it goes something like this: Peggy Sawyer comes to New York City from Allentown, PA to get a job as a singer/dancer on Broadway, she lands a chorus job and through some chance of fate ends up a star.  Hey, it could happen.

Shelia Senko was no stranger to playing the lead role of Peggy as she had performed that role while in high school in Grove City, PA.  She did a terrific job and her voice was terrific.  Eve Marie Webster portrayed the egocentric Dorothy Brock convincingly and had all of us laughing at her Shadow Waltz rendition.   Paul Oliver as the show (Pretty Lady) within the show’s director Julian March, sternly called the shots but had his tender moments too.  It was a pleasure listening to him belt out 42^nd Street and Lullaby of Broadway. Kara Marziali as Maggie (part of Pretty Lady’s creative team) had her moments in Go Into Your Dance and Getting Out Of Town.  Filipe Fernandes who played Billy was an outstanding dancer and man, can he sing.

The cast also included: Jim Lyons, Kimberly Harper, Alicia Bekeny, Hannah Schott, Marvin Monroe Mathis, Stephanie Bobola, Jane Moroff, Ron Procopio*, Robert Gruslin, Jr., Sarah DeMoranville, Joe Wilkicki, John Ricci and Sandy Remington.

The director of 42^nd Street was Andrew Bobola who managed to keep the production rolling seamlessly with the numerous scene changes.  I especially enjoyed his full theater utilization with the casts entering, exciting, dancing through the aisles in the audience.

42^nd Street will be closing after next Sunday’s performance.  Visit The Community Payers website to learn more about this show and their upcoming shows.  Or call them: 401/726-6860.

FYI: The Community Players is now in it’s 91^st season.  It is Rhode Island’s oldest community theater.

*Ron Procopio was also the music director.  It was his cleverly delivered lines as the music director of the show (Pretty Lady) within the show.  His team of musicians played flawlessly.  I couldn’t help glancing over at the musician playing the reeds, Brenda Young Runner, as there were times she would rapidly switch from clarinet to saxophone and back and forth from bar to bar.

As director Richard Sabellico notes: “Parables are heavenly truths draped in an earthly framework. Sometimes they are based on fact and other times merely conceived by spiritualists to embrace their teachings.  Joseph And The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat is a parable based on truths seen thru the eyes of Andrew Lloyd Webber and Time Rice.”

Courthouse’s Joseph And The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat  staging was seen through the eyes of Mr. Sabellico.  His imaginative vision drew us in from the moment the Narrator (Lizzy Palmer) sang her first word until the very end.  Mr. Sabellico also choreographed the production, not an easy task given the intimate stage and the large cast…not to mention the varying musical genres crafted by Mr. Webber.  His exceptional choreography was illustrated in Benjamin Calypso.

Billy Stevens as Joseph was perfection.  As his bio notes, he is a NYC based actor having performed in numerous shows.  Mr. Stevens is also a registered nurse specializing in oncology.

 Lizzy Palmer as the Narrator is a recent graduate of Syracuse University majoring in Musical Theater. Talk about selecting the right major.  Guaranteed it will not be all that long before Ms. Palmer will be entertaining Broadway audiences.

Michael John Lewis as Pharaoh was tremendous.  His rock star performance and his hip gyrations had cast members and the audience (and, well, okay, maybe even some of the guys) all gaga.

Ed Kane played both Jacob and Potiphar.  He was so believable in both roles I actually had to ask someone was the guy playing Jacob – who sat in a chair less than three feet away from me – the same one as Potiphar?

Almost forgot Alyssa Gorgone.  Remember in my posting of Avenue Q how I mentioned a memorable brief, no, infinitesimal performance by JonPaul Rainville (he’s the Production Manager of Joseph)?  Well, Ms. Gorgone’s performance as Mrs. Potiphar was likewise brief and also memorable.

The brothers were played by: Vincent Christy, Andrew Faria, Timmi Gammon, Andrew Jones, Aaron Lathrop, Michael John Lewis, Jared Robinson, Max Theroux, Matthew Thompson and Cory Waldron.  Talented bunch of guys: sang well, danced well and acted well.  (I can still recall the performances of two of these guys from Avenue Q: Andrew Jones and Aaron Lathrop.)

Unfortunately, Joseph And The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat closes this weekend at Courthouse.  I doubt that there are still any seats left…hence the reason we went last night (Thursday) instead of over the weekend.  Give them a call, who knows, maybe some seats have freed up: 401/782-1018.

P.S. To one of the brothers who sat next to my wife before the show began: thanks a lot.  You are the very talented one  who besides singing and dancing you played the electric guitar, horn and accordion…you passed a comment about liking my wife’s earrings.  Yeah, well, before the show began this caused a little tiff along the lines of “See how a total stranger notices something about me like my earrings and you blah-blah-blah.”  I responded: “Oh.  You have ears?  I never noticed them before.”

P.P.S. The next show which Courthouse will mount is Nunsense (May 10^th- June 3^rd). As was announced at intermission Marilyn Farina, the actress who played Mother Superior in the original New York production, will be re-creating that role at Courthouse.  If I were you, I’d get your tickets now: 401/782-1018.  (I find it more convenient ordering my tickets online, you can select the seat you want and see its location: Courthouse Theater )

That terms prompts a pyramid to come front and center in my mind.  The top of the pyramid is Broadway, of course.   Below that falls the fine LORT (League of Regional Theaters).  Below LORT is what I like to think of as Local Theater.

I use the term “local theater” as opposed to pejorative terms such as community, amateur or little theater.  (Amateur or little theater conjures up visions of Aunt Harriet’s Dinner Theater and Laundromat.) Think about it.  When you hear the term amateur theater what do you think of?  Ill fitting costumes.  Sets falling down.  Actors working without pay (although a few local theaters do give actors a stipend).  Your cousin Sally who can’t remember where she put her keys much less remember lines in a play.

As the saying goes, amateur theater ain’t what it used to be.

Local theaters work with extremely tight budgets.  In spite of this, they imaginatively construct sets oftentimes rivaling their Equity counterparts.  Same thing applies to the quality of their actors and the masterful staging.

For example, having previously seen Richard Greenberg’s play Take Me Out at a professional theater, I was curious at how a local theater was going to pull off the shower scenes.  Expecting to not see any water from the shower heads, I was surprised to see that there was running “hot” water.  Even more amazing was the fact that we sat in the first row and not a single drop of water found its way out of the group shower stall.

Another reality is that not all actors, directors or playwrights are ready for Broadway or a LORT production.  (Trust me, I’ve been to a number of new playwrights’ LORT productions, some were beyond awful.  They, of course, were never to be heard from again as they joined the ranks of “one and done” playwrights.)  Participation in a local theater allows us to nurture, grow and develop our skill set, a process whereby we become more and more confident of our talent as we stretch ourselves beyond our perceived limitations.

Get involved with any facet of your local theater where your help is needed.  Lynne Collinson was an usher during our first visit to 2^nd Story Theatre.  During our second visit to 2^nd Story, Lynne played the lead role in August: Osage County.

If you are unsure of which local theaters are in your area, visit the website of the American Association of Community Theatres.  Here you will find local theaters listed by state with complete contact information.

(Why I say journeyed is because we Rhode Islanders are use to traveling within our cities and towns…driving to Westerly, on the Connecticut border, is almost unthinkable unless you pack a lunch. It is after all a 30 mile trek from Warwick.)

Before the play began, I spoke to Carl, a fellow Warwick resident who happened to be sitting next to me.  He said that his group has been coming to The Granite for years and have enjoyed each play.  Then David Jepson, producer/artistic director of The Granite,  pointed out before the show to a packed house, this is The Granite Theatre’s 12th successful season.

This tragic comedy takes place in Hazlehurst, Mississippi when the three Magrath sisters are once again re-united due to their Old Granddaddy’s hospitalization.  Each of the sisters has a “crime of the heart”.

Vincent Lupino had his hands full in directing this challenging 34 year old play.  But he mounted  this production with a great deal of enthusiasm.  Never a dull/draggy moment.

The play was cast very well with Susanne Collie as Lenny Magrath, Ann Westendorf as Lenny’s self-absorbed cousin Chick, Amy Carter Buckley as the not-so-popular singer sister Margaret Magrath and Danielle Conti as the not so contrite attempted murderess Babe (Magrath) Botrelle.  Nicholas Mikkelsen as Barnette Lloyd, Babe’s youthful lawyer, and Brian Olsen as Doc Porter convincingly tackled their roles.

Last Saturday night I didn’t see an empty seat in the house. Crimes of the Heart will play through Sunday, April 1st.  If I were you, I would call The Granite Theater (401/596-2341) now to be sure you don’t miss spending time with the Magrath sisters.

This morning I received an email attacking ObamaCare and tree hugging, liberals.

This pushed me right over the top.

I am so done tolerating this anti-everything rhetoric from friends sending me email that rattle my core beliefs that I am now responding to each one.  For example this morning’s spoke of a woman needing to see her doctor but had to wait an excessively long time in the waiting room.  When she asked the doctor why the long wait, he responded it was due to ObamaCare.

My response was simply:

I’m a tree hugging, pro-Obama, liberal.

P.S. If the current, women-hating GOPers have their way, the woman would have never been treated no matter how long she waited.

Our youngest son who is a teacher/laid off teacher/teacher/laid off teacher will be once again unemployed due to teacher cut backs at the end of this school year.  Thanks’ President Obama and ObamaCare because he will continued to be covered by our family health insurance until he turns 26.

Of course, GOPers have a problem with that.  Let’s get real, they have a problem with EVERYTHING (too numerous to list here).

Who am I?  I’m a tree hugging, pro-Obama, pro women’s rights, pro gay, pro equal rights for all, pro Occupy Wall Streeter (what are they up to now?), bleeding heart liberal.  End of story.

For the record, in my plays, I present both sides of an issue.  If political, I objectively present both the left and right points of view.   (For example, in my latest play “Caught Off Guard”, I wrote about social agendas of the radical left and the radical right.  When one of the main characters, Martin, is asked to take sides, he simply responds: “Martin is Swiss. Therefore, Martin is neutral.”)  It is my feeling that it is up to an audience member to decide which side of the fence he/she is on.  They come to my play with years and years of opinions layered within them.  Is my ego the size of Montana to believe that a few hours of hearing my words will in some way be a life changing experience? 

Lynne Collinson as Violet Weston. Certifiable but certainly not lacking in spunk.

SOLD OUT.  SOLD OUT.  SOLD OUT.

I love seeing that on production dates for local theater.  It’s a clear indication that they have successfully mounted a show: the right play, the right class, the right direction…

Such is the case with the 2^nd Story Theatre’s (Warren, RI) production of Tracy Letts “August: Osage County”.

We attended “August” on Saturday night.

Perhaps the best testimony as to Ed Shea’s staging of Letts’ award winning (2008: Pulitzer Prize, Tony Award, Drama eEsk Award, NY Drama Critics, etc.) play came from a whispered observation from a man in back of us: “They make our family look normal.”  (I can only imagine the dynamics of his family given the extreme dysfunction of the Weston family on stage.)  Why is this the best testimony of this production?  In a word: believability.

Shea’s direction of an extremely talented cast made their characters believable.

From the moment Violet (Lynne Collinson) explosively bursts onto the stage in a drug induced stupor you are drawn into the dynamics of a family in turmoil. Relationship failures, incest, suicide, sexual molestation, drug dependency…pick a malady and chances are it can be found in a Weston family member.

One of the greatest moments of the play – I’ll not go into specifics – was after a funeral when Violet goes into a rant.  Speaking about Violet, she is such a loony-tune that they purposely withhold information from her.  Little do they know she knows EVERYTHING about EVERYONE.

If you’re expecting an all’s well that ends well ending, forget it.  The Weston family members are destined to not have happy endings.

I couldn’t imagine any local actress portraying Violet more effectively than Lynne Collinson: tender, explosive, psychotic…  Her daughter Barbara (Joanne Fayan) attempts to take control of the situation of caring for Violet – along with a live-in housekeeper (Kim Arnold) – without first resolving her own marital problem.  Ivy (Emily Lewis), another daughter, is constantly belittled because of her rather plain appearance.  And Karen (Tanya Anderson Martin)  enters a state of denial over a molestation incident between her fiancé (Tom O’Donnell) and her under age niece (Valerie Westgate).  Violet’s sister, Mattie Fay (Paula Faber), could not disclose a little secret which would destroy the relationship between her son (Nicholas Thibeault) and his “cousin” Ivy.  I felt pity for Barbara’s husband, Bill (Andy Stigler), and Mattie Fay’s husband, Charlie (Vincent Petronio).  Had I married into the Weston family I probably would have chosen to share the fate of their alcoholic dad, Beverly (Tom Roberts) who had ended his poetry writing career years ago in the 60′s.  (Sheriff Gilbeau [Joe Henderson], trust me on this one, forget your crush on one of the Weston sisters.
Ever hear of the kiss of the spider woman?)

Outstanding award winning play.  Outstanding cast.  Outstanding staging.  (Kudos to Trevor Elliott the set designer.  It was functional and would certainly rival the set design of many top shows I’ve seen.)

For the record, you can still see 2^nd Story’s “August”.  But you will have to be flexible as to which performance you would like to attend as most of their remaining shows are either sold out or nearly sold out.  Reserve tickets here: 401/247-4200.

We sat two rows from the front of the stage…right behind the orchestra’s conductor.  Not only did this conductor handle the orchestra but she also played a keyboard plus cued singers and dancers.  She handled all three tasks flawlessly.

Since she was playing the keyboard (with both her hands) she would cue her orchestra members by nodding.  She would look at the singers on stage – who would be glancing at her, give a nod when they were to come in.  Similarly the dancers arrived as she would nod them onto the stage from the wings.

I’m not sure if you know of this “Money Kept Rolling In” song, but there is a point where all music, singing and dancing stops for what seemed to be an eternity but in reality only for a few seconds.  This conductor simultaneously hit the keyboard, elbowed the orchestra in, nodded the singers to resume and cocked her head in such a way that the dancers also got it cranking again.

Unfortunately the program has long since evaporated so I’m not able to mention who she was.  She was the greatest multi-tasking musical director I have ever seen.

I commented: Thanks, Jason. Unless you’re TRUE TO YOU, your writing – specifically your characters – will also be affected by a lack of authenticity.

Jason Facebook posting hit home.  How can you be a playwright (or an actor) without first being TRUE TO YOU?  Unless you have a clear understanding of who you are, how can you write about who someone else is?  Or how can you portray someone else without an innermost realization of that person even if it’s drawing upon a tangential personal experience?

An absolute whether you’re writing or acting is what you bring to the character from your life: essentially what makes them tick is what makes you tick.  Your character may have a mother slowing sinking into Alzheimer’s.  Perhaps this (insidious) disease has not directly affected anyone you know.  Imagine what it would be like to have your own mother not being able to recognize you.  You may have had an experience when an acquaintance or friend snubbed you either inadvertently or on purpose.  How did that make you feel?  Now magnify that feeling and you will feel (and be able to write or act) what it’s like to not have your own Alzheimer-suffering mother not acknowledge you or your relationship.

An example which hits home with me is writing about gay characters.  In four of my six full length plays written thus far, a gay theme is woven through the plot.  (My current project involves a gay love story.)   For me, married, father of four it would be difficult to draw from a personal experience as to what makes a gay person tick although I do have a number of gay friends.

What is inside of me to write about the gay experience?  I think back to my elementary school days.  When I was in the seventh grade we moved from Rhode Island to Windsor, Connecticut.  Since I had gone to a Catholic school in Rhode Island, naturally I would transfer to a Catholic school in our local Windsor parish.  Problem.  The school was full.  For my seventh grade I would have to go to St. Michael’s School in the south end of Hartford, a mostly black area.  Bear in mind I had come from a Rhode Island school (no blacks) anticipating going to a Windsor (no blacks) Catholic school, ending up in an almost all black school, St. Michael’s.  That was my life changing experience.  I saw poverty. I experienced discrimination (to my fellow black students).  I was not discriminated against in spite of the fact that there were only 2 other white kids in my class of 28.

During the summer between my seventh and eighth grade we received a call from the local (Windsor) Catholic school that I could transfer there for my eighth grade.  I refused.  I chose to stay at St. Michael’s.  (Little did I know that we would be the last 8^th grade class to graduate as the school closed due to financial problems).

When I write about any character – black, gay, woman – who is discriminated against (hello, any black, gay or woman not still being discriminated against? Can you say Rush Limbaugh?), I could be true to that character by drawing from a parallel life experience.  As Maria my 7^th and 8^th grade classmate once told me in her gruff voice “Maria’s got your back.”  (Maria was the tallest kid I had ever met…nobody messed with Maria.)  Being true to who I am: gay, black or women characters “Don’t worry, Andy’s got your back.”

The Courthouse Theater, yes housed in an actual courthouse, presented the Off, and On, then Off (again) Broadway hit musical Avenue Q.  During its transformations, it managed to garner 3 Tony Awards (Best Musical, Best Book, Best Original Score…of course one of the creative geniuses involved with Q was Robert Lopez…yah, The Book Of Mormon’s Robert Lopez).

This was my first visit to The Courthouse Theater.  It was recommend to me.

After we found our seats in this quaint black box theater, I looked for some semblance of a theatrical set.  Forget it, there wasn’t one.  There was a pole with an Avenue Q sign on it so I knew I was in the right place.  There were stairs and a platform surrounding a piano so it wasn’t all that difficult for me to assume that there would be music.

I expected a cast of locals where you might be lucky to find a few decent vocalists.  Instead, The Courthouse had assembled a cast of great singers…each and every one of them.  How Richard Ericson, the director who double duties as Courthouse’s Artistic Director, managed to pull this off is beyond me.

Oh, if you don’t know what Avenue Q is about, it’s about “kids” coming of age…and aging into the real world as they quickly discover that their lives suck and lack a purpose.  Various American pie themes stream through Q such as racism, homosexuality, pornography, etc.  Definitely an adult musical where you can feel like a kid again.

The biggest feature of Avenue Q is the actors walk, dance, sing with hand held puppets miming their every move.  (I swear the puppets looked just like their puppeteer actors…or do their puppeteer actors start to look like their puppets?)  Sound like something out of Sesame Street?  What’s so wrong about that?  (Although there is a disclaimer in the program  about Avenue Q having nothing to do with Sesame Street or Jim Henson’s puppets.  But really, Nick and Rob – hello Bert and Ernie – or Trekky Monster – um, sounds like Cookie Monster…)   Love the Monsterstori School.

Can’t forget the cast.  Aaron Lathrop as Princeton did an outstanding job of finding his purpose. Talia Triangolo was equally superb as Princeton’s on/off/on love interest as well as Lucy, his slutty one night-stand.  BTW, Lucy was described by Christmas Eve as a skank professionally speaking (Christmas Eve played by Lynn Craig) as she held two masters’ degrees: I know one was in psychology, perhaps the other was in skankology…Lynn gave us quite a present as Christmas Eve: all beautiful, all sweetness…until, of course, she goes all psychotic on her fiancé Brain (Douglas Hummel-Price).  Douglas, Yale trained, does a fantastic job portraying a lazy, comedian wannabee who transforms himself into a “consultant”…consultant of what, who knows, that’s not important.  Trekky Monster, convincingly played by Andrew Jones, steals the show with his insistence that all the internet is good for is: porn, porn, porn…and he’s got the bucks to prove it.  The Gary Coleman (yes, that Gary Coleman) played by Ashley Kelley was spot on.  Seriously you would have sworn that had Gary had a transgender operation,  Ashley would have been the new him, I mean her…you know what I mean: she was him.  Two cast members that played multiple roles were Johnny Vento and Kaitlyn Rosen.  Those two gave  a new meaning to their various puppets’: worse and worser.  They were so effective a tempter/temptress that I would have surely succumbed to their every bad suggestion.  Finally, a walk-on part at the end of the show played by JonPaul Rainville, as the Newcomer to Avenue Q after having received his B.A. in English, delivered a couple of the most memorable lines to end the show.  Actually, I’m a sucker for endings (as I’ve alluded to in previous blog posts) and you, JonPaul, delivered an ending I won’t forget.  (Jon Paul also co-directed and choreographed Courthouse’s Q.)

Courthouse has quite a schedule.  I recommend you get your tickets early as, I’m told, their performances sell-out quickly.  When you call, tell them Gary Coleman sent you.  401/782-1018…not that it’s going to get you anything special beyond messing with them a little.

P.S. Almost forgot.  Q’s band was comprised of 4 top musicians.  Special kudos to Lila Kane, music director band pianist.  Not only did she direct her band members but she also made sure musical cues were followed to the note.  Her talent also expanded into battery replacement at intermission.  Seems like her tiny lights to light her score were running out of power near the end of Act 1.  Miraculously she effortlessly located replacement batteries she had brought with her.  (Were that me, I would (A) not have been able to locate replacement batteries as I would never have thought of that, (B) would have probably sat with a silenced piano during scene transforming blackouts, and (C) what do I mean, were that me, I wouldn’t have been at the piano in the first place, an accordion was my instrument of choice, don’t ask.)