postmodernnomad

[postmodernnomad]

This happened once during a show-stop where a local crew member got injured. I may have even sounded like Barbosa when I said it.

When you’re calling a difficult part of the show and someone tries to get your attention.

[postmodernnomad]

Hey! Question. I saw your post about getting rush tickets for Sunset. I saw the show in February and I'm going back in May to see it twice more. One of those times I'd like to try to get a rush ticket. How early did you get to the box office and were there a ton of people in line? I'm trying to gage how early my friend and I would need to get there, any pointers or advice would be amazing! Thanks!

Hey!

We got to the theatre around 8:00 am, I think. We stopped at the Hudson for Sunday In The Park first, then decided to move up to the Palace. IIRC there were only 8 people there on that particular Saturday morning. You should be pretty good if you are there around that time. Bringing a folding chair isn’t a terrible idea, it’s two hours of standing otherwise. Bring friends, or make some in line. If you like being on your phone or maybe playing some Pokemon Go in Times Square (Like I did) you may want to bring a mobile charger.

Good luck and have fun rushing!

[postmodernnomad]

I want to learn cross stitch just to put this on a pillow or something.

Cause I just really love technical theatre and wanted to make some cute art :)

Redbubble (x) 

[postmodernnomad]

I think one of my lowkey favorite parts about working in theatre is walking through Authorized Personnel Only doors and chuckling at No Food or Drink Allowed signs during tech.

[postmodernnomad]

me: *sends initial greeting email with my number*

me: *tells everyone my number at first rehearsal*

me: *sends every email with my number*

actor: i'm sorry i didnt call you i dont have your number

[postmodernnomad]

Sunset Boulevard - A (re)View from the Balcony

In mid-February on a spontaneous visit to New York for the President's Day Weekend, I woke up at 6 am to take the PATH train into mid-town. The last time I had woken up that early to be in Manhattan was for the 90th Macy's Day Parade just a few months earlier and that time they at least had the decency to throw me a parade. Today, instead, I was meeting two friends to try and grab rush tickets to see "Sunday in The Park with George", the critically acclaimed revival that was at the time still in previews. To our dismay, by the time I had arrived (a good 20 minutes before my compatriots coming from Hamilton Heights) there were already 50 people in line; far more than enough to fill the first two rows for the matinee and evening performances that day. So instead, we turned our attention towards another big-hitting revival by an already massively famous composer that recently landed on Broadway with a big headliner - "Sunset Boulevard". At the Palace Theatre, we planted our lawn chairs across from the Times Square TKTS line and waited, determined to see at least one show today and not pay premium prices. As you may have guessed, we were successful and the wait was worth it to secure a $41 ticket in the Rear Mezzanine. These are my thoughts.

This incarnation of Sunset Boulevard began in the West End of London and has now moved to Broadway to be Lord Andrew Lloyd Webber's fourth show running on Broadway concurrently; joining "School of Rock", the recent revival of "Cats", and of course the long-running "Phantom of the Opera". Notably, this production stars Glenn Close ("Guardians of the Galaxy" (2015)) in a Norma Desmond-esque return to "where she belongs". Being of a younger generation and not having grown up with Broadway on my pop-culture radar I feel like I really miss the significance of this heralded return. I am most familiar with Ms. Close's film career, but I acknowledge that is probably a result of my generation so I can't really count that against anyone. More on Ms. Close's performance later.

"Sunset Boulevard" is an adaptation of a 1950 noir film of the same name. It takes place in the golden era of Hollywood and shares the same self-obsession, making countless jokes about and nods to the industry, especially how hard it is to get a job and make money in Hollywood. Ultimately the story follows struggling writer Joe Gillis (Michael Xavier) who befriends and becomes begrudgingly involved with the aged, but legendary film star Norma Desmond (Close). It is a tragic story of an out of touch actress that wants to return to the spotlight of her 20's despite now being in her 50's and having been long forgotten by the cruel and fast-paced world of Hollywood. With some dramatic twists and turns, the story was most predictable but still provided a couple surprises towards the end. One thing is clear in this production, though, it's not about the story. With a 41-piece orchestra featured prominently front-and-center on stage this production feels more like an over-staged concert of "Sunset Boulevard" than a true revival. The performances are all admirable, Fred Johanson has an unbelievable vocal range and an ominous presence as Max von Mayerling, Norma's right-hand man, and butler. Siobhan Dillion plays the cute and bookish Betty Schaeffer well, but with little memorability. Michael Xavier also gives a fine performance as the charming Joe Gillis. Most audience members will remember his costume at the top of Act 2 when he is poolside in his tight speedo; even going so far as to take it off teasingly under a towel wrapped around his waist. Most of the audience seemed to really get a kick out of that tease, but I couldn't stop wondering where they hid his microphone as I couldn't see his any wires or his hairline from way up in the rear mezzanine. The ensemble, many with featured roles and named characters, have a relatively easy job on this one, being in a few massive group scenes, but otherwise settled off stage for a majority of the show.

However, as is clear by some of the marketing of this show, only one thing matters in this production; the music. This is represented in two parts, the first being Glen Close's practiced and perfected performance as Norma Desmond. She is as marvelous on stage as the hype around the show makes her out to be. Her scenes are a masterclass in acting and her voice soars along with the score. Having attended performance number 6 out of 8 for that week I was surprised to not detect any hint of exhaustion in her voice. It is true that Ms. Close embodies Norma Desmond but thankfully maintains her relevance and talent. She will not be tossed aside as her character has. The next focus of this production is the massive orchestra mentioned above. I can only assume with so many musicians on that stage - the largest on Broadway to my knowledge - I can only assume someone was trying to make up for all of the musicians that "In Transit" didn't hire. The music is simply beautiful; at most times rich and flowing, but also sometimes subtle and supportive to the action on stage. The problem comes when the only thing happening is the music. At times the direction by Lonny Price at times felt sparse as there were many moments with nothing happening on stage while the orchestra continues it's underscoring, including a very confusing and underwhelming attempt at putting a car chase on a unit set. It is obvious that the massive and repetitive score is a weight hanging on the neck of the production as it tries to drive the scenes forward. However, with such names involved, I can only imagine the battles that would break out if any mention of cutting that score came up. 

Technically the show was nothing to write home about. The unit set, comprised of staircases to nowhere in particular and platforms that acted as various locations, was lackluster. The set tried to replicate the look of an abandoned Hollywood studio while also being flexible enough to change to Norma's mansion, but failed to do either most of the time. The lighting design was nothing notable, utilizing projections of and old movie footage to set the time period, but it never really drove the plot or added anything of real value. I feel that I must give a shout-out to the props artisans, though. There were two props in particular that stuck out to me because they must have taken a massive amount of time and money to build, but got a few seconds of stage time. The first is a full-bodied life-like Chimpanzee; I'd like to imagine that instead of it being bought (because where would one buy such a thing) that it was molded and the hairs put in by hand. I thought it had to only be a bust with a fake body because it was covered by a sheet until an ensemble member grappled with the stiff corpse and lifted it, giving the audience a peek at the monkey's full moon. The second prop that caught my eye during it's 30 seconds on stage was the full and fully operational antique car that Max drives across the front of the stage with Norma and Joe in the back seat. This gorgeous automobile - a short, but important part of the narrative - must have been a huge burden on the budget to only be used once. Truly these are both purchases fit for the endless coffers of Norma Desmond (or Really Useful Group in reality). An honorable mention goes to the floating body that hangs, uncovered in front of the proscenium, for the entire show starting from the first scene. Even during intermission the dense black show curtain - without any logo or projection - is marred by the petrified body in a brown suit. From where I was sitting he could be seen the whole show and his feet even poked into a couple scenes.

Overall, if you are unfamiliar with "Sunset Boulevard" and want to add it to your collection of Playbills or are a fan of Glenn Close and/or Andrew Lloyd Webber's music go see this show, but I'd say sitting in the Mezzanine for $50 is perfectly fine. Thanks to the sound design and modern amplification you won't miss any of the music or dialogue and after all, that's why this production exists.

[postmodernnomad]

My favorite thing backstage is the random dancing that happens. 

Especially when it was with flying monkeys and munchkins.

Bored actors during a period show

[postmodernnomad]

Repost from @afro_ditey … #Travel #touring #travelnoire #travellushes #nomadnesstribe #nomad #ilovetraveling #travelisthenewclub #travelistas #blackGirlTravel #mytravelcrush

[postmodernnomad]

I’m Back!

Hey Everybody!

I’m trying to re-vamp this blog and find ways to give back and help the Techblr community. I love giving advice and helping others in the entertainment and theatre industry. Since I’m now a real-life professional with a degree and a job (as opposed to when I started this blog) I feel like I can be more involved.

So, what’s up, Techblr? Want resume help? Want advise or just to talk about something? I’m back!

[postmodernnomad]

Oh, What a beautiful morning! #NoFilterNeeded (at Gaithersburg, Maryland)

[postmodernnomad]

[postmodernnomad]

I can't believe it's already 2017

Guys I’m crying omg I was drunk please stop reblogging this

[postmodernnomad]

anytime my friends do anything:

[postmodernnomad]

every year around christmas me and my grandma play this fun family game called “maybe you want to put jesus in your room instead, sweetie? :)”. now, it’s important to note that the jesus referred to in our game is not actually the real jesus christ, but instead a wooden figure i made in 2011 that has an uncanny resemblance to the lord and savior himself

so what happens is that i place jesus in our living room, and my grandma smiles and asks me if i don’t want to decorate my room with him instead. i ask her in return if she thinks my jesus figure is ugly (which he is), but she reassures me that this is not the case. however, a couple of days later jesus mysteriously disappears from our living room, and appear in my room instead

now, the real jesus christ might have been able to perform a miracle like this, but please remember that the jesus in our story is only a figure made out of wood. he can not move on his own, so i think we can safely say that my grandma is the prime suspect here

the first year i would often confront my grandma about this, but she would always make up an excuse and never straight up tell me she moved him because he’s so ugly it’s an embarrassment to the family

eventually i grew tired of her lies, so now we only move jesus around in silence. one second he’s in the living room, the next he’s back in my room. in a way i think this adds an extra element of excitement to the holiday season, because you never know for sure when jesus is going to be moved again

[postmodernnomad]

The Bodyguard The Musical US Premiere at Paper Mill Playhouse!

I’m so proud of this project. I’m just sad I won’t be going on tour with it this year. Gonna be fun playing Jersey for a month, though.

If you’re in NJ come see it and say hi!

[postmodernnomad]

*zombie apocalypse breaks out*

king ezekiel, slowly putting on a crown he got from the theater department: my time has come

[postmodernnomad]

You don’t go into theatre for fame. You don’t go into theatre for fortune. You don’t go into theatre for anything but a deep love of it. Like you’d be missing something if you didn’t have theatre in your life.