And oh, what heights we’ll hit!

On with the show, this is it!

(Please tell me I’m not the only one who remembers the old Bugs Bunny theme…)

Anyway, I’ve been a bit absent lately, being so busy with the show.  So, yes, we opened this past Friday night!  We had a GREAT opening night – the show went beautifully, and we had a wonderful audience.  They had tons of energy, and we just fed on that.  They laughed, they applauded, it was awesome.

We were actually talking about that backstage one night last week – one of the other women in the show was saying that she had friends who were at a show once and had some random woman come up to them at intermission and tell them they were laughing too loud (yes, it was a comedy) and that it was bothering her.  She seemed to think that when you are at a live performance, you should sit quietly and not make a sound.  FYI, this is NOT TRUE.  Actors LOVE to get feedback during a show – if something is funny, laugh.  (Now, of course, this doesn’t apply if you are laughing at something going WRONG – we’d prefer you don’t even acknowledge that.  )  If you are onstage and you have a responsive audience, the energy is just awesome.

OK, so, yeah – we had a terrific show, and then went out to celebrate.  (That’s the other thing – I’ve never met an actor who didn’t want to go out for food after a show, even if dinner was right before the show.)  We had fun, and everyone headed home.  Unfortunately, for one of the cast members, the fun of the night ended there.  Mike, our hilarious leading man, was getting out of his car when he was attacked by a group of seven guys.  They took his wallet and backpack, and pretty much beat the crap out of him. Fortunately, his jaw was not broken, and he didn’t have a concussion.  He’s pretty battered and bruised, and ended up doing the show with a handful of bandaids on his head.  I’m still impressed that he WANTED to do the show Saturday night, but he clearly believes in “the show must go on”.  He should be able to rest up this week, and hopefully be back to normal (well, as normal as an actor can be) for this weekend.

So, yeah, great opening, followed by one for the “some people suck” file.

I got the call last night – I was asked to play Nancy in “Play It Again Sam” at Laurel Mill Playhouse in October.    She’s the ex-wife of the main character, and appears in flashbacks and fantasy scenes (No, Hugeness and Kiwanji, not THOSE kinds of fantasies), so I’m going to have a lot of fun with her.

Hubby was asked to play Doc Baugh in “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof” at PGLT, also in October.  So, we’re both going to be crazy busy for the next two months, and should see each other again in, oh, November? 

Be prepared for theatre updates as the show progresses.  Hopefully I’ll get some knitting done backstage and during rehearsals.

Anyway, remember this?  Kris decided that after the show, he was just going to shave his head totally and start fresh.  Somehow, this evolved into doing it AT the cast party, and letting everyone take a turn with the clippers.  Once we started, Rich decided he was up for it too, and Ron made the statement that if Rich did it, so would he.  Well, Rich went for it, and Ron was, um, convinced to keep his word. 

That’s Rich up there in the top row, starting things off.  Jeff is at the end of the first row.  The second row is Michelle, Ron, Roy, and Peyton (who Kris and I have totally adopted as a little brother – we just love him).  The third row is Mary, me, and Roy, who is using a shop-vac to clean him up.  The bottom row is more cleanup, Kris tackling Rich’s hair, the Three Bald Amigos, and Roy, Ron, Kris and Rich doing a celebratory shot.

Yeah… this is the sort of thing that happens at cast parties sometimes. 

And as if the time and energy wasn’t enough to put into the show, Kris made an additional sacrifice:

(He’s going to kill me for posting that…)

Yes – he shaved the front of his head.  His character is supposed to be balding and with hair plugs, so he shaved and draws the “plugs” in with makeup each night.  Once we close next weekend, he’ll just shave it all off and start fresh.  Because nothing is better in January than an entirely bald head.  Good thing he has a lovely wife who has knit him a few hats, eh?

Lasagna with Mini Meatballs from the Cooking with Friends cookbook.  (Cheesy, I know, but it’s REALLY good lasagna, and I’ve got another great recipe from it that I’ll share with y’all another day.)

First, gather the goodies, and preheat your oven to 400 degrees.

Combine 1 pound of ground meat (Either beef or turkey will work fine – I used turkey this time), 2 large eggs, beaten, 1/2 cup of grated parmesan, 1/2 cup of breadcrumbs (I, um, didn’t have regular ones, so I used panko this time), 1-1/2 t salt, and 1/2 t of ground pepper.

Finely chop 1/3 cup fresh basil, and add it to the bowl.

Mix until well-combined.

Heat olive oil in a large skillet, and pinch of small pieces of the meatball mixture. Fry them until browned on all sides.

While the oil is heating, heat a jar of your favorite pasta sauce (Newman’s Own Marinara is good stuff) in a saucepan. As the meatballs are brown (you’ll need to do them in batches), remove them with a slotted spoon and place them into the sauce.

When all of the meatballs are browned, let the sauce finish heating through for a few minutes.

Grab your lasagna pan (or 9×13 pan), and cover the bottom with a thin layer of the sauce, avoiding meatballs.

Place a layer of lasagna noodles on the sauce. I use the no-cook ones, but if you want to cook them first, be my guest.

Cover the noodles with a layer of sauce, with meatballs this time.

Scatter a handful of shredded mozzarella over the sauce. (You’ll need about a pound, total.)

And then a bit of grated parmesan. (Total of about a cup.)

Repeat the layers (noodles, sauce, cheeses) until you’ve used up the sauce, finishing with a heavy cheese layer.  I press down a little when I put on each new layer of noodles, just to get things to settle together.

If you are using cooked noodles, go ahead and bake the lasagna uncovered for 20-25 minutes.

Since I use the no-cook ones, I do a little extra just to make sure they cook through. I add about 1-2 cups of water, pouring it in at the side of the pan.

Then cover with foil and bake for 20 minutes. I remove the foil and let it go for another five minutes uncovered.

Behold the cheesy goodness! Let it sit for about 5 minutes when you take it out of the oven.

And then enjoy. I recommend a chunk of garlic bread alongside.

Also, as I’ve been at home this week, I’ve been watching Mamma Mia! daily.  I know, I know… Pierce Brosnan can’t really sing, but the movie is fun, and I ADORE the music.  Plus, I think Amanda Seyfried is about the cutest thing ever.  She’s fabulous as Sophie.  Anyway, I’ve determined that the entire movie is worth watching for one single moment, and it doesn’t happen until the end credits.  When they sing “Waterloo”, and the three guys come out in their sparkly jumpsuits, I crack up at Colin Firth EVERY TIME.  He’s just so ENTHUSIASTIC.  He reminds me a little of the old Spartan Cheerleaders sketches on SNL – way more spirit than talent.  He’s awesome, but he’s not much of a dancer.  But it’s just so cute!

Anyway, I’m off to finish up a couple of things, and then tonight… the show!  With an actual audience!  WOOT!

We’ve got some publicity out there – today’s Baltimore Sun and Maryland Gazette both had previews.  And Kris is in the picture in the Gazette. 

And now, I’m off to dose myself with more of the magic citron tea – I’ve caught a cold, and I’m trying to beat it into submission so I don’t pass it along to the cast.

It’s been a very long couple of days.  We spent all day Sunday (literally – 10am to 10:30pm) at the theatre, building the set, painting, etc., etc.  Yesterday, we headed back over at 5:30-ish to do some touch-up painting and get the furniture in place, plus do a full run-through of the show.  In addition, we found out that the guy who was supposed to stage manage the show has come down with walking pneumonia.  So, we were without a stage manager.  Since I’m going to be there every night AND I’m already familiar with the show, Mary and I talked about it, and I told her I’d do it.  So, if you are coming to the show, I won’t see you in the lobby beforehand or at intermission, but stick around and I’ll catch you afterward.

I’ve spent the last two days running around picking up last-minute things for Kris’s costume (including getting a wig cut and styled today).  I’m BEAT.  And I’ll be back at the theatre in just over an hour.  Good thing I love this stuff!

Remember:  Neil Simon’s Laughter on the 23rd Floor, presented by Prince George’s Little Theatre, Inc. at Bowie Playhouse in White Marsh Park.  Opening this Friday, Dec. 19th, and running Fri-Sat at 8pm, Sun at 2pm through Dec. 28.

So, yeah.  August of 1997.  A very special month.  I was in a production of “Hair” at the Academy, and started rehearsals for “Damn Yankees” at the Meadville Community Theatre.  Those of you with good memories (or ridiculous obsessions with every detail of my thrilling life) will remember that “Damn Yankees” was the show where I met my soul mate and future husband.  He never did come to see me in “Hair”, though. 
So, “Aquarius” – still one of my favorite songs from the show. I loved it.

And “What A Piece of Work Is Man.”  Gotta love Shakespeare set to music.

My co-angel may look a little familiar.  That’s Tim – he played Joseph.  So, yeah – he’s the one whose clothes I ripped off as Mrs. Potiphar.  Also, he was my off-stage trumpeter when I was Mazeppa.  Like I said before – loyal group of people.  And yes, that’s a wig I’m wearing.  My hair hasn’t been that long since college.

So, that is my little trip down memory lane.  I promise I’ll stop torturing you all now and get back to the fibery stuff you are used to. 

Rizzo’s reprise of “Greased Lightning”, originally done by Rosie O’Donnell in the revival:

“Look at Me, I’m Sandra Dee” – Rizzo at her bitchy best:

And finally, “There Are Worse Things I Could Do”, still one of my favorite songs:

And yes, I do still have my Pink Ladies jacket.

I promise, tomorrow will be the last of these.  Hopefully, I’ll have some knitting done to show you soon enough.

By the way, thank you all for the lovely birthday wishes.  It was an awesome evening with the most fantastic man on the planet. 

This was the second show I ever did at the Academy Theatre in Meadville, PA.  Great little community theatre, zero budget, but a good crew of enthusiastic, loyal volunteers.  This was our production of “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat”, in August 1995.  I played Mrs. Potiphar, as you will see:

The next August, we did “Gypsy”.  As far as I’m concerned, one of the best musicals ever written.  Great story, great characters, great music.  I had the AWESOME fortune of playing Miss Mazeppa.  For those who don’t know the show, Mazeppa is one of the three strippers who counsel the soon-to-be Gypsy Rose Lee about how to make your act memorable.

And no, I didn’t actually play the trumpet.  There was a guy in the wings who was playing a real one.