Come see me in "A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Forum," May 4 - 7, 2011

This hit musical is inspired by the farces of ancient Rome and tells the bawdy story of a slave named Pseudolus and his attempts to win his freedom by helping his young master woo the girl next door. A hilarious comedy, the show features many classic elements of farce - disguise, mistaken identity and of course a lot of door slamming! Stephen Sondheim's hummable songs pepper the action with witty social satire. Forum is an ensemble play that is sure to please!

The Lawyer Show is one of Vancouver's most important legal events and a valued tradition. It is a fundraiser for two of Vancouver's most cherished theatre institutions, Carousel Theatre for Young People and Touchstone Theatre, both registered charities. Every year, twenty or so lawyers take to the boards to prove that acting and the practice of law have way too much in common. Lines are learned, songs are sung, audiences applaud, money is raised and fun and friendship abound along the way.

I'll be playing one of the Geminae, twin courtesans (who keep being referred to, worryingly, as "scantily clad.")

While I'm up in the gym getting ready for this costume, why don't you buy a ticket to support our show?

Contact the Carousel Theatre Box Office for tickets and info at 604.685.6217, and don't forget to mention me. All shows will be at the Waterfront Theatre on Granville Island, at 8 pm.

Early Bird Tickets (before February 28, 2011): $60 (with $30 tax receipt)
Regular Tickets: $75 (with $45 tax receipt)

Your ticket also gets you a glass of wine and a chance to mingle with the cast, including moi, plus you'll be supporting the arts in Vancouver.

On New Years' Resolutions.

I've never been very good at sticking to resolutions. I try, I really do. Every year I try to set achievable, quantifiable resolutions whose progress I can easily measure; and every year, at least for the past few years, I find myself on December 31 feeling like I've accomplished nothing, learned nothing in the previous year. This is probably unfair - I have ridiculously high standards for myself and also only let significant accomplishments onto my radar. Little victories, small sea changes - they don't register with me. I'm always aiming higher, looking for the next hill to climb.

So, that's my resolution for this year: for this to be the year of insignificant wonders. I have set no ambitious goals for myself: this is not the year to lose 8,000 pounds, sign a 3 book deal, host a TV show, get married to my soul mate, pay off all my student loans. This is the year to spend time being quiet, to be healthier, to take things slower, and make every day count. How? By realizing that each day counts, no matter what I think. That spending an evening singing with friends, or cooking at home, or playing with a friend's kid, or sitting at the kitchen table with a cup of coffee doing nothing, even taking the time to work late and finish some work for a client (regardless of whether that work is fulfilling or not), heck, just putting in a good Monday to Friday at work, which will take all of my focus and drive to accomplish - these are all victories. These are all measures of success. And perhaps recognizing these successes will mean I will look back on 2011 with appreciation rather than disappointment, a new kinder, gentler way of perceiving myself and my life - which will actually be the greatest gift I can give myself, if I can stick to it.

Happy 2011, everyone. Make every day count.

Apricot Almond Bread Recipe



I made this bread this weekend and it was delicious. It was a satisfying snack today and tomorrow I'm having it for breakfast! Nom!

Ingredients
2 cups spelt flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
3/4 tbsp fresh ginger, grated
1 cup chopped dried apricots (I love you food processor)
1 egg
2/3 cup Splenda (or whatever)
2 tbsp olive oil
1 cup orange juice
1 tsp white vinegar
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup chopped almonds

Directions
Sift together dry ingredients, add wet ingredients and apricots, mix just a little bit until mixed, throw in a loaf pan and back at 350 for 50 minutes. Yummy!



Good News Update: Missing Tom

A marathon eight hours of rehearsal at CBC Studio 700 completed today; I am about ready to drop.

I forgot to mention in my previous post that our leading man, Nick Fontaine, who was playing Tom Marlowe, had to drop the show yesterday after catching the evil death cold that I had during the run of Sweeney. So, six days before opening, we found ourselves without a star. Luckily, the very talented Lucas Blaney stepped in yesterday. However, this morning, after last night's snowfall, Lucas was stuck in Langley, and so we found ourselves once again without our Tom. We all fuelled ourselves with buckets of free McDonald's coffee, which was being handed out across the street at the VPL, and trudged on without him for the morning.

In today's rehearsals we managed to block the entire show, learn choreography for several numbers, run the entirety of Act One, and a few select numbers from Act Two. What I'm finding the most difficult is carting around my black binder of music. The score is relatively simple and I'm off-book for most of it. I find the binder cumbersome. I tried to offload it, but apparently it is an Applause! rule that you must perform with your binder (since it's a musical "in concert"), so that was nixed. Ah well.

Another marathon rehearsal tomorrow, a day off, then dress rehearsal!

Daniel (Bobby) and Jaclyn (Babe), who sing "Button Up Your Overcoat." Also pictured: Unamused Hal and his giant cup of McDonald's free coffee.

MD Caitlin, Jen (Connie Lane) and...finally...Lucas (Tom Marlowe) figuring out "The Best Things In Life Are Free."

I made Caitlin pretend to be happy here.

Directing is easy, right, Cath?

Good News Update: Granville Island Rehearsals

The past two nights we've been rehearsing Good News at Carousel Theatre on Granville Island. Thursday night was "Ladies' Night," where we girls of Pi Beta Phi learned our group numbers: a punchy, Andrews-sisters inspired number called "He's a Ladies' Man," a few cheerleaders' songs about dear ol' Tait College, and a sad number about leaving sorority life behind called "The Girl of Pi Beta Phi." The music is relatively easy, and the harmonies intuitive, so it didn't take long for us to pick this up. Caitlin Hayes, our musical director, makes me laugh as she shouts out "So cute!" and "I love it! Adorable!" as we work our way through the songs. How she plays piano, conducts, and turns pages, I don't know - I don't have the coordination for it. She is obviously a far more skilled musician than I, but that's not too hard! After singing alto in Sweeney I've switched gears and am singing both alto and soprano in this show. At some points I have to hit some uncomfortably high notes for a "fake" soprano (I wouldn't say I'm a real one but I do a good job of pretending), including a High C. I joked last night that I sounded like Smurfette and Caitlin said, "We-ell...it is a little smurfy." That made me giggle.

Last night the gals and guys reunited and we ran through all the group numbers, and then did a complete run-through of the show, with dialogue, solos and duets. Yes, that's right, after three rehearsals, we're running the show. And to tell the truth, it ain't half bad. I expected that the Applause! model of a one week rehearsal period would be fraught with stress, with performers running on adrenaline and fear of the audience lurking around the corner. But everyone is pretty relaxed, and we're in good shape - if we had to go on stage tonight, it wouldn't be great, but it'd be passable.

Lots of laughs last night as we ran through some of the very antiquated dialogue. For instance, what does it mean when someone says, "Don't worry, it'll be jake!" Not like, Jake as in a person, but "jake" as in an adjective? Your guess is as good as mine...so some of the show hasn't really stood up that well. But I think the songs are catchy enough, and the story simple and sweet enough, that people will still enjoy it.

Off to an all-day rehearsal at CBC Studios today, then we have another long day tomorrow at the Alpen Club. This will give us plenty of time to put some spit n' polish on the show for Wednesday...


Good News Update: Rehearsals Begin

November 25th to 27th I will be performing in the musical Good News with Applause! Musicals Society, at the CBC Studios downtown. Good News is about as far away from Sweeney Todd as you can get - the big conflict in Good News is whether hunky quarterback Tom Marlowe will pass his astronomy final and get to play in the big game for his school, Tait College. Of course, along the way sparks fly between Tom and his nerdy-but-beautiful tutor Connie. Written in 1927, Good News is still cute but really two dimensional. The music is fun and peppy, and we get to dance like flappers, so really, you should come and see the show! I play Flo, one of the college sorority girls and cheerleaders. Yes, really.

Applause! stages musicals in concert after a two week (or less) rehearsal period. That's right, our first rehearsal was yesterday, and we'll go up on the 25th. Starting this Thursday, we'll rehearse every day until opening. And I thought the Sweeney rehearsal schedule was gruelling!

My friend Cathy Wilmot, who was our wonderful Mrs. Lovett in Sweeney, has stepped in to direct the show, and Caitlin Hayes, our assistant music director from Sweeney is MD'ing Good News. A few Sweeney performers have also made the cast, so there were some familiar faces when I showed up to rehearsal yesterday.

Dawn Ewen is choreographing the show - as much as one can choreograph a semi-staged musical in concert. However, she has come up with some fabulous twenties-inspired moves for the entire cast to perform during "The Varsity Drag" and we spent a few hours learning the song, and then the choreography. Lots of breathless laughter as we bopped and sugared our way around the tiny set. This is the only number that we'll have to be off-book for. The rest of the show we'll perform with our scripts and music in black binders.

After we danced, we ran through all of the ensemble numbers with Caitlin, and then called it a night. Thursday will be "girl's night" - the girls have a number of songs about sorority life, while the boys and their coach have football-inspired tunes - so the boys will have the night off while the girls of Pi Beta Phi (or something like that) swoon over Tom Marlowe.

Tickets for the show are available at www.brownpapertickets.com. Hope to see you there!

Sweeney Update: On Sickness, and Dodging a Bullet.

It is done. Fighting Chance's fantastically successful run of Sweeney Todd came to an end Saturday night after an epic four performances in 24 hours. We added extra shows after great reviews in the Georgia Straight, Vancouver Sun, Vancouver Courier and West Ender increased the demand for tickets. The weekend was absolutely crazy, with us doing a 7 pm show Friday, then an extra-bloody midnight show to a packed house of costumed Todd-heads, rushing home for a few hours sleep and returning to do a matinee and an 8 pm show Saturday, followed by a frantic striking of the set as we had to be out of the Jericho Arts Centre pronto.



The past two weeks have been particularly challenging for me. I caught a nasty virus that settled in my lungs. I tried to soldier on through work and performances and ended up having to walk off-stage last Thursday night due to uncontrollable coughing, and culminating in me passing out at work last Friday. I had to be put on a nebulizer so I could breathe. Since I couldn't breathe, I definitely couldn't sing, and missed that Friday, although I trudged to the theatre that night in the hopes that somehow I would magically be better by the time I got there. I wasn't.



I woke up the following Saturday morning feeling worse than I had Friday, but was determined to make it through the entire day. I showed up for callbacks for a new show, which I tried to stumble through, and was sure I would be able to make it to the Saturday evening show, but the afternoon's activities had proven to be too much and despite sleeping for a few hours, I found myself pulled over on the side of the road on the way to the Jericho having another choking coughing fit. I couldn't do Saturday's show. I went home in tears, feeling so guilty and unprofessional. I am still kicking myself for thinking I could get through Saturday afternoon and the show that night. Added to the guilt of letting down my company was the guilt my employer was throwing on me for burning the candle at both ends and getting so seriously ill. I spent most of my recovery time fretting about who I had pissed off, rather than relaxing and getting better.



I spent Sunday and Monday in bed, missing a rehearsal for my next show, Good News, and a Fighting Chance fundraiser where I was due to sing a song from Sunday in the Park with George, and managed to make it through the next week of Sweeney performances, barely. By Friday, the virus had made a triumphant return, this time to my sinuses, and instead of coughing fits, I had progressed to sneezing every 20 seconds. I loaded myself with much more cold medication than is recommended and managed to get through both Friday performances, although during my off-stage moments I was sleeping under the props table, and generally behaving like a zombie. On Saturday, things seemed to even out and I was able to get through the final two shows without too much of a problem, thanks to Vicks Vapo-Rub and a Costco-sized bag of Fishermen's Friends. I am feeling somewhat better today, but still quite weak and in desperate need of rest.



So, lots of lessons learned. One, that my health is important, and I am not superwoman. I can't do it all, and that trying to do so will cost me, in terms of the people I let down (including myself), and in terms of the fun experience I am missing when I just try to slog through. I need to find some balance so I can work, play, perform, and take care of myself.



Still, I wouldn't have traded this Sweeney experience for anything. Ryan Mooney, who directed Sweeney, was great to work for and I really appreciated his vision of the show. The cast was chock-a-block full of amazing performers who I learned alot from and who I hope to work with again soon. There were some serious laughs backstage, despite my germs, and I will treasure those memories for a long time to come. I think though, that after three productions and three different characters, it's time for me to put Sweeney to bed and look for new shows to obsess over.



I made it through about an hour of the cast party on Saturday night, and then trudged home to bed. I walked in the door at about 10 after 2 on Sunday morning, and literally missed being caught up in this shooting by about 6 minutes. My friend Ritchie sent me a lovely text this morning which said "If you missed the shooting by six minutes, then someone is watching over you. The goddess wants you to be well."



Well, thanks to whoever was watching. I want to be well, too.

Previews and Good News

Tonight was our preview night for Sweeney. While I think it was generally OK, there were a few minor disasters. Last night we rigged up this great mechanism from the catwalk that allowed blood to drip onto the stage while the audience entered. The problem was, it left moisture on the floor, and when Cathy, our Mrs. Lovett, strode out to make her first entrance, she slipped on it and fell right on her butt. She was shaken and understandably upset and it threw off her concentration. Then, as a group of cast members turned one of the enormous scaffolds that form our set, they ran into the piano bench, knocking Caitlin, our assistant MD and pianist, right off, and reducing the bench to shrapnel. Somehow Caitlin didn't miss a beat and kept on going. Tomorrow is our official opening, when all the reviewers will be an attendance, so thank goodness these major kinks were worked out tonight.

And the good news is that I've been cast in my next project, which is...Good News, a 1927 musical about college life during the Roaring Twenties, which is being presented by Applause Musicals. And even better news, I've been cast as a college student! 30?! Bah! The show will be presented in November at the CBC Studios in downtown Vancouver; more info to follow.

OK, to bed. Must actually work before Opening Night...