WOW! This blog has not been updated in a very long time. So much has happened.After the holidays (and my 50th birthday!), we got back in to rehearsals for in^Significant Others (ISO) right away. Previews for ISO started on Feb 1st and when we opened on Feb 15, we were in great shape. It was a real exciting opening (you can see the outside of Theatre 39 in this photograph – Theatre 39 has a jumbo-tron kind of video screen in the outdoor foyer under the marquee. Raymond Hong, our videographer for ISO, has created a documentary comprised of intereviews with Jay Kuo, David Garcia and me mixed with rehearsal footage. It’s a fun video, but sort of weird to see one’s face 10 feet tall on a screen as you walk up to the theatre). The show is doing well – we haven’t broken even yet, but we’re getting close and the cast is terrific. We've had understudies and swings go on lately and they're doing a great job. Ticket sales are growing each week and there’s a big promo event coming up this weekend (March 22). Don't miss this show. Take your out-of-town guests for a truly "only in San Francisco" experience - now through July 31st 2008.
Casting is almost complete for Gross Indecency: The Three Trials of Oscar Wilde, the Moises Kaufman play that I am directing for Theatre Q in Palo Alto. Currently, Theatre Q has a terrific production of Paula Vogel’s And Baby Makes Seven at the Dragon Theatre in Palo Alto, CA. Rebecca Longworth has deftly directed Annamarie MacLeod, Katie Anderson and Matthew Lowe on Ron Gasparinetti’s terrific set, lighted exceptionally well by Cy Eaton (count how many lighting instruments you see up in the ceiling and then see the magic he makes with less than 2 dozen lights!). Rebecca’s soundscape for the play is quite good, too. I highly recommend this production playing Thur – Sat @ 8 pm and Sun @ 2 pm through April 6. We’ll start rehearsals for Gross Indecency… a couple of weeks after …Baby… closes. Then, we open Gross Indecency: The Three Trials of Oscar Wilde on May 29! It will play only through June 22 so make sure you don't miss it.
My friend Judy Wexler has released a new jazz cd - dreams & shadows, and it is even better than her debut album (which was fantastic). Judy has blossomed as a singer and continues to grow and expand her musicality and jazz skills. Judy’s voice is so wonderful to listen to, so natural so perfectly articulated. The musicality is top notch, the playfulness is delightful and she’s got a calm self-assurance that makes you feel so good listening to her. Great song selection (a couple of favorites Photograph and Pent Up House - but they're really all gems) - and the musicians playing with Judy on this album are all at the top of their game (Joe LaBarbera, Bob Sheppard – woodwinds, Gilbert Castellanos – trumpet, Darek Oles - bass instrument, Tollak Ollestad – harmonica, Stefanie Fife – cello, Steve Hass – drums, Jeff Colella, also (of course) Alan Pasqua). I highly recommend this album. You should get it today at Amazon or wherever you buy your music!
