I'm All Shook Up

Hi there! It's been awhile. What have I been up to? Well, I've been back in San Diego performing in San Diego Musical Theatre's (SDMT) production of the Elvis Presley musical All Shook Up. I play Jim Haller the leading lady's father. It's a fun role and its a great showcase for me.  I've had a blast. Yesterday was our final performance and now I'm back in Los Angeles and reality.

Fan artwork of our cast. 

But first, let me backtrack. I was approached by the artistic director about a month before the auditions to come in for the role Jim. Well, I wasn't familiar with the role so I did some online research and saw it is a nice role with a decent story so I said yes.  I went to the callbacks and knew as soon as I was reading the sides that this part was written for me. I got the part!

I went into this show thinking, "This is great. It's going to play to my comedic strengths, really allow me to be big and goofy. I can really do something with this part." And while that is true to an extent, I realized quickly that while I have a couple of really funny moments in the show, my character actually has a very sweet, touching story line.

First, let me say that I love working at SDMT. They put on superior productions. The casts are always amazing as are the staff and crew. And I did have fun backstage with this crew.  And I had fun onstage.  I got to play all the emotions from sad and lonely to head over heels in love and giddy to heartbroken and it felt great. I got laughs. I got tears. My favorite thing was when the audience would audibly say "Awwww" after I get rejected by the object of my affection.

Here's an example:

This job was a gift. I got to do everything I love on stage. Sing, dance, be goofy and get laughs and then play some nice tender, sweet moments.  It was a gift. I said that before. It bears repeating. I've been in dozens of shows over the years. I have many, many favorites among them. I have been very lucky that way.

I gave up a very nice paying job a couple years ago because I wasn't happy and I HAD to pursue acting full time. It is the one thing in my life that brings me joy. And sometimes we as actors forget that. We get bogged down in the business side of show business. The constant auditions and overwhelming rejection, the ridiculous insecurity and struggle to survive on little or no income. it sucks. It's tough. I struggle every day. There are days when I just don't know if I can keep going. This is why I do theater. It brings me joy. I can be somebody I can't be in life.

My favorite place to be in the whole world is in the wings backstage watching the show. One of my rituals is to go onstage by myself behind the closed curtain before the show starts, listening to the audience on the other side. (Oh. I also use that time to stretch because at my age, if I don't stretch before a show...well let's just say it saves me some pain later). Why did you have me on my knees so much?! God, were my legs stiff every morning!

Another joy, watching younger actors grow in the process. So proud to work alongside and watch them discover and grow as artists. This cast was amazing from top to bottom. Not a weak link in the bunch. All so very hard working and professional. 💗

So thank you to Jill, Robert (so glad we got to work together), Neil (the first person to cast and direct me at SDMT), Ron, Steve, Heather, Jessica, Max, Janet, Amy, Preston, Crystal, Jaz, Andrew, Don, Michael, Erin and Gary.

Richard

Live in Front of a Studio Audience

My thoughts on the All in the Family and The Jeffersons episodes that aired live this week.

We all know I am a classic TV junkie. I grew up in front of the TV. I know TV actors and their credits like sports fans memorize their favorite teams and players stats. I do that with actors' credits and their awards.

So as you can probably guess, I was excited to watch Live in Front of a Studio Audience on ABC this past week. What did I think? Loved it! I am hoping we will see more based not he ratings for this one.

I loved the audience reactions. They were loud and not sweetened like today's sitcoms. These days, the three-camera sitcoms are still shot in front of a live studio audience, but then they "fix" or "sweeten" the audience reactions in post production. So they sound muted, to me anyway. Often times, if the audience doesn't laugh where the producers want a laugh, they will add one in. In the Norman Lear days (the 1970s), the audiences were loud and boisterous, especially on his shows. They would applaud and go nuts over some of the lines.

I've read many articles and interviews where younger television viewers don't like the live studio audiences. They call it canned laughter, which it is not.  But we've got a whole generation now raised on the single camera comedies like The Office and Modern Family. They don't like the studio audience shows. To me, that's what a sitcom is!

On to the show...Loved Marissa Tomei as Edith. Loved Woody Harrelson as Archie Bunker. They were great, Trust to the characters while bringing their own spin to them. Ellie Kemper and Ike Barinholtz were good to although they didn't have as much to do. And frankly they are a little old to be playing the children of Marsisa Tomei and Woody Harrelson.  But I am quibbling here.

Tomei was a hoot as Edith. Loved her high pitched voice and the running around. Harrelson got the vernacular and dialect of Archie down just right. And not importantly, they were not imitating the threat Jean Stapleton and Carroll O'Connor.

Jamie Foxx was hilarious as George Jefferson. I loved how he had the swagger and the mannerisms of George. However, to me, he was doing an impression of Sherman Hemsley as George Jefferson as opposed to bringing his own take to the character. He was doing a sketch character. And that makes sense since he got his start on In Living Color. And I wasn't too thrilled with how he broke the fourth wall and pointed out his flubbed line instead of just repeating the line and going on as one does on stage. But that's just me.  It was funny to see Woody Harrelson break and turn his back to the audience when that happened. And Marissa Tomei just stayed in character as Edith, you could see she was stifling a laugh but staying as Edith. It does make live TV fun, but again really?

For me, the highlight of the night was the appearance of Marla Gibbs as Florence. I jumped out of my seat and cheered when they opened the door and revealed her. YESSS!!! And double bonus whammy for us classic TV fans, she was reunited with her 227 co-star Jackee!

Oh! And how fabulous was Jennifer Hudson singing The Jeffersons theme song!?

All in all I loved the night and I hope we get some more. That's TV!

Pretty Women from Sweeney Todd

Pretty Women from Sweeney Todd sung by me in The gift of Song benefit at Repertory East Playhouse in April 2013. Part of a tribute to Sondheim evening.

I survived not one but two total wrecks in one month

You read that right. Four weeks ago, on Valentine's Day, I totaled my 2014 Honda Accord. After three weeks in a rental, I finally bought a new car on Monday, a 2015 Nissan Altima. On Tuesday, approximately 24 hours after driving the Nissan off the lot, I hit a car that pulled out in front of me and totaled the Nissan.

It's been two days. I have no car. I'm waiting to hear from the insurance company.  I don't know what is going to happen to my insurance rates. I don't know what's going to happen with the insurance. Will they pay for the second accident like they did the first?

Four weeks ago, I was on my way to San Diego. It was early afternoon and it was raining (as it did pretty much all through February). I was performing in Crazy For You at San Diego Musical Theatre. We were about three weeks into the run so I had been going back and forth between LA and SD a couple times a week. And often in the rain. I was on the 73 southbound in the farthest left lane approaching a steep downhill decline just before the Laguna Beach exit. I saw a CHP vehicle pulled over in the left shoulder and an overturned white SUV in the middle of the median. I hit my brakes to slow down and lost control of the car. I turned the steering wheel toward the median hoping I wouldn't skid or spin into traffic. I spun 180 degrees and landed in the median and then the car rolled over on its side and down the hill to the northbound side of the median. It wasn't over. I spun another 180 degrees so I was now facing south in the northbound side. Thankfully, I stopped, landing upright in a ditch.

I sat there and carefully surveyed the damage in the car and then checked to make sure that I was okay, remembering from Boy Scout First Aid that you never move a body from an accident in case something is broken or injured. I checked myself and realized I was okay so I unbuckled the seat belt and attempted to open the door. I couldn't see out the windows because all the air bags had deployed. Then I heard the CHP officer outside asking if I was okay. When I said yes, he asked if I could open the door and I couldn't so he helped me get it open and I stepped out.

I had a scratch on my left hand and my right had hurt really bad in the joint at the base of my thumb. Otherwise, I felt fine.  I waited in the CHP vehicle for a tow truck, called my insurance company. I found out that I was the third vehicle in a row to go off the road at that same point that day. I got one of  my fellow actors to meet me at the tow yard and I went to urgent care where they put my hand in a splint.  I was told I might have a fracture. The next day I saw an orthopedic surgeon who said it was arthritis. Really? Arthritis? I love getting older!

Anyway, my insurance got me a rental and eventually determined the damage would cost over $14,000. So they paid off my outstanding car loan and the remainder was sent to me in a check. This past week I went to Carmax and picked out a 2015 Nissan Altima and used the check as a down payment and financed the rest. On Monday, I picked up the car.

Approximately 24 hours later, I was making a lefthand turn onto Burbank Blvd as the light changed from green to red. About 500 feet down Burbank a woman pulled out of her parking spot as I was approaching and I hit her sending me into traffic where I rolled over turning upside down. There I was strapped in nice and tight in my seat, hanging upside down and with no view because all the airbags deployed.  Once again I did a quick inventory of my body and realized I felt fine. I let myself out of the seat belt and gently got down on the ground (or ceiling of the car) and then I heard voices outside the car door, We opened the door and about three or four people walked me to the curb, including the woman I had hit.   People brought me water and made sure I was okay. One man asked me questions to make sure I was okay. You know like, what's your name, where do you live, what's today's date who's the president.

Reports were filed. Witnesses were interviewed. My car was towed. And now I wait. I'm pretty sure I was not at fault. The main police officer did tell me that mine and everyone else's stories seem to corroborate. So I think I am not at fault. But my main concern is what will this do to my insurance? Will they pay for the whole thing like the last time? Or now that I've totaled two cars in one month, will they not cover me?

Making matters worse, I don't have a full time job anymore. I have a couple of different part time jobs and they both depend on me having reliable transportation. Not to mention that I'm also an actor who has to get to auditions on a regular basis. So I need a car for that. What will this do to me financially?

So I wait. Its also hard when you live alone. I have no one here with me. No  one to distract me. I'm on my own.  I want to send big "Thank Yous" to my friends Tom and JP who each seperately got me out of the house yesterday. And to Ariella for checking on me today and offering to take me anywhere I might need to go like the grocery store. And I do know that I am EXTREMELY LUCKY to be healthy and relatively unscathed from this. TWICE NOW!!! I have a guardian angel watching over me for sure!

And I'm thankful to the universe for keeping me safe. I am very, very grateful to the people who were so nice to me Tuesday at the scene of the accident. All I could think was TWICE IN ONE MONTH!!! WHY?! I just got this car yesterday! This can't be happening! What now?

But I'm here and I'm not hurt. Thank you!!