Real Thanks....

Last night I was all overwhelmed by America's Next Top Model so I really didn't get a chance to thank all of the great supporters who have sent me emails over the last few days.
Your words have been a cool balm to my musical theatre soul.....I was gonna say ass but I am trying to keep this classy.
I guess we didn't know how much of a challenge this was all gonna be when we started down the SFNW road but I relish it.....I really do....that must mean that I am a glutton .....or super motivated!
I just wanted to include some if the upliftin' things that have arrived in my email inbox......

*I work at the Mill St. Brewpub, and since your show opened, it has been a barrage of great reviews from patrons coming from the theatre, some of which have seen your show more than once. That's all, just wanted to let you know!

*...if we don't support our own theatre, nobody will.

*.....the show really moved me. Your joy at having a great response from the audience was palpable, and there was tremendous give and take. Congratulations on a wonderful labor of love.

*I can't wait to see the show again, and I know my friends can't wait to see it either.

* I just sent out 40 individual/personal emails to friends and theatre goers we know that MUST see your show. We enjoyed it yet again last night and will return again.

*.... I am aware that none of us can do our work in a bubble, so on a personal note, I am grateful that you guys have chosen to do this if nothing else than to continue to raise awareness of other small musicals

* ...you have chosen a piece with a tremendous heart and a voice that should be heard by all audiences.

*Hey Kids, Just wanted to let you all know how much I enjoyed your show last night. I can't believe you had to do another one at 10pm! You're not as young as you used to be!

The last one is my fave.......And I am not......as young...that is.
It was so nice to have a feeling of community when theatre seems to be suffering a bit.....it really did warm my cold, cold heart.
Again, I really want to say .....people really don't have to like the shows we do.....maybe just not try to ruin it , or make feel stupid, those who do.
That is just my opinion!
And we all have one....just like asses.
Some are just cuter than others!

Whew....

Firstly....let me thank all of your asses for being so supportive......... of the show and all......We had two great Saturday Night shows and great crowds....it is always more fun with a big audience.....blah,blah, blah.....thanks.
I am right back to workin' on the Party and I am very excited about that....just contacted all the peeps about what they are doing and how it all fits together....it has been quite nice to have a break.
Patrick and I went out to breakie this morn....with James.....don't want to leave him out...George was there for two minutes and realized that he would not get to eat before he had to be at LYKTP for his half hour so I have to give him subway fare and send him on his way.....which felt awful after he took such awesome care of me yesterday. (He did something very sweet for me that I just wanna save for later....but it was sweet.) It was like I hadn't seen Patrick in twenty five years.....he is older and wiser.....but looks younger and ......well wiser.
Glad that we are getting back to it, baby.
Then today....on the day off.....I watched America's Next Top Model and can't believe that Cari-Dee didn't get the old heave ho...Ho! Neckin' on the balcony with some Spanish dude she just met on camera.....slutty.....and what she said to Nigel....shocking....for those of you who don't watch it.....it is all very important and interesting.
So, that is the short of it peeps, for now.......couldn't even get my ass off the couch to see a movie and that is just tired ass.

From the DESK of Derrick Chua...

Hey Y'all,

If you wanna read my response to the Globe Review it is the next one and .......Here is what the producer Derrick Chua sent me.....

“rhythmic energy and melodic invention galore”
“the quartet of performers…are all talented individuals, with a lot to offer.”
Richard Ouzounian, Toronto Star

“These are some of our finest vocalists and musical-theatre performers”
“inspirational lyrics and strong message of triumph over personal and political adversity”
Kamal Al-Solaylee, Globe and Mail

“this is sophisticated stuff”
“impressive talent”
John Coulbourn, Toronto Sun

“Thom Allison, Sharron Matthews and Tracy Michailidis are excellent interpreters”
“an interesting show if you like clever lyrics and character portraits in music
“very sophisticated theatre”
Paula Citron, Classical96.3


It’s all in how you sell the show!

Keep on keepin’ on!

Too much going on to see it this week, but will get there next week!

Derrick

Why Produce?

Hey All,

I am back and I got something to say!!!!!

If you are Tracy, Thom or Jason read no farther.....or at least wait till December 18th cause I know you don't read reviews.

So I will mumble here for a moment so you don't see any of this.........

lalalalallalalalala

humdeedumdum

poopeeedooooo

Alright my blog friends....I have never publicly responded to reviews because they are really one person's opinion of something and what other people think of me.....

IS NONE OF MY BUSINESS.....

But as a producer I have had to begin the horrifying task of reading what people think of my performances.

Ug.

There is nothing worse.

I think that performance in the theatre and on the stage are a living thing and that they change with the audience, present state of mind and new discoveries in the moment.

For myself for alot of years I found that daunting and searched for perfection every night.

BORING!

Who cares if you remember all the lyrics if your performance is cemented in ...........well....cement.

(Sharron has a moment of laughter here)

Here is the background.

J, Trace and Thom-ie and I did "Songs For A New World" 8 years ago and had a great experience. We recieved awesome reviews and the community was hugely supportive.

We did it as a co-op and rehearsed in Noreen Waibel's basement for two weeks .

We didn't make a red cent and felt great about the endevour.

Then we did 3 benifit concerts.

The response was so overwhelming that we sat down and talked about doing a real run of it.

There were dangers, of course.

People might not like it.

We didn't want to do it as we did before .....if we did it ....we were gonna try something new.

We were 8 years older, Jason had two kids and was going into casting, Tracy was doing more straight plays and TV, Thom had many successful seasons at Stratford and I was doing my Party and TV and Film more than theatre....we all had evolved and felt that the show should reflect our lives and new choices.

We decided that it was worth the risk.

We wanted a director with a fresh vision.

Tim Forte, our first director, was very supportive of our choice to go another way and we thanked him for that.

The point is.....why do something twice ?

Do it if you wanna explore something different.

We wanted to produce a commercial venture independently and we did thanks to the get-up-and-go of Jason Knight, Clyde Wagner and Tracy Michialidis.

We knew that we might suffer slings and arrows.

(Tell everyone you know that I kinda quoted Shakespeare here.)

Chris Abraham is an excellent, supportive, respectful and inspiring director.....I don't trust easily in that department.....because I know everything.....don't ya know...but I trust and trusted him.

He had us work and look into these people that we were singing about and not just create an evening of pleasant cabaret.

Instead, we all wanted an journey of people on the edge of huge choices and decisions.

That is the show that was written and we celebrate that.

I am proud as hell of the show that we have.

The thing that really got me, my friends, was reading the review in the Globe and Mail by Kamal Al-Solaylee.

You don't have to like the show.

I wish that he had but.....he clearly didn't.

Ah well.

I have chatted with Kamal in the past and he was very supportive and said that he loved musical theatre.

BUT.......here are a couple things that just made me sad.

We need good directors in musical theatre.

As musical theatre performers we want to stretch our muscles and not just sing "Ok-la-homa"( not that there is anything wrong with that) but if Chris Abraham is told that

"His foray into musical theatre is probably more of a palette cleanser--or a temporary lapse---"

we may have a problem getting him to do another music theatre piece.

Don't ya think?

In our city we used to have 5 or 6 musicals running at the same time filled with Canadians........self produced and Mirvish or Garth produced.

Now, we have road shows from the states that sit in our big theatres with one or two Canadians if you are lucky.

Anything that we try to do has been horribly shot down in the last two or three years....all culminating in the massive-media-hate fest that was of Lord of the Rings.

So, in this environment, we wanted to create work where there was none and challenge ourselves.

And this was the part that most bothered me....

"If you don't have much tolerance for live and over-amplified excess, Songs for a New World is not their shining hour but their moment of shame"

Holy shit.

"Moment of shame"????????????

I mean, really.

That just brought water to my eyes, truly.

How does one respond to that?

At the risk of sounding ......I don't know ........pissed......

I think he is a little bit overwrought himself.

Here are some of the words he uses to describe our evening.

"Unbearable."

Hmm........

"Case of collective histrionics from the four person cast.......who sing every note as if to prove their existence to an oblivious god"

Well.......

"Eardrum-puncturing and downright deafening"

Really.........

"I doubt this production will completely recover from it's endemic excesses, but here's to hoping..."

That is pretty dramatic stuff.

What does endemic mean?

-In biology and ecology endemic means exclusively native to a place or biota, in contrast to cosmopolitan or introduced. However, it is also differentiated from indigenous: A species that is endemic is unique to a defined place or region.-

Well....I still kinda don't get it.

So.....here I am.......I am trying to find a source of humour to turn this into something positive.

I was saddened and shocked by alot of what he said.....and oddly enough......I expected the overwrought .....from Kamal and Richard ( Ouzounian who, in the interest of total discloser, didn't like it either but beside this review his is kinda a rave) .....it was the "Shame" part and the mention of Chris Abraham's foray that really bothered me.

Like I said you don't have to like it......but it is already hard as hell to work in or produce theatre in Canada.....and with words and expressions such as this it will only get harder.

So....my friends ...if you wanna come see us in the Distillery.....please do......we would love your support.....people do seem to really enjoy it.

It may be loud......

We may be earnest.....

But I think we rock out.........

I STILL think it was AND IS worth the risk......

It would be a shame for you not to come!

Busy, busy.....

Holy ho ho!
It has become busy as hell and I have neglected the three people who read this....how could I?
WELL...it is getting close to the first preview of our show and I am working and shopping for clothes.......for the show, not for myself....and it has just been a whirlwind.
I am really excited.
We preview on Friday and the three of you should try and make it to the previews...why? because you never know......ya know?
The space looks very cool and there are more lights than I have ever seen...it is a rock show.
Woo hoo.
The whole design is by the team who does Rick Miller's shows, Beth and Ben, and they are something else.
Other than that.....I have nothing to tell you... this is all I am doing.
I haven't seen a movie....I haven't made a phone call.....I haven't done a damned thing.
I mean it!
So, I hope all is well and .....well... there you have it!

First Week!!!

Oh what fun we had....I can't believe that we are already done our first week of rehearsal for "Songs". And it was great....I never really feel quite this happy during rehearsal...usually about this time I am filled with self doubt (which I am sure will arrive at some point...not to worry) and asking myself why I took this fucking show and then doing the grand job a beginning to save me ass.
We all know "Save Your ASS Theatre"...... where it is every actor for themselves and your better get out of the way, baby!
But we have a great director, Chris Abraham, who was just named AD of Crow Theatre......exciting.....he is just great.
And I am with my peeps...my Thom and my Trace and my J.....and, of course, Noreen our MD is kicking our vocal asses.....all of sudden we are getting quite specific where we couldn't before......it was just so fast last time and we would all stand off stage hoping that we could remember the words to our 18 page song....yup.....18 - 23 pages some of them...woo.
On Wednesday we all sat counting the pages of each of our songs....to see who won...what would we win I ask you?......superiority...Isn't it worth it???
Thom won with Steam Train....23 pages.
Jason came second with She Cries......18 pages.
I think that Surabaya is my longest at 17.
Long ass songs.
But my favourite day was Friday. We came in to do music all day and Jason told us that he and his daughter Issy were sitting around in the evening the night before and she asked him to tell her his day, she is two years old and cute as hell, and he said, " I sang with my friends all day."
And then realized that would sound awesome to a two year old.
Then he got a bit choked up.
We are such gaylords for this show.
And, yeah, getting to sit around and sing with your friends all day long.....pretty awesome.

Studio 60?

So, I am reading the Star today, Saturday, and I read a bi-line that has "Studio 60" in the title and I think, oh, me readie......then I feel a bit flabbergasted.....READ IT!

I have loved "Studio 60"...it's dialogue was a bit high handed and trite but....anything about 'inside the entertainment biz' always turns my crank....the one thing I could never reconcile was that a little blond, left wing, christian girl who puts out a album of spiritual songs is

on a late night sketch comedy show.....and now I know why.....

Aaron Sorkin and Kristen Chenoweth ( who....dripa-droppie....I had the pleasure of working with in the Music Man movie...Chenoweth, not Sorkin.....could you imagine?)...did the nasty........eewwwwwww! And the character is based on her!

CAN YOU BELIEVE IT?

He is just so.........not......what she is.

So, I am in the Zehyrs in Collingwood during a tour of Charlie Brown earlier this year, my life is nothing if not glamourous, and Patrick and I are late night shopping and walking past the magazine section and I drop my hummus and pita when I see Kristen Chenoweth on the cover of Maxim.

MAXIM!!!!

It is just that I sat with her everyday in the make-up trailer telling little sweet stories about how she wanted to buy a special cross at Macy's and it was $1000.00 dollars but she just needed it.....which I do not judge but she was so .......spiritual? No, just proper and all.

Then there she is in a banana yellow bikini smiling like the day she won her tony, tits to the wind just waitin' for young boys to open the pages and smudge the print with their grubby fingers.

Was that too clear for any of you?

Ew.

So, in the article she talks about how she feels about being quoted on the show, or physically quoted......she sounds like she is hiding a world of mad.

How the fuck do you think she ended up with Aaron Sorkin?

Don't you think that he would see her as everything that was wrong with America?

Who knows....this Entertainment Biz is kooky........just when you think a premise is over the top ir far fetched ...........the Saturday Star tells you other wise!

Old and tired

Alright....I am 38 years old and after my third day of rehearsal I am going to bed at 9:50pm.

That is just effed!!!!

Did you check out my webstie changes?

Cool, eh?

I also just got a awesome dress from Fashion Crimes for "Songs".....gotta love the F.C. girls!!!!!!!

What about that review of Pippin?

Harsh....no wonder people aren't seeing things in Toronto...hmm.

Anyhow...did you know that my Georgie is playing Horton in the "Seussical" that opens next week at LKTYP?????

Yup....he is having a great time and I don't know if I can go and see him play so cute and not want to cry for the whole show....and tickets are totally affordable so go out and see it!

So...what is the deal with the recap episodes of "Survivor" and, my fave, "America's next Top Model"?

It sucks.

Off to sleep.