Rehearsal, Rehearsal, Rehearsal and Part 2 of "How To Marry a Divorced Man"

It's been a really busy time with lots of rehearsals and performing in a new gig every other week or so.

I feel fortunate to have been working consistently since August. It's a rarity in NY, and I'm jazzed and thankful to have reached that level of consistency.

Today I perform in the staged reading of  the pop rock musical "How to Marry a Divorced Man" at the Mint Theatre. Presented by The Show Goes On and Tweiss Productions, it's a modern musical about a woman looking for love. Composed by Clare Cooper, who worked on Memphis and The Toxic Avenger, the music is so fun to sing, and it stays with you. It's hard to get Clare's songs out of my head! :)

Christine Marie Heath and me

Based on the book by Leslie Fram, adapted by Bryan D. Leys, I play the ex-wife of the title character, and she's a hoot. Her name's Glenda, and she's an ex-punk rocker who gave up her career to be a wife and mother, and now she's trying to revive it. My 2nd act number, "Work" is a "punk ballad" which is more like a rollercoaster ride. Love love LOVE it!

The show today is an industry reading, but if you're interested it's at 4:30 at The Mint Theatre Company 311 West 43rd on the 3rd floor. Here's the link to RSVP:
http://www.theshowgoeson.org/homepage#!__homepage/rock-musical-reading-series

Rock n roll!!!!

Maybe This Time

I start rehearsals this week for a staged reading of new play called, Maybe This Time. It's a romantic comedy about a Liza Minnelli impersonator on a quest to find true love. I play his best friend, Mona, who's a Bette Midler impersonator, and she is full of sass - just like the real Miss M!

One of the favorite pix of Bette

I'm so excited to take on the role! Ever since I got the job, I've been watching YouTube clips of the Divine Miss M's work, and now I'm gonna gauge her on the big screen. I've downloaded a bunch of her movies on Netflix, and I'll catch the HBO presentation again of her fabulous show, "The Showgirl Must Go On."

I'd love to see her live! My friend, Michael, and I often talk about going to Vegas to see her, because she puts on an incredible show!

In the meantime, thank goodness for technology! It definitely makes my homework of watching her work much easier. :)

So while I get Miss M's vocal and physical charms down, I'm also working on the script which is really fun! A lot of humor and heart, and the characters are so well drawn.

I'm looking forward to meeting the rest of the cast. It should be a blast!

The staged reading of Maybe This Time will be held Dec. 5th at 7 PM at a TBD theatre in midtown. Details to come!

The Next Adventure

I had such a great time, performing in the musical, "Hell's Belles" at the Abingdon Theatre this past weekend. What a great space!

Since our show was a one night benefit, we performed on a set that was built for another show, and it definitely increased my admiration for set designers, because this set was built with levels of all depths and heights, and completely added an extra sense of dimension. It felt like a whole new show!

When I moved from a 3 foot tall platform on one side of the stage to a 5 foot tall platform on the other side of the stage, I felt like I was "flying" as Judy Garland, which was appropriate since she's supposed to be visiting from Heaven. :)

It was so fun!

Now, I'm going into rehearsals for the staged reading of "Maybe This Time," a play about a Liza Minnelli impersonator who's looking for love. I play his best friend and Bette Midler impersonator, so I definitely have my homework cut out for me, but what great homework!

I feel so honored to play these larger than life ladies. They're so inspiring! And I feel like they're saying, "Come on out and play!"

I really get to let loose, and yet I feel more grounded in my work than ever, because I'm constantly working, utilizing my acting and singing skills, honing my craft.

It's so incredibly cool, and I'm thoroughly enjoying this time of my life.

Hell's Belles at the Abingdon Theatre Sunday Nov. 13 at 7 PM

I'm so excited to be performing at the Abingdon Theatre this Sunday night, Nov. 13th, at 7 PM.

I'm a big fan of the theatre company and have auditioned for quite a few shows there, so it's a dream come true to be doing the musical Hell's Belles there as part of their Sunday Series.

Hell's Belles is a musical about a nightclub in hell where famous women from history and pop culture perform. I have the honor of playing Judy Garland, Janis Joplin, Lady Godiva, Salome, Guenevere, Joan Crawford, and Alice. B Toklas.

I'm joined onstage by a tremendously talented cast: Omri Schein as Lester, the master of ceremonies; the awesome Oakley Boycott as Marilyn Monroe, Evita, Calamity Jane, Princess Di, and a pop star ala Lady Gaga; and the hilarious Kristen Menglekoch as Eleanor Roosevelt, Ma Barker, Eva Braun, Bette Davis, Gertrude Stein, and Lizzie Borden.

Tickets are $20 and can be purchased through the Abingdon website:

It's gonna be a fun night! Hope to see you there!

Adventures in The Room

I recently saw a post on an actorsite about auditioning, called Adventures in the Room, and I love the notion of treating an audition like an adventure! Why not? It's far more fun that way!

Actually I've been so busy with gigs for the past few months that I haven't had time to attend an open audition for anything since August. All of my work has been coming from folks I've worked with in the past, and that's such a great feeling.

This week I go into rehearsals to revisit the musical, "Hell's Belles," performing next Sunday Nov. 13th at the Abingdon Theatre at 7 PM, and later this month I get to punk out again for "How To Marry a Divorced Man," a staged reading at The Mint Theatre Nov. 29th. Both of these shows are fun playgrounds, filled with wonderfully diverse characters.

(as Glenda in "How to Marry...")

It's funny how small the theatre world is - even in New York, which brings me to last week's theatrical adventure:

I was requested to audition for a new play called "Maybe This Time," playing a Bette Midler-type: the brassy, fun, big-hearted best friend of the male lead, a Liza Minelli impersonator.

I love playing these larger than life ladies!

When I arrived at the audition, I was the only woman there. All of the other characters are men, so there were a lot of fellas! ;) And one I had met before at the reading of "How To Marry a Divorced Man." He's a friend of the author and had approached me afterward to compliment me on my work. It was cool to see him at this audition.

And the other guys in line were just as lovely. I ended up chatting with a young man who's studying character work with Charles Busch, and I love that! I'm a big fan of Mr. Busch's work, and so it was cool to talk with one of his students.

We talked about "going to the source," reviewing actors before us who've paved the way, especially in comedy. And it's not just parodying these performers, it's finding your own way through the foundation they've set.

That made me think of Billy Crystal and Steve Martin, two of my faves, who talk about learning other comedians' routines when they were little kids, so they could repeat it word for word, getting the rhythm of it all. And of course this informed their work as adults.

I feel like I'm getting the chance to study with the greats, learning from Judy Garland and Janis Joplin and all the iconic women for for "Hell's Belles..."

...studying Deborah Harry and other punk rock ladies for "How To Marry a Divorced Man," and now, getting to play a Bette Midler impersonator for "Maybe This Time."

Yup, I got the job! ;)

And of course, I'm onto the next Adventure! ;)