So why is it that yesterday I felt fine and chipper but this morning I woke up feeling like I could sleep another 14 hours? It’s like I’m a tortoise in a world full of hares today.
On the news front, Susan’s diplomatic review of Sycamore Rouge's “Read.y for Right” is in today’s Times-Dispatch. In the run-up to the weekend, I missed Joan T’s take on “The Clean House” that showed up on Richmond.com last Friday.
I was hoping to do some kind of recap of the RTCC Awards night but just the thought of it is overwhelming. The best I think I can manage is a grab-bag of different moments from the evening that perhaps I’ll spread out over the next several days because they keep coming back to me.
· Jase Smith did most of the on-the-ground organizing, some of which was going on right up to the last minute, and showed great skill and creativity in doing so. When I showed up at the Firehouse a little after 6pm, he was still in a sweatshirt and jeans. He was very calmly trying to figure out how to make a CD that had Ford Flannagan’s “Neverland” music on it work, with little luck. He ultimately had to rig something via patching something through a laptop or something. Personally, I would have been freaking out at that point but he simply got the job done. Way to go, Jase!
· The “Robert Palmer” girls – as John Porter so perceptively dubbed them – were my eldest daughter, Sage, and her two friends, Sarah Deutsch and Eva Pye Ravenal. They didn’t get a specific thanks or mention during the evening so I wanted to give them one here. John’s whole introduction was awesome and indicative of the performance of all of the presenters. None of them had anything scripted for them. One of the benefits of working with talented people was that they all stepped up to the plate and did great work.
· Steve Moore was a last-minute addition to the line-up for the evening and I’m so glad he was there to warm-up the crowd. That he zeroed in on my mom for his “Are you straight? How long have you known? Do you think it’s just a phase?” routine was particularly entertaining!
· Several times during the night, people came up to me and said very heartfelt things, many about the evening but some about other “water under the bridge” type issues. I really appreciate those sentiments and the sincerity with which they were expressed. In particular, it was an honor to finally meet Toney Cobb and chat with him for a few minutes. I’m glad he was nominated for an award and I’m looking forward to seeing him on stage again.
· Jill Bari Steinberg is my hero. Also without much preparation or scripting, she managed to be funny, engaging, flexible and still moved things along. We were so lucky she agreed to be hostess.
· Angie and Brett doing “Follow Your Heart” encapsulated everything that made “Urinetown” such an entertaining show. Ford Flannagan was impeccable doing “Neverland” and Kim Clarke was a hoot with her “Stuff.” Jason and Landon were so strong of voice and loose in their rapport it showed off the rambunctious good fun of “Guys and Dolls” perfectly. Those four performances were a beautiful representation of the width and breadth of talent in this town. Bravo!
More later…
4 comments:
As an interesting aside, Petersburg is building a new library, which lends to the timeliness of their production - you can see the design on their website at www.ppls.org.
Dave,
I know what you mean. I know I need to write about Hamlet, the RTCC Awards, the World Series, and the lecture at the Virginia Center for Architecture, but all I want to do is sleep. It's all too much.
Of course, you actually get PAID to write, unlike me... ;)
Dave, there was no indication that anything was amiss, awry or athwart. Bravo to you, Jase and the whole gang.
Anyone have pics of the evening they'd like to share? Everyone looked so incredibly do-able, and I need a new screen saver.
Dave thanks for the kind words. We at the Firehouse are so pleased that the evening was well received by the community. I enjoyed working with you and Mary on the event. Thank you for allowing me to help kick off what is sure to become THE event for the theatre community in years to come!
Post a Comment