The summer theater in Las Vegas is in full swing and despite the frustrations one would typically feel with all the auditions, call backs, rehearsals or rejections, I'm feeling pretty good. That's another trend that I'm enjoying lately. Knock on wood.
The Music Man opened Wednesday at Spring Mountain Ranch, and I'm over the frustration of not getting cast as Professor Harold Hill. I'm also over not getting cast as J.B. Biggley in the July production of How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying. I didn't even audition for the August production of Legally Blonde, but based on current casting needs, may have had a good shot at Professor Callahan. Blah Blah. Don't get me wrong, I would have been thrilled to be in any of those productions and would have enjoyed working with the directors and my friends. Things happen for a reason though and I can't complain. I won't complain; at least not much. And if I do, stop me. I've been fortunate and honored and humbled the past year with the roles I've been cast in and so, I will always defer to the directors' choices: good or bad.
So tonight, instead of trying to swindle River City, Iowan's out of their money, or being in one rehearsal or another, I get to be on stage in a short but very rewarding musical. The 4th annual Las Vegas Fringe Festival closes tonight with the "Best Of" encore performances of three shows; Sudoku [the musical] being the one I'm in. Four judges cast their votes for the two best shows and Sudoku had the highest number of votes with two others being tied for second. It's not billed that way as 1st, 2nd.....etc, but I wanted to take a little pride here in my therapy session to gloat. Albeit, the scores were very close. Still! This is my blog and I can state it here with somewhat immunity. And done.
I love when theater experiences transcend venue and money and all the other trappings of an actor's fragile sense of ego. Sudoku was and is a groundbreaking experience for me. This show, and the people involved with it have pushed me and my talent to a new level. I feel stronger as both a vocalist and actor and owe a lot to the expectations this show required. By expectations, I mean the writer, the lyricist, the composer, the director and my co-star. All of whom trusted me without question and gave me the confidence to believe in myself. No small feat.
So tonight and tomorrow night I get to solve the puzzle again and enjoy the triumph of "Theatre of the Heart". And so I say again, "Things happen for a reason." Had I been cast in Music Man, or H2 Succeed, or even Xanadu (maybe not as there were others in Fringe from this one), I would not have even auditioned for Sudoku. This is the first year I could have even auditioned for Fringe. I've been asked to in the past, but couldn't as I was committed to other shows. I haven't even done a new works festival or any kind of festival since 1997 when I was just starting out in Pittsburgh.
So I humbly thank everyone that has supported the project by coming to see it. Sold out every performance but the last one, and we were close on that one. I feel renewed and energized and ready for the next challenge.......which I am already prepping for........The Producers. And I'll need that strength since I'll be playing Roger DeBris, the Director of Springtime for Hitler and inevitably the lead in Springtime for Hitler as Hitler. And did I mention he's as gay as a three dollar bill? Heil Myself!!
