New Interview, some backstory, and some really delicious chicken

Sorry for the late update (Michael) ... it's been one of those weeks where logging out of my personal blogger account has just seemed like so much effort. I've been very busy this week with non-theatre things, like shopping for clothes (I think I fixed our economy last night, BTW, if the number on that Banana Republic receipt is any indication) and cooking (see recipe below).


First on the agenda -- some backstory on the real Dude(s) with Balloons. A lot of people ask us what, exactly, Flight of the Lawnchair Man is about. Well, now you know, and knowing is half the battle (G.I. Joe!).


Next up, an interview!


NAME: Josh Doyle (Erin says: I'm gonna go out on a limb here and assume that, while I have not actually met Josh and thus am not entirely sure which person he is in this picture, that he is not the girl or the dog.)
ROLE: Charles Lindbergh

What is your favorite role/show worked on to date? (Just one!) Hmmm. I can’t choose, so I’ll put one word or so of the titles of my favorite shows into the title of a brand new show. That would be How to Invent a Blood Honk Tick. It’s a really gross show. (Erin says: I'm intrigued, Josh. What is the plot of this show? What is the cast size and makeup? When will rights be available?)

If you could do only one show ever again, what would it be? Glengarry Glen Ross. I love it! Someday …

What are your favorite pizza toppings? Pepperoni, olives, onions and crushed red pepper (Erin says: Those are some of my favorites tooooooooooo!!!! Crushed red pepper, mmmmm ... now I want pizza.). Check out the Firecracker at Fireworks in Leesburg.

A or B? B, I don’t know why, but it’s always the way it’s been.

If you had your pick, which of Shakespeare’s characters would you be most attracted to, if he/she was a real person? I would pick the typical answer and say Juliet, but she’s like 14 and that’s creepy. So it would have to be Miranda in The Tempest. Those island chicks are hot!

And finally, I have a recipe I would like to share with all of you for really delicious, good-for-you chicken.

Mix 1 tablespoon whole-grain mustard, 1 tablespoon olive oil, a dash each of salt and pepper, and about a teaspoon of freshly chopped rosemary, and brush it over chicken (I got 3 chicken breasts out of this recipe). Slap the chicken on the grill (or bake it, or whatever -- I used my Foreman). While it cooks, mix 3 tablespoons of whole-grain mustard with 3 tablespoons of lite mayo, and add just a touch of water to make a sauce. When the chicken is done, top it with the sauce and enjoy. DELICIOUS. Serve it with a salad or some roasted broccoli or asparagus.

I realize that chicken has nothing to do with theatre, but for all you cast members who are living off of Wendy's before rehearsal, this takes 15 minutes and is way better for you. For you theatre-goers who want to go out to dinner before the show but are trying to save money (although, remember, I fixed the economy!), put some candles on the table and serve this instead -- it's healthy, and a whole lot cheaper, and you won't have to worry about the leftovers making your car smells like stale fries and barbeque sauce while you're at the show.

See how I tied that all together? I'm awesome.

It's Interview Time Again, Jerry Gorman.

Okay, so far, these are the last of the interviews I've gotten ... so cast and crew, remind your fellow cast and crewmates to fill it out, or I'll have to resort to posting pictures of Dudes with Balloons for the next month.

Funny story about Susanna's photo -- she sent me a bunch to pick from, and I was torn between two. One was a really cute pic, and the other was just funny. When I mentioned this to her, she responded with a jpeg of the two next to each other. So that's what I posted :)

And Randy didn't send me a picture, so you all get another lovely MS Paint Creation by yours truly. I call it "Randy as a Lego man".

NAME: Randall Jones
ROLE: Director/Choreographer

What is your favorite role/show worked on to date? (Just one!) I was a singing/dancing, Elvis-impersonating, extraterrestrial lizard in Starmites in 1991. Basically, I was an “intergalactic pet” to Lori Staley, FOTLM’s “Little French Boy!”

Jerry’s dream is to fly – what is your dream? I want to play Edna Turnblad in Hairspray with my daughter, Maribeth, as Tracy Turnblad! (Erin says: I want to see that. Let's make it happen.)

Do you speak any languages (besides English) fluently? If so, what are they? I only speak English—and sort of a Missouri Hillbilly version of English—so I speak about 75% of a language.

Who’s cooler, Batman or Superman, and why? Batman—because he doesn’t really have any fake special powers. He’s just smart, strong, clever, and RICH. (Erin says: That is a truth-fact. Batman is way cooler for exactly that reason.)

A or B? BBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBB

If you had your pick, which of Shakespeare’s characters would you be most attracted to, if he/she was a real person? Can I just pick Joseph Fiennes as William Shakespeare in Shakespeare in Love? Can you just allow me to pretend that he hops the fence once Gwyneth Paltrow is sent packing? (Erin says: I want to say no, but if I say no, then I can't post this question, and since somehow all 3 of today's interviewees are the only ones to have answered this question, it would throw off the balance. So I'll give you partial credit, but only because a) I like balance, and b) Gwyneth Paltrow annoyed the crap out of me in that movie.)

NAME: Susanna Todd
ROLE: Gracie

What is your favorite role/show worked on to date? Blood Brothers at Elden Street in the summer of 2006. It was just such an overall great experience: great cast, great crew, great production. And it never got old. It’s one of the few shows I’ve done where I haven’t been ready for it to close. And I absolutely LOVED the finale “Tell Me It’s Not True”—it was a wonderful theater moment.

If you could do only one show ever again, what would it be? Oooh, that’s a good one. Jekyll & Hyde. I bet it’d take a while for me to get sick of it because
(a) it’s one of my favorite musical scores and
(b) there are so many good roles that you’d want to do it over and over just to play them all. Emma is one of my dream roles and Lucy is probably up there as one of the best musical roles for women; plus, there’s all the great ensemble work, so being a Red Rat girl or random Londoner would also be worthwhile. (Erin says: Many people have asked me if I mean "do one show over again" -- no, I mean exactly what I said. One show, ever again, for the rest of your life. I had actually meant "You get one more shot onstage and then your feet may never touch the boards again", but I like Susanna's interpretation. You only get to do one show ever again, but do it as many times, playing as many parts, as you want. If you haven't answered the question yet, that's what I mean now.)

What are your favorite pizza toppings? Green Pepper, Black Olives, & Tomato. I also like Ham & Pineapple or Plain Cheese. I’m kind of a bad person to order pizza with because I don’t like a lot of the standard toppings (i.e. pepperoni, sausage, mushrooms, onions).

What is your favorite Girl Scout Cookie? Samoas, with Tagalongs and Thin Mints tied for 2nd. Which apparently puts me along with the rest of America since those are the 3 best sellers and comprise nearly 60% of total cookie sales (don’t ask me why I looked that up, I just did). (Erin says: You looked it up cuz you're awesome and a nerd like me ... even though you like Thin Mints.)

If you had your pick, which of Shakespeare’s characters would you be most attracted to, if he/she was a real person? I like Petruchio in The Taming of the Shrew, but I think I’d have to go with Hamlet. Can’t really explain why. I guess I’m a sucker for the tragic hero. (Despite the fact that, as my sister said, “Hamlet’s kinda messed up … and his girlfriend went insane.”) (Erin says: I like Hamlet, too. He's in my top three. I probably wouldn't be able to deal with him for the long term, though.)

NAME: Jeffery Miller

ROLE: Ensemble/Parisian

What is your favorite role/show worked on to date? Ryan in High School Musical

If you could do only one show ever again, what would it be? Probably How to Succeed In Business Without Really Trying with my middle school kids (Erin says: May I assume you teach middle school theatre?)

What are your favorite pizza toppings? Pepperoni and pineapple (Erin says: Together? Weird.)

Who’s cooler, Batman or Superman, and why? Batman is way cooler!!!!!! A real superhero doesn’t need powers!

If you had your pick, which of Shakespeare’s characters would you be most attracted to, if he/she was a real person? Haha I like Hermina :) (Erin says: What play is Hermina in? [I am such a jerk.])

So, it's been what, 800 years?

Sorry I've been MIA lately folks. Personal stuff, like ensuring I stay employed, has been keeping me busy. But I am (as far as I know) staying employed, so I figured I'd take a few minutes and post the cast list. At some point soon there will be interviews, I promise. I just have to actually think of good questions. Right now, my brain cells are pretty much just coming up with things like "Why are bananas squishy?" -- and while that's a fascinating question, and I'm sure Michael would love to answer it, most of the cast members don't know me and my sense of humor, and probably would not respond to that email. And also, you guys probably don't want to read 15 responses about why bananas are squishy.

The cast list for Dude with Balloons!

Mark W. Gray-Mendes: Jerry Gorman
Susanna Todd: Gracie
Marissa Quintos Dolcich : Mother Gorman
Ryan Khatcheressian: Big Jack
Rebecca Clary: Blaire
Cory Okouchi: Mr. Frankel
Lori Staley: French Boy
Braedon Kulick: Young Jerry
Jesse Baskin: Ens/Lindbergh Baby
Mark Mariano DeGuzman: Ens/Fr. Ann
Jen Faulconer: Ens/Nena
Jeffery Miller: Ens/Parisian
Shannon Montague: Ens/FAA Agent
Carla Okouchi: Ens/TV Reporter/Bimbo
Renee Rabben: Ens/Parisian
Michael Schaaff: Ens/NASA Official
Stephen T. Wheeler: Ens/Thuggish Bully
Christine Young: Ens/Bimbo
Kevin McCormack: Da Vinci
Josh Doyle: Lindbergh
Cathy Arnold: Amelia Earhart

For those who have worked with CCT/2FT before: Welcome back! For those who are new to our group: Welcome ... front?

Five Women Wrap-Up and Dude with Balloons

Wow, I haven't been in to update this in some time. My apologies to everyone for that -- I, apparently, am a big old slacker.

In truth, I was so focused on my character and my role in Five Women Wearing the Same Dress that I completely forgot about all of my other responsibilities, what with having to deflect the paparazzi, meet my agent for lunch to discuss my next project, and I've enrolled my dog in this puppy play group that also includes Sandra Bullock and Eva Longoria's pooches, and I'll tell you what, they are such sweet women but man, can Sandy go on for HOURS when you're trying to pick up the pup to take her to the nanny's so that you can get to rehearsal.

That's all a lie. What really happened was that I was really tired and didn't have the brain cells to be funny, so I procrastinated about posting.

BUT. All that said, Five Women... was a great success -- we got wonderful reviews from the audiences, made good friends who we'll all actually keep in touch with (I'm notorious for being horrible about getting together with people, and after most shows I've done, we all go our separate ways -- but I can say for a fact that I will actually make the effort to see all of these women again, because they're amazing and fabulous), and given me enough fodder to create an entire post of ridiculously long sentences.

Special thanks go out to the wonderful team of beauticians at the Elizabeth Arden Red Door Spa in Reston Town Center, who volunteered their time and about 50 cans of hairspray (seriously, they ran out and had to go buy more at the Harris Teeter next door just to finish out the two weekends of the show) to make us look good onstage. Caron, Remona, MariJane, and the rest of the team (I feel so bad, but I don't know the names of the two makeups artists who worked on Brittany and Betsy) were all so kind and welcoming, and I for one hope to work with them all again soon.

For our next trick, we will be flying a lawnchair. Well, sort of. Auditions for CCT with 2FT's spring musical, Flight of the Lawnchair Man (affectionately known by the cast and crew as "Dude with Balloons"), were held this weekend, with callbacks happening tomorrow evening. When I have a cast list, I'll be sure to post it, and a new show means new cast and crew interviews, so stay tuned in the coming weeks for pictures, quotes, and other various shenanigans.

Oh, and on a totally unrelated but totally awesome note, the Great and Wonderful Michael Schaaff has purchased me a BeDazzler, so if there are any requests for BeDazzled items, I am more than happy to staple rhinestones to things for you. My husband told me I'm not allowed to BeDazzle everything in the house, but I think that those rhinestones are probably enough of a pain to take off that if I do it while he's not home, I can probably keep the sparkly potholders and sofa and placemats and all his work clothes. Right?