Tuesday, June 23, 2009

Hear! Hear!


Bravo!!
Congratulations to The Rothschilds' Barney Winners:

Colleen Bethea....Best Lead Actress in a Musical,
Joe Baumann...Best Supporting Actor in a Musical,
Scott Larson, Simon Tower, Joe Baumann, Logan Emlet, Danny Bethea...Best Ensemble
Mary K Hodges Nees...Best Costumes
Ray and Melody Kurtis...Properties

Friday, June 19, 2009

Transition! Transition!


To all my friends, family, and dear readers of this blog;

You may notice that for a week or so there will be a post or two or even more about The Rothschilds, the musical I just finished directing, and perhaps a new ones ortwo on the Rothschilds'blog. It is addicting! I ask for your patience. I'm trying to transition from an intense, all consuming 12 weeks of rehearsals, comraderie, hard work, and just plain fun into returning to a "normal" existence. I'm resuming the Jane in the Jungle blog and phasing out The Rothschilds blog.


As I mentioned on Facebook one night, "I am bereft. Closing a show is like losing your best friend." It is a real loss and there is a time of mourning. We call it the post show blues, kind of like post- partum blues. You can't go through an intense experience like either without feeling a bit of loss, aimlessness and sadness.


Thank you to my dear, dear friend Wendy who reminded me that SHE was still here and that I hadn't lost my best friend afterall.


"Over a 1,000 props"




(Click chandelier photo to go to story)
As stories go, the one about the number of props in The Rothschild's and the value of the chandelier took on epic proportions. But it doesn't take epic proportions to fit the props from a closing Hollywood prop store into just one of The Rothschild's palaces.




A sad commentary on our precarious times.
(Thanks to Mary K for the link)

Wednesday, June 17, 2009

A Royal Vacation




I've just spent the most amazing three months with the fascinating Rothschild family; Mayer and his 5 sons and the various Crowned Heads of Europe including Prince William of Prussia, Prince Metternich of Austria, Joseph Fouche, Napoleon's Minister of Police, and John Herries, the King of England's Exchequer.


With great regret and sadness, I have returned to the real world from the fantasy world of the theatre and a whirlwind round of royal parties.


After an intense 3 months of rehearsals we opened The Rothschilds at Riverwalk Theatre on June 4 and had an amazing run. The show garnered fabulous reviews, accolades, great press and some very nice awards.


The Lansing State Journal awarded our show 6 of them


Doak Bloss.......Best Lead Actor, Joe Baumann.....Best Supporting Actor, Mary K. Nees Hodges.....Best Costumes, Dan Moore....Best Hair Design, Joel Reynolds, Dominic Redman, Nic Roberts, and Lexie Roberts.....Best Child Actors, and myself for Best Direction of a Musical.

Hear! Hear!