Minimal Neon
After summarizing both the shows I've seen on Broadway and some of the other professional musicals I've seen, it seems only fair to outline my own misspent youth in the theater.
I did four musicals, one each after the junior and senior year of high school, and two more in college.
Li'l Abner - Summer 1995 - I played Senator Fogbound, which is the largest non-singing role in the show. This was a recurring theme of my theater career!
Grease - Summer 1996 - I was Vince Fontain, the DJ. Once again, this is the largest non-singing role.
Cabaret - November 1999 - My sister and I were in a production of Cabaret. I was a "Kit-Kat Boy", which is to say a member of the chorus. I even sang and danced a very small amount. The show was in a bar on campus, which made the atmosphere even better. This was pretty easily the best show I have ever been in. Our emcee had been a performer on a bunch of cruise ships and was very, very good. Doing this show led directly to us seeing it on Broadway.
How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying - March 2000 - I was the Voice of the Book. I wasn't originally planning to be in another show, but the director promised I wouldn't have to go on stage because he wanted my voice. Naturally, I ended up in costume and makeup as an announcer for one scene.
I did some other non-musicals along the way. In both my junior and senior of high school I was in both the longer play (fall semesters) and one act play (spring semesters). None of those were particularly great.
- Junior year, I was the rich guy who gets killed in a murder mystery. I came, I did a lot of exposition, I died. It wasn't a great show, but it was fun.
- The one act play Junior year was a terrible, terrible show called If the Boys Wore the Skirts. Utter dreck, and we even knew it at the time.
- Senior year, I was an Ernest in the play Deadly Ernest.
- I'm pretty sure I did a one-act senior year too, but if I did I've forgotten it and I care so little that I'm not going to walk downstairs to get my yearbooks.
Throw in a bunch of mandatory elementary school shows (I was Theodore Roosevelt in two separate plays), and that's about it for my theater career. It was probably wasn't much of a loss!
I did four musicals, one each after the junior and senior year of high school, and two more in college.
Li'l Abner - Summer 1995 - I played Senator Fogbound, which is the largest non-singing role in the show. This was a recurring theme of my theater career!
Grease - Summer 1996 - I was Vince Fontain, the DJ. Once again, this is the largest non-singing role.
Cabaret - November 1999 - My sister and I were in a production of Cabaret. I was a "Kit-Kat Boy", which is to say a member of the chorus. I even sang and danced a very small amount. The show was in a bar on campus, which made the atmosphere even better. This was pretty easily the best show I have ever been in. Our emcee had been a performer on a bunch of cruise ships and was very, very good. Doing this show led directly to us seeing it on Broadway.
How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying - March 2000 - I was the Voice of the Book. I wasn't originally planning to be in another show, but the director promised I wouldn't have to go on stage because he wanted my voice. Naturally, I ended up in costume and makeup as an announcer for one scene.
I did some other non-musicals along the way. In both my junior and senior of high school I was in both the longer play (fall semesters) and one act play (spring semesters). None of those were particularly great.
- Junior year, I was the rich guy who gets killed in a murder mystery. I came, I did a lot of exposition, I died. It wasn't a great show, but it was fun.
- The one act play Junior year was a terrible, terrible show called If the Boys Wore the Skirts. Utter dreck, and we even knew it at the time.
- Senior year, I was an Ernest in the play Deadly Ernest.
- I'm pretty sure I did a one-act senior year too, but if I did I've forgotten it and I care so little that I'm not going to walk downstairs to get my yearbooks.
Throw in a bunch of mandatory elementary school shows (I was Theodore Roosevelt in two separate plays), and that's about it for my theater career. It was probably wasn't much of a loss!