I yam what I ham and that's all that I hamsta.
Yesterday I auditioned for the park district's one-act play, "Picasso at the Lapin Agile." I put my name in for the part of Einstein, because I knew I could do a decent German accent and could pull enough intellectual bluster to make it believable.
But the director steered me toward Freddie the Bartender.
Kind of funny, in a cast full of over-the-top characters, he aimed me to play the reserved straight man. Yeah, y'all know I love to take it to eleven plus the square root of two and watch as the guy watching the monitors freaks out. But Freddie's the observer. He's the one who's already taken it to eight, then realized he's happy sustaining at seven. But he encourages the next batch of geniuses to go to twelve.
Took me a couple readings, and an evening's thought, but NOW I've got a handle on the part and god I hope I'm cast for it. And if I'm not, I hope that at least the guy who plays Freddie will listen to my input.
Back in high school I thought I'd out-perform all the guys who tried out for Jesus in Godspell, but the director cast me as Judas instead. He explained to me: "Half the cast is halfassed. You'd be the three-quarter-assed Jesus in a sea of halfasses. I want you to put your ego in check, go be an awesome Judas and steal the show."
Damned if he didn't teach me a life lesson about where I perform the best that day.
But the director steered me toward Freddie the Bartender.
Kind of funny, in a cast full of over-the-top characters, he aimed me to play the reserved straight man. Yeah, y'all know I love to take it to eleven plus the square root of two and watch as the guy watching the monitors freaks out. But Freddie's the observer. He's the one who's already taken it to eight, then realized he's happy sustaining at seven. But he encourages the next batch of geniuses to go to twelve.
Took me a couple readings, and an evening's thought, but NOW I've got a handle on the part and god I hope I'm cast for it. And if I'm not, I hope that at least the guy who plays Freddie will listen to my input.
Back in high school I thought I'd out-perform all the guys who tried out for Jesus in Godspell, but the director cast me as Judas instead. He explained to me: "Half the cast is halfassed. You'd be the three-quarter-assed Jesus in a sea of halfasses. I want you to put your ego in check, go be an awesome Judas and steal the show."
Damned if he didn't teach me a life lesson about where I perform the best that day.