GALE CAN BURN A WOMAN DOWN
Last weekend it was finally my turn to take in Gale's last two performances in Orpheus Descending. I had been anxious because of the Pittsburgh weather this month, our snowiest on record, and worried that I wouldn't be able to get to L.A. Had I planned to go two weekends ago, I never would have made it because of our biggest storm and being without power for three days. Fortunately, last weekend was clear with no snow forecast until Monday.
This post may ramble a bit as I am still trying to absorb the experience and can't quite get my thoughts in order.
Knowing that there were no assigned seats made it possible to get a front row seat but also meant being there early. My friend Beth from Boston and I were the first two people at the theatre on both Saturday night and Sunday afternoon so we were able to get two front row seats on the left side right in front of where Val would be singing and playing his guitar and in front of the cubicle that served as his bedroom in the store. On Sunday, we took the front row middle seats which were separated from the other seats, just a little two-fer.
Many have posted in depth about the play so I am just going to post some of my observances of Gale's performance. First off, Gale is absolutely wonderful as the handsome sexy Val. It seems to be a role he was born to play with his southern accent and charm. The character of Val Xavier is the antithesis of Brian Kinney. Whereas Brian is confident and arrogant with a huge ego, Val is sweet, vulnerable, sensitive and at times a bit timid. He looks fragile at times because he is really slim and the way he strides across the stage is beautiful to behold. He knows that he has a certain power over women but he is putting his partying and womanizing behind him. He's lived in corruption but he is not corrupted. He says he is through with the life he had been leading because he is 30 years old now. Yes, and he looks 30, not 40.
His letter of reference to Lady says he is a "peculiar talker" and he goes on to prove it. He says his temperature is several degrees higher than a human's, like a dog's. He can go all day without passing water. He was once tied to a post all day and never passed water. He can hold his breath for three minutes and once won $20 doing it. He tells her that a woman can burn a man down but he can burn a woman down. Lord have mercy! Three of the women in the play come under his spell and make advances toward him...Lady who is lonely and married to a sick tyrant, Carol who wants him to go "jukin" with her which she explains is when you drink and drive and dance and then drink and drive and then just drink and Vee, the sheriff's visionary wife who brings him to Lady's store for a job. Carol gets him to go for a ride because she says she has car trouble and when he returns he tells Lady that she had trouble but that wasn't it. She seemed to think he had a sign "male stud" around his neck. When Lady offers him a place to stay in the store, he realizes that she also wants him and at first resists. When he moves in, we get to see him behind the curtain changing clothes, sitting in the dark smoking a cigarette without a shirt and embracing Lady when she comes to his door. From my vantage point, there was a gap in the curtain so I got to see more than just his silhouette.
At one point he is on his knees comforting Vee who has gone blind from her visions and he is very gentle with her. However, the sheriff sees this and orders him to not let the sun rise on him in the town.
He calls his guitar his "life's companion" and holds it lovingly. It has names of famous musicians on it and he speaks reverently of them. Carol wishes he would hold her as lovingly as he holds his guitar.
When he finds out that Lady is pregnant he touches her stomach gently and later tells her that he does love her but he must leave town.
Seeing Gale play this role was absolutely mesmerizing but the highlight was getting to hear him strum the guitar and sing several bars of "Heavenly Grass" on two or three occasions and later in the play he sings the whole song. His voice is lovely. There is no end to this man's talents. He continues to amaze.
They got a standing ovation after the final performance on Sunday. When the cast takes their bows, Denise and Gale come onstage hand in hand and take them together and then Denise steps out for one of her own. As at all the times I observed him in SLS, Gale bows with his head up looking at the audience and I love that about him. After the final show, he looked so happy and when Denise called the director, Lou Pepe, onstage for a bow, Gale gave him a big hug.
As usual for me, the second viewing allowed me to understand everyone's dialogue and pay more attention to the other characters while still keeping Gale in my sights. When I first see a play and don't know what to expect, it all comes at me and it's almost overwhelming trying to absorb it all. I noticed things I missed the first time like the fact that Geoffrey Wade played both Lady's husband Jabe as an old drooling sickly man and also David Cutrere, Carol's brother and Lady's old boyfriend, who was quite attractive. Francesca Casale played Vee and Jabe's nurse and also a woman who uses the phone in the store. I missed this the first time around because I didn't know the characters. I felt that I really understood the play much better after the second time.
On Saturday, as we waited I noticed Yara among those in the lobby. After the performance while waiting for the cast members to appear, I went up to her and asked her if she was going to be in any more episodes of Southland and told her that I had watched her on The Unit and, of course, Vanished. She was surprised that I knew her work and laughingly asked if I knew her mother. I made no mention of Gale and we chatted and she was very friendly. She actually is very pretty when she smiles. I told her that we were coming back tomorrow and she said she hadn't planned on it but maybe she should come back for the final show.
I had also noticed Lawrence Pressman in the audience and another character actor whose face was familiar. I saw several people who looked like actors whose names I didn't know and quite a few familiar faces of fans that I have seen at other plays of QAF cast members. I spoke to Pressman and to Claudia Mason's father who also looked familiar. He said he was an actor but I probably wouldn't know anything he had been in. I also talked to Claudia and made the big faux pas of calling her by her character's name, Carol, for which I later apologized. She just laughed and said she just thought I meant to call her Carol which I did not. I was so embarrassed because we know actors hate that.
After holding back for awhile, I decided to make my approach to Gale. I must say, and those who know me can attest, I have absolutely no problem talking to famous people who I have met at the plays and after parties but I come undone with Gale. I forget to look at his eye color, his lips or what he smells like, all things others have noticed. I seem to talk too fast trying to get it all out. I think I told him how much I enjoyed the play and that he was perfect for the part and that he had a lovely singing voice. I had brought a picture that I took of him back when I saw him in Uncle Bob in 2001 when he was signing playbills after the play and when I showed it to him he said, "oh yeah, the SoHo Playhouse" and then he said he wished he still had those sunglasses. They were hanging on his shirt and I hadn't even noticed them. I got him to sign my playbill and when I told him my name, he said something about the "Manson-Dixon Line" and then said that's what he called the Mason Dixon Line. He posed for a picture with me, see icon, and I started to leave when Beth reminded me that we had brought him a bottle of Maker's Mark. So I got it out of my bag and gave it to him and told him that we had brought him one after SLS. Frankly, I can't remember much of what he said but he was friendly and very gracious. I wish I could remember more of our conversation but it's a bit of a blur.
I went over to speak with Denise and when I told her my name she said it was her grandmother's name and we had a very nice conversation. I never watched Star Trek, The Next Generation so I didn't know her before but she was very friendly and animated and quite pretty as herself.
On Sunday, Beth and I arrived early once again and the doors were not open yet. We had been driving around all morning and needed a restroom but since it was Sunday afternoon, the bar next door was closed. I went across the street looking for an establishment with a bathroom and when I crossed the street back to the theatre, I saw Gale with his guitar case talking to some people in a jeep just down from the theatre. Beth said he had come to the door and tried it and then left. A few minutes later, Ginger Perkins, the producer, came and unlocked the door and let us in. The next person in the door was Yara and I said I see you decided to come back and she said yes. The three of us began talking and we mentioned that we had gone to see the Watts Towers which she had never heard of so Beth told her about them and I showed her the pictures I had taken. She seemed very interested in them. She had a book with her and so did Beth so they started talking about the biographies they were reading. Gale came in the door and since I was standing right in front of the inner door, I opened it for him so he could get into the main part of the theatre. More people began arriving and Yara started talking to Claudia's father and I started talking to several fans.
After the play, Gale came out into the theatre and went into the lobby to greet some friends but promised to return. He did and spent quite a bit of time with the fans accommodating their requests. I heard later that he didn't want any candid pictures taken of him alone but he was very willing to pose with fans. Yara was sitting in the front row waiting for him so I went over to her and asked her to tell him that the fans appreciated his willingness to sign autographs and take pictures and I mentioned his radio interview and she said she hadn't heard it yet but she probably should. Yes, Yara, you really should. I told her that he should do more plays but we would like to see him on TV again. She laughed and said that TV paid more money. I'm sure he didn't make much on this production since the tickets were so cheap but it was certainly a great opportunity for him. Beth told me she overheard Yara tell someone his agent brought some producers to see him on Saturday so hopefully they were impressed.
I did speak to Geoffrey Wade and told him that I hadn't realized that he was playing both Jabe and David the first night because of how different he looked and carried himself. He was very pleased that he played them so differently that I didn't know they were the same man. We talked about how he looked as Jabe and I mentioned how surprised I was when he tumbled down the stairs right in front of me and Gale caught him. He said it was a test of faith each night and Gale always catches him.
I had noticed a 40ish blond man in the audience on Sunday who looked familiar so I approached him and told him I knew his face from TV and asked his name. It was Sean O'Bryan and he told me a few things he had been in and that he was going to be in a new series called Persons Unknown. We talked for several minutes and I told him that I would look for him on TV now that I knew his name. I had done the same thing with Mike Doyle who I met in the Berkshires at one of Randy's shows and I have followed his TV appearances ever since. As I said I have no problem talking to anyone.
Coming home from this trip, I marveled at how much fun I have had and how many people, famous and fans alike, I have met since first I decided to follow the careers of the QAF cast. I know I am fortunate to have the means and opportunity to do this. I don't take it lightly. When one adventure ends, another looms on the horizon...Randy's next play in the Berkshires this summer. Life is good.
This post may ramble a bit as I am still trying to absorb the experience and can't quite get my thoughts in order.
Knowing that there were no assigned seats made it possible to get a front row seat but also meant being there early. My friend Beth from Boston and I were the first two people at the theatre on both Saturday night and Sunday afternoon so we were able to get two front row seats on the left side right in front of where Val would be singing and playing his guitar and in front of the cubicle that served as his bedroom in the store. On Sunday, we took the front row middle seats which were separated from the other seats, just a little two-fer.
Many have posted in depth about the play so I am just going to post some of my observances of Gale's performance. First off, Gale is absolutely wonderful as the handsome sexy Val. It seems to be a role he was born to play with his southern accent and charm. The character of Val Xavier is the antithesis of Brian Kinney. Whereas Brian is confident and arrogant with a huge ego, Val is sweet, vulnerable, sensitive and at times a bit timid. He looks fragile at times because he is really slim and the way he strides across the stage is beautiful to behold. He knows that he has a certain power over women but he is putting his partying and womanizing behind him. He's lived in corruption but he is not corrupted. He says he is through with the life he had been leading because he is 30 years old now. Yes, and he looks 30, not 40.
His letter of reference to Lady says he is a "peculiar talker" and he goes on to prove it. He says his temperature is several degrees higher than a human's, like a dog's. He can go all day without passing water. He was once tied to a post all day and never passed water. He can hold his breath for three minutes and once won $20 doing it. He tells her that a woman can burn a man down but he can burn a woman down. Lord have mercy! Three of the women in the play come under his spell and make advances toward him...Lady who is lonely and married to a sick tyrant, Carol who wants him to go "jukin" with her which she explains is when you drink and drive and dance and then drink and drive and then just drink and Vee, the sheriff's visionary wife who brings him to Lady's store for a job. Carol gets him to go for a ride because she says she has car trouble and when he returns he tells Lady that she had trouble but that wasn't it. She seemed to think he had a sign "male stud" around his neck. When Lady offers him a place to stay in the store, he realizes that she also wants him and at first resists. When he moves in, we get to see him behind the curtain changing clothes, sitting in the dark smoking a cigarette without a shirt and embracing Lady when she comes to his door. From my vantage point, there was a gap in the curtain so I got to see more than just his silhouette.
At one point he is on his knees comforting Vee who has gone blind from her visions and he is very gentle with her. However, the sheriff sees this and orders him to not let the sun rise on him in the town.
He calls his guitar his "life's companion" and holds it lovingly. It has names of famous musicians on it and he speaks reverently of them. Carol wishes he would hold her as lovingly as he holds his guitar.
When he finds out that Lady is pregnant he touches her stomach gently and later tells her that he does love her but he must leave town.
Seeing Gale play this role was absolutely mesmerizing but the highlight was getting to hear him strum the guitar and sing several bars of "Heavenly Grass" on two or three occasions and later in the play he sings the whole song. His voice is lovely. There is no end to this man's talents. He continues to amaze.
They got a standing ovation after the final performance on Sunday. When the cast takes their bows, Denise and Gale come onstage hand in hand and take them together and then Denise steps out for one of her own. As at all the times I observed him in SLS, Gale bows with his head up looking at the audience and I love that about him. After the final show, he looked so happy and when Denise called the director, Lou Pepe, onstage for a bow, Gale gave him a big hug.
As usual for me, the second viewing allowed me to understand everyone's dialogue and pay more attention to the other characters while still keeping Gale in my sights. When I first see a play and don't know what to expect, it all comes at me and it's almost overwhelming trying to absorb it all. I noticed things I missed the first time like the fact that Geoffrey Wade played both Lady's husband Jabe as an old drooling sickly man and also David Cutrere, Carol's brother and Lady's old boyfriend, who was quite attractive. Francesca Casale played Vee and Jabe's nurse and also a woman who uses the phone in the store. I missed this the first time around because I didn't know the characters. I felt that I really understood the play much better after the second time.
On Saturday, as we waited I noticed Yara among those in the lobby. After the performance while waiting for the cast members to appear, I went up to her and asked her if she was going to be in any more episodes of Southland and told her that I had watched her on The Unit and, of course, Vanished. She was surprised that I knew her work and laughingly asked if I knew her mother. I made no mention of Gale and we chatted and she was very friendly. She actually is very pretty when she smiles. I told her that we were coming back tomorrow and she said she hadn't planned on it but maybe she should come back for the final show.
I had also noticed Lawrence Pressman in the audience and another character actor whose face was familiar. I saw several people who looked like actors whose names I didn't know and quite a few familiar faces of fans that I have seen at other plays of QAF cast members. I spoke to Pressman and to Claudia Mason's father who also looked familiar. He said he was an actor but I probably wouldn't know anything he had been in. I also talked to Claudia and made the big faux pas of calling her by her character's name, Carol, for which I later apologized. She just laughed and said she just thought I meant to call her Carol which I did not. I was so embarrassed because we know actors hate that.
After holding back for awhile, I decided to make my approach to Gale. I must say, and those who know me can attest, I have absolutely no problem talking to famous people who I have met at the plays and after parties but I come undone with Gale. I forget to look at his eye color, his lips or what he smells like, all things others have noticed. I seem to talk too fast trying to get it all out. I think I told him how much I enjoyed the play and that he was perfect for the part and that he had a lovely singing voice. I had brought a picture that I took of him back when I saw him in Uncle Bob in 2001 when he was signing playbills after the play and when I showed it to him he said, "oh yeah, the SoHo Playhouse" and then he said he wished he still had those sunglasses. They were hanging on his shirt and I hadn't even noticed them. I got him to sign my playbill and when I told him my name, he said something about the "Manson-Dixon Line" and then said that's what he called the Mason Dixon Line. He posed for a picture with me, see icon, and I started to leave when Beth reminded me that we had brought him a bottle of Maker's Mark. So I got it out of my bag and gave it to him and told him that we had brought him one after SLS. Frankly, I can't remember much of what he said but he was friendly and very gracious. I wish I could remember more of our conversation but it's a bit of a blur.
I went over to speak with Denise and when I told her my name she said it was her grandmother's name and we had a very nice conversation. I never watched Star Trek, The Next Generation so I didn't know her before but she was very friendly and animated and quite pretty as herself.
On Sunday, Beth and I arrived early once again and the doors were not open yet. We had been driving around all morning and needed a restroom but since it was Sunday afternoon, the bar next door was closed. I went across the street looking for an establishment with a bathroom and when I crossed the street back to the theatre, I saw Gale with his guitar case talking to some people in a jeep just down from the theatre. Beth said he had come to the door and tried it and then left. A few minutes later, Ginger Perkins, the producer, came and unlocked the door and let us in. The next person in the door was Yara and I said I see you decided to come back and she said yes. The three of us began talking and we mentioned that we had gone to see the Watts Towers which she had never heard of so Beth told her about them and I showed her the pictures I had taken. She seemed very interested in them. She had a book with her and so did Beth so they started talking about the biographies they were reading. Gale came in the door and since I was standing right in front of the inner door, I opened it for him so he could get into the main part of the theatre. More people began arriving and Yara started talking to Claudia's father and I started talking to several fans.
After the play, Gale came out into the theatre and went into the lobby to greet some friends but promised to return. He did and spent quite a bit of time with the fans accommodating their requests. I heard later that he didn't want any candid pictures taken of him alone but he was very willing to pose with fans. Yara was sitting in the front row waiting for him so I went over to her and asked her to tell him that the fans appreciated his willingness to sign autographs and take pictures and I mentioned his radio interview and she said she hadn't heard it yet but she probably should. Yes, Yara, you really should. I told her that he should do more plays but we would like to see him on TV again. She laughed and said that TV paid more money. I'm sure he didn't make much on this production since the tickets were so cheap but it was certainly a great opportunity for him. Beth told me she overheard Yara tell someone his agent brought some producers to see him on Saturday so hopefully they were impressed.
I did speak to Geoffrey Wade and told him that I hadn't realized that he was playing both Jabe and David the first night because of how different he looked and carried himself. He was very pleased that he played them so differently that I didn't know they were the same man. We talked about how he looked as Jabe and I mentioned how surprised I was when he tumbled down the stairs right in front of me and Gale caught him. He said it was a test of faith each night and Gale always catches him.
I had noticed a 40ish blond man in the audience on Sunday who looked familiar so I approached him and told him I knew his face from TV and asked his name. It was Sean O'Bryan and he told me a few things he had been in and that he was going to be in a new series called Persons Unknown. We talked for several minutes and I told him that I would look for him on TV now that I knew his name. I had done the same thing with Mike Doyle who I met in the Berkshires at one of Randy's shows and I have followed his TV appearances ever since. As I said I have no problem talking to anyone.
Coming home from this trip, I marveled at how much fun I have had and how many people, famous and fans alike, I have met since first I decided to follow the careers of the QAF cast. I know I am fortunate to have the means and opportunity to do this. I don't take it lightly. When one adventure ends, another looms on the horizon...Randy's next play in the Berkshires this summer. Life is good.