So, tonight is Top Girls opening night and we're still looking for a few small props. Our producer headed out to the Dollar Store today in search of brandy snifters. She didn't find them, but did come across the inexplicable item in the photo your right, which she snapped with her phone and immediately shared with me and the cast. But I have to know, what the hell is it?
It appears to be the last one, which says to me that several people plunked down their hard-earned dollar and bought one of these, whatever they are. I guess its a toy, but it seems incomplete. And is it a dinosaur? An alien? Jar Jar Binks' disabled cousin? I mean really... What the hell is it? Any ideas?
Anyway, Uncle P is in the midst of a change-of-season sinus infection, making what should be a terrific day, a miserable one. I'm loaded up on decongestants and pain relievers and hoping that Opening Night adrenaline will kick in and make me forget about it by curtain, tonight.
If you know what that thing is, or have a funny idea of what it might be, let me know.
I am without a doubt, the luckiest director in the entire world. Somehow, the gods continue to bless me with amazingly talented casts who are not only able to understand exactly what I want from them, but also translate that understanding into performances that go above and beyond. The photo above is from this past Monday's rehearsal for Top Girls and features five of the eight astonishingly good actresses in the show. From L: Jess (Dull Gret); Janet (Marlene); Sarah (Pope Joan); Liz (Lady Nijo) and Susan (Isabella Bird), toasting Marlene's promotion in the play's exceptionally complicated opening scene.
There is still tons of work to be done before we open next Thursday, but at tonight's rehearsal, I could feel the electricity really starting to spark. Each of them is a powerhouse in her own right, but when they are all 'on' at the same time - it's nothing short of magical.
I really do hope that if you are within driving distance of central NJ, that you get a chance to see these extraordinary women in this extraordinary play. You can order advance tickets here or buy them at the door. I know I say this all the time, but this really is a theatrical experience that you will not soon forget.
Shameless plug over. Go back to whatever it was you were doing (but do come see the show if you can).
So, I've started to put together a list of music I want to use for pre-show, intermission and scene changes for Top Girls. The play is set in 1982, so of course I went and pulled all my '80's CDs, looking for pieces that might be appropriate. Thinking I have to sneak "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun" in there somewhere, I started listening to Cyndi Lauper's debut debut album "She's So Unusual" and came across a song I'd almost forgotten about: "She Bop." Which of course led Uncle P to think about other songs that deal with... um... well, pleasuring one's self.
While hardly the first song ever written about onanistic behavior, "She Bop" features some of the most overt lyrics ever written on the subject, including my favorite: "They say I better stop or I'll go blind."
Love her or hate her (and I so very much love her), Cyndi is probably an even more iconic '80's star than Madonna, Billy Idol (remind me someday to tell you about that concert) or Adam Ant.
R.I.P. Captain Lou Albano (though I never really got the whole rubberband thing).
Of course, Cyndi wasn't the only one singing about the joys of being alone in the 80's. Billy Idol's biggest hit was about that very subject, no matter how many zombies he put in the video for "Dancing with Myself" And it wasn't just new-age punks singing about one-handing it. Classic rocker Billy Joel had his own take on the subject with "Sometimes a Fantasy:"
And quintessential '80's band Devo had this to say on the subject:
And then there's the Violent Femmes "Blister in the Sun:"
Even Prince got into the act with "Darling Nikki:"
But by no means was masturbation (there I've said it) an exclusively 80's musical phenomenon. Chuck Berry explored the subject in the Mid '70's with "My Ding-a- Ling:"
Of course, "Darling Nikki" is about so much more than just self-love...
And in the 90's, the subject was still being explored (all puns intended) by artists such as Tori Amos:
Even Country Western stars sing about it (albeit disguised as patriotism):
Hell, if you don't love yourself, who will? So be proud of your toys, soiled hand-towels and waste cans filled with stiffened Kleenex... I'm not here to judge, but rather to comment, even if that comment is "Oh, yes!"
So, finally, here's the poster for Top Girls. We open two weeks from tonight and still have a ton of work to do. Saturday is a set painting party and then Monday is our first full run of Act I.
My astonishingly gifted cast continues to pour everything they've got into their performances and watching them grow as we rehearse is just so satisfying...
Tonight we ran the infamous dinner scene again, adding some hand props and food for the first time, which was... interesting, to say the least. It never ceases to amaze me how the introduction of props can throw actors into spasms of clumsiness and confusin (though to be honest, they really weren't that bad).
We ran it once and then took a break, during which my producer and I started to discuss how we might pull off all the food props, since there really isn't a proper kitchen in the theatre. We were soon joined by sweet, sweet Emily, who is playing Griselda and Nell. The discussion turned toward the possibility of frozen meals we could nuke, when Emily says: "You could always just go to BJ's. They have those big bags of frozen crap." Q immediately turned to me and said "Please make 'big bags of frozen crap' the title of your blog post tonight." Et viola! Ze trick, she is done! For the first time in over two years, Caliban's Revenge has a title suggested by someone other than Uncle P and quite frankly, I find it refreshing (well, as refreshing as Big Bags of Frozen Crap can be, anyway).
Of course, I don't anticipate Top Girls being a big bag of frozen (or thawed, for that matter) crap, but rather an intense evening of theatre that will have our audiences talking and debating for quite some time afterward. That's the plan, anyway...
I've been directing for longer than many of my Top Girls actresses have been alive (a fact that is somewhat distressing in and of itself), but I have never before encountered a play that raises more questions than it answers. And, truth be told, Caryl Churchill really doesn't seem interested in answering any of the questions she raises in Top Girls, leaving them instead, up to her audiences to decide.
Of course, art is subjective and should inspire conversation and debate. The human condition may well be constant, but its motives, inspirations and afflictions are myriad. And therein lies the conundrum of Top Girls. Caryl Churchill may well leave the questions up to the audience to decide, but a director and cast must answer at least some of them to create a cohesive and meaningful production.
Pressed by my producer to come up with a Director's Note for this production's program in time to go to press, I found myself (for once), at sea. Regular readers know that Uncle P is rarely one at a lack for words when it comes to expressing my opinions. But my opinions on this particular play are so diverse, it was nigh on impossible to come up with only one page's worth of discussion. In the end, I decided to focus on Churchill's attention on the need for social responsibility and how those that are 'Top Girls' need to be aware of, and nurture those who are not.
Art is one of the few things that connects humans to one another. For all our differences, be they religious; political; sexual or ideological, we all share the need to be productive members of the society in which we live. How we arrive at achieving that goal may vary, but it is ultimately our artistic expressions that connect us to one another.
Of course, all this may very well be idealistic bullshit, in which case I should stop directing and just become a mindless sheep... or not.
Wow! This entire post now seems little more to me an exercise in semantic masturbation, than anything worth really saying. I wouldn't blame any of you if never read another word I wrote...
To make up for it, here's some gratutious violence:
While that was truly awful, I somehow feel so much better.
So, we finished blocking the first scene of Top Girls tonight. It's long and complicated and filled with tales of both triumph and woe.
And since Churchill is so specific about the seating arrangements in the scene, I couldn't help but take advantage of it and use an iconic image everyone knows towards the end of it. It's not the first time I've done such a thing. I put the Sistine Chapel into The Most Fabulous Story... and hope to find a place to use this image in the scene that follows the dinner in Act I. In fact, I may very well put an iconic image in every scene of the show...
Top Girls is a play so filled with social commentary, I'm sure it won't be difficult to find plenty of places to add such images. The trick, of course, is finding the right image for the right scene. And since one of Churchill's characters is right out of an iconic image, I can't imagine she'd be very upset by the idea.
I'm not afraid to admit that Top Girls is probably the hardest thing I've ever attempted as a director - it's loaded with layer-upon-layer of psychology; politics; feminism; mythology; symbolism and social commentary, all of which need to be explored in order to create a cohesive piece out of a play that asks a million and five questions without answering a single one of them.
Still, I'm confident that my most excellent cast is up to the task. They certainly aren't afraid to take the journey (and the risks that go along with it) with me, and that's what every director hopes for when he or she casts a show. I just have to convince myself that I'm up to it, as well.
So, we've finally started some real blocking on Top Girls. It's the first scene of the play, a sort-of fantasy dinner celebrating Marlene's (the main character) promotion. She is joined by five historical/literary characters including Victorian traveler Isabella Byrd; Pope Joan; Buddhist nun Lady Nijo; Bruegel's Dull Gret and Patient Grizelda from the Canterbury Tales. They're talking (sometimes all at once) and drinking and carrying on throughout the scene.
We stopped for a moment to clarify something and someone asks, "So what are we doing when we aren't speaking?"
"Eating," was my answer. So we pick up the scene again and three of my six actresses immediately break into "Nom-nom-nom-nom..." sending all of us into fits of laughter over the dumbest Internet meme, ever. It could only have been better if they'd actually sung the song:
I feel like I have to apologize for last night's rant. Uncle P isn't exactly sure what set him off. We all have our moments, don't we? And while I don't exactly feel like Batman riding a rainbow unicorn over a purple sea of frolicking dolphins, I'm certainly in a better mood tonight.
I think it has something to do with yet another terrific rehearsal with my very smart cast. Top Girls is proving to be the most challenging play I have ever directed. Not that I didn't know that going in - just reading the damned thing is a challenge. Still, playwright Caryl Churchill raises questions without answers, leaving it up to the audience to answer them for themselves. Of course, that means the director and cast have to provide their own answers, whether they are the same as the audience's or not. It's most definitely the kind of play that uses the subjectivity of art to its fullest extent. Right now we're still doing a lot of discussing and sussing, trying to arrive at our own answers as we explore this multi-layered play.
Of course, it could just be my mood was elevated by a friend who posted the video below on Facebook, tonight. I love synchronicity, and the whole Queen theme that seems to have invaded my life these past few days has to mean something...
I'm actually attempting to get a decent night's sleep tonight, so I won't be up to my usual mayhem and/or nonsense.
I got home from work, gulped down a turkey hoagie (sub, grinder, hero or whatever you might call it in your region of the country or world) and rushed off to a Top Girls production meeting before rehearsal. I came home after yet another terrific rehearsal (Thespis somehow continues to smile on me when it comes to amazing casts) and zapped through last night's "AGT" (please - no spoilers from tonight's results show, thank you) and then sat down to read email, glance at Facebook and write this quickie blog entry.
I really am so very tired... How tired? I'll let Lily Von Schtupp say it (or rather, sing it) for me:
Man, I miss Madeline... talk about comic timing!
I am off to bed early (for me, anyway) in the hope of getting a full 8 hours for once. I hope this evening finds all of you and yours well-rested. I'll be posting about ghosts, tomorrow... Boo!
That's the Playbill cover for the Manhattan Theatre Club's 2008 production of Caryl Churchill's 1982 play Top Girls, which I have just started to direct. The company is Shakespeare '70, for whom I directed The Skin of Our Teeth in the fall of 2008 and for whom I have acted in productions of An Enemy of the People; An Inspector Calls and A View from the Bridge.
Top Girls sort of fell into my lap, as it were. After two potential female directors turned it down (for various reasons), the producer (my dear friend, Q) brought it to me. I'd heard of the play, but had never seen nor read it. But I adore Churchill's earlier play Cloud Nine, so I was intrigued.
Upon first reading it, I must admit to being a bit intimidated by the subject matter (more on that, later), it's non-linear structure and Churchill's carefully constructed (and often complicated) over-lapping dialog. But during a second read, I found myself visualizing the piece on stage and realized I had nothing to be afraid of, especially if I had the right cast.
Q and I immediately started thinking about actresses we thought would not only be appropriate for the piece, but who could also handle the complexities of the characters and the writing. Emails and invitations were sent; entreaties were made and one audition was held. Finally, I had a cast consisting of not only actresses I knew and had worked with previously; actresses I knew, but had not worked with before and actresses with whom I'd had no experience what-so-ever.
So, we just had our first read-through and I must say, I have to be the luckiest director on the East Coast. The women in this show are amazing! Not only do they all "get' the show, but each of them brings her own unique perspective to the characters (each play at least two) that neither Q nor I had had envisioned upon reading it on our own.
Nothing excites an artist more than a challenge. And nothing excites a director more than a cast that is up to that challenge. Top Girls may well be the most challenging play I have ever directed, but the 8 uber-talented women in this production will go a very long way in making my job as a director a delightful challenge, to say the least. I know I often gush about the casts of the shows I direct (and rightfully so), but I really think this one is particularly exceptional. And while I have directed shows with all-male casts (get your minds out of that gutter, right now!), this is the first time I have directed an all-female cast. I've already told them I feel a bit like an onion in a petunia patch, but I'm pretty sure we have ourselves quite a show on our hands.
Top Girls runs September 23rd through October 2nd at the Don Evans Studio Theatre on the campus of The College of New Jersey in Ewing, NJ. I'll be posting more info as it becomes available and will most certainly be posting more about the rehearsal process as we move forward. I just hope it will be as exciting to read about, as it is to be a part of.
That's Riccardo Fachetti's Frazetta-esque painting of the Norse deity Thor defeating the Ice Giants with his hammer. It is from him that we get the word "Thursday" and also the Marvel comic of the same name. Tho why am I tho thore?
For about three hours today, the trailer for the new movie starring Aussie Chris Hemsworth (glimpsed briefly as James T. Kirk's doomed daddy in last year's Star Trek) was up for viewing all over the web. Directed by Kenneth Branagh (yes, Hamlet*; Mary Shelley's Frankenstein and the underrated, noirish reincarnation thriller Dead Again), Thor also stars Natalie Portman; Anthony Hopkins; Idris Elba; Stellan Skarsgard; Rene Russo; Clark Gregg and Colm Feore in yet another superhero origins tale, all leading up to Marvel's gigantic, multi-hero epic The Avengers** in 2012. It has been removed from every single site I searched. "Removed at request of copyright holder," was the most common message. And it sucks, because I really wanted to share it with you.
Interestingly, the trailer starts with what I've just noticed is a sort of Marvel meme: our hero (or more often, villain) is seen escaping from being strapped down to a hospital-type table and taking on several doctors, nurses, orderlies and/or assorted paramilitary type behemoths. It then moves on to Asgard, where King of the gods Odin (Hopkins) is seen exiling Thor to Earth for treason. And Branagh's vision of Asgaard certainly appeared spectacular, with soaring golden towers and lots of sparkling Nordic armor. Thor must prove himself a hero on Earth before he can regain his father's favor (and throne).
The now-removed Thor trailer was pretty danged awesome. I hope you had a chance to see it. I'll post it as soon as it's available again. Just the sight of Hemsworth's exposed pelvis was enough to make me want to see it -- I know... TMI, Uncle P.
I'm seeing Dinner for Schmucks tomorrow with D. You can expect my review. Personally, I think it looks friggin' hilarious. Plus, it has Paul...
And since I can't seem to get enough Paul lately, here's a silly little thing he did with the also underrated (and gorgeous) Famke Janssen:
Damn, that man is boy-next-door gorgeous and hilariously talented! I hate him! I want him.!I hate him! I want to be him... (no, not really - just me; as famous, gorgeous and talented as he is, with him on my arm -- Hey! A boy can dream, can't he?).
And finally, I have had confirmation that I will be directing for Shakespeare '70 again this fall, though with a rather different kind of play for me. It's Caryl Churchill's Top Girls, a play ostensibly about women making their way in a man's world. "But Uncle P, what would you know about that? " Well, I think I can relate, as a gay man who has had to make his was in a straight world, I certainly understand the feeling of being treated as a 2nd class citizen and the things I've done and sacrificed in order to not only survive, but also to thrive in an overwhelmingly hostile environment.
Of course, as with any good piece, it's about so much more than that. Churchill is probably best known for her 1982 Obie-winning play Cloud Nine. It is the first time Your's Truly will be directing an all-female cast, and the first time in 5 years that I'll be directing a play without D in it. It's a complex and fascinating piece and with the right cast, has the potential to be phenomenal. I haven't felt this challenged by a piece since the last time I directed for them, but Q is once-again my producer/right-hand and I think together we'll make something extraordinary. We always seem to. One of the five billion and four reasons I love her so much.
Well, enough stream-of-conscientiousness for tonight. I had a rough one last night (a long story for another post, someday -- maybe) and I'm very tired. I really wish I could have shared that trailer with you. Maybe this will make up for it:
**The cast of Joss "Buffy/Firefly/Dollhouse" Whedon's film was introduced at last week's ComiCon in San Diego, to what was reported to be rabidly positive fanperson response. I'm also breathlessly awaiting for Ryan's Green Lantern, but that's just me...
