Ride 'Em, Cowboy!

Yippee Kiyay, Motherf*cker!

Okay - this post isn't really about hot cowboys. Sorry to disappoint. This post is really about acting. The 'cowboy' on your left is my sweet and talented friend David, striking a pose last week during a rehearsal for Jeffrey. I've known David for a while, though this is the first time he's acting with me instead of for me. 

David is Dear D's best friend. D is godfather to David's son, Little D. David and D have played lovers in both The Most Fabulous Story Ever Told and Die Mommie Die! for JTMF. They are playing wannabe lovers in Jeffrey (if you know the show, you'll know what that means - if not, then you'll just have to come see it for yourself).

I took this photo with my phone and while the image isn't all that great, I think it conveys an unmistakeable air of 'Marlboro Man' masculinity. And before you ask, yes, David is straight. But that doesn't mean he's afraid to get in touch with his feminine side on stage.

Here's a picture of him in last year's JTMF show, as Angela Arden in Die Mommie Die!:

David as 'Angela Arden'

Quite a difference, no? As I said, David is a very talented actor. And like any good actor, he is capable of losing himself in a role and becoming someone else altogether. The best actors I know are completely fearless, and David is just that. In Jeffrey, he is playing Steve, a gay man who happens to be HIV+. I've watched him dive into the part with enthusiasm and humor, drawing on both his own and others' life experiences to create a character that is both real and accessible. Watching him work, both as a director and a fellow cast member, is simply inspirational. 

As is the case with just about every JTMF cast member in just about every show we've done. Directors love actors who are able to do what the JTMF actors do. And actors love working with other actors who can give them as much to play off as possible. The kind of trust, commitment and fearlessness they display towards each other makes working with them a truly joyous thing.

If you want to see some fine acting, share a few laughs, help raise money for good causes and just have a great evening at the theatre, tickets to the James Tolin Memorial Fund's 10th Anniversary AIDS Fundraiser featuring Paul Rudnick's Jeffrey are still available, but going fast. You can get yours, here.

More, anon.
Prospero