Danger, Will Robinson!

During yesterday's dress rehearsal, I felt like the robot on "Lost in Space", frantically flailing his arms around in warning as danger surrounded him. The opening number of "Wonderful Town", "Christopher Street" is actually a ballet. In the show, we bring the odd artsy types of 1935 Greenwich Village to life for a group of tourists. All but three members of our cast of 37 are moving quickly around the stage and out on the passerel during the number.

Toward the end of "Christopher Street", Officer Lonigan re-enters the scene and judges an art contest. Appopulous, a Greek painter who imagines himself another Picasso, offers me a bribe which I discretely accept; however, I turn the tables on him and select another artist's work as the winner. (I prefer to think that Lonigan is collecting evidence by taking the money:) The mini-scene climaxes when the rejected Appopulous smashes his canvas painting over my head.

Yesterday, things went a bit array ... When Appopulous (David Pichette) hit me with the painting, part of the wood frame hit the front of my police hat, smashing the brim down into the bridge of my nose, scraping and cutting it. I stood in the middle of the whirling stage for a second, a bit stunned, then slowly moved offstage when I realized that no one was going to stop the number. It took a few minutes to stop the bleeding and stage management immediately brought me ice. I'm fine, though I had a headache for hours. So now my make-believe Irish police officer has mutton chops, a mustache and a cut on his nose:)

The set design for "Wonderful Town" evokes New York and Greenwich Village through the use of picture postcards, awash in bright primary colors. The costumes also reflect this philosophy. Here's the Christopher Street post card and one of New York City. Enjoy! Our first public performance is tomorrow night!

Danger, Will Robinson!

During yesterday's dress rehearsal, I felt like the robot on "Lost in Space", frantically flailing his arms around in warning as danger surrounded him. The opening number of "Wonderful Town", "Christopher Street" is actually a ballet. In the show, we bring the odd artsy types of 1935 Greenwich Village to life for a group of tourists. All but three members of our cast of 37 are moving quickly around the stage and out on the passerel during the number.

Toward the end of "Christopher Street", Officer Lonigan re-enters the scene and judges an art contest. Appopulous, a Greek painter who imagines himself another Picasso, offers me a bribe which I discretely accept; however, I turn the tables on him and select another artist's work as the winner. (I prefer to think that Lonigan is collecting evidence by taking the money:) The mini-scene climaxes when the rejected Appopulous smashes his canvas painting over my head.

Yesterday, things went a bit array ... When Appopulous (David Pichette) hit me with the painting, part of the wood frame hit the front of my police hat, smashing the brim down into the bridge of my nose, scraping and cutting it. I stood in the middle of the whirling stage for a second, a bit stunned, then slowly moved offstage when I realized that no one was going to stop the number. It took a few minutes to stop the bleeding and stage management immediately brought me ice. I'm fine, though I had a headache for hours. So now my make-believe Irish police officer has mutton chops, a mustache and a cut on his nose:)

The set design for "Wonderful Town" evokes New York and Greenwich Village through the use of picture postcards, awash in bright primary colors. The costumes also reflect this philosophy. Here's the Christopher Street post card and one of New York City. Enjoy! Our first public performance is tomorrow night!