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A Swishbuckler Is Born
Jul. 13th, 2019 10:36 amOn Christmas of 1970, I’d talked my folks out of spending Christmas afternoon sitting through two showings of a John Wayne movie. It was our typical family holiday activity in Texas to avoid the reality of 80+ degree temperatures, taking advantage of the chilly air-conditioning in the movie theater as a reminder of past white Christmases in Pennsylvania).
That year, we attended a production of the musical “Promises, Promises” and I came away determined to be cast in a TUTS musical. Flash forward to Christmas time 1977; I'd made that dream come true and had been cast in my second show for Theater Under the Stars in Houston.
The show was “Peter Pan” and it starred a Houston celebrity, Debbie Teare, as Peter. (I would later do the show with Cathy Rigby.) I was one of a large group of pirates, “Cecco”, by name. My big moment came when Captain Hook sent me to my death. I still remember my line, delivered in a really bad Italian accent, “Please, uh Capitan, please-a-donna make-a-me go!” and I walked the plank.
Our chorus of pirates ranged in age from 20 to 50. I was a fresh-faced 22-year old, determined to make an impression. We made for a scruffy grab-bag group of pirates. Encouraged by our director, Tom Little, to individualize our characters, to make strong choices, I decided to be an enforcer. In our big number, singing, “We’re bloody buccaneers....”, we were told to make “manly” choices as we worked about the boat, performing the choreography we were given.
Buttressed by costuming, I decided to go full out bully. I wore a big hat with a skull and bones on it, breeches and a black and white shirt with horizontal stripes. I had an eye patch (actually very dangerous on the second level of the set as I had no depth perception while wearing it). I had a parrot velcro’ed to my shoulder and I carried a bull whip. As some of my pirate mates swabbed the deck or climbed the rigging, I pretended to ready myself to flog the unwilling ... I uncoiled the whip, stretched it, oiled it and snap... (method- acting...*grin*)
In our final dress rehearsal, Tom took one of our less motivated pirates aside and said, “Terry, I’ve been patient, but you’ve got to come up with some business or I’ll have to cut you from the scene. Think what your pirate would do.”
We then began a run-through of the number. I was positioned on the second level of the ship. As I went about my business - playing with the whip, “swashing some buckles”, Terry walked casually past me. I gestured threateningly with the whip, lustily singing all the while. Terry rolled his eyes at me, sat down, dangled his feet over the edge of the upper deck, calmly pulled out an Emory board and began to file his nails, glancing up at me with a bored, over it look. Then, he shyly smiled. All of us fell out laughing!
Needless to say, the “business” stayed in; the audience loved Terry and a “Swishbuckler” was born:) What did I discover? I learned you can get a bigger, better laugh from filing your nails, than from playing with your whip!
That year, we attended a production of the musical “Promises, Promises” and I came away determined to be cast in a TUTS musical. Flash forward to Christmas time 1977; I'd made that dream come true and had been cast in my second show for Theater Under the Stars in Houston.
The show was “Peter Pan” and it starred a Houston celebrity, Debbie Teare, as Peter. (I would later do the show with Cathy Rigby.) I was one of a large group of pirates, “Cecco”, by name. My big moment came when Captain Hook sent me to my death. I still remember my line, delivered in a really bad Italian accent, “Please, uh Capitan, please-a-donna make-a-me go!” and I walked the plank.
Our chorus of pirates ranged in age from 20 to 50. I was a fresh-faced 22-year old, determined to make an impression. We made for a scruffy grab-bag group of pirates. Encouraged by our director, Tom Little, to individualize our characters, to make strong choices, I decided to be an enforcer. In our big number, singing, “We’re bloody buccaneers....”, we were told to make “manly” choices as we worked about the boat, performing the choreography we were given.
Buttressed by costuming, I decided to go full out bully. I wore a big hat with a skull and bones on it, breeches and a black and white shirt with horizontal stripes. I had an eye patch (actually very dangerous on the second level of the set as I had no depth perception while wearing it). I had a parrot velcro’ed to my shoulder and I carried a bull whip. As some of my pirate mates swabbed the deck or climbed the rigging, I pretended to ready myself to flog the unwilling ... I uncoiled the whip, stretched it, oiled it and snap... (method- acting...*grin*)
In our final dress rehearsal, Tom took one of our less motivated pirates aside and said, “Terry, I’ve been patient, but you’ve got to come up with some business or I’ll have to cut you from the scene. Think what your pirate would do.”
We then began a run-through of the number. I was positioned on the second level of the ship. As I went about my business - playing with the whip, “swashing some buckles”, Terry walked casually past me. I gestured threateningly with the whip, lustily singing all the while. Terry rolled his eyes at me, sat down, dangled his feet over the edge of the upper deck, calmly pulled out an Emory board and began to file his nails, glancing up at me with a bored, over it look. Then, he shyly smiled. All of us fell out laughing!
Needless to say, the “business” stayed in; the audience loved Terry and a “Swishbuckler” was born:) What did I discover? I learned you can get a bigger, better laugh from filing your nails, than from playing with your whip!
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