Finally got to see Justice League Unlimited, and it was great.

Taped JLU and the two shows before it, Teen Titans and The Batman, also DC Comics shows. All 3 are very fun, very cool. Teen Titans I’ve seen quite a few times, and it has such an oddball, distinct feel – it’s easy to love it. This was my first time seeing the new The Batman series, though, as well as my first time seeing Justice League Unlimited. (For anyone who knows me, this is a surprise – the Justice League comics are the ones I collected for years and years and years. I still have boxes of them in my basement, although I’ve not bought any new ones in the last few years. (Time and money finally caught up with my habit!)

Warning: Geek alarms going off: Click here if you want to read more about the JLU.

Happy Mother’s Day to Mom, Jeanne, and all the other mothers out there!

Thanks, Mom, for putting up with me for all these years.

Last night I was lucky enough to see the opening night of Gillian Eaton’s show Mrs. Shakespeare Dishes The Dirt, and it was marvelous.

An almost one-woman-show, with a little voiceover help from her dead husband (nicely done by Loren Bass), Mrs. Shakespeare shares with us some tidbits and a wonderful story or two about life with her husband, Mr. William Shakespeare.

All the while working the crowd, Gillian Eaton is a marvel to watch in this production, which she also adapted from it’s novel form. You fall in love with her from the first minute, and stay with her step-by-step through a fun, funny, moving and heartfelt performance. Pat Ansuini directed, and deserves applause as well – the whole thing comes together very nicely. The whole design team did a marvelous job, the simple set from Monika Essen (who also designed our great set for SUMMER AND SMOKE) and costumes from Suzanne Hannah (also great work on S&S).

I love seeing good theatre – not only because, Dammit, it’s marvelous to see, but also because it’s invigorating! I want to make more of it!!

In my silly, silly selfishness (see how I did that, alliterating stuff?) I have neglected to discuss in depth my brother, Dominic. He’s also known affectionately as The Illustrated Man because of his many tattoos (and because, based on his behavior when we were kids, I’m convinced that he wasn’t really born, but that novelist Ray Bradbury invented him like so many other weird sci-fi characters…)

Remember that I’ve mentioned how Gina was born a small Italian girl? Pretty much the same thing for Dominic.

I kid! I’m a kidder!

Actually, Dominic has had a wonderfully colorful life as a young italian man. Let me explain. No, there is no time; let me sum up:

Born about 3 years after me, has never forgiven me for being shorter than him. Was cute as a button during elementary school. Not sure what happened to that. Has a scar on his forehead from where I hit him with a belt buckle (we were, as I recall, playing some version of “Hey, let’s hit each other with stuff”, I wasn’t just RANDOMLY hitting him, it was mutual, the hitting was!) That was last month. I kid! I’m a kidder!

After elementary school came a bunch of years where stuff happened – I’m a little foggy on the details – he wound up joining the Air Force and serving in the Gulf War. After his successful stint in the armed forces, he became an electrician, met the beautiful Alesha, and became married. Somewhere along the way his taste in music became simply atrocious, and now the only bands he’ll listen to are the ones with ‘death’ or ‘smack’ or ‘pain’ in their names (except once in a while he’ll put on an Olivia Newton John album when he thinks no one is watching. “I wanna get PHYSICAAAAAAL, let’s get into physical!! Lemme hear your body talk!!”

Nowadays he can frequently be found playing Xbox Live while listening to “Painful DeathSmack” at extremely high decibels.

Whenever possible, I’ll be playing Xbox Live with him. He’ll probably be winning.

Apparently I’m a Cultural Creative! Take the quiz and let me know how you score!

You scored as Cultural Creative. Cultural Creatives are probably the newest group to enter this realm. You are a modern thinker who tends to shy away from organized religion but still feels as if there is something greater than ourselves. You are very spiritual, even if you are not religious. Life has a meaning outside of the rational. Cultural Creative 88% Idealist 63% Existentialist 56% Postmodernist 56% Romanticist 56% Modernist 50% Fundamentalist 31% Materialist 19% What is Your World View? created with QuizFarm.com

The periodical “Between The Lines” came out with their review of SUMMER AND SMOKE today, and it’s a rave. Praising the entire cast, the blending of the scripts, and the staging, Donald Calamia’s review singles out Barton Bund and Mindy Woodhead, saying “They compliment each other from start to finish”.

The article also includes the following paragraph:

“Director Tony Caselli – known mostly for his excellent comedies staged at Chelsea’s Purple Rose Theatre – has seamlessly blended various versions of Williams’ script to create a unique presentation that strengthens its characters while stripping it of its excess baggage. The result is a streamlined, riveting and very imaginative production that should excite both Williams aficionados and theatre lovers alike!”

Well isn’t that nice! 3 solid reviews, good ticket sales: Congratulations to cast, crew, assistant directors, stage managers and everyone else.

The Williamston Theatre Project is proud to have been invited to participate in this event.

=====================================================
The Michigan Theatre Festival
June 8-12, 2005
=====================================================
Hosted by a Coalition of Michigan Theatres, the Festival takes place this
year at Performance Network and Blackbird Theatre and includes staged
readings of 12 new plays from 9 different theatres, talk-backs, a 12-hour
short play marathon, panel discussion “From Page to Stage – challenges of
developing new work for production” and a nightly wrap party. Tickets are
$5 suggested donation, or $50 for a Festival Pass.

For a full schedule of events, visit http://www.heartlande.com

Participating Theatres:
Blackbird Theatre (Ann Arbor),
BoarsHead Theatre (Lansing),
Heartlande Theatre (Birmingham).
Jewish Ensemble Theatre (West Bloomfield),
Meadow Brook Theatre (Rochester),
Performance Network Theatre (Ann Arbor)
Planet Ant Theatre (Hamtramck),
Plowshares Theatre (Detroit),
Williamston Theatre Project (Williamston)
=======================================================

We’ll be performing 2 staged readings of Additional Particulars by Ed Simpson.
You’ll love this hilarious, poignant, thought provoking comedy!

Our performances will be at the Performance Network on June 10th, at 5pm and 8pm. Please come!

If you’d like more info, let me know, or check out the Heartlande website listed above!

No trumpets sound when the important decisions of our life are made. Destiny is made known silently.
-Agnes DeMille

Trust that still, small voice that says “This might work and I’ll try it.”
-Diane Mariechild

The Detroit Free Press has come out with a “3 out of 4 Star” review for SUMMER AND SMOKE. Although much of the review by Martin Kohn is a re-telling of the plot, it does praise the show saying things like hie yourselves to Performance Network with no negative comments at all. And I must give credit where credit is due: In his review, discussing the characters John Seibert plays, Mr. Kohn writes: Both Alma and John are children of the town’s pillars, the preacher and the doctor (John’s father is also a physician), both played by John Seibert. Canny Caselli worked it out so they never appear on stage together. In truth, Tennessee Williams worked it out so they never appear on stage together in the trimmed down Acting Edition of the script, as he did with several characters. I just took advantage of it to double cast some great actors!

Nothing bad here, go and check it out for yourself at http://www.freep.com/entertainment/newsandreviews/smoke3e_20050503.htm.

Hooray, 2 for 2. Hopefully, with the two big papers liking the show, ticket sales will continue to be great and the cast will have full houses to play to!

I forgot to mention that for SUMMER AND SMOKE I had a fabulous Assistant Director. Thru no threats of violence from the women in my life was I coerced into naming her publicly.

Her name is Beth. Her Nickname is “Moe”. My nickname for not mentioning her earlier is “Dumbass”.

Many of the fine moments in the play are brought to you (assuming ‘you’ have seen the show) from the creative mind of Beth. Without her we’d be subjected to some ugly staging that I was ignoring, a ridiculously long intro moment where people were pretending to light non-lightable fireworks with working zippo’s (Yes, I was on crack that day…), and the world’s most awkwardly staged “pantomimed shutting of a window” moment.

Thanks, Beth!!