Marty Thomas

Bestill my beating heart.

Here's the funny thing... I should just write down all the names that Beloved ( tm) uses in a conversation because someday I'll want to know who that person is. For example, Beloved (tm) was talking about how I should sing "Love You I Do" from the Dreamgirls movie for Barry and Marty's wedding. He mentioned it because he and this fella named Marty Thomas were flown to Chicago by a couple getting married and he sang the song.

I thought, yeah yeah yeah - maybe I should sing that song. I was so wrapped up in me that I didnt ask " Who is Marty Thomas?" ( I didnt want to look stupid to Beloved since he was like "you know Marty Thomas..." so I cleared my throat and said "oh sure" ).

What I was depriving myself of was one of the best voices and most amazing high tenors I have EVER heard. He rocks my socks. I spent hours You Tubing and Googling this guy a couple of nights ago. There are few people that I can honestly say I want to meet and even fewer people I actually want to sing with. This is one of those people.

Prepare to be amazed, for those who dont know...here's Marty Thomas.

Update peeps…

Little Shop closed and I am definitely sad about that. I miss the show, the cast, the band and Toby. I would work there again, mos def.

School has started and I am behind already…LOL I am late turning in an assignment for my Research and Aesthetics course…but it’s a paper on "Theatre As Sin"… so you see what I am struggling with. I sort of want to drive to Virginia Beach and ring their little evangelical necks. It’s all good though… they let me in didn’t they? That means God has a plan for me AND for Regent Theatre. Watch out!

Work is still the passive aggressive breeding ground for bitterness and great classical theatre it has always been. This Fall we will be featuring new cast members in the roles of “heifer who got a promotion and has now lost her mind”(tm) and “middle manager who is now king of donothingness”(tm) but never fear, Crazy Man (tm) and Left Brain (tm) are still in full effect. I am tired of em all – but I keep on keeping on. I just have to get through school and get a teaching job.

There’s some good news on that horizon. I was offered some parttime teaching gigs ( which I have to ask Left Brain for permission to leave work to do). But if I can make it work, I probably could parlay it into a full time gig in the Spring. I like the director of the theatre school and it fits with what I am trying to prepare for – full time teaching of general theatre courses. I do get to direct the spring musical at my alma mater – so that is very very cool. I’ll keep you posted on what that will be and what the process is like.

Speaking of process, I am going into tech for the show that wins the award for MOST DIFFICULT REHEARSAL PROCESS. The Wiz has been the most convoluted, disorganized thing I have ever been a part of. I have had to take my super duper anti anxiety pills to get through the past two rehearsals. I am just glad that by this time next week it will be almost over.

Well, I better get back to convincing my professor that Theatre is NOT sin… I’ll try to be better at keeping updated. Peace out y’all!

Lost in Your Eyes...

I am sitting at work folding letters, allowing the IPod to send me back in time. A little Depeche Mode, Meet Danny Wilson and Debbie Gibson. ::sigh::

Certain songs take to specfic places in my past. Debbie Gibson's " Lost In Your Eyes" makes me think of a short road trip to Baltimore when I was in college. A few of us hopped in a car and headed to the Inner Harbor for a little fun. We went to the Aquarium and the MD Science Center and shopped in Harborplace and had dinner at Phillips. It was the quintessential "Inner Harbor" day.

On the way back to school, we were all tired and mellow. I had a huge crush on the guy driving - he was everything I never wanted (LOL) - a beer drinking smoker who had a slightly angry vibe about him. No direction and no real passion - PERFECT! LOL. Next to me was the bad boy's best friend...one of the two loves of my life (the other being Beloved in NYC) - the first one. Only, I didn't know it until that moment.

He had fallen asleep an his head dropped onto my shoulder and he looped his arm through mine. I looked at the sleepy young man next to me, sandy haired, awkward, creative and passionate and felt a warm blush wash over me. I looked into the rear view mirror and saw the bad boy looking at us and smiling - he seemed to know something I didn't. I found out later that what he knew was that the sleepy man did indeed "like" me a lot.

While all of this was happening, Debbie was crooning:

I just fell, don't know why
Something real we can't deny...

I wish I could tell you that we dated all though college and parted amiably. But it is far more complicated than that. He is married now and we hear from each other occasionally. The unresolved things between us float out there like radio waves - the same kind of radio waves that created the soundtrack in that car headed to Emmitsburg almost 20 years ago.

::sigh::

The Wiz

As I start to wrap up my days on Skid Row, I just wanted to tell you about another road I will be on this fall... the yellow brick road. I am playing "Evilene" in the Expanded Dance Project's production of The Wiz.

Here's the scoop!

The Wiz

book by William Brown

music and lyrics by Charlie Smalls

based on the The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by Frank Baum

September 5 - September 9, 2007

The Atlas Performing Arts Center

1333 H Street NE, Washington, DC 20002

For tickets go to atlasarts.org or call 202.399.7993

Come join me as I "Ease on down the road..."

Books A Million

or, my room...

It seems that I have done a book overload.

I dont know why I do this, but I get into a book buying frenzy and end up with an embarassingly excessive pile of reading materials.

Such is the case right now. That lovely photo you see is of a bag of books I am taking home tonight from work. I joined the Literary Guild ( You know buy 5 for .99 get one free and add an additional one for 5.99 then buy two more over two years - you end up with about 10 books for 6.99 each.

I know, I know - shut up. This and snack food are my vices ( at least this one wont make me fat...er)

Um...

I think I was accepted into grad school.

go me.

The Bourne Ultimatum

I am not a huge fan of action movies. I am also not one to rush out and see a film the opening weeken ( I have still not seen the Harry Potter flick!). For some reason though, I felt compelled to see The Bourne Ultimatum. Perhaps it is Matt Damon ( yum). Even though, I don't go out and see everything he is in ( I have yet to see Good Will Hunting). I have however, seen all of the "Bourne" movies.

I got to the theater (mere minutes from Toby's), picked up my ticket, my "lunch" ( a #1, popcorn soda combo) and headed for the theatre. I found a long line of people waiting outside the theatre. I got in line, confused and said "Um, when did this movie open?" The couple in front of me laughed and said " Friday." Oh. Hence the line.

I took my sister's seat ( up in the far corner in the back) and took out my book. The theatre was PACKED. I ended having a very talkative father and son sit next to me, but really - it was okay. This movie was so loud and jam packed with action I didnt even notice after a while. It went by so fast! It was so much fun. Matt Damon humanizes the genre of action films. His quest for knowlege about who he is - and how he got to be who he is today is really compelling. Plus what he does in a police car on the streets of NYC is so totally cool!

I say go see it. Not right now though...the theatre's are crowded. ;)