Amphibian Stage Productions

I wish everyone a happy, healthy Halloween.  I will raise a pint of Pumpkin Ale to you and to Mr. Lacivita who is taking over the driver seat here at the Amphiblog during the month of November.  Cheers!

David A. Miller, Amphibian Company Member and director of last year’s Below the Belt, is the Guest Amphiblogger for October.  He will miss blogging for you.  If you miss him blogging for you, you can always visit him here.

There were many ‘phibs in Park Slope, Brooklyn on Sunday night for a festive crafts, costumes and consumables Halloween party hosted by Fielding and Mueller (and in small part by Miller).  The costume highlights included the Voice & Speech Vampire, the Yao Ming of Jawas and post-fall Jack & Jill.

Anyone out there looking to don an Amphibian inspired costume this year?  Perhaps become Miss Witherspoon or Nicodemus from Irma Vep? Or how about Neil LaBute or Christopher Durang?

David A. Miller, Amphibian Company Member and director of last year’s Below the Belt, is the Guest Amphiblogger for October. He crafted a Witch’s face at the part to go with his $1.99 Witch’s hat from CVS but next year he may go as Chris Durang.

Here in Orlando, FL, staying just down the block from the Lone Star Steakhouse and the neighboring Landry’s Seafood…  No matter where I am, Texas is not far away.

(But I’m sure that the experience of Landry’s would not compare to hanging out with the Boys of Irma Vep at Joe T’s…as pictured here.)

David A. Miller, Amphibian Company Member and director of last year’s Below the Belt, is the Guest Amphiblogger for October. He would like to thank Melissa for contributing this great photo.

One of the highlights of imbibing (an overpriced Manhattan) in the Broadway Lounge at the Marriot Marquis was hearing the baby grand piano playing lounge singer croon the lyrics that I had heard just 2 weeks before at the Love Shack in the Stockyards of Fort Worth by one of my personal favorites, Fort Worth local celeb of sorts, Brad Hines.  However, it wasn’t till after we left that we could piece together who sang the song…because, understandably, the following lyrics sounded much different in a swanky hotel off Time Square than they did in the welcoming environs of the open air saloon environment of the Love Shack.

By the time we finished the well-poured port, Manhattan and Broadway baby, the only lyrics we could remember were:

Some people claim that there’s a woman to blame,
But I know it’s nobody’s fault.

But the only tune we could remember was Billy Joel’s Piano Man (because we heard that song twice in the hour we were there).  Try singing these lyrics to that tune.

David A. Miller, Amphibian Company Member and director of last year’s Below the Belt, is the Guest Amphiblogger for October. He would like to thank Molly and Jenny Lloyd for singing these lyrics to that tune with him on the subway ride home and the next morning.

This week I was interviewed by This Week in the Arts about this blog.  You can hear my unintelligent, stuttering (and thankfully muffled) comments on the This Week in the Arts website. 

David A. Miller, Amphibian Company Member and director of last year’s Below the Belt, is the Guest Amphiblogger for October, much to everyone’s chagrin. 

I returned to the Marriot Marquis again last night, the site of the Pygmalion cast party, this time to the Marquis Theatre to see Drowsy Chaperone, the entertaining Broadway musical about a musical.  Entertaining? Check. Laughed out loud several times.  Highbrow art that makes you think? Not so much. 

Bob Saget played the Man in the Chair, the onstage narrator of the story…  A critical review?  Bob Saget seems to be good at playing Bob Saget.        

David A. Miller, Amphibian Company Member and director of last year’s Below the Belt, is the Guest Amphiblogger for October.  He likes to shout “Bob Saget!” as an expletive.

It’s a great experience to see friends and colleagues on stage in good productions and there’s an added excitement when they are on stages as big and as esteemed as those of the Richard Rogers American Airlines Theaters.   This week I had the pleasure of seeing ‘phib Carman Lacivita and Stephen Balantzian (who was in Amphibian’s Icarus last year) in Cyrano and ‘phib Jonathan Fielding in Pygmalion.  And I saw them both with Jay Duffer (seen only 2 weeks ago in The Mystery of Irma Vep).

Now if only I have the chance to see that other ‘phib in that other skit on the Great White Way…

David A. Miller, Amphibian Company Member and director of last year’s Below the Belt, is the Guest Amphiblogger for October.  Although Mr. Duffer preferred The Eliza Elixir, Mr. Miller’s favorite specialty drink at Pygmalion Opening Night Party was The Cockney Cocktail.

No matter where I go, I search for and see the theatrical.  And no matter where I am, I see and search for the connections to Amphibian.  

I spent the weekend in Chicago, attending the board meeting of TYA/USA.  While I was there, I discovered and sought out many theatrical ‘phib connections, including:

• Attending the Dallas Stars game (which most locals referred to as the “Chicago Blackhawks game”) and witnessing the climactic moment of the Blackhawks tieing up the game on a 6 on 3 power play with only 1.5 seconds left in regulation then winning the game by scoring :43 seconds into overtime
• One of my fellow board members attended TCU
• Seeing an enormous Shiner Bock billboard within minutes of first leaving the hotel en route to the first meeting at DePaul
• Knowing that ‘phib Drew Hayes may be around the corner…and being sad that with such a quick trip I would likely miss him
• Hearing the guys in the airport bar talking about attending Texas and Oklahoma, mentioning TCU in the course of talking about “the big game” (but not knowing what that big game was because if its not hockey I am clueless)

The ‘phib 6 degrees continued when I returned.  On the train ride home who should sit down next to me by ‘phib Jonathan Fielding who had just come from seeing ‘phib Jessica Myhr in a production of The Cherry Orchard. 

David A. Miller, Amphibian Company Member and director of last year’s Below the Belt, is the Guest Amphiblogger for October.  When he is not talking about theatre or beer, he is talking about hockey.

Back in NYC, I already miss Fort Worth.  The experience of directing the reading of The Mystery of Irma Vep was great.  It was wonderful to work with Dan, Jay and Sarah (who added great theatrical moments during the reading–if you weren’t there, ask her about “Look up”).  And it was wonderful to partake in the other theatrical aspects of Fort Worth as well…

• The Ron Mueck exhibit at the Modern (pictured here, an amazing theatrical experience when one shares a room with these “people”)
• The Flying Saucer Beer Fest
• Talking to the “Managing your performance career” class at TCU
• The new friends we made at PR’s
• The Beer House (also pictured here, it’s a home decorated with empty beer cans, mostly Milwawkee’s Best…)

David A. Miller, Amphibian Company Member and director of last year’s Below the Belt, is the Guest Amphiblogger for October.  He wishes that he had a Beer House.