Amphibian Stage Productions

While Carman is celebrating Christmas in NY, I’ve been down in Fort Worth enjoying the Yule season.  A few days ago I met up with Artistic Director Kathleen Culebro, Dramaturg Judy Norman and our Interim Managing Director Melissa Mitchell.  Melissa is wonderful and I look forward to her guidance in helping the company grow.

After lunch at Lucille’s ( I recommend the chicken fried steak) we saw the new office spaces at the Community Arts Center.  They are quaint and quiet (at least when I was there) and they will serve the company well.  I was also delighted to hear that both of our main-stage shows will both be at the C.A.C.  This should bring us and our audiences several advantages! 

Well it’s over.  I couldn’t get my contact lenses to cooperate for Sunday’s show and so my last Broadway memories are a bit blurry but I suppose that’ll just hasten it fading away into oblivion.  No I’m not in the slightest bit saddened by it being over, he said meekly.

Several came off the stage sobbing.  Several Broadway debuts for this show but also a general consensus that it was a good show with good people which apparently isn’t always the case.  At the after-party everyone was feeling a bit exhausted and everpresent so I was able to have meaningful conversations with everyone, even those I might have been a distance from, but more often than not I found myself sitting and listening and smiling as I looked out across the candle lit interior of Un-Deux-Trois.  It’s funny when you know you’re somewhere that will live in your memories.  Memory itself tricks you (thanks Tennessee) and somehow if you know you’re somewhere that you’ll remember your mind seems to do the same thing in present time.

After the party Doug Stender and I went to our agent’s holiday party.  A fitting end to this entire adventure was to see guru teacher Bill Esper, my mentor and constant inspiration, seated near the rear of the back room!  He was with his wife and another friend.  They sat facing me.  Through the dozens of revelers I tentatively approached and politely intervened and after appropriately greeting them, finally confided to him where I was coming from.  A great big smile came across his face and his voice arced up and replied “That’s wonderful!” 

“A triumph” Claire said to me when she walked off stage last night. 

A few things happened yesterday, the first being that the cast and crew assembled between shows for a holiday/Christmas dinner in the trap room.  Roundabout bought a turkey and spiral ham and several others brought side dishes and desserts.  It was heartwarming, and again, all due to the fine planning of Fallon.  During the meal Brad, Curtis, and set up a screening of a 12 minute film we created during the coarse of the run about what we do in the dressing room.  It also showed a few pictures of Times Square and the Selwyn Theater (now the American Airlines, where we perform).  The movie was filled with gags (some good, some not so) and we luckily got Jay O. Sanders to narrate the beginning.  We were hoping for a few laughs but people seemed to genuinely enjoy it.  Jefferson hugged me saying “It was wonderful, thank you.”  He walked away snickering, “what have I been doing with my time”.  In fact, we put up a sign up sheet for copies of the film and by the time we left yesterday 19 people had signed up to receive theirs!  It was all a nice surprise for us, who thought it might be a silly sort of slide-show.  Over the holidays I hope to put the short film on my website if anyone’s interested in viewing.

With great highs come great lows however as we close our show today.  We’ll take our final Broadway bows and then celebrate at Un-Deux-Trois, hosting our closing party. 

Saturday morning and New York is standing in the way of an impending snow storm.  The final three shows are here.  Everything is getting faster and more sentimental.  Last night after the show (we had some obnoxious laughers in the house), I went down to Boyd’s dressing room and met Jay O. Sanders and Curtis Shumaker.  We shared some scotch and talked about how the actors have grown through performance.  This show seems to me to have grown quite a bit.  Actors find new moments, clean up the humor, and tighten up speeches.  Sometimes to our detriment.  Though the show moves fast to me, I think we’ve added on time a few minutes to the running time.

 A little Six-Degrees for you, last night I shook hands with Dylan Baker after the show.  He was in the show phib Katya Campbell worked on; Mauritius.  Also Mamie Gummer came to the show, as she is friends with Claire from their working on Evening together.  Mamie is the daughter of Meryl Streep whom you might know from Carman’s recent blog entry.  :)   

Jonathan Fielding is Amphibian’s Guest Amphiblogger for December.  He is an Artistic Associate and was in last year’s Below the Belt.

Well, it’s Saturday night and what’s this Broadway actor gonna do tonight?  I’m gonna blog. 

I’m very excited to be here, though not excited to follow Carman’s star-studded life, nor David’s pithy and profound professions, but I’ll do my best to offer what I may and to keep it lean and high spirited.

I’m in Pygmalion on Broadway right now.  It stars Claire Danes and Jefferson Mays, but the cast has other Broadway notables such as Jay O. Sanders, Boyd Gaines, and Helen Carey.  The show is excellent.  It’s being produced by Roundabout Theatre and was directed by David Grindley.  Now that you’re up to speed it’s important to know that even though we were extended an extra week, though we’ve been sold out for the majority of the run, next week we take our final bows.  The show closes on the 16th and I’m very sad to see it go.  I’ve grown accustomed to this play.

And the people.  I’ve found that the cast seems to consistently “out nice” each other.  Generally speaking I think myself to be a kind fellow but in the company of this cast, I’m a grinch.  One simple example of the selflessness that goes on: Each Sunday we have a brunch in the trap room where the head of wardrobe, Susan Fallon, sets up griddles, toaster ovens, and a cappuchino machine bringing the best of breakfast smells below the theater.  Most everyone arrives early to enjoy the others company and Fallon has single handedly created an unique Broadway event that I’ll always fondly remember.  And so begins my story with me going to sleep that I may hasten my dreams of tomorrow’s blueberry pancakes. 

Jonathan Fielding is Amphibian’s Guest Amphiblogger for December.  He is an Artistic Associate and was in last year’s Below the Belt.