The Wiz report for Saturday

We had a terrific matinee today. The audience was energized and we had the time of our lives. In fact, I'm still laughing.

I usually don't write until after the second show on a two-show day, but after our great matinee, I just couldn't control myself. This posting also requires a little back story - - When I did the show both at the Atlantic and in Cambridge, I was able to call the show from a position located in the front of the house so that I could see the show from the same view as the audience. I loved that position. It allowed me to be in close proximity to the audience, enabling me to see and hear the show exactly as the audience does. I always felt a great connection to the audience from there. It's a little different at the Hayes. Here I am calling the show from backstage and have to look at it either from a monitor or "live" from the side of the stage. It's a position that I have had to get used to. Now that I'm used to it, I love it. I have a little less of a sense of the audience but a much greater connection to Jay while he is onstage. In fact, during the Squeaky scene we are no more than 6 feet or so away from each other. Over the past two days, Jay and I have had a slight difference in opinion as to the audience reaction for Nethernore's "How do you know when something is dead? There's a lull in the conversation". Today we get to that part in the show and it gets a very nice laugh. I'm looking at the stage live and suddenly see Jay and Nethernore swing around and give me the look of death! I thought for sure that I would be Nethernore's next meal. So what do I do? Laugh, of course. So we're coming up on the end of the routine and Nethernore starts to talk about the fact that he is a student at Cornell University. Last night, Nethernore said that he was a student at both Cornell and NYU. Jay and I were discussing that today. So we're at that moment in the show today and Nethernore says that he's a student at Cornell and then adds "and sometimes NYU" and once again he swings around to give me the look of death. I am defintely his next meal. But I have to say, I've never felt more connected to an actor during the course of a performance. It is one of the great things about doing a one person show. We support each other out there and do the dance together. It's a wonderful thing to be such a part of.

And the monkey song...from "Carmen". We all got it, though Joe the electrician had to tell me it was from Carmen. At least I could sing the song!

Until the next one,
Wiz