Back in Town

Thanks to Blogger for keeping the posts rolling even though I was out of town over the past weekend.

June 26 was my 25th wedding anniversary, and my lovely wife Jeanette and I combined a family trip to take son Evan back to Chicago with a family vacation (which included Justin and Morgan) and a special anniversary date night.

Just so you won't think I've been neglecting you, dear readers, I should mention that we took in a show while in the Windy City - we saw the excellent Jersey Boys, about which I'll write up a proper review sometime this week. Here's the short version: "If you get a chance to see it, go! It's wonderful!"

It was a fun trip, but it's great to be home!

On Stage Today - "A Funny Thing..."

Only one show to catch today - and it's your last chance to see the show!

ARTS presents A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum - Shows start at 2 p.m. at the Renaissance Center, 900 8th St. Huntington. Tickets are $15 show.

On Stage Tonight - "Forum," "New Works," "Festiv-ALL" and "Oz"

Lots of great shows to see tonight, including:

- The last night of the second annual Robert Hinchman New Works Festival begins at 8:00 p.m. in the Francis Booth Experimental Theatre of the Joan C. Edwards Playhouse at Marshall University. Tonight a new full-length comedy closes out the festival: The Three Temptations of Jennifer Pierce, written by Lee Shackleford. It is the story of smart-alecky loner Jennifer Pierce, who makes a wager with her annoyingly square housemate Cindy - a challenge that Jennifer takes only to escape paying several months of rent she already owes to Cindy. The bet involves the atheist Jennifer sequestering herself in her apartment and waiting for God's "still small voice" to make itself heard. But instead of being alone for three days, Jennifer finds herself the focus of nationwide media attention when she apparently starts to undergo the exact temptations presented to Jesus during his forty days in the wilderness. The result is a clash between evidence and faith, prejudice and acceptance, and pride and humility. To purchase tickets, visit the Marshall University Theatre box office in the Joan C. Edwards Performing Arts Center or call 304-696-ARTS (2787). Tickets are priced at $8.

- A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum - Shows start at 8 p.m. Saturday, June 28, with a Sunday show at 2 p.m. June 29 at the Renaissance Center, 900 8th St. Huntington. You can also have a meal with your show - dinner begins at 6:30 p.m. Friday-Saturday and brunch at 12:30 p.m. Sunday. Dinner and brunch reservations are limited, call 304-733-2787. Tickets are $15 show; $15 dinner; $12 brunch.

- FESTIV-ALL 2008, a ONE-ACT PLAY FEST - features five plays presented by artists from all over the state (Huntington, Charleston, Wheeling, Morgantown & Fairmont). Performances are at the Clay Center. Here's the schedule for the shows:

7 PM: CATCH & RELEASE by Jeremy Richter

8 PM: STUCK HERE WITH YOU by Steve McElroy

9 PM: LUNCH AT THE FORK N' FINGER by Jonathan Joy

9:45 PM: CLEAN FEET, WILD HEART by Samara Michaelson

10 PM: MITCH ALBOM'S TUESDAYS WITH MORRIE by Jeffrey Hatcher and Mitch Albom.

- And at Jenny Wiley, you can catch The Wizard of Oz, presented tonight on the Amphitheatre Mainstage.

On Stage Tonight - "Forum," "New Works" and "Oz"

Lots of great shows to see tonight, including:

- I was at last night's performance and had a great time, so I certainly recommend tonight's edition of the second annual Robert Hinchman New Works Festival. It begins at 8:00 p.m. in the Francis Booth Experimental Theatre of the Joan C. Edwards Playhouse at Marshall University. Tonight a new full-length comedy will be premiered: A Sheep Among Wolves by Jonathan Joy. Reverend Donald Daniels attempts to reconcile his brother's fourth broken marriage and save the soul of a young prostitute while his congregation revolts against him. Those familiar with Joy's The Princess of Rome, Ohio will enjoy the further adventures of Dicky Daniels. To purchase tickets, visit the Marshall University Theatre box office in the Joan C. Edwards Performing Arts Center or call 304-696-ARTS (2787). Tickets are priced at $8.

- A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum - Shows start at 8 p.m. Friday-Saturday, June 27-28, with Sunday shows at 2 p.m. June 29 at the Renaissance Center, 900 8th St. Huntington. You can also have a meal with your show - dinner begins at 6:30 p.m. Friday-Saturday and brunch at 12:30 p.m. Sunday. Dinner and brunch reservations are limited, call 304-733-2787. Tickets are $15 show; $15 dinner; $12 brunch.

- And at Jenny Wiley, you can catch The Wizard of Oz, presented tonight on the Amphitheatre Mainstage.

On Stage Tonight - The New Works Festival

Tonight is the first night of the New Works Festival at Marshall University. I was at the first edition last year and enjoyed it a lot - it's a fresh and fun way to enjoy lots of short plays, and it's inexpensive, too!

Here's the rundown for tonight:

Marshall University’s second annual Robert Hinchman New Works Festival will be presented by Marshall University Theatre and the Marshall University College of Fine Arts.

The three-night festival will present both staged and unstaged readings of six new plays over three consecutive evenings, June 26-28, 2008. All readings will begin at 8:00 p.m. in the Francis Booth Experimental Theatre of the Joan C. Edwards Playhouse.

Each evening’s readings will be followed by a discussion/question and answer session with the playwright, director and cast. Participation is both welcome and encouraged.

Toonight four new one-act plays will be presented:

Lunch At the Fork n’ Finger by published playwright and Marshall University Theatre Alumni, Jonathan Joy - A one-act comedy about a man who returns to his boyhood home to find that his single mother has fallen in love with his old high school gym coach.

Things Get Done by Louisville, Ky., native Paul Deines - Brooklyn is burning. In the city, three men share drinks, make Molotov cocktails, and await the approaching mob. As the riot draws nearer, they wrestle with the ghosts of their pasts, and the collective past of a country born out of revolution.

Knight-Owl by well-known Huntington personality, Clint McElroy - When he stumbles upon the long-lost secret headquarters of Knight-Owl, a costumed crime-fighter from the 1940s, con-man Del Copperthwaite sees a money-making opportunity. Anticipating millions of dollars in endorsements, licensing deals and action figures, Del takes on the super-hero mantle of Knight-Owl, hampered only by his complete lack of talent, experience, morals, or honesty. What he does have is a quick wit, an even quicker tongue, and that strong sense of self-preservation that no scoundrel should be without.

Stealing Romance by T. Michael Murdock - Murdock is a Marshall University Alumni and a professional actor/director. This is a short play about finding love in the most unexpected of places. On a dark, rainy night, a man robbing a video store reunites with the woman he has loved since grade school, and is immediately locked in the store with her. Throughout the next few hours, he encounters feelings he thought were gone forever, the woman's jealous ex-boyfriend, and must face down not only his fear of lightning, but also of heartbreak.

Q & A with author Paul Deines

One of the authors being showcased at Thursday's New Works Festival is Paul Dienes. He was nice enough to take part in an email interview and give us a preview of his work. Here 'tis:

Q: Tell us a little bit about yourself.

PAUL: I was born and raised in Louisville, Ky. When I was 16, I wrote my first play, a one-act called Five Characters that, after a considerable amount of prodding, was performed in spaces around the city as part of a library drama-works program. I studied theatre at the University of Evansville, and have since worked in theatres in Indiana, Florida, Massachusetts, New York and numerous other places on a national tour last year. I’m currently living in Harlem, so it’s great to be back a little closer to my old stomping ground, if only for a week.

Q: You're presenting your work titled Things Get Done - what's it about?

PAUL: Well, by and large, it’s about revolution in America. Generally, we only talk about the one in the 18th century, but my play explores the moments in the 20th century – the Depression and the Vietnam era – where this country was on the verge of civil revolt. All this is explored from the viewpoint of a fictional uprising in modern-day New York. And, it’s funny, too. For the record.

Q: What was the inspiration for this story?

PAUL: A big part of it came from my mother. She’s been an involved lefty from way back. It’s in her blood. Her father was a labor organizer in California during the Red Scare. She always talks about the revolution coming in her lifetime, and I’ve felt in the last few years a certain embarrassment at the lack of civil engagement in my generation. Of course, I think in recent months, that has changed. Either way, this work is sort of an answer to the conversations I’ve had with her.

Q: How do you feel about being part of the New Works Festival?

PAUL: It really puts it out there, warts and all. You go in wondering how it will sound on its feet, and you’re always in for some toe-curling moments. I owe quite a bit to Jack Cirillo. When I sent him my first draft, it was a mess of ideas that went nowhere. He had faith that an actual story would come out of there. But, at this moment, I’m feeling pretty good about the progress made.

Q: Any advice for aspiring writers?

PAUL: Two things:

1) You have to make your own opportunities to get your work heard. It’s a saturated industry, and people won’t care unless you shove it right in front of them.

2) Read about the world. The only way to keep your work fresh and relevant is to stay actively informed about the state of the world.

Thanks, Paul!

A reminder that the festival starts Thursday at 8:00 p.m. in the Francis Booth Experimental Theatre of the Joan C. Edwards Playhouse at Marshall University. Each evening’s readings will be followed by a discussion/question and answer session with the playwright, director and cast.

Is Derek Keeling Going To Star in "Grease" After All?

Today my pal Mark sent along a link to a story about Derek Keeling, the Scott Depot native who was a contestant in the Grease: You're the One That I Want reality show last year. Apparently he's getting a shot at the lead in that Broadway show!

According to the Playbill website:

Finalists Ashley Spencer and Derek Keeling of the reality TV audition series Grease: You're the One That I Want are expected to be the new Sandy and Danny of Broadway's Grease.

Apparently Spencer will succeed Laura Osnes as Sandy and Derek will succeed Max Crumm as Danny. They will reportedly begin performances July 22.

Assuming it's true (hey, it's on the Internet - it must be true), it's certainly good news for Derek. It's great to see a "local kid" hitting the big time!

George Carlin - Baseball vs. Football

Hey, I finally found a great clip of George Carlin doing a routine that doesn't include any of those infamous seven words. Here he talks about the difference between baseball and football. Great stuff!

Theatre News - Auditions and Shows

Lots of theatre news at the Herald-Dispatch website, which is always good to see. For example:

- Huntington Outdoor Theatre is holding auditions Friday and Saturday for performers for the pre-show, which takes place before the main performance at its shows in July (natch). If you're interested in trying out, you can read more about it right here.

- Presented by Marshall University Theatre and the Marshall University College of Fine Arts, the second annual Robert Hinchman New Works Festival starts Thursday and runs through Saturday with both staged and unstaged readings of six new plays, including one by my pal Clint McElroy (pictured here, although presumably he won't be presenting the play while dressed as Tevya from Fiddler on the Roof).

You can read more about it right here, and you can see the complete schedule over here.

The Search for Elle - Part 4

The search for a new "Elle" continues in this week's episode of MTV's Legally Blonde: The Musical: The Search for Elle Woods.

This episode stumbled at the start, as the girls vent their frustration at the young Cassie S., who was quick to blame the other actors for errors in last week's episode. It's difficult to tell if they're just trying to paint Cassie as the villain or if she's really just shallow. Once we get past that unpleasantness, the eight girls left in the competition face their first challenge - they have to work with a real animal!

Namely, the two dogs that "star" in the Broadway musical. They learn to work with the dog, and it's all just as cute as can be - though it's hard to imagine that the training will have much impact on who is chosen. Surely the pups are professional enough to work with anyone.

The real audition part of the show puts the actors in a short scene with the talented Richard Blake, who plays Elle's boyfriend early in the musical. They perform part of the "Serious" song, which gives the actors a good chance to show off their singing and their acting range, as they go from ecstatic to devastated in the course of the song.

As always, we only see snippets of each performance, but it's interesting to see how different actors handle the same scene. A bit of drama in injected when one actor gets sick and must rally to deliver her performance - and she does quite well. (The lesson, again, is don't smoke, kids - especially if you're going to be a singer.)

Once again, three actors end up on the cutting line, including Autumn, who's been touted as one of the stronger contenders - but she stumbled a bit in her audition, which just shows how important it is to be focused and "on" for your audition.

In the end, Celina was eliminated - but the shocking surprise was that they eliminated a second actor the same night - and (finally) Cassie S. was cut. She didn't do herself any favors by rejecting the idea that she'd be a great understudy - at 18, she should be a little more open to working her way into the ranks - but she's young, and has a lot of talent - she'll be fine.

The next episode promises more unnecessary angst, as the girls must evaluate each other. As I've said before, the auditions are dramatic enough - no need for artificial drama, please.

A "Funny" Gallery

You can see some great photos from the opening weekend of the hilarious musical A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum right here on the Herald-Dispatch's website.

I haven't had a chance to catch it yet, but friends who saw it said it was terrific - and with a talented cast (which includes my pal Jim Lamp, pictured here), it's well worth checking out this weekend.

For more information, go here. And next weekend, go to the Renaissance Theater - and enjoy the show!

Carlin - The Best of His Generation

It's very sad to read of the Sunday passing of George Carlin. Wait, he hated that kind of "soft" language. He's dead, y'all.

He could be outrageous, insightful and annoying as can be - but in my opinion, he was the best comedian of his generation (with only Richard Pryor and Bill Cosby in his league).

I'm thankful my wife and I got to see him at the Paramount last year - the only time I saw him perform live. His command of the language and his wry observations were second to none, and his brand of intelligent humor is the type we just don't see enough of.

I was trying to find a YouTube video I could include here, but so far I haven't found one that's safe for work, if you get my drift. For the fans out there, here's the Associated Press story (which I get to reprint via the Herald-Dispatch). (The AP also provided the photo above.)

By KEITH ST. CLAIR (AP)
Associated Press Writer

George Carlin, the dean of counterculture comedians whose biting insights on life and language were immortalized in his "Seven Words You Can Never Say On TV" routine, died of heart failure Sunday. He was 71.

Carlin, who had a history of heart trouble, went into St. John's Health Center in Santa Monica on Sunday afternoon complaining of chest pain and died later that evening, said his publicist, Jeff Abraham. He had performed as recently as last weekend at the Orleans Casino and Hotel in Las Vegas.

"He was a genius and I will miss him dearly," Jack Burns, who was the other half of a comedy duo with Carlin in the early 1960s, told The Associated Press.

Carlin's jokes constantly breached the accepted boundaries of comedy and language, particularly with his routine on the "Seven Words"—all of which are taboo on broadcast TV and radio to this day. When he uttered all seven at a show in Milwaukee in 1972, he was arrested on charges of disturbing the peace, freed on $150 bail and exonerated when a Wisconsin judge dismissed the case, saying it was indecent but citing free speech and the lack of any disturbance.

When the words were later played on a New York radio station, they resulted in a 1978 Supreme Court ruling upholding the government's authority to sanction stations for broadcasting offensive language during hours when children might be listening.

"So my name is a footnote in American legal history, which I'm perversely kind of proud of," he told The Associated Press earlier this year.

Despite his reputation as unapologetically irreverent, Carlin was a television staple through the decades, serving as host of the Saturday Night Live debut in 1975—noting on his Web site that he was "loaded on cocaine all week long"—and appearing some 130 times on The Tonight Show.

He produced 23 comedy albums, 14 HBO specials, three books, a couple of TV shows and appeared in several movies, from his own comedy specials to Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure in 1989—a testament to his range from cerebral satire and cultural commentary to downright silliness (and sometimes hitting all points in one stroke).

"Why do they lock gas station bathrooms?" he once mused. "Are they afraid someone will clean them?"

He won four Grammy Awards, each for best spoken comedy album, and was nominated for five Emmy awards. On Tuesday, it was announced that Carlin was being awarded the 11th annual Mark Twain Prize for American Humor, which will be presented Nov. 10 in Washington and broadcast on PBS.

Carlin started his career on the traditional nightclub circuit in a coat and tie, pairing with Burns to spoof TV game shows, news and movies. Perhaps in spite of the outlaw soul, "George was fairly conservative when I met him," said Burns, describing himself as the more left-leaning of the two. It was a degree of separation that would reverse when they came upon Lenny Bruce, the original shock comic, in the early '60s.

"We were working in Chicago, and we went to see Lenny, and we were both blown away," Burns said, recalling the moment as the beginning of the end for their collaboration if not their close friendship. "It was an epiphany for George. The comedy we were doing at the time wasn't exactly groundbreaking, and George knew then that he wanted to go in a different direction."

That direction would make Carlin as much a social commentator and philosopher as comedian, a position he would relish through the years.

"The whole problem with this idea of obscenity and indecency, and all of these things—bad language and whatever—it's all caused by one basic thing, and that is: religious superstition," Carlin told the AP in a 2004 interview. "There's an idea that the human body is somehow evil and bad and there are parts of it that are especially evil and bad, and we should be ashamed. Fear, guilt and shame are built into the attitude toward sex and the body. ... It's reflected in these prohibitions and these taboos that we have."

Carlin was born May 12, 1937 and grew up in the Morningside Heights section of Manhattan, raised by a single mother. After dropping out of high school in the ninth grade, he joined the Air Force in 1954. He received three court-martials and numerous disciplinary punishments, according to his official Web site.

While in the Air Force he started working as an off-base disc jockey at a radio station in Shreveport, La., and after receiving a general discharge in 1957, took an announcing job at WEZE in Boston.

"Fired after three months for driving mobile news van to New York to buy pot," his Web site says.

From there he went on to a job on the night shift as a deejay at a radio station in Forth Worth, Texas. Carlin also worked variety of temporary jobs including a carnival organist and a marketing director for a peanut brittle.

In 1960, he left with Burns, a Texas radio buddy, for Hollywood to pursue a nightclub career as comedy team Burns & Carlin. He left with $300, but his first break came just months later when the duo appeared on the Tonight Show with Jack Paar.

Carlin said he hoped to would emulate his childhood hero, Danny Kaye, the kindly, rubber-faced comedian who ruled over the decade that Carlin grew up in—the 1950s—with a clever but gentle humor reflective of its times.

Only problem was, it didn't work for him, and they broke up by 1962.

"I was doing superficial comedy entertaining people who didn't really care: Businessmen, people in nightclubs, conservative people. And I had been doing that for the better part of 10 years when it finally dawned on me that I was in the wrong place doing the wrong things for the wrong people," Carlin reflected recently as he prepared for his 14th HBO special, "It's Bad For Ya."

Eventually Carlin lost the buttoned-up look, favoring the beard, ponytail and all-black attire for which he came to be known.

But even with his decidedly adult-comedy bent, Carlin never lost his childlike sense of mischief, even voicing kid-friendly projects like episodes of the TV show Thomas the Tank Engine and Friends and the spacey Volkswagen bus Fillmore in the 2006 Pixar hit Cars.

Carlin's first wife, Brenda, died in 1997. He is survived by wife Sally Wade; daughter Kelly Carlin McCall; son-in-law Bob McCall; brother Patrick Carlin; and sister-in-law Marlene Carlin.

___

Associated Press writer Christopher Weber contributed to this report.

Copyright 2008 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Auditions for "Sweeney Todd" Start Monday

ACTC Theater sent along this comment, which I'll post here for all to see. Needless to say, Sweeney Todd is a terrific show - I can't wait to see it!

ACTC THEATER Auditions

Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street

Monday and Tuesday June 23 & 24 at 7:00pm in the JB Sowards Theater at College Drive

Performance dates will be July 25-26, August 1-3

The Tonys Take a Toll

Now that the Tony Awards have been handed out, you can expect some of the shows that didn't take home awards to close up shop (and that doesn't include the shows that had already announced their closing dates, such as Rent).

For example, today was the final performance for Cry-Baby. The musical opened on Broadway on April 24. (So much for my "Best Musical" prediction.)

The latest show to throw in the towel is A Catered Affair, which will close on July 27 after 116 regular performances on Broadway.

But the good news is, this means more new shows are on the way, including the recently-announced revival of Pal Joey and Samson Raphaelson's 1934 comedy Accent on Youth, to name just two.

It's the circle of life on Broadway!

Coming Up - the New Works Festival

Last year's event was a great success and lots of fun, so it's time for this year's edition of the New Works Festival. Here's the info:

Marshall University’s second annual Robert Hinchman New Works Festival will be presented by Marshall University Theatre and the Marshall University College of Fine Arts. The three-night festival will present both staged and unstaged readings of six new plays over three consecutive evenings, June 26-28, 2008. All readings will begin at 8:00 p.m. in the Francis Booth Experimental Theatre of the Joan C. Edwards Playhouse. Each evening’s readings will be followed by a discussion/question and answer session with the playwright, director and cast. Participation is both welcome and encouraged.

The schedule of events is as follows:

On Thursday, June 26, 2008, four new one-act plays will be presented:
Lunch At the Fork n’ Finger by published playwright and Marshall University Theatre alumni Jonathan Joy. It's a one-act comedy about a man who returns to his boyhood home to find that his single mother has fallen in love with his old high school gym coach.

Things Get Done by Louisville, Ky., native Paul Deines. Brooklyn is burning. In the city, three men share drinks, make Molotov cocktails, and await the approaching mob. As the riot draws nearer, they wrestle with the ghosts of their pasts, and the collective past of a country born out of revolution.

Knight-Owl by well-known Huntington personality Clint McElroy. When he stumbles upon the long-lost secret headquarters of Knight-Owl, a costumed crime-fighter from the 1940s, con-man Del Copperthwaite sees a money-making opportunity. Anticipating millions of dollars in endorsements, licensing deals and action figures, Del takes on the super-hero mantle of Knight-Owl, hampered only by his complete lack of talent, experience, morals or honesty. What he does have is a quick wit, an even quicker tongue, and that strong sense of self-preservation that no scoundrel should be without.

Stealing Romance by T. Michael Murdock. Murdock is a Marshall University alumni and a professional actor/director. This is a short play about finding love in the most unexpected of places. On a dark, rainy night, a man robbing a video store reunites with the woman he has loved since grade school, and is immediately locked in the store with her. Throughout the next few hours, he encounters feelings he thought were gone forever, the woman's jealous ex-boyfriend, and must face down not only his fear of lightning, but also of heartbreak.


On Friday, June 27, a new full-length comedy will be premiered: A Sheep Among Wolves by Jonathan Joy. He is the author of 16 plays and has won regional and national awards for his writing. His work has been produced Off-Broadway in New York City and on stages in seven states. A Sheep Among Wolves is a full length comedy. Reverend Donald Daniels attempts to reconcile his brother's fourth broken marriage and save the soul of a young prostitute while his congregation revolts against him. Those familiar with Joy's The Princess of Rome, Ohio will enjoy the further adventures of Dicky Daniels.

On Saturday, June 30 a new full-length comedy closes out the festival: The Three Temptations of Jennifer Pierce, written by Lee Shackleford. He is a writer for stage, screen and radio with over 100 produced scripts to his credit. He is perhaps best-known for his script Holmes & Watson, which enjoyed a successful run off-Broadway with Shackleford in the role of Sherlock Holmes. His adaptation of the classic Czech play R.U.R. has been widely praised and is gaining acceptance as the definitive English version. The Three Temptations of Jennifer Pierce is the story of smart-alecky loner Jennifer Pierce, who makes a wager with her annoyingly square housemate Cindy - a challenge that Jennifer takes only to escape paying several months of rent she already owes to Cindy. The bet involves the atheist Jennifer sequestering herself in her apartment and waiting for God's "still small voice" to make itself heard. But instead of being alone for three days, Jennifer finds herself the focus of nationwide media attention when she apparently starts to undergo the exact temptations presented to Jesus during his forty days in the wilderness. The result is a clash between evidence and faith, prejudice and acceptance, and pride and humility.

Tickets are now on sale. For further information or to purchase tickets, visit the Marshall University Theatre box office in the Joan C. Edwards Performing Arts Center or call 304-696-ARTS (2787). Box Office hours are Monday – Friday 1:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. Tickets are priced at $8 per evening or a full festival pass (all three nights) for $20.

Catching Up With Nick

We like to shine the ol' Tri-State Theatre blog spotlight on our local talent from time to time, and today we're catching up with Nick Reynolds, a talented actor who grew up in community theatre shows and has just graduated from Marshall University, having starred in numerous plays and musicals over the past few years.

I ran into his mom recently, and the lovely and talented Linda told me he had some big plans in the works, so I asked him to let us know what was going on. Here's what he had to say:

Hey Chuck, just letting you know about the Penn State program. I'm starting in mid-August on the main campus in State College. It's seven other first-year students and myself.

I got accepted after the audition I did for URTA's in New York back in January. URTA is a group of about 30 of the top graduate programs in the country. They hold an audition once a year in New York, Chicago and Los Angeles.

The program is a two-year, year-round MFA program. During our first summer, we spend five weeks in London studying at the Royal Shakespeare Academy, and in the second summer, we go to Toronto for several weeks of film and television acting.

At the end our our two years, we get a LORT tour that includes about 13 theatres (including the Goodspeed!!!) and then, the graduating MFA's along with the graduating musical theatre undergrads get a New York showcase, which Penn State now does without any other schools.

I've bragged enough, but I knew you would appreciate it. I want to thank you again for decades of support and the great reviews.

Hey, it ain't bragging if it's the truth - and it is! I've known Nick a long time - about 10 years ago he was a reporter on WOWK-TV's Kidsmag program, which I produced - and what a pleasure it's been to see him grow as a performer, singer and actor. He's a talented guy and it's great to see him getting this fantastic opportunity! You earned it - now go break a leg, dude!

(I mean, the Royal Shakespeare Academy? That's awesome!)

On Stage This Weekend - "Forum," "Angels" and "Little Red"

You have a few shows to choose from this weekend, theatre fans:

- A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum is presented by ARTS. Shows start at 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday, June 20 and 21 and Sunday, June 22 at 2 p.m. at the Renaissance Center at 900 8th Street in Huntington. You can also have a meal with your show - dinner begins at 6:30 p.m. Friday-Saturday and brunch at 12:30 p.m. Sunday. Dinner and brunch reservations are limited, call 304-733-2787. Tickets are $15 show; $15 dinner; $12 brunch.

- There are two different shows running this weekend as Jenny Wiley Theatre presents Honky Tonk Angels at the Wilkinson-Stumbo Convention Center June 20 and 21; and then it offers Little Red: Life in the Hood on the Amphitheatre Main Stage on June 22.

Miss 'em not!

The Search for Elle - Part 3

I finally got to watch the third episode in the reality TV show Legally Blonde: The Musical: The Search for Elle Woods, and it continues to dance on the fine line between being a really interesting look at the brutal Broadway auditioning process and just being another annoying reality show.

This episode kicks off with the nine actors left in the competition being sent to a gym, where they have to work out and sing at the same time (the photo above shows them in the gym, and is courtesy MTV). It's a good test for them, since being on stage is about the same as running a marathon - you have to sing, dance, move and even jump rope in this show, so the performers have to be in top shape. I really enjoyed seeing one of them talking about how tough it was because she just gave up smoking. It's a good lesson for all those young people out there who think smoking's no big deal and they can quit any time. Take the hint: quit now! (That concludes the lecture part of our program.)

At any rate, the next big challenge is a two-part audition - they must play the part of Elle in a scene (singing and reciting lines), and then they switch places and perform as the backup singers. Of course, several are heard to complain about doing the backup roles, though of course there are thousands of actors who would give anything to play a supporting role in a Broadway show. But I digress.

The clips we see of their auditions are interesting, as each actor brings her own spin to the role. I also enjoy hearing the comments of the judges, as they analyze each performance. Sometimes it's easy to explain why an audition works (or doesn't work), and sometimes it's almost indefinable - almost a gut instinct.

At the end, one actor was eliminated, and eight move on to the next round. What I don't like about the show is the attempt to generate conflict by egging the actors into blaming each other for mistakes, or focusing on an emotional response after a dressing-down from the judges - "Why are they so mean?" (Or words to that effect.) Please.

I also don't care for the personality conflicts in the apartment - like you could pile nine young people into a room and not have some of them annoying the others. That's the secret of The Real World's success, people!

Still, the show is getting more interesting as we get to know the competitors, and I even enjoy the comments from Haylie Duff, who rightly points out that trying out for the theatre is very difficult, you have to put yourself on the line, do your best and you have to deal with lots of rejection - good lessons.

At any rate, I'll continue to stick around - looks like I'm in this one to the bitter (or happy) end.

This Week On Stage: "A Funny Thing..."

Coming up this week, ARTS presents the very funny show, titled (appropriately enough) A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum.

You can read more about it in this story in today's Herald-Dispatch, and you can also see pictures from rehearsals for the show in this photo gallery (and that's where the photo above came from - all courtesy my pal Stephen Vance).

Shows start at 8 p.m. Friday-Saturday, June 20-21 and June 27-28, with Sunday shows at 2 p.m. June 22 and 29, at the Renaissance Center, 900 8th St. Huntington.

You can also have a meal with your show - dinner begins at 6:30 p.m. Friday-Saturday and brunch at 12:30 p.m. Sunday. Dinner and brunch reservations are limited, call 304-733-2787. Tickets are $15 show; $15 dinner; $12 brunch.

ARTS has quite a few events lined up for the summer, but I'll save that for a future entry. For now, make plans to see this funny, funny show (and it has lots of great songs, too, by the way) - you'll be glad you did!

#700! (Well, #701!)

In the flurry of live-blogging posts last night I missed the latest milestone - post #700! (This is actually post #701, for those of you keeping score at home.)

I just wanted to pause and say, "Thanks for reading!" There are a lot of you out there checking in and I appreciate it!

As always, if you have information about an upcoming play or musical, a comment about an ongoing show, or just something you feel like sharing, send a note via the comment link at the bottom (you don't have to sign your name if you'd rather be anonymous), or send an email to TheMinskers@aol.com.

Thanks!