The Tales Of Mikey Wiseman

So here in Elgin/Chicago, it has been nice. Good weather and such. I didn't take any pics of the hotel room - it looks exactly like the one I was in at Minneapolis! The theatre is nice, the folks there are great by far! I will be taking some pics of the area outside as well as a few inside. If I can only remember that damn camera tomorrow!

I went to a place called Mad Maggie's today. Not so 'Mad'. The whole time I was there with Lucas, the sound guy, they were playing the acoustical version of every rock song you know. Kinda weird hearing U2 and others played acoustical. It gave the whole place a mellow kinda low-key place. Nothing 'mad' about it!

Anyways, I will say the nachos are definitely worth writing home about! You know how when you order nachos and get the beef on them, it's usually the spicy ground beef crumbles? NOT SO here. Seriously it was tender cut steak pieces! Medium-well at that! What a culinary treat! And the amount of jalapenos and cheese? A tastebud extravaganza. Who'd a thunk the world's best tex-mex nachos are in a small suburb of Chicago at a place called Mad Maggies? I finished them off, though I'm regretting it now. SOO FULL!

The first pic is a center stage shot looking right out into the HUGE house. The next couple are pics of a look left and right. The fourth shot is the wonderfully accented golden archway above the proscenium. And if you look close you can see the 'nosebleed' seats! Following that is a pic of the stage floor - immaculate! Such a rich red hue and it is extremely smooth for a hardwood stage floor - gotta say I'm impressed! Anyways, the next shot is just a backstage shot so you can see the vastness of the space. And that final shot is the old stairway that leads up to the old light board. I forgot to get a pic of it, but seriously, talk about franken-board! Instead of buttons, sliders, and all the things you are used to, yeah you had to switch off the main switch (it looked like it weighed 200 lbs!), then you pulled out the fuses to lights you didn't want, then inserted the ones you did want, then you hammered the main switch back on. Talk about a work out!!!!! Damn I wish I got a pic of that lightboard!. Oh well.

Here's pics of my hotel. The hotel used to be a bank here in Columbus. They renovated for sure, but they left a lot of the old vaults and vault doors and such. It really is cool. Now the whole 'to excess' idea can be seen with all the architecture. I mean, it's a bank, for cryin' out loud! A million mile high ceilings, marble-marble everywhere and not an inch was spared! The old mail chute system is still functional and utilized by the hotel.

The nuveau style the rooms are in is quite cool. Do you see the car above the chez lounge? Just all kinds of art and decor around the room! Not to mention....a window in the closet? HAHAHAH!

Here are some pictures of the space where we are rehearsing Church Basement Ladies. (Ironically, we rehearse in a basement.)

Minneapolis is turning out to be like NYC pretty much. Grass and hay wraps are the menu of choice. Water is 5 bucks a bottle. (Yeah, from the spigot ain't bad these days, and it's free). Walked into the grocery store today, and was shocked that I had to walk all the way to the back to get to the dollar, super-fattening, unhealthy, frozen pizzas! Everything else was organic, healthy, vegan, and no less than 6 bucks for a frozen entree smaller than a Healthy Choice snack. Oh well! Ended up with a Margherita pizza (ok, ok, I do kinda like those a bit), as well a coupla pizzas that'll do. Ok, so again I fell into the healthy line, I got a nice supply of V-8 spicy as well.

Ah crap, I'm rambling.

So, yeah, something weighing on my mind that needs to be spoken. Listen up, all you readers who live for theatre!

So having watched quite a few shows, been a part of many of them as well, I have come to a conclusion. It seems there are sooo many who think they are great actors due to how many laughs they get. What? Did I just come out and say it? Yeah. I did.

It seems that more and more as I work, I see way to many actors and actresses who are hell-bent on getting a laugh, and they feel accomplished the more laughs they get. The result? Scene stealing, over-acting, non-realism, beyond caricature, basically, utter ridiculousness. I mean really peeps, is that what we want to see and pay for in these economic times?

Now, I must say before I go too far, yes this activity has its place. DUMB AND DUMBER, GREATER TUNA, CLUE to name a few. But you know what? Even in these movies and plays, there is still an element of honesty to all the characters involved. So with that in mind...

I speak of people who play for the comedy, not the character. I give you this thought: Which is more funny? Someone is walking along a road, accidentally trips, falls into an orange cart and all the oranges fall upon them? Or someone who PURPOSELY trips, makes it an event on the fall, tips over the orange cart, and then practically jumps up afterwards and says 'TA-DAAA!' Food for thought.

Yes that is a bit extreme as an example, but it proves my point. When we go see a show, unless it is labeled as a farce or simply a good time, we expect a little bit of reality. Wait, I think HUMANITY is a better word. To me, 'incidents' are sooo much funnier when I can identify with the character being portrayed, rather than a character who just comes in, does a stunt, or something outrageous a few times. I mean, for crying out loud, even the circuses of the world are giving their clowns a character story line for their acts of bravado and comedy these days!

Dang, I use a lot of commas. Anyways...

The point being: Fellow actors and actresses of the world, sure, you can get laughs by doing outrageous things, you can steal a scene by doing little things, yeah, you can even get some minor applause for some of the crap (let's face it, it truly is crap) you decide to pull, but when it comes down to it, what does an audience really remember? 'Oh my it was so funny when this small moment happened', point being, do they remember your name? Do they remember specifically what happened? NO. They remember honesty, they remember characters who grow throughout a show. They remember performances that move them, not just make them laugh.

Wanna make a bet? Check out the reviews of local theatre shows. And then go see them. More often than not, the peeps that get a nod or mention are the characters who have DEVELOPMENT and audiences can actually feel for. Wait...what? Oh that might be that honesty thing I was talking about!

Sure you can create all kinds of laughs by doing crazy things, but is it truly what your character would do? Is it REALLY in the vein of forwarding the show? So you get bored having done the show a few times and want to create more excitement....well...in doing so, you violate the author's intent, you violate the scene itself, and you violate your fellow onstage actors' right to perform the scene. EVIL! When do you begin to realize a show is not just about you, but everyone as a whole? I don't care what your experience or name is! A show is a show. 'Props' should go to everyone in the cast and crew and production, NOT just YOU.

Let us all remember that theatre is for everyone, not just for one!

In other words, evil-doers, they remember not a circus act, or a side show comedy routine. No, they remember, through time, how they felt and identified with certain characters, which lasts much longer than a laugh.

So, to conclude this rant, I say this to all fellow actors and actresses: Play the honesty and the intention - the laughs you get will be far more memorable and worthwhile. To be remembered right after the show is fun, but to be remembered years later is even better.

I say this being a character actor who does not oft get the lead for a show, and yes, should I play it that way, could steal a scene, or a show (depending on direction of course). I am never bitter, just simply saddened by the antics of others in what I call 'the ruination' of a show. I say this as someone who observes this ridiculo-sity (add it to your dictionaries folks), that goes on and sees people getting robbed of the respect they truly deserve.