Well, over the last few weeks, you have been responding to our very first totally pointless online poll!  YAY!  Much fun.  So, I thought I would let you in on the results. 

It turns out… we know a lot of fairies. 

And… I invite you to check out our new poll over in the right-hand side of the blog.  This one is in honor of our upcoming production of Man of Destiny by George Bernard Shaw featuring Traysie Amick, Ryan Bradburn, Rhydwyn Davies and Brock Koonce.  

Well, last night we closed The Taming of the Shrew.  We closed to a full house (we had to add chairs, no less), the show got better and better every night, the energy of this fantastically talented cast is something we’re going to miss sooooooo much!  And I’ll tell you what else we’re going to miss very very much…

Nick Simon.  Yup. The third of our little Warehouse Journeyman birdies to fly away.  This one’s flying off to attend culinary school in New York.  YUM!  So here’s a little blog love for Nick Simon.  Come back to us some day!  And then make us dinner!

Today, we struck the set, pulled everything down, put everything away, painted over everything… it’s just blank and white and clean and ready for the next shows.  It’s always sad and it’s always exciting.  But soon, we’ll be posting videos of our Suddenly Lear improv, photos of Shrew, possibly some videos of Shrew, and possibly some preview photos and videos for The Bear and Man of Destiny.  Man!  We’ve got a few things going on, eh?  So join us as we bid a fond farewell to a fantastic show and a fantastic friend… and welcome in the new shows with us!  July 24th isn’t that far away!  Trust us!

Not to be outdone by the lady Tromsni, Jayce offered this jewel… "If the britches don’t fit, we will just shoot you from the waist up"

  As many of you know,I used to be married to a puppeteer, and I spent much of my twenties cavorting with mimes, magicians, clowns, Deadheads….

So today, I am sad to write that one of the great contributors to American puppetry has passed away. Kermit Love, who created the Big Bird costume as well as Mr. Snuffleupagus, died at the age of 91. http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/24/arts/24love.html 

The character lives on through the work of the pupeteer, Carroll Spinney, who has spent much of his life inside Love’s creation — on platforms and veering and steering down Sesame Street through the aid of a monitor inside the bird’s chest.

Love also created the Snuggle fabric softener bear, and worked with many world renowned choreographers. He is survived by Christopher Lyall, his partner of 50 years, and the memories of the millions of children who have grown up with Big Bird.

Thanks, Mr. Love! (sigh)

Well, here’s another one from the stalwart director of The Bear.  You just can’t wait to see this show, can you!?

"The commies are taking over baseball."

Well, since we began our rehearsals for The Bear and Man of Destiny last night, it’s only fair that we induct our new director - Anne Kelly Tromsness - into Director’s Corner.  Sure, she has dangled her toes in the out-of-context waters as Bit Consultant… but now it’s official.  She and Jayce will be duelling here on the blog over the next month.

"And you were upset about ‘unit.’"

Well… former critic-at-large for The Beat and current blogger-at-large for Horizon Records, George Kanzler, came to Taming of the Shrew last weekend.  And he had this to say about it:

The Taming of the Shrew By William Shakespeare
Presented by the Distracted Globe Theatre Company
Thurs, Fri, Sat - June 26, 27, 28 at 8 p.m.
Warehouse Theatre, 37 Augusta St., Greenville
Review by George Kanzler

Forget about the supposed “sexist, anti-feminist” speech of fealty to a husband by the title character that climaxes this play. By the time it comes, and in the way it is delivered, it reflects and enhances the spirit of farcical comedy that we’ve been seeing for over two hours. Director Jayce Tromsness realizes “The Taming of the Shrew” is one of Shakespeare’s most outrightly and hilariously funny plays, and his production milks it for laughs. He also hedges his bets on the “anti-feminist” issue by using the rarely performed prolugue and epilogue of the play, a framing device that makes it a play within a play about a drunkard deceived into believing he’s a nobleman seeing a play, and so enthralled by the play he jumps in to play the hero. (Cole Porter ran with the same concept of play within a play with “Kiss Me Kate,” his musical about a company doing “Shrew.”)

Using a large cast that seems to include students as well as “associate artists” from the Distracted Globe Theatre Company, Tromsness mounts a 3-ring circus presentation replete with pantomime clowns doing commedia dell’arte style entr’acte interludes. And he fully illuminates the secondary and subplots, filling them with rich comic details, like the false Vincentio constantly checking his lines and character’s names on a crib sheet. The play is a farce and it’s played that way - over-the-top - which keeps the laughs rolling along. Lauren Dykes as Baptista’s younger daughter, Bianca, vamps it up as a spoiled vixen who is not as innocent as her father would believe. Rhydwyn Davies has a ball with Tranio, the comic servant posing as his master Lucentio, one of Bianca’s suitors. And Andy Croston is a study in heroic consternation as Grumio, Petruchio’s poor, put-upon servant.

But as much as the subplots and supporting cast bubbles and sizzles, this could not be a really good “Shrew” without a memorable, and sparklingly compatible, Katherine and Petruchio. And in Jennifer Goff and Jason M. Shipman, this production brings us an unforgettable couple with real stage chemistry. With good direction, it’s fairly easy for this battling pair to hilariously erupt in their epic encounters, beginning with the opening meeting/courtship that plays here like a version of Extreme Fighting blended with Three Stooges. What’s harder is to portray the sexual frisson that also erupts between the two. But Goff and Shipman make it palpable whenever they respond to the line Porter took for his musical, “Kiss me Kate.” Here are two passionate, headstrong characters who are, amazingly, attracted to and right for each other. So when Goff delivers Kate’s mea culpa speech, it’s not so much “anti-feminist” as pro-love, as well as a clever affirmation of her superiority to the other women, whom she’s just beaten in a wager accruing to Petruchio’s benefit.

So come see our play!  Thursday, Friday and Saturday! 

So, you’re probably aware that we opened Taming of the Shrew last weekend… and it closes next weekend.  And you might expect that, any normal sort of people might take a break after an undertaking such as that. 

But we are no normal sort of people.

Tonight, we have our first read-through for Man of Destiny and The Bear - which play July 24-August 2.  That’s right!  Tonight the directing Tromsni will convene their casts for the beginning of another whirlwind rehearsal process.  So now we’ll begin detailing our exciting exploits with Shaw and Chekhov here… funny fellas!  Just wait to let the madness settle in!

Enjoy!  You know we will! 

You know what I know all of you were wondering about?  What all of you were standing in your yards, yelling to the skies, "Please, science, help us to answer this conundrum!!!" about?

No… it’s not the insane cost of gas.  No… it’s not curing a deadly disease.

April 16, 1178 BC… there was an eclipse.

And that might have been the day that Odysseus finally returned home from the Trojan War.

Woohoo. In the article, they even admit that no one will probably care about this, but that it’s a kind of interesting anyway.

Everyone else feel better?  I know I do. 

The last month has had some pretty sad happenings for the comedy community, and I think we would be remiss if we don’t mention them…

You may remember that May 29, Harvey Korman passed away.  Well, yesterday George Carlin passed on as well.  I just think - as a group focused on comedy, we need to take a moment to tip our collective hat to some pretty revolutionary and talented guys who have provided so much inspiration and paved the road in so many ways.

"Funny is when you’re serious." - Harvey Korman

"It takes a certain type of person to be a television star. I didn’t have whatever that is. I come across as kind of snobbish and maybe a little too bright. … Give me something bizarre to play or put me in a dress and I’m fine." - Harvey Korman

"The very existence of flame-throwers proves that some time, somewhere, someone said to themselves, You know, I want to set those people over there on fire, but I’m just not close enough to get the job done."  - George Carlin

"I think people should be allowed to do anything they want. We haven’t tried that for a while. Maybe this time it’ll work." - George Carlin