Making The Felties a Reality

What's it going to take?

I set up a MySpace page for "The Felties" two years ago. And by "page" I mean "log-in". I hadn't even checked the e-mail account associated with The Felties in months. I logged in last week, and discovered my MySpace page was in danger of deletion. Oops.

I passed the third anniversary of this blog a couple of months ago (woo hoo!) and it has finally dawned on me that "The Felties" has been percolating for -- oh, about five years. It's no "Chinese Democracy" but even by my standards, that's pretty bad procrastination.

I haven't done anything on this project since December of last year, when I spent half of a day thinking up "blue" material. That didn't go too well.

I feel a bit trapped by "The Felties." As I wrote to a colleague in an e-mail from January of this year:

I've taken a huge time-out from The Felties. It got to the point where nothing I can do on the project will satisfy what I 'want' to do. I don't want it to look as crappy as Disembodied Animal Head Theatre, for example. I was working on a related project with a producer friend (I did some puppetry on a children's pilot he put together) using two of the Felties characters, but I have such a clear cut idea of what The Felties are, I'm just too unwilling to let someone else monkey with the characters. Maybe I'm being a bit obsessive. So I'm stepping back and giving it some air.

I really want to do something (anything?) with "The Felties." At the same time, I don't want to do something that sucks. The problem is that the idea is fully realized in my imagination, and there is literally no way I can duplicate it in reality. Not with my limited resources.

I'm a theatre guy, so I know all about "making do" and "keeping the show on the road." But this is different somehow. I just can't seem to wrap my head around it; making the compromises I'd have to make in order to get something done. (I toyed with the idea of putting the entire property -- puppets, designs, scripts, logos, websites, etc. -- on eBay. I'd undoubtably reneg on the auction.)

I think I'm going to just have to do something. Resign myself to the fact that it's not going to live up to my wildest expectations, and instead let it live. The first webisode will be crappy, but it will be.

Evolution is a part of life, and I should take my own advice more often. A quote I frequently reference from the song "The Sojourn of Arjuna" by the inimitable Future Man comes to mind:

A man must go forth from where he stands. He cannot jump to the absolute, he must evolve toward it.

Plenty of artists I respect have been down this path before me:





You make do, and improve as you go.

Let's hope I don't let another year pass before I do something with "The Felties." It's time to buck up and take that first step.

DON'T DO BUSINESS WITH THE SCREENING EXCHANGE

I've tried to do this properly, but they keep calling me. I've asked off their call list NINE times, twice via e-mail. I've received three calls from them in the past twenty-four hours to attend a screening of Paul Rudd's new movie "I Love You, Man." The reservation line for that screening is 888 886-2864. Supposedly, that's the number you call to opt out of their service. At least that's what the pre-recorded voice tells me. These are robocalls, and nothing is more annoying than robocalls.

The calls come from (801) 741-5500, a number that is disconnected if you try to call it. They also have a website, www.thescreeningexchange.com, but the only e-mail they offer is support@thescreeningexchange.com. This is their catch-all e-mail address, so who knows if they ever get around to reading the mountain of e-mails they must get.

Plain and simple: I've asked off of their phone list many, many times. They have failed to comply with my requests. They do bad business. It's a bad sign when a company fails to provide on their website seperate e-mail addresses for different issues or a toll-free number to call.

Avoid them.

Okay, Fine. I Do Know How to Build Puppets.

It has occurred on more than one occasion: Someone has asked me if I could build a puppet for them, and how much I would charge for such a thing. My usual response is to give them Russ Walko's e-mail address. Russ is crazy talented; I've seen him create puppet art out of garbage. I've also had the pleasure of working with puppets he's built. He does top-notch work. I've had my hand up the backside of Henson Creature Shop built puppets, so I know from top-notch work.

In the past year I've built a couple of puppets for performance:

The infamous "sperm puppets" for Red Snapper's "Every Sperm is Sacred" number.

Spike, Theatre Unleashed's mascot. Last year I brought an old friend back to life:

Pepper, based on the Glorified Sock Puppet pattern from Project Puppet.

Project Puppet has helped me get over my bad self and gain confidence as a puppet builder. I know how to sew. Like many puppet nerds, I spent many an evening in high school hand stitiching an attempt at a Kermit replica. However, there is a gaping void between knowledge and confidence that can only be bridged by practice.

Which leads me to my latest puppet project, the crocodile:

The eye and nose ridges are temporary. After I finish building the head, I'll cover it with fabric and attach fabric covered ridges. I tacked these temporary jobs on to give a sense of what he's going to look like when finished.

One thing I've learned is that puppets can be deceptively small. Kermit's head is just enough fabric to cover a grown hippy's hand. Knowing that, compare the size of Kermit to the other Muppets. Not very large! The first foam-head puppet I built, a "big bad wolf" back in college was HUGE! I know that the torso of this croc can't be longer than my arm, which has dictated the size of the head.

I started with the mouthplate on this guy. Covered it in black felt and then added the foam for his snout and head. The crown of his head is the same "foam wedge" approach that I learned from Andrew Young's Tumbles P. Bear Project.

I'm not a bad draftsman. Even at my most disparaging of my puppet building skills, I've arrogantly trumpeted my ability to put pen to paper and design puppets.

(Above is "Skip," an unrealized design for a crappy children's show idea I once had.) So here's a secret that I gleaned from the great St. James Henson: It's all about the silhouette. The way we humans are built, we have an innate ability to rapidly identify silhouettes. If the overall shape is right, you can fudge the details. This is how we know Mickey is a mouse and Kermit is a frog, even though they really bear little resemblance to their namesakes.

The croc puppet is all about silhouette. I'm building it pretty much on the fly, without drafting it before hand, but I have plenty of visual references to work from. (Google image search is a gift from the gods.) I'm very pleased with how this latest puppet is turning out, and felt that it was time to admit what a few people have been telling me for the past year: I do know how to build puppets.

Life After the Play

I've had a much harder time "getting back to reality" after the close of Pin-Up Girls than I have after any other play in which I have been involved. The four day holiday weekend did not help. There was a certain quality to the comraderie that developed backstage, a quality that I exposed myself to as often as possible. I even slipped backstage during intermission each night to hang out with the cast. It was pleasurable, and addictive. Naturally, being deprived of it has led to some withdrawal pains.

Being the kind of man I am, it is moments like these that lead me to quoting Kermit the Frog:

Yeah, well, I've got a dream too, but it's about singing and dancing and making people happy. That's the kind of dream that gets better the more people you share it with. And... well, I've found a whole bunch of friends who have the same dream. And that makes us like a family.

Truer words have never been spoken by a frog.

Theatre has an ephemeral property, and theatre folk are constantly on the move, transitioning from project to project. This is equally true of all the performing arts, but unlike movies and television, we don't have a DVD copy at the end of the day. I believe this is a good thing. There is nothing more exciting and bracing than uncertainty. Yes, uncertainty can be quite worrisome, as in waiting for the results of a blood test or an election. But there is that incredible rush one gets when boldly facing the unknown and stepping forward into the inky blackness.

I would like to call this attitude "owning the future" and here do state that it is a quality germain to the artist, entrepreneur and explorer. (All three of these are essentially the same person, by the way.) "Owning the future" sounds better than "chasing the next fix" at any rate.

Theatre Unleashed, part of my Los Angeles family, continues to own the future. The great thing about being strong in numbers (and we have grown to just over forty members in less than a year) is our capacity to hit the ground running with our next production. At the moment that next production is The Holidays Unleashed, a variety show similar to May's Theatre Unleashed Presents Theatre Unleashed Starring ... Theatre Unleashed!!! This shall be the perfect bookend to a perfect season. And so I leave you with the particulars of our final offering for 2008:

The Holidays Unleashed
Directed by Darci Dixon and Phillip Kelly
Produced by Theatre Unleashed

SYNOPSIS:
Done in the tradition of holiday variety shows of the 1950s and 60s, The Holidays Unleashed features a plethora of entertaining acts. Lead by two Rat Packish (in theory) emcees, the show features a few classic holiday song and dance numbers, a traditional caroling group called The Figgy Puddings, a disturbingly sexy burlesque piece, lots and lots of slapstick and a few skits involving everyone’s favorite20holiday celebrities. But the real fun begins when the show starts to…well…stray a little off course. The all-important holiday message, though, remains intact throughout.

DATES AND TIMES:
December 15
Monday, 8 p.m. (doors at 7 p.m.)
*Meet and greet with the actors after the shows.

LOCATION:
M Bar
1253 N. Vine St.
Hol lywood, CA 90038

TICKET PRICES:
General Admission: $10
*Plus $10 food and drink minimum.

INFORMATION & RESERVATIONS:
Reservations Strongly Suggested!!!
For reservations, call (323) 856-0036
For further information, please call: (818) 849-4039Or check out our website at: http://www.theatreunleashed.com/

Narcissistic Only Because I Look So Damn Good

One thing I'll miss for sure is this tux jacket. HOT!

I hosted The High Jinks Burlesque, a 1940s-style after show no Saturday nights. I brought the ukulele into the show the second weekend, performing a "chanson et ballet" with Mr. Buddy (comedy savant Phillip Kelly). I played and sang "Tonight You Belong to Me" as Mr. Buddy danced around. After the third verse, I threw it to Mr. Buddy who played a slide whistle and bicycle horn solo.

The third weekend, I began opening with "Blue Skies" with a "bilabial fricitation" solo halfway through.

The fourth weekend, I somehow managed to convince Mr. Buddy to sing "It's a Sin to Tell a Lie," which became quite a performance piece.

He and I will be hosting the Monday Night Tease on the 29th of December. Who knows what shenanigans we'll have worked out at the last minute!

Hmm. I need to buy a satin and velvet tux jacket.

Final Bow

Wow.

I haven't slowed down long enough to really let it sink in. As soon as the audience cleared, we began the strike (at around 9:30) and were out of there by 11:45. That's a phenomenally short strike. And easily the last 30 minutes or so were spent taking stuff out to the car. I had forgotten how much stuff Pamela and I brought into the space for this play.

Got home, unwound a bit, crashed. In the morning peeled myself out of bed and went to work. Rode my bicycle to work. Oh yeah -- I picked up a used bicycle last week. I'm working close to home now, and have the option. I haven't spent so much time on a bicycle since before I started shaving, so I'm super exhausted this morning.

There have been many moments over the course of this production when I took the time to mindfully observe my surroundings; to try and comprehend the chain of events and great fortune that brought me to the Avery Schreiber with a perfect cast, a fun script, and such wonderful houses night after night. I have a record of one such moment in my e-mail inbox, a text message I sent myself at 12:58 am this past Saturday morning. Into my second or third drink at the Red Lion Tavern in Silverlake, surrounded by my favorite people, I was moved to text myself: "i am full to bursting."

Every weekend of this show involved some sort of get-together. We didn't have a "wrap party" per se, but rather a series of celebrations, culminating in a pot luck dinner between the matinee and evening performance yesterday. (As a side note, may I say that the spread of yum yums was a near-perfect metaphor for my cast: Everything offered was desirable and delicious with nary a dud.) At the pot-luck I gave my usual "aw shucks, thanks a lot" speech. (For someone who enjoys the sound of his own voice so much, you'd think I'd be better at giving speeches.) The highlight was Jovial Kemp's heartfelt thank-you to cast and crew. I think he was full to bursting, too.

My cast played to an almost sold-out house for their last show. I believe we were technically sold-out, but we had a couple of no-shows. Irregardless, for a Sunday night the number we had was extraordinary. I had my weepy moments throughout the show. Strangely, the worst moment was not in the last show at all, but the Saturday night show. It hit me in the first few minutes that this was all going to end, resulting in an embarrassing display thankfully unseen by my actors (I was sitting on the front row).

The show ended, the audience congratulated and mingled with my actors. The strike began. An attempt was made to ruin what was otherwise a triumphant evening for myself, my cast, my crew and my company. She failed. 'Nuff said.

It is the nature of theatre that eventually, a show ends. Unlike literature, where the physical book lingers on, gathering dust and silverfish on a bookshelf; or film, where one can still pop in the DVD or stream it online long after the last residual checks have been written; there is precious little left over after the run of a play. And in this drawback I note a strength: A play never grows old, never grows dusty. It remains, a moment in time remembered. The faces, the sounds, the emotions we felt continue on, a part of us. It has a vibrancy that never fades.

Thirty, forty, fifty years from now, I'm going to be that guy backstage telling enraptured young actors all about the time I directed a play set backstage at a burlesque club in 1940s San Francisco. About how Bryan broke the set the first night, and the fleeting look on Jovial's face the one time his music didn't play. About the unearthly squeal Alana let out when Jovial poked her, and the scream of frustration Sylvia let out when her onstage partner "quit" the show. About silence in the house when Seth and Pamela ended their onstage relationship. The look of crushing defeat on Sarah's face every time Seth said "thank you." How Burnsy took a few lines about the death of her character's husband and made me cry almost every night. The applause after April stopped the show and topped Sophie Tucker. The nuances of Judith's work, how she always found something new to tweak and never failed to make me laugh. Jumping up and down on the sidelines as Foxy finally showed her pasties at the last after show.

This experience is forever a part of me. I am a far richer person for having it. And my cast and crew have my undying gratitude and devotion.

(Especially that "red-haired pain in my ass" for whom I wrote the show. I don't know if I've mentioned it, but I'm absolutely crazy for her.)

Right Where I Want to Be

As we enter the final weekend, I would like to take a moment and reflect on what we (meaning Theatre Unleashed, and my cast and crew) have accomplished.

Five months ago, I sat down in front of my laptop and cranked out a first draft. Two and a half months ago, we began rehearsals. A month ago, we opened. In less than half a year, an original work has grown from one guy sitting in front of a computer to an organism composed of dozens of people, each one contributing to telling the same story.

The amount of hard work, sacrifice, dedication and commitment that has gone into this thing has tremendous value, and it is an investment that has paid off in spades. Reviews in major publications, sold-out performances, offers of further work -- but most important, delighted audiences.

No production is without its drama. What is incredible to me is that this show has had only one source of "drama," and she has thankfully kept her nonsense on the margins. The rest have comported themselves with the utmost professionalism and esprit de corps. I would work with any one of them again, and look forward to it.

I hope it isn't too narcissistic of me to say this, but I am pleased to find myself doing what I want to do in life, and succeeding at it. I feel blessed. I feel enriched by the experience. The success of Pin-Up Girls has stoked up the fire in my belly, and I can't wait to do this all again!

"Playwright-director Andrew Moore's fondness for backstage high jinks is apparent, and he nails the language of those who inhabit a 1942 San Francisco burlesque-house dressing room."

Backstage West Review is Up!

It is fascinating to me what different things different critics pick on. It really opens up a window on the reviewer. By comparison, consistently given notes are most likely legitimate areas of concern. So far, there has been one consistent message in these reviews: The work needs a little pruning. This is not news to me. I watch the show every night.

This is a much better review than my last Backstage West review, so all in all I'm feeling pretty good. I have another good blurb from another major publication. The last time I saw my name in print in the theatre review of this "actor's weekly" I was excoriated, as was my cast.

I am a bit pissed that he blew the only "twist" in the script (see paragraph two, below), but it was inevitable that one of these critics would do so. Spoilers are too hard to resist.

Pin-Up Girls
November 13, 2008
Reviewed by Brad Schreiber

Playwright-director Andrew Moore's fondness for backstage high jinks is apparent, and he nails the language of those who inhabit a 1942 San Francisco burlesque-house dressing room. But the work suffers dizzying bumps and grinds when he tries to meld melodrama with goofy, no-holds-barred slapstick, tossing in a few poorly sung songs for not-so-good measure.

Dancer Helen (Pamela Moore) is not pining for Scotty (Seth Caskey), who before going off to war promised to make an honest woman of her. Fat chance. Helen has gone with so many guys, she needs to take penicillin; her best friend and fellow performer, Ruby (an impressive Sarah Cook), is the one who wants Scotty, when he returns from the front with a missing limb. The most pointed and effective humor comes from Helen, who readily has a tart riposte, as when she complains she was "raised by saints who wouldn't let me drink." And Pamela Moore has the most dimensional character and makes the most of it, with a touching ambivalence about giving up her freedom for a life of domesticity she clearly does not want.

Moore, the playwright-director, however, should have opted for less. The piece runs far too long for its cloistered setting, and his knockabout bits of humor are far too over-the-top. Brian Gaston as Bottles, an ultra-geeky and nearsighted stagehand secretly in love with a dancer, chews the scenery when he is not purposely bumping into it. Judith Goldstein plays Agnes, a butch, socially concerned moral crusader who demands impeccable behavior on the part of the dancers and looks as though she is about to spontaneously combust at any moment. Moore undercuts the touching moments between Helen and Ruby with these characters and their unbridled depictions.

Costume designer Christine Guilmette gets high marks for her varied and smartly designed period clothing, and Starlet Jacobs cleverly blends the chaos of a dressing room with symbolic imagery of the '40s on the set. Symbolic of Andrew Moore's search for a cohesive play within this work, he bypasses a natural bittersweet ending for more onstage chicanery.

Presented by Theatre Unleashed at the Avery Schreiber Theatre, 11050 Magnolia Blvd., North Hollywood. Oct. 24.-Nov. 23. Fri.-Sat., 8 p.m.; Sun., 7 p.m. (818) 849-4039 or http://www.theatreunleashed.com/.

I'll take it!

(He doesn't wonder that perhaps the high jinks on stage serve any useful dramatic purpose in opposition to the love story. Hmmm. Maybe he should come back and watch the show again.)

Here's the review in context.

I just want to say a few things about my cast. I have been fortune to work with incredible artists, malleable to my every creative whim, willing to try things and put themselves out there; to really take risks. It takes guts to commit fully to the whims of a madman (I'm the madman in this scenario.) I'm proud of my cast, and I wouldn't ask them to do anything differently. There may be a bit of scenary chewing and presentational flair in my play. It's a personal taste thing, really. I enjoy a bit "over-the-top" in my theatre-going. I stand firmly behind these decisions, and point to positive audience response in support of the efficacy of same.

I could also point to critical consternation in support of these decisions.

Kevin Smith Flips the MPAA the Bird

The new poster for Zack and Miri Make a Porno, the new movie by Kevin Smith:


Dude has had a helluva time getting this movie past the MPAA (Mom: That's the Motion Picture Association of America, the folks who rate movies). It was rated NC-17 the first couple of times he brought it to them. He had to cut some stuff out. Then they banned his first round of posters. Then they smacked his wrist for posting off-color internet trailers. And now he issues the above.

See that little bunny in the sunglasses? He may look familiar. Just to refresh your memory, take a look at the following image from a poster the MPAA used to have place at movie theaters throughout the country:


It's the NC-17 bunny. I do believe Kevin Smith just told the MPAA to go BLEEP themselves!

SOLD OUT!!!

The run of Pin-Up Girls is now officially half-over. Last night was our biggest night yet; we were oversold by two seats! We actually had to bring in folding chairs. The after show ("The High Jinks Burlesque") was nearly sold out. I think we had one or two empty seats.

So here's the deal: If you want to see this show, MAKE YOUR RESERVATIONS NOW! The last weeks of any show's run are always the busiest. You can buy tickets through Goldstar, Brown Paper Tickets, or just call our ticket hotline and reserve your seats to pay in cash on the day of the show.

We will not extend the run! The Avery Schreiber is booked up after our run ends. Sunday, the 23rd of November, we're pulling down the walls of the High Jinks and putting the costumes in storage. But today the play is alive, and we welcome you in to our house!

www.theatreunleashed.com is your source for ticket details, times, etc. Our ticket hotline is (818) 849-4039.

“The principles offer lovely performances.”
Steven Leigh Morris – LA Weekly, October 2008

“An intriguing tale of what love means to people and how they show it, Theatre Unleashed’s production of Pin-Up Girls features fine acting and production work.”
Mary Mallory – The Tolucan Times, October 2008

“Acting is uniformly excellent…”
Mary Mallory – The Tolucan Times, October 2008

"[A] poignant reflection on relationships pulled apart by time and circumstance ..."
Philip Brandes – The Los Angeles Times, November 2008

"Moore's nostalgic affection for the tough-talking gals of the 1940s is obvious. With so many men shipped off to fight overseas, the six well-delineated strippers of San Francisco's Hi Jinks club have no one but themselves to rely on."
Philip Brandes – The Los Angeles Times, November 2008

"... a poignant reflection on relationships pulled apart by time and circumstance ..."

LA TIMES REVIEW IS UP!

This is the second review I've received in the Los Angeles Times, and the second time I felt the reviewer got what I was doing. This is the fairest, most clear-headed review so far. It's not entirely congratulatory, nor should it be. The reviewer does an outstanding job of pointing out what actually needs work, rather than offering up a smug "I didn't like it" in purple prose.

He's right about the subplots. I was going for something more than a mere love triangle, and I do feel that I weave things together nicely in the end. But as I've mentioned before (on Mad Theatrics, if not here) I'm struggling to maintain a certain economy of writing, and it's a struggle that I haven't fully won. To be soberly honest, there are still cuts to be made, and they reside exclusively with the subplots.

I have learn much about this show, watching it every night since it opened. There is definitely another draft in me. But please forgive me for being elated about this review; as a writer, I have a blurb. A blurb! From the Times!

(The Times reviewer also caught the line of dialogue early in the play that firmly sets the location as San Francisco, a minor point that escaped the LA Weekly reviewer. I do so appreciate it when critics reviewing my work bother to listen to what the actors are saying.)

Romance on the home front

Amid the backstage antics of the World War II-era burlesque hall depicted in writer-director Andrew Moore's "Pin-Up Girls," there's a tight little tenderhearted romance percolating somewhere. But coaxing it from this new play's ambitious but often muddled initial outing at NoHo's Avery Schreiber Theatre will take some doing.

Moore's nostalgic affection for the tough-talking gals of the 1940s is obvious. With so many men shipped off to fight overseas, the six well-delineated strippers of San Francisco's Hi Jinks club have no one but themselves to rely on. As Helen, the most fiercely independent of the bunch, Pamela Moore parlays experience in both theater and burlesque choreography into a thoroughly convincing portrait of hardhearted survival. Having recently contracted a venereal disease, Helen finds her past innocence colliding with her jaded present when her onetime lover, a disabled vet named Scotty (Seth Caskey), unexpectedly returns from the war, bent on rekindling their romance.

Their awkward reunion is a poignant reflection on relationships pulled apart by time and circumstance, further complicated by the fact that Helen's roommate and fellow dancer, Ruby (Sarah Cook), has long carried a secret torch for Scotty.

These sympathetic lead performances notwithstanding, the triangle at the core of the piece is overrun by too many subplots involving the other eight characters, some of which lapse into caricature.

The antique prop-laden set by Starlet Jacobs and Christine Guilmette's eye-catching costumes add a period feel, though it clashes with occasional anachronistic dialogue that begs for careful scrubbing.

-- Philip Brandes "Pin-Up Girls," Avery Schreiber Theatre, 11050 Magnolia Blvd., North Hollywood. 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, 7 p.m. Sundays. Ends Nov. 23. $20. (818) 849-4039. Running time: 2 hours.

Click here to see the review on the LA Times website.

Stuff I See

I ride public transportation quite a bit. Los Angeles is a big city, and Pamela and I have only one car. It is inevitable that we are off in different directions on occasion. I try to make the most of if, and here's where my camera phone comes in handy.

Perhaps my favorite photographer of all time is a fellow nicknamed Weegee. He was a crime photographer initially, but become world famous as a "human interest" photographer. He would stroll around Los Angeles, and later New York, taking pictures of people just being human beings. They're beautiful pictures in their simplicity. Here's an example of what I'm talking about:


This is a backstage picture at a New York burlesque house, and part of my visual research for Pin-Up Girls. The title of the picture is "g-strings" and you can see a clothesline full of the barely-there undergarments at the top of the frame. It's not pretty or classically framed, but it's a very real picture. Even his more "staged" photographs feel like the sort of photographs one may take of a family member: "Hey Jim, put on this hat and make a stupid face" kind of pictures.

I'm no Weegee, but I am inspired by him:


It astonishes me how many people sleep on the bus. I'd be petrified of missing my stop!



This guy was a hoot. Whatever he was writing, he was having a good time doing it! He'd get real serious, write, and start laughing. In an age when we entertain ourselves with iPods and such, it's great to see a guy deriving so much joy from a steno pad and pen.


I will send random pix messages to Pamela, stuff I see, like this picture. I titled it "Evolution of a Haircut."


The downside of public transportation is the amount of walking sometimes involved. I had a meeting in Culver City this past week, and after took a short "stroll" up to Venice Boulevard to catch a bus home. (I thought Venice was much closer than it was.) On of the perks of public transportation is all that walking and waiting for buses to show up puts you squarely on the ground, taking it slow enough to take in your environment. When I hit Venice, I discovered this place, an oddball museum that I've been meaning to visit since I first learned of it a few years ago. It's the Museum of Jurassic Technology, which appears to have little to do with the Jurassic age or Technology.

The Tolucan Times Review

(l to r) Sylvia Anderson as "Lottie", Alana Dietze as "Wilma, and Pamela Moore as "Helen." Photo by Chris Cortez.

Another good review, this time from a paper much more local to North Hollywood, where the play is being produced (Toluca Lake is a bordering township.)

Mallory reviewed the play at face value, rather than projecting any preconceived notions or outside baggage onto it, and for that I am thankful. I would disagree with her point about "too many subplots." You can count the subplots on one hand, they all resolve, and the play is an hour and forty-five minutes long. For a play as fast-paced as "Pin-Up Girls" anything less would make the show seem simplistic. There's a wonderful weaving of these subplots into the main plot towards the end of Act II that makes any perceived chaos worth the trouble to keep up.

The misidentification of one of the romantic leads is a bit disappointing. Lauren Burns turns in a wonderfully layered and understated performance as Tillie; she really sucker-punches you with the reality of her character's story late in Act II. (I've been intimately involved in this project forever, and have seen the show more times than I care to recall right now. Sunday night, her final scene brought tears to my eyes.) But it is indeed Sarah Cook, as the pining pilot Ruby who "nurses a true love for Scotty."

"Pin-Up Girls" Takes Off On Love

by Mary Mallory

An intriguing tale of what love means to people and how they show it, Theatre Unleashed's production of "Pin-Up Girls" features fine acting and production work.

The play focuses on the daily struggles of the members of a burlesque troupe struggling through romance, sexual identity, and work issues. Helen (Pamela Moore), is in a relationship with Scotty (Seth Caskey) who is away overseas during World War II, realizes that she wants excitement and not steadiness in romantic relationships. Her troupe mate Tillie (Lauren Burns), contrary to Helen, nurses a true love for Scotty.

Writer/Director Andrew Moore keeps the action moving and realistically brings to life the irritations and closeness of any performing troupe, but it occasionally seems disjointed with too many subplots going on and one character that seems to have escaped from a Saturday Night Live skit.

Acting is uniformly excellent, with outstanding work by Moore, Caskey, and Burns. Moore goes full throttle as the hard charging yet emotional Helen. Caskey touchingly underplays the wounded vet Scotty, positive and steady through turmoil. Burns brings sweetness and vulnerability to the warmhearted, loving Tillie.

Starlet Jacobs' set design is a wonder to behold, a cluttered, busy dressing room. Christine Guilmette's gorgeous costumes and hair wonderfully capture the 1940s.
Bringing to life the dramatic and hilarious goings-on backstage to comment on how values impact the choices we make, "Pin-Up Girls" provides an entertaining look at the big changes brought on by World War II.

"Pin-Up Girls" plays Fridays through Saturdays at 8 PM and Sundays at 7 PM through November 23 at the Avery Schreiber Theatre in North Hollywood. Tickets are $20. Saturday's performances feature a bonus show "The High Jinks Burlesque" at 10:30 PM that costs $10. Both shows cost $25.

Looking Ahead ...

Our Artistic Director, Phillip Kelly anounced our mainstage season for 2009. Included in the exciting line-up is my play Sonny. This is a play I wrote a couple of years ago, concerning an animator, her voice-over artist boyfriend, and his parents. It deals with the lasting impact the people closest to us can have on our psyches, and by extension our behavior. Very nature vs. nurture stuff.

I am resisting the urge to direct Sonny. I'd like someone else to take the reigns, so I can sit back and concentrate on rewrites. (I learned a huge lesson with Pin-Up Girls: if I'm going to write and direct, I need someone to track my script changes for me. Putting together a final 'production draft' is going to be a nightmare. I have notes scribbled in different shades of ink on my script, notes scribbled on legal pads and scratch paper, and line changes I didn't bother noting at all.)

I hope to have a draft ready for reading soon. And I'm going to do something way different this time: I'm going to make the script widely available to anyone interested in reading it. For Pin-Up Girls, we didn't have a draft available for the actors to read before auditioning. Well, I'm not repeating that mistake with Sonny!

LA Weekly Review is up:

(l to r) Lauren Burns as "Tillie" and Sarah Cook as "Ruby." Photo by Chris Cortez.

The reviewer seems to have had a good time, but largely missed the point.

For instance, Helen's definition of idependance is not "the right to leave her guy dangling emotionally." Scotty places a demand on Helen, that she continue to be the girl who wrote to him, "Suddenly this big city seems so very daunting and sinister. I wish I could have you here to guide my way." She tries to accommodate this wish, to the detriment of her own freedom, and the whole thing blows up in her face.

It is only when Helen is honest and truthful with Scotty that the situation resolves for both of them. If there is any cruelty on Helen's part, it is self-inflicted. Freedom is not a "get out of jail free" card; there are consequences to calling your own tune. In the end, Helen, Ruby and Scotty make the personal sacrifices necessary to win their freedom.

I'm sure he didn't mean it as such, but I take "cutesy" and "sometimes romantic" as compliments. They say the same things about Capra and Hawks, and that's what I was going for. It's a helluva lot better than "heavy-handed" and "depressing" at any rate.

NEW REVIEW PIN-UP GIRLS Set designer Starlet Jacobs sets the stage with '40s memorabilia -- racks of vintage costumes adorn the playing area and a model of a USAF bomber hangs suspended from the proscenium arch. With waves of overlapping dialogue punctuated with sporadic moments of farce, playwright-director Andrew Moore varyingly hits his mark of hyper-realism in his depiction of burlesque performers in the midst of WWII. Though the locale isn't specified in the program, snippets of dialogue suggest a West Coast setting. While the burlesque act mostly remains off-stage, what we see are the backstage comings and goings of the proprietress (April Adams); the dancers (Sylvia Anderson, Lauren Burns, Sarah Cook, Alana Dietze, Pamela Moore and Lauren Mutascio); the pianist (Jovial Kemp), who taps on a non-functioning spinet to recorded piano sounds; and a cartoon of a self-appointed guardian of decency (Judith Goldstein), who's like a Salvation Army officer out of Guys & Dolls. Moore's story spins on the homecoming of wounded Marine, Scotty (Seth Caskey), to his unfaithful STD-infected heartthrob, Helen (Moore, in a robust and sassy performance). Helen defines her independence as the right to leave her guy dangling emotionally, while dancer Ruby (Cook, in a gentle portrayal brimming with hidden desires) eventually makes her move on her colleague's man, while accepting a post with the WASP corps. It's unclear how the two women catfighting over a guy is an examination of women's freedom, however demurely their fighting may be. That idea is best captured by Helen's insistence of being her own person while stringing along her wounded suitor: Is this cruelty part of a burgeoning women's movement, or a subtle condemnation of it? There's also a subplot of the puppy love between a semi-blind youth (Bryan Gaston) and a teen apprentice (Mustascio), who replaces Ruby when the older dancer enlists in the military. The principals offer lovely performances, but this new play is a sometimes cutesy, sometimes romantic construction. Its larger insight into who we are, and where we've come from, has yet to be chiseled. Avery Shreiber Theatre, 11050 Magnolia Blvd., N. Hlywd.; Fri.-Sat., 8 p.m.; Sun., 7 p.m.; thru Nov. 23. (818) 849-4039. A Theatre Unleashed production. (Steven Leigh Morris)

You can find the review in context here.

Pin-Up Girls
third prelude video!



video written and directed by Gregory Crafts

The play opens this Friday in North Hollywood. See our website for further information, or visit Brown Paper Tickets to purchase your tickets online!

bonus: behind the scenes photo of our set!

We completed our load in yesterday. The set design is by Starlet Jacobs. This is a tightly framed picture of one of the make-up counters backstage at the High Jinks Burlesque! If you look at the vanity mirror to the left, you'll see the "$17.00" price on the mirror. Needless to say, that will be scrubbed off before opening night.

Today our lighting designer, Johnny Ryman is overseeing the hang and focus. We'll have a full run of the play tonight at our rehearsal hall downtown, and into two dress rehearsals tomorrow night! It's crunch time, and I'm excited to see things coming together.

Stuff I See

The advent of the camera phone means that I can snap pictures whenever something interesting catches my eye, or to document an occurrence that I may want to share later. This is assuming I have bothered to charge the damn thing.


This is an oldie, but one I wanted to blog. When Pamela and I went to see John Mayer play in Irvine this year, we were pleased as punch to take in the barefoot bohemian himself, Brett Dennen. If you haven't heard his music, go to his MySpace page right now and check him out. Better yet, just buy his cd.

Above is an autographed copy of "So Much More", a cd we already own. I bought a second copy just to get his autograph. As I walked back to my seat, it occurred to me that the purpose of autographs is to cement a moment in time: I met Brett Dennen. Here is the proof. And suddenly I understand the magic that collection holds for autograph enthusiasts.


A couple of days ago, Pamela and I swung by the home of Chris Guilmet, the costume designer for Pin-Up Girls. I spotted this list on the floor, and thought it would make a fun "behind the scenes" photograph. I am fascinated by process, and the ways in which people set out to accomplish their goals.


Speaking of behind the scenes, here's a sneak look at Pamela's new burlesque number, that she's premiering tomorrow night. Can you guess what she may have in store? I bet my mom can. (Hi mom!)


Finally -- Sharpie has started making pens. This may very well be the ink pen that gets me cartooning again. We'll see!

Pin-Up Girls
second prelude video!



written by Jacob Smith and directed by Phillip Kelly

Here's the show information:

Visit our website for more information, or buy tickets online!

Pin-Up Girls
prelude video!



video written by Jacob Smith and directed by Pamela Moore.

There are a couple more of these coming. The idea behind doing our video promotion in this way is to extend the story beyond the confines of the theatrical, thus creating a truly multi-media experience for our audience. Also, I like the idea of other company members tackling the material in their own way (just wait until you see what wunderkind Sebastian Kadlecik has in store!)

Very kind words from Theatre Unleashed's Artistic Director, Phil Kelly:

"What makes this original production so thrilling is that it captures the
passion and character intricacy of screwball comedies from the likes of Capra
and Hawkes, while allowing themes to be dealt with in a timely way for a current
audience," said Artistic Director Phillip Kelly. "This story could be told in 20
years and still be relevant."

This is from the press release for Pin-Up Girls. I hadn't seen this quote before, and I am flattered.

I've been Blogged!




Not a bad rating, either!

Top of the world, Ma!

I need to spend more time with my mando:

Pin-Up Girls: The Second Photo Shoot
Behind the Scenes

You can't do a play called Pin-Up Girls and not make pin-up cards of your cast!

So last Saturday, the ladies convened at the home of our costume designer Christine Guilmette for a day-long photo shoot with Chris Beyond.

And I was there, camera in hand, to give you a sneak peek!

Let's start in the dressing room, shall we?


Chris G. had a couple of racks worth of costumes waiting for the talent. But that's not all she had waiting ...


Muffins. The breakfast of champions. This is Pamela's chocolate chip muffin. I had a blueberry. Chris G. had coffee, bagels, croissants ... it was quite a spread!


Our hair and make-up artists showed up right on time, and got to work. First in the chair was Pamela.


Our photographer, Chris Beyond showed up next, bearing fliers for his next burlesque show (Peepshow Menagerie, which he co-produces with Scarlett Letter, at Bordello on November 2nd!) and a gift of "After Shakespeare Mints." (We have just closed The Tempest, after all.)


Time to get the wrinkles out of our backdrops! Chris G. converted her sewing room into a photo studio for us. It worked like a charm!


The whole gang of us, costumer, photographer, talent -- all of us -- brought in props for the shoot.


Ah, good. Pammy is in costume. Time for some picture taking!


Meanwhile, the writer and director of the show has discovered a "strumstick." Hold it like a guitar, play it like an Appalachian dulcimer, sounds like a banjo!

So there's your super-secret glimpse behind the scenes at the big Pin-Up Girls photoshoot!

Just wait until you see the pictures ...

Fantastic rehearsal tonight. The play is exactly where it needs to be. And it keeps getting better.

Tonight was a night of turning points.

And a breakthrough. A huge breakthrough.

I love my cast. And I am doing the kind of work I've always wanted to do.

Opening night is two weeks away!

Things I See ...

You know, I really hate Uggs. I cannot fathom a circumstance under which they would look attractive on a woman's feet. Honestly. Ladies, they may feel like a warm hug for your tootsies but they look like mukluks. And whoever first started the miniskirt/Ugg look should be shot. Taken out to an empty field and shot.

Crocs likewise draw my ire. I never imagined I'd see in my lifetime a look worse than Birkenstocks with white socks. Boy, was I wrong! An obnoxious texture and assortment of colors, coupled with holes and a strap thingy (does it go around your heel?) -- what's not to hate? Plastic clog sandals. I mean, c'mon!

And then I see this:


The perfect combination of suck. What do we call these bastards of footwear? Crogs or Ucks? Folks, this is proof positive that to wrongs do NOT make a right.

(For the record, I'm leaning towards wedges. Classic, simple, and just enough heel to lengthen the leg. But I must admit a newfound appreciation for spectator pumps.)

You can tell that Halloween is drawing close when you start seeing this around town:


Oh yes, the old "appendage sticking out of the trunk" gag. Halloween is the perfect time of year to be a mobster. Imagine being able to carry around dead bodies in your trunk with impunity ... even going so far as to let an arm or leg hang out!

If you see this around your hometown, snap a picture and drop me a line. If I get any response on this, I'll start a photo pool, and we'll collect these pictures from around the world!

Lastly, we did a Pin-Up Girls photoshoot on Saturday. The idea is to have pin-up cards available for our audience. The ever amazing Chris Beyond took the pictures, and I thought I'd share one with you:


This is for my cast. Aloha.

THE INTERNET IS AWESOME!

I get these little e-mails from SiteMeter telling me how many people visited this blog each week. Sometimes I'm surprised by the traffic, and I'll check my SiteMeter account to see who has been referring people to me.

This past week, I got a referral from Puppets and Stuff, an online puppet community. And this has made my day.

Sometime ago I posted a tutorial on how to make tennis ball rod puppets. Andrew of PuppetBuilding.com added the tutorial to his ever growing database of how-tos, and passed the word along to untold numbers of people online, including the denizens of Puppets and Stuff. From there a Belgium school teacher by the name of Johian found the tutorial:

"Great, I have made one to use in the classroom, now my children in the class also want to make one during the lessons of crafts... think I will have to do a lot of cutting... they are 6 years old.

"But I will do it."

Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you the completed tennis ball puppets made by Johian's kids:



I love how they did the hair!

This is what the internet is all about: Some weirdo in Los Angeles has an idea, he shares it with another weirdo in Canada, and before you know it, the idea has spread to school kids in Belgium! Folks, this is a great time to be a weirdo.

You can visit Johian's school online here!

Pin-Up Girls

So I may have mentioned I'm directing this play I wrote. It's called Pin-Up Girls, and it's about life backstage at a burlesque club in 1940s San Fransisco. It's a romantic comedy in the vein of Frank Capra or Howard Hawks; a fast-paced jaunt that tickles your funny bone and tugs at your heart strings.

Here's the postcard:


This has been the best production experience of my life. First, I'm very happy with the script. I know, I'm tooting my own horn, but who cares? I'm usually very self-critical, even when I'm putting on my 'P.T. Barnum' front and declaring from the rooftops how wonderful everything is. I feel that I have outdone myself with this one, and I've raised my own personal bar.

Second, Theatre Unleashed is unparalleled in my experience. The camaraderie and support is family-like! The never ending generosity of my fellows astounds me.

Third, I have designers. Understand, it has felt like the "Andrew Moore Show" the last couple of times at bat. I was very fortunate to work with lighting designer Connie-Lynn Villani on my last couple of shows. But for the most part I've missed the vital interplay of collaboration with honest to God designers. I have that on this show. I have a whole freaking team! And they're all just wonderful artists and people.

Fourth, my cast could not be any better. Pamela blogged about this on Mad Theatrics, and everything she says is true and then some. In my last play, there were a few actors I cast who I considered each one an "ace in the hole." I didn't have to worry about them. I could literally give them their blocking and step away, and they'd turn in excellent performances. In Pin-Up Girls, my entire cast is made up of aces. And they're all so dedicated to the show! It's just incredible to me.

Finally, the stars must have aligned when I met Pamela. She has taken on the role of producer for this show, in addition to her duties as actress, sounding board, and my own personal editor. When I say I'm the luckiest man on earth, it's not just the burlesque dancing or the fact that she's smoking hot; it's stuff like her producing my play. Working with me on it, all the sacrifices she's willing to make, her partnership.

(I say "finally" but there is more I could go on about. The managment at the Avery Schreiber, our theatre for this production is so wonderful. Very giving for people who are just there to take our money and unlock the doors for us. I am pleased beyond words by their hospitality. Linda Fulton is a gem. An absolute gem. Chris Beyond, burlesque photographer extraordinaire, took our postcard pic for us. He's also working with us this weekend on pin-up photos of the cast. He's a terrific guy, and I am honored that he is willing to work with us. I could go on and on!)

We have videos in the works, little preludes to introduce a few of the characters and set the stage for our play. I'll be posting those EVERYWHERE when they are available.

I'm going to end off now by telling you about one of the props I bought for this show, for the astonishingly low price of just under $30:

It's a beautiful, vintage silver trumpet from eBay. It sounds clear as a bell, and the valves are free, and I still can't play it worth a crap. (For those of you who aren't my Mom, I was a lousy trumpet player in the high school marching band my sophomore year.) But hey ... after my play closes, I'll have plenty of time to get back up on that horse.

That's all I have right now. I'm PUMPED about this play, and I am not taking this experience for granted. I am a fortunate guy, to be surrounded by such amazing people!