You Can't Take It With You -- Hire Them!

So I directed this show see -- and it consumed practically all of my time from January of this year through March and into April. I dearly loved this cast, and I do think the show has a magical quality about it in general. The audiences loved it, the cast loved that the audience loved it. You can tell. See the standing audience members for the curtain call? Frankly, I think they were just spoiling the actors. That looks like a large cast to some people but I kept being told, from the people who direct musicals, that this cast was small. Compared to what? Le Mis? Evita? Well, yeah. But it's a larger cast than The Fantasticks or You're A Good Man Charlie Brown.

Stage Managing for a crowd this size or larger can be like herding cats. My stage manager -- whose name shall go unmentioned here for reasons of confidentiality, was great. If you get the chance to work with her HIRE her. And FURTHERMORE if you are a theatre geek like me, you know her kind are in short supply. Leave a comment with me if you need her.


I engaged several nice pairs for this one. A handsome fellow to play Tony and a talented ingenue who also so happens to be and opera singer and music teacher, to play Alice. Of course, Alice the character doesn't sing, so we partook in a cast party or two at the piano. Hire her, absolutely HIRE her if you get the chance. You can see them here in their formal wear, along with the other wonderfully talented and skilled, "rarely have to give a note to, low maintenance, highly talented" people I cast as Ed and Essie. Hire them, absolutely HIRE them if you get the chance.



Furthermore, I cast these next two MUCH later in the rehearsal process than the rest of my cast. If you do theatre you know how much of a strain and hassle this can be -- but both proved to be highly equipped to pick up and catch up with no struggle at all! You know what I'm gonna say don't you? Hire them... yeah yeah yeah. But really. I mean it.



Here's the cast at the end of Act II -- as the action really unfolds here -- well, for a play that was written in 1936 -- of course, no gunfire or exploding cars, but there are fireworks involved.


For you body building fans, my Penny (at far left -- HIRE HER) tells a great story about her late husband casting a body building film called No Pain No Gain. That's for all you body builders who read my blog. RiiiIIIight.) It's the story of a bodybuilder who longs to be respected for his mind. What actors will do for work... Jocks and actors? That never worked in high school. Nevertheless, the website has a great memorial for Don. http://www.no-pain-no-gain.com/deke/