Or does it...?
A couple of weeks ago when I wrote my Zipperface!!?! promo piece, I sounded pretty cheery and optimistic, didn't I? The truth of it is, I wasn't. I was absolutely terrified.
From the instant Dave first told me about the project, I was a little hesitant. I thought it was funny, but I just wasn't confident that any of us could pull off an original musical w
ith the limited time and resources at our disposal. It was when Dave did his presentation to the CAP Executive Board that I started to turn. Everyone (especially Dave) was so excited about this that I began to see that it might work. But I still wasn't sure that I really wanted to be involved.
I was auditioning for Hair and considering directing Pillowman and I had so much else on my plate that writing a full length play seemed way too daunting. I initially planned on just being a consultant type. I typed up a version of an early scene (more on this later) and I sent it to Dave. It wasn't until the morning after Dave, Andy, and I had had our first writing session that I began to really fall in love with Zipperface. I remember sitting in the diner reading over what we had so far and just repeating, "Damn, this is actually good. This might really work." After that, all of my thoughts for the rest of the break revolved around that script.
Cut to a couple of months later and I saw the poster and my excitement just dropped. I'm not saying that Andy's poster design wasn't good (on the contrary, I absolutely love it and think the logo at the top should be the set design for the title in any future iterations). It was just that I saw my name up there in the credits and I started to get really, really nervous.
When I act in a play, I really don't get nervous (unless I'm singing or something). I can tell if the play's good or not by the time we open and I know how my performance personally looks. However, when I write something and it comes close to opening, I go absolutely insane worrying about it. With each further rehearsal and as the actual performance draws near, I start to hate everything I wrote more and more.
I would sit there in tech rehearsals waiting for the my one scene and have miniature panic attacks over the most miniscule things going wrong. If a joke fell flat or a scene change took too long, I would barely be able to stop myself from running from the theater, changing my name, and moving to Canada. Sure, I only wrote a third of this play, but I was that invested in it being good.
Sam pr
obably got the worst of it. She spent plenty of time over those few weeks trying to comfort me and keep me from going insane. I feel really bad about it. I feel even worse because once Zipperface closed, she had to deal with me stressing over my stand-up routine for tonight and Hijinks opening in a week. God, I need to stop writing stuff. It's giving me a hernia.
So, what happened?
Well, Zipperface!!?!: The Hobo Musical opened two weeks ago and the instant the band began to play, I finally started to watch it like an audience member and not a co-writer. And I loved it. And the audience loved it. And it was amazing.
Seriously, I have to apologise to everyone in the cast and crew for being so stressed out. They were all absolutely amazing. The show went better than I could have possibly imagined and it's all thanks to them.
In fact, the show went so well that it might not be completely over. Dave, Andy, and I need to talk about it (especially Dave as it is his baby) but the idea right now is that this might not be the last we see of good ol' Zipperface.
Not too bad for a musical narrated by hobos.
Special Zipperface Treats!
For all you fans out there, here are some special gifts. First, here are the lyrics for a song I wrote for the show that didn't make it in. It was in my initial submission I gave to Dave for how I thought the play should sound (the rest of the submission, the first scene with the mayor, ended up in the final script fairly close to how I initially wrote it). The song was a way to set up Lisa but was cut because Dave thought it was too musical-y.
Here it is with a little dialogue that sets it up:
REPORTER #1
Lisa Rider! Lisa Rider! How’d you do it?
REPORTER #2
How do you feel?
REPORTER #3
How do you spell “Rider”?
LISA RIDER
(nervously)
I...uh...I...
MAYOR HARRIS
Don’t worry, honey. Just be strong and show them that a woman can do anything if she sets her mind to it.
LISA RIDER
Oh, I will, Mayor! I will!
REPORTER #1
Tell us where you came from!
REPORTER #2
Tell us where you’re going!
REPORTER #3
Tell us in song!
SONG: “LISA RIDER”
LISA RIDER
LISA RIDER
LISA RIDER
THAT’S LISA RIDER SPELLED WITH AN “I”
REPORTER #1
Where are ya’ from?
LISA RIDER
I CAME FROM CLEVELAND, OHIO
GREW UP READY AND REARING TO GO
I WANTED TO GO OUT AND MAKE MY WAY IN THE WORLD
SHOW THEM ALL I’M NOT JUST A LITTLE GIRL
I’M LISA RIDER
LISA RIDER
THAT’S LISA RIDER SPELLED WITH AN “I”
REPORTER #2
What got ya’ going?
LISA RIDER
IN SCHOOL I WANTED TO PLAY FOOTBALL AND ALL THE REST
BUT THEY SAID I COULDN’T ‘CAUSE I HAD BREASTS
AND THEY WOULDN’T FIT IN THE SHOULDER PADS
BUT I’LL SHOW THEM ALL, ALL THOSE CADS
SCALIA
WHO DOES THAT BITCH THINK SHE IS?
COPPIN’ IS A MAN’S BUSINESS
HARRY
CALM DOWN, SCALIA. YOU’LL HAVE YOUR DAY
SCALIA
SHUT UP, HARRY. I’M GONNA MAKE HER PAY
FUCK THAT-
LISA RIDER AND THE REPORTERS
LISA RIDER
LISA RIDER
LISA RIDER
THAT’S LISA RIDER SPELLED WITH AN “I”
I’M GONNA SHOW YOU THAT WOMEN CAN DO IT ALL
SOLVE A CRIME, RUN A TOWN, OR CATCH A BALL
GIRLS ARE MUCH BETTER THAN BOYS WITH GUNS
‘CAUSE THE BOYS ARE PLAYING WITH THEIR OTHER ONE
LISA RIDER AND THE REPORTERS
LISA RIDER
LISA RIDER
LISA RIDER
ALL THE ADAMS BETTER STEP ASIDE TODAY
‘CAUSE EVE’S GOT A GUN AND SHE’S ON HER WAY
YOU SAY YOU WANT THE BEST MAN FOR THE JOB
AND NOT JUST SOME DIRTY, HAIRY, SLOB
THEN LISA RIDER, HELL, IS YOUR GUY
Fun stuff. Now, here's a video compilation of stuff filmed by Josh Kane during the dress rehearsals. It was edited by Erika Basedow, Dave's co-director. Just like the play, I have a small cameo at the end.
A couple of weeks ago when I wrote my Zipperface!!?! promo piece, I sounded pretty cheery and optimistic, didn't I? The truth of it is, I wasn't. I was absolutely terrified.
From the instant Dave first told me about the project, I was a little hesitant. I thought it was funny, but I just wasn't confident that any of us could pull off an original musical w
ith the limited time and resources at our disposal. It was when Dave did his presentation to the CAP Executive Board that I started to turn. Everyone (especially Dave) was so excited about this that I began to see that it might work. But I still wasn't sure that I really wanted to be involved.I was auditioning for Hair and considering directing Pillowman and I had so much else on my plate that writing a full length play seemed way too daunting. I initially planned on just being a consultant type. I typed up a version of an early scene (more on this later) and I sent it to Dave. It wasn't until the morning after Dave, Andy, and I had had our first writing session that I began to really fall in love with Zipperface. I remember sitting in the diner reading over what we had so far and just repeating, "Damn, this is actually good. This might really work." After that, all of my thoughts for the rest of the break revolved around that script.
Cut to a couple of months later and I saw the poster and my excitement just dropped. I'm not saying that Andy's poster design wasn't good (on the contrary, I absolutely love it and think the logo at the top should be the set design for the title in any future iterations). It was just that I saw my name up there in the credits and I started to get really, really nervous.
When I act in a play, I really don't get nervous (unless I'm singing or something). I can tell if the play's good or not by the time we open and I know how my performance personally looks. However, when I write something and it comes close to opening, I go absolutely insane worrying about it. With each further rehearsal and as the actual performance draws near, I start to hate everything I wrote more and more.
I would sit there in tech rehearsals waiting for the my one scene and have miniature panic attacks over the most miniscule things going wrong. If a joke fell flat or a scene change took too long, I would barely be able to stop myself from running from the theater, changing my name, and moving to Canada. Sure, I only wrote a third of this play, but I was that invested in it being good.
Sam pr
obably got the worst of it. She spent plenty of time over those few weeks trying to comfort me and keep me from going insane. I feel really bad about it. I feel even worse because once Zipperface closed, she had to deal with me stressing over my stand-up routine for tonight and Hijinks opening in a week. God, I need to stop writing stuff. It's giving me a hernia.So, what happened?
Well, Zipperface!!?!: The Hobo Musical opened two weeks ago and the instant the band began to play, I finally started to watch it like an audience member and not a co-writer. And I loved it. And the audience loved it. And it was amazing.
Seriously, I have to apologise to everyone in the cast and crew for being so stressed out. They were all absolutely amazing. The show went better than I could have possibly imagined and it's all thanks to them.
In fact, the show went so well that it might not be completely over. Dave, Andy, and I need to talk about it (especially Dave as it is his baby) but the idea right now is that this might not be the last we see of good ol' Zipperface.
Not too bad for a musical narrated by hobos.
Special Zipperface Treats!
For all you fans out there, here are some special gifts. First, here are the lyrics for a song I wrote for the show that didn't make it in. It was in my initial submission I gave to Dave for how I thought the play should sound (the rest of the submission, the first scene with the mayor, ended up in the final script fairly close to how I initially wrote it). The song was a way to set up Lisa but was cut because Dave thought it was too musical-y.
Here it is with a little dialogue that sets it up:
REPORTER #1
Lisa Rider! Lisa Rider! How’d you do it?
REPORTER #2
How do you feel?
REPORTER #3
How do you spell “Rider”?
LISA RIDER
(nervously)
I...uh...I...
MAYOR HARRIS
Don’t worry, honey. Just be strong and show them that a woman can do anything if she sets her mind to it.
LISA RIDER
Oh, I will, Mayor! I will!
REPORTER #1
Tell us where you came from!
REPORTER #2
Tell us where you’re going!
REPORTER #3
Tell us in song!
SONG: “LISA RIDER”
LISA RIDER
LISA RIDER
LISA RIDER
THAT’S LISA RIDER SPELLED WITH AN “I”
REPORTER #1
Where are ya’ from?
LISA RIDER
I CAME FROM CLEVELAND, OHIO
GREW UP READY AND REARING TO GO
I WANTED TO GO OUT AND MAKE MY WAY IN THE WORLD
SHOW THEM ALL I’M NOT JUST A LITTLE GIRL
I’M LISA RIDER
LISA RIDER
THAT’S LISA RIDER SPELLED WITH AN “I”
REPORTER #2
What got ya’ going?
LISA RIDER
IN SCHOOL I WANTED TO PLAY FOOTBALL AND ALL THE REST
BUT THEY SAID I COULDN’T ‘CAUSE I HAD BREASTS
AND THEY WOULDN’T FIT IN THE SHOULDER PADS
BUT I’LL SHOW THEM ALL, ALL THOSE CADS
SCALIA
WHO DOES THAT BITCH THINK SHE IS?
COPPIN’ IS A MAN’S BUSINESS
HARRY
CALM DOWN, SCALIA. YOU’LL HAVE YOUR DAY
SCALIA
SHUT UP, HARRY. I’M GONNA MAKE HER PAY
FUCK THAT-
LISA RIDER AND THE REPORTERS
LISA RIDER
LISA RIDER
LISA RIDER
THAT’S LISA RIDER SPELLED WITH AN “I”
I’M GONNA SHOW YOU THAT WOMEN CAN DO IT ALL
SOLVE A CRIME, RUN A TOWN, OR CATCH A BALL
GIRLS ARE MUCH BETTER THAN BOYS WITH GUNS
‘CAUSE THE BOYS ARE PLAYING WITH THEIR OTHER ONE
LISA RIDER AND THE REPORTERS
LISA RIDER
LISA RIDER
LISA RIDER
ALL THE ADAMS BETTER STEP ASIDE TODAY
‘CAUSE EVE’S GOT A GUN AND SHE’S ON HER WAY
YOU SAY YOU WANT THE BEST MAN FOR THE JOB
AND NOT JUST SOME DIRTY, HAIRY, SLOB
THEN LISA RIDER, HELL, IS YOUR GUY
Fun stuff. Now, here's a video compilation of stuff filmed by Josh Kane during the dress rehearsals. It was edited by Erika Basedow, Dave's co-director. Just like the play, I have a small cameo at the end.
And now, for even more fun, here's a collection of absolutely amazing pictures that Kyle Barker took during one of the performances. He took the ones throughout this blog as well. You can see all his pictures at his website.
Posts
0 Comments:
Post a Comment