Random Friday

Did you know that the word "bored" first appeared in Charles Dickens' Bleak House? The phrase "to be a bore" had been used before, but never "bored."

That part in Bleak House when the dude spontaneously combusted from drinking too much gin...? That was a trip. I'm just sayin'.

We had our first experiment with fake tar at rehearsal of Loyal Women last night. I have mentioned that someone gets tarred and feathered at the end of this play, right? OK, just checking. I'm sure Lisa is rueing the day that she accepted this damn role.

Our chemists here at Theatre Banshee made this absolutely evil concoction that looks freakishly like real tar, even if it doesn't smell like it. One of the ingredients is Hershey's syrup. Telling more would put my life in peril.

We dumped it on Lisa's head, finished the last scene and opened the door on the set to find her standing in a puddle of black, viscous goo half sobbing and half laughing. It's going to scare the bejeezus out of the audience, I can tell you that right now. And we don't even have feathers or lights or a finished set yet.

Cleaning it up is going to be a bitch. Do I get combat pay if I get fake tar on my kick-ass peacock blue halter dress?

I still find that I'm not overly comfortable with this play. I've gotten to the point where I can watch it without wanting to vomit, but I'm not sure I'm comfortable with the idea of putting an audience through this emotional turmoil three nights a week. I feel like I should warn them beforehand.

BEWARE!!! This isn't a piece of fluff! Put on your armor, gird your loins and watch out for flying Christmas ornaments!

Hopefully we won't permanently damage anyone's psyche...

We open in a week! Hooray for tech rehearsal!