Over and Out

Not sure if anyone is still reading this, But at least one person I know can't wait to learn Lockstock's first name, so I have to do one last entry.

You know, this isn't gonna really hit me until Thursday. It's over. Yes, striking the set on Saturday should have provided closure. But it never hits me until the following Thursday - the day the next show would be. It's happened for every New Line show I've done so far. And so it will again.

With any show, I try to thank everyone along the way or it leads to a very busy closing night party. But for the record - thanks everybody. Thanks Scott for always trusting your actors, Trisha (a.k.a. Line Nazi) for keeping us honest to the script and for the cool flashlight, Robin for having faith that I would get the Running Man (and I did, god love ya!), G.P. (you'll always be Marvin to me) for a fantastic set, Seth for great lights (when they worked, haha), Russ for a great costume (and a longer string for my whistle), Ember for great dressing room conversation (and of course nailing every cue), Ann for always having coffee ready (though more so for Grease, still appreciated...), and Vicki for keeping everything straight be it tickets I paid for through Scott or got through Metritix, all the tickets under Korinko got to where they needed to be.

For those who may or may not know - that's our Director, Assistant Director, Choreographer, Technical Director, Lighting Designer, Costume Designer, Light board Operator, Concessions Manager and Props/Box Office Manager. Thanks also to Michael Daft - One of my favorite parts of being in a New Line show is the candids that are in the lobby where our staged black and white headshots would otherwise be. One of the coolest touches I've ever seen. And not only is he passionate about what he does, he's passionate about what we do.

Thanks Also to the band - Chris Petersen (lord how many shows now) - a true actor's pianist/conductor, those who've worked with him know exactly what I mean. To Jim on Trombone - ask him to tell you his Yul Brynner story, To Mike on Percussion when we saw you every night we knew it had to be close to curtain, To Dave (aka Chuck) on Bass for always playing along, and to Marc on Reeds I'll always remember our moment in Act II and that I'm the reason you have the phone you do.

I know this is reading like movie credits and the Orchestra would have long ago played me off stage but on we go...

Oh yeah, the cast! To Nick for always staying in the big part of the bell curve (inside joke), to Aaron (Lawson) for always taking one for the team whenever a generic note was given, to Aaron (Allen) for just being my guy (not really, ladies..) and for just getting me, to Leah for always knowing when your line was if not your actual line when we were getting off-book, to Michelle for finally opening up at Side Bar, to Katie for your amazing energy and attitude, to Khnemu for destoying the myth that singers can't have abs, to Cale for not kicking my ass when shining the flashlight in your eyes was my "thing", to Zach for letting me call you bitch every night (well, Cale there too), to Isabel for always taking my side in "discussions" with Tripp without him ever knowing (well, he does now, huh?), to Tripp for being my Starbucks buddy, line runner (is that really a term?) and theatre husband, to Jeff for making me laugh every night like you do in every show, to Amy for always playing and dealing with me as I played, to Deborah for your incredible support and encouragement, and to Joe - for being my Barrel, I love YOU very much... in fact...

I love you all very much. Thanks for making this show one hell of an amazing experience. Let's do it again sometime...

By the Way... you know that being an Officer is a family thing for the Lockstocks, but it almost ended when Lockstock's father retired. Wanting out of the city, the family gave farming a shot, but adjusting to the life was not in the cards. One barnyard animal in particular woke them every morning well before sunrise and continued throughout the day, seeming to have an uncanny sense for whenever anyone was trying to rest. After weeks of interrupted sleep, the family decided to sell the farm and move back to the city. Yes they did all this just to get away from...

THE LOCKSTOCK ROOSTER

Expecting something else sickos?

And now for the last time... Over and Out

Officer Logan Lockstock

________, Camera, Action!

Something's missing isn't it? I mean I know it's a film reference and not a theatre one, but you know which word I mean. Lights. That's what isn't there, yet the sentence continues... Well, Thursday night we were faces with the absence of lights and yet the show went on...

Small caveat here... it was the stage lights that didn't work, not all the lights. The work lights were on and hence all could see. Scott made an announcement to the audience before we started so all were informed, and then, the show went on. At first it a bit disconcerting I'm sure for the audience, and for us - but there was also this fantastic energy - that we were all in this together, because it was something unique, that wouldn't happen again, kind of what made the Carol Burnett show popular. A bond was made and carried throughout the whole show. The audience was fantastic, and crazy as it sounds the lights became a moot point. The show went incredibly well, and the audience was there for the whole thing - standing at the end. So should any of them read this... thanks, from all of us. It not the way either of us envisioned it - yet it was one of those shows I'll remember forever.

One more tonight - I'm really going to miss this one...

By The Way... Did you know that Lockstock likes to cook? May seem a little odd, but there's a story behind it... He was cleaning out his parents attic one day when he ran accross a stack of unopened Wedding presents - candlesticks, napkin rings - you see Lockstock's Dad had an uncanny knack for guessing what was inside a present, so if it was something he didn't want he simply didn't open it. But amongst the gifts was the one that inspired Lockstock's love for the Culinary Arts... even engraved with the family name... You guessed it...

A LOCKSTOCK WOK

Over and Out.

O.L.

On with the show!

What an exhausting week. Opening week (aka Hell week) always is. And no matter what show you're in, there's always a point where you say "now all we need is an audience". That's never been more true than with this show. It was the last piece that made it all work. Everything just made sense again, now that fresh people were there - things just clicked - the magic of theatre. A show like this relies more on an audience than most - so come see this show. Subtle enough? And read Scott Tripp's blog about Friday night's show. Congrats Nick & Amy!!!

By the way... Even cops need a break, somewhere to take a breather from all the itimidating, bullying, whistle-blowing and of course the numerous trips to Urinetown with those who feel they're above the law. So there are places that only Lockstock and Barrel know about where they can take a break out of view of "the poor". But how to make these locations secure? Well, Lockstock was able to rig a special door at each of these locations that would only allow those he wanted access. What do you need to know to get in? You guessed it...

THE LOCKSTOCK KNOCK

Over and Out.

O.L.

Thank you for the music...

ABBA reference for those who didn't know...

Rehearsed with the band today - always SO cool. I always forget what an amazing difference it really makes - And what a re-energizing kind of thing it is. They sound fantastic, and noe the next nights bring lights, costumes, and then everything on Wednesday except the audience which comes on Thursday... gonna be a fun week as it always is...

By the way...

You've heard mention of Jacque, Lockstock's famous designer cousin... well, that not what he had set out to become... he had wanted to be a painter. And he was good at it too. One problem - he insisted on wearing a pink coat over his clothes while he painted. Well his fellow painters went along with it initially because Jacque was so good - but eventually all the verbal jabs and name-calling from passers-by got to be too much and Jacque was let go. And word spread - there was nowhere for him to go that would put up with his quirkiness. In other words - no one wanted to put up with everyone...

MOCKING THE LOCKSTOCK SMOCK

Over and Out.

O.L.

Finally

My apologies to the 6 or 7 people who actually read my blog - the hard drive in my laptop had to be replaced and then it was a chore getting hooked back up to the internet (Thanks Tripp!) - So haven't imparted my wisdom in a while...

Anyhoo... had a week now in the "space" and things really seem to be coming together. Some shows, two weeks out I'm freaking out thinking I don't have enough time. Others I can't wait for an audience. This one is quite "Goldilocks" - it's just right. Things are going smooth. I'm getting to the point where I can breathe during the Cop Song, lines are fine - couple of stupid word flub ups but in great shape, and things are really starting to clip for everyone I think. And it will only get more so this week.

So I will post more this week. Unless my laptop blows up or something...

By the way... when you come see the show you may wonder why Lockstock doesn't carry a gun. Well as a child he was always enamored with the gun his father owned - a 9 mm Luger Parabellum semi-automatic pistol. Well while his father was away, he stumbled upon it and was playing around when he dropped the pistol. The pistol went off and the bullet put a hole in the family recliner - Lockstock's father's favorite chair. Unable to hide what he had done, he told his father and was grounded for three months. After living through that he swore he'd never own a gun - his father's scalding words to this day ringing in his ears...

"KEEP YOUR HANDS OFF THE LOCKSTOCK GLOCK!"

Over and Out.

O.L.

It's "Play" time...

I had a favorite Professor in college. Tom Nevins. He taught Dialects, Theatre History and Directing. He was also the one who gave me my first lead. Christy in Playboy of the Western World. We started each rehearsal with a game. Kitty in the Corner, Red Light/Green Light. Childish games - so that we could remember how carefree and unrestrained childhood was. And to make us realize we still had had playfulness inside of us. He'd say there's a reason the thing we're doing isn't called a "Work". It should be fun, carefree and unrestrained at the core of it all. Don't take that to mean there's no work involved. There's plenty of that. Take it to mean that the end result is to open up that wonderful world that is PLAY.

Another thing our games taught us was that it's OK in the process to make a fool of yourself, to make a choice that doesn't work - SO WHAT - DO OVER. Now that the entire show is blocked, and after Sunday the Cop Song will be Choreographed, it's play time, and I can't wait. To laugh, to fall, to get up, to fall again, to learn, to finally get it, and to have fun playing.

Green Light.

By the way... Lockstock's Grandmother was quite the entrepreneur, opening her own coffee shop when she was only 19. When water supplies started drying up though she was forced to sell to a larger franchise owned by Mr. & Mrs. Reginald Nuts. Not only did they buy the property they also liked the name she chose and changed it just a bit to their liking. The name? You guessed it...

Chock Full O' Lockstock

Over and Out.

O.L.

One Act down one to go...

So Act one is now blocked - with the exception of choreographing the Cop Song. And boy does Robin have her work cut out for her with that one. Suffice it to say that as dancers go, Joe (Officer Barrell) and I are pretty far down the depth chart...

Now it a weekend of getting off book. The sooner I'm off book, the more time I have to play. We run Act one Monday, then block Act two Tuesday and Thursday...

Wish I had time to say more, but time is short. More later.

By the way... you know of course the first born male in every Lockstock family is predestined to be a cop. But there have been some rather famous second and third borns... Jacque Lockstock was quite the name in fashion. In fact he changed his first name to Jacque to fit in the fashion world better. He was quite the trend setter, and ladies all around literally would camp outside his shop when his new lines would go on sale. They did this of course so they...

could be the first on their block with a Lockstock frock.

Over and out

O.L.