Love and Support

Joe, Maryann, Mark, Latimer, Eric, Mallorie, Chris, Robin, April, Bill, Michael, Myla, Nanette, Ken and Heather, Chad, Mom, Fred, Bridget, Lee, Dad, Laurel, Neil, Kati, Katie, and Perry...

thank you so very much for your encouragement, your faith, your hugs and praise, and especially all your love and support during The Beauty Queen of Leenane. I could not have brought Maureen to such life without each of you sharing in her breath.

(and thank you, Chris, for the beautiful roses.)

Beauty Queen Kudos

Loved the show. You are wonderful. I wish you were famous and then I could say I know her.
~RM 6.15
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It was FANTASTIC, Cheryl Ann- WOW!!!
~LBA 6.16
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You were simply brilliant.
~CEC 6.18
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Hi Cheryl. I am so sorry I didn't get to talk to you after the show last night. You were magnificent! Wonderful, wonderful work!
~SM 6.18
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You MUST go see The Beauty Queen of Leenane. Some of the most incredible performances I've ever seen by Maryann Luedtke, Latimer Alexander V, Mark Flora and Cheryl Ann Roberts. An incredible, if disturbing, evening.
~JB 6.18
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I just wanted to tell you what a wonderful show it was, and what an amazing performance. You are so lucky to get to do the challenging meaty roles, and you were incredible as always. The accents were amazing and came effortlessly and it was only a few minutes before one realized there were accents at all.

Anyway, I just wanted to congratulate you on an AMAZING performance, and I hope your hiatus from theatre (after THE COUCH) won’t be very long!!
~KA 6.20
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Did I mention that you were simply amazing in the show? Genius, I say! Genius! (not to be confused with the liquid refreshment Guinness)
~MO 6.21
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You were spectacular!
~FM 6.24
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My dear...KUDOS for your performance last evening! U were GREAT! What an intense show and it was so well cast! You guys all rock!

And for goodness sake................get a room!
~LH 6.25
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Nice night tonight with my wife and some good theatre, namely "The Beauty Queen of Leenane" at OSCT, featuring the fabulous Cheryl Ann Roberts.
~LU 6.26
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Just wanted to write and thank you for such a brilliant character you created for BQ..and to thank you for trusting me in the process. You were/are great to work with...fun and creative.
Your performance and interactions with other characters was awe inspiring!
Hope we can do it again sometime.
~JN 6.28
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YOU! YOU! You were magnificent! Did I tell you that? :o)
~NS 6.28
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Happy Birthday, Mom

Performance, "The Beauty Queen of Leenane"

I have to say that last night and tonight's audiences were the best, so far. It might have been because I decided to tweak Maureen just a tad bit. And for that I blame thank Mark, who plays Pato.

Last Saturday, as I came off the first scene, Mark high-fived me commenting that I was on fire. "Evil" and "mocking" were two more words that stuck with me. Those are not adjectives that should come right after the opening scene! That combined with the woman in the front row that held such tongue-clicking disgust for me (at one point I was really afraid she was going to jump up on stage and go after me!) had me rethinking my acting choices.

The play works best when the audience empathizes with both Maureen and Mag. We are our own worse enemies and our own victims. What I believed happened was that I was playing Maureen a bit too harsh. If I was starting the very first scene "evil" and "mocking" I really had nowhere else to go with her. I was also overpowering Maryann's attempts to grow Mag. Ultimately I was hurting the lay by inadvertently making Maureen immediately unlikable.

So Friday I made Maureen a bit softer, lighter and it worked so much better. We actually got laughs that we'd never gotten before! Both audiences went right along for the ride that Mag and Maureen took them on. Instead of being so very dark and heavy, the show was simply sad, which is what the playwright intended it to be.

Ok, guys, do you agree or disagree with Scott? Do you have more to add to the list?

9 Things Guys Find Sexy About You That Have Nothing To Do With How You Look

by Scott Alden on April 21, 2011

There is no denying that looks are what usually first attracts us to a woman, but most guys who have been around the block also know that how hot a woman appears to be on the surface has very little to do will how good the sex will actually be.

However, there is a lot that we can tell about how sexy a woman really is, if we pay attention to certain things. Here are 9 examples:

1. Your Walk

Oh man. A brisk, confident, heel-clicking strut? A slow, hip-swinging mosey? Would it be creepy if I just walked behind you for awhile? (I know. It would. That's the definition of creepy.)

2. Your Voice

Whether it's smokey/scratchy, airy or, I'll say it, slightly lisp-y, the way you talk can be a major turn-on.

3. Your Sharp Wit

Just watch any classic screwball comedy -- verbal sparring is the ultimate foreplay.

4. The Way You Dance

This one's pretty obvious right? The way you move is the way you move.

5. Your Adventurous Spirit

And being up for anything kind of implies that you might be up for anything. On the other hand...

6. Your Shyness

If the bedroom is the only place that you really let yourself go crazy, it's kind of twice as hot.

7. Your Laugh

I think the laugh was the first thing I ever found sexy. Before I knew what sexy was, I remember hearing Kathleen Turner's laugh (I was probably 7) and feeling something... different.

8. The Way You Smell

I'm not talking about what perfume you wear. I'm talking about the way you smell. I'm talking about burying my face between your neck and shoulder, inhaling and losing all capacity for rational thought.

9. Your Ability to Communicate

Nobody's going to believe me on this one, but it's one hundred percent true. Even the hottest, easiest sexual relationship is eventually going to run into a snag somewhere. A woman who can express complex feelings clearly and confidently is a woman who's going to be able to keep the sex interesting and fulfilling when the initial shine wears off.

Happy Birthday, Mallorie

(Yes, that's a dragon cake. )

Final Dress, "The Beauty Queen Of Leenane"

Man, I was on a roll tonight! We were rocking along, things were going well, lines were being delivered and pacing was great. I was resisting the urge to posture and pose for the photographer who was taking show pics. We were on!

I'm backstage, struggling to get into my final black dress when I realize I've got it on inside out. I yank it off and redress, trying to beat the lights up of the final scene. I see Mark come offstage and send up a little prayer that I made the costumer change in time. I grab the raincoat and start my entrance, wondering why the lights still haven't come up. Doesn't Eric see me? I jangle my keys in an attempt to signal Eric that I'm about to enter.

Lights come up, I open the door and step onstage. I see that Maryann is sitting in the rocking chair. Shit. Wait, what? Now I realize that I'm all wrong. I've skipped an entire scene!! And funnier still, it's my own page and a half monologue!

(I didn't actually skip it. As soon as I realized what scene I was supposed to be in, I sprang into action.)

Yes, that's the beauty of live theatre where things can go wrong. Thankfully, though, there was no audience other than the photographer, and he didn't know I'd messed up. And, of course, I had to reassure Joe and Eric that it won't happen again.

An Afternoon At The Theatre, "Nunsense A-Men!"

I'm a little embarrassed to admit that I can't remember if I've ever seen a Nunsense show. I think I saw it back in the 90's at Kernersville Little Theatre, but I can't be sure.

So when Theatre Alliance needed someone to work the box office, I readily volunteered. And, as it turns out, there was an extra seat available. After I finished my box office duties, I slipped into the seat and enjoyed the show.

First of all, you can't go wrong with a cast that includes Mark Armstrong, Justin Hall, Tim Brown, Gray Smith and John C. Wilson. Each of them are talented in their own right. As an ensemble of singing nuns...divine!

Had one yesterday, compliments of McDonald's. It was tarty, refreshing and delish!

For Hannah

A Night At The Theatre, "Duck Hunter Shoots Angel"

Last night, Myla and I caught the delightfully funny, Duck Hunter Shoots Angel at Twin City Stage.

I had read the script and didn't find it particulary funny. But in the hands of Ken Ashford (as the more knowledgable Duane) and Chad Edwards (as the bright eyed innocent Duwell) absurd situations were played touchingly honest. And of course, they were funny. Very funny.

Performances by Don Gunther and Laurel Ulman were also wonderful.

The set was designed by Larry Hurych. Particularily notable was the tree Duwell had to climb for the final scene.

All in all it was a highly enjoyable show! Bravo to all!