On Walking, Reading and Learning Lines

I exercise daily. Since my coronary bypass surgery (8/30/2004) I go to a cardiac rehabilitation center 3 days a week to use the treadmill and other equipment. It's my health club staffed by cardiac nurses. The other days I walk; mostly in our neighborhood but I always find time to get my walking in when we travel. In unfamiliar areas the walk is used for sightseeing but when following the same route day after day, it can get a bit boring. So, I put my walking time to what I think is good use.

Most of my reading is done on the daily walks. Generally, I have my latest mystery novel in hand as I wend my way through the neighborhood. (When traveling, I do forgo the reading in order to take in the sights and avoid unfamiliar hazards.) Occasionally, I do come into contact with parked cards, but not very often. There's not much traffic in the area and moving vehicles have not yet posed a threat. It has reached the point that some other regular walkers will make comments, e.g. "Is that a good book?" Or, if I happen to not be reading, "Where is your book today?" But, for me at least, walking provides exercise for both body and mind.

But I do more than read along the way. When I am involved in theater, the daily walk is how I learn my lines. So, if I don't have a book, I have a script in hand. My family has never heard me run lines at home. I do that on the streets. In fact, when "off-book" I recite my lines daily when wending my way through the neighborhood. There was at least one time when a neighborhood acquaintance mentioned to Donna that she had seen me walking and asked, "Does Leon always talk to himself?" That had to be a running-the-lines day.

Running lines also gets me through my time on the treadmill. It helps the 30 minute interval pass more quickly. And the nurses notice too; last week one them mentioned that I seemed to be mumbling while working out and assumed I was tuning up for that week's performances. She was right.

I admit that walking with a friend and engaging in lively conversation would probably be more enjoyable and safer. But I generally walk alone and the combination of reading and learning/running lines works for me.

Blocking Midas Gets Underway (CCPT)

Last night was the 1^st blocking rehearsal for King Midas. It started with a scene that used actors who are not also cast in Much Ado About Nothing. That's one of the challenges faced by a theatre company presenting a season of multiple (in this case 3) plays. When actors are double cast, the directors have to coordinate rehearsal schedules. At the moment, there are 5 actors cast in the 2 plays in rehearsal and that will increase later this month when the 3^rd play (Neil Simon's) The Good Doctor begins it's rehearsal.

Today's photo is from the beginning of a scene where the gods Pan and Atlas argue about which of them is the best musician. (Note the space in which the rehearsal is being held. It's far different from the park where performances will be held.

From left: Laurie Baron (Pan); Frantz Delsoin (Apollo); Director Heidi Dotson

Ah, the Initial Rehearsals (CCPT)

This is the 1^st full week of Culver City Public Theatre (CCPT) rehearsals for the summer. At the outset, I am feeling a bit overwhelmed. As mentioned in an earlier post, I am cast as the lead, title character in King Midas and as Dogberry, a wonderful comic character in Much Ado About Nothing. Both plays open on July 14 which means there is a lot to prepare for in less than 6 weeks.

Monday night was the first read through for King Midas and tonight we had a "dance" rehearsal which was a very good icebreaker for the cast members. Dance is in quotes because. . .well The Ancient One is not the most graceful soul around which, in this case, does fit the character. Director Heidi Dotson was delightful as she introduced us to her choreography which was altered a bit during the session to fit the widely varying levels of dance talent evident among the 9 cast members.

After the read through Monday, I moved over to the Much Ado rehearsal for the initial blocking of Act 5, Scene 1 (which continued tonight) and the first attempts at bringing good Dogberry to life. Ken MacFarlane is a gentle but firm director and at this point has fully lived up to the expectations that have been the basis of my desire for some time to work with him.

I know my confidence will grow as I get to know my characters and learn to put some life into them. The whole rehearsal process is dynamic as it progresses from the cast's initial read through of the script to the final product which reflects the director's vision of how the play should be seen. That's part of the reason I hope to chronicle these rehearsals (occasionally with photos included like the one below taken at the 6/5/2007 Much Ado About Nothing rehearsal) .

From left: Barb Ross (Antonia); Teresa Waxer (Verges); The Ancient One (Dogberry

Habimah – The 1st Performance

Last night was the first performance of the Habimah production of Prophets Need Not Apply at Congregation Ner Tamid in Rancho Palos Verdes. Actually, it was a long and exhilarating Habimah day. It started at noon with a tech rehearsal. Then after a break, there was a 5:30 .m. run through before the 7:30 p.m. performance.

The Kids in the cast are phenomenal. So were the adults, but this program and these productions are all about the kids. Writer/Director Morgan Land outdid himself once again. In addition to his talents in developing a script and creatively presenting it, he is amazing with young people. I think there were about 40 cast members under the age of 17. And then there were about 10 of us "older folk." I marvel at Morgan's ability to work with such a large cast and to help everyone keep focused. Truly amazing!

When I discussed the first tech rehearsal which was held last Thursday night, I included a picture of Moses in costume. Well, Moses got a revamp - totally new costume and new hair (as can be seen below). It was quite a contrast from the original get up, and it worked much better for both the actor and the character.

The production will continue next Sunday. And, if any of you who are reading this have an interest in attending either of the 2 performances (2:30 and 7:30 p.m.), just leave a comment letting me know where to contact you with details. Shalom!

A Non-Rolling Rolls

This morning I had a traffic delay that brought a smile to my face. I was on the way to my workout at the Cardiac Rehab Center when traffic on a main artery stopped dead. It finally began to crawl ahead. Then, I saw the problem.

A car had stalled in my lane and was sitting there with its hood up. The first thing I noticed about the car as I inched closer was the license plate. You have to love some of those vanity plates especially one that read: PMS MD. Now, I know it's possible that the plate belonged to someone named P.M. Smith, but I really doubt it. And then I noticed the make of the car. It was a Rolls-Royce. That is what truly caused the smile and, I must admit, it brightened the whole foggy morning. Nearly 7 decades on this earth and this was the first time I saw a Rolls-Royce sitting helplessly on the road blocking traffic.

Perhaps I have a somewhat unbalanced sense of humor, but it was a glorious morning. My only regret is that I was not able to snap pictures of the disabled vehicle to share with those of you happen to land on this page.

The Luck of the Cohanim – Part 3

Got a text message from #1 son, aka BillyBlog, today informing me that #1 granddaughter Jolee "is continuing the Cohen tradition, she found $5 while at the rollerrink" That's my granddaughter! By finding cash, she is following in her Uncle Seth's footsteps Way to go!

Goodbye to the Giant Squids. . .

Tonight is the closing for King Kalimari - The Musical which I haven't posted on since the opening weekend in mid-April. It has been great fun even with the interminable drives from home to the theatre in North Hollywood. I will miss the show, the friendships developed with other cast members, and the ability to view audiences
from my "in the house" perch as the narrator.

I hope writer, director, and (this weekend) young hero Derek Taylor Kent will continue working to bring this script to larger and more accessible venues. And, I hope he keeps writing. While I may not understand all the jokes (there sometimes is a bit of a generation gap), Derek has a wonderfully creative, bizarre mind and the ability to create some memorable songs, lyrics and lines from which most any actor can gain pleasure.

I thank those family and friends who made the trek to see the show. I really enjoyed hearing your reactions both to the production and my closing costume. Hopefully, I will be able to get a print of The Ancient One "in leather" to share with all of you who happen by these ramblings.

Now, it's on to my other "less fishy" theatrical endeavors, all of which have already been mentioned in earlier posts and will reappear in the future.

A Random Musing About Acting. . .

The two previous posts have photos of the same actor in costume and make-up for two different roles. And they were taken on successive days. It struck me as an interesting contrast that reflects on a couple of the appealing aspects of acting; the ability to become someone else for a brief time and the opportunity to portray very different types of people while maintaining your own identity. Just a random thought that passed through my mind this morning.

Habimah. . .the first Tech Rehearsal

In a post last Sunday, I mentioned the upcoming Habimah production at our synagogue. Tonight, as I mentioned then, was the first dress/tech rehearsal and it was a little rough as expected. But I can't resist sharing this picture:

In the script, this is Moses set down in New York in modern times. The beard makes him look more like Santa Claus; at least that's what some of the younger children thought. And the hair and beard are scheduled to be changed before opening night.

But look again. . .closely. Could it be? Is that really The Ancient One, Blessed be He? Maybe his kids knew what they were talking about when they gave him that title. More on the production after Sunday's first performance.

“Mad Men” – a new TV series. . .

Today I worked as an extra on a new TV series which will appear on AMC starting June 4. As usual, when doing background work, I have no idea when this episode will air. The series is about some MADison Avenue advertising executives in 1959-60. The particular scene shot today in which I might be seen, was set in a New York "Tea Room" in 1959. I was simply a patron.

One of the things that I always marvel at is the detail productions take in dressing the extras. Since the stories take place nearly 50 years ago, we were not asked to wear our own clothing. Last week, I went to a costume warehouse in North Hollywood. As it turned out, they could not fit my body and simply took measurements. However, they did give me a haircut; one that was shorter than any I have had in a very long time. And, they are paying me for that haircut although the AD who was handling the paperwork wasn't sure how much the "hair bump" would be. I'll find out when the check arrived. When I arrived at LA Center Studios today, they did have 2 suits for me. The one that had a jacket that fit had pants that were about 4 inches too large in the waist. It's amazing what a good costumer can do with a pair of suspenders and a few tucks and folds here and there. Once garbed, we had to go for make-up and a hair check. Much to my chagrin, more was trimmed on the sides and both gel and hairspray was used to give me a 1959 look. The final product is pictured below:

I'm not sure where the "funny tooth" look came from but a colleague did snap the picture for me on my cell phone. Oh well, I was supposed to look "period," not handsome and appealing. Actually, the work on my hair brought back some long buried memories. In the mid-'50s, I would slather my hair with Wild Root Cream Oil (hear one of their old commercials here). The true test of whether you used enough was to run a comb through your hair. If it came away with a layer of white oil, you were okay. And, Wild Root really was much better than Brylcreme. There were other hair memories too. During the '50s I had a number of hair "styles." There was the DA, the DT, the New Yorker. (I'll let readers guess if they want too and perhaps reveal the correct answers in response to a comment.)

Other thoughts from that time, especially 1960. I was active in local Democratic Party politics. My oldest brother, Jerry had run (and lost) a state legislative race but ended up as head of the Criminal Division of the Michigan Attorney General's Office. The summer of 1960 I was a field organizer for Dick VanderVeen, from Grand Rapids, who ended up losing the Democratic primary for Lieutenant Governor. Later he ended up in Congress, winning the seat Gerald Ford vacated when he became Vice-President. During the presidential primary season that year, I attended rallies and lined up to shake the hands of John Kennedy, Hubert Humphrey and Estes Kefauver. My Congressman in 1960, representing the 15^th District of Michigan, was a young man named John Dingell. He's still in the House of Representatives. My father used to tell people that he was a Republican although it was hard to tell when he ever voted for a republican candidate. Dingell, who knew dad, commented to me one day at a campaign meeting, "For a guy who claims to be a Republican, I wish we had more people like Bill Cohen in the Democratic Party." Then, a couple of years later, after the decennial redistricting, Dingell's chief legislative aide ran and was elected from the neighboring district. John Conyers also is still a member of Congress.

It sure is strange what memories can be dredged up just by working one day as an extra on a new TV series.