Tag Archives: Four Old Broads on the High Seas

I Wouldn’t Waste an Axe Murderess, Would I?

Posted on October 9, 2025 by mohawkvalleygirl

Regular readers may have noticed that daily blogging continues to elude me.  Ooh, there’s a slimy passive-voice way to put it, as if I am pursuing the goal, but the goal is too clever for me, when the fact is that it is my own efforts that fall short.  You can call me out on that if you like, but you see I have already admitted the fault.  In any case, having missed posting Sunday and Monday but refraining from calling attention to the fact (till just now), I sit on my couch on Thursday morning preparing to make a Waste Not Want Not Wednesday post.

Full disclosure: I did not look like this when I played Roxy.

You can’t read her name tag, but it says “Roxy.”  It is Roxalana Druse, who famously killed her husband and was hanged behind the 1843 Herkimer Jail in 1887.  I had the honor of playing Roxy in the play of that name presented by the Herkimer County Historical Society and Ilion Little Theatre in 2015 (long-time readers may have read some of my blog posts about it).  This Roxy is in Renewed and Rescued at Mohawk Valley Community Market.  I stopped in briefly yesterday but must return for a longer visit (preview of coming attractions).

Just hanging out!

Here is a friendly-looking fellow I encountered one of the mornings I was out looking for pictures to go with one of my Village Board stories for Sentinel Media.  I adore Halloween decorations!  I should take some more pictures and do a blog post of them (another preview of coming attractions?)

This woman did not kill her husband.

I guess I am veering into Non-Sequitur Thursday territory after an ax murderess and a skeleton.  This is Michelle, one of the bartenders at the Herkimer Elks Lodge wearing my tiara.  I wore it for a play I was in last summer (Four Old Broads on the High Seas, perhaps you read some of my blog posts about it).  I happened to wear it to the Lodge one day, I forget why, and Michelle wanted to pose with it.

Ooh, look at me, over 350 words.  I’m almost through my second cup of coffee too.  Time to go for my run.  The East Herkimer Fire Department 5K is Saturday.  I fear I have not been posting nearly enough about that!  Well, as I said in the first paragraph, I have not been posting enough period, at least by my standards for me.  But I thank you for tuning in when I do.

 

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Lame with a Dramatic Gesture!

Posted on September 6, 2025 by mohawkvalleygirl

So what is it now, six days since my last post, which was not a great post, although I was rather fond of the title.  It is now Lame Post Friday, and I feel terrible for not posting regularly.  I’ll be honest:  my depression is kicking my butt and I need to find new ways of combating it.  For now I will make a silly blog post.  For the future, I will seek out more better things to blog about (“more better” being the technical term).

Nice lunge, Tucker!

I looked for a silly picture to pep things up and found this rehearsal shot from Love’s Labour’s Lost, presented by Little Falls Theatre Company (LiFT) in 2022.  Oh, I miss summer Shakespeare!

I’ll wave my magic want and bring Shakespeare back!

Here is another summer memory:  Ilion Little Theatre (ILT) at the DooDah Parade in 2018.  ILT has not participated in recent years, which I find disappointing.  Perhaps I can be a mover and shaker in getting us involved next year.  Come to think of it, moving and shaking might help alleviate depression.

I love the photobomb!

I guess this turns out to be a theatre-themed post.  What a surprise, since Drama is my Life (said with a dramatic gesture)!  This, regular readers may recognize (if I still have any), is a shot from Four Old Broads on the High Seas, the play I was in with Players of Utica in July.  You know, thinking of my theatre friends makes me feel a little better.

So this is my silly post, so I can still say I am a blogger.  Will I ever be able to say I am a daily blogger again?  For the answer to that and other burning questions (actually some of my questions are only lukewarm), stay tuned to Mohawk Valley Girl!

 

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I Do Do a Blog Post

Posted on August 14, 2025 by mohawkvalleygirl

Well, this is embarrassing.  I last posted on Sunday, and today is Thursday.  I just didn’t do it.  The opposite of Nike’s famous slogan?  Never mind.  The point is, I felt I couldn’t just quietly start over again with a normal post but wanted to post a kind of I’m sorry for being such a schlub then try to follow up later today with a “real” post.

The winter of my discontent?

I’m calling this a Non-Sequitur Thursday so looked in my Media Library for an unrelated photo.  My deck sure doesn’t look like this these days.  For one reason, it is covered with junk, most of which actually could belong there if I cleaned it up and arranged it in a pleasing fashion.  And of course there is no snow; I suppose if I did not mention that somebody would chime in in a didactic fashion pointing it out (you know who you are).   Will this post be a lament of Things Not Done This Summer?  SAY IT AIN’T SO!!!

“After all, somebody has to clap as I walk by.”

Just to remind myself I did so do stuff this summer, I share one of my favorite rehearsal shots from Four Old Broads on the High Seas, the play I was in at Players of Utica (perhaps you read a few of my blog posts about it).  The fact is, we never do all that we plan or want to.  The point is to enjoy what we do do (teehee: I said doodoo).

And another picture of me!

I know: the picture of plastic poo would have been a good one to share at this point, but I did not feel like searching for it.  Instead I share this fun picture of me before the Pride Stride 5K in Little Falls in June.  I later gave the skirt and wings to my great-niece Evie.  They didn’t really fit me, although I stretched a point for the sake of being a well-dressed runner (see what I did there).

Ooh, look at me, over 300 words.  I have got my blogging mojo back!  All I need is a headline and I am on my way!  That is, my way to more Mohawk Valley Adventures to blog about.  And maybe to clean off my deck.

 

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Late Post Performance Post

Posted on July 28, 2025 by mohawkvalleygirl

I suppose some of you thought (if you bother to think about this blog at all, which I do not flatter myself that many do) that yesterday would be the last I blog about Four Broads on the High Seas (you know, that play at Players of Utica I was in). Um, well, no.  It is Monday morning, not very early (for me), and I decided to blog (silly verb) a little about Post Play Letdown.

Who couldn’t feel a little let down after this?

I throw in one of my favorite rehearsal pictures to pep things up.  I am clearly not feeling very peppy but shall not let that stop me. Perhaps the coffee will kick in soon.

Of course it is natural to feel some letdown after big experiences.  It is even more so when the experience has been physically draining.  I had to work hard to keep my energy up for each performance.  The wonderful audience response helped a lot, as did my fellow cast members, who were all on their A game.

Who doesn’t love Liza?

The whole experience has been wonderful for me.  I had my doubts about the script at first, but once we were onstage playing off each other, it became clear that it would be very entertaining.  I was so blessed to work with some very talented people!  More importantly, I made new friends and spent time with a few old friends.  That is what it is all about.  I LOVE community theatre, and the emphasis really is on community.

Me, a new friend, and an old friend!

I don’t know how entertaining this blog post has been, but I did want to express my gratitude.  Another wonderful thing:  My parents and two sisters surprised me by attending the last performance!  They took an adorable selfie, but I can’t figure out how to get pictures from Facebook to WordPress on my Chromebook.

I am feeling less down after typing all this (as Truman Capote famously said, “That’s not writing, that’s typing”), and ready to move on to what is next.  I am hard at work on the next murder mystery, and I have it in mind to write my own silly play about female friends of a certain age.  Something that takes place in the Mohawk Valley, of course!

 

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One More Time Being an Old Broad!

Posted on July 27, 2025 by mohawkvalleygirl

One more verse!

That is a line my character says in Four Old Broads on the High Seas, the play I am in at Players of Utica (perhaps you read some of my blog posts about it).  We have done two performances, which the audiences enjoyed very much.  Today we close with a matinee at two.  I have a bottle of bubbly in the refrigerator backstage so we can toast each other after the show. In fact, it is four bottles, because it is very difficult for me to do anything in a small way (well, my favorite champagne is dry, but some people like sweet, and I got sparkling cider for those who don’t want alcohol, and the fourth bottle just kind of happened) (I could write a whole blog post about how I came to get four bottles).

It looks like we already had some bubbly.

I don’t have any pictures of anyone in the cast having a drink, so I throw in this rehearsal shot of a few of us looking rather merry.  I have mentioned that I do not take good selfies, but this shot (regular readers may recall that I have shared several versions) always seems to come out sweet.  I will credit my fellow cast members with their lovely smiles (I feel I have rather a cheese-eating grin) (only I don’t say “cheese”).

Another selfie that came out well.

This picture never seems to come out with the actual cast member, but I like the version with the understudy a lot.

These three again?

This was right next to the previous shot in my Media Library, so I shared it again.  A little blurry, but you can see the love.

I could go on and on about the cast and crew of this show and how much I love them.  It has been a wonderful experience, even when I have been tired or hot or had a headache.  I feel sure we will give a killer performance today, and the audience will get some good laughs.

One last chance for local readers to see Four Old Broads on the High Seas at Players of Utica, 1108 State St., Utica, NY, today, July 27 at 2 p.m. (doors open at 1:30).  For more information call 315-724-7624.

 

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The Old Broad Blogs Lame

Posted on July 26, 2025 by mohawkvalleygirl

It is still Friday, that is Lame Post Friday, and I am having a very hard time coming up with anything to say.  It was opening night of Four Old Broads on the High Seas, the play I am in at Players of Utica (perhaps you read some of previous blog posts about it). The performance went pretty well.  The audience laughed a lot.  Is there much more to say about it?

Three out of Four Broads surveyed said we rock!

This is a previously used photo.  I think technically I am supposed to delete all the pictures I take during performances, since photography and video recording is prohibited by law.

Here are all four Broads!

I show a photo from an earlier rehearsal, just for the sake of showing all four broads.  Joan Crawford was famously insulted at being referred to as an old broad.  That was after the success of Whatever Happened to Baby Jane.  I must admit, it is not my favorite thing to be described as, but one must take the parts one can get in the theatre.

A different kind of an old broad, perhaps.

This is a picture of me in my last stage appearance, at Ilion Little Theatre in Prescription: Murder.  I guess I was an old broad then too, but nobody referred to me as such.  However, my husband was anxious to trade me in for a younger model. I find that even more insulting than being referred to as an old broad, quite frankly.

I forgot where I was going with this post.  Nowhere in particular, I suppose, because it is Lame Post Friday. The important thing (to me, at any rate) is that I am over 250 words.  Score!  I have blogged another day.  Once again, I thank you for tuning in.

 

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These Old Broads are Ready for Broadway!

Posted on July 23, 2025 by mohawkvalleygirl

One more rehearsal till opening night! That is of Four Old Broads on the High Seas at Players of Utica.  Rehearsal last night went not too bad.  We are having fun, and I think the audience will have fun too, and that is the whole point, yes?  Yes.

Beatrice is telling us what’s what. She’s like that.

Most of the pictures I take while I am on stage do not come out very well, but regular readers know how Waste Not Want Not I am.

One of the more successful photo bombs.

This selfie almost always comes out pretty good.  The other selfies I take not so much.  But one must persevere.

Miss Tequila Mockingbird at Miss Dolly Parton!

I have not said much about the plot of the play, or our characters other than that four of us are old broads and one is a drag queen.  Well, I don’t like to give anything away.  I say, let it all unfold for the audience.  Also, I am tired out with all this rehearsing and being something of an old broad myself (yes, it’s typecasting) (and my character is kind of an idiot, so make of that what you will).  But I must plug my latest theatrical endeavor!

Four Old Broads on the High Seas will be presented Friday through Sunday, July 25 through 27, 7:30 p.m. Friday, 2 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, at Players of Utica, 1108 State St., Utica, NY.  All tickets are $15. For more information call 315-724-7624.

 

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Who Doesn’t Love a Post Rehearsal Post?

Posted on July 18, 2025 by mohawkvalleygirl

Last night I got home from rehearsal very tired, poured myself a martini (gin, dirty, four olives, if you want the visual) and thought to do a Post-Rehearsal Post.  I even transferred three pictures from my old smart phone (which I previously explained is my character’s prop) for the purpose.  Alas, to no avail.  I was just too tired.  But here I am Friday morning, determined to remedy the omission.  Once again, the play I am in is Four Old Broads on the High Seas at Players of Utica.

Tah-dah!

This is three of the four Broads boarding the ship (I am, as you may remember, the fourth).  I have some other shots that would be good if only I knew how to crop a photo.

Is it me or are the shadows on my chin little weird?

I never have been able to take a decent selfie.  This is me and the Captain, after I have pointed out to him that I am a “real beauty queen.”  Yes, that is my own personal tiara.  I take this selfie every night, but it rarely turns out usable.

Who doesn’t love Dolly?

Who doesn’t love a porter in drag?  Steven/Miss Tequila Mockingbird is one of the most delightful characters in the play.  Really, the whole cast is delightful to work with, as is the crew.  I am having a marvelous time; it is well worth being tired!

Once again, Four Old Broads on the High Seas will be presented at Players of Utica, 1108 State St., Utica, NY, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, July 25 through 27, 7:30 p.m. Friday, 2 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.  For more information call 315-7247624.

 

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The Old Broad Is Still On Stage!

Posted on July 16, 2025 by mohawkvalleygirl

This blog may become All Four Old Broads All The Time for the next week and a half.  Six more rehearsals remain for Four Old Broads on the High Seas, the play I am in at Players of Utica. If you readmy previous blog posts about it, you may recall that my character takes a lot of pictures during the course of the play, using a flash (it is a recurring joke in the script that people keep squinting).  I use an old smart phone (much smarter than I am, I fear) and am able to use some of said pictures here.

Three out of four Broads surveyed said this is a fun play!

Unfortunately, most of the pictures do not come out all that well.  Additionally, a lot of the ones that do come out are remarkably similar. However, I find them fun and intend to use them.

Check out my crown and sash!

Oh dear, we are completely blocking the third character in the shot!  You can only see her blue hat.  Never mind; I will get other pictures of her later.

From when we were still on book.

I do not have any scenes with these two characters but took this shot during  an early rehearsal.  Now I am backstage all through the show, worrying about costume changes.  Wait till you get a load of me in my Playboy Bunny outfit!

Four Old Broads on the High Seas will be presented at Players of Utica, 1108 State St., Utica, NY, Friday July 25 at 7:30 p.m., and Saturday and Sunday July 26 and 27 at 2 p.m.  All seats are $15.  For more information call 315-724-7624.

 

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I Practice Being an Old Broad

Posted on July 10, 2025 by mohawkvalleygirl

Hello and welcome to a Post Rehearsal Post.  The rehearsal was for Four Old Broads on the High Seas, the play I am in a Players of Utica (perhaps you read some of my other blog posts about it).  I may have mentioned that my character keeps taking pictures, and that is where I got the shots for today’s blog post.  It is a less than ideal way to get pictures for a post, but one does what one can (one being me).

The other three broads.

This is an early scene.  As you see, two of the women are in partial costume.

Look how happy we are!

This is one of my favorite shots, and it has come out at more than one rehearsal.  This was last night’s rehearsal.

Check out my tiara!

And this was tonight’s rehearsal.  The lady in the blue had looks more like a photo bomber in this one.  I get to wear the tiara through the whole play.  My character recently won the Miss Magnolia Senior Citizen Pageant, and she is very proud of the fact.  I personally enjoy wearing a tiara at almost any excuse.

Four Old Broads on the High Seas will be presented July 25 at 7 p.m., and  July 26 and 27 at 2 p.m. at Players of Utica, 1108 State St., Utica, NY.  Tickets are $15 and are available at www.playersofutica.org/order-tickets.

 

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