Tag Archives: Rubbed Out at Ruby’s

Throwing All the Way Back to the 1920s!

Well, I guess I am back to making late blog posts, because I did not make a post on Thursday, and here I am early(ish) Friday morning, thinking I can get away with a Throwback Thursday post. Or perhaps Non-Sequitur Thursday.  The possibilities are almost endless.

We thought we were hot. OK, KIm was (is) hot.

This was back in 2017, when my friend Kim and I got dolled up and went to a Prohibition Party at Gerber’s 1933 Tavern in Utica.  I saw on Facebook that today they are doing a Meet the Artist with RC Oster tonight.  I actually met RC Oster at Mohawk Valley Center for the Arts once.  I LOVE his artwork!  Will I take a drive to Utica to meet him again?  It’s difficult to say what I will do on any given Friday.

There’s a couple of cheese-eating grins!

Here is me all 1920’d up again at a fundraiser for the Landmarks Society of Greater Utica.  The gentleman, whose name escapes me, is one of the movers and shakers behind the Society, I think.  Hey, this was 2019.  You can’t expect me to remember things perfectly from the last decade.  At least, I guess you could expect me to, but you would be doomed to disappointment.

Another time I thought I was pretty hot.

I guess I had to do it: share this picture of me showing off a little leg.  The setting is another fundraiser for the Landmarks Society, and the costume is the one I wore as Ruby Van Rensselaer in my murder mystery Rubbed Out at Ruby’s.  One of the cast members keeps saying we ought to revive that one.  It might be fun.

I feel this has been an unusual post in that I am in all the pictures that I shared.  I am usually not so vain.  At least, I suppose I am vain, but I don’t have so many pictures of myself that I like.  I am more apt to look at pictures of me and say, “Damn, I’m not nearly as cute as I thought I was.”

In any case, I am over 350 words.  Score! Will I make a Lame Post Friday post later today?  As I said earlier, it is difficult to know what I may do on any given Friday.

 

I’m a Drama Queen on Slacker Saturday

Hello and welcome to a Slacker Saturday Post.  It is not that I have entirely slacked my Saturday away (these judgments are always subjective anyways), but I am pretty much going to slack my blog post.  Here’s a Freudian typo:  first I put “alack” instead of “slack.”  Wrist to Forehead Saturday?  I suppose so.  What do you want from a drama queen such as myself?

I’m everything a big bad wolf could want.

I was looking for a dramatic pose of me but decided to settle for a little bit of leg. This is my Ruby Van Rensselaer costume from Rubbed Out At Ruby’s, a murder mystery set in the 1920s.  I was rather pleased with that script.

I haven’t gotten a pumpkin yet this year.

I veer into a more seasonal picture with a shot from Pumpkin Junction in Sauquoit, NY, one of several autumn destinations I have not yet visited.  The list includes Cullen Pumpkin Farm and Dyn’s Cider Mill, among others.  Will I make it to any of them?  A little uncertainty adds suspense to my fall.

Here are some REAL drama queens!

I close with a real drama queen picture:  Fabulous and Fatal, a murder mystery involving a group calling ourselves Drama Queens Along the Mohawk.  That was another script I felt rather pleased with myself about.

And now I have blathered on for over 200 words, so I shall call it a blog post and drive on.  As always, I thank you for tuning in.

 

Slacker, Sick, and No Longer Saturday

Hello and welcome to my late Slacker Saturday post.  It is late morning Sunday; I slept in.  I was having the most fun dreams!  Then I dreamed I was trying to write them out, like a novel that might become a weekly series. But that is not what I meant to write this blog post about.  The fact is, I think I am coming down with something, or else my allergies are reaching dreadful proportions,

Random picture to denote passage of time while I get more coffee.

Last night we had our performance of Curtains for Frangelica, the murder mystery to benefit the Herkimer County Historical Society.  We had a small but fun crowd, and enjoyed a delicious dinner.  In fact, I ate too much, but you’ll have that.  Earlier in the evening, I felt a little icky, but blamed it on my allergies.  I may still blame it on my allergies, although it may be emotional, as I warded off a panic attack at one point with some deep breathing.  Oh dear, how self-dramatizing I am.

Then again, drama is my life!

That is the cast for Rubbed Out at Ruby’s, a murder mystery I often bring up in this blog.  For one reason, I have some great pictures of it.  For another reason, I would like to revive it one day, perhaps with a few modifications, since I probably will not be able to find the original script.

It seems I have skipped around this morning (in the blog, that is; I am not up for that much movement right now), which is not surprising, since my head is doing a little spinning.  I guess I’ll call it a Blogger’s Sick Day and drive on.  Will I manage to make my Wrist to Forehead Sunday post on Sunday?  A little uncertainty adds interest to my day.

 

I Just Can’t Wait to Kill Frangelica!

I neglected to make my Monstrous Monday blog post, if anybody was watching (or do I flatter myself?).  I had meant to do it early this morning (Tuesday).  Alas, I lacked the oomph.  Right now I lack the oomph to do much of anything, so I thought maybe I could do a blog post.  I could do a Pre-Rehearsal and a Post-Rehearsal Post, making up for Monday and taking care of Tuesday.  I suppose it won’t be monstrous this way, but I think that will be all right.

A rather unsavory bunch.

This is from a long ago murder mystery, Rubbed Out at Ruby’s in 2017.  Actually I talked to a cast member recently who is interesting in reviving it.  I don’t know if I can find the script, but that may not matter.  It was a full house murder mystery so was more improvised than our normal dinner theatre plays.

Another great cast.

I’m sure I have shared this picture numerous times.  It is from A G.R.A.V.E. Murder, also in 2017.  That was a fun one, with a Halloweeenish theme involving ghost hunters.

I think I just figured out how to download pictures on my Chromebook!

Here is the flier for our current murder, Curtains for Frangelica.  I suppose I had better get back to studying my lines now.

 

It’s a Mystery

OK, we’re going to call Wednesday a true blogger’s sick day.  I came home from work early but even after a nap felt unable to make Wednesday’s post, even a Wuss-Out Wednesday.  Thursday morning, I thought to make Wednesday’s post, felt truly awful, called in sick, did not make the post.  Judge me if you are so inclined.

I apologize for going on about my health issues, but these things do happen, maybe even to you (perhaps not to YOU, you know who you are) (although you might just be lying about it) (never mind all that).  Where was I?  Ah yes, trying to do another Post-Rehearsal Post.  Once again I neglected to take pictures.  Perhaps I could re-share pictures from previous murder mysteries and bill this as a Throwback Thursday Post.

Pretty good gams for a woman my age, or do I flatter myself?

OK, this is not a murder mystery per se.  It is me as a character from Rubbed Out at Ruby’s, a murder mystery presented by LiFT, Little Falls Theatre Company in 2017.  We were asked to bring our characters to a Ritz and Ragtime fundraiser at a Rutgers Mansion for the Landmarks Society of Greater Utica.

Here is the entire cast.

At a recent event at The Renaissance Pub in Little Falls, NY, I ran into a cast member of this mystery, and she was interested in reviving the show, if we could find a suitable venue.  Who me, want to portray a rich lush in a 1920’s speakeasy?  Yes, please!

A totally different mystery.

Just to avoid making this an All Ruby post, I add a picture from A G.R.A.V.E. Mystery, presented in October 2017.  One of the suspects from that mystery is again a suspect.  I often work with the same people, because they are just so good to work with.

So I end on a positive note, feeling happy with my cast members.  I hope to give more information about Curtains for Frangelica, but for now, I am merely pleased that I am over 300 words.  Still feeling a little icky but hopeful for tomorrow.  Once again, I thank you for tuning in.

 

I Like LiFT

Another day, another late blog post, and I am tired.  This is getting to be a theme with me.  I guess I need to get more exercise and eat more vegetables.  Anyways, it is early Friday morning and I am going to try for a late Throwback Thursday post.  I can only hope the coffee kicks in as I scroll my Media Library.

It was a dramatic moment.

My favorite kind of throwback is theatre throwback.  This is from Much Ado About Nothing, the first Shakespeare play I was in with LiFT, Little Falls Theatre Company.  They have once again not done summer Shakespeare for a couple of years. Perhaps I can help get something going for 2025.

I always hang out with suspicious-looking people.

Here is another project with LiFT, Rubbed Out at Ruby’s, an interactive movie mystery set in a 1920’s speakeasy.  I was Ruby, and that may or may not have been coffee I was drinking earlier.

I miss rehearsals!

Here is a rehearsal shot from The Tempest, another LiFT production.

This was a fun one.

I had to search for this one.  It is Donate to Murder, a murder mystery LiFT put on to benefit Herkimer Elks back in 2018.  As we rehearse there for other mysteries, I have talked to the Elks about doing another, but we haven’t nailed down any particulars.  I hear Little Falls Elks would like a murder mystery.  I do like doing murder mysteries.

As I type this, I am on a temporary hiatus from theatre.  I need to finish writing one for Herkimer County Historical Society.  I also need to get my house clean, get my bills paid,  finish the yard and deck work my Mom and sister got such a good start on, answer a couple of letters, oh, and return an overdue library book.  I have left a couple of things out, but I see I am over 300 words.  At least I have made Thursday’s blog post!

 

I Say Better Lame Than Never

I just remembered again that I have not yet made my Lame Post Friday Post.  Can I do it now?  It is at least prior to lunch time on Saturday (which reminds me that I am hungry!).  But what can I blog about?  All week all I have been doing is babbling on, with a few illustrations.  I do not know how much longer I can get away with that, but I hope for one more post at least.

Spoiler alert: It really didn’t, although it tried,.

Since I like to have a Monster Movie Matinee on, well, almost any day of the week, I thought I would share a cheesy poster from a cheesy favorite.  Unfortunately, I think I only have this one on VHS, picked up at a rummage sale (I love rummage sales, as regular readers know).  Yes, yes, it is not Monstrous Monday or even a day for Mid-week Monsters.  But I love monsters every day!

Alas, poor Benny!

I switch to a Mohawk Valley Adventure, with a murder mystery that LiFT, Little Falls Theatre Company, did at the Overlook Mansion (when it was still a B&B) in 2017.  Rubbed Out at Rubies, where we were concerned with the murder of Bennie the Bootlegger and possibly of Ruby VanRenssalaer.   I do love doing murder mysteries.

Is a trip here in my future?

The other thing I love is patronizing local businesses, such as Ruggiero’s in Little Falls, NY.  There are several good eateries and watering holes I like to go to on a Saturday.  Will I make it to any today?  A little uncertainty adds interest to my Saturday.

In the meantime, I have gotten over 250 words.  Score!  I hope you all had a lovely Friday and I wish you an even better Saturday.

 

Who Got Rubbed Out?

Hello, and welcome to another Throwback Thursday Post.  What will I throw back to this week?  No doubt something I have thrown back to before, but you’ll have that.

Would you trust her?

This is my friend Laura as the vampish Zelda Helsinki in Rubbed Out at Ruby’s,  one of my favorite murder mysteries.  I think I need to do another 1920’s one.  The clothes are so fun!

They all look like murderers to me!

Here is the whole cast, including my late, dearly missed husband Steve (in the back, third from the right) (oh, I guess he’s third from the left, too).  They were all great people to work with.

They might be holding me up, but you can’t prove that at this late date.

I might as well make it a Ruby trifecta.  Here I am, in red, between two Kims.

The chalk outline looks like he’s dancing.

It seems I do not have a whole lot to say, so I put in another cast photo.

Wait a minute! She wasn’t in the cast!

This is the picture I had meant to open with, because I have spent the last few days sweltering, as have many people.  I think my brain got steamed, which could explain my inability to think of much to say.  However, I see I am over 200 words.  Score!  Stay hydrated, everyone!

 

Here I Am In Costume

Time for a fast Throwback Thursday Post, and I don’t care if I throw back to something I have thrown back to before.  Many of us repeat ourselves, after all.  I just watched an episode of Dateline I had seen before, only I did not remember all the details.  I watched it in lieu of a re-run of Mom I had seen and did remember all the details.  That’s neither here nor there (I love that expression; I could not say exactly what it means).  On with the blog post.

I was so dramatic!

Here is a great theatre memory: Shakespeare’s The Tempest, performed by LiFT, Little Falls Theatre Company in August 2017.  I’m the one in the orange tights.  I loved that costume, although it did get a little warm for the time of year.

I felt pretty hot, in a good way, but perhaps I flatter myself.

Speaking of me in costume, here I am in my Ruby outfit from Rubbed Out at Ruby’s,  one of my interactive murder mysteries.  This picture was taken at a fundraiser for the Landmarks Society of Greater Utica.  By the way, it is not so easy to get a flask to stay in one of those garters.

Aren’t we a cute couple?

And here I am in what is perhaps my most fabulous costume, as Roxanne Rolls in Fabulous and Fatal, another murder mystery.  The beauty in orange is my husband, Steven, as Ophelia Upps, which I think is one of the best names I have ever come up with (although it is possible that once again I flatter myself).

I do love revisiting my theatre memories.  I hope I can soon get around to making new ones.  I’ll be sure to blog about it when I do.

 

Still Sharing Shakespeare?

I am still very tired.  Could I be getting old?  SAY IT AIN’T SO!!!  Is it Post-Play Letdown?   Does it now take me longer to recover from things?  Was it really so taxing to be in a mere play, for heavens’ sakes?  Or is something else at work?

I do not feel like analyzing things and am too tired to do it properly anyways.  I prefer to make a Throwback Thursday Post, even though I will no doubt share pictures I have thrown back to before.  Double throwback?  Maybe even triple or more.  Never mind, just share a picture.

I totally told them.

That’s me in yellow tights, acting up a storm in The Tempest in 2017, the last time LiFT, Little Falls Theatre Company did Shakespeare (before we did Love’s Labour’s Lost  this year, of course).  Oh, you thought All Love’s Labour’s Lost All The Time was over? I guess not.

The whole bunch looks suspicious to me.

Here is a non-Shakespeare but still LiFT throwback, Rubbed Out at Ruby’s, an interactive murder mystery which I just happened to write.  Of course it was the talent and input of the cast that made it so memorable.  Theatre is a collaborative art, after all.

Does this look familiar?

OK, this is only throwing back to last weekend, but Love’s Labour’s Lost is still on my mind.

Thank you once again for tuning in.  As always, I will try for a better blog post tomorrow, but no promises.  After all, it will be Lame Post Friday.