Tag Archives: theatre

These Old Broads are Ready for Broadway!

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.

 

Who Doesn’t Love a Post Rehearsal Post?

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.

 

The Old Broad Is Still On Stage!

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.

 

I Practice Being an Old Broad

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.

 

Tequila Blog Post

Technically, one is not supposed to plan to have a Non-Sequitur Thursday post.  One begins typing and ends up with one.  One being me, of course. I do not know of any other bloggers who have Non-Sequitur Thursday posts.  I made it up myself, but there are other things I made up that other people have thought of too.  For example, Tequila Mockingbird.  For a long time I tried to come up with a cocktail called a Tequila Mockingbird.  I wanted it to be dark in color and include tequila.  Finally I settled on black coffee and tequila.  I found it quite tasty.

Flash forward to 2025 and I am in a play called Four Old Broads on the High Seas at Players of Utica.  One of the characters is a drag performer whose lady name is Miss Tequila Mockingbird.  It is a great character, and the actor doing the part is having a great deal of fun with it.

Must get an un-blurry photo of Miss Tequila Mockingbird.

I actually have other pictures of Miss Tequila Mockingbird, but they are in  a smart phone I forgot to charge, and it takes a long time to get charged enough to use.  We’ll call it a preview of coming attractions.

Well that makes another shout-out to the play I am in at least.  Performance dates are July 25, 26, and 27 at 1108 State St., Utica, NY.  For more information call 315-724-7624.

 

Picture Me in a Play!

In the play I am in at Players of Utica, Four Broads on the High Seas, my character keeps snapping pictures, much to the annoyance of the other characters.  The beauty part of that is, I get some pictures I can use in a blog post.  Sometimes I also take a picture when I am not on stage, like this one of our esteemed director:

Doesn’t she look nice?

I take a couple of ussies in the course of the play, some of which definitely turn out better than others.  I delete the bad ones, but I will share some of the good ones.

A little blurry, but we’re all smiling!

I loved this shot, because I went to take a picture of me and the fabulous fellow, and my friend jumped right in.  It was a great character thing to do.

Another smiling trio!

The one in the middle is actually a stage crew member who was standing in for a cast member who is on vacation.  She is a young chick that actually did a great job of playing an old broad.  I got her permission to use this picture in the blog post, because I thought it was a good one.

I haven’t said much about the plot of the play, but then I don’t want to spoil anything for local readers.  I’m afraid this blog may become All Old Broads All The Time, but you’ll have that.  As always, I hope you’ll stay tuned.

 

Saw One Play, Rehearsing Another

Sunday afternoon I went to the closing performance of Getting Sarah Married, the last production of Ilion Little Theatre’s 2024-25 season.  I had a feeling I should have gone the first weekend; then I could have made a post encouraging local readers to go.  As it is, now I can only say, it was a very funny performance.  I congratulate all involved.  Alas that I do not have any pictures of it.  I ought to at least have a picture of Ilion Little Theatre in my Media Library, but I do not think I do.

It’s complicated.

I got on my Tablet and found this rehearsal shot shared by a cast member and stole it.  It includes all but two of the cast, and I think it shows something of the chaotic nature of the plot.

Today I have other theatre things on my mind.  I have to study my lines for Four Old Broads in the High Seas, a play I am in a Players of Utica.  Yes, I am one of the old broads, the one that is (a quote from the script) “dumb as a box of rocks.”  Yes, it is type casting.  It is an extremely silly script, but I imagine it will get a lot of laughs.

Me, doing my stuff.

The director shared this rehearsal shot on one of my Facebook posts.  I asked for silly photos to cheer me up.  Who, me, be silly?  SAY IT AIN’T SO!

Four Old Broads on the High Seas will be presented at Players of Utica, 1108 State St., Utica NY, July 25, 26, and 27, all seats $15.  For more information you can visit playersofutica.org

 

Agatha Christie, Can You Help Me Now?

About all I’m up to this evening is a Throwback Thursday post.  Never mind why; explanations are tiresome.  Many of my Throwback Thursdays end up being Theatre Throwbacks, which is not surprising since Drama is my Life (said with a gesture), but I think I will try for something different today.  Let us see what I can find in my Media Library.

Rather a threatening looking book cover, no?

Oh dear, I thought I was throwing back to a favorite book, which this is, but then I realized it is also a treasured theatre memory.  My late husband and I were in the stage version of this mystery at Ilion Little Theatre some years ago.

The movie was different from our play.

This is the movie poster from the DVD I have.  There is at least one other movie version of And Then There Were None that I would also like to have on DVD.  I would also like to direct the play version if Ilion Little Theatre wanted to revive it.  It has been a few years; I wonder if they would.  Perhaps not. They recently presented Mousetrap and plan to do Murder on the Orient Express next spring.

So much for not doing a Theatre Throwback.  On the brighter side, I am over 200 words, and tomorrow is Lame Post Friday.  I hope to see you all then, figuratively speaking.

 

 

It Was a Melting Migraine

I thought I might have a real Wuss-out Wednesday post or maybe a Blogger’s Sick Day, as I spent the day with something of a migraine.  I hasten to add that my migraines are not as bad as what some people suffer, and I appreciate that.  I even made it through rehearsal tonight for the play I haven’t told you about yet (preview of coming attractions).  Now I am at home, still waiting for it to feel cooler inside (it was almost comfortable on my front porch, but I can hardly sleep out there), and wondering if I can get away with a Mid-Week Monsters post (here’s a Freudian typo:  I said Mid-Weed Monsters, as if I paused to make a blog post in the midst of doing lawn and garden work.  Wouldn’t that be ambitious of me?).

I know just how she feels.

Here’s the picture I was looking for yesterday!  It is appropriate on so many levels.  I am complaining about the heat, a wicked witch is a monster, and many people feel that I myself am a witch (they sometimes spell it with a b).

This may be true of a lot of us.

This speaks to my good intentions of doing a better blog post today than yesterday.  Once again I move that ambition on to tomorrow.  On the brighter side, at least I have posted for another day.  Once again, I thank you for tuning in.

 

Too Lame Or Not Too Lame?

It is the day before the Pride Stride 5K in Little Falls, NY, and this blog never became All Pride Stride 5K All The Time.  I have obsessed a little about it in my head, of course.  You’ll have that.  For today, I can talk a little about the run and my preparations for it, but mostly I am making a Lame Post Friday post.  For one reason, I am tired.  I do not know why I am so tired.  I have not done much today.

I took a run.  I decided to go just about half of a 5K.  It went pretty well.  My body did not protest too much.

That just made me flash on “Methinks thou dost protest too much.”  Is that the right quote?  Isn’t it, “Methinks the lady doth protest too much.”  My Complete Works of Shakespeare is under the coffee table (what? where’s yours?).  I wonder if I can find the quote.  It’s from Hamlet, as theatre geeks recognized at once.

Random picture while I see if I can find the quote.

I found it!!!  The Queen says, talking about the play Hamlet has devised, “The lady doth protest too much, methinks.”  I’m glad we got that cleared up.

But is it a mundane post?

This is the picture I flashed on when I first detoured into Hamlet.  The so-called random picture is Weird Al Yankovic and friends as monks in Galavant, a wonderful, tragically short-lived musical TV series.  It actually does relate, because I played a monk in my first Shakespeare play with LiFT, Little Falls Theatre Company, Much Ado About Nothing.

So I haven’t talked too much about the 5K, have I?  No matter.  It would only make me more nervous.