Sadly, Bottom’s Up is no more, but it was a Las Vegas-style revue that ran for over 40 years.  It was the creation of Breck Wall.  Here is some background on Breck and the show:

Breck Wall

So how did I end up touring with Bottom’s Up for 8 months in 1992?

It starts with me participating in a workshop revue of a show called Broadway Sing’s Out at a Unitarian Church.

A few years later, the show got picked up, and revamped by friends of mine, Pamela Hall (Director) and Edmund Gaynes (Producer).  I ended up performing in that production long enough for it to go Equity (under new 99-seat theater rules, because some idiot thinks that producers are getting rich off of 99-seat theater productions – to which I say, HA!).

Meanwhile, Pam and Ed launched another show, Crazy Words, Crazy Tunes.  They needed someone to come and take over the role of the narrator when Mary Gillis had to leave to go workshop Nunsense II.

And I got offered the role.

Which I took.

The pianist (I think it was Gene Casey, but way not sure) for Crazy Words, Crazy Tunes was friends with Breck Wall.

He asked me if I would be interested in being in Bottom’s Up because his friend Breck Wall needed a singer/comedienne.

He warned me the part was the “Fat Girl” in the show.

I told him, since I was indeed fat and a girl, I had no problem with that.

(Sounded like perfect casting to me.)

So the pianist contacted Breck, who contacted me.

Breck asked me to come out to Vegas to meet him and audition.

So I went to Vegas.  (My first time ever.)

And I met Breck wall, who took me to see a show at the Rio, and we did the buffet (no waiting in lines for Breck – everyone knew him).

And then we went back to his house.

At the time, Breck had a cute ginger-colored toy poodle.

The dog came out to greet us (well, I’m sure he came out to see Breck) and I said:

“Hey there punkin.  Aren’t you adorable?”

Or words to that effect.

Breck, stopped and looked at me and asked why I had called the dog “Punkin”?

I said I didn’t know (although I could have told him, it was a term of endearment I had picked up from my Grandma Harris).

Turns out that was Breck’s pet-name for his pet.

And I was hired.

Yup.  All of that came down to me accidentally calling an orange dog “Punkin”.

And that’s life in the theater baby.