I was once in a production of Fiddler on the Roof that was just the most amazing cluster-fuck you could imagine. I was playing Yente (for the second time). I was joining the production late because they had lost their Yente (how careless of them) and needed a new one. It was only the second…
At the tippy top of the State of Nevada is the gambling outpost of Jackpot, Nevada. It is one of the cheeks in the butt end of nowhere. I could have lived my life happily, never hearing of Jackpot, except I was touring with the long-running (decades) Vegas style revue, Bottom’s Up. One nice thing…
When I was first approached about being in Bottom’s Up (the long running Vegas style revue), I was told that I would be the “fat girl” in the show; and asked if that would be a problem. Nope. No problem. I’m fat and female. Qualifications met. But when I joined the group, I was given…
So, back in 1992, I joined the cast of Bottom’s Up – a long running Las Vegas-style revue. I had always wanted to earn my living performing, and here was my chance. I won’t lie. It was scary. Okay, it was fucking terrifying. But I knew that if I didn’t try it, I would always…
When I was living in LA, I was a founding member of a singing group – The Hot Cross Nuns. I was singing with the MCCV (Metropolitan Community Church of the Valley), and every year they put on a variety show. Being a gay church in LA (okay, Burbank), you know the show was always…
I know many costumers swear by Velcro. And, indeed, it is a blessing when it comes to quick changes. HOWEVER, Velcro has a bad habit of coming undone at inopportune moments. This is the voice of experience. Using Velcro to secure the closing of a garment at the waist is generally not a great idea.…
Am I a method actor? Fuck no. I mostly do musical comedy. I contend there is no basis in reality in musical comedy. That doesn’t mean that I don’t try to make my performance “real” on some level. My very first musical was The Bashful Prince, an original musical by Robert Peeples (? My SEP…
Back in my high school days (lo these many many years ago), in summer we had something called the Summer Enrichment Program (SEP). SEP was kind of summer school – but made fun. For someone like me, who loved school, it was a little piece of heaven. I also loved it because they did two…
Does anybody remember Lee Press-on Nails? Are they still a thing? These were chunks of colored plastic you stuck onto your fingernails with double-sided tape. This was back in the day before you could get a beautiful set of acrylic nails at six different places on each block. Back then, your basic choices were grow…
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…
Thoughts from a Fat Old Lady 