Saturday, February 28, 2004
More Feedback on "Candide"...Consensus? It's a Hit!!
We have a couple more reviews to report, and the consensus is definitely that this is a great opportunity to see a rarely-produced show done exceedingly well.Now, there are some cast members who read this blog, and to protect the sensibilities of those who don't like to see reviews, positive or negative, while a show is running, I will provide you links to these 2 reviews:
The first is from the Alameda Times-Star, which proclaims "Candide" to be "another winner" from Foothill Music Theatre.
The second is really a mini-review from Saratoga Drama Group's Tales & Tidbits newsletter, written by C. Michael Traw. Just a blurb, but a nice one.
Enjoy.
Thursday, February 26, 2004
Weekend #2 Starts Tonight
The cast and crew have had a much-needed 3-day break. And tonight they dive back into "Candide" refreshed and refueled. Some people would vouch for Weekend #2 as a great time to go to any show. You know, nerves have settled down, but no one has had a chance to get TOOOO comfortable. Of course, when you only have 4 weekends total, it's not like anyone gets the chance to get tired of the show.True to form, ticket sales are picking up. This Sunday is pretty much sold out, and Saturday night is getting nearly full too. And this is before any fabulous reviews (except my blog review of course) even come out.
So, let's recap one more time the schedule:
This weekend: Thursday 2/26 through Saturday 2/28 evenings at 8pm; Sunday 2/29 at 2pm
Next weekend: Ditto for March 4th-7th
Closing weekend: Ditto for March 11th-14th, with an added Saturday matinee at 2pm March 13th.
You can call the box office for more info a 650-949-7360.
But you only get the $3 per ticket discount if you access the online box office via the link in the sidebar of this blog.
See you there!
Feedback Always Welcome
Okay, BlogReaders-How can we make this blog (and future blogs) more entertaining and interesting to you?The show is open; there are only a few short weeks left. And at some point we'll be signing off from the "Candide" blog. What part of the blog was your favorite?
Did you like meeting the cast and crew members? Did you like the overheard snippets from rehearsals? Did you like being bugged, sorry, reminded, to go buy your tickets?
You can feedback in 2 ways. You can email me directly using the link in the sidebar of the blog. Or you can use the Comments section for this entry.
Either way, we'd love to know how to make future blogs as entertaining and readable as possible.
I Love To Be Agreed With!
So I received this email, and it is brief, to the point, but all you need to know:"I know I'm prejudiced -- with friends in the cast and already being very fond of this show -- but I thoroughly enjoyed Sunday's performance. And I agree 100% with your Top 5!"
Why, thank you.
I do have to point out though that I did this reviewer an editorial favor, as his actual email said he had "fiends" in the cast!!!
That made me laugh out loud!
The Gypsy Robe: A Time-Honored & Little-Known Theatrical Tradition
If you read the comment entered to my Top 5 Reasons to See "Candide" blog entry, you'll see that someone let us know who won the Gypsy Robe on Opening Night.It occurred to me that this may not be a term with which all of our blog readers are familiar. Allow me to explain.
At some point in our theatrical history, men and women of the Broadway chorus lines began being called "gypsies". This was not just due to the fact that these performers traveled from Broadway chorus to Broadway chorus, but also because they traveled from Broadway chorus to touring show to summer stock to regional theatre. They go, as actors go today, wherever the work is, because it's the only life they know...and the only life they want.
The Gypsy Robe tradition dates back to 1950. A chorus boy in the cast of 'Gentlemen Prefer Blondes', persuaded a chorus girl to let him have her dressing gown. As a lark, he sent it to a friend on opening night of 'Call Me Madam', telling him it had been worn by all the Ziegfeld beauties. The friend added a rose from Ethel Merman's gown and sent it to a chorus member on the next opening night. It was then passed from show to show in a haphazard way and was often presented to a friend of the previous recipient, or awarded to a chorus member based on popularity.
So two aspects of the tradition were born early: passing it from show to show on each successive Broadway opening, and adorning the robe with some symbol or souvenir from the show.
Eventually the Gypsy Robe ritual became codified, and actual rules were created. The Broadway Gypsy Robe rules can be found at the web site of Actor's Equity, the professional stage actor's union.
Foothill adopted its own Gypsy Robe tradition many years ago, and it follows many of the same rules as the Broadway version.
The recipient can only be a member of the ensemble in a show that actually has an ensemble. The recipient is someone who went above and beyond the call of duty, contributing whether onstage or offstage to the show. Sometimes it's an inspirational, morale-building sort of contribution, sometimes it's a volunteering-for-the-tasks-no-one-else-wants-to-do sort of person. It's always someone the rest of the cast and production crew appreciates and admires.
The prior recipient is invited to attend Opening Night and present the Robe to the next recipient. The recipient circles the stage three times for luck, and then every cast member embraces the recipient, also for luck. (In case you haven't figured it out by now...theatre-folk...a wee bit superstitious.)
Each recipient adds something to the robe, and it is great fun to see what folks come up with. There have been some recipients who are talented with sewing or embroidery, but for those who aren't, it is admirable how seriously they take the task, and how creatively they manage to adorn the Robe, despite a lack of skills in that area.
The Gypsy Robe recipient for "Candide" is Robyn Winslow, ensemble-member extraordinaire (and one of the those sheep i loved so much!)
Congratulations Robyn!
