THIS YEAR UNDER THESE ELECTRIC STARS...

Wow, so very much to report! It's been a whirlwind of a week, with a ton of great fixes implemented to the script and score after a visit from our Musical Superman Jesse Vargas (dont get a note wrong though, he'll end you), and then our FIRST STUMBLE THROUGH! It really was magical to see that the show WORKS. And we are in such great shape so early that it makes me wonder what we're gonna have to do during tech, for a show that has no scene or costume changes! There's still much to do of course, but it is comforting to watch every change improve the show, and to feel so ahead of the clock. 

This show is dangerous because it could feel so static to watch four guys just shoot the proverbial $H!+ for an hour and a half, but the boys and Eric are finding so many different ways to explore the potential levels in each moment and song that by the end of the run I felt like I'd watched an entire emotional journey for all four characters. Which is what James and I have always dreamed about.

But no matter how much work gets done, the hilarity never ceases. I dont think I've ever laughed more than I do with (and at) the little theatre fraternity that's being created in our rehearsal room. Even the only girl, our ASM Julie, joins in on the machismo patter with the best of 'em. Don't make fun of her, cuz she'll getcha right back.

Here are a few examples of what we're getting paid to do all day:

Am I inside? Am I outside?

The Brothers Glorymatzov.

Um...IS THAT OUR SET???

YEEEEAAAAAASSSSS!!!!!

And now, a non-verbal skit from us, when we should have been writing...

So, as 2007 comes to a close, we couldn't be more thankful. Our show is getting done by more wonderful, giving, and talented people than we could ever make up, and it's an honor to watch them turn something we kicked around in our living rooms into something real. Makes me pretty darn excited to see what 2008 brings.

Happy Almost New Year!!

Nicko

PS. Check out DCTheatreScene.com's #1 Pick for 2008!!

http://dctheatrescene.com/2007/12/28/2008-wish-list/

IS IT CHRISTMAS!?

The whole weekend seemed to build up to the Christmas vacation. On Friday after rehearsal we joined the Signature Staff for a little holiday fiesta hosted by the lovely ladies in the marketing department (Rachel, Jackie, Megan, and Suzanne.) Here are some pics:

Milky White (star of Signature Theatre's production of Into the Woods) keeping the riff raff out of the festivities.

Check out the Christmas hooch!

The Glory Days boys and some goofy looking guy with a mohawk! Get out of the picture goofy mohawk pixie!

Eric and his singing Christmas tie!

We begin rehearsals again today, after taking Monday and Tuesday off to celebrate Christmas. On Sunday, we showed up to rehearsal and everyone found $10 gift cards to Cap City Brewery (lovingly referred to by Signature regulars as 'The Office') waiting for them. We're still trying to figure out who the mystery Santa is!

But it hasn't been all play and no work. Rehearsals have started off with a bang! Eric has finished staging the first third of the show. It's been very exciting to watch the script on it's feet for the first time. Since the show happens on a football field over the course of one evening, Eric and Matthew have been working very hard to make sure that the show never becomes stagnant. You can see the wheels turning in their heads, but so far they have both done amazing work.

Our musical supervisor, Jesse Vargas, joined us on Sunday to review music with the cast and make sure all the piano arrangements were in good shape. Jesse has been touring with Clay Aiken's Holiday Tour as pianist, conductor, and arranger for the past couple months. He has become an invaluable member of the creative team and it was great to have him in rehearsal.

As promised, Nick and I will be updating this blog with pictures and videos. Here is a video of Andrew and Jesse rehearsing "Other Human Beings" - more like AWESOME human beings!

Love,

James

OFF TO THE RACES!

December 19, 2007

James and I are sitting here in rehearsal making small edits to the script, as Steve and Andrew, our incredible Will and Andy, learn a new version of the song “Things are Different,” which has changed significantly since it was last performed in the workshop, so Steve keeps glaring at me every time he has to learn a new melody. Andrew is new to the show for this production, so he's being a trooper about learning an entire score that the other three guys are pretty familiar with at this point. But with that said, “Things are Different” is certainly a metaphor for this process, which even on our second day of rehearsal, is full of great changes and improvements to the show. And they're much to the credit of our cast, who are bubbling over with ideas about how to make things clearer, funnier, and more honest. It's an honor to have four such talented, professional young guys bringing this to life for the first time. I cant wait till you all get to see what they're capable of. And speaking of capable – we got to see the design presentation yesterday, with a set by the incomparable Jim Kronzer, and costumes by newcomer Sasha Ludwig-Siegel, who at 22, is even younger than us! Hiring her to design the costume for these college freshman is just one example of how smart Eric is being in terms approaching this show – he always has a brave, brilliant idea of how to keep things as authentic as they can be. And thats why we're already making edits – to keep GLORY DAYS from feeling like a presentational “musical comedy,” and to create a new perspective on what musical theatre can be – as Eric says, “a slice of life.” Below are some pictures from our first day, as well as a quick photo shoot that the guys for Virginia Monthly. We're all busy already, and couldn't be more thrilled.

Nick

Music, lyrics and book by James Gardiner?...diva.

Nick making love to the first part of our amazing set...

...which looks like this! And is AMAZING! 484 freakin lights!

The entire costume plot. Man, all those quick changes are gonna suck.

The boys hard at work - from L - Andrew Call (Andy), Jesse JP Johnson (Jack), Adam Halpin (Skip) and Steve Booth (Will)

KEEP MOVING FORWARD...

Well, we begin rehearsals tomorrow morning for GLORY DAYS at the Signature Theatre in Arlington, VA. And we couldn't be more excited. We've got an awesome cast, made up of four terrific young actors: Steven Booth (AVENUE Q), Andrew C. Call (HIGH FIDELITY, ALTAR BOYZ), Adam Halpin (FOREVER PLAID – NSMT & PCLO), and Jesse JP Johnson (ALTAR BOYZ). We've got a great musical supervisor, Jesse Vargas, and musical director, Derek Bowley. A wonderful choreographer… Matthew Gardiner. One of the best directors around, Mr. Eric Schaeffer! And to top it all off, our show is being produced at one of the most exciting and innovative theater companies in the country. We're definitely two very lucky guys!

We have been working on GLORY DAYS for almost four and a half years now. We met Eric while we were both students in Overtures: Signature's Musical Theater Institute in 2004. For whatever reason, we worked up the nerve to ask Eric if he would read the script for a new musical that we were writing, which at the time was titled ASS BACKWARDS. A few weeks after the program ended, we received an e-mail from Eric telling us that he wanted to develop the show with us. Eric took a big risk with two young performers who had never written anything else. To say that we are grateful to Eric for this opportunity is an understatement.

Throughout the process, we plan on keeping this blog up to date with rehearsal reports, etc. We'll update it as often as possible with observations, pictures, and maybe even a video or two. So keep checking back.

- James and Nick