Talkin' (literally) 'Bout My Generation

Those of you who know me know that I do theatre.

Me, Red, and Marcus.  Photo by Wade Tillotson.

Those of you who know me well know that I just closed a show, My Generation.

Suzy and the mourners.  Photo by Wade Tillotson.

I was lucky enough to be a part of this original musical formed around the music of the '60s.

Reasons why this show was a blast:

1.  The people.  The cast and crew were made up entirely of awesome people.  Fun people, smart people, dedicated people, talented people, funny people.

The cast of My Generation.  Photo by Kevin Harris.

2.  I got to perform with my brother (who, incidentally is fun, smart, dedicated, talented, and funny).  It is one thing to spend time with one's sibling, but to share the stage and work closely on an art form that we're both passionate about is very special.

My brother, Marcus.  He's super talented.  Photo by Wade Tillotson

3. The music.  Simply put: it's good stuff.  I got to sing "It Ain't Me, Babe," "Feelin' Good," "Respect," and the show also included songs by Simon and Garfunkel, The Rolling Stones, The Beatles, David Bowie, Janis Joplin, Elvis, The Beach Boys, The Byrds, Louis Armstrong...

Me about to sing "Respect."  How fierce are my backup girls?  Photo by Wade Tillotson.

4.  The band.  It's not that often that I get to sing with a live band, and it is so fun.

5.  My character.  While not the strongest show I've ever worked on, script-wise and story-wise, I really enjoyed digging into a character with such an arc.  Amy begins as a pregnant 20-something rushed into a marriage and ends as an independent, confident reporter for Rolling Stone.

Giving Travis a well-deserved slap in the face. Photo by Josh Cohen.

6.  The production team.  The whole team was great, and it was a particular pleasure working with the director on this show.  Not only is he all the qualities I listed above, but he really knows what he's doing. He knows what he wants to see happen onstage and knows how to communicate that to the actors.  It's as simple as that, and it makes all the difference.

Bob, Suzy, Marcus, Red, and Me.  Being silly.  Photo by Wade Tillotson.

Now that the show is closed and I've had time to reflect, part of me misses it and my theatre peeps and the other part is so relieved to have my life back.  But that's how the theatre world goes: it's cyclical.  There will be a next show.

The cast performing "Sound of Silence."  Photo by Wade Tillotson.

In the meantime, I'm going to clean my house, cook more, sleep more, work more, play more, and catch up on some reading.  And paint Luke's house.