Blog – Page 22 – andrewsellon.com

Next to Normal

Tim and I caught Next to Normal a couple of nights before Alice Ripley left the Broadway cast. Like a lot of people, we were a bit leery of what sounded like some pretty dark subject matter. So we kept putting it off. But we didn’t want to miss it, having heard such good things, and we certainly didn’t want to miss Ms. Ripley. We first saw her perform when she went on in the role of Mrs. Walker the night we saw The Who’s Tommy. We were absolutely blown away by her work, and couldn’t believe she was the understudy. Then came Sideshow, in which she and Emily Skinner were nothing less than magnificent; they were that show, and utterly, utterly believable as the lovesick conjoined twins Daisy and Violet Hilton. We also enjoyed them in James Joyce’s The Dead.

When we went to see Next to Normal, we were disappointed that Brian D’arcy James (another favorite since his astonishing work in The Wild Party) was out that whole week–something the show’s web site had not mentioned when we bought our tickets! But Ms. Ripley and the rest of the superb cast did not disappoint. It’s so refreshing to see a musical that embraces the form on its own terms, and succeeds so well. And the theatrical device that authors Tom Kitt and Brian Yorkey employed (which I will not spoil here) was beautifully handled. Michael Grief’s direction was admirably restrained and unfussy, letting the story speak for itself. Was it a “feel-good” show? Well, it was funny, thought-provoking, upsetting at times, and moving. That’ll do nicely. Ms. Ripley happily has a few months off to rest before headlining the national tour; it’s great that audiences around the country will have a chance to see her performance, and this powerful show, somewhere close to home. Because that’s exactly where the show hits. The new Broadway cast, meanwhile, now stars the wonderful Marin Mazzie and Jason Danieley (real-life husband and wife, for those few who don’t already know that!). She deserved a Tony for her showstopping turn in Kiss Me, Kate a few years back, and he broke my heart in The Full Monty. We may just have to go back to Normal. And if you haven’t gone yet, you should.

Episode 3 of The Disengaged Dozen is now on YouTube

This week, I return as Benny the Boss in the 6-part sitcom series The Disengaged Dozen. My co-star (or is that co-conspirator?) is the very funny Fleur Phillips, who, when not playing withholding killjoy Cher Nothing, is in fact both lovely and delightful. Once again, Benny must find a way to re-engage an eccentric and wayward employee. Thanks to writer/director Dewey Moss, Benny finds just the right thing to say. Click the image to view the clip on YouTube, and if you enjoy it, please click the “Like” button on YouTube to cast your vote. If you’ve missed the first two Episodes in the series, they’re still available as well.

Episode 2 of The Disengaged Dozen is Now on YouTube

Episode 2 of “The Disengaged Dozen” is now online! Just click the image on the right to launch the video on YouTube.

This time my character Benny the Boss helps out Nervous Neddie, an employee so terrified of something going wrong that he can’t get anything right. It turns out that Guy Olivieri, who makes a hilarious Neddie, also went to UNC-Chapel Hill. Small world! I love little discoveries like that.

If you enjoy it, please click the “Like” button on YouTube, and leave a comment there if so inclined. Feel free to leave a comment here as well! And by all means, share the link with your friends. Thanks! 🙂

Disengaged Dozen Update

I’ve just learned that Episode 2 of the web series The Disengaged Dozen (in which I appear as the plucky Benny the Boss) should be on YouTube and elsewhere starting Tuesday, July 6th. Stay tuned for the saga of Nervous Neddie…! The remaining four episodes are now scheduled to be posted every two weeks, on Tuesdays.

The Smurfs Movie: It’s a Wrap!

Last Wednesday, I returned from the gym to find a small FedEx envelope. Inside was a small manilla envelope with an address label proclaiming The Smurfs Movie. I opened the envelope to find a lovely invitation announcing “Smurfs – From Belgium to the Bowery – It’s a Wrap!” So on Saturday night, after seeing The Screwtape Letters, Tim and I headed down to the elegantly retro Bowery Hotel and stopped into the wrap party. There was a veritable sea of people there, lots of good food, and lively music. I chatted briefly with Raja Gosnell, the director, and thanked him again. He said he’s very pleased with our Russian Tea Room scene, so I have my fingers crossed that it will make the final cut. I asked him if he was gearing up for a few months of editing now, and after a moment of thought, he said with an anticipatory smile, “A year!” Whew! I told him I hope he has a lot of fun with the process of adding in the animated Smurfs. I also ran into Vincent Schicchi and his lovely wife. Vinnie was key makeup artist for the film. He kept me looking good for the whole 12 1/2 hour shoot day. I was sorry to miss seeing Hank Azaria, Sofia Vergara, and Tim Gunn again, not to mention 1st AD Benita Allen and 2nd AD Peter Thorell; I had a great time working with them all and would love to have had a chance to tell them. I would particularly have liked to touch base with Tim Gunn again about chandelier fashion, as he is a delightful conversationalist, but perhaps another time!

The Screwtape Letters

Saturday night, Tim and I went to see my buddy Steve Hauck take on the title role in The Screwtape Letters at the Westside Arts Theatre, Off Broadway. Steve is standby for star/adaptor Max McLean, and happily knew in advance that both he and his fellow standby, Elise Girardin, would be going on for both shows Saturday. As expected Steve made a wonderful Screwtape, and Ms. Girardin also aquitted herself elegantly as the wordless but expressive Toadpipe. Tim and I were both familiar with the original C.S. Lewis work, so it was interesting seeing it adapted for the stage–always tricky for a work in epistolary format. It was a handsome production, and Steve was delightful. Well done! Steve played Estragon to my Vladimir in Vermont Stage Company’s production of Waiting for Godot, and we had a fantastic time. Here’s hoping we get to play together onstage again sometime soon. In the meantime, keep an eye out for Steve!

The Disengaged Dozen Episode 1 is on YouTube!

The first of the six zany web commercials I shot recently for the very creative folks at Bernard Hodes Group has just been posted on YouTube. Think 50’s sitcom on helium. They were a lot of fun to film, and everyone involved was incredibly nice as well as talented. I’ve seen the final version of all six spots, and they’re a hoot. Congrats to writer/director/editor Dewey Moss for a great job. The remaining five ads will be posted one every two weeks; I’ll add links as they appear. Each spot features me as Benny the Boss encountering a different archetypal “problem” employee and figuring out how to engage him or her on the job, to everyone’s benefit. Click the image on the right to see the video. If you enjoy it, please click “Like” on YouTube and share the link with your friends. Thanks! 🙂

Smurfs Movie Scene Completed!

On Tuesday, June 1st, I was at the Russian Tea Room in Manhattan filming my “day principal” scene as a waiter who runs into the rude villain Gargamel in the upcoming Smurfs 3D movie, due out in August of 2011. Director Raja Gosnell gave me a warm welcome while I was in the makeup trailer. He couldn’t have been nicer, and his easygoing but clear guidance set the tone for the whole set. He knew what he wanted, but was very open to spontaneous creativity as well. My scene was with Hank Azaria, Sofia Vergara, and Tim Gunn, all of whom were very nice, and all of whom are very funny in the movie. First AD Benita Allen was on top of every little detail, and kept things running like clockwork. Watching her work with the crew on the specs, and with all the extras on believability and logic for every little background action, was really impressive. Second AD Peter Thorell was very helpful prior to the shoot, reaching out with info about the shoot and making sure I didn’t have any questions. My thanks also to Mike and Mary, who shuttled us back and forth to our trailers all day with unflagging good will, to Cheryl, Denise, Ben, and all the other costume folks, to Vinnie for makeup, and Angel for hair, my stand-in, John, and all the other members of the team and crew (including craft services), who worked cheerfully and tirelessly to keep us all percolating. I also enjoyed chatting with Laurent Mullen and a number of the other actors playing the other waiters and customers. What a lovely bunch of people. I can’t say enough good things about the shoot because everyone, cast and crew, had such a great attitude. A few of the takes reminded me of the old rule about working with children and animals. The cats alternating in the role of Azrael were definitely frisky during the shoot! Hank Azaria was hilarous improvising around their “cattitude.” We had a lot of laughs, and despite the complexity of the scene, it was suprising how quickly the hours flew by. A great day. Thanks again to Casting Director Richard Hicks, and my agent, Reneé Glicker of About Artists, for making this possible. And my extra-special thanks to my partner Tim, who insisted on getting up well before the crack of dawn with me, even though it was a work day for him, too. Not only did he drive me to the train station, he waited with me on the platform to see me off for my first major studio shoot. I felt like a kid going to his first day of school. And he was there to pick me up when I got off the train, exhausted, at the end of it all. I’m a lucky guy all around. Thanks, everybody.

Everyday Rapture

We went to see Everyday Rapture recently, as we had loved Sherie Rene Scott in Dirty Rotten Scoundrels. She did not disappoint! What a lovely, gracious onstage presence. And then that fabulous voice! It was no surprise that she can turn on the wattage whenever she wants, but what was especially lovely about this self-created piece was a lot of the quiet moments, of which there seem to be very few in today’s “big” musicals. I imagine it must be very satisfying for Ms. Scott to be receiving such recognition for a piece she co-wrote, where she had the option of deciding just what aspects of her talent she wanted to share, as we performers so rarely have that level of control. Ms. Scott is surrounded by a talented supporting cast and band. The night we saw it, her backup singers were Lindsay Mendez and Natalie Weiss, both of whom rocked, and Eamon Foley scored big-time in an extended second act sequence about an internet teen outreach attempt gone hilariously (and all too believably) wrong. It was also great to see an artist not afraid to touch on some challenging topics in a mainstream entertainment. I can’t wait to see what she does next!

The Temperamentals

Tim and I went to catch The Temperamentals before its closing. The five member cast did a beautiful job of telling the remarkable story. I really knew nothing about Harry Hay, or his Mattachine Society, the first gay rights organization in America. It’s a remarkable tale, and a humbling one. And the fact that he was brave enough to advocate for gay rights in the 1950’s, in the era of McCarthyism, makes his story all the more remarkable. Who knows; perhaps fine organizations like the Human Rights Campaign and the Empire State Pride Agenda, among many others, might not even exist yet if Hay and his four compatriots hadn’t taken the first step back then. I salute them, and playwright Jon Marans for telling their story.