The Final Episode of The Disengaged Dozen is Now On YouTube!

Well, this is it.  The end of the road.  At least for my Disengaged Dozen series of video ads.  Episode 6, the last of the series, has just been posted on YouTube.  This time, my character (Benny the Boss) has to contend with an employee who just can’t seem to manage his time.  Know anyone like that?  Watch the clip to see if Benny comes up with a solution, or jets Captain Shirk into the intergalactic unemployment line.  Matthew Wages does a great sendup of William Shatner.  If you enjoy the clip, I hope you’ll click the “Like” button on YouTube, and maybe post a nice comment there.  Who knows, if enough people share the Disengaged Dozen links, and generate enough feedback, maybe the producers will make the other six videos with me as Benny.  My bow tie stands ready.  Clap your hands if you believe!

My thanks again to the Bernard Hodes Group, my co-stars, the whole crew, and especially to writer/director Dewey Moss, for a great experience, and six very clever videos.  I’m delighted to have been part of the campaign.

Episode 5 of the Disengaged Dozen is Now on YouTube

Here we go, folks!  Episode #5 in a series of 6.  This time around, my character Benny the Boss discovers an employee busy polishing his resumé on the job.  What’s a manager to do?  Click the picture to find out!  And if you enjoy the video, remember to click the “Like” button on YouTube.  Kevin Resnick is a hoot as the unhappy employee, trying desperately to cover his tracks.  Writer/director Dewey Moss had a field day with the lines for this one, not to mention all those wacky phone calls.  Classic.  Enjoy!  Only one more after this episode.

Episode 4 of The Disengaged Dozen is Now on YouTube

I’m back online in part four of the six-part series The Disengaged Dozen.  This time, my character Benny the Boss is faced with employee Sandy Bagger, an unhappy and devious camper determined to pull the rug out from under Benny.  David Perlman is a hoot as Sandy, and I had great fun playing straight man to his nefarious doings.  Writer/director Dewey Moss of the Bernard Hodes Group clearly had a field day with this one. 

Will Sandy succeed in sandbagging Benny??  Click the picture on the right to find out!  (And remember to click “Like” on YouTube!)

David Mamet’s Race

Last week, we went to see buddy Afton C. Williamson, who has stepped into the starring role of Susan in David Mamet’s hot-button Broadway play, Race.  Afton was every bit as fabulous as I would have expected, and the role turned out to be a very juicy one!  It was great seeing her take advantage of it, and claim her space alongside wonderful co-stars Eddie Izzard (whom we also loved in the stunning Joe Egg revival a few years back, as well as in his one-man standup shows), Dennis Haysbert (super in the play, and maybe one of the nicest smiles on Broadway), and Richard Thomas (whom we loved in Terrence McNally’s fascinating Prelude and Liebestod).  Izzard and Haysbert are beautifully matched as a lethal (and very real) pair of lawyers, Thomas radiates the utter blindness of an overprivileged party boy, and Afton deftly supplies the necessary Mamet “spark” to kindle the flames.  All were excellent, and all were clearly having a great time with each other, playing out Mamet’s sly, twisty, and provocative plot.  I recall the reviews dubbing this play a lesser work, but I’d have to disagree.  I think it’s economical, and makes its points beautifully.  It throws the audience into a race-related legal situation,  and stirs up the plot repeatedly with little revelations so that as audience members we’re constantly questioning who to root for, and whether our own racial prejudices might be affecting our sympathies.  Having whacked the hornet’s nest, Mamet ends the play abruptly, leaving us to continue the discussion outside the theatre.  Afton has the last line, and delivers it like a cannon volley over the prow of a well-armed battleship.  It’s an extremely clever play, and also very funny despite the serious topic at hand.  If you haven’t already seen it, you really should.  It closes August 21st.

After the show, we went backstage to congratulate Afton, and she invited us to meet her co-stars.  We had a great time chatting; what a gracious, funny, lovely bunch!  They clearly have a wonderful time together offstage as well.  Congrats to all!

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!