This was a rare instance in which I was disciplined enough to actually read a play before I went out for it. I laughed a lot because it's a funny play, and I felt sorry for whoever Dee Cothern at The Cabaret Theatre would eventually cast as the main character, Max; aside from running around like an idiot for two hours (which is something I'm used to), this guy would have to dress up as Othello in blackface, quick-change back into a tuxedo in about forty seconds, and on top of that sing Dio che nell'alma Infondere from Verde's Don Carlo. I auditioned, smugly thinking I was safe... everyone knows I can't sing.
Well, guess what.
Good thing she cast Ray Gaspard as Max's opera mentor. His voice is as big as his personality. Jennifer Johnson (from Noises Off) and Albert Nolan (from Rumors) were also invaluable, chiming in with cryptic hints like, "throw your voice over your head," and, "make sure you use bright vowels." Well, my voice comes from my head, and I have never seen a dimmer switch on a vowel, but I think I did all right.
And now I know what I'd look like if I was a black guy.
