I'm really proud of my stage debut on October 22.
I was in an amateur production of a play about a WWII canteen where the women were preparing the guys fresh out of boot camp to be shipped overseas. Linda was the writer and director. She approached me to see if I would like to play harmonica on one of the songs – all WWII-era standards. When we talked, she remarked that I had a really great voice (people say that all the time) and asked me if I’d like to try out as an actor. My role would be a real gung-ho John Wayne type tough guy who was dying to go overseas and machine gun Germans and Japs to get revenge for his brother who lost his life over there.
I passed the audition on my first reading – she said I was a natural talent. I mentioned that I had written a song called LOVE BEGINS WITH ELLE [lyrics in my blogs on FUBAR and MYSPACE (not to mention my website at http://dovescorp.tripod.com/ ] which was designed to be a Sinatra-style big band swing number. I sang the song acapella into a tape recorder and she played it for her husband, who arranged it for keyboard. She engaged a piano player to perform it on tape and played it for me when we next met. I can’t begin to describe how gratifying it is to hear the melody that you’ve composed realized by two gifted people. It was a very straight – even classical – performance of the tune, and it was thrilling to hear it realized at last.
I really nailed it as an actor & singer when showtime came. My mother and my best friend, Laurie, came to see me perform (Laurie even taped part of the show). I couldn’t ask for a better experience working with Linda and the cast. It was a blast!
Next year I'll be playing a DJ at at a '50's radio station. I’m really looking forward to it!!!
