Oh, I Don't Have Anything More to Say

That line always got a nice laugh! Always!

And it was such fun having the beat before where they would just hear some popcorn being munched on.. 

I'm, of course, referencing my most recent completion of April in Sondheim's Company with Chicken Coop Theatre. Truly some of the nicest folks I have ever worked with- all around. And I can now say that because of this show, Sondheim and I have come to a bit of an understanding. 

Ask me my thoughts on Sondheim last August and I would have turned up my nose and not even spoken, nor would you have needed words. I've seen too many bad productions of Into the Woods, and have heard too many conversations starting with "Sondheim is God" to know that Sondheim and I aren't totally a pair. To be frank: his writing, though I'll admit brilliant, is annoying. I equated Sondheim to the "smartest guy in class" analogy, or Sheldon from the Big Bang Theory. He is the most intelligent character in the room, and everyone knows it, and he himself knows it. So isn't it annoying when Sheldon does something "just because he can" or points out he had the correct answer? Kinda how I felt about Sondheim. He's too smart, and he knows it. In a brilliant way of course. 

I also argued that his pieces tend to be written for theatrical folks, or those who are immersed in the theatrical culture. When non-theatre going folks see Sondheim, they often are confused, finding it too hard to listen to all the words, or see where the story will take them. In our Company, for instance, every night we had some folks leave just because they weren't interested in the show. 

Regardless of my prior thoughts, I did Company. I played April, the dizzy flight attendant who has some nice seems, a memorable moment called "Barcelona", and of course just fun being called "one of the girls". I'll admit, she was a bit of struggle. It is a challenge for me to play dumb. Now to be fair, April is not just dumb. In fact I think she is pretty smart (in certain areas), and has wonderful skills such as patience, kindness, the ability to withstand turbulence and more. But there is certain part of her that's just dumb. Not stupid. Just dumb. She even knows it! And says it! Dumb is always tricky for me as an actor. You can easily come across as a valley girl, or idiotic, or even insincere. It was definitely something I had to constantly check in with myself on and with the directors to see if I was playing her correctly. 

Eating popcorn helped a lot. Thank you action work!

So, after rehearsal and performing Company these past couple of months do I adore Sondheim like every else?

No. 

Do I love Sondheim?

Not as much as most. 

But I do have much more of a respect for him. He truly is genius and one of a kind. His lines, his music, even the underlying themes, are beautiful and resonate well within the soul. I found that over time and repetition I would still have look even closer and what was being communicated. There's so much. And it's all good. 

Here's to the ladies who lunch, another trip to Barcelona, and another run through of Side by Side!