7:45 PM Sunday

Mrs. Walker and Vig singing "I Believe My Own Eyes" from The Who's Tommy
at the Sixth Annual WATCH Awards.

WATCH Award Blocks Follow. Enjoy!

11:15 PM - SUNDAY

On the beltway, cell phone rings:

“Hi, Vig?! It’s Tina!” the high pitch of an excited 11 year old girl squealing in my ear. I laugh delightedly at her call. I understood her, even though I couldn’t figure out what she was saying.

“I just wanted to find out if we won [after I left],” I did hear.

“Well, Judy won for best lead actress in a musical,” I said, and more.

“Oh, and what about . . . ?” the balance sounding like graphic art: question and exclamation marks, in excited colors, that would depict the image of a delighted friend, if it was being wildly painted on canvas and not being broadcast to a cell phone.

“No, I’m afraid Kiss of the Spiderwoman took Best Director, as well as Best Actor in a Musical, and Beauty and the Beast took best production.”

“Oh well,” happily my young star chirped, “You should have won best director, and our show was definitely the best musical no matter what they say. There’s always next time, but still; Ruthless! was the best!”

5PM Saturday - Li’l Tommy

Rehearsal for the WATCH Awards: Saturday afternoon

Li’l Tommy runs to me as I kneel for a hug.

“Oh, it’s so good to see you,” I say. “How have you been?”

“Know what I got at the birthday party?” he asks as he hugs me with his cheek on my shoulder. “I got a candy jump rope with a whistle!”

He is five, cherubic with golden orange hair.

Mrs. Walker (my co-star) arrives, rushing, laughing, pulling a fedora off her head and shaking out her beautiful dark hair. She is glamorous in a black and leopard print that leaves no doubt; she owns six-pack abs.

I carry Li’l Tommy as I explain the blocking.

“[Mrs. Walker] will take off your coat, and you walk right to the mirror. This time the mirror is going to be a pretend mirror and it will be in front of the audience. Can you do that?”

Confidently, he nods.

“Then she’s going to take you over to that chair, ok? And you stay still until just after the part where we start singing together. After we start singing together, when we sing the phrase ‘. . . patience is gone,’ you go back to the mirror. Ok? ‘Patience is gone,’ you go.’ Do you want to try that much?”

He is the only person to receive a performance nomination for Tommy; Outstanding cameo in a musical.

He hits his marks, as we sing. Beginning the duet, looking into Mrs. Walker’s bright eyes and smile, our eyes tear and we choke up, but we keep singing through the phrase “patience is gone” and Li’l Tommy moves from the chair to the mirror, interrupting our kiss as planned. Perfect.

1PM Sunday

"How you doin', doll-baby? Do you have a cold?” Tomas asked when I picked up the phone.

“I’m doing real good, nothing’s wrong at all. Why?”

“Well, the truth is. . . you sound like a MAN.”

We hooted and laughed so hard. Even with his gafaw, I could hear other people around him laughing along. . . then other’s saying “What did he say???”

3PM

Late, at the only open door I could find, the only available handle being a large eye hook, I swung the door open and ran in to the dark theatre to find the tech set-up still in process. Rehearsal had not begun. Li’l Tommy sat with his parents enthralled with the furious activity of the load in.

On stage, his mother standing in for Mrs. Walker, he and I tested our mics by counting. Strong and confident, this tyke, as he says:

“One! Two! Free!” Continuing up to “Firty, firty-one, firty-two.”

“Li’l Tommy!” his dad says in a stage whisper, “It’s Thirty.”

Li’l Tommy smiles at the funny thought of the “TH” sound, and continues counting so clearly enunciating “THirty-THree, . . .”

We start the song, my verse is done and the stand-in is cut off before she starts.

“That’s fine,” booms the event coordinator. Dozens of people have arrived for their tech run. “Let’s just skip to the end when Li’l Tommy speaks.”

I sing Mrs. Walker’s last line, and he is already in place as he should be, and he reaches out mysteriously, darkly, saying “Tommy? Tommy? Tommy? Tommy? Tommy?”

At the applause of the casts and crews in the house, Li’l Tommy jumps and laughs.

“That’s good for now,” the event coordinator said. “I’ll do my best to get you a tech run with Mrs. Walker if she gets here in time.”

3:30

There were seven musicals nominated, out of 25 reviewed, with each nominee needing a tech run of the number they were presenting at the ceremony.

All my Ruthless people showed up on time, including Tina and her parents (her mother, ever so cold to me now.) Maybe that was the first miracle of the day (that they were on time, not that Stage Mother wasn’t speaking to me. . . although I can’t be sure.)

Hopefully the second miracle of the day was going to be that I’d stop sounding like a bass and be able to sing.

Ruthless! begins their tech run and they don’t stop even though the mic mix is horrible. The event coordinator is saying “That’s good. . .” as I interrupt and say “What’s up with those mics?” He’s a good guy, one I’m honored to consider a friend. But, he looked like the proverbial deer in the headlights.

The stage manager says to Tina: “Honey, what mic do you have?”

“Seven,” she says.

“OK” the SM says, “Yours was a little HOT but we fixed it. NEXT!”

4:30 PM

“Is she here?” asks the SM.

“Is this Mrs. Walker?”, asks the event coordinator.

“Are you on your way?” I say on the phone to Mrs. Walker.

“Driving as fast as I can. I’m still in DC, but I should be there in 15.”

As *Beauty and the Beast* finishes their run of “Be Our Guest”, I tell the SM that Mrs. Walker is in the parking lot. She shouts to the event coordinator, it is almost mayhem in the hall now. He shouts to me:

“Put your mic on, we’ll do your run through as soon as she is miced. EVERYBODY ELSE LISTEN TO ME! IF YOU HAVE RESERVED SEATS, IT IS OK, BUT YOU HAVE TO RESERVE CHAIRS NOT TABLES. TAKE ANY PERSONAL POSSESSIONS OFF THE TABLES. AND GET OUT. THIS ROOM MUST BE CLEARED IN 10 MINUTES. IS THE *TOMMY* PIANIST READY?”

“I’m here,” she says as Mrs. Walker enters into the fray, beautiful and freaked out.

She drops her stuff, I hand her mic to her. “I’ll need a note,” I yelled to the pianist.

“Where’s Li’l Tommy?” Mrs. Walker asks.

“They’ve gone to get dinner.” I manage to say, even though Mrs. Walker looks like she was going to tear a hunk of flesh out of my neck.

5:30 PM

“Do you want to hear the joke of the day?”, I say as we head to the dressing rooms loaded with all of our belongings. “Well, Tomas called me and asked if I had a cold because he said I sounded like a MAN!” She laughed with me for a minute and said “Are you sure you weren’t out boozing it up last night?”

The truth was that I wasn’t. My voice was feeling raw from the double run of Forever Plaid on top of the six times we sang “I Believe My Own Eyes”. My partner, Rolf and I went to a late dinner after my last rehearsal had ended at 9:45. It was so good to be with him, I miss him so much. Just a few more days and this show will be open!

I, in my tuxedo, and Mrs. Walker (wearing the tightest piece of fabric that only athletes like her should wear) on my arm, as we found the back door to the dressing rooms and walked through the restaurant kitchen and through the bar, relaxed and laughing as we went to find Li’l Tommy for a blocking review.

5:35

Like silver pin balls, we shoot out of the kitchen into the crowded bar, to find many other gem colored balls already in play. Mrs. Walker and I target the Tommy and Jesus Christ Superstar casts, as I say “hi”, I hear my name called and look across the waiting crowd to see Puck shimmering in blue. Hugs & Kisses.

We move over to the Ruthless! cast area where Tomas says “Hi baby-doll, still sounding like a man?”

Memae kisses me and tells me I look fabulous. Judy is having a Jack and Coke, and a smoke. “Medicinal purposes?” I ask.

Tomas lights up too, and I have to move away. I don’t usually have trouble breathing, but my chest was not clearing up. “You should have one,” Judy says.

On my way to the bar, Mrs. Walker is talking to Gypsy. Hugs & Kisses as the bar fills up with ticket holders waiting for the theater to open. People from every show I’ve ever done want to hug and congratulate me. This is happening to every nominee.

I order a Dewar’s, up, and discover I have no money. I still haven’t seen Rolf. Passing through the two hundred people, I take a break out by my car which is parked by the front door, where I grab my ATM card. And I stand there and breath deep breaths. Still, people are streaming in from the parking lot, each one avoiding looking toward me while trying to get out of the cold (and to their general admission seat) before joining in the Hugs & Kisses.

5:55

5:55

“ATTENTION PLEASE: We will be opening the doors to the theater in five minutes. We will call you by your arrival number. Please have your arrival number ready.”

I had finally retrieved the scotch. As I drank it, I could feel the sea of pain separate and move off of my vocal chords and my chest. It took a huge amount of effort to stand still and visit with Tomas. I was so distracted by all the people, so many friends, all happy, shining . . . some artificially so.

Suddenly, each of the five dozen people who had the tech rehearsal said: “What’s an arrival number?”

“You got it with your ticket,” the new comers said showing their take-a-number-dispenser ticket they got when they came in the front door. Knowing we had reserved our seats, we all just hung out with our drinks and watched the glamorous crowd disappear.

6:45

Five hundred people dressed to the nines, sit at 85 tightly packed tables in a room the size of two basketball courts. Ruthless and Tommy casts occupy prime real estate in front on the upper level near center stage. I sit still only long enough to eat a cobb salad, and then run from one near conversation to another.

“Hi! It’s so good to see you? How are you?” I say, beaming with happiness to see each old friend.

“Oh I’m. . .” and many times I’m gone before they finish a sentence.

A.D.D. is no laughing matter! Oh! Look! A Chicken!

Or in this case, another happy shiny friend. I had face time with each of them. And when they talked, I often saw this expression that said “This man has no idea what I’m saying.” That’s about the time I say “Oh! Look! A Chicken!”

“Oh! Look! It’s Li’l Tommy!” I forgot about him.

And the lights go out.

7PM

“Welcome to the Sixth Annual Washington Area Theatre Community Honors Awards! You are sitting with over 400 hundred of the finest actors and directors representing over 25 local community theaters. And now please welcome [C.D.] and the cast of Reston Community Player’s Best Musical nominee Beauty and the Beast singing “Be Our Guest.”

It all goes so fast, especially since I’ve got to review the blocking with Li’l Tommy. I’m panicked, hungry, and I really need to go to the loo; but mostly I need to work with Li’l Tommy before we go up for our number. We are the third song on the program.

By the end of the opening remarks I’ve inhaled the cobb salad, made my Stage Manager and BubblyAcctress (whose getting a divorce). . . made them get up so I could slide my tuxedoed butt across the chairs, then kneel next to Mrs. Walker and ask her for the pitch pipe. As she searched for it, (and while I counted the seconds until I could get to the loo), we make our plan to get back to the green room with Li’l Tommy immediately after the second musical presentation to mic up and review the blocking. Li’l Tommy’s award category was going to be at that same moment, so I asked his mom to bring him back to the green room immediately afterward. All while the introduction of the presenters are going on, each time I stand up, I’m blocking somebody’s view.

Finally, I race off to the loo, pausing at the back of the hall to see who wins the first award (for choreography), which was a mistake because I had to go to the bathroom so bad that I was nearly cramping . . . and I let out a loud ripping fart. Not that anybody noticed, well, except for hot Uncle Ernie from *Tommy* who had stopped just behind me. Yeah. Fun times.

7:20

I blow into the pitch pipe, hoping I’m blowing into the tiny hole labeled “G”, before stepping out of the green room door to see if Li’L Tommy wins an Outstanding Performance Award. After the award goes to somebody else, I step back into the green room and hum what turns out to be a G-Flat. Mild concern turns into panic as I obsessively get my pitch, count to 50, and then try to hum it . . . and keep singing flat. Mrs. Walker, now miked, enters from the dressing room as Li’L Tommy and his Mom enter from the hall.

He says: “You know what? ‘Patience is gone’ is there [in the song] free times.” He smiles big at Mrs. Walker.

“That’s right,” she says. “It is there three times, but you only move on the first and third time, right?”

“Right,” smile and giggle, “I only move on the First and Fird time.”

I blow into the pitch pipe and watch Mom rush to get the ginger haired tyke into his dress white costume. I hum the note, on pitch, as Mom finishes attaching the mic and hides the wire in his shorts.

“OK, Li’l Tommy, are you ready to go over the blocking?” He smiles and nods.

7:45 The Show

“Recreating ‘I Believe My Own Eyes’ from Little Theatre of Alexandria’s Outstanding Musical Nominee Tommy, please welcome Vig deBoeuf, Petunia Walker, and Outstanding Cameo in a Musical nominee, Li’l Tommy.”

Angrily, I follow Mrs. Walker and Li’l Tommy up the long access ramp to the stage.

There is only silence.

Upstage left, Mrs. Walker kneels and removes Li’l Tommy’s coat, turns to hang it on a chair; and Li’l Tommy seemingly sleepwalks to “the mirror”, walking straight to the audience and stares with no expression and no recognition. It is chilling.

Seeing this, Mrs. Walker rushes to gently set him in a chair. With a fear or deep sadness, she looks at me. Finding me glowering she quickly looks down and away, her raven hair falling over her eyes.

And with perfect pitch, in silence, I loudly and angrily sing the first note.

The first note, the first verse: Triumph.

She sings, her strength of character growing and revealing itself with every perfect note: Triumph.

I stand and grab her hand and we begin the pained love duet, a rock concert worthy power ballad, her eyes are so bright, we are so excited. Together we sing:

“I Believe My Own Eyes. Know I’ve come to the end, all my patience is gone. . .”

And Li’l Tommy sits like a mannequin, gaze fixed on something no one can see.

Standing face to face, one hand on her shoulder, one on her waist, our voices raised to the strongest loudest level and magnified by the microphones and huge speakers: no two people have ever been happier.

But looking over her shoulder, I see that Li’L Tommy is making no effort to move.

Not only are we singing in front of “400 hundred of the finest actors and directors” in local theater, but we’ve been thrown a wild card. And wild is FUN! As long as you keep it together that is.

“Is he counting? Did he notice that was the first one? Will he move on the second one? What will we do? What will break the kiss? WHAT AM I SINGING?”

My mind wanders over the possible scenarios and I lose track of where we are in the song. She recognizes the alarm on my face. Understanding, and gripping my hand painfully hard, I focus on her so intently as to do a Vulcan Mind Meld, and we make it to the attempted kiss.

I follow my blocking as if Li’l Tommy was at the mirror, and I was carrying him back to the chair, and we are back on track. The second time we sing “all our patience is gone” is coming up. . . I’m wondering if he’ll move then, and what will we do, what will happen to our show. But we keep singing, our excitement and intensity sailing over any levels we’ve ever had.

We sing, our backs are to him. . . nothing. Facing each other once again with private triumph knowing we’re going to be all right, either choice he makes at the final chance will not alter anything we will do.

On cue, she grabs my hand and takes me to “the mirror”. We stand flush to the audience, triumphantly declaring that we will “find where the real future lies” the highest and loudest notes in the song. . . and they are beautiful.

I lean in, and we kiss.

At the first of the last 6 chords, Li’l Tommy realizes he’s missed his cues. He get’s down from the chair and walks deadly calmly toward “the mirror” raising his hand and reaching out saying:

“Tommy?

Tommy?

Tommy?

Tommy?

Tommy.”

Triumph. We are triumphant.

And the audience knows it too as the applause and cheers begin with the loudest thunder and roar.

7:50 PM

Applause follows us as we walk the long ramp to the green room. Near the bottom, Li’l Tommy says in wonder and amazement:

“I didn’t do it!”

Mrs. Walker looks at him and he says with surprise:

“I didn’t do it!”

And she says, “But you got there in the end, buddy. That’s all that matters. You got there in the end.”

And he laughs a hearty laugh saying “Yeah, I got there in the end. I got there in the end.”

8PM

Mrs. and Mr. Petula and Nigel Walker
Rock

INTERMISSION

I Believe In You

Hi!

I am doing great. I've got dozens of post-it notes with positive affirmations posted all around, and my meds. have been increased too. So I don't know which it is, but I'm feeling better. I'm really having a ball with Forever Plaid. I have high hopes that it will be a hit. I'm really thrilled to have the WATCH Award nominations, too. I'm afraid too, because I really expect to win - I hope I won't be too disappointed if I don't. The awards are this Sunday and Plaid opens next Friday!

I have Plaid rehearsal everyday except Sunday - which is the WATCH Awards.

On Saturday, I get to sleep in (or do some laundry), then I have Plaid rehearsal from 1-4, followed by a cross-county sprint for a Tommy WATCH Award rehearsal from 5-6:30, and then sprint back across the county for another Plaid Rehearsal from 7-9:30.

Sunday: 10:30 Church, 2:45 Tommy WATCH Award Rehearsal, 3:15 Ruthless WATCH Award Rehearsal, 4-5 dress for WATCH Awards, 5PM another run-through of the Tommy number, 5:30 doors open (can't drink because I'm performing), 7PM Awards start - Tommy number ends Act 1, so at 8PM I can finally have a drink! But not too much, because by about 10 I hope to be giving an acceptance speech!

Monday - Wednesday 7-4 day job, Plaid rehearsal 6:30 - 10:30
(Tuesday includes therapy and more dental work, Wednesday is hair color day.)
Thursday - day job, Plaid DRESS REHEARSAL!
Friday - day job, Plaid OPENING NIGHT, Champagne Reception!
Saturday - Mom & Dad coming for lunch, Forever Plaid, and then drinks
Sunday - Church, Go see Jesus Christ Superstar matinee (staring my Tommy wife as JUDAS), followed by a Academy Award Party at my house.
Monday 3/6 - I'm calling in sick.

All the best,
Vig

All Good Gifts

This has been an exciting time. Forever Plaid opens in less than three weeks, the WATCH Awards are next weekend, Mom's been through a week of chemo with flying colors, Rolf and I went with Puck and Memae to Cape May, NJ for my birthday (which was wonderful,) and Rolf and I are going to Richmond for the weekend in celebration of his birthday as well as visit some old friends. So far my arrangements for the WATCH Awards have worked out. I have the three leads committed to perform which is great! And in an odd twist, I am singing at the awards myself representing Tommy which was also nominated for best musical.

WATCH is the Washington Area Theatre Community Honors awards. Ruthless!, which I directed has been nominated for 5 awards: Best Hair Design, Best Lead Actress in a Musical, Best Lead Actor in a Musical, Best Direction of a Musical, and Best Production of a Musical.

Today at lunch, I'm going to buy a tux!

All the best,
Vig