Wednesday, January 13, 2010

Ohhhhhio!

Faithful readers--
I am posting at the earliest time I have ever posted.  I would like this blog to have a timestamp so I get some major credit for how early this is.

I turn down jobs because they are too early.

I sleep until I HAVE to get up, not because it's morning time.

I blame it years ago embracing a drinking late at night lifestyle that was WAY over the top for me.

It is currently 6:21 and I am almost done with breakfast, dressed, hair done and packed to go.

UGH!

But, it'll be a nice drive and if I bust my ass, I may even see the sunrise on the skyway.

I'm heading to family to drop off a shipment of calico bonnets, tomahawks and fake prairie props.

Sad as it is to say, I don't think Little House (a play I co-wrote with friends Amy and Andy) will ever see the light of day again.   There's another musical that's "official" and we believe will succeed at touring the country.  I don't think it'll ever hit broadway, because it sounds really earnest, which sounds kind of boring...but it's already having a great deal of success.

Sometimes it makes me sad---our Little House on the Parody was very fun, very loving, and a bit tongue-in-cheek.  For me, it struck the perfect tone between the sincerity of the tv show and Laura's wicked sense of humor that you can easily see in her later writing, and definitely shows up in the classic 7 original books.

But, I'm biased.

It was certainly a hit here in Chicago, and I LOVED LOVED LOVED that show.  I'm a little teary-eyed right now thinking of some of those songs and when Amy and I were packing up the props, I laughed out loud at the store shelf we fashioned for Mr. Oleson (it was a piece of plywood, attached to rope that went around his neck, with items on the plywood...a take on the cigarette girl selling method), on Doc Baker's Black Doctor Bag (a black bowling ball bag) and a ball we made (an old nerf football wrapped in burlap).  

We made all those props late one night in the basement of the old Playground theatre on Lincoln Avenue.  Amy and I were down there, rigging up some crazy outfits for Mrs Oleson out of a donated pink piece of cheap chiffon and swatting at the bats that were attacking us.

Lordy lordy, that show was fun to do with the live olde-tyme band and a full house each night.

Am I remembering it through rose-colored glasses?

Anyway, off to Ohio now to get rid of those props, to listen to hours of NPR (those poor people in Haiti) and get a quick family visit in.

O! H!

4 comments:

Freddie said...

"Am I remembering it through rose-colored glasses?"

No, it was definitely a hit. A super fun show, that had a lot of heart.

Jen & Larrance on a Ship said...

No - it was a great show! I was so honored to be the guest pig!

Erica said...

I loved everything about that show. It was so great. I think back to it fondly, too. Even though we had a couple bumps in there, it was one of the best experiences I've had working on a show and I am proud to say it was my first full length musical to choreograph. I learned so much and had so much fun. I didn't have any Little House reference to go on, and I still can laugh my ass off thinking about it.

xoxox

Daryl Hrdlicka said...

Is there any way to get a peek at your production? I'm in the Wilder Pageant in Walnut Grove, MN, and I'm always interested in seeing someone else's take on the story!