January 11th, 1996
Cold
It is perhaps the coldest night in Chicago ever. I'm sure that's not true but it
seems like it. It is 5:33 in the morning (Sunday) and I just arrived back at
The Annoyance. We had two shows and a set tonight (Saturday) and then I went to
The Last Act and then The Fail House (i'm sorry Ale House) and then Rachel
drove me to the theatre. I'm not tired and I don't know why so I decided to
do this right now. I have a Glenlivet at my side and I don't have to do anything
'til 4:00 tommorrow. I would guess that I don't think that I'm fucked up right now
but I probably am. So what the hell. I figure if I can write the html code, I'm alright.
Sorry
......I haven't written for a few days.....just a matter of being extremely busy.
Le Show
I feel good about it.
What's great about it is that we're a month from opening and there's but a trace of
Citizen Gates left in it. As a matter of fact, the only scene from Gates is the opening
scene, Affair. There's also a game that we stuck in. So, aside from about 12 minutes,
the show in its current state is completely new.
Now the fun part is that that means about nothing to me. We're a month away from
opening it and as far as I'm concerned all of it can be replaced. I don't care. If other
scenes come along that fulfill a needed energy or are funnier or more substantial, anything
in the current preview may be replaced. What's great about it though, is that we virtually
have a brand new show up in previews with a month left to open and all the improv sets
are left open to create new scenes. If we had to fashion a show with what we have
in previews now we could........and knowing that allows a certain freedom in the sets to
come up with even better stuff without the desperate burden of having to get material.
I'm hoping this freedom will reflect itself in what we improvise so that we can be
even more reckless and playful with what we produce. It's a good place.
Not so good
Here's what's not so good about the show right now:
1. It's not quite funny enough.
2. Too much conventional Second City scenes with conventional exposition. It's boring me.
3. Too blue.
Bad Language.....the current material has too much of it. You'd think that the director of
a show called Coed Prison Sluts that has the worst language of any play ever wouldn't hold
that as a consideration, but I do. I'll tell you why. I know where I am. I've said it before,
the patrons of Second City expect to be rattled a bit, but I don't feel that they deserve
alienation. I believe that anyone that comes to Second City may be greatly challenged, but not
offended. It's a fine line. (I am now feeling the scotch...fuck it my inclination is to bail
but I'll continue rambling). They want to laugh. And they deserve to....it's The Second City.
They should leave a little buzzed saying, "I liked that girl", and "I can't believe that guy
said that", and ""Which one do you think will be on SNL next", and "I could never do that",
and all the other colorful comments I hear over and over as the audience is leaving.
Invite them to the party and host it well. Let it be comfortable enough for them to stay,
yet scandalous enough for them to talk about tommorrow. In its relative construct, that's
true of The Annoyance as well. Context. It always annoys me when a show is happy that
it has offended it's patrons to the point of having them leave. If that's the goal,then one could have the
lights come up and the actors could start shouting, "Fuck you all, leave.....get the fuck out of here, leave!" And they will......and what's the point....and why invite them there in the first
place?
4. 2 person scenes.
There is, for some reason, a surplus of two person relationship scenes emerging in the show.
They are all wonderful, but there are too many. I'm hoping that additional material will
buffer and shape these scenes.......or I'll have to cut. I'm not really worried about it though,
as these things tend to work themselves out in regard to the process of structuring the
show.
Allright, I'm done for tonight (this morning).......I can't wait to read this tommorrow. There's a possibility
that it will make no sense.......Oy.
Let's see if I have the energy to get my little signiature graphic in here.......
email mick
Yeah, that's about how it should look for this entry.....now for the other links.....
