Darlings, Who Would Have Thought Theater History Could Emerge From A Conference Room????

Girls, let me tell you, one of the season's most auspicious, yet least heralded theatrical events, took place last night. From the sealed confines of a conference room, the LPA PLayreading Group, the most innovative assortment of artists since John Houseman formed the Juillard Acting Company with Patti LuPone and kevin Kline--and you KNOW I am SO Patti, darlings!-- convened, with its initial undertaking, a stylish and carefully nuanced interpretation of that domestic family classic, "The Bad Seed!"

That's right, loves, "The Bad Seed!" Much less florid than the 1956 movie we have all come to know and love, the talented LPAers mined the material, finding such a wealth of new things in it, that THIS big old "Bad Seeder," who has had this in my bloodstream from the age of 8, was impressed.

Where to start? Well, the talented Miss Amy, hitherto a musical theater marvel, whose rendition of "On The Other Side Of The Tracks" is STILL a classic, brought out all the depth and anguish of mother Christine Penmark, without the overwrought hysterics of Nancy Kelly. Our own radiant Daisy, the Amy Adams of the company, proved remarkably versatile, jumping between a virulently masculine, though sexually repressed, Emory Wages, the coveted role of Mrs. Daigle, wherein she brilliantly mined intoxication with the emotional pain of offspring loss in an individualistic enough style that, while never for a moment suggesting Eileen Heckart, would have made Eileen proud!!!!! The technically ingenuous Mr. Steve presented a delightfully salacious Leroy, and his scenes with Rhoda crackled with the tension, electricity, and macabre humor they should, and indeed did, have! I am telling you, girls, if Patty McCormack, who is still alive, had been sitting in, she would have LOVED it. Steve also brilliantly got color out of a colorless role in his poignant rendering of Mr. Daigle's lines. I have always felt sorry for Mr. Daigle; not only is he, too, suffering over the premature loss of a child, look at what he is married to--a wife, who not only drinks, but can upstage him at every turn!!!!!!!! The company's ingenue, Madamoiselle Emily, was a revelatory surprise in the role of Monica Breedlove!!!! Imagine, the last one you would think of casting for this role, mining all the lovably garulous annoyance of this character. Her Monica was so dead on, she proved what I have always maintained about the movie--it should have lasted enough to allow Rhoda to send the old bat flying off the roof!!!!! Back to Steve a sec--his Richard Bravo was both comfortably pternal and emotionally perturbed in brilliant counterpoint to Amy's Christine. And one could harldy overlook the group's Corrdinator, Wendy, she of impeccable diction, who rattled off Miss Fern's clipness in a subtly spinsterish way, without venturing into parody, while her portrayal of crime writer Reginald Tasker made this plot device less so, and more of a flesh and blood character. The distinguished Esquire Charlie lent an authoritiative, stentorian presence to reading not only the stage directions, the Radio Announcer, but lent a vulnerability to Kenneth Penmark that William Hopper could not even approach. While onstage very little, his readings conveyed not only the depth of his love for Christine and the solidity of their marriage, but his tragic cluelessness about his deeply disturbed daughter.

And what of that disturbed, daughter, loves!!!!! I know what you are thinking--why has there been no mention of the one playing the pivotal role of Rhoda??? Well, girls, in case you haven't figured it out yet, Rhoda was rendered by Yours Truly!!!!! It is not for me to judge how I was, as it is virtually impossible as an actor to objectively step outside yourself and evaluate that self in a role, not to mention the hazards of the acting biz is that one is always never fully satisfied with their performance results. I can only say that having had a close connectiion with Rhoda since I was eight, the role at least got under my skin, because, when we were done, it took me a good two hours to shake Rhoda off. Heaven help me, if we were doing this eight times a week--no one would want to come near me!!! I felt I at least reached some depth with her; it is for others to judge beyond that. Though I CAN say with complete certainity--BITE ME, Mr. Ben Brantley!!!! The hell with a goddamn penmanship metal; bring on a TONY award!!!!!!! That is all I can say, for now!!!!!!!

Thanks to Wendy for her superb organization of the event, and supply of refreshment. Personally, I think it is good enough to take before an audience, but that remains to be seen, as before it can, there has to be mutual agreement, things have to be taken up a notch, smoothed out, and shaded. But these are moot points now. The LPAlayreadeers Group is off to a flying start, and I cannot wait to see what is unleashed next.

A postscipt, darlings! Having mined Rhoda, and, several years earler, in a Gay and Lesbian Reading Group Performance, Mary Tilford in "The Children's Hour," I certainly do run the risk of being typecast in evil child roles. And I am SO sweet, darlings!!!!!!!!! What could be next--Abagail in "The Crucible?" the child Nazi in "Tomorrow The World?" a real estate broker in "Glengarry Glen Ross?" Maybe; we shall have to wait and see. This group's "Bad Seed" is going to be hard to top; the only thing, I think, that could, would be if we could get our hands on the screenplay of "Valley Of The Dolls!!!!" Now, THAT would be something!!!!!!

You are ALL something, girls!!!!!!!!! See you soon on the set!!!!!!!!!