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01/21/2010: "Theater"

Despite my recent contrary comments, I went and auditioned for "Oklahoma!" this week. And I got invited to the callbacks -- although given the level of turnout, that wasn't too surprising. What is surprising to me, after all the auditions I've been to, and given that I did a decent job playing the same part I was reading for based on recordings I've seen of that earlier production, is that I can still go in there and make such a horrible impression. There were 3 other guys reading for the same part and the production staff was, as the kids say (maybe ten years ago), ROFLMAO -- at each one of them. Or something. You get one minute to show your stuff, be amusing, interact with the chick in the scene, and bam!, it's over and I'm thinking, how'd I mess that one up.

But the really memorable part of the night came later when the girls were learning a new audition dance and the guys were just hanging around waiting for their turn. I didn't know any of them and I wasn't talking, but I heard them discussing the casting of shows and one show where everyone was surprised when this 40-year-old guy got cast, which I guess seemed old for the part, but worse, his love interest was played by a 19-year-old. (Oh, the horror.) And everyone thought that was just terrible and poorly done and people in the audience thought it was just wrong, man. My first thought was, what's the problem. It's a show. And even in real life, it sounds like a win-win for both parties. But even more than that, I wanted to scoff and tell them my story of playing Ali Hakim when I was 41. The girl he's with most of the show (Ado Annie) -- and whom he kisses several times -- was played by a 17-year-old. Such an abomination. And there were women and children in the audience!