LIFE AND BITS

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Okay so here we are. The second blog on my new blog spot. Very exciting. I’m sure a lot of folks have seen this. I’ve been posting this all over social media like the loving media-whore that I am. But if you haven’t already, I shot a teaser for a new possible web-series called FACE CANDY about cosmetic counters in a high-end department store. It was hilarious and we laughed all day long.


Here is the teaser:

I play Stefan, the makeup artist for SMAC (yes, you see where that’s going). The whole show is about the cut-throat world of cosmetic sales. And it’s hilarious but they need to get the money to have it made. So if you have 2 minutes and want a huge laugh, watch it/share it/”like” it/comment on it. The more numbers we have, the more reason there is for a producer to put money into it.

Here is a little bit from my character Stefan:

So help a brother out if you wanna see more of my ass on TV. Okay, okay, you’ll see the rest of me too. 😉

In other show related news, I’m going to be doing a Harold Arlen review in August which I’m really excited about.… [Continue reading]

A NEW ERA

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Hmmm  as I wrote the above title, I accidentally wrote “A NEW EAR” first and it made me think, “actually that is not inappropriate”.  I’m in New York, ready to start a new experience.  Well, many new experiences.  And I like the idea of a new ear, a new way to hear things, a better way of picking up signals.  Like an ear in music.  Hearing the natural way a melody should go.  I want to “hear” what the universe is actually telling me.  I feel a bit like I’ve been living the life beside my life for the last 32 years (how long I’ve been acting – in case anyone thought I was trying to pretend I’m 32).  I’ve had an amazing career.  Truly exciting and thrilling and filled with opportunities.  But I’ve always felt like I’ve been on a parallel path with my real life and its like the real life is on the other side of a very thin wall of rice paper – I can see the shadows, glimmers of the light but I don’t quite know what I’m looking at.

Well I feel so much closer to knowing now.  And being here in New York, I want some new adventures. … [Continue reading]

FAR TOO LONG

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Wow, everyone.  I’ve been away from you for such a long time.  I don’t have any excuse really.  I had this period where I wasn’t sure I had lots to say. But I feel like I want to reach out and let you know that I’m still here.  So where to begin.

Well, both of my shows have opened here at the Shaw Festival.  Guys and Dolls and Major Barbara.  It’s nice to not be rehearsing anymore.  A very interesting rehearsal period and wonderful to have two such different shows and such different positions within each.  In Guys and Dolls, I was playing Nicely-Nicely Johnson, a role that not many people would instantly think of me for but it’s really more where I imagine myself in my mind.  Because I grew up heavy, I always think of myself as a character actor, even when I’m playing a leading man.

For Major Barbara, I was the assistant director.  I also play a small part at the end of the show.  I’ve been asked why I’m doing this small role but it was worth it to get to work with Jackie Maxwell on the other side of the table and learn from her. … [Continue reading]

HERE’S THE BIG NEWS, FOLKS

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Okay everyone, it was announced today so I can actually tell you about it.  Here is the background for those of you who don’t know.  I’m sure many of you have heard of these TV shows that cast a lead in a major production of a musical. They did it for Nancy in Oliver in the West End, they did it for the Danny and Sandy in the Broadway revival of Grease, they did it for Maria in the Mirvish produced big splashy Sound of Music in Toronto a few years ago.

Well the Canucks will know but perhaps my friends/readers in the U.S. and beyond might not know, but the Mirvish organization is doing it again, this time with their big new production of The Wizard of Oz, which includes new music by Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber.   They will be casting the role of Dorothy and Toto  on CBC television on Sunday and Monday nights starting on Sept. 16 and culminating in the final night on Nov. 5.
And the big news is: . . . . . . I am one of the judges.  It will be myself, Arlene Phillips (OBE, one of the UK’s most recognizable TV judges) and Louise Pitre (original star of Broadway’s Mamma Mia and one of Canada’s Musical Theatre divas)
I’ve been sitting on this news for a while so it’s nice to get it out and say I’m really, really excited to meet the girls and the pooches and get the ball rolling.… [Continue reading]