Going Against Type

As I write this, I am in Georgia. Work has sent me across the country to conduct some training for our clients. I've never been to Georgia and it's been a good time, the weather's been pleasant, and it's another state to check off the list of one's I've been to.

City of Angels closed with some good friends in the audience. Finally, somebody got the "without taking his pants down" joke! Four weeks of nothing and at last, I get a laugh. The group of actors over by the band for "All You Have to Do Is Wait" had almost everyone who wasn't on stage, it seemed.

For those who don't know, "All You Have to Do Is Wait" is a song near the end of Act I where Munoz arrests Stone, confident that he'll get the death penalty. Munoz hates Stone for getting away with murder and now he thinks he can pin another murder on Stone and he sings a Latin tune. It's been the hit of the show, the audiences love it, our actor does it wonderfully, and the cast tends to dance backstage while it's going on.

There wasn't anybody in the orchestra available to play the castanets, so one of the actors who knows how stepped up, so she's over by the orchestra. There also wasn't anybody to play the maracas so one of the actors who had one had stepped up and he's over there. Since my entrance is right after the song and is over by the orchestra area, I'm over there. Our shenanigans (after all, I am a very white man prancing around to a very non-white song) started gaining some noteriety as the band could see us and soon, more people came over to cavort with us. Very fun.

But that Monday, audtions for Sherlock Holmes' Excellent Adventure came along. Unfortunately, work was taking me to Georgia for the day of the callbacks and I was worried about not being able to be there. But, the director said not to worry, come audition.

Now, the character of Moriarty in the show apparently ends up playing a couple of women during the play as a means to learn what Holmes is up to. OK, that's been my gig for a while now. The Mystery of Irma Vep, Cinderella, The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (abridged), God's Younger Brother, I've made a bit of a career wearing dresses. The acting awards of won all came from when I was in a drag role (though the recent Aubrey for Betrayal seems to have broken that string). And since Moriarty is a flamboyant character, I thought that I'd be going right up along my type.

But I've been cast as Sherlock. I'm certainly not sad or disappointed in any way, but it was a bit of a surprise. I had a similar reaction when I was cast in You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown as Schroeder. Schroeder? Well, I would have cast myself as Snoopy first. After all, he's a wild, zany character and I do that well. If not Snoopy, then Linus. He's an intellectual as am I. If not Linus, then Charlie Brown. He's a loser and I have a long history of that to draw upon. But Schroeder? Well, I do have a music background, but I wouldn't put it as the most clear type for me. I had a lot of fun as Schroeder (and he is in "My New Philosophy" which is a wonderful song), but it wasn't what I was expecting.

That said, Holmes is an intellectual so it isn't completely against type. I wonder who has been cast as Moriarty. He could be even better in a dress than I am!