What the $%#, Playbill? It's a little early, don't you think? Well, welcome to my two-show day with Gore Vidal's The Best Man! Be patient. . . I had a long night.
Corey Brill
Priority number one.
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Priority number two...
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Starting to feel human. Each morning of late has started with coffee, a nice scramble and a liberal serving of the previous night's Rachel Maddow show.
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My roommates' cats have to have breakfast, too. I call them Uday and Qusay (they're really named Harvey and Mac) for the royal pillaging they get up to each night. For the record: my roommates hate those nicknames.
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This fella's been living in the hallway for the last couple of days. Luckily, thanks to the efforts of Daoud and Michelle, he'll be picked up later this afternoon by a shelter...
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A little more coffee never hurt... this is the Blue Roost across the street in Lefferts Gardens, Brooklyn. Lovely!
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Daoud (my roommate) joins me. I forced him to look friendly. He's not. Especially in the morning. He's just a really good actor.
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Back inside for some FaceTime with my pooch, Arlo!
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This is my wife, Joy, in Los Angeles. Well, it's her hand. She refused to be photographed this early in the morning. I can't imagine why, as she's always so pretty!
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Waiting for the Q train. Yes, I smoke a pipe. No, I'm not in AARP. I just like it. Why all the judgement?
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Crossing the Manhattan Bridge. You could ask for a prettier day, but you'd just be greedy...
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It occurs to me that this is the first photo I've taken of Times Square in years. Onward to the Schoenfeld. . .
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Here we are! Such a great theatre, and perfect for this play, I think.
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There's our fine looking cast!
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Signing in. . . yes, I'm here and fully awake! Only took all morning...
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In the interest of journalistic integrity, I've left my dressing room the pig-stye that it is.
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Quick trip to the basement to say hi to folk and yes, get a bit more coffee. Here's our wonderful company manager Brig Berney and PSM Matthew Farrell...
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The infamous James Lescene. Kevin Bacon has nothing on this guy. Everyone in the city knows James. It's a lucky city.
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Cantwell usurper John Stamos is caught lurking behind Bill Kux. I caught him measuring Eric McCormack's dressing room--welcome aboard good man!
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Each day I lead an optional warm-up for the cast (I don't know how I ended up leading these, but they're fun!). You're about to see some photos of very talented people making some very strange sounds. Bear that in mind. . .
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Here's Fred Parker showing us how it's done!
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Hey! Here's James Earl finding his lower register (as if he could lose it--I think he invented the damn thing)! He never misses a warm-up, nor a chance to smile. He's an inspiration.
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Who needs coffee when you have Kerry Butler around? She's kinetic energy personified. . .
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I've managed to capture the longstanding feud between these two--here they are in the middle of an anger-filled wrestling match!
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Okay, actually they're talking about the fact that they only have 2 more weeks with the show...
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Here's Eric's calendar. He's been trimming off each week of the run after it's done. You can tell he has mixed feelings about the short time remaining...
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Curtis Billings, ladies and gentlemen. Possibly the coolest cucumber in the cast.
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A quick visit to the mens' dressing room (it's waaayy up there, but so worth it). Here's Tony Carlin getting in some guitar time before the show...
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The guys are so lucky to have Danny Paul as their dresser. Never once seen this guy do anything but spread good feelings...
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See? This is looking down the stairwell from the top floor! It's like an Escher drawing. . .
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Like all great actors, I've read Stanislavsky's "An Actor Procrastinates." It's half hour, so of course it's time to sit out on the fire escape and play the ukulele! What?
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Love seeing the crowds gather on 45th St before the shows. . .
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Here's John enjoying the weather through his window...this is right before he tells me to leave him "the %#$^ alone" so he can get ready. Such a kidder. . .
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Caught Angelica Page in the midst of preparation. . .
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And now my own. . . you're about to witness a stunning transformation. Wait for it. . .
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See?? Unrecognizable, right?
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Here's our dresser, the wonderful Lolly Totero. No, she doesn't walk around with Eric's headshot all of the time. She's just dropping off some fan mail. . .
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My dressing-roommate, Dakin Matthews tries to make himself look even older! (I'll pay for this comment, I'm sure...)
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Candice (among others) loves her dresser, the awesome Andrea Gonzalez...
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How could you not love that friendly, on-the-spot face? It's Ken McGee our ASM! I'm told that Gore Vidal named the play after him. . .
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Yikes! What did I do?? Flynn (JEJ's assistant) is actually very nice--this photo makes him look like he's sometimes strangles kittens. He doesn't. (You don't, do you Flynn?)
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So I gave the camera to some of our on-stage reporters to take actual shots with a real camera. Very meta. Here's Eric and I about to enter stage left.
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And. . . I'm now onstage!
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Sherman Howard used to like me. I'm losing friends right and left with this camera...
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Here's the lovely Amy Tribby being wigged-up by the incredible Linda Rice!
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First intermission! Kerry Butler's the one who got me hooked on the uke--sometimes we sit out and play together. If you're ever walking along 45th and hear beautiful music above... it's probably not us.
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HA! Kim Butler. HA!!
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This is right before the couch they're sitting on spins around onto the stage. I love knowing that the three of them are sitting on a couch in the dark together every night. Kerry, Angela and Candice-- about to have a tea party!
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Another meta-shot. Dakin leaves them laughing every time!
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I should be shot for including this photo--but I can't help it. I managed to catch "Sheldon Marcus" just after finishing his sandwich offstage.
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There we go--much better. Jefferson Mays defies description, but a good starting place is "genius"
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Dresser Laura Beattie created this wonderful photo menagerie--gives you something to smile at while you're huffing up and down the stairs. Thanks Laura!
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Mark Blum is our most recent addition (miss you Michael McKean) and he's fit in perfectly. . .
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Had to include this: Costume designer Ann Roth chose this for me. Can you see? It's a tortoise and a hare. But in this case. . . . it's a TIE! (Go ahead and groan, I don't care)
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Dar-nit. Angelica's stunning eyes are closed. . .
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Another meta shot. See how angry I am? Don't mess with me.
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Olja Hrustic has a little crush on Eric's photo. Not Eric. Just the enormous photo...
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From the wings at curtain call--first show wrapping up!
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Pure class, and the audience shares the sentiment. . .
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I think they liked the show. . . fun house at today's matinee!
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Okay, maybe Andrea is the coolest cucumber. I stand corrected...
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Joined for a between show meal at Tacocina (delicious) by friends Daoud, Michelle and David. . .
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After a nap (no photos of that) it's time for the second warm-up. . .
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It's been decided: we have the coolest front of house crew on Broadway. Or at least they have the best hats!
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I'm just so sick of these photographers. . .
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Sean has been so helpful during the run--now he's off to San Diego to play Machiavelli... go get 'em, good man!
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The lovely Linda Lee is either yawning or laughing. . . I either said something funny or boring. Can't remember.
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James and Fred hanging in the stairwell. . . who needs a green room?
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One thing I learned today: James Lescene is an incorrigible ham!
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The delegates before the top of Act II. (See what I mean about James?)
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No comment.
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Bill Kux was shocked--shocked, I say, that I was taking a photo of him.
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This is John tolerating me again. . .
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A slightly blurry, but no less beautiful, Donna Hanover hanging in the basement. . .
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One more meta shot. Angela leaving them laughing as she goes. . .
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There's some scene change music that brings out the worst dancing in us. Here are James and I right before I lift him above my head. Why we weren't invited to perform at the Tony's I'll never know. . .
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Onstage with Kerry and JEJ. Come see me, with a handful of new cast members, through Sept. 9.
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