A little over a year ago I went to NYC for a weekend. Id gotten a call from a casting director who was casting a new musical and my name had come up for the lead. This casting director had called me a few years prior about a musical Stephen King and John Mellencamp had written. My name had come up at their NYC auditions because the musical director (T. Bone) sent his friend, a producer/guitar player, who happened to produce and play with Ian Hunter who happened to play with my old producer who happened to know my music and, as they sat through auditions, this producer/guitar player/music director/buddy of T Bones said, you know who could sing the shit out of this score...? and thus, out of the blue, my name got called for this part. It never happened and that was ok. It was nice to be asked. And so a few years later, a new musical was being developed and this casting director remembered me and, as it turns out, the composer is a genius singer-songwriter who I know and have worked with, and so, once again, the theater that Id left was calling me back. I spent a few days in midtown Manhattan, in capezio dance shoes, and felt way out of my element although Id trained for this kind of thing a long time ago (although to be honest: I trained to be a classical actor so musical theater was a bit out of my comfort zone. I cant dance. Im a specific kind of singer and Im guessing a kind of modern day Joan Baez is not what the Broadway world is looking for. I cant belt like Idina M.). The audition days were nerve-wracking, brought up all kinds of memories and insecurities from my early 20s. I had this hollow feeling for those 2 days, that feeling of wanting someone to pick you and scared that they wouldnt. And I realized I must have lived with that feeling for years while pursuing acting. I remembered when I first starting gigging at The Bitter End and The Living Room how It felt like a relief to put that feeling down and simply stand on a stage, having chosen myself, having written the script and the songs, and pass or fail on my own merit. That play is now in previews in Atlanta, and having read the script and studied the music, I would lay down a bet that it heads straight to Broadway and straight to the Tonys. And I was never right for that part. And its so nice to know that the woman who got the part, Melissa Errico, is a badass actress and shes also a singer and a songwriter (I used to see her name on the bill at The Bitter End). And she rocks a halter top and red lipstick like Susan Sarandon back in her heyday. Congratulations Susan Werner. You are the baddest of asses of songwriters and Im so thrilled for you and I appreciate you even thinking of me for that part. Glad I got the chance to step into a southern accent and heels for a few days.
Posted on: Fri, 05 Sep 2014 14:42:04 +0000
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