Ten pounds of blog in a five-pound sack
Okay, let’s try this Dr. Horrible banner thingy again:
Yeah, so Dr. Horrible. Sweet! It ain’t gonna be free much longer, so get it while the gettin’s good. If it’s too late already (and I’m pretty sure it is), you’ll have to pay for it. May as well; you get higher resolution and you support this new media thingy.
So I was reading Ed Brayton’s report on being arrested for photographing a cop, and realized what a coup I got away with last weekend. Not only did I photograph a National Park Police helicopter, I recorded its sound! And then, to make matters worse, I went to the Vietnam memorial and recorded audio there too! Man am I gonna get in trouble.
Except here’s the cool part. The Park Police flew for me! All we hadda do was ask. Hooray them! So now we have some awesome helicopter sound effects, as well as background noise from the Wall, for One Red Flower: Letters Home From Vietnam. Which doesn’t open until next February, but we’ve been working on it for a year already. It’s gonna be the most awesome show ever done by a community theatre. I’m even going to have to make a major update to Macs Cue for it.
No web presence for the show yet, so I can’t show you it.
But I can show you the helicopter. Yes, I asked. They said take as many photos as you want. It’s a secure area; we couldn’t stay there without an escort, but photography was okay. Wow, real security instead of security theatre. Go National Park Police!
Over on Pharyngula, the question was posed about creationists:
What about dentistry attracts these people?
Kinda got me thinking. I’m pretty sure it has something to do with meat-eating plants from outer space.
Which leads inevitably to Intelligent Design: The Musical!. But that’s too plain. Little Shop of Canards? Not likely.
I’m sure there’s a salable product here somewhere. We get Roy Zimmerman to write the words and music, and PZ to write the book, yeah! A little backing, and Broadway, here we come! Just need that catchy title. Best Little Schoolhouse in Texas? Donny Does Dallas? (Yes, there is a musical called “Debbie Does Dallas“)
I mean, it can’t do any worse than Glory Days! (Click that link quick, it’s not likely to last much longer, given the rather, uh, abbreviated run the show had on Broadway. Yeah, we’re talking one day. Ouch.)
I’m not completely sure I like the new Broadway-themed direction of Signature Theatre in Shirlington, but I did enjoy seeing Chita Rivera on Tuesday night. She was dancing on Broadway before I was born, man. And George Hearn, too. I’ve only ever seen him in the DVD of Sweeney Todd (the stage production, not the movie). He’s got some acting range.
The show was “The Visit”, which I didn’t realize until later was a pretty faithful musical version of Der Besuch der Alten Dame, by Dürenmatt. Which like all good second-year German students I read back in college. Very, uh, German sort of story, which means who knows if I liked it. Hated the lighting design, though. Screw those Broadway designers, just give me Chris Lee.
Best part was when the power went out halfway through Chita’s song about marrying often and widowing well. They just kept on keeping on! Microphones, schmicrophones, it’s a small house and we’ll just project. Coolio!
So, overall, a worthwhile night for sure. Still, I hope Signature doesn’t go too Broadway as time goes on.