Oklahoma

This weekend I played in the orchestra for Oklahoma down at American University. I really hate all things Rodgers & Hammerstein (Sound of Music, King And I, South Pacific). The shows are all ridiculously long and, in my opinion, really dated, but they are considered classics, so it makes sense to me that schools still do these shows. As for the rest of you, it's time to move on.

Either way, the kids in the show were all very good and it was a drama-free gig.

It also wrapped up a crazy month for me.....five different shows and a commercial....not too bad.

Sweet Charity

Sweet Charity is kind of a racy show....especially for a high school to do......especially for a Catholic high school to do. So I was very impressed that my friends at Holy Cross pulled it off. I'm told there were lots of changes to the script.....it was my first experience with the show, so I'm no expert....but, the story was still there.

It's got a couple of songs that I had heard before, "Big Spender" & "If They Could See Me Now", and a real downer of an ending, even though it manages to leave you smiling.

Thank Youuuuu

Last night, there was an Orioles game on TV from 1996 and it got me seriously misty. Not because it was the game when Eddie Murray hit his 500th home run or because the O's had an amazing team that year and made it to the playoffs and all that, but because in the background you could hear Rex Barney announcing the players as they came up to bat at Camden Yards.

You may remember Rex's familiar, "Thank Youuuuu" or "Give that fan a contract!" whenever someone in the stands made a good catch.

I got to produce Rex's radio shows back in the day during my time at WBAL and we got to be good friends. His show would air before and after O's games on weekends, so during the game he'd hang out with me while I pushed the buttons for the broadcast and we'd talk baseball and stuff for hours. His post-game show would air from the time the game ended until 6pm when ESPN radio started, so obviously the longer the game went, the shorter his time on the air would be. He would spend the whole game yelling, "Play slower!" One Saturday the game got rained out and Rex did six solid hours of Orioles talk. He used to say that I helped him get thru it but all I did was answer the phones and push the buttons.

It should be pointed out that Rex pitched for the Brooklyn Dodgers and was actually the starter for Jackie Robinson's first game in the bigs. He was also the only player to pitch a no-hitter at the Polo Grounds in NY, which is where the Dodgers played before they moved to L.A. Needless to say he had amazing stories to tell about some legendary folks, as well as some advice about which Orioles Hall of Famers I should never get in a car with. He was a caring and generous guy and I loved working with him.

When he passed away, I went to his viewing and a close friend of his approached and introduced herself. When I told her who I was, a huge smile came across her face"You're Jason?! Rex used to talk about you all the time! He would say how great you were and how much he loved working with you!"

Wow! That was all I could say.

The O's have a plaque dedicated to Rex in the press box at the stadium... ...and inducted him into their hall of fame. I got Rex to sign a baseball for me one day and he personalized it to me.
It reminds me of him but it also reminds me of the kind of person I want to be. A person who accomplished great things but is remembered first for his kindness.

Joseph

Have you heard of the ORCHextra? It's a computer that will play the orchestration for your musical. The way it works is that each instrument is programed into the computer and you tap the tempo on a mini-piano keyboard and it plays the show. You can vamp, repeat, make cuts, all the things a real orchestra can do. There are two big differences.....first, you only have to pay one person to tap, as opposed to a roomful of musicians. Secondly, the ORCHextra sounds like what it is....a computer, but who besides musicians and music theater types are really gonna notice. It's also a little unforgiving. If a performer misses an entrance or gets off a beat or two, it's a little tricky to catch up.

I hate the freakin' thing!!!

So with that bit of background, I will tell you that I played Joseph at Archbishop Curley High this past weekend and it was all about the damn computer! It crashed, it wouldn't remember cuts, and was generally user un-friendly. In addition to the ORCHextra there was myself, a drummer, and a dude on piano. We did our best to keep the show moving and the kids on stage did a great job battling thru it all.

13

'Tis the season for school shows and said season began this week with 13 at Jemicy School. If you're not familiar with 13, it's the newest show by Jason Robert Brown who also wrote Songs For A New World and The Last Five Years and is notorious for writing really difficult music. When 13 was on Broadway the cast AND band were all kids which is maybe why this show wasn't so hard.
The kids were awesome and did a great job!!

Go O's

So, remember that story I wrote like a month ago about going to an audition and getting stuck in the snow afterwards. Well, I got the gig, so I think it was worth it. It was a commercial for MASN and The Orioles. The day started with me waking up to find a huge zit on the side of my face!! WHY!?! Thank God for make-up. Anyway, we shot five different ads which will be put into the mix with five additional spots that they shot yesterday and will starting airing at the end of this month. I hope I make the final cut. Either way, it was a really fun day!