Musical Of Musicals the Musical OpensTONIGHT!

Musical of Musicals the Musical opens Friday. For those of you not familiar with the show, here is a brief outline taken from the Dominion Stage website:

Step 1: Take a plot straight from old melodrama.
Step 2: Take the same plot and concoct five spooofs in the styles of Rodgers and Hammerstein, Stephen Sondheim, Jerry Herman, Andrew Lloyd Webber, and Kander and Ebb.
Step 3: Cast four dynamic and entertaining performers and one dazzling pianist!
Step 4: Shake it all up and serve one funny and entertaining show!

Ive seen some dress rehearsals, and its pretty funny...but the scenery is a bit difficult to capture on film:
Above is the Dear Abby! sequence of Musical of Musicals the Musical

And the finale, where all of the show titles are revealed...

This is my best attempt at making a "minimal" set...So I primarily used stock scenery, which was necessary because I had a budget of less than $300...

I am also working on the set design for Obama Wonderama at the Warehouse theater (actually, the scenery is going to be up for the whole weekend, spanning four events, so I needed to make it a bit more neutral than I normally do for a burlesque show...)

Obama Wonderama Scenery Sketch
Pencil and Photoshop

You can get your tickets here.
Speaking of L'il Dutch, I am going to be at the Dutch Oven tonight at the Palace of Wonders, they are having a Sci Fi themed show, where I will be giving away some Yuri's Night prizes! See you tonight!

YMIR!!!

Okay, so staying with the monster theme, I am starting another painting. This one is of the defeated Giant Ymir from the Sci Fi classic Twenty Million Miles To Earth. Considered one of Ray Harryhausen's masterpieces, it tells the story of a crash landed spacecraft returning from Venus that deposits a tiny monster into the Italian countryside. It grows exponentially, and eventually rampages in greater Rome before being killed by a wall collapse at the Colosseum. This sketch is based off of a still I found on the Internet, but I am trying to reimagine the scene a bit, so as not to literally transcribe the scene from the movie. I like to think that this is another Ymir that has been defeated by a new secret weapon that the military has been keeping for just such an occasion (hence the tank with the strange weaponry) but, in true X-Files fashion, there are some pitchfork wielding eye witnesses peering over the edge of the crater as well...

Defeated Ymir sketch
Watercolor on Paper 9"x12"

I've started the final painting this week, but will be interrupted by the impending holiday travel itinerary...I don't think I will get much done between now and the new year, so this may be farewell for a couple of weeks... When I return, I will probably have pictures of the dress rehearsals for Musical of Musicals the Musical!

Merry X-Mass and Happy New Year!

Pulling out of the the three week funk

Yeah yeah, you've heard it all before, I have apologized for not blogging at the beginning of so many postings that its become a cliche...perhaps we can get past that by agreeing on a word that would substitute for the apology...like, say "Slogging" (combining Sloth and Blogging)...or perhaps an acronym like: NETBA, (Nothing Entertaining To Blog About) or NMGO (Not Much Going On) or AFCBL (Artistic Funk Check Back Later)...Suggestions?

Now that we have that out of the way, I will recap what has happened in the last few weeks: Not much. Well, not much by the standards here at BTT. Kyle Jarrow did stay with us when he saw President Harding is a Rock Star. He seemed impressed by the show (which I think he considers a callow work from his youth) and he was also impressed with KT's prowess on the Miss Pac Man machine at Chief Ike's...

Harding has closed, but fear not, a remount of A Very Merry Children's Scientology Pageant will soon be reopening in its place. If you didn't get a chance to see it last year, this will be your last best chance (see it this time around, before all of the kids voices change)


Thanksgiving came and went without too much hullabaloo...with the notable exception of my cat's colon troubles (He was literally saved from death row over the holiday...thank you Miralax!)

The day after Thanksgiving KT and I went to the They Might Be Giants concert at the 9:30 Club...they played all of the album Flood. It was a really great show that brought back all sorts of awkward memories of my misspent youth (sigh)

I did get some work done on the set for Musical of Musicals the Musical. I even made a model:

White Model for Musical of Musicals the Musical
Paper, Foamcore, Plastic Figures 1/4"=1'

Dominion is very excited about the show, and it has started building in the shop. They even made a Musical of Musicals the Musical promo video

If you are in Detroit on the 13th, go check out some of my velvet paintings at Chin's annual holiday show. You can go to the Cats Meow for more deets
And Lastly, just to prove that I have not been a total slacker, I have scanned some of my sketchbook pages from the past couple of weeks. As you can see, I have been "doodle until you get inspired mode"...I promise to keep you posted on how that strategy turns out...

Bouncing back....slowly

I have been taking it a bit easy since the Spooktacular, gradually getting myself together for the next set of projects (its interesting to note that last years post had a similar theme... as well as 2006's second November posting...)

Aside from a minor artistic crisis: "oh god, I don't have a show next week to paint pictures for, what will I do with myself?" I have started working on the set designs for Dominion Stage's Musical of Musicals the Musical.

First Sketch for Musical of Musicals the Musical
Pencil and Photoshop, 1/4"=1'

I've already had a discussion with the director, who correctly points out that I have forgotten about the piano player. I neglected to design a space for him because I just plain forgot that he was to be onstage at all times. So this is by no means going to be the final version. One of the elements that will stay in future incarnations is the "light box" effect I have pictured above. You see, each of the boxes with the name of the show on it (there are five shows within this show) is actually a back-painted muslin flat. When lit from behind, the name of the show (for example "Corn!") will appear as if by magic...or at least that's the idea...

Harding and Halloween Scenery Photos

This past week has really been a blur... the historic election of Barack Obama has kinda eclipsed everything that happened just a few days before. But just for the record, I have compiled some photos of the scenery for Spooktacular IX and President Harding is a Rock Star. (you can find lots of the drunken photos of the Halloween Party here)

View of the backyard just moments before the party started

"Kong" Photo Op
Painted Luan and reed fence, 9'x10'

Karaoke Hell backdrop
Acrylic on Black Velour, 12'x8'

The photos of Harding are not the end all be all, because they were hastily taken during the first dress rehearsal. But they do help give a sense of the flow of the show...

Harding and Flossy

Harding, just before "death" scene

Oval office fight scene (my favorite part of the show)

So, it looks like I will be hosting Kyle Jarrow, the author of President Harding is a Rock Star (and A Very Merry Children's Scientology Pageant) at my house next week when he comes into town to see the Landless Production. (so book your tickets for the 15th if you want to see the author's world ROCKED!)

I have some news that I am kinda proud of...but I don't want to tell you for at least 8 weeks...when its official...stay tuned...

This upcoming week I am going to working hard on the preliminary designs for Musical of Musicals the Musical for Dominion Stage. I will also be working on Follies and Mumbo off and on in addition to starting to get back into the swing of that whole velvet paintin' thang...