The Continuing Adventures of Jud

[Well, Blogger's messing up again- can't justify the spacing or hold paragraph breaks, so we go with the centered style!]

Last night was the preview performance of Anything Goes at the Citrus County Art
Center Theater, ACT, led by director Jesse Villegas, who flew in from Michigan to do
the show.

This was my first foray onto the stage (well, since first grade I think?) and it has
certainly been an interesting experience! As recently as a week ago, I had thought
that wisdom would require I wear a bullet proof vest on opening night, but
apparently things change quickly when it goes from rehearsal to "live" and despite a
few major blunders, the players carried it off, and the audience was entertained and
even amused at times.

Among the cast is some real talent, some of whom know it, and some who do not, and
there are some shining moments in this production. Of course, Ling, though
apparently a minor character, is the salvation of the show, but my particular
favorite is "Bonnie" played by the very talented Shalyn Barker, who will be familiar
to readers of the Chronicle for her weekly column. This was her first play too, but
hopefully, she will stay with it and continue to delight us here in Citrus County
before some Broadway talent scout catches a glimpse and whisks her off to the Great
White Way!

Sometimes I have heard people express envy of the actor's life, thinking mainly I
suspect of the glamorous aspects of that life portrayed in the media, but I have
been surprised by just how much work and time is involved in putting together even
this little production. Just in terms of the backstage people, the non-actors, who
work to make something like this happen, it is a lot of effort, and in this case all
volunteer. In this production at least, their pictures quite deservedly hang with
those of the actors in the lobby.

Anything Goes goes on for the next three weekends, and tonight is opening night!

Come on down!

:)

aka "Ling"