A FINE OPERA DEBUT

This past week was a challenging one - my opera debut in what I think is one of the best roles I have ever played all while having a powerful pain in my left foot thanks to the courtesy of gout. Opening night was Friday night for the NDNU cast and it was a wonderful evening. The audiences were loving the show and I received some incredible compliments after the performance. Saturday night's audience was small but warm & welcoming.

After Saturday evening's performance I hauled myself to the Paragon at Hotel Montgomery in San Jose to help celebrate the first 25 years of San Jose Stage Company. It was a lovely affair and I am so glad I made it. I got to reconnect with old friends like Rick Singleton, Jamie Mann, Mary Smith, Cathy & Randy King and fellow cast members from Urinetown like Keite Davis & Klhar Thorsen and The White House Murder Case like Gary Martinez, and Kevin Kennedy, Kevin Blackton & Diahanna Davidson (who were in both with me). I love San Jose Stage and everyone involved with it. They have given me some incredible opportunities and I hope that I have many more chances to work there. Here's to the next 25 years!

Sunday was a busy day since we had a performance of Orpheus in Napa at the historic Napa Opera House - let me tell you - the theatre is GORGEOUS and it was thrilling to be performing there. We arrived a couple of hours before the show to set spacing and then we were off. A wonderful & responsive audience that included my proud Dad. I think opera is something that I might not dismiss so quickly in the future - experiences like Orpheus are are in performing in general - a great show, with a great cast and a terrific role with an amazing director - that combo comes rare in any performing field.

This is what the view looks like from stage at the Napa Opera House - just divine:

We headed back and had dinner in San Mateo and I caught the end of the Oscars - I am so thrilled that Marion Cotillard won for La Vie en Rose - it was one of the best performances I have ever seen and if you ever need to cry just rent it.

My gout was killing me today so I stayed home from school and even though I rested most of the day it still hurts! I caught A Raisin in the Sun tonight on TV with Sean Combs, Phylicia Rashad and Audra McDonald. Even though I do think the movie would have been serviced better by having an actor play Walter Lee - what Rashad & McDonald do is enough to make the movie brilliant. Sean Combs is serviceable in the role but there are moments when it's just uncomfortable to watch him on screen. I can't imagine what Broadway audiences felt seeing him do the role on stage.

Late last night, I started to watch the PBS broadcast of the revival of Company - and I don't know what is going on with lately and Sondheim projects (aka Sweeney) but...I HATED IT!!!! I fell asleep watching it. I got tired of the actors looking out at the audience and not playing with each other. While I LOVED Doyle's Sweeney Todd staging (loved it so much I saw it twice) Company just didn't work for me and I fell asleep as I heard "Another Hundred People."

Okay I must start my philosophy paper which will take the next few hours.

That's all to report except Children of Eden rehearsals start tomorrow night - shoot me now.

=+)

Have a great week y'all.

M.

I NEVER THOUGHT THIS WOULD EVER HAPPEN!

So I stayed home from school today because I was feeling very ill (my gout and my throat ached) so I stayed in bed until 5 PM and I woke up to a number of congratulation e-mails. It turns out that I have been nominated by the Bay Area Theatre Critics Circle for my work in Man of La Mancha. I am over the moon thrilled and that our little production received 5 nominations total: 2 for male performance (me & Louis Parnell), 1 for female performance (Cathleen Riddley), director (Jon Tracy), and musical director (Dave Dobrusky.)

The BATCC has opened up nominations to theatres under 99 seats which is a wonderful notion - that way deserving theatres that don't have huge budgets can be recognized for their work.

After years of doing solid work I really thought the critics circle just didn't care for me and I am truly honored to be receiving this incredible recognition of my work.

Yay!!

=+)

M.

VOCI, ORPHEUS OPENS

Hi there!

Hope everyone is well. Last night I performed at a Valentine's concert at school. Last year I sang "Wheels of a Dream" with my pal Marisol Urbano. This year I wanted to do something 180 degress different so I chose the song "Sara Lee" which I love. My friend Elana Ron helped me perform it and my beloved Laurie Nellessen helped us choreograph it. It was lots of fun. What surprised me about the evening was the applause I received before I even sang a note. It was rather overwhelming and really touched my heart. I guess a lot of the people who come to see things at NDNU know who I am now. It took me by surprise.

Orpheus opens this Friday and Saturday at NDNU with the student cast and then the Pocket Opera cast performs in Napa on Sunday so it will be another crazy week. Not to mention that next Monday rehearsals for Children of Eden starts. I am not really excited about doing this show but alas I must keep my commitment as it will be my last show with the school (outside of my recital.)

If you are able to come see Orpheus...do. It's a fun show and our brilliant director Greg Fritsch has done some amazing things with the show. It's fun and not terribly long. I haven't done a cameo role since I played Herod in Superstar and I am having a blast playing John Styx. He's quickly become one of my favorite characters.

Alright - that's it from me.

Have a great week y'all!

=+)

M.

I HOPE I DON'T JINX IT!

Well today was just a good day. I finished my philosophy paper (which was late) last night and I turned it in today (that was a relief!) Had a good rehearsal at Orpheus tonight. It's coming along nicely and I can tell that Greg is really happy with my work which makes me feel great! Jilian, who is our Pocket Opera Eurydice is so nice and man can this gal siing!!! I am having a blast with her. Yay for a good day.

Alright I'm off to bed. Let's hope that happy days are here again!

=+)

M.

GLENGARRY GLEN ROSS

I had a fantastic time on Saturday evening spending it among friends and seeing a kick-ass production of David Mamet's Glengarry Glen Ross. San Jose Stage celebrates 25 years with this revival production that features a terrific ensemble cast that includes: Randy King, Stephen Klum (his character is the one I most identified with - just outstanding), Michael Storm, Colin Thomson, Michael Ray Wisely, Kevin Kennedy and Louis Landman. It was great to see Randy, Michael and Kevin (all my pals from The White House Murder Case.)

Smartly directed with great timing this is terrific ensemble acting. The first act deals with these characters in pairs but Act II has them all together at various times. Oh and the pace - the pace was just terrific. A play like this could suffer greatly from lack of pace but this production was right on the money.

In the audience there were a lot of friends: Diahanna Davidson, Klhar Thorsen, Jackson Davis, Stephan Smith Collins, Beverly Grant and my dear friends at the Stage Company. A terrific night and a great evening of theatre. I highly recommend this production. (Lots of language so leave the kiddies at home.)

Cheers

Martin

VOTING, SENIORITIS & STEEL MAGNOLIAS

Hi there!

I guess life has become so hectic that I only have time to sit and blog once a week - I will try to write more as time allows but school is sure kickin' my behind.

Last Saturday I went to see my friend Nicole Julien in a wonderful production of Steel Magnolias at California Conservatory Theatre in San Leandro. I am one of the few gay men who have never actually seen the movie so I was curious to see what the play was like. The ensemble cast is really terrific and there are some hilarious & heartbreaking moments in the piece. I really recommend it. I really like the work I saw at CCT and I hope to audition for them in the future.

Tuesday was Super Tuesday and I was able to vote for my first Presidential Primary! Everyone that knows me knows that I am a Clinton supporter and I hope that we make it all the way to the White House!

Wednesday I had the great pleasure of seeing my mentor Linda Hoy. We went to dinner and then went to see the One Acts Festival at NDNU - my favorite was a Christopher Durang play called "Wanda's Visit." We were there to see "For Whom The Southern Belle Tolls" (also by Durang) which Linda directed at Cañada and I was her assistant director. It was a fun night - and it was wonderful to see some of my fellow Cañada friends in the audience too.

Lately I have been in the dumps (I guess 2008 hasn't fared so well) and feeling a bit depressed although those around me say that I have "senioritis" - a condition that college seniors have that makes them not give a shit about...anything.) I guess the realization that school is almost over and life awaits sorta scares me a little. I need to snap out of it and continue to work my ass off.

Rehearsals for "Orpheus" are going well and I am just crazy about Greg Fritsch - he is a wonderful director and probably one of the best I have ever worked with - his intensity and energy makes me want to do 125% for him. I have a great little part in this opera and it can be a showstealer If I play it right - I only have one scene to make the audience fall in love with my character (while still breaking their hearts) - not an easy thing to do. The cast assembled is really good and the NDNU students in the cast are terrific. It's nice that my first opera should happen to be a good experience.

Okay - that's all I have to report this week. Tonight I am going to see "Glengarry Glenn Ross" at San Jose Stage so I will write about that this upcoming week.

Oh!! It's official - my senior recital date has beens et for October 12th, 2008 at 7 PM. Please mark your calendars now as this will be the only performance of mine I will ask everyone to see. It's a show that will be a retrospective of the last 30 years of my life. I am already hard at work at it.

Cheers & Have a great week y'all!

Martin