Gregory G. Allen's Blog

Nineteen Years Later, She Still Casts a Spell

Nineteen years ago, I directed a production of Kiss of the Spider Woman at 4th Wall Theatre in New Jersey and have waited ever since to see a revival of the show somewhere. I was thrilled when I heard the movie was being made and went the second day it opened. What Bill Condon has done with this film is remarkable. He’s written it using the late Terrence McNally’s musical script, yet he’s also gone back to the original 1976 novel by Manuel Puig to deepen what the 1993 Broadway musical first gave us.

Jennifer Lopez & Tonatiuh: 2025 Kiss of the Spider Woman

Many of the Kander and Ebb songs remain, though Condon keeps them all within the “movie within the movie,” not in the reality of the prison. When I first heard this, I was disappointed, but it’s surprisingly effective on screen. (And lucky for us, some songs made it into the film in clever ways I won’t spoil here.)

For those unfamiliar, the story centers on two very different cellmates in Argentina, set in 1983 for the film. Molina, a queer window dresser, passes the time by telling Valentin, a political revolutionary, about his favorite movie star. Two very different men, learning to depend on each other.

2006 4th Wall Theatre production with Jason Tamashausky, Alex Kanter & Frank Malvasi Photo by Sean Hennessy

I know you’re waiting for me to talk about J-Lo, who takes on the title role once played brilliantly by Chita Rivera on Broadway. Jennifer Lopez sparkles. She dances beautifully, gives great 50s film-star looks, and sings the score admirably. Condon expands her role so that the “film within the film” mirrors what Molina experiences in the real world. I get that J-Lo will be the reason some people see this film (and the reason others avoid it), but whichever camp you’re in, I promise you’ll enjoy her.

Tonatiuh & Jennifer Lopez : 2025 Kiss of the Spider Woman

Still, it’s not her story, even though she’s the title character. Condon goes deeper than both the 1985 film and the 1993 musical. The love story feels honest and grounded, and Molina is portrayed as more gender-fluid and less of the stereotypically flamboyant gay man we’ve often seen before. Maybe it’s because of where we are in 2025, but this version feels true to our time: both in how queer men are represented and in how the politics of Argentina echo our own headlines. It’s hard not to see our own world reflected in this gritty, real story contrasted against the technicolor fantasy of Molina’s mind. As a young gay man in the 80s, I remember being moved seeing William Hurt play an openly gay man on screen as it felt revolutionary then. Forty years later, Tonatiuh doesn’t hold back.

Yes, I love musical theater, so of course I was going to see this. But the film isn’t getting the audience it deserves. The marketing has been quiet; I haven’t seen much online or on TV. Still, hear me out…you want to see this for the breakout performance of Tonatiuh as Molina. He’s astonishing. His performance is layered, vulnerable, and quietly powerful. And that voice. The camera loves him. He lights up the screen whether in the dim grain of the prison sequences or the saturated dreamscapes of Molina’s imagination. He’s matched beautifully by Diego Luna as Valentin, who balances bravado and tenderness as his character shifts. Both are perfectly cast, and I hope Tonatiuh gets the recognition he deserves come awards season.

Tonatiuh & Diego Luna: 2025 Kiss of the Spider Woman

In many ways, this film is a love letter to cinema itself. Funny enough, when I directed Spider Woman years ago (before I ever made my own films) I ended the show with a short movie I created, showing what Molina felt toward his cellmate. Condon has taken Molina’s fantasies to new heights. The film’s closing moments soar, and it’s worth seeing on the big screen.

And a shoutout to the Broadway performers who appear in the movie. I’ve loved watching Max Clayton on stage for years, and he shines in every dance number here.

Reviews have been solid. Box office, not so much. If you love musical theater, please go see this film so Hollywood keeps making movie musicals.

Jennifer Lopez & Ensemble: 2025 Kiss of the Spider Woman

Author’s Note
Stories like Kiss of the Spider Woman remind us why art matters. It is about seeing ourselves on screen, even in places we once thought we could not exist. Theater and film both teach us empathy, and empathy is how we build a kinder world. If a movie musical can open one heart or spark one conversation, it is worth every frame.

#KissofTheSpiderWoman #MusicalTheater #LGBTQFilm #BillCondon #JenniferLopez #Tonatiuh #DiegoLuna #KanderAndEbb #CinemaLove #RepresentationMatters #PayItForward #TheaterCommunity #MovieMusicals

Curtain Up on the Third Act

I haven’t written on here in so long simply because life (both personally and globally) felt too overwhelming for me to feel creative or talkative. As if nothing I had to say really mattered much. But something happened this past week that made me feel it was time to return to my writing.

I’ve been wondering for a while what my third act of life should be. I’ve reinvented myself from corporate America to arts administration, all the while pursuing my creative endeavors of writing, acting, and filmmaking. I’ve been looking at several areas—from nonprofit and advocacy work to marketing and communications. I’ll admit that someone my age isn’t so readily accepted into a new working environment. It’s probably why so many stay in a job that no longer fulfills them until they retire. But I made the tough decision to walk away and throw myself into the job search. (I’ll be the first to admit I’m lucky in that I have a spouse who is extremely supportive of my endeavors—as varied as they may be.)

I decided this summer to get my substitute teacher certification. I’ve always loved my visits to schools as an author and speaker, and so many people in my family have been teachers. Something in my gut told me it might be a stepping stone to that third act. However, how much can you really see what a job is like by going into a school once in a while to fill in?

Then the wildest thing happened: I got a text saying a school needed a theater teacher to fill in for almost three months and asked if I’d be interested. “Yes,” I said, without even blinking. A week later I was interviewed and hired. Another week later I was shadowing the teacher. I had my first day alone on Friday, and it was truly such a joy. I couldn’t believe how happy I felt, how at peace I was... how it just felt right.

I’m not saying this will be the third act of my life, but I’m excited to see what the next ten weeks will bring. Who else would get such an amazing opportunity to “try out” a new career before jumping in fully? Curtain up on this act while I see what the future has in store.

2023-2024 Broadway Season

My 23-24 Playbill Collection

The 2023-2024 Broadway season has been more robust than any we’ve seen in recent years. To think that just four years ago Broadway closed down during the pandemic, it appears we’re making up for lost time now. The reason we can get so many shows in is because shows are not staying open as long. The “long running Broadway show” are few and far between when it comes to the past several years. Producers seem to bring them in for ‘limited runs” and get them right out on the road. This allows the Broadway houses to be open to bring in another creative team’s show to make dreams come true.

As a writer, director, producer…I always remind myself there are so many people behind everything that comes in with really high hopes of a hit. They are employing a lot of people and feeding the economy so I do applaud them all. That said, it doesn’t mean I always like everything that is being put up on the stage. BUT that’s what is so great about Broadway right now: there is something for EVERYONE. You can read past substacks of mine to see where I do a deep dive into the jukebox musical which continues to thrive on Broadway with this year being no exception. We also had several musicals with original scores as well. As a former writer of the BMI Musical Theater Workshop, its always been difficult for me to listen to Broadway shows where composers and lyricists throw out the “rules” taught to us, but once again…it’s all part of the changing landscape. I’m really happy that we even have original scores. So with that said, I went into this year with an open mind and open ears.

According to this article from the NY Theatre Guide, there were 38 Broadway shows that opened in this season with 35 being eligible for the Tony Awards (with nominations being announced on April 30th). In the next few weeks, I will have seen 27 of those so naturally I have my own opinions on each of them. I’m forever grateful to discount tickets that allows me to see so many shows and if you haven’t looked into joining TDF…you should.

Opening Night

I think back to last summer with shows that came and went and hope that Grey House is remembered by the Tony Awards for that amazing sound and set in that very eerie play. I had a wonderful time at Once Upon a One More Time (which should never have been billed as a Britney Spears musical as it was so much more). I was so glad Justin Guarini was remembered by the Outer Critics Circle with a nomination for his delicious take on Prince Charming. Sadly shows that open and close earlier in the season are often forgotten by the Tony Committee especially in a year like now when so many shows opened in the past two months to get in right before the Tony nominations deadline. 

I’ve luckily seen almost every new musical that came out this year. There is a shared modern sound running through much of our new Broadway composers. You don’t necessarily walk out humming any of the songs, but you do feel touched by them while hearing them in the moment. Last season, I said that Harmony had my favorite new score of the season (when it was off-Broadway) and it would be nice for them to show up on the nomination list this year even though the show had a limited run on Broadway. I also enjoyed the score of Suffs and Lempicka. I find many new musicals have issues with the book (story/script) even if based on something existing like a film or novel. There were a few new musicals this year that had confusing books that didn’t spend enough time on their main characters. 

The cast of Illinoise

I kept waiting for a musical to jump off the stage and smack me like some of the long running current musicals…but it wasn’t happening. And then I saw Illinoise. All I knew about it was that it was a hit at The Armory in the spring and made a quick leap to Broadway to make it in under the wire for Tony noms. I decided to grab a TDF ticket and see it alone the second day it was on Broadway. WOW. We use the phrase blown away too often…but this was more than that as it reached out and grabbed my soul. A beautiful, lush, exquisite, ethereal, haunting experience full of unbridled joy & devastating anguish. All with no spoken word. There truly is no category for the Tonys to justify what I saw on that stage, so I would definitely put it as my Best Musical of the season.

The cast of The Cottage

I also saw several of the plays on Broadway this year. I had already seen Prayer for the French Republic off-Broadway, but returned to see it again…that’s how much I enjoyed it. Also love the writing of Peter Morgan so that alone made me sit through a story of Putin in Patriots. Mother Play is worth it for Jessica Lange (though I feel we’ve seen this story told in other ways before). At this writing, I’ve yet to see Stereophonic, but that is changing soon. I’m curious if that will push to the top of my play list for the season.

Cast of Merrily We Roll Along at Sirius Townhall

I don’t want to forget revivals as there are plenty of those as well. I didn’t go see them all simply because there were so many new shows to take in and I’m not a rich man. But I had to get to Merrily We Roll Along and the production hit me deeply and brought me to tears. I thought back to my early days in New York City, trying to write the next American musical, and the nostalgia of all of that washed over me. I do hope it takes home some awards this year. 

I’ve tried to keep this article light and here’s why: art is subjective. There is so much on Broadway that I’m sure there is something anyone could find and enjoy. From reliving the catalog of Alicia Keys set to a wonderful mother/daughter story in Hell’s Kitchen to a new adaption of a classic like An Enemy of the People…it’s all so vastly different. What I like you might hate or vice versa. It’s a reason why I notice my views don’t always line up with reviewers. Audiences are what keeps a show going, not reviews. I thought of that after seeing The Notebook (which I really liked while many reviewers didn’t). I walked down the street chatting with composer Stephen Schwartz who had just seen it too. I remembered back to a certain show of his that critics didn’t like, but 20 years later and Wicked is still going strong. So if you enjoy a Broadway show…shout it from the rooftops no matter what the critics say.    

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For Bobby

I had planned on writing a diatribe all about The Color Purple. We saw the movie Christmas Day, went home to watch the 1985 film again (where Spielberg masterly sets up his shots), then I read the book the following day and was blown away by the original. I was going to get on a soapbox and wish that someone would give this story the full limited series it deserves to tell Alice Walker’s original tale. 

Then my friend passed away and I suddenly didn’t feel the need to be a white man complaining about how a particular story is shared that isn’t mine to tell or whine about. 

My friend Bobby Rivers taught me much about inclusion in the arts and the importance of seeing one’s self on tv & film. As a black man growing up in the 50s & 60s, Bobby had to search far and wide to see representation. He himself stepped into that role many times as a host, interviewer, reviewer. You’ve seen his face on VH1 & the Food Network. He was a pioneer in the field interviewing some of the largest names in Hollywood, often having double hoops to jump through as a black gay man. 

When news & TV shows stopped reaching out to him except to comment on the death of a famous black person, Bobby made the internet his place to reach audiences: through websites, blogs, and interacting with so many people on social media (the TCMParty hashtag on Twitter was one of his favorite places). I love reading tributes from those who met him in that way. I was actually one of those people who first chatted with him on Twitter over a decade ago and those chats were the beginning of  a friendship. He interviewed me for his podcast. I worked with him on his memoir that I had planned to publish, but he didn’t get the chance to finish it. I recall several fun dinners in NYC…and whenever I would post a martini photo, he would tell me to have one for him too. Then during the pandemic he allowed me to interview him when he shared his story about representation and how it matters. I rewatched that today when I heard the news of his passing. 

And that takes me back to why I chose not to cover The Color Purple remake in this article (though I would have loved to be discussing that with him this week). Listening to him speak reminded me how important it is for each generation to get another version of Alice Walker’s work. Film, stage, musical - the story is important to whichever audience is witnessing it.

An up and coming entertainment guru just like Bobby needs to see these films being made so that they know they have a voice. Bobby had a great voice. And wonderful stories. An incredible resume of work. And he’s gone too soon. I know he’s making his mother laugh once again and giving everyone in heaven a history lesson on the place, but I wish he hadn’t been taken this quickly. The world still needed Bobby Rivers and his wit & charm. 

“The only way to solace anyone who loved you in life is to be a good memory.” - Alice Walker

R. I. P. my friend. 

Greg & Bobby 2014

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Who is Watching Hallmark Christmas Movies?

I am a Hallmarkie.

That’s right…I don’t even say a closet Hallmark Christmas movie watcher as I post about watching them all the time. Out and Proud! I’ve been a fan for years. Sure I make the jokes about the formulas and love how there is an entire subculture on TikTok who makes videos about said formula…but I genuinely enjoy watching them. 

Perhaps knowing what you’re in for is what gives people comfort when tuning in. They know they can sit for two hours (knowing exactly where each commercial will fall) and be transported to a holiday land where very little else matters outside of tree lightings, contests, hot chocolate, and lots of shopping. (I don’t even need to type the formula here as you have to live under a rock to not know what these romance films entail.)

As there are so many to watch each year, I do have a method to my madness to pick and choose. Of course I have my favorites which I will rewatch when they air each year, but if the chemistry between the two leads doesn’t work…I turn it off within the first 20 minutes. (Twenty minutes is when the first commercial takes place!) I’ll also admit I watch Hallmark first (both the regular channel and the Mysteries channel), but I will turn over to Lifetime if there happens to be an actor I want to see or if they have an LBGTQ film that I want to support. (For said reasons…you won’t find me watching GAC.)

Back when Twitter was actually Twitter, I loved live-tweeting when the shows would first air. There was a community who would watch and tweet along with the actors and creative teams of each film. Yes…there were times I would snark tweet…couldn’t help it, but these films were bringing strangers together and it was a fun night of TV watching. I suppose the Facebook groups have replaced that in some ways as I have taken to posting my thoughts in those groups more and more the past two years.

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Something exciting has happened in recent years as Hallmark has ventured out away from “the formula” allowing the leads to kiss before the final two minute mark or as stated above, including LGBTQ and “non white people” stories, creating more ensemble type stories - they even had one on autism this year and another on blindness! Inclusion matters and it’s wonderful to see other cultures and lives displayed on the screen. (I actually love when they make a Hanukkah film as those have been some of the best.) They’ve always given us royal Christmas movies about a prince, but this year we’ve gone to Scotland, Germany, Norway, London…it’s almost like you can take a virtual vacation to another country since they take these films to those countries to get great outdoor shots (often before returning to Canada where most are filmed for interior shots).

Rhiannon Fish & David Elsendoorn in My Norwegian Holiday

I watched My Norwegian Holiday recently and the entire film felt completely different…in a good way! I believe even interior shots stayed in the country and you could feel the authenticity of that film. The storyline was refreshing with twists and turns. The actors felt like they were from that region and not American or Canadians putting on accents. I almost believe they hired crew from there as even the look of the film felt different (hats off to the director and director of photography) - I felt I was watching a really interesting indie film and got so sucked in that I forgot it was Hallmark.

There was another one a few weeks ago that beat out other channels in ratings and people can’t stop talking about it. A Biltmore Christmas was shot at the Biltmore estates in North Carolina (which I visited years ago and loved). This film took Hallmark to a new level in storytelling, casting, music (Tommy Fields captured old Hollywood perfectly with his score), costumes and again - filming ON location which definitely adds to these films. (Plus I’m a huge time travel buff with Somewhere in Time being a favorite film so this movie feed that part of my soul.) 

Bethany Joy Lenz & Kristofer Polaha in A Biltmore Christmas 2023

I write all of this to say if you’ve been one that loves to poke fun at Hallmark movies, but have never watched one…give them a try! (You still have a few weeks left in the month to binge.) They put you in the holiday spirit, they tug at your romantic and/or family heartstrings, and they employ a lot of people in the business of filmmaking (which I love). With the split of the past people in charge who went off to GAC to start their own channel, I hope the current powers that be will continue to push the envelope on both storytelling and the way the films are made. Sure we love the older films too, but there is something exciting for those who always watch when you switch it up on us and give us something new.

Here are just a few of my favorite titles for the past few years (as well as those mentioned above): Ghost of Christmas Always, Holiday Road, The Christmas House, A World Record Christmas, The Santa Summit, A Season For Family, Holiday Hotline, A Holiday Spectacular, My Christmas Guide, The Nine Lives of Christmas, Noel Next Door.

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to all my fellow hallmarkies out there! 

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Let's Talk AI

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Artificial Intelligence.

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It’s everywhere now. Well, actually it’s been everywhere for years. We’ve marveled at the use of CGI (computer-generated imagery) in the background of films. Each decade since the 50s someone has played around with it on film (yes, even Hitchcock in Vertigo) all the way to JarJar Binks in Star Wars in 1999 and then it blew up from 2000 to present. No need to actually burn down buildings on screen any longer or use real animals when CGI can do it in post production. All of this was film studios making great use of technology. 

We’ve also had movies about the subject for years as A. I. the movie came out over 20 years ago and I, Robot the year after that. Artificial intelligence has been in our lexicon for decades with scientists thinking about it as far back as Alan Turing in the 1950s.

AI is not all bad. There are many places where it can truly be used for good. Listen to doctors and scientist speak of how it can aid in those fields and it’s mind-blowing what they believe it’s going to do in the next 10-15 years. It can be truly be a positive in so many ways and I’m excited to see how it’s going to assist in finding cures for diseases.

If you’ve been using social media filters the past five years or so, you’ve already been playing around with it. We were told that was simply foreign countries trying to take our likeness (maybe it’s true with each TikTok filter you use), but many say it is mindless fun. I even dabbled below. I also have no issue when people switch out the background on a photo in photoshop or other apps: again, all part of artificial intelligence.

But 2023, it felt like it is suddenly on steroids. ChatGPT is all over, generating answers to questions as close to human as possible. (Targeting students is just one use of this as AI can write an entire paper.) Writers are on strike now to fight from having AI take over their jobs. Actors are upset with studios who want to use their likeness for those in the background over and over while only paying them once. Black Mirror did an episode on this very thing this season called Joan is Awful which came out in June (filmed end of last year before the strike) calling out this very practice.

AI is being used to change what political people say and do making us unsure of what is real and what is artificial. While some like these photos below may seem harmless, it feels so dangerous as that can and will be taken to lengths that will amount to no good. 

AI is also being used to eliminate jobs. One example is that you can upload photos of yourself and get professional pictures that were never taken of you. (*I’m not using these photos for anything professional…did this to show how lifelike this can be.)

So somehow I think we need to be able to balance when AI is heading down the wrong path and when it can be used for good. Right now, many see the term itself as the enemy and I get that when you have to picket to save your job. But we also must keep in mind how it’s going to help in so many industries as an amazing tool. Technology is moving very fast and I doubt we’ll even recognize it in ten years. I do take issue when it replaces human jobs instead of enhancing them. I spend months and years often writing a book or a screenplay and some AI function can spit them out quickly. Is this what we want? Is this the future The Jetsons promised? I don’t have any answers, but I do think we need to see the good and the bad of whatever technology is serving up to us. I don’t want to get to the day when my GPS gets so mad at me for not following directions that they take over my car and drive me off a cliff. 

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Why am I Always in Forward Motion?

For someone who loves a spin class, I really hate just spinning my wheels. If I’m not moving forward, I feel like I’m standing still. My mom has said when I was young I had to always be doing something, staying busy, creating something new. That has certainly followed me into adulthood as I still need to be constantly in motion.

I think that’s one of the reasons the pandemic hit me so hard as we all just stopped our lives. I’m still at a standstill with my “day job” where I manage a historic theater with no HVAC/ventilation system and we’re trying to get that installed which is taking forever. I feel confined since it’s all out of my hands.

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So as many know, I turned to other creative outlets this year…mostly returning to acting. Today I was thinking about how I rarely want to return to do the same show on stage twice as I’ve done it and want to move forward. Always about forward.

Hmmmm….must be something there.

I’ve noticed with the acting gigs, I find the most fulfillment when I’m trying something new. That started with moving from background acting to playing roles in short films. Or creating my own user generated content commercials at home to being hired to work in front of a green screen as the only talent on set. All of those are new challenges which continue to push and motivate me to step outside my comfort zone. I even found going back to do a pickup scene two months after filming something was difficult as in my mind, it was moving backwards. I’ve even been working on new screenplays and other stories. There are times that even doing this feels like spinning and not gaining forward motion.

I wonder where this determination came from that I can’t simply be content in the now and always looking forward. That unease of the “now” played havoc on my mental state during the pandemic…and I still deal with it. It can manifest as a panic attack, which is absolutely horrible. I never had panic attacks growing up…this is all post pandemic that I’ve dealt with them. It is as if something is sitting on my chest…holding me down (the “now”) and I feel I must jump up and run (forward). I had that feeling last week when the air was so thick from the smoke and yet we couldn’t run as it was the outside air that was the culprit during that time. It’s amazing the power our brains have over our bodies and our lives. Mental health is just as important as physical health, so I hope everyone reading this is taking care of themselves in all respects. 

I think it’s important for us to discuss these things so that someone else in a similar situation knows they’re not alone. I’ve always wanted my life to be an open book (hence I post so much on social media).  Rather it be my fitness journey or the fact I have a new kid’s book coming out this fall - I want to share it all: the good and the bad so people can see that we’re all in this together. 

Smell the Grass

I shared on social media how the actor Treat Williams’s final tweet hit me. Before he went off on that fatal motorcycle ride, he tweeted he was mowing the lawn and how he wished he could bottle up the smell. I wrote we all need to take time to smell the grass. I think I need to take my own advice and learn it’s ok for motion to cease at times…just stop and smell the grass.

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A Little Broadway Musical Breakdown

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As we come to the end of a Broadway season, I feel I need to revisit my December Substack on Jukebox musicals. I talked about my love/hate relationship with them and I snuck in at the end about the BMI Musical Theatre Workshop. I was a member of that back in the 90s. An incredible workshop of musical writers learning the craft of musical theatre writing. How a song should be inserted when a character can no longer speak and must sing. How the lyrics continue the premise of the story (when often jukebox musicals use songs that only have one line to what’s happening in that moment). How you write perfect rhymes for the stage (when radio songs hardly EVER follow this rule). It was a wonderful organization to be involved with back when I had dreams of writing the next great American Musical…but in many ways, it also messed with my mind when attending theater and made me very critical for decades to follow.

Broadway’s original musical category this year is larger than some seasons we’ve seen in the past. If you break these down it’s interesting to see original music versus using a catalog of songs from other places. 

The eligible musicals are:

Almost Famous, & Juliet, Kimberly Akimbo, KPOP, A Beautiful Noise: The Neil Diamond Musical, Some Like it Hot, Bad Cinderella, New York, New York, and Shucked. (I saw them all except for one.)

Wildly enough, 7 of these had original scores written for the show. That’s a huge number of original work that should “move the story along, be written for that specific moment to tell a specific story”. 

Notice the words I used above because that’s not necessarily true for all of these. Of course you want a song that can be lifted, played on the radio, and be universal. Who doesn’t want to have a hit song pulled from their show? However, it should also be specific to the character/moment in the show. 

This season there were a couple of head scratching moments for me. Writing an original score for Almost Famous, but using one of the songs from the film and then using that song on your commercial….totally negating the composers for your show. Or pulling in 4 other Kander & Ebb tunes to fill out the score for New York, New York. Composers steal from themselves all the time and songs cut from one show may end up in another with some reworked lyrics. (Yes…I’ve done this myself in musicals I’ve written.) However, the four songs I mention above are from produced/published shows. I couldn’t figure out why they simply didn’t use Lin Manuel Miranda more and write a few more original tunes specific for this show. Shucked has been around for almost a decade, had a completely different book and title at first, but they made great changes before Broadway and still managed to make the score work with the finish product. (The first time I thought it was ballad heavy, but my second viewing I figured we needed those to pull us in from all the laughing at the dialogue in this very funny musical.)

I had three favorite musicals rise to the top of my list this year and funny enough, one is a jukebox musical. I’m not even discussing off-broadway in this article because if I did, Titanique would be right up there and that is a major jukebox musical of all Celine Dion songs retelling the Titanic movie (and it’s hysterical). 

My favorites list just goes to show you can teach an old dog new tricks and just maybe I’m not too old where I can’t change my mind now and then...especially about the score used for a Broadway musical.

Happy awards season, New York. Looking forward to seeing how it all plays out. 

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New Year Has Brought New Me

I’ve been very quiet on here simply because I’ve been busy in another part of my creative life. I last wrote in February of my adventures doing background work and a student film. I had no idea what would happen in the two months since then. It’s been a whirlwind of creativity and I’ve simply been riding the wave…and loving it.

A friend told me I’m living the life I came to New York in 1987 to live. Back then I was a wide-eyed teen who had visions of being on Broadway in musical theater or writing the next great American musical…whichever came first. Well, ummm…that never happened. I did manage to carve out my corner in the artistic world and do many things in my life, but the pandemic really took me off my game. For some reason, 2023 has my creative energy at a place I haven’t seen in probably a decade. Yes I’m writing (which has been my go-to for several years now), but the craziest part for me is that I’ve become an actor again. What that 18 year old that moved to NYC to do has become a reality and I can sort of say I’m a working actor. What?!

However, it’s not about doing theater right now, I’ve fallen in love with film and TV work. It’s a completely different world from that of a theater actor where you spend weeks rehearsing and then hearing that audience each night with an instant reaction to your work. (It’s also a completely different style of acting and I keep telling myself to pull back.) This world is being cast as a different character, sometimes each week, creating a backstory for that character, quickly memorizing lines, and shooting it all and then moving on. I’ve found I really love being on a set and watching how each team creates an environment for people to work. I’m learning the type of people I enjoy working with. I’m also discovering who I am as an actor.

Actors hear about “type” all the time when auditioning for a role. What type are you? This has always been hard for me as I think of myself a musical theater guy so I’m the type that breaks out into song. Not so much when it comes to submitting yourself for roles via online acting sites which calls for you to self tape an audition. (Side note: many people hate self tapes, but I’ve learned to embrace them and find it so different from the hours I would wait in line back in the early 90s for live auditions.) So after having done four short films, 3 documentary reenactment type of shows, one photo shoot and some background acting work…I’ve zeroed in on what I enjoy most.

Creating a character. Becoming someone other than myself. Diving into this person to understand what makes them tick and why they are here in this very moment in the film saying the words they are saying. I love all of it! The strangest part is what “type” I’ve ended up getting cast in the most and my decision to lean into it. I’m the bully. I’m the guy who is cocky and struts when he walks. I’m the man who outwardly might appear nice as a priest or a mayor, but underneath he is layered with serious issues of control, ego, and pride. It’s been a lot of fun to discover these men and bring them to life. I love the challenge of doing it all quickly in the moment, choosing a route to go and then running with it. Listening to the director between takes and making adjustments while staying in the zone of my character until I hear “action” again. It’s an adrenaline rush like nothing else. It’s using a part of my creative brain I’m not used to tapping into. It’s challenging and it’s new and it’s feeding my creative soul.

One huge difference from the young man I was when I was pounding the pavement as an actor in the early 90s is that I’m not trying to make a living at it. It’s not paying my bills since I have my real job (also in the arts). So that means I can pick and choose what I want to do and not take anything and everything that comes along. It also means I’m more relaxed and have a “whatever comes” attitude instead of a deep longing to run from project to project. Sure I’ve been busy doing this outside of my regular job, but the creative spirit from these side gigs have also energized what I do in the real world.

Of course with film unlike theater, you create all of this for the moments you’re on set and then you wait and wait to see what the final product will look like. I’ve seen a few film stills, maybe a scene here and there, but still waiting to see most of the work I’ve helped to create the past three months. So at this point, I can only go by how it feels to me on set, feedback from a director, and hope that what I’m feeling inside my mind is conveying correctly on film. Perhaps I will be writing another Substack when I finally get to see my work entitled “I’m not the actor I thought I was” - but as I turn another year older next week I’m going to celebrate the new me that 2023 has given. What a present!

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The Filmmakers of Tomorrow

It’s that time of year where college seniors in film departments create their final projects to show all they have learned their four years of school. These are the emerging filmmakers of the future…each could be the next Spielberg or Scorsese or DuVernay. I’ve been in the entertainment industry for over 30 years, but it’s only been 9 since I ventured into film and made my first short. I admire these students who spent years learning the craft to go out in the world since I jumped into it after a one weekend workshop on filmmaking.

I decided in 2023 I was going to push myself into other creative areas. Doing background work on a TV series, writing a feature film script with a partner and most recently, acting in front of the camera in a student film. I think we can learn from whatever we’re doing and I found myself watching the director and crew on the TV set and with the student film, it will allow me to know what my actors go through the next time I get behind the camera.

I learned so much watching these young filmmakers over this past weekend. I was inspired by their talent, dedication, and knowledge. From the Director to the Director of Photography to the  Assistant Director to the Gaffer overseeing all the lighting: each of them knew so much about their departments and came together to make the best movie they could.

I also learned much about myself as an actor. I’ve spent years performing on stage and in front of camera is different acting. I changed my delivery. I worked hard to do movements exactly the same way to aid in continuity of editing. I really enjoyed creating my backstory to get in the mindset of this character. I even learned that perhaps I still have that desire that originally brought me to NYC to act.

If I could offer advice to the young filmmakers of America, I would say the following.

It’s so important to have a vision of what you want your film to be, but also collaboration is imperative. It takes a village to create a film and you need the knowledge of each person working from actor all the way through each department head.

There is no perfect shot. There is no better. There is different. Art is subjective and spending hours to get the “perfect” shot is counter initiative to a productive environment. There must be someone on set (director) who makes the call and you move on.

The assistant director is one of the most important people on set as they keep it moving. LISTEN to your AD. They are there to keep you on schedule and on track. They realize perfect isn’t attainable and you need to move on. Once you move beyond school, you will not have the luxury to spend endless time on each scene set up. Time is money.

You can know everything about your script and “think” you know everything you want to do…but things are going to go wrong on set. Be flexible to roll with it and work on time management so that curveballs don’t set you back too much. (I had to cut 3 pages of my script once on a set and write new transition lines for that cut or we would not have finished. My ego had to go along with my lines and that film went on to win numerous awards and play at the American Pavillon at the Cannes Film Festival.)

If you love storytelling and you are passionate about what you do…don’t give up. Keep making films and getting your name out there on film festival circuits. And attend those festivals! Networking is very important in this industry.

It’s only February and I can’t help but wonder what 2023 has in store for me personally. I’m allowing myself to stay open to new things. Sort of like my advice above about being flexible…I realize when I’m an actor on set; that’s what I am - I’m not the producer & I’m not in control. Perhaps being flexible this year will allow me to get outside my own box and try some things I never would have experienced.

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