The Life of Brian

OK, children, many of you know that I am a theater buff, which is possible even in Mississippi. In fact, the Magnolia state has a thriving theater community and a lot of real talent, though some are reluctant to give us credit for that. But I’m not bitter…. life is too short to be bitter…

That being said, theater is one of the great joys of life… A few years ago, I got involved in Starkville Community Theatre by participating in a summer musical revue that’s developed and performed each summer as a fund-raising vehicle for the regular season and any major needs at our lovely Playhouse on Main. Since then, the summer revue has become a staple for me during the latter part of June and all of July. Summer ain’t summer without singing on stage. The revue actually opened the door for me to become a more active member of SCT, and I’ve acted in a few plays since then, doing everything from comedic roles to psychopaths.

But I digress. Let’s get back to the summer show. This year’s theme is “Now Showing… SCT Goes to the Movies.” Yep, we’re doing songs from the silver screen, including some that were written for films and those that were incorporated into various movies. With everything from a mega-Disney medley (22 songs over 16 minutes) to such classics as “Moon River” from “Breakfast at Tiffany’s” and the title song from “Singing in the Rain” (a personal favorite of mine), the show promises to be the best we’ve ever done. I won’t give away what’s involved, but let’s just say it is one of the most unique ideas I’ve ever seen and involves some audience participation. How my dear friend Pattye comes up with the ideas for the summer show each year simply amazes me. Her creativity knows no bounds… though I sometimes wonder about her sanity as we rehearse since we love to cut up and have fun… still, we always manage to pull off a great performance…

I’m enjoying most of the numbers I’m performing in the show, but I’m still a little miffed that Pattye didn’t include songs from one of my favorite movies… the Olivia Newton-John/Gene Kelly diddy from 1980 called “Xanadu.”

“Xanadu” was probably one of the last movie musicals made before a long hiatus in Hollywood that has only recently ended with the success of “Moulin Rouge,” “Chicago” and “The Phantom of the Opera.” The film combines elements of ’40s big band with disco and 1980 rock and roll, along with some of the most outlandish haircuts and clothing I have ever seen in any film. The film is as cheesy as they come… I’m talking limburger here, mmmkay? But for some reason or another, I like it… I don’t know why… I guess probably because Olivia Newton-John looks REALLY hot throughout the whole film… Back in elementary school and junior high, I had a MAJOR crush on her… Heck, I still do…. She looks hot even today!

But again, I digress… Despite its cheesiness, “Xanadu” had a few great songs in it, including a big band-style duet between Gene Kelly and Olivia Newton-John called “Whenever You’re Away From Me” and the title song, “Xanadu,” which is performed at the climax of the movie. The latter song is one I felt Pattye should have included in the summer show… I could just see some of the women in our show — namely Casey and Cindy — singing “Xanadu” while the rest of us did a choreographed routine on roller skates like they did in the movie… You know people would have paid $25 bucks just to see that spectacle alone!

However, it ain’t gonna happen. Just as Pattye deflects attempts by myself and M.J. to throw in some choreographed booty slaps into a number, there will be nothing from “Xanadu” in our show.

This has sent me into a state of severe depression… I’m so upset by this that I can’t even enjoy my Cinnamon Toast Crunch at breakfast… What am I gonna do? Hmmm….

AHA! I’ve got it! Since I’m performing “Singing in the Rain,” I can throw in a booty slap or two while dancing around on stage with an umbrella… It will be so subtle that no one will notice… and I’ll have my “Xanadu” revenge! BWAH, HA, HA, HA, HA, HA!

So watch when I sing that song… you never know when the booty slap might come over me… or if I may feel the obsequious need to burst into the chorus of “Xanadu”…

“Xanadu… (dom, dom, dom, dom, dom) [and booty slap and booty slap]
“Xanadu- ooo-ooo, Now we are here in Xanadu-ooo-ooo-ooo (ba-da-dum, dum-dum [lots of violins playing quickly]) [and booty slap and booty slap]
“Xanadu… (dom, dom, dom, dom, dom) [and booty slap and booty slap]
“Xanadu- ooo-ooo Now we are here in Xanadu-ooo-ooo-ooo [and booty slap and booty slap]
“Xanadu, your neon lights will shine… for you.. Xanadu-ooo-ooo!”

OK, I think I’ve gotten that out of my system… Pattye will probably breathe a sigh of relief when she reads this… but you just never know if I might get the urge… hmmmm…. ;-D

‘Til next time…

Peace, love and happiness…

Brian

This entry was posted on Tuesday, July 12th, 2005 at 9:54 pm and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.