Aurora Fox's A Christmas Story

So basically the whole of television is on repeat until the new year, so on this cold night I sat down and decided that there was nothing on. So, in my opinion, you should be out seeing live theatre. There isn’t anything better in life.

This of course reminds me that last week I had the chance to catch A Christmas Story at the Aurora Fox. I know, I know, what is with the Fox? I’ve just been doing a lot of behind the scenes work there, so I see the shows. I go where I can get comps, what can I say?

Well, I guess I have to say that watching The Christmas Story put me in a Christmas-y mood. The lobby of the Fox is fabulously decorated getting you in the holiday spirit from the moment you walk in the door. And to top it all off, they are selling hot chocolate (and some yummy adult versions as well…try butterscotch!!). You can’t help but get in the holiday spirit, added that to our winter wonderland outside and no scrooge can be found anywhere near that theatre.

Now, I have to state that I am not a fan of the movie. I’ve seen it, I enjoy it, but I’m not a watcher of the 24 hour Christmas Day marathon on TBS. That being said, I really did love the play. Something about it being performed live, with a fabulous stable of child actors really worked for me.

The kids were by far, the stars of the show. Notable mentions include Alexis Porter as Randy Parker, Chandler Reed as Scut Farkus, and Max Schwartz as poor, tongue stuck the lamppost Flick. David Quintana, who has the somewhat daunting task of being “official Red Ryder carbine-action 200-shot range model air rifle with a compass in the stock, and this thing which tells time built right into the stock."

Adult actors, Rhonda Brown and Dutch Schindler do a great job playing Mom and The Old Man, and like all parents seem to have a world that involves the kids, and a world that does not. Rhonda brings such a great motherly air to the stage, that you almost expect her to jump off the stage and put a bar of soap in YOUR mouth!

The atmosphere of the show is great, and everyone involved gets a big thumbs up. No technical part of the show stood out to me, either in a bad way or a good way, they all worked together nicely and added to the show without distracting.

The only think I wasn’t a big fan of was the narration. Now I have to admit that the narration is my least favorite part of the movie as well. It irks me! I just want to hear the kids! I know it’s adult Ralph’s memory, and that storytelling is how the movie came about, but I just don’t like. I was particularly confused during this show because I thought that the story was from the narrator’s memory, yet the narrator spends the entire show appearing to read from a book. There were also several points when I felt like there was too much narration and too little action.

In truth I think that is due to the script, you can tell that it was converted straight from the movie, and sometimes movies just aren’t meant to go straight to the stage without a little adjustment. For fans of the movie, I am sure this is a delightful effect, but for those of us that aren’t fans, I think the script falls short.

In the end, all of that was forgotten, and I just got into the spirit of Christmas and enjoyed the show. That’s just the thing about the show, it’s well produced and so full of Christmas cheer, that you will forgive it’s small problems.

Sadly, this is the show’s final weekend, and they are selling out fast, so if you want to get tickets, you better call now! But do get tickets! It is a great show!!

Call the Aurora Fox at 303-739-1970 or visit www.aurorafox.org.

Fully Committed at The Aurora Fox

So last Sunday I got the chance to see Fully Committed at the Aurora Fox, which, I have to say, is possibly the funniest play I’ve ever seen. It’s definitely the funniest play I’ve seen this year, that is certain. If you get the chance to catch it, do! You will not regret it.

The play is about Sam, and out of work Midwest actor trying to find his break in New York City. To make money he works the reservations line at a “four star, multiple award-winning, ridiculously expensive, trendy, Upper East Side Manhattan restaurant”, according to the playbill. It’s normally manned by three people, but his two co-works are out (one because his car has stalled out on the LIE and one because she recently learned her father has Lyme disease). So poor Sam is stuck alone, manning the line all by himself. At Christmas. And the restaurant is booked through February.

Sam has to deal with several customers, an unhelpful staff and a demanding and egotistical chef.

The play has 40 characters, and just one actor, the very talented Steven Burge. A show like this is always an enormous undertaking, and it’s always great to see someone take it on so well. There are 40 very distinct characters and all are brilliantly acted by Steven. I couldn’t take my eyes off him the whole night. Each character has its own distinct voice, body language and aura, I nearly forgot that the whole play was just that one actor.

As the dorky theatre vixen I am, I have incredible respect for Steven in taking on this role, but I also have a crazy amount of respect for director Terry Dodd. When I was reading this play I couldn’t for the life of me, figure out how to direct it. I’ve directed large casts, small casts, but a cast of one? One man who does 40 characters? I was stumped. I felt like every idea I had felt phony and staged. Terry Dodd’s direction is neither of those things. The play felt honest and natural, each character was distinct and alive. It was intriguing to watch.

The other element of the play that I really loved was the sound, by El Armstrong. The opening music to the show sets the mood for the entire play. It almost makes the play seem like a movie or a TV show, which adds a great contrast to the intimate 72 seat theater the show is playing in. It makes the experience unique.

I can’t even begin to think of an element I didn’t like. The show was great all around, and I had so much fun seeing it. Anyone who has ever worked in the food industry, especially around Christmas, can easily relate to the show. Heck, anyone who’s experienced Christmas can relate to the show.

A word of warning though, get your tickets soon. The word is out on this show and tickets are selling fast. I have been assured that there are several left, but that shows are selling quickly. For tickets you can call 303-739-1970 or go to www.aurorafox.org. Tell them the Lobby Vixen sent you, and you can get a free concessions item (Try Sam’s White Christmas Dream!! It’s dreamy!!). Hurry the show closes December 20th!

The Holiday Season=Chaos

Oh dear readers, the holiday season is always chaotic in the theatre world. It's chaotic in general, but add on holiday shows and holiday audiences, and the chaos is intensified!

That has been the major reason for my absence. Truthfully, no matter how many times I do it, it takes a bit of adjustment. Now things are settling slightly into a pattern and I can go back to doing what I do best.

So stick around faithful reader, I will have some lovely new posts soon. I saw two shows this past week so I have plenty to talk about as well!! Until then, Happy Belated Thanksgiving!

The Theatre is Magic-Opening Nights!

So I might as well just come out with it. Your dear Vixen is delightfully dorky? Want proof? I'm about to quote Doctor Who. "Oh, yeah, but the theatre’s magic, isn’t it? You should know, stand on this stage, say the right words with the right emphasis at the right time… oh, you can make men weep, or cry with joy. Change them. You can change people’s minds just with words in this place."

It's a brilliant quote!

And so it is that I spent my night at the Aurora Fox for the opening night of Fully Committed. This is by far one of my favorite theatres, and this has become one of my favorite plays. Now though I didn't partake in actually seeing the show tonight (I am waiting to see the benefit industry night performance on Monday), I did get a great big dose of an opening night atmosphere.

It doesn't matter how long I have been in theatre, there is still an insatiable magic about opening night. The nerves. The anxiety. The trepidation. You don't even have to be involved in the show to feel it, the whole theatre seems to buzz with it.

The show had a great opening night! The audience was in love with the play, they had a brilliant reception with some of the best pie I have tasted, and I was drinking those delightful White Christmas Dreams I told you about a couple of posts back. So yummy!

I also found out the neatest thing. Tonight the lead actor of Fully Committed was celebrating his 5th anniversary with his partner, and they had met at the Fox! How romantic is that?

See, theatre is magic!

Too Many Discounts

We've been having a big discussion in our theatre about discounts. When is the best time to use them, when not to use them, are they worth it, are the better ways to go about doing something. So many questions.

Personally I am frustrated by discounts. For some very strange reason, people who use discounts get very entitled. Like we owe them something for some reason because they were special enough to recieve a discount. Why is that? Obviously we've given you a discount, what more do you want.

We've been using one particular coupon where you get $5 off. Now yes, we don't say you get $5 off a regularly priced ticket, I understand that, but you can't use the coupon on a senior or student tickets. Those are already discounted tickets. Basically you are asking for a discount on a discount. And just FYI, the $5 off tickets is cheaper then the student or senior tickets. So take it and enjoy it!

I've never tried to use the two together, I don't understand why you would. I usually just figure out which is the best deal and take it.

Now I understand that economy is bad and times are hard, and if that is your excuse I have one question to ask you. Do you understand that the economy is bad and times are hard? You want to save money and we still have to make it, so shouldn't we meet in the middle? Think about it!

See, now I feel like I am griping too much and boring you with my complaints. So I've decided to offer you a discount. (I know, I know!) I have negotiated a deal with my fellow Lobby Vixen's at the Aurora Fox, where I will be seeing Fully Committed later on this weekend. If you use the code word "Lobby Vixen," you will recieve a free drink from concessions. And that includes anything, water, soda, beer, wine and even their drink special for the show "Sam's White Christmas Dream," which I suggest, I got to taste test it the other night and it really is a dream!

Enjoy!

The Rolodex Everyone Wants

Versatile Vixen needs to remind you that she doesn’t always prowl lobbies. Occasionally I can be found backstage. I had a bit of a fun experience backstage this week and it was so silly that I felt the need to share it.

I had the chance to help out on props for the Aurora Fox’s production of Fully Committed that opens this Friday, November 13. I had showed up to the Aurora Fox for another reason and I was suckered into helping out on props. So I was given a blank rolodex and given the instructions to fill it. With what? How? Oh yes, I really had to sit down and write out several fake names and phone numbers.

I went with themes: Celebs I Find Attractive, Characters From The Office, Actors From The Office, The Beatles, Daily Show Correspondants. But that just didn’t fulfill me. So then I turned to friends names and numbers. So dear friends, those of you who know the Vixen’s true identity, it is very possible that you are permenantly immortalized in the Fully Committed rolodex. Well, at least until the show closes.

And don’t worry, Vixen’s number is hidden in there too!

Audience Differences

Lovely Lady Vixen is always intrigued by audience behavior. I spend a lot of my time watching audiences, and I spend even more thinking about audiences while waiting for a show to get out. Like I said, I'm always prowling.

Our regular audience has their own flow, and I have become very accustomed to it over the past few years. So when we have rental groups coming through, I am always taken by surprise. I’m sure my fellow vixen’s will agree, it can be jarring. The want different things, need different thing, act different, behave different. It’s odd.

Recently I have worked a few very interesting rentals. A few weeks ago I worked a foreign language movie showing, which was interesting because the whole day seemed doomed from the beginning. I arrived at 3:30 to meet the group at 4:00 so they could be ready for their 4:30 showing. Instead, I arrived at 3:30 to meet the group at 4:30, who ended up starting their movie at 5:20.

Rule 1 with Miss Vixen, DON’T BE LATE!! Theatre is a time tabled art, and since I also work part time as a stage manager, time is very important. And late = bad.

Not to mention, 9 times out of 10, if you show up late, it means you are going to stay late, and when you stay late, you are biting into my personal time. So this group doesn’t only start there showing at 5:20, but they also had a second showing at 6:30 that I knew they weren’t going to make. And sure enough, the second showing began at 7:30.

Suddenly the promise that I would be out the door by 9:00 was shattered. Sure enough, I left at 10:00 that night.

The other weird thing was audience behavior. For the most part they were quiet and respectful, which of course normally would please me, and would even make up for the fact that they were late. But there were three gentlemen that decided that a quiet, contemplative Vixen sitting at her desk, needed desperately to be hit on. Badly! One insult my love for my job, the second encourage me to cheat on my significant other and one hit on me after his girlfriend went to the bathroom.

When the end of the night finally came, I was thrilled to be out of there.

Now bad audiences are actually few and far between. I don’t mind the bad ones so much because we always have a really cool one to make up for it. The really cool one, was this past weekend. We had, in our little theatre, a fabulous little old school Vaudeville Melodrama group. It was great! Moustache twirling, hero cheering, and chainsaw juggling! It was fantastic.

The cool part was that their audience was so into it! It helps of course that the group had sponsorship from a local beer manufacturer and they gave said beer away. So the audience was wasted! Truly wasted! One gentleman in particular had to have had 4 or 5 (don’t worry, I checked, he had a DD!) and each time he came back to the bar he would start increasingly more interesting conversations. First about the beer, then the group, the he talked about volunteer work, then Robot Chicken and finally he rounded out at the end of the night with complimenting my hair. He was fun! He also used all his free tickets on beer, then would buy other people, he didn’t know, cookies and candy. I loved him!

The group was into the show, and ended up staying for quite a bit after the show ended. It typically takes me 20 minutes after a shows end to close up, that night I was there for nearly an hour. It’s always a good sign.

My only complaint is with the group itself. Though they were incredibly sweet and lovely people, they were very needy. They must have asked me for at least 5 extra services, which is normally fine, but when asked at inconvenient times in inconvenient ways, it become hectic, and tends to unnerve me. Normally my response would be anger, but these people were so damn nice, I couldn’t be mad at them. So I ended up being frustrated at the fact that I couldn’t even really be mad at them for asking me to do things I should do for them despite the fact that they asked me while I was busy trying to do the best job I could for them. What kind of ridiculous complaint is that? It makes me sound so silly!

It was a fun show! I caught about 50% of it, including the chainsaw juggling (how could you not watch chainsaw juggling?) and I have to say, I wish I had caught the whole show. It was a ton of fun!!

Things are heating up in the theatre world as it is the Christmas season, so stay tuned. I’m sure I’ll have a ton of stories! And video blogs are certainly on their way....