SNM #20-24 21-23 Sep 2019
Some bullets for a series of five visits, after being away for a year:
The Manderley no longer takes cash, boo.
Running into regulars at the front of the line, yay. Saw some old friends, made some new friends. Had some fine times at Gallow Green to end the nights. It was great to see y'all. You know who you are, I hope.
Great to see some faves on: JWW as Duncan and Porter. Evan Fisk and Jeff Docimo as Macbeth. Always nice to run into Elizabeth Lindsay and Hazel in the bar.
Fun surprise: Paul Z. on as Porter!
New fave: Thryn Saxon, intense as both Danvers and Bald. I followed her Bald Witch in a fairly empty first loop, and I really like her interpretation. Less bestial, more like evil power and grace personified.
Another new fave: Audrey Rachelle, also super intense and graceful even while running at top speed in the dark. After being really impressed w/ her Nurse a year ago, this time I managed to catch her on as Agnes, Lady M, and the 6th Floor Nurse. Sheâs the perfect match for Jeff Docimoâs Macbeth, the violence and the passion coming through loud and clear. But by the tub room even in first loop, it was getting painfully crowded around her Lady M., so I left and wandered over to the hutâŠ
âŠand got the most intense experience Iâve ever had inside the hotel, Malloryâs Matron. It was so sad and so wonderful that I donât think Iâm going to talk about it any more here. I am reminded of the immortal words of Nigel Tufnel: âthese go to eleven.â That 1:1 went to eleven.
Also really really good: Bostyn Ashjianâs Nurse, but I didnât get a chance to do a full loop.
An embarrassing incident: in the Agnes 1:1, somehow our feet got tangled up and I almost fell and in doing so I managed to snap the locket thread. Iâm sure stuff like this happens all the time but that doesnât mean I wonât torture myself about it for years to come, adding it to the list of all the other things to regret while lying awake at 3am.
Lots of wandering, besides the loops mentioned previously. I think Iâve essentially seen all of the show now, for some definition of âall.â Still need to think of things to do third loop when itâs crowded. This time it was watching Baldâs and Banquoâs solos in the ballroom from the mezzanine. Also a lot of time spent at the low wall near the dining room in the lobby.
Crowds/lines: There were lots of Maxâs List people for the weekend shows, and theyâd show up really late in clumps, which meant it took a long time to get inside. But once in, the show was relatively empty. Whereas Monday was packed with tourists, pretty much from the start because the Manderley had been pre-loaded for happy hour. They were using the stairs, not the elevator, and the first group they called was aces and twos. Monday crowds are weird, but the band was great. Django on drums, Karen Marie singing. The solos were pretty way out and they played for a good while after the show ended. Always good to see Django.
Always good to be in that place.
