Read Online Fat School Confidential by Joe Rourke - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Joe Rourke
Ads: Link
a “Long-Term-Weight-Controller,” or L.T.W.C. for short. When I thought of his ego exploding a couple days earlier with the trash-talk, or how Jimmy Dyer suddenly found himself out of a crown, a not-so-stray-thought crossed my mind. Twenty years back, I, too, lost a massive amount of weight. It didn’t last. Between my own unchecked ego and conveniently forgetting where I’d been as a former fatty, I packed the pounds again in no time.
Maybe this was all a sign for me. Of what, I had yet to figure out.
With auditions and callbacks behind me, the cast was picked for Little Shop. Seymour, the lead, was to be played by David Messing, a towheaded, geeky fifteen-year-old who never acted a day in his life. That aside, his singing was something else. Although he could have benefited from a singing coach, his voice was strong, and his delivery was natural and genuine.
At sixteen, Maria Rizzetti, a statuesque brunette, had just the right kind of singing chops to play Audrey. Auditioning with Audrey’s solo, “Somewhere That’s Green,” Maria had a resonating, near-operatic quality to her range. Even though we needed her character to be a blonde, getting a wig for Maria was a no-brainer. Ellie had one from her time playing a mermaid at a Cal Arts Halloween party a decade ago, so the loan would save us a few bucks.
Another newcomer to show biz, Johnny Giacomo, was to play Audrey’s bad-boy dentist boyfriend, Orin. Like David, he was also fifteen. And like David, he was perfect for the part. But unlike David, he had a girlfriend—on campus.
David and Maria and Johnny, along with the rest of the cast had little to no previous stage experience. But like everything else about this place, second chances were what the A.O.S. experience was all about.
Despite his earlier infraction, Elijah joined the cast as the man-eating plant and real star of the show, Audrey-Two. His voice could have used some refinement, but he had the right kind of bigger-than-life personality to qualify for the job… so to speak. Stage Manager Veronica and I scheduled rehearsals for cast, as well as construction times for crew. It went without saying that we had to work around B.C. appointments, fitness sessions, activities, other classes, and outings.
But before the end of the first week of rehearsals, Maria decided to back out of the show. While I assumed she left due to Elijah’s antics, I never found out. She was gone, and so was, mysteriously, Ellie’s wig. Her understudy, the slightly Rubenesque, fifteen-year-old Danni Roth, was a terrific actress but her singing was second-rate. No matter, as a blonde she was saving me the cost of an additional wig.
Over the weekend, I took a little R & R from the hubbub at school. Despite my new job as theatrical producer, I gave myself a few hours of downtime. With Ellie and Bobby in tow, I drove a half-hour south to Visalia to check out a park
Carmen had told me about. With man-made lakes and flock of ducks and geese to occupy the little guy, the park proved a hit. After grabbing a bite to eat, we headed home. Although those few hours didn’t make up much of a respite, they made for some serious quality time—time that would become scarcer.
As the days and weeks passed by, as the routine of rehearsals became commonplace, I noticed Daniel showing up on campus with less frequency. Something was afoot, but I couldn’t put my finger on it. Tom Eccleston and Sheila Skolnick, along with Frank Mills, had no problem running day-to-day operations, but without Daniel at the helm, who really was in charge?
Chapter 7
Meet the New Boss – Same as the Old Boss
I asked Carmen, the office manager, about a newly vacant office. I had to watch how I worded things with her. One day, she’d gossip with me like an old friend, the next she’d selectively forget what she’d told me the day before. I learned to watch my
Maybe this was all a sign for me. Of what, I had yet to figure out.
With auditions and callbacks behind me, the cast was picked for Little Shop. Seymour, the lead, was to be played by David Messing, a towheaded, geeky fifteen-year-old who never acted a day in his life. That aside, his singing was something else. Although he could have benefited from a singing coach, his voice was strong, and his delivery was natural and genuine.
At sixteen, Maria Rizzetti, a statuesque brunette, had just the right kind of singing chops to play Audrey. Auditioning with Audrey’s solo, “Somewhere That’s Green,” Maria had a resonating, near-operatic quality to her range. Even though we needed her character to be a blonde, getting a wig for Maria was a no-brainer. Ellie had one from her time playing a mermaid at a Cal Arts Halloween party a decade ago, so the loan would save us a few bucks.
Another newcomer to show biz, Johnny Giacomo, was to play Audrey’s bad-boy dentist boyfriend, Orin. Like David, he was also fifteen. And like David, he was perfect for the part. But unlike David, he had a girlfriend—on campus.
David and Maria and Johnny, along with the rest of the cast had little to no previous stage experience. But like everything else about this place, second chances were what the A.O.S. experience was all about.
Despite his earlier infraction, Elijah joined the cast as the man-eating plant and real star of the show, Audrey-Two. His voice could have used some refinement, but he had the right kind of bigger-than-life personality to qualify for the job… so to speak. Stage Manager Veronica and I scheduled rehearsals for cast, as well as construction times for crew. It went without saying that we had to work around B.C. appointments, fitness sessions, activities, other classes, and outings.
But before the end of the first week of rehearsals, Maria decided to back out of the show. While I assumed she left due to Elijah’s antics, I never found out. She was gone, and so was, mysteriously, Ellie’s wig. Her understudy, the slightly Rubenesque, fifteen-year-old Danni Roth, was a terrific actress but her singing was second-rate. No matter, as a blonde she was saving me the cost of an additional wig.
Over the weekend, I took a little R & R from the hubbub at school. Despite my new job as theatrical producer, I gave myself a few hours of downtime. With Ellie and Bobby in tow, I drove a half-hour south to Visalia to check out a park
Carmen had told me about. With man-made lakes and flock of ducks and geese to occupy the little guy, the park proved a hit. After grabbing a bite to eat, we headed home. Although those few hours didn’t make up much of a respite, they made for some serious quality time—time that would become scarcer.
As the days and weeks passed by, as the routine of rehearsals became commonplace, I noticed Daniel showing up on campus with less frequency. Something was afoot, but I couldn’t put my finger on it. Tom Eccleston and Sheila Skolnick, along with Frank Mills, had no problem running day-to-day operations, but without Daniel at the helm, who really was in charge?
Chapter 7
Meet the New Boss – Same as the Old Boss
I asked Carmen, the office manager, about a newly vacant office. I had to watch how I worded things with her. One day, she’d gossip with me like an old friend, the next she’d selectively forget what she’d told me the day before. I learned to watch my
Similar Books
