The Best of 2008!

Main Street Theater had three of the Chronicle's Top 10 Best Shows of 2008! (Really it was 12 since The Ensemble and Catastrophic got 2 for 1 punches)

Caroline, or Change, Present Laughter and ... L.A. Is Burning all got honored. The great thing about this list is that it really shows the gamut of what MST does.

First you have what I think most people know us for, the classic, period piece that can charm or move just about any soul with effortless style. Noël Coward's Present Laughter might just be the epitome of that genre.

Then you have Caroline, or Change. I like to call this is a "new classic". A contemporary piece with a period setting (1963), the musical transports you to another time while showing us sides of the human experience that are very now.

Finally, there is ... and L.A. Is Burning. This was a world premiere! New, modern and delving deep into what makes people tick and Houston audiences (not New York or Chicago) got to see it first!

It is truly wonderful that we are so honored this year, but even more so that our range is recognized. Main Street Theater's mission has always been "to create theater that challenges its audience to think and its [professional] artists to grow ... by presenting an articulate and compelling product in an intimate setting ... creating memorable theatrical experiences for [its] audiences."

We know you want to laugh and forget the woes of today's world and we take great fun and pleasure in providing that escape throughout the year. But we also want to make you think and move your heart. Theater takes you places you don't go in your everyday life in ways that only the words of a playwright spoken by a live actor can take you.

Another really exciting thing about the article is that 7 producing companies got mentioned. 4 of the companies produce outside of the Downtown Theatre District. Houston really does have a thriving and varied theater community.

Happy New Year and go see a play!

And that's the word on the street!

Did MST Lead The Way?

Great article in today's Chronicle Zest Section about Piazza. It is funny that Mr. Evans references the Weston Playhouse production. I was as surprised as anyone to see that their production included a smaller orchestra and a cast of only 8!

Back in April, when MST first began negotiations with the R&H Library to do the show, they were asking us about how we would support the full 11-piece orchestration. Our response was we couldn't! It was then that careful negotiations began for us to do it with a smaller orchestra of 6. The R&H Library, with a Tony award winning score to offer, were naturally apprehensive. But after a few conversations with our Musical Director, Glenn Sharp, who lead our glorious 2008 production of CAROLINE, OR CHANGE with a 5-piece band, were they convinced we had the vision and passion to do THE LIGHT IN THE PIAZZA justice.

It was then, later that summer, when I read on Playbill.com about Weston's "chamber version" of the show. The production was created in direct collaboration with Adam Guettel, utilizing and orchestra of 6 and a cast of 8.

I can't help but wonder if MST didn't lead the charge in making the case that there was a long and beautiful life awaiting PIAZZA in the smaller regional theaters all over the country.

And that's the word on the street!

The MST Q&A: Claire Hart-Palumbo

Main Street mainstay Claire Hart-Palumbo appears as Amy Griggs in BUT NOT GOODBYE, closing this weekend. Get to know a little more about Claire as she answers MST's Q&A...



Full given name: Claire Louise Hart (married name/Equity name Hart-Palumbo)

Hometown: Lexington, Texas

Zodiac sign: Taurus

Audition Monologue/Song: Lady Macbeth

Special skills: Twirling and roller skating

First Houston show ever saw: TUT's Oliver in 1974(?) at Miller outdoor theater.

Current show you have been recommending to friends: Cyrano de Bergerac at the Alley.

Favorite show tune: Crazy World (right now)

MAC or PC? Formerly MAC, currently PC because of work.

Most played song on your iPod: I don't own one.

Last book you read: The Secret Lives of Bees

Must-see TV show: Grey's Anatomy and The Starter Wife

Last good movie you saw: Road to Rodanthe, even though it got bad reviews.

Favorite board game: Trivial Pursuit

Performer you would drop everything to go see: Well, I would say Bruce Stringstein, but the last time he was in town I couldn't go because I was in rehearsal.

Pop culture guilty pleasure: QVC

First stage kiss: With a man? That is way too long ago. With a woman? 8x10 Glossy at the Group Theater.

Favorite post-show meal: WhataBurger

Worst onstage mishap: I shattered a wineglass in my hand in "Heidi Chronicles" and cut my palm. Joe Kuykendahl (spelling?) was playing opposite me. We were having a lover's quarrel at HIS WEDDING to someone else. I tried to hide the blood, he calmly pulled out his pocket handkerchief and tied it around my hand and never missed a beat. Several friends later asked us how we did the 'blood' effect. HAAAA

Worst costume ever: Split riding skirt as Belle Starr in "Wilde West", I looked like a semi-truck.

Favorite cereal: Special K with berries

Who would play you in the movie? Claire Danes as the young me and Judith Ivey as the current me, but only if she put the weight back on.

Worst job you ever had: cleaning hotel rooms.

TV or commercial gig you most enjoyed: Reliant commercial in a beauty shop.

BUT NOT GOODBYE, plays our Rice Village location through December 28, 2008. For tickets, please call 713-524-6706.

And that's the word on the street!

Is This Hot Enough For You?

We held our photo shoot for THE LIGHT IN THE PIAZZA last night. This was the result.

Fabrizio (Ross Chitwood) and Clara (Haley Dyes) give into their passion in MST's production of THE LIGHT IN THE PIAZZA

Is it just me, or is it hot in here?

And that's the word on the street!

The MST Q&A: Alan Hall

Alan Hall appears as Pa Ingalls in A LITTLE HOUSE CHRISTMAS, closing public performances this week. Get to know a little more about Alan as he answers MST's Q&A...



Full given name: Alan Charles Hall

Hometown: Houston

Zodiac sign: Sagitarius

Audition Monologue/Song: Changes frequently

Special skills: Amazingly unmusical on a variety of instruments

First Houston show ever saw: Lost in the mists of time.

Current show you have been recommending to friends: A Little House Christmas

Favorite show tune: One Night In Bangkok

MAC or PC? PC

Most played song on your iPod: Xanadu by Rush

Last book you read: Smash Mouth by Elvin Bethea and Mark Adams

Must-see TV show: House

Last good movie you saw: Tropic Thunder

Favorite board game: Risk

Performer you would drop everything to go see: Rush

Pop culture guilty pleasure: What Not To Wear

First stage kiss: Some Agatha Christie play in high school.

Favorite post-show meal: Anything.

Worst onstage mishap: Fell asleep onstage once long ago. Best part was, I didn't end up looking bad, the lead did.

Worst costume ever: Tiger stripe fuchsia g-string.

Favorite cereal: Frosted mini wheats.

Who would play you in the movie? I would, of course.

Worst job you ever had: Lawyer.

TV or commercial gig you most enjoyed: Nutty professor selling a chia monitor in a Compaq industrial.

A LITTLE HOUSE CHRISTMAS, based on Little House on the Prairie by Laura Ingalls Wilder plays our Chelsea Market location Saturdays, through December 13, 2008. For tickets, please call 713-524-6706.

And that's the word on the street!

From Page to Stage

When creating the look for BUT NOT GOODBYE, costume designer Deborah Anderson started first with rough sketches to show director Steve Garfinkel how she imagined the show would look. Once that is agreed upon, the designer must then go and find what is available out in the world to match her/his design.

Here are a couple of Debi's "roughs" along side how the costumes were actually executed.

Amy (Claire Hart-Palumbo, left) accepts a rock specimen from boarder Howard (Kregg Alan Dailey, center) as Jen (Alison Coriell, right) looks on.



Ben (David Wald, left) stands aside while his son Sam (David Parker, right) attempts to haunt his old business partner Tom Carter (Jeffrey S. Lane, center) in vain.

Set by Trey Otis
Lighting by Bryan Nortin
Costumes by Deborah Anderson
Props by Richard Solis

BUT NOT GOODBYE is now playing on the MainStage at Main Street Theater - Rice Village through December 28th.

And that's the word on the street!

Yes, Laura, There Is a Santa Claus!

If you attend our performance of "A Little House Christmas", you might be shocked to hear the statement, "You are too old to believe in Santa Claus!"

Yes, it's true! Nellie Olsen does her best to ruin Laura Ingalls' Christmas by denying a belief that Laura holds dear.

Laura's resolve is shaken a bit, but she does a little investigation of her own. First, she talks to her Uncle George. Does he believe in Santa Claus? Why, of course he does. Then later, Mr. Edwards arrives on Christmas to share with the Ingalls sisters his tale of meeting St. Nick himself in town earlier Christmas morning.

By my reckoning, that is 1 against and 4 for Santa! Santa wins!

And, really, who are you going to believe? Nasty old Nellie Olsen or Laura Ingalls? I bet you know the answer to that question.

Mr. Edwards (played by Roc Living) tells Laura and Mary (Brittney Holdgraf and Jennifer Gilbert) about his encounter with Santa Claus. (also pic. Alan Hall and Linda Royce)

For more information about the existence of Santa Claus, check out www.newseum.org.

And that's the word on the street!

The MST Q&A: Julia Ethier

Julia Ethier (pictured center with Sarah Thomas and Taylor Cruse) appears in the Kids On Stage production of NUMBER THE STARS, presented at Chelsea Market this weekend, Nov. 21, 22 and 23. Get to know a little more about Julia as she answers MST's Q&A...


Full name: Julia Louise Ethier

Age: 9 ¾-years-old

Talents and hobbies (besides acting): I like to play sports, my guitar, board games, and drawing.

Pets: I have 2 adopted dogs, Parker and Godiva.

First live play you ever saw: The first live play I saw was either “Pippi Longstocking” or “If You Give a Mouse a Cookie” when I was in kindergarten.

Most played song on your iPod: “Burning Up” by the Jonas Brothers

Favorite book: “Marley and Me”

Book that hasn’t been adapted as a play but should be: “Roxi and the Hooligans”

Actor you would most like to be in a movie with: Selena Gomez

Favorite thing to do to celebrate opening night: This will be my first opening night so I’ll have to let you know!

Funniest onstage mishap: Trying to pronounce the German words during rehearsal for the first time

Worst costume ever: A Mini Mouse costume my mom made for a dance at camp

Future career: Actor : )

NUMBER THE STARS plays our Chelsea Market location Nov 21-22, 2008 at 7:30pm and Nov 23, 2008 at 3:30pm. For tickets, please call 713-524-6706.

And that's the word on the street!

But Not Forgotten

This month, MST will start off the holiday season with the family comedy "But Not Goodbye". Written in the 1930s, Samuel French, a major publisher of play scripts, no longer publishes the script, but instead has a photocopy on file to copy and send to you.

Unfortunately, the copy is not the best, having had holes punched for its binding that went through the text itself.

When David Parker, leading character Sam Griggs, first did the show in 1950, he and fellow actors had to fill in the literal holes based on the surrounding text in a way that made sense.

So, imagine our surprise when Alison Coriell, playing Jennifer Griggs in our production, found a copy of the script in the MST library! Complete with actor notes and pictures from the original production, we can now fill in the proper words lost so long ago in the Sam French photostat room.

Come see "But Not Goodbye" as George Seaton intended. With all the words!

And that's the word on the street!

A Talk Back with Playwright Y York

On October 25, "... and L.A. Is Burning" playwright Y York returned to see the finished production and give a talk back about her prize winning play. Here is a brief overview of the event from my notes. (sorry if they are a bit sketchy...)

Approx. 60 people from the sold out house stayed for the event, prompting Y to say, "Oh God! You guys all stayed!"

Y was thrilled with the cast and the production.

When asked if the character of Sylvia was based on her, Y said that she wasn't specifically based on her, but that the person she is will come out in all her characters.

When writing a play, Y thinks about what the character expects from a scene and then thinks about how that goal is thwarted. A writer must be careful as they can jump to conclusions about their characters. Her goal is to write something that you have never seen on stage before.

When writing a play, there is no rule of thumb as to how long it takes to complete it. It can take weeks of even years. "... and L.A. Is Burning" was originally conceived in '92 during the events in L.A. while Y lived in Seattle. But it sat dormant for years until the character of Haddie came to the forefront of her consciousness again 2006. At that point, the story just started to flow and the finished play took about 6 months.

Why did you choose "The King and I" as a running theme through out the play?
"The King and I" is so much about race and all of Y's characters get associated with it in some fashion. In the middle of "King and I" is the presentation of "Uncle Tom's Cabin" which is viewed very differently by both Alvin and Haddie.

Y was able to join the cast during the first week of rehearsal. Very little of the script was changed during that time as the team worked on the script. Only about 5 lines were changed and the phrase during Sylvia's Act 2 monologue about "people without clout" was changed to "people without power".

When asked about her characterization of Haddie, Michelle Britton said she made the specific choice for Haddie to be deliberate and still as she tries to understand the people around her. She thinks of Haddie as both a listener and mimic as exemplified by how she imitates phrases from her favorite TV show, "The Cosby Show".

One closing thought from an audience member was that the play was a "rarity", because they felt that the actors, whom many of the audience were familiar with from their acting work in many Houston theaters, disappeared into their roles, becoming the characters they portrayed.

And that's the word on the street!