Praying Small

PRAYING SMALL

So my dear friend Clifford Morts is a gifted playwright and actor working in Chicago. I had the opportunity to share the stage with him years ago and learned a great deal from watching his work.

He's penned a play called Praying Small which ran in Chicago to great acclaim and now it's being presented in New York City at The Sonnet Theatre in The Producers Club.

It's a pretty powerful piece. If you're in town please try to catch it. Here's the info.

PRAYING SMALL

By Clifford Morts

Directed by Becky Burkhard

Opening Night

Friday, November 13th 8pm

The Sonnet Theatre in The Producers Club

358 West 44th Street, NYC (corner of 44th and 9th)

212-769-7973 Reservations

"Praying Small is a masterpiece..."

ChicagoCritics Online

"...full of truth and honesty..."

The Chicago Tribune

"CRITICS CHOICE"

The Chicago Reader

"An astonishing piece of writing...brutal in its honesty..."

Theatreworld Magazine

Some info about the piece:

Sam Dean is a hyper-literate, highly successful, white-collar, New
York yuppie that’s got the world on a string and sits on a rainbow.
His six-figure job keeps his lifestyle well-heeled. His best friend,
Roman, carouses the bars and clubs of New York with him nightly.
Eventually, he meets his beautiful wife-to-be, Susan, and embarks

on a magical and profound love affair. Life is good.

From these promising beginnings, Praying Small unveils, in non-linear fashion, a life brought low by the “phenomenon of craving.” A life seemingly well-examined unravels through the unchecked appetites of a man afflicted with the disease of addiction. Job, home, loved ones, friends, wife and self-respect all predictably and senselessly destroyed. Sam Dean, a man of no small intellect, falls victim to the tragicomedy of substance abuse and then digs deep inside himself and, through the help of his altruistic AA sponsor, Greg, takes his first tentative and fragile steps back into the land of the living. A land of choices.

Along the way we see his dysfunctional childhood with his worshipping mother and his emotionally and physically abusive father, his shallow and co-dependently nihilistic relationship with Roman (who, unlike Sam, never escapes the clutches of alcoholism), his passionate and doomed fairy-tale romance with the love of his life, the humiliating loss of his downtown, “trophy” job, his final “bottom” as he finds himself in jail and at the mercy of “New York’s Finest”, his anguished first year of sobriety where life-threatening pitfalls lie everywhere, and finally, his acceptance and surrender to a God of his understanding as he realizes, mercifully, he is not alone.

Praying Small is the story of one man wracked with the disease of addiction – one good man with the desire to change. The bottom line is this: recovery is for people who want it, not necessarily for people who need it. This is a play about a man who wants it. This is a play about the splendor of redemption and the catharsis of forgiveness.

This is a play about the power of change.

TheaterMania article about the Chicago Run and an interview with Clifford Morts.

Click Here

Broadway Cares

I've also got a couple of ideas to help out Broadway Cares/Equity Fights Aids. This has always been an organization that has been important to me.

And as some of you may know, I'm on the Artist Committee of The Actors Fund (www.actorsfund.org)

So the over reaching goals of these organizations are always in my mind. I think the ideas I have will be kind of fun and also be helpful in raising not only awareness but funds for a great cause. I'll write more about this idea as I flesh them out.

Keep you're eyes peeled. The weather is getting cooler, the holidays are fast approaching...and I'm getting in a singing mood!

Love Never Dies - A Strong Opinion

As most of you probably know, announcements have flooded the media recently regarding Andrew Lloyd Webber's pending sequel to the Phantom of the Opera. The show is slated to be released in March of 2010 in London and November of 2010 in New York City. As we stand on the verge of its release, I see a war brewing on the horizon among fans, and it breaks my heart.

I am constantly amazed over how this story elicits such strong emotions from individuals. The three camps of Phantom lovers, only to mention a few (Leroux, the stage play, and the 2004 movie), are drawing lines in the sand and opinionated battles have begun over the need for continuing the story on stage.

There are those who are vehemently opposed to the curtain going up. The trial has begun, but there's no "innocent" here until proven "guilty." Those who hate it, have pronounced their verdict even before the jury (the audience) has been shown all the evidence. Then there are fans who can't wait to see the next creation of Andrew Lloyd Webber, and no doubt already have their ticket in hand and are counting the days until release.

If you don't know how I feel about the impending sequel, I've already written a blog regarding my feelings. To recap, I look at it this way. He took Leroux's book, adapted it to the stage, and immortalized the genius of music in a musical. The Phantom of the Opera, by Andrew Lloyd Webber, is his creation. He gave it to audiences to enjoy, and for over 20 plus years, we have reveled in its beauty and sung its haunting musical score.

The last time I looked it says, © Copyright The Really Useful Group Ltd. The Phantom of the Opera on stage is Webber's creation, and he has the right to do with it as he pleases. We don't own the story, we merely use it to touch our hearts, and it has gone around the world to more than 100 million individuals.

What concerns me the most regarding the sequel, is not the release on stage or the continuation of the story. It is the division among the fan base across the globe. I see arguments rising on networking sites, forums, boards, etc. The entire matter is cause for alarm, as far as I'm concerned. We are fighting among ourselves, alienating one another personally, and causing a riff in the fan base, which may never heal. I guess you could say, "there's a disturbance in the lair."

Let's agree to disagree, but let's express our opinions respectfully. The one thing that should bind us together, is the love of the story. Why should we divide ourselves over Love Never Dies? I'd like to think our love of the story will never die, or the camaraderie we find with other fans around the world.

As the months progress and the public draws closer to seeing the new production, let's step back and focus on the center of what it's all about - the guy in the mask. Like him, you want to be able to remove your mask, reveal who you are, and find acceptance. It's no different in the lair of fans. The Phantom of the Opera is a story of unconditional love and acceptance, "All I wanted was to be loved for myself."

I encourage each of you, when another takes his mask off and gives his honest opinion regarding Love Never Dies, try not to rant and rave when you disagree with him. Go light a candle of peace in the lair instead. I'm sure Erik would appreciate it.

As always, your thought provoking....
Phantom's Student

PS...Below is a clip of one of the songs and here is a link to the official website for Love Never Dies.

Album vs Single

So here's a question I've been toying with for a while.

When people download music do they usually download and entire album or just a single from that album?

Obviously if you buy the CD in a store you get the entire thing but with the advent of digital music downloads that option is no longer the only option.

What about the idea of releasing a single in anticipation of the entire CD coming out at a later date. I mean heck, most radio station only play one song from a full CD anyhow.

Thoughts?