Showbiz gig not easy stuff

I?m conflicted. Every time Randy West asks me back to Fairfield for his next musical, it?s a pretty easy decision to make. It?s always great to be back among such friendly people, in such a welcoming town. Access to Paul?s workout room is wonderful, and Everybody?s has everything a vegan could want to eat. Performing in a space like the Sondheim Center is always an honor, and Randy?s material is always engaging.

But sweet Susan, it?s freezing.

Here we are, preparing Into the Woods, a frantic fairytale romp through the forest, and I?m thinking that perhaps I might trade ?Happily Ever After? for ?Fairly Miserable but with Central Heating Ever After.?

When I came here for Spelling Bee in the fall, I got a preview of the frigid wrath of the Old Armory descending into the winter. But that was a mere tease of the full onslaught of deep-winter rehearsals in that space. After two weeks of rehearsal hovering around 20 degrees, I?ve had to turn my script over to CIA cryptologists for deciphering the chickenscratch notes I was able to manage with my frozen fingers. I?m not even entirely sure they could manage it, because apparently at the opening of the second act I confront the witch about the classified documents she stole from the Ukrainian ambassador.

However, it must be on record that the chance to put Sondheim up in the Sondheim Center was not to be missed in spite of rehearsals in Cocytus. To tackle a Sondheim show is not for the faint of heart or voice, and the entire cast has heavy responsibilities in order to keep the show going. Into the Woods in particular takes considerable skill to maintain the clarity of its multiple storylines and communicate its occasionally heavy moral messages. On top of that, if the chicken runs out of batteries, we?re in trouble. Never thought I?d say that.

The difficulty of a small theater putting on such an ambitious show lies not only in the weight of the material, but also the sheer amount of it and its tangible complexity. Several people have interrupted rehearsal looking for a milliner due to the number of hats we have all been wearing. And while I?m certainly not afraid of a bold fashion statement, in the theater wearing three hats at once takes a lot of energy, without the benefit of making you look fabulous.

Randy and Margaret have once again taken on multiple duties to ensure the show comes together. Margaret managed to lead teaching of the (enormous amount of) music in the show in addition to playing a significant role, and Randy has directed, choreographed, designed the lights, and is also conducting the show. I also think I saw Randy reshingling the Sondheim Center roof the other day. Show off.

It is a sort of badge of honor to have gotten through a Sondheim show. In the theatre world, the mere mention of his name bears a certain weight down on the conversation, a sober quality that demands either one show artistic fortitude or bow out immediately. As such, for this show there?s a certain unspoken pressure, a quiet reminder that ?phoning it in? is not an option. And that?s how I like it. As a poor actor, it heartens me to know that while the producers of New York continue to throw money away on the Spider-Man musical and count on audiences to not know good from bad, we here in Fairfield are putting on a real show for intelligent people.

Though I did consider severely injuring myself to generate some press. I compromised for eating too many cookies and putting on a few pounds, but that only got me page nine in a tabloid ?Celebrity Muffin Top? feature. Gosh, this showbiz thing is hard. 

Andrew Bosworth is an actor with Way Off Broadway musical theater.