Patsy Redux

Week 61: Detroit, MI

With the departure of dear Brad Bradley, the "Spamalot" tour welcomes back Jeff Dumas as Patsy. Jeff was the original Patsy on the tour and spent two years performing the role on the road, earning himself a Helen Hayes Award for his portrayal along the way. Jeff is a supremely talented man, a true "triple threat"--actor, singer and dancer. And at 5'2" he makes me feel tall, which is rather nice for a change. Ha ha. Just joking. It's great to have Jeff back in the fold. As far as I am aware, this should be the last change of cast on the tour for a while; John O'Hurley will join us as King Arthur after Richard Chamberlain completes his three month run with us, but in the meantime we can settle a bit and allow the new people to jell with us.

Driving into Detroit for work from the somewhat cushy suburb of Troy, where we are staying for the next two weeks, one can see the signs of a failing local economy and a city in a difficult transition. Run down neighborhoods with boarded up houses and businesses, litter and graffiti, and dirty, abandoned streets are the landscape one passes through on the edges of this city. We are performing at the Fisher Theatre these two weeks in Detroit.
The theatre is housed in a fabulous Art Deco skyscraper built in 1928, which still retains its original barrel vaulted lobby, complete with mammoth Deco lighting fixtures, elaborate ceiling murals, and a design that incorporates forty different kinds of marble. The theatre was built as a vaudeville house in the same period and was originally decorated in an Aztec style, with Mexican-Indian artworks and live macaws that were allowed to roam free and eat out of patrons' hands!
After years of operating as a movie house, the theatre went through an extensive renovation in 1961 which gave it its current look. It is extremely dated, with walls decorated in big ovals made of pegboard, stipple painted in metallic gold and framed out with white moldings. It's pretty tacky, and appears even more so in contrast with the stunning Deco lobby. Take a gander at this vintage photo I found of the original theatre interior. Wow.

For those of you with an interest in the ongoing back stage life of the tour, and the ways in which our show is maintained, this week we had a visit from a dialect specialist who worked with each of the leading actors on our British accents. Yes, even after hundreds of performances, there is still room for improvement! Ben Furey, the dialect coach, is very highly regarded and works on many big scale projects including the Broadway production of "Billy Elliott." He is also a Brit, so his ear is especially tuned to the sound of the various English accents. I had an hour session with Ben, during which he was able to work with me on refining and fine tuning the sound of my various characters, differentiating a more upper class British sound for Sir Robin from a more working class or "Cockney" sound for the guards I play--and for Robin before he becomes a knight. I was happy to discover that most of what I have been doing is on the money. The adjustments Ben gave me really helped me to polish up my performance and to be more aware of the sounds I am making. I hope that this gives you a sense of how vigilant everyone is about making sure that our product is the very best quality it can be.

I wish I could say that I did a whole bunch of sightseeing and museum visiting this week in Detroit, but, alas, no. I have spent the week pretty much working out, organizing my 2008 tax papers and receipts (UGH) and doing the show. And a few driving lessons thrown in for good measure. Sometimes, even life on a national touring production is ho hum and routine! But there can be satisfaction in keeping a simple schedule. I'll tell you, though, I will be very glad when we have finished our wintry midwest portion of the tour and can enjoy a few weeks down south in more hospitable weather!! Hope this finds you well and staying warm wherever you are. More from Detroit next week.