King Richard's Himself Again

Week 69: Cleveland, OH

This week marked our last performances with Richard Chamberlain, as well as a landmark birthday for our reigning king--his 75th. I wish I could adequately express my admiration for "Mr. C." (as I have come to call him) and the work he has done with us in his three months with "Spamalot." He has been a study in devotion and personal discipline. He literally spent every day in his hotel room, resting and preparing for each performance; he ran through his entire show in his dressing room before going on every night. Richard is also an inspiration to those of us who aspire to longevity in our careers as actors: he is fit, vital, loves performing, and didn't miss a single one of his shows during his time with us. I hope that when I reach 75 I will be doing just what Mr. C. is doing, and will be as loved and respected as his fans have shown him to be, with a standing ovation each and every night. On our opening night here, Richard was presented with an enormous birthday cake on stage after curtain call in front of a cheering crowd. It was a great moment. I will miss Richard's kindness, gentleness and enthusiasm. All the best, always, Mr. C.

When we arrived in Cleveland, it was still in the grip of winter, but as the week has progressed, the weather has gotten more and more springlike. However, Cleveland is vying with Oklahoma City for windiest city I have been to on this tour. The gusts that whip across the city off Lake Erie are something fierce. Cleveland has a nice, solid look and has many large, imposing neoclassical pre-war buildings and impressive monuments. These are the result of the 1903 Group Plan, and constitute one of the most complete examples of "City Beautiful" design in the United States. We are staying in Playhouse Square, where our theatre, The Palace, shares the district with the Ohio, Allen, State and Hanna theatres, making it the largest U.S. performing arts center, after Lincoln Center in New York.
Cleveland is a theatre town, with two large regional theatres and numerous other performing arts institutions. The Palace is a magnificent theatre, originally built in 1922 as a vaudeville circuit theatre, in the French Renaissance style, with rose damask walls and Carrara Marble, crystal chandeliers and a glorious domed ceiling medallion. With its more than 3,000 seats and the opulence of its interior, it is one of the finest theatres I have played in my months on this tour.

On Wednesday I went to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
Why, you may ask, is this venerable institution in Cleveland? Well, in the 1950s, legendary DJ Alan Freed coined the term "rock and roll" to describe the upbeat rhythm and blues music by black artists which he was then promoting on his popular Cleveland radio program. Thus, Cleveland became the birthplace of rock and roll. The Hall of Fame is a magnificent complex, housed in what looks like a glass pyramid perched on the edge of Lake Erie. It is an overwhelming collection of memorabilia and artifacts, interactive displays and multi-media installations spanning the entire history of rock and roll, from its roots in the blues and gospel music through the decades. In short, it is the Smithsonian of rock and roll music. One needs far more than the two hours I allotted myself to explore the museum, and after a while my head began to swim from all the stimulation, both visual and aural. I loved seeing the stage costumes of some of the greats of popular music, from Madonna's bustiers, to Michael Jackson's rhinestone studded white glove, to David Bowie's Ziggy Stardust costumes.
My two favorite things in the Hall of Fame were: a film instillation called "Video Killed the Radio Star" which is a brilliantly edited exploration of the impact of the music video both on music and popular culture--really fantastic piece of film making, presented on multiple screens in a dazzling display; and a small piece of history--a handwritten letter from Dusty Springfield to her producer regarding the songs she was choosing to record for her legendary "Dusty in Memphis" album. This album is a masterpiece and one of my favorites of all time, and to see this early bit of creative conception from one of my absolutely favorite artists was a real treat. Goosebumps! The current special exhibition is on Bruce Springsteen, and chronicles his career via some wonderful memorabilia, much of it from The Boss's own collection. There was a quote from him in the exhibit that really resonated with me, so I wrote it down:

I believe that the life of a Rock and Roll band will last as long as you look down into the audience and can see yourself, and your audience looks up at you and can see themselves, and as long as those reflections are human, realistic ones.

Words to work by for any live performer, in my opinion. Check out the Hall of Fame when you are next in Cleveland. By revisiting the history of American music, we find that we are exploring the history of Americans. Very cool.

On a rainy afternoon I went out via public transport, through the sprawling Case Western Reserve University campus, to the Cleveland Museum of Art. The museum is undergoing extensive renovations at this time, so a good portion of the collection was closed to the public; nevertheless, what was accessible was well worth the trip. The highlight of my visit was the current special exhibition of the captivating photography of Lee Friedlander. I think I have mentioned before my love of photography, and my enjoyment of taking photos myself. I have also mentioned that one of the pleasures of traveling and seeing as much art as I have been fortunate enough to see, is the discovery of artists whose work really excites me and makes me an instant fan. I had this experience with photographer Andre Kertesz, and now I am completely enamored of Friedlander.
Many may know his work for his wonderful portraits of famous musicians like Aretha Franklin and Miles Davis, but Friedlander's range extends far beyond portraiture-- to incredible landscape photography, to the capturing of remarkable images of American life through a unique and sublimely wise and ironic eye. His self portraits are wonderful, and are often simply his capturing of his own shadow projected on to a person or place he is photographing. He loves to view things in layers, calling our attention not just to the central subject of a photo, but forcing us to view it through reflective glass, or beyond obstructions in the foreground, or in contrast with other elements in the frame. I just loved seeing his work, which ranges from gritty candid moments to sublime, sensual images of nature. I found myself laughing out loud at the unique moments that his subtly humorous eye captures. I related strongly to his vision, and was inspired to take more photos myself--and I think all great artists inspire others to want to view life in their own particular way, and to create. I love this quote from Friedlander, which gives real insight to his artistic view:

I only wanted Uncle Vern standing by his new car... on a clear day, I got him and the car. I also got a bit of Aunt Mary's laundry and Beau Jack, the dog, peeing on a fence, and... seventy-eight trees and a million pebbles in the driveway and more. It's a generous medium, photography.

--Lee Friedlander, 1996

No trip to a fine art museum for me would be complete without exploring what they have from the Baroque period. One really beautiful gallery contrasts the opposing movements of the period: Naturalism, as exemplified by Caravaggio, and Idealism, as represented by Guido Reni and his followers.
Obviously, I prefer the more dramatic, full blooded work of the Naturalists, and was delighted to see that the museum possesses a Caravaggio, "The Crucifixion of St. Andrew." With unflinching honesty and an understanding of the human form in all its complexity, the master gives us a scene of rich, earthy power. Other favorites of mine in the Cleveland collection are the completely delicious "Cupid and Psyche" by David, a portrait of a mischievous adolescent boy rising from the bed of pleasure, where his ivory skinned lover lies sleeping. Cupid looks straight out at us with a grin and a decided twinkle in his eye, which makes this painting wonderfully naughty. I also fell for a small portrait by 18th century French artist Nicholas de Largillierre, of the Comte de Richbourg-le-Toureil.
Eschewing the notion of idealizing his subject, de Largillierre gives us a strong, optimistic young man with a slight shadow of a beard, wonderfully textured clothes, and even the fallout of white dust on his shoulders from his fashionably powdered hair. I find it most fascinating to notice what an artist chooses to include within the frame of his image (whether photograph or painting) and what he leaves out.



Beverly is my Cleveland dresser.
She has been working in wardrobe for 40 years and dressed Sir Robin the first time the tour came through two years ago. It is always a pleasure to work with the seasoned pros who have dedicated a lifetime to the work of the theatre. Well, that's it for Cleveland. We are all very much looking forward to our week off next week before our two week engagement in Anchorage, Alaska, where we hope we will not be buried in molten lava from the increasingly restless Mount Redoubt. More in two weeks, friends, from Anchorage.