Rockin’ Boston

-
posted by Jud Williford, A.C.T. Associate Artist and core acting company member

After finishing their run in San Francisco, the company of Rock ’n’ Roll, a coproduction of A.C.T. and the Huntington Theatre Company, took to Boston, where they are performing at the Huntington through December 13. A.C.T.’s Jud Williford, who primarily plays Ferdinand, took over the role of Jan for Manoel Felciano for two nights in November to enable Mano to make a quick trip back to the Bay Area. Jud sends an update from the road.

It has been a wild and crazy first week of performances. The crew here at the Huntington Theatre has been tremendous. Warm and hospitable. I’m finally through the performances where I had to go on as Jan (Mano) and am thrilled that I can now enjoy this city!

The audience here is different from the one in SF. Sometimes I feel that they watch me and Mano as if they were watching the “debating cavemen” on The History Channel. But overall they have responded enthusiastically to the show . . .

We all live on the same street and in houses/apartments right next to one another (Sesame Street) . . . like a neighborhood full of artists, or as Jack would refer to us, “craftsmen.”

Right now it feels like all we are doing is going from the theater to our homes. It’s a little repetitive but I figure I pretty much do the same thing when I’m in San Francisco so it’s not so bad.

The most exciting thing I’ve done, however, is the Freedom Trail! My mother was in town this past weekend to see me perform Ferdinand and Jan, which was really fun for me AND her! (Although, I’m convinced that she uses me as an excuse to go to cities she’s never been to!) Anyway, we went on this amazing journey through old Boston to see all the sites: Paul Revere’s house, Old North Church, the U.S.S. Constitution, site of the Boston massacre, etc. . . . It was very cool. We ended our tour with an early dinner at the Cheers bar. My mother insisted on sitting on Norm’s stool and getting a picture . . .

So far, that is all I’ve done. Everyone here is doing great and having a wonderful time exploring and getting to know the city.

I will have much more to come! On my way to New York this weekend on the Greyhound, which is sure to provide many great gifts of weirdos to talk about!!!

Popular posts from this blog

“To Be or Not to Be”: The Iconic Speech’s Origins, Interpretations, and Impact

-
Image
By A.C.T. Publications Staff The opening line of Hamlet ’s “To be or not to be” soliloquy is theater’s most iconic, most referenced quote. What’s less known is the famous speech’s history, with Hamlet ’s earliest publications offering varying versions of its language. Also questioned is its meaning—is Hamlet contemplating suicide or is he weighing the consequences of murder? Though definitive answers are unlikely to arise, the questions “To be or not to be” asks have kept audiences, scholars, and actors engaged for centuries. Hamlet ’ s "To be or not to be" speech as it appears in the three original editions of the play. Photo by Georgelazenby. Courtesy Wikimedia Commons. The first edition, or First Quarto (Q1), of Hamlet was published in 1603. Because the text is much shorter than later editions and its language is less poetic, it is nicknamed the “Bad Quarto” by scholars. “To be or not to be” in Q1 reads as: To be, or not to be—ay, there’s the point. To die, ...
Read more

The American Sound: The Evolution of Jazz

-
Image
By Cecilia Padilla There is nothing so uniquely American as jazz music. In its simplest form, jazz embodies the essence of the American people: bold and inventive. The improvisation of the jazz ensemble can even be seen as a metaphor for the American democratic ideal: musicians playing solos have the liberty to express themselves as long as they adhere to the overall structure of the tune—individual freedom but with responsibility to the group. The evolution of jazz music also carries with it the social development of our nation from slavery to the swinging songs of World War II. Musically, jazz contributed immensely to the way contemporary musicians approach instrumentation, composition, and vocal arrangements. It is difficult to find a popular tune today that does not derive from such jazz icons as Joe Oliver, Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington, and Thelonious Monk. Jazz is the great equalizer; for more than a hundred years, it has been the common ground between blacks and whites, me...
Read more

A Hell of a Businessman: A Biography of Joe Glaser

-
By Simon Hodgson Born in 1897, Joe Glaser was the son of a successful Russian Jewish physician in Chicago. He originally intended to follow a similar career and entered medical school, but after passing out in the operating room, he realized he wasn’t cut out to be a doctor. He started off in business selling used cars, but found better luck managing prizefighters. In his biography of Al Capone, Laurence Bergreen notes, “Glaser’s power to fix fights earned him a reputation as a sage of boxing, especially among reporters.” With advanced word as to which fights were fixed, Glaser could predict the results—and even the number of rounds—of many bouts in Chicago. His connections with organized crime continued in his next career change, when he began running nightclubs and whorehouses in the South Side for the Chicago Outfit, the powerful underworld gang led by Capone. Glaser’s tendency toward illegal action nearly ended his career. In 1928, he was sentenced to ten years in prison for ...
Read more