Matchmaker, Matchmaker...I'm Willing to Settle

   I love new work.  I also love projects where I get to do double-duty.  For this one, I got to be choreographer guy but also got to assistant direct and dip my toes in those waters some more.  I like those waters.  This gig fell into place because of some genius actors that I'd worked with in a showcase.  NIKKI MACCALLUM and KELVIN MOON LOH cowrote a show based on Nikki's experiences with online dating.  An autobiographical musical about Manhattan romantic disasters.  Nikki played the lead and Kelvin directed.  I was brought on board to spice up the concert with a few choreographed moments.  There was a margarita shaker salsa dance, a nasty 'swingers' swing number, and a personal highlight, the opening number and its 'boobie-time' choreography. 

     The show was presented at ARS NOVA and it was my first time working in that amazing intimate space where I'd seen so much great work by so many inspiring emerging artists.  Thrilled to join their ranks.  And to work on a brand-spankin' new musical.  And to discover that even though I can be uber-serious guy, I can actually make funny choreography that people laugh at.  Who knew?  The show sold out, the performance kicked butt, the authors continue to develop the piece, and I got some artistic growth.  So much win! 

I'm a bad blogger.

My last post was about directing for the Insomniac's 24-hour play festival.  That happened about a year ago.  I'm clearly massively behind.  I'll try to do better.  In the meantime, this blog is a little more current.  It's only 3 months behind.  Ugh.  On the plus side, I've been busy!

http://www.sidneyerik.com/Blog/Blog.html

Double-duty on "Pharmaceutical: The Musical"

     Theatrical drinking games.  Apparently this is a thing.  And I'm a fan.  After my SDC Observership on Ghost Brothers of Darkland County, I had a brunch recap with a few other director/choreographer people who had done the observership program.  And I met the amazingly talented Katie Lupica, the SDC Observer to Daniel Goldstein on Broadway's Godspell.   She was putting together a ten-minute musical for TinyRhino.  We wanted to work together.  And we made a little magic.

     TinyRhino is a monthly festival of ten-minute plays/musicals at the Brooklyn Lyceum under the umbrella of UglyRhino.  With the festival, authors are given 5 prompts at which the audience is instructed to drink from their beverage of choice.  Those prompts are then incorporated into brand-spankin'-new plays and mounted as a theatrical free-for-all evening of drinking and art.  For the July edition of the show, the audience had to drink whenever 1) someone analyzed a dream 2) someone had a pratfall 3) someone impersonated a celebrity 4) someone flipped off the audience or 5) someone mentions the temperature of the room.  Katie shepherded the blending of these prompts into the total awesomeness that was Pharmaceutical: The Musical.

     In the show, I played Mr. Worthington, a suburban drone unhappy with his life.  I was being psychoanalyzed by a therapist, but instead of treatment I got a prescription.  Returning home, I  was confronted by my unhappy housewife and, upon taking my medication, we entered a trippy fantasy finale with a kickline of dancing pills.  It was out there.  It was fabulous.  And it was so much fun being both the lead role actor guy and the dance-making choreographer guy.  The show was a hit and a new collaboration was a total success!

Are You There, Ann-Margret? It's Me! Highlights

This project was just...fun.  Such a blast choreographing in classic Vegas spectacle style.  Camp and cheese and glitter and sequins.  Trying to live up to the legend.  Here's a highlight reel to give a taste of what we did.  My unofficial off-broadway 'debut' as a choreographer.  Fingers crossed that there's a future production somewhere/somehow.  It was truly fabulous!

Are You There, Ann-Margret? It's Me! Photos

Just a li'l taste of the show.  Loved working with this talented and uber-fabulous cast!

Photos by Francis Fanini

I'm back!

No blog posts in a while. Not because I've been twiddling my thumbs, but because I've actually been doing super fun things and focusing on the work more than the blog. And that's okay. But I wanted to bring this up to date-ish, and share some of the really awesome projects I've been doing. So expect blog postings to be coming fast and furious in the next few weeks. Playing catchup to current day. Which is the day before the first day of school for another super awesome project. But I'll get to that after I'm all caught up. Fun vids/pics/blogs on the way!