Later That Day.

I hesitate to post this because it might come back to bite me, but here's a couple of wise lessons I've been taught about acting that came to mind tonight:

Talk to your scene partner. Anytime there's a dialogue onstage, don't "act" at the other performers; talk to them.

Never tell stories. If you've got a big long monologue about how your kitten died, don't play it as if your objective as the character is to explain how your kitten died; telling the story is a means to an end. Figure out what that end is and use the story as a tactic to achieve that end.

Never play an emotion. Your objective isn't to feel an emotion; it's to achieve something. The emotions will rise out of the striving.

Anyway, the show was an unevenly acted broad comedy; drink your wine and wait for the funny bits. My heroine Melissa B. stole the show with a one-scene character. A guy named Capers D. played a preacher, and he rocked out! I've seen him before in a best-left-unmentioned show elsewhere, and he lit up the stage there. There's some inexplicable gonzo element to what I've seen of his work that takes it beyond mere craft, though he has craft as well. There were other performances I enjoyed: Thom S. channeled Divine at her most overwrought in a drag role, and Shanda B. got to wear a big fat suit. Fat suits fill me with joy. They're never not funny. Sadly she didn't get to do much; she did a flawless, splendid monologue in another TNT show that really made me want to see more from her.

The place was packed, it being closing night. Why wasn't BFT packed for closing night of First Lady Suite? It was a good show! I hate to see people work so hard on a good production and get nothing for it.