She held back her tears long enough and finally let the strain and stress of 6 months pour over her cheeks. 12 hour days of planning, producing and directing her first Capital Region stage play pulled together last minute to raucous applause and appreciation. Last night was the premiere opening of 3 episodes of "The Brady Bunch" and Debbie had gone so far as to write the show's Hollywood syndicate to get approval.
Directing a children's play is anything but child's play. It's a demanding excercise in patience and self-control. It requires balancing a full-time job with long hours of practice and unlimited investment of your own dollar. Deb pulls through though and between her and her budding cast of characters, ages 5 to 50 years, they all perform like pros. The leading lady who plays Florence Henderson's role has an uncanny almost frightening resemblence to the real Carol Brady.
"Marcia, Marcia, Marcia", "Groovy" and "Oh, My Nose!", expressions that brought back 70's nostalgia for the pop culture phenom. The stage was broken down into three sets, the kitchen, sittingroom and bedroom. With a little imagination, the audience envisioned the original Astroturf covered backyard in front of them. Rotary phones, bright orange fiberglass armchairs, mod wall colors and other funky furniture decor made it all seem like we were an actual television studio audience. There was even a electronic black and white applause box that lit up at the end of every episode. No detail, however small or inconsequential, was left out. The audience supplied an endless laugh track through all 90 minutes.
Way to go my friend! The show runs today, tomorrow and next weekend (8,8,2pm) at the Classic Theatre Guild at Voorheesville Elem. call 459-9826 for more info! Don't miss it.
