jennifer wrote:
first time i ever wanted to see Mame!
To be honest, I was skeptical about how much I'd enjoy the 3-hour play since Mame isn't a favorite of mine either, and despite receiving 2nd billing I knew Selby's role wasn't large. But I was pleasantly surprised to find that time flew by and that I enjoyed it all so much. And like ProfStokes, I still catch myself singing a few of the songs. The credit goes to this production-- the performances were outstanding, and some situations were handled very humorously. (I'm dying to find out what happened during the performance that ProfStokes saw in the manicure scene involving Mame and Beauregard; we saw Selby laughing obviously under the face towel and drape.) Apparently [composer] Jerry Herman had attended the opening night performance, and I'm sure he was quite pleased with it.
And then there's the Selby factor: His was a standout performance, and who knew he was such a fabulous singer? His voice was so clear and his energy so high that, as ProfStokes said, he could be heard over the chorus, and we're talking about an unusually large cast for a play, at least so I thought. The theater was quiet when he first appeared on stage, unlike during the matinee, but there was some yaying going on during his curtain call. His smile instantly widened; I think he heard us... er, them.
Oh yes, and his costumes-- I was especially fond of the jodhpurs (thanks, Bette) and black riding boots that he had on when kneeling to propose to the title character. Of course there was also the obligatory white suit of the Southern plantation owner which his tall, slender frame wore wonderfully.
Producer Suzy Stokey was SO pleasant, and Selby was extremely gracious and friendly when greeting us after the play. Because we were in an accessible part of the lobby, others wandered over to speak to him too, but he saved the best for us and that was a thrill (though actually, it was MsCriseyde that he was excited to see). I've spoken to him in autograph lines before, but it was much different to be introduced to him (thank you, sweetie!), and for anyone that has never had the pleasure of gaining his attention, when he speaks to you his eyes look intently at you, all blue and sparkly and... what were we talking about again? Oh yes, I do remember babbling something to him about how he's not supposed to have so much fun up there, which made him laugh and talk more about how he enjoyed doing the play. Here's some fabulous news-- he said he's taking tap and singing lessons to help prepare for the future musicals that ProfStokes told us about. Oh, and did I mention that he looked GREAT??!!
There were a couple of great poses that he did for ShadowGram that I hope came out well for Marcy.
