Tomorrow is my opening night for the 2nd "return to the boards" show. Well, actually show(s) [plural]. We're doing 6 one acts (I'm in two of them), and it's given me the opportunity to delve deeply into the Vault and spelunk for jewelry for my costumes. I've had even more opportunity since one of my fellow actors needed to be "glammed" up more than me, and the stash at the theatre is slightly lacking. Gad, I adore pawing through the copious quantities of costume stuff that are stored in the Vault. I brought in the Sophie Tucker jewels (yes, the ones that were actually Sophie Tucker's; but that's another story...), but we're not using those.
It's really amazing how much material exists in the Vault. And I do mean that in more than just the "material girl" sort of way. I ended up in a Muriel box yesterday and lost myself as I found 2 versions of Mom's incomplete but quite interesting "History of Muriel R. Landers" which included some more exciting tid-bits. Like the fact that Muriel got a scholarship to study with the Chicago Lyric opera, and performed the leads in Madame Butterfly and Carmen among others there. And that when she went to New York, she got a job as a secretary at CBS and discovered that once she got radio gigs, she was making way more money than she could in the opera, and that's why she went on to sing and act instead of just singing.
Funny: I have a line in upcoming show The Actor's Nightmare about leaving the opera because I couldn't sing. How ironic that Muriel did but not because of that.
In a week, I'm going to attempt to do a singing audition myself (sans the jewels, of course). And the little one carrying on the traditions is in the midst of his own change towards music. Funny how often we return to our real roots. The cycle of life and performing are so constant and overlapping.
That is so cool! I never knew Muriel sang Carmen! I would've loved to hear it. I've always adored her dearly
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