Road Trips Are Good For The Soul

The Comedy of Errors and Scapin! closed a couple of weeks ago.

Jenny's out in Ohio again, teaching a stage combat workshop. I headed out there for the weekend to visit her and a few friends old and new and to see the latest incarnation of Tecumseh! Go see it, make the road trip, it's excellent.

The road trip was a great little escape. My connection to the world via cell phone and TV and internet was severely and marvelously reduced.

On the way to Ohio, I met some great folks in Grafton, WVa., when I got a flat tire. If your car breaks down, try to break down in Grafton.

Go see Tecumseh! -- yes, I'm repeating -- it's worth repeating: It's a wonderful production of an excellent story, go see it.

Another Good One

Another review has come out for BSF's The Comedy of Errors and Scapin! , this time on the radio -- 88.1, WYPR's Maryland Morning With Sheilah Kast.

Theatre Critic J. Wynne Rousuck says, "there's plenty of pleasure to be had from taking in both productions," and she calls Comedy of Errors "splendid."

Gratuitous self-promotion moment (@ ~2:00 in the review): "In a cast that nimbly handles Shakespeare's language and high jinks, acrobatic Peter Boyer is a stand out as Dromio of Syracuse."

To hear the review, click HERE .

On Stage Again, In Suit and Verse

In my time away from here, I've been doing the occasional commercial / industrial work.

Now I'm back on stage again, with the Baltimore Shakespeare Festival for their summer outdoor productions, because I couldn't resist the idea of playing a very physical role in a full suit in 90+ degrees F and high humidity. Sitting in a sauna always bored me to tears, this is much better. We're doing two shows in rep: The Comedy of Errors and Moliere's Scapine. Comedy opened last week, on June 23rd; Scapine opened yesterday.

A couple of reviews for The Comedy of Errors just came out. Links and a few quotes are below.
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From Tim Smith of the Baltimore Sun:

"This summer, the Baltimore troupe offers a breezy, polished staging of The Comedy of Errors, running in repertory with Moliere's equally farcical Scapin."

". . . a high-caliber, tightly-matched cast."

"Peter Boyer makes an amusing mark as Dromio of Syracuse, especially in the scene where the character compares a kitchen maid's body to various countries of the globe — one of Shakespeare's rudest, crudest and, of course, funniest passages, given extra zing here. "
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From Mike Giuliano of the Howard County Times:

"The Baltimore Shakespeare Festival gets most things right with its outdoor staging of The Comedy of Errors. It's a relatively short, slapstick-oriented Shakespeare comedy that plays well on the pastoral grounds of Evergreen Museum and Library."

"This production's extroverted performances acknowledge that silliness is the way to go. [The actors'] manic spirit keeps things moving along."

"The most endearing performances are by [Peter] Boyer and [Mark] Krawczyk as the twin Dromios. Dark-suited and bowler-hat topped, they prove to be delightfully limber as they get kicked around by their irate bosses and seemingly everybody else. Their pratfalls make them seem like they've stumbled in from a slapstick film."

I'm Not The Caveman

I'm the one in the hat.

Booya, Baby!

Another review, this time in the Baltimore Sun. And they thought the show was "excellent."

The review also said, "Boyer is hilarious in his three roles."


So -- come see it -- Bay Theatre, Annapolis, playing through Nov. 8. Get tickets before they're gone!

Headline: Best In Show

According to the review from the Bay Weekly, Bay Theatre's production of Sylvia "is as puppylicious as Bil-Jac liver treats."

Also:

"Rounding out the cast is Peter Boyer . . . . He is Tom, a proud dog owner who brings the subtle one-upsmanship of the mommy wars to the dog park. He is Phyllis, Kate’s canine-phobic friend and confidante. He is Leslie, an androgynous therapist and marriage counselor. As all three, he is marvelous."

Our first review, from The Capital:

"The Bay Theatre Company kicked off its eighth season last weekend with a real dog of a play - and it's howling good."

"Peter Boyer, who has the challenging task of playing three roles - a dog park buddy of Greg's named Tom, Kate's friend Phyllis and an ambiguously gendered therapist the couple visits named Leslie - adds a deft hand to the comedic romp. He's funniest as Phyllis, whom he makes into a slightly off-kilter society maven. It reminded me a bit of Mrs. Drysdale in "The Beverly Hillbillies," only funnier."

Click either paragraph to read the whole thing . . . they liked the other actors, too . . . .

I Shaved My Legs For This?!?

Yeah, apparently I did. That's a new experience.

For the character of Phyllis (in Sylvia), I am wearing a knee length skirt, (sheer) hose, and heels. As well as a bra, a nice blue top, scarf, wig, pearls, ear rings, and a few other bits of jewelry.

I have been told that I look damn good in heels. The woman who said that also said she was jealous.

Chronicles of Chronicles

I now have 3 different projects going on, 2 of which I've talked about a little bit beforeOne: Sylvia , in which I play Tom / Phyllis / Leslie, @ Bay Theatre in Annapolis. Two: A Spell of Cold Weather, which I'll be directing, @ Red Branch Theatre in Columbia. Three: A Chorus Line, in which I'll be playing Zach, at Howard Community College.

Yeeha, yo.

The Dog Ain't The Only One Chewing The Scenery Here

Sylvia opens Oct. 2 at Bay Theatre in Annapolis! I've got a guy who lives vicariously and metaphorically through his un-neutered dog! I've got your socialite who shows off her size 12 heels and her occasional Freudian slip! I've got your ambi-gendered psychotherapist!

And that's just me! There's 3 other people in this show, playing 3 other characters, and one of 'em is an anthropomorphized dog!