Vixen Chronicles

Ipanema. Copacabana. Rio De Janeiro. Yeah. Does this conjure up images of white sand beaches, near nekkid women and men? Paradise? How about dengue fever? I arrived in Rio with the travel book pictures etched in my head. I just knew I was going to see, tall, tan, young, fabulous looking people strolling down the beach. Well, sort of. I'd packed several swim suits, to make sure that I would choose the most appropriate one. I discovered that the Brazilians (the cariocas) do not suffer from the same body hangups as we Americans. They were no more beautiful than anything you might see on an American beach, but Lawd, they were certainly more nekkid. I saw (or didn't see) miles of cloth that had disappeared into the hinterlands between many a butt cheek and grandpas in speedos. When in Rio..... Not really. I did pack my best tiny suit. Sort of like your skinny jeans. The suit a good friend of me had once asked me to cover up because she had a pre-adolescent

IMG_0273.JPG So, now that opening weekend is over, folks keep asking me if I was happy with what I got. My answer is an unequivocal, yes. Actually, I had no idea what to expect. I just tried to do each step to the best of my ability and hoped it would add up to good. And what exactly was each step? A whole lot. Writing the dern thing was only the beginning. Being the Executive Producer meant that every little detail rolled up to me. I mean everything, beginning with raising the cash to making the show happen. Travel details-someone had to make sure that each member of the cast and crew go to where they were supposed to be, reasonably happy, safely and on time. Set building had to happen on time and be functioning. There had to be a tech rehearsal for the people who would operate the set and rehearsals for the cast. Building had to be secured along with security. Wardrobe had to be available. I'll tell you what, there were a lot of costume changes. I&#

So, I just go up from a twelve hour power nap. Executive production is sleep deprivation at its finest. The play opened and had a great weekend with an almost sold out show on Saturday. I learned a lot from this process. First, People really like a woman with a gun. I had no idea that Dina (AKA NINA) would be such a hit, even though she was obviously supremely evil. I REALLY dug the mean woman with a gun and hot shoes myself. Of course the character was a shoe diva! Second, I learned that your employees will eat your profits if left alone. That's right. I have video of my staff happily eating M & M's at the concession stand. I know who you are and you will be fined accordingly. Third, I learned that there is no modesty in theater. I had a cameo, but since the role was so small, I didn't have a mike. I had to share one with Li'L G since were were never on stage at the same time. Logistically, it seemed like no problem to do a ten second mike change. For the