Dizzy Dandelion: Is He Dead? ended quickly

Oh, my goodness. Is He Dead? was so much fun! A lot of the people who came to see me lamented that it was only a four night run, because we'd worked so hard and came up with such a good show. I was sad, too, but I knew what I was getting into when I auditioned. And it was all worth it.

This was one of those magical experiences where all of the actors were afraid of being the weak link, so we all worked our backsides off to make sure we weren't. Ryan kept trying to give us 10-20 minute breaks, but we'd always be back after 5 minutes to either chat or work on our lines. We didn't want to let him or any of the others down. Consequently, we knew our stuff. Everyone had a minute to shine, no matter how big or small or less funny their role was. I am very proud of a few of our less-experienced actors. Our hard work paid off.

Better yet, it was impossible to be in a bad mood around those people! I often was when I got to rehearsal, but 10 minutes in my grumpiness was forgotten. Everybody was too nice and too funny to let anything else linger long. There was no backstage drama (as far as I know). We all got along. We teased and cheered and supported each other whenever necessary. It's been awhile since I worked in such a wholly positive atmosphere.

Ryan: director, coach, set designer/builder/painter, laugh track, and friend. I was shocked when I learned this was his directoral debut, because he was excellent. He loves the play, knew it backwards and forwards, was really good at getting us to grow and try new things, and never yelled at us for chatting too much or being late (things the cast struggled with). His laughter was always the highest compliment. If he jumped out of his chair, we knew we'd found a winner. I'd audition for him again anytime.

When Ryan offered me the role of Marie, he asked if I was sure I was ok with all of the kissing. I asked who would be playing Francois, and when I found out it was Adam, I smiled and said I would be fine. I've been friends with Adam and his wife Mary Ann for about 5 years and I was excited to work with him. He was our anchor, and he was positively brilliant in the role of Jean-Francois Millet/Widow Daisy Tillou. He's played character roles in a lot of musicals, but this was his first straight play. He's such a nice guy and a good friend. Anytime I expressed any self-doubt he'd assure me I was funny and then give me specific examples. I was happy to do the same for him. He was so good!

Marie Leroux and Daisy Tillou
"My darling sister"

He was professional and respectful about the kissing which I appreciated because I have never been kissed so much during a show, not to mention the rehearsals. We had a tough time not laughing in some scenes (have you ever had to stand motionless in the middle of a kiss, while the audience cracked up? It's more difficult than you'd think). I learned that it's one thing to worry about smearing my own lipstick all over my leading man's face. It's another to worry about his lipstick smearing all over my face. Adam and Katie (who played my sister) wanted to laugh every time they saw my face during the last scene in the first act where Adam left red lipstick all over my face. Katie had to bring a kleenex to wipe it off because otherwise it looked "like a vampire who just finished feeding." It's because of Adam that the "I do wish you wouldn't smoke" line worked so well. I really like that guy, and I love that Mary Ann was completely supportive. It's nice when I'm friends with my costar's wife.

Smeary vampire lipstick, only partially wiped off

Matt, Andrew, and Nathan.
Scene-stealers with goofy accents.

These three jokesters where as good of friends off stage as they were on. It was obvious from the callback that they would be a terrific team, and they were. It was fun to watch them play and be silly together. I loved watching their scenes with Adam. Andrew (Chicago) and I have been friends for awhile, and he talked me in to auditioning. I am so glad. Matt was the only one at the callback who read for Dutchy. Every time he opened his mouth and that accent came out, everyone giggled. He told us later that he based it off of "Heimlich" from A Bug's Life. It was perfect. Nathan and I did Arsenic and Old Lace together, but we didn't spend much time together then, so it was nice to work together in a smaller setting and with his wife. We had a joke about how he'd knock on the dressing rom door and ask, "Is my wife in there?" If she wasn't there I'd say, "Not your current wife." And we'd both laugh. Nice to have three more big brother types nearby.

These guys rated my slaps. I think the highest score was a 9. That stupid slap was probably the most stressful part of the show for me. I tried a stage slap, but Adam said it looked dumb, so he gave me permission to actually smack him (as long as I didn't hit his ear). My slapping was pretty inconsistent. It didn't help when Andrew told me the cast backstage was rating them 1-10. If it was a good one, they'd cheer. Whether good or bad I had a hard time concentrating on the rest of the scene; this is unfortunate because it was the second of three gags that needed to be timed specifically. Oh, well.

Katie has been added to the growing ranks of women I've called "sister" onstage and may one day call sister offstage as well. Wow, we are different. She is one of the most patient, artistic, free-thinking people I know. She has it way more together than I did at 24. She did my make-up every night and took a load off my mind in doing so. I always knew I'd look great. We were both surprised when my wig turned out auburn, but I love that she was able to match my eyebrows so well. Katie made me feel so pretty!

Unintentional Disney Day, with her wearing a Belle-print dress and carrying an Aladdin clutch, and me and my Disney vans

I can only imagine growing my hair this long. I loved it.
Jillian did such a great job on my wig!

Since it was such a short, blink-and-you'll-miss-it run, I am grateful to the friends and family who made the effort to hurry up and see our show. Farmington was a bit of a drive for a few, but everyone assured me it was worth it. Wish I had more pictures of my dear fans. I am so grateful for your laughter and your love, everybody!

Gram, Dad, Dave, Aaron, and Mom

Heather and Kate

Nate and Heather

Is He Dead? is Kellie's favorite script. I am thrilled we didn't ruin that for her!

Chantryce and Natalie

My mom always chooses the prettiest flowers!

Producer Craig and Ryan show off their "long dog" loofahs gifted to them by the Arts Council on closing night.

(I'd say that sounds dirty, but that was kind of the point. Also: "Dirty loofah" pun.)

Once upon a time, I'd vowed not to drive further north than CenterPoint. I'm glad I changed my mind. This was only a few miles/minutes north; not a bad drive. So, I guess that particular argument is moot if they're doing a show I want to be in with a director I like, like this time.

I wasn't particularly sad when we closed, because I know I'll get to work with most -- if not all -- of these people again. I'm thrilled that I finally had the chance to interact onstage with so many, and look forward to doing it again someday. Hopefully soon.