Bring Us Home
Well, I've been home sick for most of this week with some virus that has rooted itself on my vocal chords. Considering that over the 9 month run thus far, other than some food poisoning, I've been healthy--better that I get this out of the way now, 2 weeks before our PBS special, and with 4 weeks left in the run.
The usual remedy--complete vocal rest, an antibiotic to knock out a possible secondary infection, low dose of steroids to reduce the swelling on my vocal chords--is all the doctor can prescribe. Plus lots of rest, water, vitamins, etc;
Being home this week has been strange. I haven't had a 'vacation' from Piazza since January, and that was my one week off in this 9 month run, so being home sick feels equal parts disappointing and relieving. I'm disappointed I can't be there for my castmates and the audiences, but I'm relieved to give my beat-up body and voice a brief chance to heal. Just seeing my wife for a few more hours a day, enjoying some down time in front of the TV or sitting for a bit in the park--I've realized just how much of a sacrifice we actors make to do what we love. I wouldn't trade it for the world, but having no life outside the theater for nine months has taken its toll.
In the weeks to come, the home-stretch if you will, I hope for good health for our entire Piazza company in what will surely be a MAGICAL time.
P.S. I've taken some heat from some actors over my last post. Check out the comments and let me know what YOU think. This is an important topic and the dialogue is invaluable!
24 Comments:
I couldn't agree more with one statement you said on your latest post on how much you actors sacrifice to be able to do what you love. And i think it goes for every profession that exists...And somehow i could relate as i have studied almost all my life, away from my family and friends to pursue a career in medicine. And i'm not even there yet. There is a long way to go for me..
But for you, i just wonder how you were able to decide on pursuing a career in acting rather than in the medical field when as i understood you really love both? These are 2 very different professions in their own, unique way..That must have been a hard decision to make..Was it?
Well i guess the bottom line here is in fact doing what your heart tells you to do...and in the process making other people happy. Think about it, it really isn't a job anymore when you are doing what you love to do. All the other perks of the job, if you may say, come as bonuses. Like making your audience happy every night that you perform, or for me seeing a patient get well..Do you agree?
Yay David Burnham!
http://www.talkinbroadway.com/allthatchat/d.php?id=268323
Take care of yourself!!I hope you'll take your time and relax at home,and come back to stage in good shape.I'm looking forward to seeing you at the theater 2weeks later!
Aaron,
We met in January after a performance of Piazza. I was there to see Vicki, but we also spoke for a while and walked out together. I was there with my teacher, Ruby, and my friend and colleague, Jon. Long red hair that I've since cut... don't know if that helps you out or not.
Anyway, I very much enjoyed your last post. Found it very insightful, and (per my limited experience) very much agree with what you had to say. Also, I'll be praying for a quick recovery for you... I'm very much looking forward to the L@LC broadcast!
Hope all else is well, and feel free to stay in touch as you're able. Take care!
-J
I'm sending you "Get Well" vibes...can you feel em :-) We need you well for the TV special! (translation: I need you well so that my friends will stop looking at me like I'm a nut when I go on and on about the wonders and beauties of the show.)
I thought you were right on in your last post. Speaking as an audience member, when an actor is "emoting," he keeps the rest of us removed from the story. It's harder to care about what's happening. Whereas, if he's "feeling," it's a lot easier to get sucked into the story. I think what we're talking about is authenticity.
Just my two cents. Feel better :-)
Get well Aaron! I loved your last post. Actually I love every single one of your posts. I find them incredibly true and insightful. I believe that if an actor is feeling the situation, then it will help the audience feel for the situation, as well as the character.
Also, hearing the news that you are playing Enjolras in the Les Mis revival just made my life! I can't wait to see you on October 26th!
Much love to you!
Hmmm. Is the "Bring Us Home" title a hint? :) Read the Playbill.com article... Congratulations on Les Miz! It should be very exciting - keep us posted!
Sorry to hear that you are sick and I hope you get well soon! I saw Light in the Piazza in April with my school's concert choir. You were incredible! All of us really enjoyed the show and especially your gorgeous voice. Even some of the guys that I never expected to enjoy it (and who had said before the show that they planned on going to sleep) ended up staying awake and actually quite liked the show! I was mesmorized by your voice every time you sang, and you are an extremely talented actor as well. You and your castmates truly drew me into the story as I laughed and cried right along with y'all (yes, I am a southern gal)!
In reference to your post about feeling vs. emotion, I am not really qualified to have any sort of professional opinion on it since I am only 18 and have not been acting very much lately, but out of the experience I have had and the many shows I have seen, I do agree with you. I think I understand where the other people are coming from too, but I also understand your views. I agree with your definitions of "feeling" and "emotion" as they apply to actors. As an actor, I think a feeling gives the other actors more to react off of. It seems more tangible, if that makes any sense. The same goes for the audience. Feelings, in the way you are describing them, seem more realistic and portray themselves better than emotions alone.
When I saw you in Piazza, I felt like I connected with your feelings and shared them with you, despite the fact that there were thousands of other people around me. The way you acted and reacted to everything seemed real, not rehearsed or as if you were concentrating on it too much, which is the way acting should be.
I hope this contributes to your theory, even though it is from the view of just an amateur and audience member.
Hey bro...Amah here...long time no see. Been reading your blog off and on, and having just heard the news of LES MIZ (congrats, my friend) I decided to log on again. Yeah, re: the slack you're getting. That's because you take this thing called a craft way more seriously than whomever these critic collegues are of yours. You know that I, myself, have had lessons from THE very best one out there so it's my take that you are a serious actor...This, sir, shows, and I commend you for not backing down from your statements about feeling vs. emotion. Some people (your friends) are lucky to be working considering their acting philo. You, on the other hand, deserve it, and from the looks of it, will continue to work for A WHILES. Let's catch up sometime. Chad's got my email. Peace out.
Hey Aaron-
I've recently been advised to check this site out by a good friend of yours, Jay Winston. And I have really enjoyed all your insight and wisdom, it's been really great. That being said...GET SOME REST. One of the things that worries me most about pursuing a career in musical theatre is the vocal stamina needed to do 8 shows a week. How do you do it? Oh and by the way CONGRATS ON LES MIZ!!! That's incredible...I can't wait to see it. Oh and please get better soon so I can come see you in Piazza. Take care, all my best.
Hey Aaron-
I've recently been advised to check this site out by a good friend of yours, Jay Winston. And I have really enjoyed all your insight and wisdom, it's been really great. That being said...GET SOME REST. One of the things that worries me most about pursuing a career in musical theatre is the vocal stamina needed to do 8 shows a week. How do you do it? Oh and by the way CONGRATS ON LES MIZ!!! That's incredible...I can't wait to see it. Oh and please get better soon so I can come see you in Piazza. Take care, all my best.
CONGRATULATIONS ON LES MIS!!!! :)
CANT WAIT!!!!!
CONGRATULATIONS ON "MIZ"!
Now I'll definitely see it.
Okay I'm done.
CONGRATULATIONS ON LES MIZ! That's so exciting.
Regarding emotion vs. feeling, I relate to the argument more on an externalization vs. internalization level. Emoting tends to be very external; you're "showing" the audience what the character is supposed to be feeling at that moment rather than trusting them to be with you and what you're feeling internally at that moment. It's exactly as you said: feeling is more open to interpretation and draws the audience in because seeing that is so much more intriguing. Every acting teacher I have ever had has emphasized letting everything flow from internal to external. It's a much more challenging and rewarding achievement for us as actors, I think.
Break a leg with the PBS broadcast! I will be in front of my telly watching!
My boyfriend and I went to see Piazza this week, and we enjoyed it a lot! I especially liked the song Fabrizio sings after first falling in love. Your Italian is excellent.
Aaron,
Sorry to hear you've been ill...
perhaps by this date (JUNE 11)
things have brightened up.
Just wanted to say i finally saw
you on the FOOD NETWORK, where you
won the contest and they catered
your wedding... WOW! What an
incredible event it was, and you
and your bride looked so very happy.
Also wanted you to know that seeing
LIGHT IN THE PIAZZA some time ago
was one of the great, GREAT theatrical joys of my
life. That beautiful gem of a show
has stayed with me all of this
time, and i look back on it as a
PERFECT and precious experience; so romantic, so incredibly intelligent, and beautifully played by all involved. I'll never forget it.
I enjoy checking in with your blog,
and wish you much future success!
Aaron, I saw you last night at "Piazza" and thought you were awesome. Wow what a voice! Interesting blog too. So you think you'll go to med school in the future, or is acting the career you've settled on?
Do you have time off to hang out with friends and family? I'm finishing law school, and they tell me that the work hours for lawyers, like actors, are crazy... so I figured I'd ask someone who knows something about crazy hours (you)!
CONGRATS ON LES MIS!
you deserve it. :)
we met in february, the 25th i think, my friend and betsy and I had saw the show the day before and came back and were waiting for the cast to come out. I wanted to wish you good health, I hope you are back on your feet soon. I know that sickness is such a threat in the theatre. It seems I am always catching colds, and many of the time it is during runs of my shows. I cannot wait to see piazza air on PBS this week! goodluck aaron, you deserve the best!
danielle
I just wanted to say how excited I am for the broadcast tomorrow night. I've been a LitP fan for over a year now and I've never gotten to see the show, being stuck out in the Midwest. I cried for weeks last summer because of that, but grew to accept my fate. But now I have a chance to see it after all! Best of luck to you and the rest of the cast; I'm sure you'll do a fantastic job!
And, "Il Mondo Era Vuoto" is one of the greatest songs ever.
Bravo to you Aaron! Your performance tonight was absolutely amazing as always!
Aaron I just saw your performance on PBS's Live at Lincoln Center. You and Katie were AMAZING. Unfortunately I live in Boston so I rarely get the chance to see musicals. I think I'll have to make special arrangements for this summer;) Keep up the great work!
Hi, Aaron - I remembered your name from the Food Network Wedding Show (I once had a girlfriend whose last name was Lazar, so your name stuck), and so I watched Light in the Piazza tonight. I really liked it a lot, and I'm not normally a big musicals guy. You were really good, and the story had me literally sitting on the edge of my seat rooting for Fabrizio and Clara. What more can you ask from a romantic story? Loved especially that it took place in Italy. You were absolutely convincing as a Florentine. No problem suspending disbelief in your being a NJB from Cherry Hill. Break a leg, man. You're gonna go far.
Saw LITP Live from Lincoln Center and was blown away by the entire production. I had heard the cast album but fell in love with the story when seeing it performed. I loved your portrayal of Fabrizio and hope to be able to see you in Les Miz this fall. You have a great talent and I'm so glad I got the chance to see you in action. :o)
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