Post updates by email:


A few days ago my blogging buddy Barbara sent me an email which included a Youtube link to a musical I performed in, back in 1994 called Falsettos. Thanks Barb! 

Well...I was shock to shit because I had no idea this video even existed on the Internet. I'm assuming it was made by one of the cast members. Throughout my years performing onstage, I've collected various video tapes of some of the shows I was in, however I never got a copy of this particular show. Being a part of Falsettos was one of the most enjoyable and exciting highlights of my acting career. And not only because of the show, but more so because of the cast. Once in a great while a cast will come together that almost seems as though it was destiny - and that was the case with this show. Not only was I honored to be performing along side such great talents, but it was also the respect, support, and love we had for one another that made this experience extra special. 

Falsettos was perhaps the most challenging musical I was ever in because it's basically sung like an opera with no spoken words. All the dialogue is expressed through music. And the challenging part for me is that I can't read music. Therefore, I had to learn a three hour complicated musical score by ear. The cast was incredibly patient and supportive, as most of them were musically trained. I can sing, but I've never had any formal training in music. To be perfectly honest, I felt very insecure being cast in this show but I knew it was something I needed to try. 

Falsettos is a story about relationships.... The plot: After years of being married, Marvin discovers that he can no longer suppress his homosexuality and leaves his wife Trina and son Jason. Eventually he finds a male partner, Whizzer, who he ends up living with, while Trina ends up marrying her ex-husbands psychiatrist, Mendel. There are also two other characters, Charlotte and Cordelia, the lesbian couple who live next door (one is a doctor and the other is a stay-at-home-wife). 

The musical is a series of scenes depicting the challenges and struggles, as each couple adjusts to their newly formed relationships. Jason also struggles with his father being gay, but eventually finds acceptance. Even though this musical is predominately a comedy the plot suddenly changes towards the end, as Whizzer is diagnosis with AIDS and dies. The story ends as all the characters come together in a hospital room supporting one another, showing us that the one thing all relationships share in common... ...is Love. 

The Youtube clip is the opening number in Act 2 - "Welcome to Falsettoland" I apologize that it's so long (holy cow...over 8 mins). If you don't have time to watch it I totally understand. This post will be up all weekend, so if you wish to view it later, please do. 

I portrayed Mendel, the psychiatrist. I'm the guy you'll see holding a flashlight at the opening of the number. (other cast members include: Lucy Carney, Brad Howell Houghton, Ian Russell, Hilda Philips, Christine Robison, and John McColms, who has since then passed away

  Have a faaabulous weekend everyone!


39 comments:

  1. Hey there Ronnie,
    This is a real a blast from the past ! Thank you for the plot explanations, which does help a lot. I never was a theater goer in the US so I know diddly about different plays.

    So, you were a shrink?! LOL !!
    I swear, that is the first time that I have heard you dance & sing ( I dig Ronnie doing the Conga !)

    This play was right up your alley. Very modern.

    You rock, man !!!!

    I'm so glad that I stumbled upon this.
    Hugs to you ((((((((Ron))))))))
    and happy weekend too !

    ReplyDelete
  2. Hey Ron!
    I'm in the process of getting da boys off for school, so I'll be back to see this (I'm sure) amazing video...since I would not miss a single minute of it. How wonderful that your friend found it for you...and I cannot wait to see you in action!
    What a lovely treat to look forward to on this dreary (SNOWY) Friday! You'll just have to put up with two comments from me today, my friend.
    Love ya!
    xoxo

    ReplyDelete
  3. Oh!

    Definitely coming back to view the clip.

    What a fun life you live--ain't that what living is all about?!
    Well, that and sidewalkchalk and bubbles, of course.... :-)

    ReplyDelete
  4. Ron,
    Very Cool! Where was the show at? I'm completely jealous, I've always wished I had the ability to sing, but God didn't see fit to give me that talent. Although I try repeatedly (to the dismay of everyone in my apt building!). Thanks for sharing this, enjoy your weekend.

    ReplyDelete
  5. BRAVO!!! BRAVO!!! It was absolutely wonderful to watch you performing. Looks like a terrific show. I'm so glad you got to have the experience and share that time with the other actors.

    Thanks for posting this. Very enjoyable! You sure have had some fun!! Singing, dancing, acting. BRAVO again!

    Have a great weekend neighbor! Fall is wonderful but the allergies have kicked in. And I don't mind the cold at all OR the rain, but together... yikes... I need some Reiki, a bubble bath, a heat pack, and some ADVIL as we've got stuff going on all weekend and I'm tired already. LOL
    Whatever you have planned... ENJOY!

    ReplyDelete
  6. That was great!

    Wonderful that Barbara found this video!

    You have a lovely voice, and weren't you cute dancing around ;)

    Yeah... Love is IT.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Bonjour Barbara!

    I can't thank you enough for sharing this video with me!! Last night I went over to Youtube and found several other numbers from the show, but this one was perfect because it included the WHOLE cast.

    I thought I'd give you guys and gals a general idea of the plot, so you could understand a little bit of what was going on. This show ran off-Broadway in NYC and then it had a short run ON Broadway. We were the first cast to perform the show in Florida. It was very exciting.

    YES...I played a SHRINK, can you believe it?? He was such a great character because he was both funny and tender - I loved him.

    Thanks again, my friend...you have no idea how great this was to see a blast from my past.

    Love ya!

    Have a great weekend and give my love to Didier!

    xoxoxoxo

    ReplyDelete
  8. Hey Kathryn!

    I always LOVE your comments so I look forward to another!

    Yes, I am SOOOOO happy that Barbara found this clip because if it weren't for her...I would have never known it was out there.

    YAY Barb!

    OMG...I can't believe it's SNOWING in NY!?!? I wish it would snow here! It's VERY cold and rainy in Philly, but no sign of snow. I have errands to run later, so I can't wait to get out there and feel that cold air on my face.

    *yeah, I know...I'm INSANE!

    Thanks for dropping by, my friend!

    Talk to ya later!

    xoxoxoxo

    ReplyDelete
  9. Sounds an interesting and different play. I loved the clip - Ron you have a GREAT voice! :)

    ReplyDelete
  10. Hiya Mel!

    No hurry, dear lady.

    This post will here all weekend, so take your time and stop back when you can sit and enjoy it.

    And you said it, Mel!

    that and sidewalkchalk and bubbles, of course....:-)

    Doesn't get any better than that!

    Have a wonderful day!

    Thanks for dropping by!

    X

    ReplyDelete
  11. Hi Brndoutw8tress!

    The show was performed in Orlando, Florida at a theater called Orlando Civic theater. They offered both professional and community theater productions. I did a lot of acting there because they also had a wonderful children's theater. I LOVE children's theater!

    Honestly...I never knew I could sing until I went to NYC and did some acting. I really enjoy doing everything - comedy, drama, and musicals.

    Thanks a bunch for stopping by and taking the time to view the video. Glad you enjoyed.

    Have a GREAT weekend, my friend!

    X

    ReplyDelete
  12. Hellooooo Crystal Chick!

    awww...thanks, neighbor!

    I knew you'd get a kick out of this because of our shared passion for theater and movies.

    Yes...it was a blast! We all had the time of our lives.

    OMG...can you BELIEVE the weather we're having??? Where the hell did all this COLD suddenly come from? I'm not complaining, mind you, but WOW...it's COLD. And me too! Yesterday at work I kept sneezing until I thought my nose would blow off! I had a tickle all day in my right nostril. AAAAACHOOO!

    Thanks for stopping by, M! Enjoy your weekend. I have to work tomorrow and Sunday, so I'll be there. I'll send ya some Reiki tonight.

    X

    ReplyDelete
  13. Hello Twin Anndi!

    Yes...bless Barbara!

    I literally shit when I saw this. I think I need to contact some of my theater friends over at Facebook to see if they know WHO made this video.

    So glad you enjoyed, my friend. Yeah, doing the Conga line with everyone was fun! Shakin' that BOOTIE!

    I think if you saw this show in it's entirety, you would be very touched by the message of LOVE at the end. The first time we rehearsed the final scene onstage - I BAWLED my eyes out.

    Always great seeing ya, Anndi!

    I'll be stopping by your place later today to check out your most recent Peace post. I'm lovin' them!

    Have a great weekend!

    X

    ReplyDelete
  14. Hi Akelamalu!

    Yes, it was a great show because it was mixture of both comedy and drama. It was first produced during the time of AIDS awareness, so it had a very powerful affect on acceptance and compassion.

    So glad you enjoyed the clip, m'dear!

    Thank you so much for stopping by today!

    Have a great weekend!
    X

    ReplyDelete
  15. OMG, Ron, you are so great! I love musicals. Bravo!

    Thanks for sharing. I put Bernie on my lap and we watched it.

    ReplyDelete
  16. Hiya Chrissy and Bernie!

    Woof, woof!

    *that means thank you very much in doggie talk.

    tee, hee!

    Don't ya just LOVE musicals?

    Thank for dropping by, my friends!

    Enjoy your weekend!

    OMG, Chrissy...it's so cold here, but I'm LOVIN' it!

    X ya's!

    ReplyDelete
  17. Oh, Ron! It was fabulous! I (of course) couldn't take my eyes off of you...loved hearing you sing and watching you dance! For a few brief moments, I was close to you...(Sing it w/me now, "Just like me, they long to be...close to youuuuuu.")

    What a wonderful treasure you've found! There's probably more out there...hopefully, it's stuff you don't mind us seeing....(ahem). Did you do anything on stage you might somehow regret??

    LOVED IT!
    xoxo

    ReplyDelete
  18. Hello Kathryn!

    Singing it with you, baby....

    ..."Just like me, they long to be...close to youuuuuu."

    Kathryn and Ron Carpenter!

    hahaahhaha!

    The only thing that may be out there is a play I once did where I had to strip down to my underwear. A pair of Calvin Klein gray underwear. So if you ever see it floating around on the Internet, let me know!

    *but please don't blackmail me, ok?

    HA!

    Thanks for stopping back, you wild and crazy woman, you!

    Have a great weekend!

    xoxoxoxo

    ReplyDelete
  19. El maestro would have been very proud, Ron! :))

    You helped make my day! I love the theatre! Haven't been since last year. It's raining here in NJ, and watching you perform helped bring in the sunshine!

    Hope you're having a wonderful weekend, Ron!

    ReplyDelete
  20. Good Morning Petra!

    Thank you, dear lady!

    I love the theater too. It's a totally different medium than film. The theater is more of an actors medium.

    This show was a BLAST to be apart of. I import this blog to Facebook, therefore, several of the cast members have also been able to view the video.

    Yes...it's been raining here in Philly for the past three days - and COLD! I've got to work later today and I have a feeling the store will be totally empty.

    Thanks so much for stopping by today.

    Stay warm and cozy!

    X

    ReplyDelete
  21. Greetings Crap Blog Detective~

    Welcome!

    Thank you for your honest opinion.

    It truly made me laugh!!!

    And I sincerely hope you list me as one of your crap blogs. I'll enjoy the traffic.

    Stop by anytime.

    Have a great day!

    ReplyDelete
  22. Wow, a clip of you in all your glory. It's great to see you on yourelement. In written word or in song, your talent really shines!

    ReplyDelete
  23. hi ronnie, firstly, i apologize that i am so past due to leaving any comments on your last two posts...i have not been online much lately because of this nasty bug i have...

    anyway, i can't wait to watch YOU in this, even if for a few minutes rather than the whole 8, that's a lot of bandwidth unfortunately...but definitely i will watch you anytime, dear man...

    hoping you are well, i feel like i haven't been meeting up with you much lately...hoping life is good for you.
    xoxoxxo

    ps: hope you aren't mad at me for always being so far behind lately... :(

    ReplyDelete
  24. Ron, you're too adorable. But...

    I'm still scratching my head over the name "Whizzer"??

    ReplyDelete
  25. YAYAYAYAYAY BRAVO, STAMPING FEET, CLAPPING WILDLY, BRAVO BRAVO...

    that little twist dance you do at the end is priceless and gave me a giggle that sent me running to the bathroom....that was great fun, thanks for sharing!

    and you have a fabulous voice!

    ReplyDelete
  26. Hello Colette!

    Thank you, sweet lady!

    Your words made me blush.

    *blushing*

    Thanks a bunch for stopping by this evening.

    It's always so great to see ya!

    Hope you're enjoying your weekend!

    X

    ReplyDelete
  27. Hellooooo Linda!

    Thank you, dear lady!

    So glad you enjoyed.

    Yes, unfortunately this video is EIGHT MINUTES. Oy vey! You should see how long it took me to watch it having DIAL-UP Internet service - like 20 minutes! So thank you for taking the time to view it.

    I'm so grateful for Barbara to have found it. Hell, I didn't even know it existed!?

    Yes my friend, life with me is wonderful. I'm just very busy at work and I'm also planning to do several blog interviews within the next two weeks and it's taking me some time to put them together, so I haven't been online much.

    Hope all is FAAABULOUS with you and that you're getting over that nasty bug. So many people I right now are sick with a cold or flu.

    Have a wonderful Sunday!

    I'll try and stop by your place sometime tomorrow.

    Love ya!!
    xoxoxoxo

    ReplyDelete
  28. Aloha Debi!

    awwww....thanks, girl!

    Yeah...don't you just LOVE the name WHIZZER!?!?

    WTF?

    And his last name is Brown.

    Whizzer Brown?!?!

    It sounds like he took a PEE that was brown.

    HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

    Anyway, Deb....I hope you're having a great weekend. It's been raining here for THREE days non-stop and bitter cold.

    And I'm LOVIN' it. Unfortunately everyone else is bitchin' about it.

    Thanks for stopping by!

    X

    ReplyDelete
  29. Hello again Linda!

    oops...sorry!

    Just saw your second comment.

    Thanks, dear lady!

    Ever since I saw this clip, I've been singing around the apartment. Hell...I may have to get in show again soon!

    HA!

    xoxoxoxoxo

    ReplyDelete
  30. I would take my hat off to you (only I'm about to sit down for breakfast and not wearing one. I'm certainly not taking my dressing gown off....) I love music but could not hit a note if it jumped up in front of me singing "Hit me baby one more time!".

    ReplyDelete
  31. Greetings BlackLOG!

    Welcome!

    Hey, I think I've seen you over at Kathryns place. Isn't she great???

    Nice to meet ya!

    I love music but could not hit a note if it jumped up in front of me singing "Hit me baby one more time!".

    HAHAHAHAHAHA!

    Too funny!

    Oh, but I think everyone can sing. Ok...maybe not like Caruso, but I think we ALL sound great in the shower!

    Please drop by anytime. You're always welcome here.

    Enjoy your Sunday!

    La, la, la, la,.....

    ReplyDelete
  32. well look at you. isn't it funny when people have stuff of you that you don't even have. pictures/videos. someone sent me a tweet with a link saying i was in a video. i didn't bother to follow the link. WTF. i don't wanna know. lol

    ReplyDelete
  33. Ron Kathryn is great, she seems to have a knack for bring people together. I have found a lot of good blogs through hers, (Vent included) and a lot of people have found mine. She's like a data agent of bloggers.

    I'm finding it hard to find a decent blog out there that Kathryn has not found already. I sometimes feel a bit like "Scott of the Antarctic" always finishing second...

    ReplyDelete
  34. Hiya Valerie

    So great to see ya, my Jersey friend!!

    Yeah...I was delightfully shocked when Barb sent me the link - and what's amazing is that she lives is FRANCE!

    someone sent me a tweet with a link saying i was in a video...

    oooo...I'm dying to know what it is - HA!

    Thanks soooooooooo much for dropping by today, Val!

    Hope you had a great weekend and are staying nice and warm inside. Isn't this colder weather WILD for this time of the year?

    xoxoxxoo

    ReplyDelete
  35. Hello again BlackLOG!

    Oh boy...you said it!

    Kathryn is like the cruise director on the LOVE BOAT! She has the most wonderful energy that attracts people and then shares the WEALTH -- I love her to peices.

    She and I live rather close to one another, so I'm hoping that one of these days we meet in person.

    Hope you had a great day, buddy!

    Thanks for stopping by!

    ReplyDelete
  36. Ron, that's awesome. Wow, that's the power of the Internet, baby! Cool video and blast from the past.

    On a side note, I saw that "Copyscape" banner you have on your site. I will contact you directly about it. I'm curious if it has worked for you. Thanks...

    ReplyDelete
  37. Hey Constant Complainer!

    awww...thanks!

    And thank you for taking the time to watch it, I know it's LOOOONG!

    I'm so grateful to Barb to have found it for me.

    It was a GREAT blast from the past!

    Thank you for stopping by, bud!

    ReplyDelete
  38. Ron, please leave it up longer! I need some more time to catch up.

    ReplyDelete
  39. Howdy Nitebyrd!

    Yes, absolutely...it'll be up forever, so take your time - no hurry.

    Welcome back, Sis!

    Thanks for stopping by!

    X ya!

    ReplyDelete