Rehearsals and such

Things have been crazy lately!

Let me just say how much I appreciate the support from everyone.

This morning I woke up to yet another message from a friend of mine asking to see a photo of me in the clown costume that I mentioned in the Playbill Cue and A article. I opened up my old hard drive and searched for photos of me doing a performance piece as this whacky character. I found them. They are absurd. I found a video but that will not leave my hard drive. I adored that class. These shots are from a one-man show of my clown reenacting Peter Jackson's King Kong. It included the fight between Kong and the Dinosaur. This was 4 years ago.



I've always had a great admiration for physical comedians and clown performers (and I'm not talking about creepy birthday clowns). It's one of the reasons I admire Bill Irwin so much. A few days ago, the cast of Bye Bye Birdie was treated to something wonderful. Bill threw a surprise clown act for John Stamos' birthday. It was incredible. We all felt so honored to be watching such an unexpected, special moment. He is a genius at what he does and I am having the time of my life watching him work every day.

I'm really enjoying rehearsals for this show. I think audiences are going to be floored when they see the teen ensemble. They are phenomenal and are working their asses off. I am starting to feel right in my character's younger shoes. Hugo is a far cry from Melchior Gabor! It's been a lot of fun going full out with such broad musical theatre comedy. Today I tried on my costumes and talked about what will be done to make me super young, dorky, and insecure. I can't wait to get into costume. Since I am currently wearing my own clothes in rehearsals, putting on the geeky early-60s-wear will be very helpful.

Thursday is going to be a blast. I am most likely going to be doing Role of a Lifetime in place of Are You There since Wesley Taylor cannot be there. Lilli Cooper will also be there on Thursday! I'm very excited to see everyone!

More to come!

EDIT: I will actually be singing "How Glory Goes" from Floyd Collins in place of Are You There. I figured I'd add a new song.

After the Storm

Just wondering if anyone saw this...
Playbill Article

I'm really excited about this benefit and can't believe that I get to perform at Joe's pub a couple days after my second show.

I'll be singing a song by Kyle Ewalt and Michael Walker. I'm so thrilled they have asked me to sing for them again, especially at such a special event.

Last Night

was incredible.

I am floored by the amount of support and love that was in the room. Last night meant the world to me.

If you haven't read it yet, check out the Playbill.com "Cue and A" article here.

I cannot wait for next week. I promise I will write more when I'm not in rehearsals for 9 hours.

The first night!

It's tomorrow night!

Have fun! Be rowdy!

Can't wait to see you all there!

Matt

Questions answered!

I have a couple really great features coming out. Today, New York Magazine posted a their 21 Questions feature on me on their Daily Intel blog.

I was so excited to do this piece. I really admire the people they have interviewed in the past. If you get a chance, you should read some of their previous "21 Question" features. They are a lot of fun.

Feel free to comment on the article :)

NYMag's 21 Questions

Also look for a Cue & A feature on Playbill this tuesday!

Lookin Ahead

I think Joe's Pub is going to be a really great show. I can't help being a little stressed over making sure everything will come together, but things are looking really good. My Musical Director, Jodie Moore, kicks ass. She's really laid back and excited about the music we're doing. The 27th is not sold out yet, so there is still time to buy your tickets!

After losing sleep over the set list, I think I've finally come to a really nice place with it. I wanted to pick songs that had inspired me growing up, but also songs that told strong stories and translated well into the Joe's Pub atmosphere. There will be Stevie Wonder, Sam Cooke, Otis Redding, and...Hair? Yup. I won't be singing Disney and Sondheim, but there will be a couple musical theatre songs as well. I have a feeling people will be very excited about the song I will be singing with Wesley Taylor. I'm planning on touching on a few of the past projects that I've worked on, but the evening will mostly be "A NIGHT OF SOUL"...(That's for you, Liz).

I can definitely promise that I will sing "Left Behind." I wanted to have a song from Spring Awakening in the set. Since "Left Behind" was the first song I learned for the show when I auditioned THREE years ago (I really can't believe that), I thought it was the right choice. I can also say that Alice Lee and I will be singing "Falling Slowly" from the film, "Once."

I've done a little bit of press for the show and one of the articles recently came out. Kevin Scott Hall from Edge Magazine runs a fantastic feature on Cabarets in New York City. He contacted me to find out a bit more about the evening I'm planning. That photo seems to haunt me forever (18 years old with a euro-mullet) but I was so thrilled he included me in the article. Kevin on Kabaret

Bye Bye Birdie continues to go well. I'm really inspired by the creative team and how excited everyone around me is. Bill Irwin is one of the kindest guys on the planet and watching him completely reinvent Mr. MacAfee is amazing.

Off to rehearsal!

Birdie Tweets

Rehearsals are going swimmingly...I don't have much else to say. I just really wanted to use the word "swimmingly."

Everyone has really hit the ground running and I think it's going to be a really exciting revival. The few changes and surprises being made are all in an effort to make the show more genuine and relevant. I'm really happy with the way things are coming to life. It's nice to see these characters in a way I never have before.

Wait until you see this teen ensemble. They will blow you away. These kids (yes...KIDS) are so talented.

Allie Trimm is remarkable as Kim and I cannot wait to see everything she brings to the role. It's been wonderful working with the cast and crew so far. The whole experience has been sweet and entirely unique. I wish I could tell you all of the wonderful things our creative team is doing with numbers like "Telephone Hour" and "Lot of Livin," but you'll just have to wait until September 10th when previews start!

Has anyone walked by the new Henry Miller Theatre yet? It's really absurd how beautiful it is.

Lately, I have been making an effort to be more available on the Internet. I've really loved opening the comments back up on this blog.

Today...I started a Twitter account. Yes. It's true. I'm horrified.

I think I'll take it slow at first. In the spirit of Bye Bye Birdie (har har) and the fact that find Blake Daniel's very entertaining, I'm giving it a shot.

So, get your twitter twatty tweeting tweets on and I'll twit away and tweet along with the twats...cool?

It's Twitter.com/mattfdoyle. Yes, there's an f. There are many Matt Doyles out there.