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Upside Down in
The Lieutenant of Inishmore

Heh, other than getting used to being upside down... I had to make sure that I could keep vocally supported and clear. I literally feel like a fish caught on a line when I'm dangling like that, so I tried to bring some aspects of that into the physicality of James.

Were you upside down in every rehearsal?

We had about a week and a half where I was sitting in a chair or lying on the floor. It not only gave them a chance to build the rigging safely but also gave us some time to explore what was happening between the two characters in a simple way.

Have there been any mishaps?

Thank goodness nothing major. We had a couple odd drops happen when we were figuring out the sequence of it, but I'm still around. It's a competent group of people taking care of me. Of course you should always be respectful and friendly to anyone you're working with, but if there ever was a solid example of why actors should be nice to the backstage crew, I am it!

Was it scary the first time you played the scene upside down - and is it scary now?

Not so much scary as very odd... and a little painful while my ankles got used to the velcro boots. You kinda lose perspective on which way you're supposed to look and where the audience is the first few times. I ended up spinning around a lot and talking to the walls... it reminds me of my high school acting experience.

What is the audience's reaction when the lights come up on you?

We definitely get an immediate response, which is always fun. It's been an amazing scene to work on, because after the shock value of that opening image fades a bit, audiences react to it very strongly in a bunch of ways. Some are repulsed, some are frightened, and some find it absolutely hilarious. I feel like we've done our best when they come away from it having felt a bit of all three things. I love talking to people about the show, because a lot of them seem like they almost feel guilty for finding it as funny as they do. That's one of the reasons I think Martin is such a fantastic playwright. He twists things so artfully around such well-written characters that you're laughing hysterically at the horror of it.

Besides playing James, you also serve as the show's Fight Captain. What is that like?

Oh it's great. Guns, razors, kicks, push-downs, foot stomps, dead cats. The fun never ends!

Get tickets and information to The Lieutenant of Inishmore.

After his fiancée leaves him standing at the altar, Robbie finds himself in a deep depression, managing to turn every wedding that he plays into a complete disaster. Then he meets and falls for Julia, who is engaged to be married to a rich Wall Street trader. Robbie must try to win her heart before she follows through with the wedding.

“I think The Wedding Singer is the perfect show to get engaged at,” confides Associate Company Manager Beverly Edwards of the Charlotte Wilcox Company, who helped arrange the proposals. “It's about wedding singers, the finale is a wedding, and the show is so great and uplifting.”

Margo Lion, the show's producer and the one ultimately responsible for approving the proposals, agrees, adding “while an onstage proposal would not be appropriate for every show, with The Wedding Singer I felt it would be quite touching.”

On the day of the show, Stephen Lynch was given Andrew's name and seat location so that he could call him to the stage after the bows. When the time came, he gave Andrew a wink and announced, “At this performance of The Wedding Singer we have a very special announcement. Will Mr. Andrew Wolfe please come to the stage?” Although Debbie was surprised to hear her boyfriend's name being called, she still didn't suspect a thing, thinking that Andrew had won a contest. After being pulled to the stage with him, however, she realized what was happening. Andrew proposed and a tearful Debbie said yes, and the couple was whisked out through the stage door where they were greeted by members of the audience, many of whom were in tears as well. “It was very moving,” recalls Andrew. “The whole thing was just fantastic.”

On the day of the proposal, Stephen Lynch motioned to the audience to sit back down after the curtain call. Like Debbie, Erin had no idea what was about to take place. “I love Broadway shows and I'm used to being there when they're giving a charity speech, which is why I thought Stephen had us all sit back down,” she explains. Instead, he called Josh to the stage adding, “And bring your girlfriend!” Once onstage, Josh turned to the surprised Erin, saying, “You always wanted to be on Broadway.” Then he proposed. “I was completely surprised,” says Erin. “I felt like a star!”

Both couples are planning fall weddings.

You can get more information and tickets to The Wedding Singer by clicking here.

Steve Lukens is currently the Company Manager of the national tour of The Phantom of the Opera, having held a similar position with the national tour of Les Misérables for two and a half years. We asked Steve about his job and about life on the road.

On Company Management: “The Company Manager is like the CEO of this traveling entity. I deal with anything that is not specifically related to what is happening artistically onstage. That includes the payroll, the logistics of getting from one city to another, travel arrangements, life issues for the people in the company, housing, ticketing, and all the financial settlements in each city. On Phantom, I can be dealing with arrangements for up to 8 cities at any one time. We try to book our housing about a year in advance, and I'm booking flights probably 2 cities ahead of where we are and finalizing the housing 3 or 4 cities ahead.”

A Favorite Story: “I was with the Les Misérables tour in Pittsburgh and the Steelers had a home playoff game that was still going on when the show was about to start. It was near the end of the game and Pittsburgh needed a field goal to win. At 5 minutes before 8 o'clock, the entire audience was on their feet, with their cell phones and radios and little TVs. These were not people who were ready to watch a show! At 1 minute to 8, the Steelers kicked a field goal and won the game. It was totally silent in the house and I heard one guy in the 3rd row say “They made it!” and the place erupted. There was a huge standing ovation, high fives, people running up and down the aisles, just crazy pandemonium like I have never seen in my life. It was amazing. We gave the audience about 3 minutes to settle down and then we started the show! It was just such a great tour moment to experience that with them.”

Visit The Phantom of the Opera on-line for a full touring schedule and ticket information.

On Friday, June 30, The League said good-bye to its long-time president, Jed Bernstein, who stepped down after more than 10 years of service.

Before his tenure with the League, Mr. Bernstein had a 16-year career in the advertising industry where he helped create some of the most noteworthy, effective and memorable marketing campaigns of recent times. At the University of Pennsylvania, where he graduated in 1977, Mr. Bernstein acted in, directed and produced student plays, becoming chairman of the largest performing arts group on campus, the Pennsylvania Players. At Yale, where Mr. Bernstein earned his MBA, he took courses in Theatre Management at the Drama School.

Successful and highly visible initiatives under Mr. Bernstein's leadership at the League have included the creation of a central Broadway box office; Kids' Night on Broadway; the development of Broadway-oriented television projects such as “Broadway on Broadway,” and “Broadway Under The Stars,” and a marketing program to attract Broadway sponsors that has resulted in cash and measurable in-kind support of over $125 million. He led the reorganization of The League's labor function, positioning it to successfully negotiate with 14 trade unions and guilds. Mr. Bernstein leads The League's involvement in the Tony® Awards, and was one of those instrumental in spearheading Broadway's recovery after 9/11, the industry's most challenging time.

The League wishes Jed all the best in his future endeavors!

-On June 26th, thousands of music lovers came to the Great Lawn in Central Park for a free evening of all-star entertainment as Target presented the fifth annual Broadway Under the Stars. If you missed the event, be sure to catch the one-hour special on Saturday, July 15, 2006 at 7pm only on WCBS in New York City! Photos of the event will soon be available on BroadwayUndertheStars.com.

-We're always looking for pictures of our Fan Club members standing in front of a Broadway theatre in New York or anywhere across North America! Click here to access the Broadway Fan Club photo upload page to send us your photos.