Re-Make My Day

Brat Productions Revives The Bald Soprano for another 24-hour marathon.

by A.D. Amorosi

Theater

Nine years ago, this writer attended and reviewed several showings of Brat's Eugène-Ionesco-on-a-loop 24-Hour The Bald Soprano. The only thing more absurdly existential than the comic script was that director/company founder Madi Distefano coaxed six of Philly's best actors (including Tony Lawton and Bill Zielinski) into the physically and cerebrally grueling marathon (two dozen hour-long showings of smelly brilliance) that has become legendary in American theater circles. I don't remember. I was pretty tired after eight shows. That said, Distefano's coaxed Keith Conallen, Jess Conda, Charlotte Ford, Adam Gertler, Nathan Holt, Sarah Sanford and stage manager Sara Waxman into going Bald for 2007.

Sarah? Sara?

Q: What'd you know about the first 24-hour Bald Soprano and what made you want to do it now?

A: I was at the original; a senior at Swarthmore when friends and I drove to Philly to see two runs the evening of the first night, two shows around 3 a.m., and again for an afternoon show the second day. We talked in bad English accents amongst ourselves for weeks afterwards. I have many strong impressions of the show, the playing style, the marathon aspect of it. I was tickled pink when Madi asked me to audition, as it was one of the theater experiences that made me want to be in Philly.

Q: Are you a long sleeper, deep sleeper, rest-needer? And how will you keep yourself alert?

A: I'm a very long sleeper, a hard-core rest-needer. God only knows how I'll pull this off. I've given up coffee for two weeks so that when I need it, the caffeine will really have an effect.

Q: What amounts of thespian skill/comedic largesse/endurance does your part require?

A: The four actors playing the Smiths/Martins have the most stage time, lines, and exert the most physical energy. Perhaps we'll reach a Zen-like place where we don't notice our exhaustion. The show's a machine. If one run goes too fast or too slow, we have to make up for it in the next one. It's very cool having constraints like that. It ups the stakes, and makes it less about the individual actor and more about the show and the team. I imagine one of us having a nervous breakdown like in The Towering Inferno, and the others having to rally around and keep the morale up.

Q: I hear you're not taking any breaks. Why?

A: Ionesco made the decision for me. In the first scene, there's this tidbit: "The captain of a ship goes down into the briny deep with his ship; he does not survive alone." Can't argue with that; the cast and I will sink and swim together.

Q: Other than autopilot the lighting, what'll you do to keep your concentration?

A: At the top of each show, "Mrs. Smith" is knitting. (Brat'll auctioning off her knitting during their closing night party.) I plan to knit my own scarf. Luckily we're in the Wilma, which has a luxurious booth with a microwave, refrigerator and plenty of room to pace. No bathroom, though...

Q: What are you going to do when your shift's over?

(a_amorosi@citypaper.net)

A 24-Hour The Bald Soprano, starts Fri., June, 8 p.m., $15-$20 (ticket guarantees a seat for ticketed time, and repeat visits on a space-available basis), Wilma Theater, 265 S. Broad St., 215-546-7824, www.bratproductions.org.