'Twas December 1-2, 1971...late fall of my freshman year of high school. Either I gave an amazing audition reading or there just weren't that many guys interested in being in a non-musical because I was cast in one of the lead roles, Jonathan Harker, for which I was far too young.
Random memories:
- This was my first stage kiss, as recounted in THIS edition of Almost the Truth.
- Dracula "magically" made a mirror shatter by throwing a small pocket knife at it. It looked like he was doing a flamboyant "alakazam" hand gesture, and the audience was far enough away they probably couldn't see the knife.
- In one scene, Professor Van Helsing (played by Lee Bynum) entered the room just as my fiance, Lucy (played by Judy Lambert), was about to bite my neck...saving me from becoming a vampire. During one performance, Lee was distracted by a card game backstage and was late making his entrance. Judy just kept hovering over my neck, fangs bared, for what seemed like forever, until the good professor appeared...sliding into the arched doorway like Tom Cruise in Risky Business (but fully clothed!).
- I earned enough points with this one role for membership in the National Thespian Society...something that ticked off a few of the older theater nerds.
