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News - A Bear in Ballet
 Let's be honest here; one does not associate Bears with ballet, unless we're talking a campy burlesque involving fat, hairy guys in long underwear and gym socks stumbling around to the music of "Swan Lake" while their pals whoop it up from the audience. C'mon, it's funny. No one seriously believes a fat, hairy guy even belongs on stage alongside a petite, graceful creature who weighs less than what most of the guys reading this article lug home in groceries for a week.
And yet, five years ago, I was approached by the newly appointed Artistic Director of the Madison (Wisconsin) Ballet who asked me to audition for the role of "Drosselmeyer" in a production of "The Nutcracker" that he was directing and choreographing. Initially, I thought he was kidding; I mean, LOOK at me: 5'8", 260 lbs, balding, bearded and greying. I look more like Sebastian Cabbott than Baryshnikov. Not to worry, said he, it was a character role, and didn't involve any "real" dancing. The director had seen me perform with the local Gay men's chorus, and knew that when singing a solo number I did more than just sing a song, I performed it. My solos were a study in shameless mugging and over-acting.
I gamely showed up at the dance studio at the appointed time, and mimed my way through a set of situations outlined by the director, while taking cues of mood and tempo from music the director selected. It was all pretty painless and I felt confident that I hadn't made an utter fool of myself. However, I was competing for a role against two other fellows who were both tall and trim, with full heads of hair. While I had never seen "Nutcracker" from beginning to end, in every production I HAD glimpsed, Drosselmeyer was always played by a tall, reed-thin gentleman who skulked about and looked generally mysterious. Obviously, the two other men who auditioned with me had the inside track. Besides, with MY build, I couldn't do "mysterious"; my attempts at skulking are misinterpreted as the movements deprived truck drivers use when they come to spirit away children for the purpose of heinous and unspeakable acts. Since this was a family show, I didn't want to try to skulk. While the director assured me that I had the role "locked", I was less than optimistic.
 Imagine my surprise when I got a postcard in the mail announcing that I had been cast as Drosselmeyer. I attended the cast orientation and felt adrift amidst a sea of school-aged ballerinas, savvy stage parents, and a few bemused adults who were identified as "party parents".
I found myself corralled with this lot and together we learned that we formed the core of the first act, the Party Scene inwhich the Staubaum family throws their annual Christmas party, which is THE event of the season. Anyone who is Anyone strives to be invited to the Staubaum's, however, this year Frau Staubaum's brother, Herr Drosselmeyer, crashes the party when it is at its peak and takes over. He flirts shamelessly with every woman there, entertains the children with his magic act, and then presents his neice, Clara, with a large nutcracker figure. In this production, Drosselmeyer is less mysterious than he is avuncular. It proved to be a stretch for me, as I am an abject failure in a party situation; I have literally fled a party within ten minutes of my arrival due to my utter lack of coping skills in such a venue.
After eight weeks of rehearsal, the cast mounted the stage. The reviews were sensational, and my performance was actually singled out. I had obviously mastered the "Lou Grant" style of acting as I was discribed as "gruff and commanding". I could deal with that.
Over the years, my performance continues to draw the attention of the local critics, and while always positive, last year's description of Drosselmeyer as "roly-poly" stung. It may have been a motivator in my recent loss of 40 pounds. The most recent review paints me as "colorful as well as comical". I'll take that over roly-poly any day.
 While I realize that Drosselmeyer has a key role in the story of "The Nutcracker" and am abundantly proud to be associated with this production, I still find myself both awed and humbled by the level of talent that surrounds me, embodied in people young enough to be my own neices and nephews, many of them still in elementary school; the most accomplished among them still in high school.
I am indeed a Bear shambling about on stage, surrounded by swans. Yet, I have a place here, if only to make the swans look even more graceful in comparison. Because they have been gracious enough to let me share their space with them, I am grateful enough to play the fool as best as I am able. Who knows? Maybe someone will learn to appreciate ballet through our approachable production; or even better, someone who had been labled "troll" by his peers will see a fat, hairy man up on stage and say, "Hey, if HE can do that, maybe I can, too!" To what higher goal can the Arts aspire?
Posted by Bruin on Monday, December 15, 2003 (12:02:37) (6293 reads)
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Shout it Out
choochoo68: HA "keep it simple" right
07-May-2012 20:01:35 Bruin: Wow...it's finally happening! Read "Bear With Me"
24-Apr-2012 00:15:58 Bruin: Andy & Paul pay a long over-due visit. Read "Bear With Me"
16-Apr-2012 11:13:24 Bruin: The guys are fans of Paul's Elizabethan look. Read "Bear With Me"
27-Mar-2012 04:34:57 Bruin: Lamont decks out Paul like a king. That should be a good thing, right? Read "Bear With Me"
19-Mar-2012 04:45:32 Bruin: Is Cabot over-reaching? Read "Bear With Me"
12-Mar-2012 11:16:05 Bruin: Cabot and Lamont make nice for Andy. Read "Bear With Me"
05-Mar-2012 23:59:25 Brianbear: Why do I have the feeling that they have a "history" ;?
26-Feb-2012 08:30:13 choochoo68: funny...he doesn't LOOK much like mr. french lol
21-Feb-2012 05:38:45 Brianbear: I think his karma just ran over his dogma
29-Jan-2012 02:39:22
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