A Fantastic First Preview.
By the end of the show, they were on their feet immediately. The most enthusiastic ovation imaginable. And afterwards, in the lobby, we hugged everyone, of course. Our favorite thing. It was fantastic. And so many of them commented on how glad they were that that show was not amplified. Hey! Ethel didn’t need no amps!
Read: A Fantastic First Preview.
in Steve Schalchlin’s blog: Living in the Bonus Round ~ August 01, 2007
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As for the show. Well. What can I say? It’s 2 a.m. and here I am sitting up writing a review for a show I do not have to write a review for! It was perhaps the best I’ve seen them do the show. And Steve felt it was their best performance as well. I hadn’t seen the show in over a year and that time included a six month run of the show in New York, which has resulted in a tightening of things, more subtle nuances in the emotional sections, and most surprising of all, discovering that in this time, Steve has become an actor. Whoda thunk?
Read: ETHEL SINGS AGAIN
in Bev Sykes blog: Funny the World ~ August 2, 2007
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Finding God in the musical theatre
The Big Voice: God or Merman? is the title of their show about their lives apart and together, and it implicitly elevates the musical theater to divine status. It also celebrates the endurance of a 22-year-old relationship that has weathered everything from AIDS to a conniving character straight out of All About Eve. Big Voice was an off-Broadway hit last year, and now is at the New Conservatory Theatre for its first post-New York run, with Brochu and Schalchlin in their original roles playing themselves.
The reviews in New York were terrific, with The New York Times reporting that “art is achieved with light hands, and the result is a triumphant and very touching song of praise to everyday love and the funky glories of the show business life.” At thebigvoice.com, you can watch home videos of Brochu and Schalchlin reading the Times review for the first time, and then of them buzzing around Times Square afterwards like a couple of kids let loose in Disneyland.
“I think that’s a very good analogy,” Brochu said. “We have to pinch ourselves sometimes when your dreams become reality.”
Read: Finding God in the musical theatre
by Richard Dodds ~ Bay Area Reporter – San Francisco, CA ~ August 2, 2007