BWW Blog: Ed Dixon Returns in Pittsburgh Public Theatre's L'HOTEL

By: Oct. 21, 2014
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Thursday, October 16, 2014

In my cranky old age, I have become virtually phobic about all means of public transportation, an odd affectation for someone who has spent his entire life zooming from one theater to another across several countries. My dear friend, Nick Noone knows this about me, so when he learned that I was about to start rehearsing my new play, L'HOTEL at the Pittsburgh Public Theatre, he offered to drive me both to and from. He did this in spite of the fact that he lives nowhere near Pittsburgh or New York City. This has prompted me to refer to him as Mother Teresa del Auto Spirito.

We were hoping to do some serious Fall foliage watching on our journey across Pennsylvania, but the ugly storm accompanying our departure seemed to bode very badly for this concept. However, as soon as we left Manhattan, the clouds parted and we got a glorious Autumn drive all the way to Pittsburgh... at which point the heavens opened once again with some soggy unpleasantness. Our wet arrival was further tempered by being arrested... well, not actually put in handcuffs, but we were certainly pulled over by a squad car the second we tried to pull into The Pennsylvanian, my monumental, if somewhat spooky home for the next six weeks or so. The traffic marking around the entrance are questionable at best. After we were released, I dragged my luggage into a strange corporate apartment for the ten thousandth time in my life and got ready for a new adventure.

Friday, October 17, 2014

I woke up very early and set off in search of a Starbucks. The first several blocks of my exploration were met with deserted streets and closed businesses. Panic began to set in. Then I began to recognize landmarks... I've played Pittsburgh several times and the downtown area started to come back to me. Then I found the beautiful O'Reilly Theater which houses the Pittsburgh Public Theatre. (The name O'Reilly, however, fills me with dread. Thanks Fox News.) And one block past the O'Reilly, huzzah, a Starbucks. I bring my iced coffee to rehearsal and see for the first time, the truly beautiful rehearsal space where we will be discovering L'HOTEL. It is more beautiful than most of the rehearsal spaces I have seen in all these years. The first person I greet is my old friend, Ted Pappas who has run and managed PPT for the last fifteen years.

After the meet and greet with the cast and crew, we do the first read through. The design, by James Noone (no relation to Mother Teresa del Auto Spirito) is spectacular and so is the cast. I make copious notes during the read through, as does Ted, and when we break for lunch, I put in all the rewrites we discovered during the first read. Then after lunch we read the whole thing again with much more discussion and many more rewrites. I leave the first day of rehearsal really invigorated.

Saturday, October 18, 2014

We start the day with a third reading, accompanied by much discussion and many more rewrites. (Please understand, there have been ten thousand rewrites before this first day of rehearsal, so this is quite old hat at this point.) We are being so fastidious in the line by line exploration that we only get through the first act by the lunch break.

After lunch, we do the second act with as much attention, so that after we finish that, there's only time left to get through the first act one more time before the end of the day.

Sunday, October 19, 2014

We start Sunday with the second act and meticulously finish it up. We're then able to get an entire read of both acts without stopping before lunch. I am thrilled with the condition we've managed to get the piece into, as is Ted, and we break for lunch with a kind of sense of awe at how much has been accomplished in two and a half days.

After lunch we come back and start staging the opening with Evan Zes, who plays The Waiter. Ted has chosen dance music by Bizet to open the play and it is perfect for the play and for the intent of the opening. In one hour we actually fully stage the very complicated opening. We have begun.

After rehearsal the cast meets at the Sonoma Grill for a bit of an unwind. I am so tired that I leave early and have a really nice sleep. Happy.


Ruth E. Kramer, our production stage manager and a longtime favorite at Pittsburgh Public Theatre.


Kati Brazda, who plays our Isadora Duncan.


Brent Harris, our Oscar Wilde.


Some Ouija Board Mints which Ted Pappas came upon. (The Ouija Board is an important plot point in L’HOTEL.)


Pittsburgh Public’s marvelous rehearsal space.


My first view of the L’HOTEL poster in the lobby of the O’Reilly.


The beautiful entrance to the Pittsburgh Public Theatre


The slightly spooky façade to the marvelous Pennsylvanian Apartments, my home away from home.


Nick Noone and his trusty Jeep in front of my house in New York City. My Mother Theresa del Auto Spirito.



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