That's 'cause you're DRUNKdrunkdrunkdrunk...!

[thehefner]

I'm currently in absolute love with this gypsy guitar rendition of the Super Mario Bros. 2 theme. Seriously, is that jaunty, or is that jaunty? That so belongs in a movie by Woody Allen or Wes Anderson.



So after a day of frustration, I think I've come up with how I'm gonna work around the 60 minute time limit for THE HEFNER MONOLOGUES. You see, in the book, I actually have two underlying themes as to why I'm telling this story. One is that I do it to deal with and make sense of the pain of stuff like the Tammy story (a theme which will become much, much clearer when people read the book I'll write about how my family, but that won't be until years down the line... seriously, people will read that and go, "Ohhhhhh!"). The other throughline regards my existential ponderings regarding the Hefner name, and always feeling in the shadow of Hef.

I spent today seeing if I could do an hour-long version of a story that could encompass both, which resulted in pain and frustration. The Tammy stuff seemed too thin and rushed, and I wouldn't even have been able to fit in the Blue Surge Naked or Traffic Court stories. Which, of course, is just plain no good. I could pull this off as a 90-minute show, maybe, but 60? No way.

So, thinking back to something fiveseconddelay and I talked about last week, to whom I'm exceedingly grateful now...



I think I'm gonna write and perform not one, but two shows of THE HEFNER MONOLOGUES-- three nights for one, two nights for the other-- that complement each other. They can each stand alone, complete and satisfying storytelling performances. But those who see *both* will get the bigger picture.

So here's what I'm currently thinking at this stage in the game. And remember, this is subject to change. I'm merely thinking aloud here, since this is my LJ and all.

One show will deal purely with the catharsis aspect of the Hefner Monologues. This would, of course, almost expressly be about Tammy, the hi-larious Oral Sex misadventure, my big sweeping romantic Birthday Ball, the meltdown, the rose petals, and maybe (hopefully) even meeting drunken, topless Misty as well. This would be the more personal, heartfelt of the two shows, where I can just lay my soul bare out there on the stage.

The other show would deal with the "Hefner" issue, and how one can make a name for oneself when somebody else already has. This will be the more outright entertaining, since it'll feature the Playboy Mansion story, Captain Buzzkill, Blue Surge Naked, Traffic Court, What Kind of Hefner Am I?, and capping it all off with the grand finale of Drunk in Bath. This is the show where I could just cut loose in full-on hammy Johnny Go mode.

This way, I can workshop both major aspects separately. And hell, it might even work as extra incentive to audience members to come back another night to see the other show, so they'll get the fuller overall story!

Once again, this is all subject to change as I constantly tweak and refine the show(s) over the next couple months. Which implies that things will only get better from here on out. If that's the case, hell yeah, because I gotta tell you, I think I rather *love* this idea.



One thought for costumes, though. I'm planning on doing the shows in my Johnny Go blue suit. But I'm wondering if maybe I could get away with my Victorian dandy outfit for some shows? Y'know, my Bill the Butcher costume, minus the mighty, mighty 'stache? If I could do it without making it seem distracting, I think that could be awesome. I've always wanted to just go around dressed like that anyway. Perhaps that could also be part of my image, just as cross-dressing is to Eddie Izzard?

Hm. Snazzy $3 blue suit for the entertaining story, Victorian dandy for the romantic story? Mwell, it's an idea. And since these Fringe shows are my chance to experiment, it might be the idea place to give it a try. We'll see.

Comments

[eliyes.livejournal.com]

So, which one would you do for three nights, and which for two? Would you alternate, or do them in clots?

[thehefner.livejournal.com]

We'll see how strong the two shows turn out to eventually be before deciding which should get the extra exposure, but my instinct is to give the three shows to the entertaining "Hefner" one. It's more of an all-around crowd-pleaser, not to mention the "Hefner" stuff would be of more interest to your average person.