On Tuesday I started rehearsals for The Man of La Mancha at the Gallery Players. I’ve never been a big fan of Lysistrata, but now I’m even less of a fan. The bitches in the Gallery Players’ production broke my stool, the stool that I sat in for over a hundred shows at the theater. From Side Show to Once on this Island to Urinetown (winner of an NYIT award) to Victor/Victoria to Yank! to The Wild Party, that stool had been my home. My new one isn’t as comfy.

Anyway here are my thoughts on Man of La Mancha:

• While this is a pretty traditional production, I think a good setting for a contemporary version would be an INS office. Lots of waiting, plus you can’t spell “inquisition” without INS.

• The director of the play is Tom Wojtunik, whom I’ve worked with before, and he always brings a top notch creative team with him. Tom also did Urinetown, one of the most impressive productions that I’ve seen at the GP.

• I’m a really good spot op. Part of it is due to the fact that I know the theater so well and part of it is due to the fact that most spot ops really want to be doing something else: set design, lighting design, or other more important creative stuff. Spot op is the only thing I want to do. That’s my light on Queenie in The WIld Party.