Heading to Urinetown.

Greetings Gossip Lovers

If you’re thinking these three were at Seacoast Rep last night hoping to land a role in “Urinetown” – wrong. They’re the ones the hopefuls needed to impress. Scare you just a little?

Well it shouldn't really. Left to right it’s Adrienne Maitland, choreographer, Craig Faulkner, SRT’s assistant artistic director and Bill Humphreys, "Urinetown" director. – Eat your heart out Cowell and company.

While the trio were the "judges," they where also some of the evening’s best entertainment – along with Paul Erwin on keyboards, the show’s musical director.

In short order an evening's, inside joke formed, thanks to Bill’s colorful, oft repeated instructions for the cold read characters. “Gritty, lowlife, sewer rat, dirty, nasty” and the like. His version of rabble-rouser went from rubble, ruble and rebel with a few more hysterical mispronunciations. Poor auditioners had no idea what prompted the out-of-context laughs.

But it sure didn't keep them away. The place was PACKED gossip lovers! Upwards of 60 performers showed, new and familiar faces; exceptionable to passable. Auditions were originally scheduled for 6 to 9:30; but ran 4:30 to past 11. Among the hopeful, seacoast favorite Merrill Pfeiffer, who came up from her new New York home to give it a shot.

One thing is for sure, this show has a shot at being one of the seacoast’s most memorable. (Can you say pressure : ). There was a plethora of exceptional voices. And that young man in the blue shirt – woooweee, show stealer in the best way. And of course Bill is back from North Carolina to direct. - Yes, we can expect great things.

Yours in anticipation

Gossip Lady

Photos: top, already mentioned above, but did you notice how hard it is to discern where one starts and the other ends? This is how legends start eh? "The Attack of the Theater Thing," "Night of the Six-Legged Actor," or "It Came from Beneath the Green Room," that sort of thing. Middle: Faulkner and Humphreys - clearly having missed one another other. (Bill's been gone many months folks). Bottom: Merrill Pfeiffer - love the new darker locks! To the left: a blur of auditioners learning dance moves.