A brief, pictorial history.
Los Angeles, California
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Barney Martin and Rip Taylor attend the first workshops.
A WORKSHOP BEGINS AT THE LEX
A WORKSHOP BEGINS AT THE LEX
The plan was to keep it small, keep it kind of quiet and workshop the piece in front of diverse audiences that knew little or nothing about Jim & Steve. To accomplish this, the Blue Sphere Alliance contacted discount theatre groups and "audience fillers" for the initial performances so there would be a steady stream of audience members, older and younger, straight and gay, male and female -- and a wide cross section of races and religions.
The audiences were told next to nothing about what they'd be seeing. Would the straight audiences respond to what was essentially a story about a gay marriage? Would older audiences accept the bluesy rock-based score? Would young people relate to two men who were not of their age group and who probably don't even know who Ethel Merman is?
To the left is the first flyer/poster designed for the Hollywood run (click on image to see it larger). The picture of Ethel is from a photo Jim has on the wall of their home that she personally autographed. (In the original, however, she is not holding a cross.)
Below the main picture, at an angle is this cryptic blurb:
"The story of two men who go looking for God and find Ethel Merman instead."
The Lex Theatre in Hollywood.
Posing outside the big window.
One of the few publicity stills taken for the Lex/Blue Sphere Alliance workshop.The Big Voice opened. It began with a packed house moved to laughter and tears followed by a standing ovation, which set off fantastic word of mouth. The script and musical changes worked perfectly. The show was standing on its own. By the third week, word had spread and there was not a seat to be had. People were sitting on the floor, standing in the aisles out the door.
The audience had spoken.
The show was ready to go from workshop to production -- and face the critics. But where to go? The creators were not yet ready to search out investors or producers. The plan was to find a theatre where they could run for a modest 12 performances, just enough to qualify for awards and possibly grab a few reviews.
Ironically -- or maybe it was just fate -- the call came from the birthplace of The Last Session...
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