Oh. Sorry. I can be reached at *****

I can receive e-mails for another few hours, after that I'm afraid I'll miss you and won't be able to get you on the list.


[This message has been edited by CharlieMount (edited 06-10-2003).]

Thanx, Charlie. Will do.....

Charlie-

Good luck tomorrow night! I'm sure it will be a wonderful opening night.

Best,

Greg

Charlie: I am coming to see the play and will probably see you then. If possible I would like a print of the picture of Ray with the jar. I also want to know, where did you get it, and did the place have any others? Every time I go in anyplace and ask for a clear glass jar large enough to hold a human head, I just get funny looks and I have never seen one that size for sale anywhere. (In the story the lid was also of glass, but I'd even settle for a screw-on lid. What kind does yours have?)

Hello Dandelion,
My wife and I are attending the opening night performance of The October Country trio of plays. If you are in the audience, please look for us, we would love to meet you in person. I have read your book and liked it very much. I will be the ugly guy with greying hair, too fat, sitting next to the attractive woman who loves me enough to trek all the way to LA from Orange Country because I love Ray and his works. Best wishes, and did you ever get to visit with 4E?

Two of my friends went to the play last evening, Friday... I felt a part of me went also...and, with each that we know thru these postings....
Everybody: Have a Great Time!!!

Dandelion -- I'm sure I can make a TIFF of the jar photo for you, if I can lay my hands on it. The pics were taken by Ray's people, and I know they'll let us have a few for the web site. I'll let you know. Again, I'll have to ask their permission.

The jar was put together by a special effects studio that just happens to be right next to the theatre. They do things for us every now and then. I haven't examined the jar all that closesly, but I don't think it's made of glass (it's fairly large and if glass it would be pretty heavy). They made two, actually, because what's in the jar changes at the end, and in each I think they used a variety of things like wigs, mannequin heads and rubber masks.

Gotta go get ready now. I hope you all enjoy the show.

[This message has been edited by CharlieMount (edited 06-04-2003).]

Whichever night I am going will not be opening night. I did get to talk to 4E (Forrest Ackerman) on the phone and plan to visit him while in town.

We enjoyed the performance on Sat May 31. All of the plays were first cabin, the actors were superb, and Charlie made a great Ray Bradbury. Ray was there and introduced the presentation explaining how he and Charles Rome Smith had been in collaboration for over fourty years. If you can, go see the event. Very well done indeed.

P.S. Re: 4E
Ask him how many times he has seen "Metropolis" and if he has the new KINO release on CD. That version is superb.

Thanks. Glad you enjoyed the show.

Opening night was a hoot. I don't know if you noticed, you may have, but there were some serious technical problems during "Banshee". The crew placed the set (when it spun around to reveal the interior) about five feet off mark, and only put out one chair. David (the actor playing the Huston character) and I had to improvise some new blocking to stay in the light and to give the crew a chance to set the second chair and push the house into position (during the Banshee sequence while the house was in darkness).

And our Banshee actually fell off the stage, though it was after her scene and happened in darkness, so you may not have noticed. She suffered a bruised rib and a black eye. Sheesh.

Still, it played very nicely and the audience was terrific. A very nice opening night.

At the cast party some of Ray's friends complimented me on capturing Ray so well, right down to his mannerisms. I have to tell you, the resemblance between Ray and myself is purely coincidentaly (though I did find glasses to match his) and I have no idea what his mannerisms are since I only met the man a week ago. LOL I asked Ray about that yesterday at the Matinee, and he said "Well, you're bound to have similair mannerisms when dealing with someone like John Huston."

By the way, I met Ray's biographer yesterday, who says the book's been delayed about a year so as to not compete with a book of Ray's coming out soon. He seemed like a nice man and is writing the bio with Ray's cooperation. I was surprised to learn that a biography of Ray doesn't already exist. Well, look for it next year.

Actually, there was a kids' biography from some educational publisher in the works but I don't know when it's due out.

I don't know when it's due out, but I did a book review for the publisher on this biography in January this year. The publisher is Enslow Publishers, Inc. in Brooklyn Heights, NJ. The manuscript was about 15,000 words.

NEWS AND REVIEWS
by Rich Borowy
At Hollywood's Theater West, The Pandemonium Theater Company presents THE OCTOBER COUNTRY, three one-act plays written by Ray Bradbury.
The first play, The Jar, is about a backwoods farm boy named Charlie (David Evans Brandt) who becomes obsessed with a one-time living creature kept in a jar he has seen at a traveling sideshow, later buying the thing to take home to his hillbilly family. The second story, Cistren, features Bridget Hanley as Anna and Sheryl Nieman as Juliet, two sisters living in a Victorian style home, where one becomes driven to a vague underground domain. The third and final tale, Banshee, stars Charlie Mount as Douglas, a screenplay writer visiting a film director, John Hampton (David Curtis) living in a cottage in rural Ireland, who becomes interrupted by the Irish ghost (banshee) of a long deceased young woman (Suzzy London) seeking revenge.
Charles Rome Smith, director of previous Bradburry productions, once again takes hold of these three plays that could fall under the category of mystery, fantasy, suspense, and overall, total awe! This showcase features two world premiers (Cistern and Banshee), and the west coast premier of The Jar, (first performed last year at the Ritz Theater in Sheffield Alabama, and adapted for the stage by Terry Pace), and features the largest ensemble of cast members, including (in order of appearance), King Stuart, Michael Harrity, Colleen Moore, Ed Keaveny, Ivy Bethune, Kathie Barnes, Maureen Davis, and Harace Carpenter.
Bradbury, writer of dozens of stories, plays, essays, and other forms of the print media, still dazzles the theater going public with his master storytelling. He is one of the last remaining writers who can create tales full of wonders without becoming sounding tired or frayed. Though his health isn't what it used to be, he still continues to write his tales and there is no end in sight!!

THE OCTOBER COUNTRY performs at Theater West, 3333 Cahuenga Blvd, Hollywood, until June 28th. Showtimes are Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights @ 8:00 PM, and Sundays @ 3:00 PM, Reservations and information, call (323) 851-7977. Visit the web site at http://www.theatrewest.org

To Charlie Mount: Hey! you made the LA Times today 6/6 on page E28 in The Theatre section in a review of The October Country: Picture of yourself (as the younger Ray) and David Curtis (as the play's John Huston). You look better in person. You have real talent and Chutzpah, for playing The Man in his presence. Kudos again on your performance, and the rest of the show was great. I did notice a little opening-night stuff, but it was not enough to distract me from the story unfolding in front of my eyes. I hope the Banshee is all right.