Below is a post I made last week...
Don't try to read it.
It talks about the premise of the play:
Three Vietnam vets reunite for the first time in over 50 years. No, that's not all to the story, but I'm cutting to the chase of this blog.
In the challenging process of casting this show, another reunion occurred.
Four weeks into rehearsals, we had to replace a cast member.
Our Musical Director, Selma Greer, the lady pictured on the left, started talking about a choir teacher she had in high school.
She'd been talking with him on the phone, a couple of days previous. She told him about the show. The show's premise piqued his interest. He said it sounded like a show he could get into, and he was sorry he couldn't be involved. Then came the moment when you know it's not an accident she's telling you about her conversation with the guy. She said, " His name is John Bonaduce.
I was floored! And that doesn't happen with me very often. I asked her if he had attended Cal-State-Northridge, aka. CSUN, in southern California.
She said that he had.
I told her I was pretty sure that in another life...I had known her choir teacher.
She called him. Told him a there was a casting opportunity. He was interested. Then she gave me his cell number and I called him.
Sure enough... her John Bonaduce and my John Bonaduce are the same guy!
I sent him the script, the music tracs, the sheet music... he said he was in!
Talk about reunions, and it being a small world?!
The last time John and I saw each other was in 1973. We were sitting in the green room of CSUN's Theatre Arts Dept., talking about... stuff.
John was every bit as surprised as I was. That was just a week and a half ago. He started rehearsals with us last week... and he is perfect in the role of Don Kettleman.
Ironically... Our M.D,, Selma Greer: John's former student. Is playing his wife, Peggy Kettleman!
John comes from an entertainment industry family.
His professional resume - both on and off stage -- in front of and behind the camera, could be a blog all on it's own.
I have NEVER been one who believes in "accidents" or "coincidence".
Finding John... finding Selma... THIS ENTIRE CAST... was a gift!
If you live in Las Vegas, and you're a vet or member of a vet family.
If you know someone who's a vet. You need to see this show.
If for no other reason that NOW I GET IT, is a story that's never been told, and needs to be told... BECAUSE IT'S TIME FOR A STORY ABOUT SURVIVING THE WAR, AND AFTER THE WAR... THAT HAS A HAPPY ENDING.
Thanks for reading my blog!
Loren