BobMoran.com

I just found out today that Al Alberts, a person who had an influence on my love of show business, died back in November. I believe that my desire to work in the variety production business, at least in part, came from watching him host his weekly show, Al Alberts’ Showcase.

Mr. Alberts was a co-founder of the Four Aces, a group who would earn several awards including Academy Awards for Three Coins in a Fountain and Love is a Many Splendored Thing. He also made the song On the Way to Cape May popular.

Later in his Career he hosted his talent show on Channel 6 in Philadelphia. It lasted for over 30 years. I would faithfully watch the show every weekend, wanting to do the same job. I even had a couple of favorites among the talented kids on the show: Andrea McArdle, who would later become the first Annie on Broadway, and Liza Moran (no relation), who seems to have given up on show business and has fallen out of the public eye.

I met Al Alberts during one of his production company’s shows at a mall in the 1980’s. I even shook his hand and asked him if there was a way I could become involve with his company and help out. He told me to talk to his wife, Stella. Unfortunately, my shyness kept me from taking it any further. Who knows where I would be now.

Because he did the things that I would like to do and because I looked up to him, I suppose I would have to say that Al Alberts was one of my heros. I’m sorry to hear that he passed away. I hope someday to have a group of talented young people singing and dancing on stage, and I’ll know that it’s partly due to the influence of “Uncle Al”.

I’ve begun working on my new website: theatre-for-children.info.  I hope it will be a real resource for those who produce shows for children or shows involving kids.

This project is part of my overall efforts to focus more on those things that interest me most, rather than trying only to find ways to make an income.  Hopefully, this new site will do both.  They do say “Follow Your Bliss.”

I didn’t get a part in Murdered to Death.  They asked me to run sound, but it really isn’t worth it for me to travel that far just to push a few buttons and not have any real contact with the cast.  That theater has been my only social outlet in the past years, and unless I’m working directly with people, I tend to isolate myself.

I guess I need to think about going to other theaters.  Not an easy thing for me.  My cold reading of scripts is terrible.  I guess I’ll just have to work on it.

Well, for now, I just have to get over the rejection of not getting a part, and think about where to go from here.

Auditioned for Murdered To Death tonight at Carrollwood Playhouse.  I’d like to get the part of Inspector Pratt, but there are several good actors who auditioned, so who knows what will happen.  I am terrible at cold readings, but luckily the director knows what I can do.

I suppose, as all the parts are pretty much equal, I wouldn’t mind getting the constable, yet I feel I’m tool old for the part.  I could also deal with the drunken butler, but I have no real life experience to draw upon.  I’d just have to mimic drunks I’ve seen.  Easy enough, I suppose.  But both parts are kinda dead-pan, so they have their appeal for me.

If I don’t get a part, I told them I would work backstage, but I would like to actually work backstage.  There isn’t much I can do front-of-house in this theater anymore, and I need the experience if I am to go on to direct or produce someday.

I’ll update you as soon as I hear from the director.

I really rather not rant about this, but I feel like the people who this type of thing are pushing their beliefs in my face, and I just have to push back a bit.

I am tired of seeing “Jesus IS the reason for the season.”

Most people know what Christmas is. Those that belief in Jesus don’t need to know the reason they celebrate it. Those who celebrate it and don’t believe in Jesus (like I do), understand the beginnings of the holiday. A lot of us even know that there were Winter holidays long before Christmas came along.

The people who don’t celebrate Christmas enjoy many different holidays this time of year. Why should their holidays be less important?

Jesus IS NOT the reason for the season for many people. The need for some folks to push their beliefs on others is more about their fear of something happening to the Christian religion. It’s about insecurity and fear, and most people see that.