Survivor, The Musical this Saturday!

So, this Saturday is the 2nd annual fundraiser for Theatre at the Mount in Gardner, MA and Ben and I are planning on going. It's called Survivor, The Musical "Out Sing, Out Perform, Out Shine"

 Last year, I was asked to "fill in" for one of the original contestants who had to back out at the last minute. At first I thought, "Sure! that sounds like fun!" Plus, my bff Trish was going to be in it, as well as some other fellow thespians, so I figured it can't be that bad, right??

Well, the closer we got to showtime, the more nervous I got. I mean, I've performed in front of hundreds of people in the past, in major musical roles. This should be a piece of cake! But the funny thing about me is, I put on a good "act". I may come across as fearless, funny, and confident...but inside I'm usually a bundle of nerves in front of people! For real!

The truth is, I'm less nervous performing a "character" in a show that I've been able to practice and perfect over months of rehearsals.

Trish and I in Always, Patsy Cline

What scares the @#@# out of me are things like Karaoke, and being asked to speak in front of a group. The situations where I'm up there as "ME" and not another person.

I'd absolutely DIE if I got up in front of a bar crowd and started singing Shania Twain in the WRONG KEY. (hey, I didn't get to rehearse this with the dj!!!) If my voice cracked in front of people??? shoot me then and there!! And God forbid someone ask me a question I could not answer...looking stupid in front of others is my biggest fear. (I would probably have a heart attack on the spot if I was ever on "Whose Line is it Anyway") Do I respect improv actors...

So, why on earth did I say YES to being a contestant in Survivor the Musical??!!! I think I had a moment of temporary insanity. Or jealousy that I wasn't one of the original cast members asked. And I wanted to be up there with my friends! (or did I??)

We were never told exactly what our "challenges" would be. We were told about a couple that MAY happen, just so we weren't completely in left field. But there were many, many challenges. So the 3 we were clued in on really weren't critical in the whole scheme of the night. For a week straight I'd try to think of random words that they might throw at us that we would then sing a song containing that word. Like "the word is blue". Oh, that's easy! "Blue Skies, nothing but Blue skies do I see..." "Blue moon....I saw you standing alone...." "I'll have a blue Christmas without you..."

OK, I was all set if they used the word blue.

Then there was the survivor strategy of forming Alliances, right?? OMG! I bet no one else is going to think of this!! I'd better form one in our group!!! (right) I did that. And thought I had a majority on board out of our group of ten. All set.

Trish and I were going to be in the final two. And then it really wouldn't matter who won.

It's SHOWTIME!! I got all dressed up in my tropical outfit, with a FABULOUS headband made out of our tribe's "buff" (a stretchy headband thing that supposedly was the exact size used on the tv show's Survivor. you know, the ones the girls wear as tube tops? Yeah, mine wouldn't even fit around my arm. So I cut it up and my friend Michelle made me a fab headband out of it!!)

Ben and my boyfriend Joe were in the audience. Plus I may have had a handful of other "fans" rooting for me! Seriously! I didn't tell many people about this, because when it really came down to it, my secret plan was to get voted off early and go sit with Joe and Ben and enjoy watching Trish go all the way. I joked backstage that I had bought myself a ticket so I could just go out and relax in the first 10 mins.

WELL, MY PLAN BACKFIRED.

Little did I know, but the other half of my tribe had formed their own alliance, and decided that Trish was one of their biggest threats. (yeah, she's a triple threat. sings, dances, acts. is gorgeous and thin. you want to hate her, but you can't. you know what I'm talking about) Love ya, Trish! she's the cute one in the yellow tank top, front row...

our tribe, Hammerstein!

I was completely floored when she was the SECOND person voted off the island! OMG!! Trish, come back!! don't leave me alone up here!!! I want to go out there with YOUUUUUUU!!!!

The ironic thing was that as much as I wanted out, I kept sliding under the radar in every challenge! I wasn't the best...and I wasn't the worst. So I stayed afloat.

Name That Tune...I lost!

And in one of the Tribal Council sessions, when I was apparently the next head on the chopping block, the emcee, Chris, pulled a surprise twist. First, he let an audience member vote the next member off (phew. wasn't me), and the next time I was to be voted off, he did a "pick a rock from this tophat, and the one with the black rock is out" (I made it through again!)

Oh, btw, you know the challenge about coming up with a song with the word they throw out in it? Well, I sucked. The word was WHITE. White!!! how easy is that??? Well, I was all ready for White Christmas. and the guy in front of me sang that. CRAP!! white? white? what song has white in it??? omg everyone is staring at me and I have 10 seconds!!! All I could think of was Michael Jackson's song with Black and White in it. So I started singing it. BUT, I was actually singing a completely different song that made no sense at all. 

Is White as a Ghost a song??

I have a new compassion for all those idiots you watch on game shows who can't come up with the easiest answer on the spot. It's so much easier from your living room sofa with no one staring at you.

The game changer was this. THREE OF US LEFT. The challenge? Who can hold the longest note.
shit.

Well, guess what? I did it. I was the final survivor who could bring ONE of the other 2 with me to the final Tribal Council. I had to think quick. Do I go with the fabulous Ali who everyone loves, including me?? and stick with the girl power? Or cute young college boy, Dougie, who I didn't know at all?

Ali, in the blue top...Dougie behind her!

My strategy was: Ali MAY have more friends than Doug out of the original tribe members who would be deciding our fate...and she knew more of them than me, for sure. So I went with Doug, hoping that I'd get more votes over him than I would have over Ali. (sorry, Ali!!!)

We had to plead our case on why they should vote for us...I said, "come on! can you even believe I made it this far?? I deserve it just for that!!" Then I pulled out the single parent card, pointed out my adorable son in the audience...you know. I'm an actress after all!!!

"there's my boy, Ben! Hi honey!!!"

And guess who was crowned the first Survivor??

Yup. It was ME!!

I still laugh about it because the whole experience was surreal. I honestly NEVER thought I had a chance. The competition ended up being more about luck than talent!!

They asked me if I'll come up on the stage this year and give the new contestants some "advice and encouragement". I've been thinking about what to say...

I guess my best advice is to throw out any plans you have for how this is going to go, because the rules will change as the game goes on. Stay under the radar. And just have a ball. Don't worry about what you may look like up there. Make a fool of yourself. It's OK. Because everyone out there is laughing along and deep down rooting for you and grateful (and jealous) that they're not up there instead of you!!!

And it's all for a good cause. Raising money for the theatre...and making people laugh and forget their troubles for a few hours.

It doesn't get better than that.

xx
Regina

If you'd like to see Survivor The Musical, Saturday, January 22 at 8 pm, Click here for Tix