I'll Be The Judge of That.

I can't say it was a triumphant return to the stage, but I hope the audience had as much fun watching as I did playing the irascible judge in Troy Civic Theatre's initial offering, "The Trial of Ebenezer Scrooge."

My recent stage experience is pretty sparse, and this was only the second show I auditioned for this year, each, coincidentally, for the part of a judge.

The first, which I didn't get, would have been a huge stretch -- not age-wise, but acting-wise -- it was a 2-person play, and the male was a retired judge at Nuremburg, beginning to lose his faculties, and dealing with a young, sharp-witted assistant.

The part of Judge Stanchfield R. Pearson, for which I was selected, was a lot less complicated. This judge out-scrooges Scrooge, and deserves the eerie finish that the play provides. But the only variation is in the character's bellowing and anger -- he's the most cartoonish character in the play, and honestly, I don't think I'm ready for any more variation that that. On top of that, it was an enhanced stage reading, not a full-up production, so when I stumbled, I had the script in front of me, and experienced actors around me to help cover me.

Hopefully, I'll develop and grow into other, more complex characters over time.

Today, I want to publicly thank all the members of the company and cast for their support, and also to my family and friends who took the time from a busy holiday season to come to the show. They were all kind enough to tell me that they enjoyed it.

I don't know if anyone missed the absence of postings over the last few weeks; I was using my energies to concentrate on the play.

That's all for today, except for this -- the short "bio" I wrote for the Playbill:

Frank LaPosta Visco grew up in Troy, watching his father and three uncles, known as the Visk Brothers, put on many shows that helped support, entertain and unite the residents of Troy, especially those of Little italy, and is happy to (finally) help continue that family tradition as a member of the new Troy Civic Theatre Company. "Somebody knows something."