Moustache for the Misbegotten
By Allen Radway, T. Stedman Harder in A Moon for the Misbegotten
Opening Night has arrived and with it comes the final push of tiny tweaks and minute modifications. The design is immaculate, the direction impeccable and the acting is soaring higher and higher in humor and heartache with each preview and pick-up rehearsal. Man, are Grace, Eric and Mike just dynamite. Do NOT miss this one. Oh yes, and the Lally’s fantastic as well…and offstage he’s getting better and better at FreeCell every day. The stage is nearly set. Only the ‘stache remains.
I’m gearing up for the final trim as I type this, armed only with a straight razor, mini-shears, a tiny comb and a pair of tweezers. Yes…”Only”. Wow. I’ve quickly realized how much maintenance a swarthy moustache requires. Ooh, and then there’s the additional pleasure of living in fear of screwing it up every time I’m due for a touch-up…which is every other day. What have I done?! The drawbacks in moustache-dom as I’ve discovered are as 
follows…
- Children and animals are afraid of me.
- I wake to the sound of my wife’s laughter every morning, which would normally be a wonderful sound were it not for the “Ew, gross!” tone it seems to have.
- My Robert Goulet impression is getting pretty darn accurate!
- I NEVER USED TO HAVE A GOULET IMPRESSION!!
As for the advantages…
- It’s perfect for the character that we’ve discovered, so it effectively serves the play and our production to a tee.
- It’s actually a lot of fun, and makes for a great conversation piece. “Hey, nice ‘stache, man.”
- It’ll only last for two months. Like theatre, beautiful and poignant albeit fleeting.
- It’s a great reminder that I’m lucky enough to have a job that allows me to reinvent myself so often. It’s kinda magical that way. I get to tell crazy stories to strangers in the dark and hopefully inspire a better sense of community. This time around, it’s just an entitled, oblivious, moustachioed stick-in-the-mud who’s doing it.
Moon runs through February 27th. Don’t miss your chance to see the ‘stache! I mean, the play!
Read the beginning of Allen’s moustache journey here and here
Looking good, Allen. Knock ’em dead!