I recently did a stand-in part for a show at the local community theatre. The show was Inherit the Wind. I personally think the script is a piece of crap, but the production was a pretty good one.

So for those of you who don't know, the show is an allegory for the Red Scare. It's ostensibly about the Scopes Monkey Trial, but that's not really the point. Unfortunately, most people miss that about the show and treat it as if it's actually a play about teaching evolution in schools. At any rate, it takes place in 1920's small-town Tennessee among very conservative Christians.

Now Cachinnatees, I don't look much like I belong in 1920's small-town Tennessee among very conservative Christians. These days I look more like I belong in big-town San Francisco among crazy hippie liberals.

So we had to do something about my appearance. It was decided a hat would work and I could pull my hair up under the hat. Unfortunately for them, I ended up backstage with my rotten friend Milton Wilson. We routinely encourage the worst in each other. So we decided that it would be more entertaining if I were the town rabbi. That's how this look was born:

We also decided that the rabbi should be mostly deaf and keep interjecting in the trial, "What? Did he say monkeys? Where are the monkeys? What? I was promised monkeys! Where are the monkeys? What?"

Alas... we decided in the end that I should tuck up the hair and just sit in the back corner and hope that no one noticed me. It was truly one of the more difficult acting assignments I've ever had. I don't typically do well with the whole "hope-that-no-one-notices-you-on-stage" thing. But I gutted it out.

Here's a quick backstage video that includes Milton, Rabbi Cachinstein, and Stardiva. (In case you're confused, Stardiva is the one in red. Oh yeah, she's also the only girl.)