An unprecedented, show-stopping SPOT THE ROGUE opportunity.
An accident along I-94 waylaid my plans to swing by Planet Ant before Monday's showing of Hedwig and the Angry Inch; my apologies to any improvisers left holding their cameras. However, Hedwig had come out as the rightful poll winner, and there were a few other mitigating factors that provoked me to make it a Ringwald night: (1) one of the performers threatened to ground her own son if he didn't vote in the poll, and (2) the amazing sentence, "I figured out last night I can keep my phone in my bra 'til the time is right."
The photo here documents the exact moment I realized a spotlight was trained on my head and Hedwig herself had freaking stopped the show to SPOT THE ROGUE. So did the entire band, and later, so did a lot of people in attendance. Entries are still trickling in, but as of now the total has leaped to $450. I know I'm missing at least a few images, so email those to roguecritic@gmail.com and watch that number grow.
While I'm certainly having fun playing SPOT THE ROGUE, and helping supporters of EncoreMichigan.com increase their fundraising power, it's important to once again note that my puny contribution is not going to get the site to its $27,000 goal by its October 31 deadline. This is but one piece of the puzzle. To that end, the intrepid Megan Buckley has begun raising funds through a Paypal account. Details on how to donate are available here. So look at the growing collection of images, many of which feature members of this community that needs the depth and breadth of EncoreMichigan.com's tireless theater coverage, and think about what we could accomplish if a lot of people donated even a little money.
Tonight there's but one place to be, and that's the Abreact, for the industry night performance of The Hot Mess Chronicles 3. Last night shattered the daily record for SPOT THE ROGUE entries at more than eight, but I have a feeling the Abreact crew has a real shot at the title. Wednesday is still open to "Spotter's Choice," and Thursday and Friday have been scheduled at Williamston and Hilberry shows, respectively (mid-Michigan and WSU better represent!). Then watch this space for the final weekend lightning round.