Being Bruiser Woods, Part 2
Our daughters and their husbands were off-the-charts excited to hear about Joni’s role, and I immediately got them tickets to the play. We texted photos of Joni asleep with captions saying, “Joni is working on her lines” or “Even with her impending stardom, she doesn’t even have a swelled head.”
Joni with the talented Jenni Canterbury, who plays Elle Woods
“Mom, you have to get her cute outfits,” Kelsey texted.
Caitlin, who was blessedly feeling fine now after her bout with Covid, agreed. “Bruiser wears a different outfit in every scene.”
“You’ll have to be my consultants.” I realized that much of my joy in this project was the thought that our daughters would love it. And the rest was the thought that Joni would enjoy it, too.
And Jeff? After those initial objections, he jumped fully on board.
My friend Betsy told me that she was so disheartened by all of the horrific stories in the news that Joni’s audition to be Bruiser Woods was one of the bright spots in her life this summer.
So, I spent a couple of hours looking at photos of Reese Witherspoon with Bruiser, to see what kinds of outfits Bruiser wore. He wore almost exclusively pink, and his outfits generally matched Elle’s. Mary told me Joni would be in four scenes, as well as the curtain call, so I would need to come up with at least a couple of outfits for her.
I ended up ordering a pink leash like the one Bruiser had, and a pink Harvard t-shirt for Joni. And waited eagerly for them to arrive.
Meanwhile, Jeff’s sister Sheryl called from Delaware. She was in the midst of moving Jeff’s mom to assisted living, an overwhelming and emotional job, but apparently Joni’s stage debut was a fun diversion for her, too.
“I bought her an outfit!” Sheryl said. “Pink and ruffly. Do you think it will be too much?”
“I’m sure she will love it,” I assured Sheryl.
Meanwhile, I told friends from the neighborhood about Joni’s role, and they got tickets to the final performance, on the second row.
“We are so excited for Joni’s debut!!” they texted.
When we arrived for the first rehearsal, the cast members were so sweet to her. They petted her, held her, and imitated the way her tongue sticks out. She acted ecstatic to meet Kirby, who plays Rufus, the other dog in the show. Kirby is seriously talented; he is the dog who was doing back flips during auditions.
Joni’s headshot
We were enthralled by the performances of the cast during rehearsals. The show is so fun and campy, and the performers seemed to be having a blast. Attacks of the giggles sometimes brought scenes to a halt. We sat off to the side, and when it was time for Elle to carry Joni onstage, a cast member would run over, grab Joni, and hand her off to Elle, who marched onto the stage with her. Joni looked around wide-eyed at everyone singing and dancing, but she didn’t struggle to jump down or get away. Joni’s feet don’t touch the stage in a single scene.
Joni did very well, though Elle did report during one rehearsal that Joni farted.
After seeing the play a few times, it became clear to me that Bruiser Woods is Elle’s alter ego, and that he was named “Bruiser” for a reason: Elle Woods is no pushover. Because of this, I decided that Bruiser’s wardrobe needed to reflect Elle’s character arc over the course of the play. At the beginning, he can be a laid-back malibu surfer dog, but by the end, he must be a fierce advocate for his legal clients, so I came up with outfits to reflect that transformation. I was inspired when I heard a couple of the actors quote the great acting teacher, Konstantin Stanislavski, who said, “There are no small parts, only small actors.” I wanted to do the best I could for Joni’s role, small as it is. I ordered one last outfit for Joni, crossing my fingers it would arrive in time.
I was asked to write a bio for Joni, and provide a headshot. They were going to put her photo onstage, on Elle’s bedroom wall. For her bio, I tried a tongue-in-cheek copy of the format I’d seen in playbills.
The move to the Duke Theater on the Davidson Campus involved lots of changes and adjustments to the space and the scenery. So much scenery! So many props! I sat backstage holding Joni, watching the young actors and stage assistants race back and forth, grabbing golf bags, hair dryers, fake laptops and martinis, shoving scenery into place, and pounding down the hall, peeling out of one costume and wiggling into another. What an adrenalin rush!
I admired the way the cast members formed a circle before the first performance, and the way they sang, even while offstage, to add volume and harmony to the voices of those onstage -- such a show of professional support and camaraderie.
During Joni’s first rehearsal in the Duke Theater, the director’s voice came over the loudspeaker. “We need the white dog and her mom. We need the white dog and her mom.” I realized that I was at stage left and Joni needed to come onstage with Elle from stage right. I needed to race downstairs and behind the stage and back upstairs to hand her to Elle, and then race behind the stage again to catch her as she was handed off on the other side of the stage. Coordinating that with her costume changes and making sure she peed outside challenged a daydreamer like me!
Joni has three costume changes, but that’s nothing compared to the actors. One performer told me she had eight costume changes for the show.
For the full-dress rehearsal, Elle came up to Joni, rubbing her on the head, and saying, “Break a paw, Joni!” Everyone else also greeted her as they went by, which completely delighted Joni. Corbin, one of the cast members, said to me, “I just love your dog so much.” Well, I had sort of fallen in love with the entire exuberant cast and crew myself.
Almost every actor, before going onstage, stopped to greet Joni.
And then suddenly, rehearsals were over. The morning of opening day, to my great relief, Joni’s last outfit arrived. A good omen!
Opening night was nearly sold out. Nervous electricity practically crackled in the air backstage. The audience seemed to love the show, and the cast and crew seemed thrilled. The performances over the weekend became better and better, as actors, musicians, and crew improved their timing.
It wasn’t perfect. Props and costumes got misplaced, and an actor got sick, requiring everyone to pivot to Plan B. I was so impressed with the ability of the cast and crew to take it all in stride and work around new challenges during each show.
I walked around our house in between shows, singing the clever, catchy songs. I couldn’t stop. My parents used to tell me that I was tone-deaf, and Jeff, who agrees, would just chuckle as I walked by with the laundry, belting out “Bend and Snap.”
Cast members joked that Joni and Kirby, the other dog in the show, were boyfriend and girlfriend. When they sat together backstage waiting for curtain calls, they touched noses.
After the shows, I crossed paths with playgoers on the way to the parking lot, and Joni ran up to them, greeting them like long lost friends.
“Is that Bruiser? She’s darling!” Everyone wanted to pet her.
Joni and Kirby. Kirby is the other dog in the show that plays Rufus.
Our daughters, their husbands, and our friends will attend during the second weekend of the show, and I’m excited to take Joni out to the lobby to visit after the play.
Every night at about six-thirty, Joni looks up at me, as if to say, “Is it time?” When we arrive at the theater, she races across the stage, wagging her tail, to say hello to the actors as they rehearse.
It’s odd, because, of course, I’ll never be able to explain it to her when the play is over.
It touches me deeply that Joni’s friendly and loving personality spreads so much joy. There is something magical, almost spiritual, about that. Being a very small part of this delightful show, with this incredibly talented cast and crew sharing their gifts --unforgettable.