PHI BULANI ~ Memorable Performances

I was working in a production called Que Sera- it was a kind of musical biography about Doris Day and her rise to Stardom. I was playing 3 or 4 different roles, kind of a triple threat show for me, and it was all for the glory. [no money!] So I was also working during the day as a Standardized Patient, which is essentially role play/simulations for med students and practicing physicians. {Like Kramer on Seinfeld} Well this was a big, no holds barred exam, and i had been made up for the role of someone who had been clipped while riding his bike- thrown twenty feet, and landed on his side. The makeup artist was also a Doctor- Dale McCarthy MD.* He did a beautiful job on my leg, face and ribs- it was frightening; bits of boneshards sticking out- very effective and pretty gross actually. Anyway i get to The Artword Theatre and come limping in, revealing my injuries to anyone who would listen, I drew A LOT of concern- a little too much because people thought i shouldn't do the show! What were the insurance implications for the company, and for the theatre owners if my condition should worsen? and worst of all- who would do my parts? Well we got to the half and i think it was the very talented Kathryn Romanov, {Les Coquettes}** who was the Dance Captain- and i insisted the show must go on- i did the most difficult move a couple of times to convince her[believe me it wasn't that difficult of a move- so she permitted me to do the show, well during the performance, a couple of us kind of got crunched up, and it looked really awkward- so during a brief bkstg quickchange Kathryn came over to me to ask if i was ok and i looked at her, and saw all this concern on her pretty little face and had to fess up- singing Que sera sera as i peeled off the scar tissue from my leg, well the look on her face changed to almost a delighted look of shock, then she gave me a pretty good shove, and laughed calling me a freak of nature! shakin her head all the while. lol Then we had to get back on stage for some crazy train choreography [ahhh! where's the love?] Later she took my picture backstage. What a sweet heart, cause i really had her going most of all i think. Ah me~ All in a days work! lol.

* Dr. Dale McCarthy passed away in 2007, his brilliance, humour, and style is deeply treasured.
**Les Coquettes- If you ever get the chance to see them, go! They are a super fun and sexy burlesque troupe.

PHI BULANI~ Memorable Performances

" ...Piero, as played by PHI BULANI, is charming, confused, and ultimately reasonable: we can see in the toss of his head the struggle in him about doing whats right for his family, his father, his wife, his servant girl who is the father of his child..."

For entire review please click on link below.
http://www.stthomasu.ca/hunt/reviews/vinci.htm

PHI BULANI~ Memorable Performances

Grandad Upanishad was a fantasmagorical piece of theatre. I really was just cutting my teeth acting wise. It was written by Andrew Ackman, and directed by Michael McKinlay.

PHI BULANI~ Memorable Performances

"I was in a production of Sleuth playing the role of Andrew Wyke, opposite Jeff Binder playing Milo Tindle: these two characters are constantly attempting to best each other to the point of death- and to that point, at the end of the First Act, Andrew is supposed to kill Milo Tindle- with a gun. Big, big climax to the first act, well in this production i was sporting a 38 revolver i think it was- a bit weighty, also it was rigged with blanks of course for actor's and audience safety. Well we get to the end of the second act, the tension on stage is huge, it's been a great first act, the final scene has been deadly to this point, Wyke has viciously dragged Tindle up a winding staircase, with a snubnose thirty eight grazing various parts of his body. Tindle is on his knees... prepared to die! and- the gun jams, the flippin gun jams, and Tindle has to die, otherwise there is no moving forward in the play. So by this time i've muttered a couple of obscenities under my breath, attempting to alert my co-star- Jeff Binder that something a little unusual might be coming his way, so placing my hand on his shoulder , something i never ususlly did, i give him just a squeeze- just before i club him to death, bludgening him with the butt end of the revolver... Jeff totally went with it, confessing to me after that he was really sh*!ing himself 'cause he knew something was up. Awww man we laughed so hard back in the dressing rooms. There's nothing quite like that heightened state of live performance when anything can happen... cause it usually does!
PHI BULANI