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00:08You
00:17Previously on American classic
00:20Raves can you believe it except for the New York Times even the times yes like me in 10 years
00:24He said I was the anchor like an anchor dragging the whole thing down
00:30natural
00:33The producers are putting you on hiatus mom's dead who's this your brother the only person
00:39that cares about is himself you know that i will deal with head keep him away from the theater
00:43dad i'm gay oh uncle richard have you been to the theater no one can resist my
01:07it was a nightmare people were yelling for gravy and potatoes and more brussels sprouts and peas
01:13and they thought i was a waiter i've never even played a waiter not staying for your mother's
01:18funeral because of a matinee of nonsense is overreacting
01:21i'm not overreacting everything i loved is gone you just have to get through this do i i don't
01:28think i do i think you have to get me out of here and get me back on stage i
01:32don't care how you do it
01:32we've been over this you are still a meme listen i'm asking healthy as a friend okay what a friend
01:40you're my friend all your friends get 10 percent look i won't stay here just find me a path out
01:48of
01:51i'll call you back what are you doing here dinner remember we need to sit down hey we need to
02:01sit
02:01down have a nice meal drink some wine and talk about this like adults
02:20dinner theater do not start i'm not starting the millersburg festival theater used to be a
02:27destination you have absolutely nothing our parents acted on that stage dad should be there
02:32now doing leer doing it he's living it no he's not he's okay he's compromised in some ways but he's
02:39he's yeah he knows who he is he confided in me something that uh well that i confided so i
02:46can't
02:46cherish he's gay you know everybody knows he came out the first time about a month ago now he comes
02:53out every day and then he forgets he did and he comes out again it's sad and happy it's weird
03:00well
03:00i wish somebody had told me that our dad was in a coming out loop jesus i mean you could
03:06have called
03:07i would have come and done what beat him up oh honey don't say that sweetheart don't you have something
03:12to
03:12do i want to see who wins he was doing willie lowman for me he did out out brief candle
03:17he made me cry
03:17it reminded me of how great we were in our dinner theater you are such a pompous ass if you'd
03:27climb
03:28down from your ivory tower for five minutes maybe maybe you see what's going on in this country
03:34do you have any idea how hard it is just to live we had to close down for 15 months
03:39our subscriber base is
03:40gone moran why don't you take some duck up to your room okay can i have some wine no no
03:45you cannot
03:46cannot have any wine you know we can't afford to produce anything on our own so yes we are bringing
03:53in pre-packaged touring musicals because we're just trying to make sure this theater survives
03:58we are serving food we are serving alcohol and let me tell you something forever plaid and nonsense
04:05saved our ass you're gouging out the soul of this town you do know that what does the mayor have
04:12to
04:13say about this she's the mayor i'm the mayor you're the mayor yep i'm the mayor deal with it dark
04:18and
04:19stormy's i thought it was appropriate it's usually ginger beer and rum but i've added a little
04:22power just give it to me make it more of an event you've changed kristen you have fundamentally
04:29changed as a human being oh no no no you don't get to tell me who i am i'm not
04:33telling you who you are i'm
04:34telling you who you were you had very high ideals you were an artist you built a theater company with
04:41your bare hands in new york we nothing we built a theater company you just stopped showing up you
04:48still blame me because my career took off and yours didn't maybe that's because i was too busy taking
04:52care of you or maybe it was something else no no i'm not gonna what say it do i need
05:04to say it yes
05:05you do absolutely not no do not say it do not say it say it do not say it i
05:10will say please
05:12you weren't as good as i was no you are such a dick well at the time you weren't you
05:18want to know
05:18why i wasn't able to go to auditions because the entire time i was there i was looking after you
05:23come on please please
05:29hey you can use the front door you know yeah you always used to say that i was super romantic
05:33and stuff
05:36like a little bug whoa what is up with the yelling my mom and uncle are having an
05:40epic shit fight i used to date like 20 years ago your your mom dated your uncle
05:46mm-hmm oh there's duck on the bed if you want some
05:54oh my god so i finished our mirando demo really and it's a total banger i mean you slay the
06:03fucking kingdom bit don't say slay
06:15that's your voice jesus smoke out the window sorry you do sound pretty good
06:26so i can get us gigs when you're at pen and i got a lead on an apartment in brewery
06:31town it's
06:31850 a month which is sick could we chill for like five seconds yeah just know what we're doing
06:38yeah it's just you're i'm not accepted at pen i'm wait listed at pen and you're talking about
06:41apartments it's stressing me out pen will be crazy to not take you i mean you're the smartest most
06:49talented most wonderful person i've ever met thanks
06:54why am i even trying to go there it's great school
07:00i know that's what my mom says but
07:04i don't know
07:08my nana's gone might be moving away
07:17everything just happens so fast
07:27life
07:30you're so hot
07:33you called her a bad actress again why do you do that she gets all self-righteous you know and
07:42just it
07:44she writes off my whole life she gets in my head to this day when i'm trying to make a
07:51decision
07:51about something i hear her voice judging me you know sometimes when you talk about kristen it's
07:59like you think you're married to her i just want to remind you she's actually my wife no i know
08:06yeah yeah i know and she was a terrific actress in new york she just didn't want to be there
08:13not with me
08:17mom's dead she was always there and now
08:36i want you to know i've decided to stay for the funeral
08:43you know attending your mother's funeral is not a noble thing you you make it sound noble
08:51it's my voice i'm gonna pay for the whole thing every penny yes you will
08:57i want to have it at the theater the funeral yes i want mom on stage one last time in
09:03a coffin of
09:03course obviously we'll invite the town the theater will live again if only briefly then i'll be gone
09:18it'll be my swan song
09:22isn't it mom's swan song yes hers too
09:30there's a restaurant mom's dead i don't i don't know if we can actually do that put a dead body
09:39in a restaurant we're gonna need to get a permit i think you'll be able to make that happen you
09:45know
09:45the mayor
09:51it's a shitty apartment building where a lot of very lovely people live and it's on a lot that is
09:56not
09:56zoned commercial so rezone it best buy needs 5 000 square feet and i can't get that within the mall
10:02footprint well i i'm sorry but i can't keep going back to planning and zoning for you people are not
10:07liking it best buy best bike i mean i'm bringing you a best buy tied up with a bow i
10:14mean look at me
10:15expanding your tax base it's a gift and i do not mean to sound ungrateful but there are a lot
10:23of
10:23people in this town who were beginning to think that you're the the devil yeah yeah because the
10:29devil comes to town in the dark of night and replaces a vape shop flowers by barbara and a
10:36shitty residential building with the best buy it's the worst stephen king novel i can imagine flowers by
10:42beverly her name's beverly and i'm really sorry for beverly but i didn't kill her business covid did
10:52look conversations like this are happening all over this country and they're not easy
10:57but you know you can either cry for the florist or the vape shop or uh
11:04you take my money and you take it and you rebuild this town
11:11i don't you know just hold a candlelight vigil for the whole friggin thing if i
11:19go to p and z for you then i need to be able to tell them that you've committed to
11:23building some low-rent residential at least 12 units and in a better location why not and
11:30a 250 000 donation to the daycare center at the y done
11:41oh look it are they uh you you do cost me some money but we're doing it we're doing business
11:53how's the theater it's fine fine but it's a lot right now because i don't know if you know uh
12:00my mother-in-law just died
12:04do you need help because you know if you help me with the taxes on 217 roll them all in
12:10you need to
12:10go now should i uh cross the line hey listen you we're doing good work here you should be proud
12:20oh and if i am the devil then maybe the devil is what millersburg needs
12:32hey day look at this if john let your cape touch the floor even for a moment you'd chase him
12:40around
12:40the room and beat him with your stick oh yeah i remember that two funny boys yeah your mother and
12:47i had a great laugh about that this morning you too that's good um speaking of mom um we we're
12:56doing a
12:57a thing for mom tomorrow at the theater a show it's a it's a kind of show um it's it's
13:07a it's just it's a
13:10thing for for mom a celebration whoa are you in it yeah i have a part but it's it's it's
13:18more of an
13:18ensemble kind of a mom in fact is the star do you understand i understand but my sweet boy it's
13:28not
13:28possible it breaks my heart to say this but she gave up her equity card years ago i suppose if
13:41it's a
13:41one-off thing the union would reinstate her let me look into it mind if if it's a comedy maybe
13:51i could
13:51take her place remember my lady brecknell i had him rolling in the aisles it's more of a drama dad
13:58um
14:01i'll call the equity people i'll let you know what they say okay okay i'll see you later
14:14i hope it's not inappropriate for me to say but i'm a big fan of your work oh no never
14:20inappropriate
14:21i followed your career we actually worked together once many years ago of course we did yes just
14:29yes we did play together you were uh oh i remember i know i was somewhere with you it was
14:34at the mft it was
14:35the mft yes what midsummer nice stream yes of course you were you're demetrius i was demetrius
14:44you were lysander kenny did the glitter makeup for the fairies oh that's when the bug bit me
14:52i still do all my clients myself oh no more glitter though you know no it's good i mean it
14:59is an art
15:00i mean simulating the glow of tissue flushed with blood and concealing scars and sutures so your loved
15:08one doesn't you know look like a mannequin but the best moment that i've ever had in the theater
15:17is the two of you doing our town falling in love in the soda shop you were so good together
15:26so real thank you now shall we say hello to your mother yes she's not finished but i think you'll
15:36be
15:38pleased excuse me kenny kenny when when you say not finished in what way not finished don't worry
15:46she just looks like she's asleep like she could pop awake at any moment yeah could you could you
15:54just give me a moment certainly
16:10john's not very good with death i know i know yeah i said i want to apologize for what i
16:17said at dinner
16:17last night about my lack of talent i was just kenny's right you you were good in our town you're
16:26good in
16:27everything i was good yeah thank you that was a long time ago
16:45richard what is it
16:49i'm sorry about ethel
16:53i really loved her i know you did she was like my mother too
17:04she wore this to your opening of long day's journey oh it's beautiful
17:10we're gonna put it on her no one's even gonna see it right
17:16yeah everything just feels so ridiculous and pointless
17:21what do you mean what do you mean by everything everything
17:25they give birth a stride of a grave you're too young to quote beckett
17:30you've got your whole life ahead of you what am i going to do with it you're going to be
17:35an actor
17:35mom wants me to go to pen what do you want i want to act but i don't even know
17:43if i'm any good at it
17:45of course you're good you're my niece but maybe i only want to do it to piss mom off because
17:50she
17:50doesn't want me to do it i don't know i have anxiety all the time and everything is just
17:56fucked up democracy is dying people hate each other the world is just falling apart it's different
18:02than when you guys were young we had the cold war we had the bomb we had race riots we
18:06had
18:08richard nixon we had the vietnam war did did papa or nana ever tell you about the rock musical that
18:15they put on an mft no viet rock it was called very controversial they were picketing us and
18:22i had this song men die young was the name of the song yeah don't put all your eggs in
18:29one basket
18:30baskets wear out and men die young one night i was singing it and i came face to face with
18:37this woman
18:38that i knew whose son had just gotten his orders for vietnam just two weeks before and i'm singing
18:44this right in her face what did she do she threw her arms around me and hugged me tight
18:52i just kept singing what can i do
18:58every night after the play the audience and the actors would gather together and talk anyway we had our
19:08troubles troubles yeah we felt disenfranchised angry as hell but we had a place where we could
19:21commiserate and commune now that place is a dinner theater uh yeah but it's still a theater
19:32so there's hope oh yeah perfect
19:40good now the other one has to come in about three inches
19:44towards how's it going oh great yo i'm glad you're here you can help me with the music cues i'm
19:50gonna
19:50have underscoring you know between that's transitional why are you there
19:58that's me and hamlet that was mom's favorite you can't do that why not because it's not your
20:04funeral i'm shocked i have to remind you of that i know it's not my funeral but uh mom loved
20:11that
20:12performance it was her favorite and the town will recognize it ties in the whole theater mom
20:20the graveyard death the whole tragedy
20:25okay bye nina let's lose the the photograph stage right put it downstairs and replace it with uh
20:33mom in salome no
20:36okay let's bring in the mama salome hold that thought mom in south pacific
20:43it's in the green room happy yes let's run the um the sound cues for ethel's entrance
20:48shall we yeah we're gonna run q14 her entrance yeah start with uh number one please whenever you're ready
20:57number one
21:39uh number six number six going
21:51number six
21:58seriously what too light send in the clowns isn't that totally disrespectful is it just me yeah it's
22:05just you i said the same thing thank you randall you're welcome thank you randall yes and how many
22:11tony awards have you won remind me please yeah okay i don't know what i'm doing i mean how would
22:15i
22:15say hey hey hey take a breath take a breath hey hey clearly i know nothing listen maybe maybe maybe
22:22maybe don't have to cough and descend just have it on the stage at the beginning
22:30nope nope it's gotta have an entrance sorry sorry this this is the theater that mom built with dad
22:36and it's her last entrance and it's got to be a big entrance okay q3
22:49what the
22:51uh
22:57Nevermore, nevermore, nevermore.
23:05What the fuck?
23:09Okay.
23:09Go, go, go! Say sandbag!
23:12I don't know what I was thinking. I'm sorry.
23:14I just am sacrificing everything for some cheap spectacle.
23:18I'm not trusting the material.
23:20It's a funeral.
23:22Everybody loved Mom. They're gonna be sad.
23:24Yeah. Yeah. I just want it to be perfect. That's all.
23:28I know you do. I know you do.
23:31It's gonna be great.
23:32Yeah.
23:33Hey, just the fact that it's here.
23:36In our theater.
23:37Of course, I know. You're right.
23:38It's your gift to her. Yeah.
23:41Thanks, John. You're right.
23:44Let's lose the fog machine, random.
23:47That's a mistake.
23:56I got it, dude.
23:58Thanks for coming.
24:03You have the house.
24:07How's that?
24:17Richard. Richard.
24:20Here I am.
24:22How are you doing, Dad?
24:23Fine, fine.
24:24John's taking good care of me.
24:26Good.
24:27Your mother is so looking forward to this.
24:32We're good.
24:35Would you help, Granddad?
24:39Hi, sweetie.
24:41That's right.
24:43Huh?
24:44No.
24:45Hi.
24:54Hi, everyone.
24:59It means so much looking out and seeing you all here.
25:04And I want to thank you for coming here today to help us celebrate the life of my mother.
25:09Lord.
25:10Ethel B.
25:14A wife.
25:16An actress.
25:18And a friend.
25:20A friend to all of you.
25:26I'm sorry.
25:29I'm sorry.
25:31You okay?
25:32Yeah.
25:37Where were you?
25:39Friend to all and Grandam of this hour.
25:44Our family's theater.
25:46As some of you know, she was born in Dayton.
25:49And she worked her way through nursing school as an upholsterer's assistant.
25:53But the truth is, life for Ethel Harper Bean really didn't begin until she played Laura in the Glass Menagerie
26:02right here.
26:03On this stage.
26:06With Linus there as her gentleman caller.
26:11Okay.
26:12I think I've got it.
26:13I'm good.
26:13I think I've got it.
26:17You know, my mother always dreamed of being an actress.
26:22But it took her a while to find a home.
26:25This place.
26:27This place was her home.
26:29The Millersburg Festival Theater.
26:31And it's her life in this place that she would want us to celebrate.
26:37Now, we have a video for you.
26:39It was put together by Miranda and Randall.
26:42So, please.
26:44So, please.
27:09Horace Bandegilder never tired of saying most people, people in the world, were fools.
27:17And in a way, I think he's right, isn't he?
27:22But there comes a moment in everybody's life when he must decide whether to live with human beings or not.
27:30Be a fool among fools or a fool alone.
27:34As for me, I've decided to live among them.
27:50Oh, here.
27:51Excuse me.
27:51Is there a funeral happening in here?
27:53Yes, there is.
27:54Wait.
27:55What?
27:55What?
27:56You are he?
27:57What?
27:57You're from the movies, Conor.
27:59This is he.
28:00He's the one I tell you about.
28:02Oh, my God.
28:03What's your sign?
28:04What's your sign?
28:05Just one thing I have.
28:05Maybe a bit, love.
28:06I'm so sorry.
28:07This is totally inappropriate.
28:08I'm Conor Boyle.
28:09I'm working with the mayor.
28:12Your sister-in-law.
28:13No, I mean, you are...
28:14No, he's Richard Dean, you idiot.
28:16He's huge.
28:17Oh, well, you know, huge.
28:18Come on, love.
28:19Would you sign something, please?
28:22Of course not.
28:23This is my...
28:24Come on.
28:26It's nice.
28:26All right.
28:29Put to Nadia.
28:31Uh, Nad...
28:33Nadia.
28:34Nadia.
28:35With great love and respect.
28:40And I...
28:41And don't ever, don't ever give up on dreams.
28:45I won't.
28:46And then put, uh, your dreams will...
28:48Your dreams will come through one day.
28:50Your dreams?
28:51I hope so.
28:52I promise.
28:53Oh, okay.
28:54Love always.
28:56Love always.
28:56I carry you in my heart.
28:59I've run out of room.
29:00And then you just put, just put your name.
29:01Yeah, just great.
29:02Really appreciate it.
29:03Thank you very much.
29:04You don't know how much this means to me.
29:06You don't know how the theatre, it feeds me.
29:09I hope they haven't buried her yet.
29:11I'll sing.
29:12When you walk through a storm, hold your head up high.
29:21And don't be afraid of the dark.
29:24There, at the end of the storm, is a golden sky.
29:33And the sweet silver song of a lark.
29:39Walk on through the wind.
29:44Walk on through the rain.
29:49Though your dreams be tossed and blown.
29:56Walk on through the rain.
29:57It's your paid friend, Ali.
29:59Richard, are you there?
30:00Yes, I am.
30:01Here's the deal.
30:02They are willing to have you back at Liera.
30:04But you need to consent to a psychological evaluation
30:07and two weeks of anger management training.
30:10Walk on through the rain.
30:11Yes.
30:12I'll have to think about it.
30:13I'll call you back.
30:16You'll never walk alone.
30:34I have to admit, I thought this would be a train wreck.
30:37Well, I gave him a few notes.
30:39It's kind of great.
30:45We are such stuff as dreams are made on.
30:50And our little life is rounded with a sleep.
30:56Shakespeare's Tempest.
30:58His last play.
31:00And his farewell to the theater.
31:03Fitting words today as we say goodbye to my mother Ethel.
31:07The founder of this.
31:11This theater.
31:14It's difficult for me to explain what it was like growing up
31:17in an atmosphere of creativity and free expression.
31:21And the impact that it had on me, my brother John,
31:25on Kristen and Miranda.
31:29And this town.
31:32There's Mrs. Wilkie.
31:33My favorite algebra teacher.
31:35And a brilliant Masha in the seagull.
31:38Howard Frazier.
31:40Who, when the lights went out on our Morning Becomes Electra,
31:44he ran out to his truck, hooked up our electrical system,
31:47and in five minutes, presto, the lights were back on.
31:50He knew how important it was to keep the lights on in this theater.
31:54At that moment, it was the most important thing in his life.
31:57And it still is important.
31:59Because the Millersburg Festival Theater was not just my mother's home.
32:04It was and is the soul of this town.
32:10Sadly, I must report that because of financial pressures and misguided programming choices,
32:20this theater's in trouble.
32:23It might even close.
32:26That's right.
32:27But we're not going to let that happen.
32:30Are we?
32:31No.
32:34I'm coming home to Millersburg.
32:38I'm coming home.
32:39And I swear to you that together, I will restore the soul of this town.
32:50By producing and directing and maybe starring in the greatest production this country has ever seen
32:57of a true American classic, Thornton Wilder's Our Town.
33:04My son has come home!
33:17This is Mom's funeral, right?
33:19No, not anymore.
33:21It's the Richard Bean Show.
33:32That's my son, right?
33:37I'm ready.
33:40Oh look, I'm back then!
33:44I'll be back then.
33:45Bye!
33:52And a few minutes.
33:55I'm happy.
33:55I'll be back then.
33:55I'm happy.
33:56Bye!
33:58Bye!
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