By Marcia E. Gawecki
This Friday night, Sept. 30, Cafe Cinema in Idyllwild is saying goodbye to two beloved movie regulars, Will Waddell and his wife, Lori Alexander. Since they will be moving to Santa Monica soon, Jeffrey Taylor asked them to pick the movie.
As you may know, Lori is an accomplished composer and musician, and Will is a beloved biology teacher at Idyllwild Arts. They chose two cinedues, “Bonsieur Monsieur Shlomi,” from Israel, and “Sex Among Other Things,” a short created by Idyllwild Arts students featuring Will as a sex ed teacher and Casey Abrams, our “American Idol” heartthrob, as one of the students.
“Bonsieur Monsieur Shlomi,” is a coming-of-age comedy that centers on a 16-year-old-boy, Shlomi. He takes care of his relatives, including his brother, mother and grandfather. He is a tremendous cook who can handle a lot of household chores.
However, things change for Shlomi when his school principal discovers that he is a genius. To get the proper education he needs, Shlomi must change schools. Yet, this genius is reluctant because of his mad crush on the girl next door.
Will can empathazine with Shlomi because he was in a similar situation in his youth.
“I had a mad crush on a girl in middle school,” Will recalled. “And before I could make a move, I got the news that my family was moving. I didn’t want to go.”
Oftentimes, teachers and students at Idyllwild Arts Academy are asked to try out for short movie roles. As a biology teacher, Will was a natural actor who delivered his lines with deadpan accuracy.
“It was really fun being in a comedy,” Will had said. “As long as it didn’t take away from my class time, I was game.”
(from L) Casey Abrams with Caleb H. from Idyllwild Arts, also appears in Friday's movie, "Sex Among Other Things"
Any seasoned actor could tell you that comedy is difficult. If the timing or actor’s expressions are off, then everything falls flat. Yet, Will was a natural humorist, the students who worked on the movie had said.
In “Sex Among Other Things,” Will used a life-sized skeleton to discuss the clinical aspects of human copulation to students in the class.
“The director allowed me to ad lib my lines a lot,” Will said. “I’m glad that I didn’t have to do another take.”
Casey Abrams fans can catch his early comedy talent in “Sex Among Other Things.” Casey is a natural cut-up, but he also can show a serious side. In “18 Minutes,” Casey played a young boy dealing with a father who was slipping into insanity (played by local Chris Pennock).
“I knew Casey had talent way back then,” said Jeffrey Taylor, before Casey made it big on Season 10 of “American Idol.”
Jeffrey had shown “Sex Among Other Things” years ago at Cafe Cinema when it came out for the first time.
Come see the full-lenght comedy,”Bonsieur Monsieur Shlomi,” and the short, “Sex Among Other Things” this Friday night at the new Cafe Cinema located at 53290 Deerfoot Lane in Idyllwild. For more information, visit www.greencafe.com
Copyright 2011 Idyllwild Me. All rights reserved.
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