Luann by Greg Evans and Karen Evans for March 27, 2018

In the last panel, if looks could kill… but I think Luann already died of shock.

With the instant skip to the auditions, time in the Luanniverse has passed. It is no longer the day after the lingerie sale.

Time has passed and nothing has happened to Luann, to Tiffany, to Ann, and to the leftover lingerie stock we saw still at the Fuse as Ann was putting on her coat and leaving.

The inventory never existed; readers just imagined it was there.

Tiffany never reported a fraud to the authorities.

Les never reported anything to the authorities.

We do not know if Ann merely shut the scam down, or reported the unfortunate “unknown” sale of counterfeit lingerie to the authorities. And we do not know if she mentioned that Tiffany has her customer list.

But we do know that time has passed.

And no cops have come by to interview Luann.

And Greg and Karen are happy to leave Les with the possibility of being charged with accessory after the fact.

….and Tiffany for extortion for demanding money without returning the product.

Sounds like Fay is shy and all on stage because Mom’s there.

Fay is encountering what practically everyone encounters in theater. Stage fright.

Give her a minute..

Stage: Fright.

Tough audience

I see Fay has inherited Luann’s love of vests. What is it with the girls in this strip dressing like Ellen DeGeneres?

She may not land the role anyhow!

Note to Schrodinger’s Dog: No, I wasn’t angry with you. Just chalk it up to the limits of the medium. Sometimes, text alone can sound like we’re angry with each other, when we’re really not. Sorry about that, pal!

Here’s seriously hoping it picks up from here. Maybe she’ll do better with a script.

Here’s seriously hoping it picks up from here. Maybe she’ll do better with a script.

Listen Beyonce gets stage fright so bad she wants to throw up, and so do so many of the very and incredibly successful entertainers out there. Fay will conquer this and Luann will help, and mom will be proud. We can’t see that yet, but I bet it will happen, and in this arc too.

All performers get stage fright, Luann will help her she will just say remember what we talk about.

I like Peppermeow’s comment, “Maybe she’ll do better with a script.” Actors gain confidence being somebody else – they don’t have to touch their own wounds. Fay on the stage introducing herself with her mother glaring is not the right task. Fay should be on the stage sporting a persona interacting with others on stage -not focusing on her Mom or anybody in the audience. I hope Luann figures this out.

With a mother like that no wonder Fay’s father isn’t around anymore.

Faye doesn’t have stage fright, she’s intimidated by her mom

Mother dearest seems to be more concerned about besting Luann than she is about her daughter doing well. Sad.

Mom’s not helping. She kinda reminds me of some boring friend Lu has. Faye’s not frail, she’s just threatened by mom. The ultimate controlling “DRAMA MAMA!” (Good name for the next play)

JEEZE, People. There was a time Fay would have never dared even gone on stage.

And Fay’s “Mommie Fearest” of a Mother would have never dreamed of loosening up on Fay even this little bit, to allow her the opportunity, so let’s give some credit to Luann, shall we?

Besides, everybody else auditioning for the part is probably 10 times WORSE than Fay and Axel will probably not have ANYTHING to with this play……,

It’s only Tuesday, so that means Fay has lots of time to recover. This is likely just a false stumble.

Well, you know what they say…..

-

A) It’s always darkest, before the power company turns the lights back on…

B) If you want an omelet, you have to ask the chicken, first…

C) Feet are cold? Stuff a beaver!

D) If at first, you don’t succeed….blame it on the rain that was falling, falling… (♩)

E)….Then, hurry and cut a deal for a reality show….

F) Rome wasn’t built in a day….union breaks, weather postponements, vacation time, and what-have-you….

G) Perseverance is the key….unless it’s actually something else….

AA) Time and Tide wait for no man!  You have to get one at the checkout counter, the other will be restocked tomorrow….hopefully….if the stock clerk shows up…

ZZ Top) She’s got legs! And if she knows how to use them, she can keep her knees from banging together, and regain her poise, and possibly save this….I hope…

“Shock And Audition”

“The Golden Goose That Laid An Egg”

“Come Softly To Me” (♬)

“The Nerve Of This Girl”

“Intimate Apparent”

“Shakes, Rattled And Cold” (♩)

“I Want ‘Bread And Butter’!…But, I’m Like, Toasted, And In A Jam!” (♪)

“Cold Feet?  Starkly, A Believer”

“Just Straighten Up, And Fly Right!” (♩)

“If You Stay On The Edge, You Won’t Fall”

“(She Woke Up In) A Cold Sweat” (♩)

“Even If It Don’t Cut The Mustard, You Can Still Catch Up!”

“Crack The Shell, To Make The Omelet”

or

“Hooks, Lines, And That Sinking Feeling”

- OR -

“The Singing None!”

♪♪ “The Shills are alive with the sound Mucinex!” ♪♪ – Julie Andrews

♪♪ “Sweet Child! She ain’t Mine! But Her Mother….,” ♪♪ – Guns ’N Roses

♪♪ “Cat’s in the the Dradle!” ♪♪ – Harry Chapin

♪♪ “Oh. Fourteen……,” ♪♪ – Steely Dan

♪♪ “Touch of Fay!” ♪♪ – Grateful Dead

♪♪ “YOUR Generation!!!” ♪♪ – The Who

Maybe Fay is much better with a script or story outline than she is when talking about herself – having a sceptical witch of a mother scowling at her certainly doesn’t help, but remember that Fay invited her to watch the audition and Axel. As Cher (referenced earlier) said to Nick Cage – “snap out of it”…

Um, VILYEHM, (and others like you), aren’t you taking this COMIC STRIP a little too seriously? This is intended to amuse you, and the characters are NOT real. Enjoy the story and please don’t get so worked up with the story line. I like the strip, but at least I know it’s a make believe world that exists only in the cartoonist’s mind.

Fay is likely shy and fragile because her mother is overprotective.

4

Sadly, it appears that TODAY’s shyness from Fay is a result of her mother’s glaring countenance. Unfortunately, Mom will likely not realize that and will instead glower and fuss at both Luann and Fay about this “failure”. At the moment, it appears that Mrs. Garcia may become more of a “Mommy Dearest” sort of character.

However, I hope this is NOT the way the arc proceeds.

Instead, what I think WOULD be wonderful would be for Mrs. Garcia to become aware of the very idea that she has been circumnavigating around even with her attempts to have Luann “help” Fay….. for Fay to become less shy and less nervous, Fay has to be allowed to try… and to sometimes fail…. and to sometimes succeed…. in a wide array of different situations. This audition…. whether successful or not… is a way for Fay to grow and develop and understand herself and the world around her.

If the audition does not go well, then she learns from this and figures out how to make the next time better. In this way, it can be part of the process that helps Fay to figure out things for herself. If somehow Fay figures out a way to make the audition work, even after the stumble… then that too is good and helps Fay grow.

This is what I hope will happen with Fay’s character, however, I fear it is only a pipe dream ( heavy sigh ).

Mrs. Garcia glowering in the last panel, does not suggest her view is on having Fay grow and “develop”, however. She seems to have expected Luann to produce the perfect “product” in her work with Fay… prepackaged and ready to go and fit into the little perfect box that Mrs. Garcia envisions for Fay.

What if Faye’s Mom suddenly shouted “Come on Fay! You can do it!” ?

Maybe if Fay’s mom left the room…

I’ll give Faye’s Mom credit: She’s aware she may be over-protective and truly loves her daughter, allowing her to still do theater at all. However, if I was her age and my mom was sitting there crossed-arm with that scowl on her face, I’d wither too. She needs to relax and show support, not always expect the worst.

If Fay gets into character and becomes the ‘non fragile, non shy’ person Luann saw on stage during mentoring sessions, Mrs. Garcia would no longer be scowling at Luann. Fay is experiencing stage fright. Something that happens to lots of pro actors and musicians, too…

Kids and pets will make a liar out of you every time.

I don’t like to say this but I see a very big chance of a teen pregnancy in Fay’s future if her Mom continues treating Fay as she does.

So would call Fay mom a stage mom.

As someone who loves to be on stage, I can attest; I love the performance, I LOATHE auditions! For me (and I’ve heard it from others as well), it is far easier putting yourself into a part you already know you have then trying to convince someone to give you the part. You don’t know what they are looking for, how they want you to say it, who they may have in mind already, on and on. It’s nerve wracking! During rehearsals and performance, I am no holds barred, don’t care who is watching. But, at auditions (many times with people I’ve worked with prior), I am sick to my stomach nervous and mess up lines that I have written on the page in front of me!

She’s acting shy. Goood acting at that.

Perhaps Mrs. Grrcia is thinking that Luann should have spent more of their last session on teaching Fay how to handle auditions, and less of it on how to argue with her mother….

Not that I quite agree, but it’s a thought. :s

For me getting on stage in a community theater production taught me how to work past shyness. The stage was not for me, and i was just “competent” but seeing that i could be more myself by not quite being myself (I know, but in action it works) has helped me for most of my life. Steve and i have a friend who acts, directs, writes, and produces for whom the effect was just as freeing. She did not even know that she wanted the stage till then. It has worked out well for her.

EVERYBODY SIMMER DOWN! She’s just gathering her wits…

If Fay rehearsed a part that plays opposite Axel, and Axel sees Fay’s stage freight, he starts reciting his lines.

Fay responds.

Fay and Axel go through the entire first act, never noticing the people telling them they both got the part and they can stop now.

Or at least that’s how I’d write it to get likes from the fans, and a completely speechless Mrs. Garcia.

Fay asked her Mom to attend; she should have planned for the feeling she might get seeing Mrs. Garcia’s glaring eyes. There’s time to recover. This is just her introduction.

A major part of acting lessons consists of improvisation. If she wants to be an actress, Fay will have to be able to “become” a character, like that upper-crust English lady we saw her portraying at Kafe Kablooie. Right now, Fay ought to be pretending to be a confident and assertive young aspiring actress, even if she isn’t one in real life.

Seems Fay’s whole world revolves around Axel.

It’s her MOM who issued an ultimatum to Luann!! It is only Tuesday, though – so perhaps the ‘Bubble-Keeper’ will be challenged (and perhaps, Luann, again)…

OK, Fay .. ‘Quibbling Siblings?’ Then PRETEND your mother is a sibling and start quibbling with HER in mind!!

I still want to know where Mrs. Garcia thinks she’s going to find all these plays in a small town.

Poor “fragile and shy” Fay. The only acting she will ever do is acting as her mother’s caregiver. The inevitable trap. Again, I say, those apron strings will become chains.

This is like some of those court cases on TV: the parent, or boss of the college jocks, or whoever, sits in the audience and gives the person on the stand the evil eye. Cover those evil eyes of her mom and Fay would do OK. She is ‘shy’ from constant hostility and judgment from her prissy mother (again, what Bernice will become in a few years).

Relapse! Back-sliding!

Or, Mom Garcia is just so scary….

I really dislike the smug “I told you so” look on Mrs Garcia’s face.

Crash, Burn.

on the other hand …