My criteria for working with people is that they have to be: 1) talented, 2) passionate, and 3—most important of all) chill AF. So, I was super happy when everyone in the cast and crew of Amazon Reviews: The Musical turned out to be a total delight. Out of the whole team, no one had a big ego or was difficult on set. Well, except for that one cast member.
TBH, one of our actresses was pretty difficult. Although she was only called for two days of the shoot, she insisted on coming to set all five days just to prance around and act like a star. Then she got super TMI when she let EVERYONE know that she had performance anxiety-induced diarrhea. Not to mention the fact that she would only perform as long as there was a constant supply of compliments and snacks. The moment the praise stopped, she stopped. By the end of the second day she was literally “chewing up the scenery”…. But, what could I do? She was my cat, Bear, and I love her.
Bear Maul’s woke IG account. Image via Instagram/Lauren Maul
Fortunately for all of us, Bear’s costar, Larry Owens, was a total pro and didn’t dare let Bear upstage him. Bear’s performance may be epic and nuanced, but Larry’s is even better. Plus, Larry is an amazing singer. And Bear’s just an OK hisser. (She did a lot of hissing at Larry to establish dominance.)
Director Wendy Seyb meets Bear Maul’s petting demands while costar Larry Owens waits patiently. Image via Lauren Maul
Jack Woods’ Amazon review of the cat castle. Image via Amazon/Lauren Maul
Don’t tell anyone, but the review for the cat castle that this song is based on is my favorite of the bunch. It fits all my criteria: long, full of personal detail, and brimming with emotion. Some people may think the reviewer, Jack Woods, is a little cray, but as a fellow cat guardian I know that he’s just passionate about his cat. And, according to the pictures, his cat Baby Kitty is just as precious as he says.
Bear Maul and her infinitely more professional costar Larry Owens. Image via Lauren Maul
Our human actor Larry understood where Jack was coming from and played him with love, not judgment. A man’s love for his cat is one of the purest loves there is, and this episode is an homage to that love. And maybe I’m just saying that because I have toxoplasmosis from a cat parasite that is known to impair judgment. Either way, CATS.
The super lit dance party. You should’ve been there. Image via Lauren Maul
All cats and parasites aside, my favorite part of filming this episode was the laser pointer dance party. We blacked out the windows to my office, taped a bunch of glow sticks on the wall, and turned on a little party lighting. (Specifically a “Supertech 7 Color Changing 3W RGB Crystal Magic Rotating Ball Effect Led Stage Lights for KTV Xmas Party Wedding Show Club Pub Disco DJ” from Amazon. And yes, the reviews for the light are just as chill as you’d expect.) It felt like the room had turned into the Peach Pit After Dark—callback to the Jason Priestley episode!
There’s only one episode left of this web-series! Are you caught up? Next week our finale episode is a passionate review of the Space Jam Deluxe DVD Set. Thanks for reading and watching!
