Life On The Road With Augustus

Farewell, Gloop!

2007-08-17T00:39:00.001-04:00

HEY EVERYONE!

Tour is done...so GoGloop is not going to be added to anymore! But wipe away those tears...and come visit me at my NEW blog:

The MAnderson Report

You can keep track of my and my life OUT of the chocolate bin and off the road!

THANKS for making GoGloop such a fun escape on while I was on the road. See you at The Report!

Ciao!
Gussy

PATHETIC

2007-05-21T01:10:00.000-04:00

....ok.......I'll wait while you pick up your jaw off the floor or table or desk. I'll wait a few more seconds while you compose yourself. I'll continue to wait as you deal with the SHOCK that has just hit your body.....

It's true. After over a month of silence, the tongue has been LOOSED and he who once seemed to have disappeared has suddenly appeared. And in a strange way, what started out as just another crappy Monday morning has turned into a somewhat LESS crappy Monday morning.

And why now? Why today? Well.....because as of TODAY, Monday the 21st of May, 2007, the Wonka crew is looking at 4 shows left. And by the time we lay our heads down to sleep on Thursday of this week, we will be laying our heads down at our own individual homes and in our own individual beds. And the past 4, 9 or 18 months will have become a thing of the PAST... rich with stories, experiences and life-defining moments. And as with everything that comes to an end, there is sentiment and memories and stories to be shared before we head off into the sunset.

And what have you MISSED since March 22? About 327 trips to various Wal-Marts and Targets around the Midwest and East Coast, a TON of hours asleep in the van, various hotels and dressing rooms around the same area, a handful of auditions and Broadway shows in the New York City area, and a couple of great parties hosted by both Roe's family AND Rachel's family. So not much, really, except for the awesome parties!

For the BLOG-faithful....I will do my BEST to wrap things up this week....over the next couple of days. So, although it's a leap of faith at this point, check back to see the last few days notes on my closing thoughts on the Wonka.

And thank you....ALL....for being the BLOG-faithful. And REMINDING me that I hadn't written. Since March 22nd. It meant a lot.

CIAO! Happy Crappy Monday!
G

Hi STRANGER!

2007-03-22T23:00:00.000-04:00

I know. I know. I've heard it from many of you. From those of you I haven't heard it DIRECTLY from, I've heard it from your Wonkerer. I've heard it over the phone - I've heard it over email - I've heard it through the US Postal Service. I kind of feel like I'm writing a Dr. Seuss novel to Sam, I am.

YES! I heard it on the phone!

YES! I heard it in your tone!

YES! I heard it here and there!

YES! I've heard it everywhere!

I heard it in bus, van and tram!

I'm FINALLY writing, SAM I AM!

so lay off me...

OK. But seriously...what is UP with, like, the 2 week unplanned and unannounced hiatus the blog went on? Who does that? I do, evidently. With all the moving and shaking around we've been doing, the LAST thing I wanted to do each day was to get on and report that we either A) drove to another city and went to ANOTHER Target or Wal-Mart; or B) were in another random city, watching TV shows in our hotel rooms. Reporting like that gets all of us half-way to nowhere. And that's not what any of us want. Because, as I've learned on this, half-way to nowhere is still pretty much nowhere.

So to catch you up since last we were in Sylvania....let me give you one of my favorite graphics to show you JUST where we've been in the past 2 weeks. Please observe:

it's almost like a connect the dots....just start at the circle marked A, which is Sylvania and follow through the alphabet to...um...whatever the last letter is on there. I think it's H - and H is actually where we are driving to on Saturday. But look at it this way: NOW, thanks to the blog, you're actually a head of us! Instead of behind. Brilliant. I know.

I decided I HAD to blog today because we had the craziest experience here in Elizabethtown today. It's something that has NEVER happened to me before with the Wonka on the road. And it was both awesome....and not awesome. So today was our first show scheduled in E-town. It was at noon - which we all thought was a great time! Turns out that the venue we are performing at, the Hardin County Performing Arts Center, is attached to the local high school. So we roll up, go through our regular routine and get ready for the show. There were a few differences from other stops....mainly dealing with the school bells ringing and the large amounts of high school students walking down the same halls we were walking from our dressing room to the stage in. But regardless...we were there and ready to perform.

The show started and was rolling along nicely. I am here to report that about 34 seconds after stepping on stage for the first time, I realized how HOT and muggy it was on stage. It was a nice spring day outside...but MAN it was heating up on stage. Felicia and I noted to each other numerous times during the first half of the show how hot it was, and how positive we were that one of us was going to faint. Yeah folks...THAT hot. But we plugged along...because we're pre-fessionals and we do it for the children.

First half is rolling along smoothly....and we get right to where all the children have arrived at the gates....the big REVEAL of Wonka and the factory doors swinging open...and as we're all standing there and getting ready to turn to see Rachel open the gates......THE POWER GOES OUT! Completely out. Sound. Lights. Music. EVERYTHING. We're talking PITCH DARK. But people....never you fear....because as previously stated, we are PRE-FESSIONALS. Not one to miss a beat, from behind the factory gate doors and in the dark of the theater, we hear Rachel, after a brief pause decide to soldier ON! The children are here...and we will not disappoint. So from the darkness we hear Rachel's booming voice declare: "LADIES AND GENTLEMEN! (beat) (beat) (beat) WE WILL NOW.......PAUSE."

WELL....forget it folks. I was already giggling at this point (it was ok - my mic wasn't going to pick it up....because THE POWER WAS OUT!) but that sent us all WAY over the edge. And then as Rachel opened the gates and continued with the scene, the flood-lights in the theater came on....and Rachel continued her monologue...approaching each child, collecting tickets, speaking of the 'Chocolate Genius', punching Jonny in the chest....well, the chest-punch is not NORMALLY part of the show...but hey...today? ANYTHING goes! And as soon as Rachel was done, Steve carried on. We were all bewildered...giggly....and extremely confused as to WHAT we would do next. (My thought was just to have Wonka announce at this moment that Charlie wins! We'd bow - head out - call it a day. It totally worked in MY head!)

At this point, a representative from the venue stepped on to the stage to announce that we were going to hold...and asked the students to stay in their seats and the cast to step off stage until we could resume the show. He didn't have to ask us twice. We were off and laughing about it even before his annoucement was done! I mean.....POWER-OUTTAGE? RACHEL'S ANNOUNCEMENT? FLOOD LIGHTS? THE THOUGHT OF HOW WE'D FINISH THE SHOW WITH NO MUSIC OR LIGHTS? Adding it all up in our minds, it was pretty hysterical.

The next few minutes were spent laughing about it and waiting for updates...until finally, the representative from the theater received word that the maintenance workers who would have to work on the outtage were on the NORTH end of the county and unable to make it back. So their plan was to call the show - almost exactly halfway through - send the students home and call it a day. BUT - to make up for some of the loss, they asked us if we would be willing to go into the lobby in costume to say GOOD BYE to the children as they left. All of us agreed it was the least we could do.

I'm hear to report that what started out as a great idea of going to the lobby turned into a pretty heart-breaking scene. I'm guessing the classes that came today were grades K-3. And as they passed us, heading out, we saw a LOT of sad kids (whether they were sad the show ended or sad to be heading back to class, we shall never know...but we like to think it was for the show!) and not only kids that we thought were sad - kids we KNEW were sad...because of the TEARS FALLING DOWN THEIR FACES. That's right folks...long story short...we came, we performed, we brought the children to tears....I'd say our work is done here. But seriously...it was a little bit tragic for all of us, seeing how sad some of these kids were on their way out. It also reaffirmed to me how MUCH kids love the experience of seeing this show! And what a cool job we have ....with the opportunity to affect kids lives like we do. GRANTED today...we probably scarred a few...but I mean on the whole....we're doing a good thing here.

The craziest part of the whole experience was as we were standing there, saying good-bye, as the LAST class started to head out the doors....THE POWER CAME BACK ON! HAHAHAHA! How messed up is THAT? Of course by this time it was too late to STOP all the classes that had already left and bring them back and start up again. But MAN...it sure was bad timing! Hopefully, since we have 2 school shows tomorrow, they will be able to fit a few of the classes back in to see the show. I'm a firm believer that these students lives won't be complete until they see Augustus go IN to the chocolate bin. It will shape their little lives.

So here we are at the end of another WACKY day on the road with Wonka. It was definitely a FIRST...and will definitely go down in the books as being the time we broke the children's hearts. But, like life, it's just one of those things you experience, you learn from and then you move on from. And WHAT exactly did we learn? We learned how much seeing this show means to kids. We learned to push on...even when the power is out and it seems like we shouldn't. And most of all, we learned that if at all possible, we should schedule POWER OUTTAGES on days with 3 shows...like tomorrow...because wasting it on a one-show day is like...like....asking for a fresh fruit cup at Coldstone Creamery. I KNOW! KIND of a waste...but still kind of good for you....but still...kind of a waste......

Coming soon...some pictures to catch you up on the past 2 weeks...which is good, since I know most of you come for the pictures anyway! Hopefully, today, a story will do! Happy Friday!

A Correction

2007-03-07T01:38:00.000-05:00

WELL....since today was a day off in Sylvania, there is little to report. A little shopping - a little sleeping in - a little movie. (Zodiac....long, but very interesting.)

So since there is little to report, I wanted to take this 'free time' and make a correction on a recent post. Remember the post about the tiles? For the individual shows at the venue in Michigan? WELL....I received a certain amount ribbing and grief today for leaving out one of the creators of the tile. SO....I swore to that creator that I would make SURE and include kudos to HER on here tonight. Our wardrobe guru, JODI, also helped Katie with the WONKA TILE for the ceiling in Michigan. And I always want credit to be given where credit is due....so a HUGE thanks to Jodi for her tile-work!

Our Midwest Madness

2007-03-06T01:27:00.000-05:00

OK....so yesterday I made a FEEBLE attempt at an excuse to tell you WHY I haven't even thought about blogging recently. Well, tonight, I wanted to SHOW YOU the madness that has been our past 10 days. Let me break it down for you: from the time we left Cleveland on February 24th, until the time we pulled into Sylvania (Ohio) tonight, we have traveled about 847 miles, done 12 shows in 5 cities, and lived through an average temperature high of 11 degrees each day. (I actually made up that last temperature part....right on the spot...but it has been cold. Probably not THAT cold...but it made the other statistics so much more DRAMATIC! And who doesn't like a good, dramatic weather forecast?) It's been a whirlwind of activity...but it's been a good, tiring time!

Today you're getting the odds and ends of pictures from our last 10 days or so...just to catch up you and catch me up and get us all caught up! Isn't that fair? Totally. Some of the pictures are NEW pictures from OLD topics and pictures you've already been priivy to. And pictures with an asterisk (*) come from the FCPC. (FCPC = Felicia Curry Photography Collection.)

Tuesday is our day OFF...and we are all pretty excited to do absolutely NOTHING...based both on our location AND our physical state of being.

Enjoy the pictures!

*Jodi, Felicia, Rachel and Jonny all decked out for a night with Chita.

*Felicia practices KICKIN' with Chita at the Palace Theatre.

*MORE from the Christmas Story House! L: The cast and crew gather round the Christmas tree for a 'Family Picture.' R: Me enjoying my alone-time with the cast...

*A couple of not-to-be-missed pieces from the museum....which I missed. BUT, Felicia got! L: some of the costumes from the movie...including Randy's SNOW SUIT! ("I can't put my arms down!") R: The Red Rider BB Gun. Need I say more?

*Felicia celebrates our time at Clowes Hall on the campus of Butler University in Indianapolis, IN.

*Roe, Felicia and Jonny backstage in Wabash! So WHAT'S the big deal about WABASH?

YEP! You read it right. In the WORLD. THE WORLD!

So this was from some random drive day...in some random podunk city...somewhere in the middle of nowhere. We stopped to get gas and across the street from the gas station was this little building with this sad little door and wreath - and a sign over the door that says "CITY HALL." We found it entertaining.

So my friend, Darren, sent me a Dwight Bobblehead...from the HIT NBC sitcom, The Office! And since every Thursday, Felicia, Jodi and I have a standing OFFICE/EARL PARTY...we all wanted our chance to welcome Dwight into our tour lives.

And welcome him we did!

Bobblehead Dwight has gotten pretty used to life on the road so far. He REALLY likes it when I end up getting a DOUBLE - instead of a KING. When it's a KING, I make him stand on the desk for the night. But when I am dealt a double, Bobblehead Dwight gets his own bed...and look how happy it makes him. So happy.

So I introduced Felicia to the magic of Pei Wei restaurants while we were in Clinton, MI. (Pei Wei = PF Changs 'fast food' restaurant...and delicious.) At the end of the meal, felicia cracked open her fortune....

...and was told she needed to eat more, evidently. HONESTLY? This isn't a fortune, Fortune Writing People! Please make a note of it.

Clinton, MI was a big stop NOT just because we got Pei Wei...but Felicia got to see her MOM, too! (In the center, next to Felicia!) She lives in the Ypsilanti area...and came over for the show! Felicia's aunt and her 2 cousins, and a friend of Felicia's mother and her 2 sons came to the show, as well! Needless to say, Wonka was a HUGE hit in Michigan!

The venue in Michigan has a little 'tradition' to have the shows that come through decorate a ceiling tile...and then hang it up! It's pretty fun....to walk down the halls and see all the different shows and art creations! Here is Katie with the WONKA TILE she made! HUGE props to Katie for her awesome work on the time! It looked awesome and we all got to sign it! THANKS, KATIE!

Katie in the process of hanging the tile!

A couple of other shows tiles...which I took for a couple of friends with ties to these shows. You know who you are! I lay on the GROUND for these...so you better LOVE THEM! ha. Or not. It's cool either way.

Jonny watches all the ceiling-tile-excitement from his STAR dressing room. Which (he won't tell you) he had to share with ME. And it was pimped OUT! Sort of.

Hey look everyone! It's Rose and Marie...our Siamese Twins! Rarely seen...but really good girls. With fierce high kicks...and gas.

The Ritz Theatre marquee in Tiffin, OH.

Jonny and a couple of well-dressed squirrels. Hanging out...enjoying the weather...in Tiffin.

Mr. Squirrel Dude even has a bushy moustache AND eyebrows. I'm going to call CREEPY...just a little bit.

And finally...today, after our shows in Tiffin, we had the rare....treat...of helping with LOAD OUT! A good time was had by all! The pictures tell it all.

Whoa.......

2007-03-05T01:14:00.000-05:00

WHAT the CRAP happened to ME!? Honestly...what's really funny about it all is that Thursday night, or early Friday morning, I woke up out of DEEP SLEEP and started laughing...thinking to myself, "SELF! You haven't blogged in over a week! And not only that...you FORGOT ABOUT IT!" And then I got an email from my mom later that day that said, 'WHERE IS GUSSY!?' So - I guess some of you noticed. Sorry about that.

We are just kind of zipping along here in the Midwest...and it's been such a crazy week with all of our moving and shaking, I guess I just put blogging on the back burner. Since we left Cleveland, we have been to Springfield Ohio, Indianapolis and Wabash Indiana, Clinton (Detroit) Michigan and now Tiffin Ohio! ALL since February 22nd! Again...WHOA. What the CRAP? And the next 3 weeks are going to be just as crazy...if not more. BUT - I will do better at keeping you informed.

Today, I'm going to catch you up on the pictures I have to share from the rest of our stay in Cleveland...and tomorrow, I will share with you the pictures and stories for our time in the rest of the cities. Don't worry - NONE of them are as involved as the Cleveland report!

THE REST OF CLEVELAND...

Here's the Cleveland Browns Stadium...which sits right on Lake Erie. So...that's fun.

During our stop in Cleveland, Steve and Jonny did an interview at a local television station...and got a pimped out ride to the station! I've said it before, and I'll say it again...we are BIG TIME Children's Theater Stars. PLEASE make a note of it!

One night in Cleveland, we got tickets to see CHITA RIVERA: A DANCERS LIFE at the Palace Theatre...part of the complex we were performing at. Here are some pictures of Jodi, Felicia and Rachel, all dressed up and enjoying martini's before we headed out to the theater.

ANOTHER NIGHT OUT WITH 'ALICE'

The cast of ALICE came into the city for a second night...and it was another night of fun! Here are Felicia and Dionne...who quickly labeled themselves the Black Girl Mafia. LOOK OUT!

Fun at the table...at Cleveland's local Irish Pub!

Part of the fun for Roe in Cleveland was being in town the same time her cousin! And for the rest of us, part of the fun was them joining us at Flannery's!

Best friends forever...TO THE MAXXXXXXXXX!

A final farewell outside Flannery's!

KIRTLAND, OHIO

So what's the deal with this 'Kirtland'? Well, Kirtland is a historical stop along the Mormon history trail! And since it's right outside of Cleveland, I took an afternoon to run out and check it out...with Jeffrey and Jonny in tow! It was cold...we were the only people there (note for future reference: WINTER...not a real tourist-time for the Mormon history sites)...but it was pretty interesting, I think, for both Mormons and non-Mormons alike. For me it was a pretty cool to see a part of the actual HISTORY of where my faith and beliefs came from. And part of it was a deeply humbling reality check for me...just to realize that who I am really does have a real, profound, rich, interesting history. And I'm proud of it.

Um. A picture at the visitors center.

So....it was pretty snowy...and cold. But OH so beautiful.

Some of the buildings on the grounds. Upper L: The Whitney Store. Upper R: The Johnson Inn. Lower: The Whitney Home with Jeffrey passing by in front.

Various scenes from inside the Whitney House...complete with Jonny and Jeffrey listening to our tour guide for the day. He was very informative...and a bit chatty...but still....VERY informative. But chatty.....

Jeffrey invites us along....out the front door of the Whitney House across the street to the Whitney Store!

Scenes from inside the Whitney Store. Um....I could swear Jonny was shopping for bonnets in that first picture. And, Easter IS fast approaching...but still....OH! AND...there is our tour guide, informing us along the way....and chatting....

A couple of random shots from the store. L: B&W of the shelves. R: A fun little corn cob checkers set. Don't worry, I didn't touch.

Some scenes from upstairs in the Whitney Store...where the Prophet, Joseph Smith lived with his family during part of his time in Kirtland. Upper L: The general living area. Upper R: The School of the Prophets room...where Joseph Smith taught other leaders of the church. Bottom: Looking in to the room used for the School of the Prophets.

Saying good-bye to the Whitney Store AND to our informative, chatty tour guide!

And we bid the Kirtland Visitors Center a fond adieu!

Some scenes from our QUICK stop at the Kirtland Temple...which was not open to tourists...due to the whole WINTER lull in tourism for the area.

On our drive out of town, I snapped a quick drive-by picture of the last house Joseph Smith and his family lived in...before they headed West.

'A CHRISTMAS STORY' HOUSE

That means exactly what it says! Our final HURRAH in Cleveland was visiting the recently renovated house used in the filming of 'A Christmas Story'. What we learned at the new museum? Only the exterior of the house was really used...since the interior at the time was a duplex. (Although the scenes of the Leg Lamp in the window ARE in the house....with the dad looking at it from across the street.....) But regardless, we had a BLAST visiting it and reliving our favorite moments of the show! PLUS! We ate lunch at C&Y Chinese - where the family had dinner. FA RA RA RA RA! They DID recreate as much of the interior of the house as possible, for the $5 museum fee...and you can check it all out by clicking HERE!

I got nothing....

Here it is! And here we are! And there is everyone jumping! And we were all just so excited! But who wouldn't be?

Electric Sex...GLEAMING in the window.

Mike and Jeffrey both enjoy their time with the Leg Lamp.

It's a major award! FRAGILE? It must be Italian!

Roe re-creates the Pink Bunny PJ's scene. Well done, Roe.

Rachel celebrates Christmas morning with the family.

The cast...and Jodi.

L: The Shed. (Don't remember? Think BLACK BART!) R: A look down the street out front of the house.

A couple of things from the Museum/Gift Shop across the street from the house that delighted me.

A Conversation

2007-02-22T01:46:00.000-05:00

So we did our show today - and then everyone pretty much CRASHED all afternoon. These beds...GLORIOUS! So I don't have a lot to report on our day. BUT - I did forget to recount a conversation that I had at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Gift Shop yesterday. I was looking for postcards, and they had 2 racks of postcards of different artists who we had just seen throughout the museum. I was interested in getting a Bee Gees postcard to send to my buddy Darren. So, not seeing one, I decided to find an employee and ask if they had one...maybe I was just missing it. I looked and found a young, very eager guy who we will now refer to as Champ. (That's not really his name...but I can't remember it and Champ seems to do the job.)
Our conversation went as follows:

Matt: Excuse me, Champ. I'm looking for a postcard of the Bee Gees, but can't seem to find one. Do you know if you have one?

Champ: OH no man...we don't! We should, though. A lot of people ask for them. They were one crazy band.

Matt: (a little perplexed...wondering how CRAZY they really were) Well, I guess you could say that.

Champ: I mean, that song of theirs....Rock Lobster. That was crazy.

Matt: (with a sudden light of realization) OH....gotcha. You mean the B-52's. And yeah, they are pretty crazy. I'm talking about the Bee Gees. Like, Saturday Night Fever, Stayin' Alive...that stuff.

Champ: (clearly confused...and a tad bit embarassed) OHHHHHH! The Bee Gees. Yeah man...they were crazy, too.

Matt: (cricket!) (cricket!) (cricket!) OK. Thanks then. (exit to continue shopping)

--------------------------------------------------------------------

(Matt approached cash register to pay for purchases.....)

Champ: (approaching cash register) You ready to check out sir? (looks up and sees that it is Matt approaching cash register - smiles) Hey sir...you know what is so crazy? About 3 minutes after you walked off, someone ELSE came up and asked me about the Beattles, too!

Matt: (cricket!) (cricket!) (cricket!) Um...OK. Crazy. Thanks.

(Matt pays, turns and walks out of Hall of Fame.)

Champ: Have a great day, sir! Come back and see us again soon.

------------------------------------------------------------------

Thanks, CHAMP...for a great laugh!
Everyone else have a GREAT day.....
G

Cleveland ROCKS!

2007-02-21T01:59:00.000-05:00

Howdy Blog-Faithful!
Today's entry is completely and utterly caught up. It worries me a little....because I've been behind for so long...but I am not going to fight it. We made it to Cleveland on Sunday...we had Monday off and Tuesday, today, we started our week of shows here at the Allen Theatre - part of Playhouse Square in Cleveland. The MAGIC of our shows this week? We only have 1 show every morning - at 10:30am! Let's do the math here:

1 show @ 10:30am. 1 show = 1 hour, 5 minutes. work day ends: 11:35am ROUGHLY.

You will get NO arguements from me on this schedule. PLUS, as the luck of the draw would go, we are at the RITZ CARLTON Cleveland for the week....so yeah...right about now, things on the Wonka Tour are going pretty dern well.

After our 10:30am show today, everyone went their own way. Jonny and I packed up our stuff and headed down the street to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and Museum - right here in Cleveland. I'm going to be honest - it was a pretty kick-ass museum visit! We were there for about 3 1/2 hours....and if I wanted to, I probably could've spent a couple more hours! Did anyone know that Jimi Hendrix was a BUDDING artist as a little boy? You gotta see his pics of various college football players! And wait until you see some of the clothes in this place! For me the highlight of the museum is the access they give you to the MUSIC of the inductees. Jonny and I spent the last 45 minutes or so at the Inductees Jukebox - listening and dancing away to the hits of Prince, Elvis, Gladys Knight and the Pipps, The 4 Seasons, and the list goes on and on and on. Cameras aren't allowed in the museum....but did I care? Not really. I snapped a couple SECRET SHOTS...so enjoy them!

Cleveland evidently IS the birthplace of Rock N Roll. Read all about it! And check out the exterior of the museum!

Jonny gives up a little rock....

...and a LOT of roll...before we enter the buildling.

L: my FIRST attempt at a stealth picture of Jonny rocking out to the music. No luck. R: my SECOND successful attempt!

Sights from the Signature Wall of all inductees. L: Elvis and Prince share a space. R: The Bee Gees trio signatures!

Tonight, another 'as luck would have it' situation...our cast ended up getting together with some of the OTHER Kennedy Center Tour cast...ALICE! They are in the greater Cleveland area, performing their show tomorrow...so our old friend, Chris Schardin (Puppetmaster from the 2005-2006 Wonka Tour!) brought Nate, Brad, Rachel and Jeremy from THEIR tour into town and we spent the evening eating, drinking and laughing at the Winking Lizard Tavern in Cleveland. Thanks for coming, ALICE! All I'm saying is....Wednesday Night at Flannery's!? I'm pretty sure Nate's Irish...everyone else can just come along!

The meeting of the casts! L: Nate, Katie, Rachel, Jodi, Rachel and Brad (in the back) stop and pose. R: Jeremy, Brad, Felicia, Jeffrey and Nate get close.

Chris and Roe catch up on life.

I don't know what is going on...but MAN I love these faces.....

So...um...if anyone needs a ketchup bottle...check in Felicia's purse. I think she carries one around.

Felicia says good bye to the ALICE Crew outside the Winking Lizard.

Roller Mania: Lincoln 2007

2007-02-20T00:48:00.000-05:00

So....if you're in Lincoln, NE and you have some free time on your hands...do WE have a solution for you! Hop in your car and head down to the National Museum of Roller Skating - and then TELL ME that it doesn't change your life. Somehow. Randomly.

Although our time in Lincoln has drawn to a close, I thought that it wouldn't be fair to clump our trip to the NMoRS with all of our other adventures in Lincoln! So, since today was a day off in our next stop, Cleveland, and because I slept until 2pm today and don't have a lot to report, I figured I would be able to pay the FULL attention to our day...er...our afternoon...er....our 45 minutes at the Roller Museum! It's a look at the history of roller skating, and...other stuff relating to roller skating. But instead of me boring you with all the details in written word, enjoy seeing our time at the museum through the magic of the Canon Powershot!

And until next time...roll on!

Some of the cast at the headquarters of the USA Roller Skating Confederation...which houses the museum. One of the most interesting parts of the trip was walking into the building - walking through the work place of the Roller Folks to the back corner/conference room where the museum is housed. We knew at first STEP into the building that we were in for a treat.

Roe takes a moment to learn the various developmental phases the roller skate has seen.

L: Jeffrey shows off...um...a wheel. It had some significance...but it's eluding me at time of writing. R: Some pretty old-ass skates.

A look at some of the ROLLER ART gracing the walls of the museum. Evidently, Jodi has a great interest in ROLLER ART...as I caught her in 3 of the 4 shots. And then I ask....well who DOESN'T like some good roller art?

You KNOW a good Roller Museum is going to highlight some GREAT roller threads! Steve, Jeffrey and Roe take a moment to highlight some of the better pieces in the Roller Costumes Wing of the Museum.

Felicia stops at the 'Famous People In Roller Skating History' wing. It was a pretty short exhibit...registering just one famous skater. And as you can see, even SHE abandoned roller for ice.

Katie, Mike, Steve and Felicia stop at the whimsical exhibit...looking at the roller-themed toys to come out over the years.

Felicia spends some time looking at the various medals won over the ages...and considers entering the sport after the tour ends.

Need I say ANYTHING here?

Jeffrey and Steve stop to celebrate Skate Lincoln - and shed a single tear upon realizing they will be missing it AGAIN this year!

Here's an interesting question. WHO knew that Miss Arizona 1989 was a ROLLER SKATER? And not only that she was, BUT that she performed it for her talent at the Miss America pageant? And not only that she did, BUT that she won a non-finalist talent award for her roller dance of joy? And how did we know!? THE MUSEUM TAUGHT US!

On our way out, Mike, Felicia and Jonny stop to reflect on our day...er 45 minutes at the museum...and what it meant to each of them.

What's UP In Lincoln?

2007-02-16T03:01:00.000-05:00

Well, we've been in Lincoln for 3 full days now....and I think the HIGHEST we've seen the temperature get is 11 degrees. That's right. 10 + 1. 11. Mmmmmm. We've been keeping busy...wether it's been sleeping, or eating, or sleeping, or going to movies or you know...hanging out inside - so as not to freeze outside. We have had a COUPLE of outtings...which have all proven to be exciting and fun!
Tonight, as is the case with this hotel, I've had problems uploading pics....it has ended up taking a LOT of time....but I got my pics from 3 of my 4 outtings posted! The last one, the National Museum of Roller Skating, is going to have to wait for next time. It's a LOT of pictures and they are worth the wait.

THE D-D-R EXTRAVAGANZA

ok. The truth here is that Jeffrey, Jonny and I went to a double-feature one night...but the movies were all just SO-SO. The REAL highlight was between movies when Jeffrey and Jonny hopped on the DDR machine in the game room - both for the first time - and I stood back and spun the HITS as DJ Jazzy Matt! I took some video - that I'm having trouble uploading to YouTube but as soon as I do, you will get! And I snapped some pics of the guys in action.

ENJOY!

The montage of pictures I like to call "DDR. Changing Lives."

COSMIC BOWLING

Here's the excitement of our Valentines Day. (After the Roller Skating Museum, naturally.) We all got in the van and went to COSMIC BOWLING at Sun Valley Bowling Lanes. The lights were dimmed, the music was blaring, and the beer was flowing freely for everyone. A GREAT time was had by all. I do have to report that I was SUCH a failure as a photographer - I only took 1 picture and it's not even very good. BUT - it's docoumentation that we went COSMIC for Valentines 2007...and it was GREAT!

I think that's Felicia, showing off her form on the lanes. You can almost FEEL the party just by looking at this picture!

EXPLORING DOWNTOWN!

So on our last day off, TODAY (Thursday), I headed downtown Lincoln to walk around and shop and check it all out. When I got down there, it was really cold, as I suspected, so I went to a movie first. Then I went out and exploring. The HIGHLIGHT of my exploring day was finding a store called LICORICE INTERNATIONAL - in the Haymarket District in downtown Lincoln. This place is NOT a joke, peeps. We're talking 130 different kinds of licorice products from around the world! AND - they have a HUGE internet based business! Don't have the internet? NEVER FEAR! Just call 1-800-LICORICE (542-6742). I'm telling you what - it was a fascinating stop and I made friends with the sales woman AND the owner...and walked away with some licorice selections from Austalia, Finland and Germany. And I'm taking cast friends BACK tomorrow!

Here's a look at the selection of 130 world licorice products.

Gussy and the Licorice Ladies!

The fun NEVER stops with the Wonka Gang! Tune back in to experience the National Museum of Roller Skating with our stories and pictures! And beyond that, have a GREAT Friday. And stay warm.

CIAO!
G

2 Weeks In February

2007-02-15T03:16:00.000-05:00

Warning: Today's entry clocks in at 'REALLY LONG'. My apologies...but I'm SURE most of you will appreciate the tool it becomes to passing time along. Enjoy.

* * *

So what I'm learning, after 18 months of blogging life on the road, is that I'm starting to become REALLY good at catching up. Keeping up...not so much. And I'm ok with that. As is the current practice, this entry is going to go back over the first couple of weeks of February and some of the fun AND SUN that some of us have experienced. There are a couple of points in here where either myself and one other person OR just myself separates from the rest of the group. I'm sorry for the personal nature that these points will take...but since I was not with the rest of the cast and crew while I was away, I figured the only fair and accurate way to report would be from my perspective. You want to know abuot everyone else...let me know and I'll give you Roe or Jonny's phone numbers.

COLLEGE STATION

So...College Station, TX. Home of Texas A&M University. And. That was about it. But it turned out to be a great, fast little stop. The venue we performed at was great and I think everyone had a good time in College Station. A few of us EVEN got to give ourselves a private tour of the Texas A&M Football Stadium...thanks to a few open gates and Roe's quick thinking.

CAST OF WILLY WONKA? PLEASE TAKE THE FIELD!

A couple of different views from the field.

Felicia and Jonny celebrate being on the 50 yard line.

L: Felicia, Roe and I enjoy our time in the stadium. R: Roe, Felicia, Jonny and I get a final shot in at the goalposts before we leave the field.

THANK YOU AND GOOD NIGHT!

SO...after our shows, Felicia and I packed our bags and headed for the West Coast. That's right - it was time for us to hit the Avenue Q audition that we had decided to go West...not East for. But first, we had to make it through the College Station Regional Airport experience. And what an experience it was! The man who ran the ticket counter said to us after we checked in, 'See you at the gate.' We walked around for a few minutes looking for security - until Felicia went back and asked him where it was. And he laughed and pointed to the end of the ticket counter and said, 'Right there. I'll be there to open it in a few minutes.' SO. We waited for him to open it. Once through security...where they CONFISCATED MY LIP BALM...grrrrrrrr...we went into the 2-gate departure area. Once all 6 of us who were on the flight were in the area, the gentleman from the ticket counter and the security gate looked at his watch, picked up the microphone and made an annoucement that we would begin the boarding procedure. For 6 of us. And as we boarded the plane and sat down, Felicia leaned over to me and said, 'I'm pretty sure I just saw the ticket counter guy loading our bags on the plane.' As luck would have it, he did NOT end up flying the plane for us...but chose to wave to us as we taxi'd out and took off. One stop in Dallas...and then we'd be on our way to our 48 hours in the greater Los Angeles area!

The ticketing area. Felicia waits.

Felicia waiting for security to open. In the same area as the ticketing area above.

The boarding area of the entire College Station airport. Gate 1...meet Gate 2.

L: My last Texas Sunset out the plane window. R: Felicia, still in full show makeup, gets ready to take off for LA!

LOS ANGELES: WORK & PLAY

So it's true. The actual purpose of our trip to LA was to go to the West Coast Avenue Q auditions they were holding for the National Tour AND future B'way replacements. And like all auditions, who shows up and how they handle it is a crap shoot. And as mentioned previously, this go-round was a GREAT crapshoot for Felicia...and a crap crapshoot for me. There is a type of audition-procedure they will sometimes employ called 'TYPE AUDITION'....where they will normally line you up, come through, look at you and either release you on the spot or ask you to stay to sing and/or read. All of this is done based on your look for the show ONLY. It's brutal...yes...but these shows are products...and with shows that have been running, they know what they are looking for LOOK-wise. The SURPRISE in the LA/AveQ audition was that they decided to TYPE...but only on HEADSHOTS. Which turned out to be NOT so great a thing for me. Let me tell you WHY. Ave Q is a show about CHARACTERS...and the one specific character that I think I'm perfect for is BRIAN. He's a shlub. He describes himself as 'broke, and unemployed and turning 33.' He wears shorts through the whole show. He's kind of an oafish loser-type. And in PERSON, I can convey that great. HELL, I live it. BUT - my headshot doesn't. And before you all start saying, 'OH! It can't be that bad', just take a look.

I mean, ACTUALLY, for the kind of pictures I normally get, THIS one actually looks fine. BUT - it's just too much....serious. Too much....glare. Too much....forehead. It's just too much. And when they have a stack of 300+ headshots they are TYPING through...there is NOTHING in this one that screams BRIAN! I AM BRIAN! So...I didn't get asked to stay. So my 'work trip' to LA was over. Felicia, THANK GOODNESS, did NOT get typed-out. She got asked to stay - she got to sing her little heart out - and she got asked to stay and sing from the show and read from the show. And then she was free to start HER portion of the PLAY part of our trip, also. She doesn't know if or when she'll hear anything...but the GOOD THING, wether she'll admit it or not, is that she has been SEEN by them. She's on their radar. And I'm sure they put her in a 'future consideration' folder. She's the real deal, folks! And it was a BLAST going to the audition with her!

The morning OF the audition. Flea and I kick it at Starbucks before heading down the street to hop in line with 300+ of our closest friends from the LA Theater scene.

Felicia on the street...after the FIRST portion of her audition. This time, she is listening to and going over the song from the show and the scenes they gave her. Soon after this picture was snapped, I left for lunch.

Here Felicia met my good friend, David Kopp! He lives in the LA area and he came to grab me after I got typed out for lunch. They are standing infront of the audition location...Millennium Dance Complex. For those MTV-heads out there...this is where J-Lo films her show DANCE LIFE. That's right. We were there. Enjoy.

Once we were both free, we spent some time hanging out with Dave Kopp...one of the coolest guys I know in the LA area or any area beyond. It's always great to see Dave...and it was great to introduce him to Felicia! We had a blast. Dave had to take off for a Persian Wedding...and it was Super Bowl Sunday, so we headed back to our hotel in Burbank to wait for the FUN of the evening to start. I had 2 buddies from SOUTH of LA coming up - Tom Benson and Nate Christensen - to watch the game and hang out. And Felicia and my friend, ASHLEY SPENCER was headed to the hotel to hang out, too. For those of you who are fans of reality TV...Ashley is BALLERINA SANDY on the current NBC show: Grease - You're The One That I Want! Felicia and Ashley were on the Barbie LIVE in Fairytopia Tour last year...which is where I met Ashley...and it is SO COOL to watch her fight for a role on Broadway on the show each week. A little plug for Ashley...be sure and watch each week and vote for her. If you don't want to watch, you can call Felicia or I and we will give you Ashley's number, so you can call and vote! The night was a blast...Tom, Nate and I watched the game while Felicia and Ashley went to dinner and caught up. And then we all headed to Westwood for dessert and Diddy Riese...and then to drop Ashley off NEAR her home...while we heard all the dirt and insider scoop from the show!

Super Bowl FUN at the Holiday Inn Burbank Sports Bar. L-R: Ashley, Felicia, Nate, Tom

Ballerina Barbie Sandy Sunday....meet Violet Topaz! Best friends FOREVER!

The REAL fun of the night was getting to know DIDDY RIESE...the magical ice cream/cookie sandwich place in Westwood. MAGICAL. Thanks for the share, Tom and Nate! It was a HIT!

I mean...look how happy they look to be at Diddy Riese!?!

Nothing brings NEW FRIENDS together closer or faster than a successful trip for something sweet and declicious! Felicia and Ashley look pleased with their ice cream sandwiches.

SUCCESS!

We spent the rest of our time together...um...evidently being LAME on the streets of Westwood. What the CRAP were we thinking?

Nate, Ashley and Tom say GOOD-BYE at the end of the night.

One last shot of the Barbie Girls together! Break a leg, ASHLEY!

EDMOND, OKLAHOMA

Our trip to LA was a success for each of us, on different levels. But more than anything, it was just FAST. We left LA...this time headed to meet our cast in Oklahoma City, OK. We had a connection - through Dallas again - but this time, our plane out of LA was delayed, which caused us to get in AS our plane was supposed to be leaving Dallas. LUCKILY, they held the plane for us, so Felicia and I ran through the airport to our gate and they closed the door after me. Nothing QUITE like the glare of a plane full of people who have been waiting for you. Even though it wasn't fault, I still felt so...uncomfortable. BUT...it was like a 12 minute flight up to Oklahoma City...so who cares! And my stay in Oklahoma City (North of it, actually...in Edmond) was all of about 18 hours! Just enough time to eat at iHop, have the airlines lose my bags, do 2 shows, and head BACK to the airport. THIS TIME - I was heading for Tucson to meet my newest niece and enjoy some SUN and honest-to-goodness free time.

As soon as we arrived in oklahoma city, and before we knew our bags didn't arrive, we got on an escalator heading to baggage claim and WHAT did I see right infront of me BUT...a football player from the University of Oklahoma. how did I know? he had his OU helmet tag on his backpack...his official ID for the 2007 Fiesta Bowl in Arizona. why did I care? I had on my BOISE STATE FOOTBALL hat...and Boise State BEAT Oklahoma in that same Fiesta Bowl. I didn't care. He didn't see me. But I STILL thought it funny.

Now although our bags never showed up this night, we DID be-friend 2 really funny high school guys who were also on our flight. They were the bearers of their high school dance teams winning trophies from the National Championships in Florida. The guys and the trophies made the flight...but the rest of the Dance Team got delayed in Cincinnati. These guys were happy to pose with Felicia and the trophies while we waited for luggage....some of which (ours) never arrived this night. Did I mention that yet? HAHA.

A sign I saw in the Oklahoma City Airport. I enjoy it.

TUCSON, ARIZONA

So I was back on a plane...connecting BACK through Dallas...and I made it to Tucson. Strangely enough, on my flight from OKC to Dallas, we made it IN in plenty of time, but there was some kind of security breach...so I couldn't get off my plane...and when I finally COULD...it was right when my flight was closing. SO....18 hours later, there was the fat kid from Wonka HOOFING it through the Dallas Airport AGAIN! NOT FUNNY, GODS OF TRAVEL! But I made it...with all those waiting eyes on me AGAIN. But I didn't care at ALL...because I was on my way to FAMILY FUN in Tucson. And I have to tell you, I went to Tucson with nothing really planned. I wanted to catch up on sleep...I wanted to play with the kids...and I wanted to get to spend sometime with the NEWEST niece, Sidney! Tim and Annie were the perfect hosts...and I had a ball being woken up by the kids early in the morning and just being part of their daily routines! AGAIN...excuse me for the personal indulgence...but from what I hear, I had a MUCH more exciting time than the cast did, for the most part, in Tulsa. (EXCEPT for dinner at Katie's brothers house. Sorry I missed it...I hear it ROCKED!)

The mardi gras beads I brought for Leah were a hit with her brother, Cole (center) and their friend, Benson (left).

Leah shows me one of her MANY dresses from the 'Leah Dress Up Collection'.

NEVER to be outdone by his older sister, Cole decides to show me stuff from HIS dress-up collection, too.

Uncle Matt was just happy to be in TUCSON!

Since I was staying in Cole's room, and that is where Cole plays, I got to spend a lot of one-on-one time with him, discussing the pressures facing 3 year olds today. I'm not sure I got it all, but I think a BIG thing for Cole was his need to wear basketball shirts and/or shorts all day, every day. Real problems. Real kids.

I showed Cole and Leah the opening to Disney's THE LION KING on Broadway one day on YouTube...and we ended up watching it about 300 times each day I was there. Big hit is what I call that.

Sidney was finally ready to meet me...but she wasn't TOO sure about me at first.

Cole jumped in front of the camera as I tried to snap a picture of Leah. And then I got a picture of Leah with a chip as big as her head...sitting in her mouth. Good times with Uncle Matt!

But soon enough, Sidney was getting in the FUN action...and we became FAST friends! Put your hands in the air, baby!

Leah's parade of fashion, song and dance continued throughout the entire week! LUCKY!

All 3 kids got to the 'NOT THE CAMERA AGAIN' face by the time my trip was coming to an end.

But there good enough sports to sit through a FEW more shots for me!

The kids spend some quality time with their dad...my brother, Tim.

Cole took some time off to hang out with me...but he was back into his training in no time flat.

Wow. That's SOME HAIR, Cole!

SPRINGFIELD, MISSOURI

So my Tucson-time wrapped up...and I hopped ONE more plane...connected ONE more time in Dallas (had 3 hours this time to connect...no trouble....) and ended up back with my cast in Springfield, MO. I was in shorts and flip flops from the 80 degree weather in Tucson...and it was a whopping 19 degrees when I stepped off the plane. We did ONE quick show in Springfield, and the next day, we were packed and loaded and on our way to Lincoln, Nebraska for a week of fun and relaxation before our next show. I did get to spend some time with my friend, Bill and his crazy-fun cousin, Carol, in Springfield...which was a blast. And now we're in Lincoln. And next time, I will tell you all about the crappy hotel situation, the frigid temperatures, the days off and the roller skating museum.

Thanks for being patient...I hope it was somewhat worth the wait!
Stay warm, friends.

Alive!

2007-02-12T05:18:00.000-05:00

Yes - I'm alive. And I have a very good excuse for going M.I.A. last week.

Her name is Sidney Lou...and she is my newest niece. She lives in Tucson...and I took sometime on a few of our days off and travel days last week to finally go meet her!

So now I'm back with the cast. We did a show in Springfield, MO today - and tomorrow (Monday) we head to Lincoln, NE. Because everyone needs a week in February in balmy Nebraska. Projected high of 12 on Tuesday. Don't be jealous.

We have the week off in Lincoln - with our next shows being on Friday...so THIS WEEK IN LINCOLN, I promise to get my stories of LA up and the audition that DID NOT GO WELL FOR ME. (More to come...more to come....) And I will also get stories and pictures of my trip to Tucson up for your enjoyment and perusal.

And if you're nice and I'm lucky, I'll have a FULL REPORT and picture story to share from the NATIONAL ROLLER SKATERS MUSEUM in Lincoln. Sometimes, I can't believe how cool my life is.

CIAO!
G

Boring Post Alert!!

2007-02-06T03:03:00.000-05:00

So I'm on a time limit, because my battery is dying on my computer and I don't have the power cord for it. Why? Because I went to Los Angeles this weekend, and on my return, my bags didn't make it on my flight from Dallas to Oklahoma City. SO...I'm on limited battery and no time to upload pictures and tell stories.
I will tell you that Felicia and I went to LA for an audition this past weekend...and it was pretty good for one of us, and pretty NOT too great for another one of us. But I'll need a power cord to tell you the juicy details.
We left the cast in College Station - and while we were in sunny LA, they drove up to Edmond/Oklahoma City, OK. We met back up with them all tonight...in a suprisingly cold Oklahoma. Everyone seems alive and well...and deep in celebration over the Indianapolis Colts Super Bowl win!
So check back...for the pictures, the stories and then fun. The bags should get in tomorrow and power should be restored.
CIAO!
G

Snapshots From Texas

2007-02-02T00:30:00.000-05:00

So...where have I BEEN? Right? I would love to return and report that since we left San Antonio, we've been on an endless adventure of amazement and excitement across the Texas terrain. Well, we've been to Richardson, Texarkana and now College Station...so if you want to classify that under 'endless adventure of amazement and excitement', then you might want to re-evaluate your social life. Richardson was quick and fine...Texarkana was quick and fine and a little bit stinky...and College Station seems like it's going to be a good time.

The real reason you haven't been getting updates is because of ABC. That's right. ABC. Not the list of letters you learn as a young child. We're talking the network giant, ABC. They went and made the technology available to go on their website and watch past episodes of shows you may have missed. Specifically, they have decided to add the ENTIRE first season, up to date, of the family drama 'Brothers and Sisters'. I hadn't seen an episode of it....before this week...and now, as I sit here writing this, I can say I've seen all 13 past episodes. And I can't wait for the newest episode next week! But yeah...every night I would sit down to blog, and I'd remember where I was with the Walker Family in B&S, and it was DONE!

So now that I'm caught up, it's time for a look back over our past week through the pictures I've taken. It's a wild ride...and I'm sure you'll enjoy it!

Have a great Friday...and even a better weekend.....

SAN ANTONIO

Our trip around San Antonio began with a stop at the random nitrogen tank on the sidewalk, across the street from our hotel. Felicia inspects the tank. All is well.

A cool building in downtown San Antonio that is NOT the Alamo.

The Alamo. Remember?

Scenes from around the grounds of the Alamo.

A couple shots of the EXPLORERS...on the grounds of the Alamo.

L: Jonny and Felicia enjoy some time overlooking the Riverwalk. R: Felicia ponders her time in San Antonio.

At the end of a long day of exploring, we all rewarded ourselves with a GIFT at the Meixcan Market in San Antonio. Jonny and I got wrestling masks...just like in Nacho Libre. And Felicia went more feminine...with the paper flower halo thingy. A very successful day for all.

RICHARDSON, TEXAS (north suburb of Dallas)

While I was in Richardson, I got a chance to hang out with my friend from way back in high school, Dan Weber and wife, Hillary - and their 8 month old twins, Josua and Mia. It was great to spend time with them...Hillary made an AMAZING meal...and I was a huge hit with the kids. Well, atleast with Joshua! Enjoy the pics! Thanks for EVERYTHING, Webers!

Joshua.

Mia.

Joshua expresses how he REALLY feels about our 'photo shoot'.

I also learned that Joshua has an affinity for nose-grabbing. (Mia hadn't warmed up to me holding her yet....)

This is a 'Photo Shoot' of me trying to get both kids faced forward and looking at Dan. I LOVE all 6 of these pics...because there is SO MUCH going on in them! In the end, we got it done, for the most part. SUCH cute kids.

L: Hillary and Mis. R: Dan and Joshua.

Me and the Hobbits. HONESTLY! Look how huge I look next to these 2! I'm officially UNHAPPY with this picture! And I TOOK IT with my camera!

TEXARKANA, TEXAS

If you were wondering...Texarkana is a city on the Texas/Arkansas border...that is divided down the middle. State Line Road runs down the middle of Texarkana...and each side has it's own functioning government and police force and the likes. Sounds pretty interesting. It was actually less than that. Kind of a sad little town...that smells kind of funny...but has a beautiful venue. The Perot Theater. You figure out the naming of the venue.

Steve took this creative phot of himself at the state line in Texarkana! Thanks for the share, Steve.

Texarkana was the place Jonny picked up the NEW Madonna DVD that was released. Here he is opening it, minutes after purchasing it.

HAHAHAHA! So I tried out the color-accent on the PINK on the album - but it ended up making Jonny look bizarrely colored. But, I had to share it. It's actually pretty cool.

On one of my trips out in Texarkana, I found THIS magical little gift for Rachel: the MONICA doll!

And here is MONICA! She comes with 4 hair helmet things that you can swap out for each other. And to make it easy, they created her bald. Brilliant. And such a deal for $1.99.

Rachel wasted NO TIME ripping the packaging open and exploring Monica's hair options with her...and consulting her on what works and what doesn't.

Monica spends some time on a photo shoot with her various looks.

Oh MONICA!

Llama and Monica curl up after a long day.

CAST PEDICURE DAY! And guess what? It was Jonny's FIRST pedicure experience. So......how did he like it?

You be the judge....

Highlight of Texarkana? Meeting Felicia's Grandmother and Grandfather...who live in the area and came to our show! I'm pretty sure they were 2 of the NICEST people I have ever met...and seemed to really love the show! Thanks for coming, Curry's! It was a pleasure to meet you!

Rachel, Jonny and I re-create the statue in the fountain infront of our Texarkana hotel.

COLLEGE STATION, TEXAS

OK. So Tyler is NOT College Station...but we stopped in Tyler...and I snapped a picture for my nephew, Tyler!

Well, I couldn't let Rachel and Monica have all the fun! So at Target today, I found dolls for Felicia and Roe in the DOLLAR SECTION! BONUS!

WHY, you ask? Well, because this is the packaging for Felicia's doll. I call Felicia my little theater pixie...and HER doll is the pixie doll. UNCANNY!

The dolls were a HUGE hit with the girls...who immediately started having their dolls do Pilates. For some reason...

Looks like a perfect ending to a great day. (Notice....even Jonny got some bling bling.)

OK. WELLLLLLLLLLLL...maybe not COMPLETELY pefect.

San Antonio Updates

2007-01-26T03:06:00.000-05:00

SAN ANTONIO VENUE

So we survived our 2 shows in San Antonio. We were performing at the Laurie Auditorium on the campus of Trinity University. The venue is one of the stranger venues that we have performed at. We actually had a lot of fun during out 2 show...it was just the arrangement of the venue that was odd. It is an auditorium that is used more as a lecture hall...and is very well suited for lectures. (This is the point where I should probably say that it is perfect for a lecture hall...and I know this because I have actually been to a lecture in the venue. That was in my previous 'professional' life. And it's a story for another time.) ANYHOO...the layout of the place is so odd because we were performing on the ground level....flat on the floor...while the audience sat up in stadium seating. And they stretched almost in a half-circle around us. We did do a school show that had another batch of super cute little school kids...and both our audiences were very appreciative of the show. But I did think it was a strange enough set up to snap some pictures and show it to all of you. OH yeah...and the floor was UBER slick! So that added an element of fun, too.

So here is a look at the stage from the front row of seats. See...how it just goes from floor to stage? We are LUCKY the rabid fans didn't RUSH the stage at the end of the show. Phew.

A couple of views from the stage looking out to the audience. Um....duh.

Here's the cast in San Antonio.

And....here's some of the cast down near the dressing rooms....following Jeffrey in some kind of arm-swinging-warm-up-thingy. Not quite sure? Let's check out the VIDEO!

Um...here they are in action. I think it's safe to say that Jonny is having the most fun out of this entire group.

SAN ANTONIO DAY OFF

So today was our day off in San Antonio...and it coincided with one other event...which I am going to grit my teeth and tell you about now. Today, our day off, was actually my birthday. Now...I'm not a big birthday guy. I get EXTREMELY uncomfortable at the celebration of my birthday...and I can't explain why and it surprises people...and yeah yeah whatever. The bottom line is that I never like to make a big deal about it being my birthday. But because everyone kept asking me what I wanted to do, I decided to rope everyone in to going to see STOMP THE YARD with me...since I've been wanting to see it since it opened, and I figured you can't really deny the birthday boy his wish!

Before the movie, I slept in, and then had lunch with my friend, Ann Knoebel who works at Trinity University here in San Antonio. Ann and I used to work together while I was at the speakers bureau. I would help her with her speakers details that she had coming to her conferences and events here at Trinity. She took me to a really great local Mexican restaurant, and it was DELICIOUS...but more than the food, it was great to catch up with Ann and laugh with her. Post-lunch, I spent some time at the mall...doing a little shopping for myself before the movie.

AND.....people....it was MOVIE TIME! All I'm going to say is that it was SO much better than any of us thought it was going to be...and we had a really great time watching the movie. On the MASE, for what it was, I would give the movie a 9. That's right...a 9! And I am happy to report it. The dancing was fun...the script was ok...the acting was not that great but not horrible...and we all had a fun time cheering for the 'good guys' at the National Step Team Championships. What more could I ask for on my birthday?

Here we all are AFTER the movie...celebrating the magic of STOMP THE YARD!

WELL...I guess the only other thing I could ask for was dinner at Chili's. And that wish came true, too! So all in all, it was a nice, low-key happy birthday for me!

Excuse me for another personal indulgence...but I need to send a HUGE thanks to my cast and crew for making it a memorable day...and to the family and friends who I talked to today or got emails and notes from, the sincerest thanks for everything. (And to those that I talked to twice, because the first time you didn't realize it was my birthday until you spoke to your wife who reminded you...it was great to speak to you TWICE! Carlos.) I've now been around for a good while....and I've come to the conclusion that my life has been extremely blessed and enriched by the friends I have been lucky enough to have around me at different times in my life. From Boise to Washington DC and beyond. From DirecTV to the Washington Speakers Bureau. From my community theater life to my professional theater life. From all my dear friends who have supported my dreams and my path that has gotten me to this point...I love and appreciate the examples you are to me and the support you've been along the way! Thank you ALL for 33 years of laughter, memories, adventures, tears and LIVING! Here's to many more.....

MUCH love - G

Roe can hardly WAIT for the movie. OR to dance around the May Pole.

So come Chili's....it was time for everyone to get their DRINK ON! UM...but does someone see something backwards here? My Felicia...that is a BIG drink you have. Compared to Jonny's baby maragarita.

You know a party is going well when everyone looks as happy as THESE 7 folks! Well, either the party is going well...or the alcohol is flowing well. You choose.

Here we are...the entire group of 12. LIVE from Chili's.

More fun. L: Roe explains that SOMEONE had a good time at the Mexican Market! Thanks ROE! LOVE YOU! R: Craig gets caught up in a Felicia-Jodi Hug! And evidently, decides to call it a touchdown.

AND FINALLY....

I had to share these pictures with you all! I got an email from my friends, Steve and Allison - and the email had these pictures of their daughter, Louise...wishing me a HAPPY BIRTHDAY from their home in Washington DC! I mean HONESTLY...could there be a cuter baby out there? Enjoy the pictures. Thanks Steve and Allison!

Oompa Oops!

2007-01-24T00:20:00.000-05:00

Well, our last day in Austin brought 2 school shows...and I think it's a cast-wide belief that the children we performed for at those 2 shows are probably the cutest kids we've performed for this entire run. I think both audiences were the youngest overall group that we have had. There were about 800 kids in each audience, and I'm guessing that they were Kindergarten and First Grade students. MAN they were cute. They were pretty quiet throughout the show - but they were VERY attentive and you hear them reacting to different parts of the show. And I think overall, they were big fans! It's always fun to have those audiences that are swept up in the "MAGIC" that we serve in Wonka. A HUGE thanks to the students and teachers in Austin for coming to the show and being the great audiences that you were!
Our second show in Austin is what we like to call a 'Golden Tits' show. (Let me explain that before we go on. Back in rehearsals in August, during a really terrible run of the show, Jeffrey got to a point where he is supposed to say '...5 golden tickets will be put in candy bars' - but instead, said, '...golden tits and candy bars.' And of COURSE we were all in stitches...and it caused Graham, our esteemed director, to dub all further TERRIBLE runs of the show 'Golden Tits' runs. So there.) From the get go, everyone was a little delirious and punchy....and little THINGS kept happening through the show that kept cracking everyone up. But the REAL clincher was on the very last Oompa pass...when we are all on stage with our Oompas. As we are rolling on stage from stage left, we are moving the heads up and down and walking across the stage. After 2 or 3 head nods, I heard a SNAP, and felt SOMETHING fall in to my lap. I took a QUICK glance down and noticed that the entire bottom half of my Oompa body was sitting in my lap....while the top half was stuck where it had been seconds before...but the head was now immobile. Well, it set me off...and instead of rolling to my place, I simply continued rolling across the stage, picked up my left Oompa hand, waved and rolled OFF stage left. It was a MESS people. Oompas falling APART? Splitting in HALF? I'm surprised many of the children weren't traumatized by seeing an Oompa fall apart. I pulled it together - while everyone off stage was laughing with me and everyone ON STAGE was trying NOT to laugh - we finished the song and the show and all was well! (I'm happy to report amazing Katie did a big surgery on the Oompa today and everything should be fine. Thanks Katie!)

I will just call these pics 'The Aftermath.'

After our shows and lunch in Austin, we packed things up and were on the road again. Our next stop was due South in San Antonio. Everyone is excited to be in San Antonio...probably more because we have 3 days off over any other reason....but we are excited to do some exploring of the San Antonio area, and eating some serious great food down on the Riverwalk and beyond! Oh, and we're going to see the basement of the Alamo on Thursday, too. Tomorrow we have our only 2 shows here, and then Thursday and Friday OFF! Saturday we head out to Dallas.

Check back in for the stories of our free time here in San Antonio...and for any other mishaps we might experience during our 2 shows here.

Have a great Wednesday!

Adios....

I got a FULL Pecan Pie from my cousin, Jeff's friends in Austin who came to see the show! It was VERY nice of Wendel and his family to send the pie...and it was a HUGE hit with everyone in the cast! There ain't NOTHIN' like a pecan pie in Texas. So good.

So as I get to know Jonny, I'm starting to learn that he has some STRANGE practices in our dressing room between shows. I don't ask questions...I just point and click.

Here is the MTV Real World AUSTIN house in broad daylight. Loved me my dinner at the Rio Grande cafe! Check it out if you get to Austin.

But before you get to the Rio, head to Iron Works BBQ. This was a recommendation from my brother, Tim...and people...Jeffrey, Steve, Jonny and I all agreed that it changed our LIVES. Plain and simple. I had the brisket...and it was amazing. And even that doesn't seem like the right way to describe it. Thanks for the eats, Iron Works...and the recommendation, Brother! This was a definite 10 on the MASE!

This is just a couple of shots of the Frost Bank Building...my favorite building in the Austin Skyline. It's nice. Trust me.

Jonny getting close to some street art in Austin. It wasn't loaded....don't you worry.

Felicia is probably MOST excited to be in Texas. She carries this flag around with her everyone. OR - she found it on the back of her menu at dinner tonight. I can't remember.

Tonight, Jonny, Felicia and I went to the Lone Star Cafe in San Antonio on the Riverwalk. We all got dessert - our desserts all had cherries on top of them - and this picture is of Jonny and Felicia trying to tie the cherry stem in a knot in their mouths. It was pretty entertaining to watch.

And here they are STILL trying...

Some Quality Texas Time

2007-01-21T23:06:00.000-05:00

Well, OPENING NIGHT was a smashing success! Houston LOVED US! We had a great time in The Space City...exploring and doing our own thing. The real treat of Houston was the close proximity of our hotel to the theater we were performing at. From the time we arrived into Houston until we left on Saturday, I didn't spend one MINUTE in the van...because I was hoofing my way around the greater downtown Houston area!

Our audiences in Houston, both school and public, were very appreciative and excited about the show. And we had a limited amount of mishaps and shenanigans going on, so that's awesome, too. And as soon as we got started in Houston, we were DONE! So we packed up the van and trucks and headed Northwest to Austin for a couple of quick days. I think we were all sad to get to Austin, see how much fun awaited us here, and realize that we had to cram it all in to like 48 hours! We all did our own exploring of the restaurants, shops, sites and clubs. I took sometime and went to eat last night at a Mexican restaurant called RIO GRANDE. What makes it so special? WELL....they put it in the house of the MTV Real World AUSTIN cast. It probably means nothing to most of you, but to those of us who love our pop culture, it was kind of a fun event.

Today in Austin, we saw the sun for like the first time since we've been in Texas! Plus it was actually warm - which it hasn't been for 2 weeks...so that was nice, too! Tomorrow it's back to rain - and off to San Antonio...but for one day, we had the sun. AND we also had Lance Armstrong and his daughters at our first show. So that was fun, too. That's right - we're a PRETTY BIG DEAL...if you hadn't heard!
Enjoy this picture collection of our time in Houston and a few shots of Austin.

And have a great Monday!
G

LOOK what came in the MAIL!? Our OFFICIAL White House photos. And yes, that's ME hiding back there behind Tara's big pink bow.

So in Houston, I went shopping out at Rice Village. And while I was there, I kept asking everyone in the area for a recommendation for a great BBQ lunch. EVERYONE, without fail in the area, recommended GOODE COMPANY BBQ. And the directions they gave me were to walk one way a long ways and when you see the BIG armadillo, you've arrived. But take note that the big armadillo isn't actually the BBQ joint...it was across the street from it. And then I wondered HOW BIG is this armadillo. And I found out.

And sure enough, LOOK what was right across the street.

MMMMMMMMmmmmmm....some of the most amazing BBQ I've EVER had. And that jalapeno cheese bread...MAN! Good. high 9 on the MASE!

Roe and I spent a rainy afternoon exploring the area around the Wortham Center where we were performing. Here is Roe with a little water reature and the fog around part of the skyline in the background.

Here is the big MARQUEE out front of the Wortham Center! And here is WONKA!

The Roe and I found the George H.W. Bush Monument near the venue and spent some time looking and taking pictures.

A couple of different angles of the monument.

Ok, I know I took it...but seriously...I LOVE this picture! Bush 41 surveys the Houston he helped build. That is art, people.

My 2 favorite quotes from the monument.

Roe and I were happy to come and learn at his feet.

Felicia and I spent some time exploring the next day, too! And we found our show poster at the Houston Visitors Center. I'm HAPPY to find the poster...and Felicia is sad. I think either because she's not in it - or because I took a blurry picture.

Houston City Hall. Why? Just because....

OK here's a statue I saw at the Symphony Hall in Houston. And...it kind of freaks me out. I feel...lop-sided when I look at it. It's just weird. Anyone with me here?

As opposed to THIS statue...in the Theater District...that I LOVE! I mean, this is a cool statue. But I never realized the Man of LaMancha played the cello. Who knew?

Jonny shows off his best 'TEXAS".

Chuck and Mary Banker brought the grandkids to the show! It was fun to see Christy and Brian's dad - and the kids LOVED the show! Thanks for coming, Bankers!

Felicia, Katie and Jonny strummin' a tune in downtown Austin!

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! I dedicate this photo to John Loughney.

Shots of The Paramount Theatre in Austin...with Katie, Rachel, Felicia and Jonny out front! THANKS JP Morgan Chase.

The last hint of SUNLIGHT, touching the Texas State Capitol building.

For those who were looking, and having trouble finding some place that allowed it.

For more info.

OPENING NIGHT! FINALLY!

2007-01-19T02:29:00.000-05:00

No. You didn't read that wrong. I said OPENING NIGHT. But WHY? Well, sit back and listen. Tonight, we had our first performance here in Houston at the Wortham Center. It's a beautiful performing arts center in downtown Houston. The show was a PRIVATE event for one of the sponsors. The sponsor was PriceWaterhouseCooper, and they bought out the entire house for their staff and some of their clients.
So before the show, one of the managing partners of the Houston office of PWC came backstage and was getting ready to go on to make a 'welcome' annoucement. She and I stood there and spoke for a few minutes, and then it was time for her to go on and do her thang.
As she started speaking, Roe, Felicia, Katie, Jonny and I were standing backstage right getting ready to go on and just talking and laughing....and suddenly, I hear a portion of the woman's speech where she says how happy she is that everyone could join us for this 'final dress rehearsal' of the Kennedy Center's WILLY WONKA. I waited for second - to let it process - and then I turned to Roe and Felicia to check and see if they heard what I had heard. They hadn't heard it...and neither had Jonny or Katie, but soon enough, we were laughing about how FUNNY it is that these people thought they were seeing a final dress rehearsal. We laughed about it a little, and then she show started and we didn't think anything more about it.
UNTIL....after the show. Because it was a private sponsor event, there was a Meet-And-Greet scheduled for after the show...which included all of us being in the lobby for about 15 minutes in our full costumes, saying hello to the audience. And as we stood there greeting people, the one sentiment that we continued to hear was that our show was great...and that we were going to be GREAT 'tomorrow.' Many people told Felicia that we had nothing to worry about - our future audiences should have as much as the 'dress rehearsal' audience had tonight. And after we changed and left the theater, Felicia and I were walking downtown back to our hotel, and a father and daughter passed us, the daughter recognized us as 2 of the actors, and they waved, and the dad said, 'You guys are going to do great! It is a great show! We really enjoyed it! You have nothing to worry about...you're ready to go!'
So folks...I know some of you have been following this tour/blog for the better part of 18 months, but it's now OFFICIAL! WONKA is done rehearsing....and we are ready to go. We've got the green light from Houston...and tomorrow, we have our opening night. Expect big things from all of us once it's open and running.
And thank you ALL of your support through this long and sometimes trying rehearsal process!
Happy Friday!
G

Our Day With The Rajun' Cajuns

2007-01-17T02:55:00.000-05:00

So we made it BACK to Lafayette and we got ourselves set up at the Jameson Inn. (ERIC! We all thought of you fondly....CHEERS, friend!) We had 3 shows scheduled -on the campus of the University of Louisiana at Lafayette - and upon our arrival at the theater, we were welcomed with a LOUISIANA GIFT BAG! It came complete with: Mardi Gras beads, a bottle of cajun spices and seasonings, a box of red beans and rice mix, and some Louisiana note cards. For what the venue we were at lacked in asthetics, it more than made up for in pure Southern hospitality! Today, for breakfast, they even left a King Cake for us! (No King was located at the time of print.)

Our 3 shows were....interesting...to say the least. We just had little things here and there and everywhere that made the shows more "UNIQUE" than some of our other ones! Some examples? Well sure. I'd love to.

-The theater we were at was set up so that the audience started about 10 yards back from the edge of the stage. Couple that with the fact that there was a good 10-12 FEET of stage in front of the curtain line that we didn't use - so it seemed to us the entire time that the audience was VERY far away...and we couldn't really tell if they were into the show at all.

-Evidently, the girls dressing room area flooded....recently...so we all shared one big dressing room...and the bathroom was next door to the dressing room...in the room that they kept all the marching band uniforms in. MAN there were lots of uniforms. And since the stall door in the band uniform room was missing, you got to stare at the uniforms while you took care of your business.

-During our third show, at the end of the opening number, we had a classic 'CRICKET! CRICKET!' moment....when we all POP into our place, framing Wonka in all his glory - and the audience is DEAD silent. (NORMALLY - there would be some level of applause.....) And as we wait for SOMETHING, we hear crickets down by the bayou. And finally, as we all start to move off stage to go into the next scene, you hear one or two random claps from the audience. But by this time it's too late...we've all got the giggles.

-We had some definite OBSTACLES backstage...like cables and wires running in areas we wouldn't normally have them....and a REALLY long space to cross from one side of the stage to the other. This caused a little extra running....AND...the cables made for a good story when Roe tripped OVER the cables and slid ACROSS the backstage area into one of the cases that holds our costumes. And when I say 'tripped and slid', I mean sit back, relax and imagine watching Roe playing in a baseball game...and in this game, she's running for home base and the ONLY way to make it in was to SLIDE, hands first, into home. THAT was the kind of slide Roe made backstage...as Felicia and I were getting ready to move the bed on. People, it was funny. REALLY funny. And it hurt her a little bit...but she's better now. And she was a VERY good sport about it all. PLUS - did I mention it was funny?

-During one of the school shows, when I turned to hurl myself into the chocolate bin, something happened with my balance, and when I went IN to the bin, I didn't actually TUCK enough like I normally do. So I went STRAIGHT down on my head (which didn't hurt....never you fear....) But once I was in the bin on my head, for some reason, I couldn't SLIDE further down like I normally sit....so my butt and legs stuck WAY out of the bin at this point. And like the professional I am, I started to giggle in the bin....because I thought of how I must've looked AND how Roe looked when she slid into home.

So there you go. Just a few examples. We SURVIVED Lafayette...the girls ate close to 1,300 lbs of sushi...and we made it back into Texas for 3 weeks of crazy BIG Texas fun!

Have a good day!
G

Elisa, Katie and Jodi show off their Mardi Gras beads.

Jeffrey was happy to have the beads AND to find out the flowers they decorated our room with were real.

Everyone got into the flowers!

Rachel shows off her beads, microphone AND flower!

And then, during mic check in an effort to get rid of some of her beads, she shouted at me loudly, "MATT! I SAID SHOW ME YOUR BOOBS!"

While Roe quietly asks herself, "OHHHHHH! Is THAT how this bead thing works?"

L: Jodi gets caught deep in tought before the show. R: Me and Jodi show off our haul of beads.

Everyone gets in the action of showing off the beads. So yeah...we have LOTS of beads.

Oh yeah. And today....it was like 30 degrees. WHAAAAAT!? IT WAS 75 DEGREES 2 DAYS AGO!!

On The Road Again

2007-01-15T23:54:00.000-05:00

So we are off and running again...and this time we find ourselves in the DEEP South! Our travel week was not NEARLY as bad as the trip home from Seattle...and I think in part because we all were excited to be heading to WARMER temperatures. We did spend 4 days on the road - hitting such hot-spots as Harrisonburg, VA and Gadsden, AL...before our brief FIRST stop in Lafayette, LA!

Once we had a day of rest in Lafayette (I think to PREPARE for the Texas that lie ahead), we were off and running to the Lone Star State! Our first stop in Texas was right across the Texas/Louisiana border in a little town called Orange. Now what Orange lacks in population they MORE than made up for in hospitality and charm! On Friday we had 2 school shows in Orange - and the audiences were fun and very appreciative. But the REAL magic of Orange happened after the final curtain fell.

At the theater in Orange there is a HUGE volunteer staff that runs the school programs - and I'm going to say that the YOUNGEST volunteer couple was upwards of 65-68 years old. The YOUNGEST! And after our shows ended, they had prepared the most AMAZING potluck lunch for our cast...and we got a chance to eat some phenomenal home cooking and sit down and talk to them for a good hour after the show! We met some of the NICEST folks we've met along the road. They were talkative and charming and funny and so welcoming. And considering this is a town that Hurricane Rita did it's best to level (the eye of Rita came right across Orange), they were some of the most positive people around! I know I speak for the entire cast when I say that NO ONE wanted to leave Orange that day! I even went as far as approaching one of the tables and saying that I was planning on staying and needed a place to stay. Would you believe every couple at the table raised their hands and said I was welcome. And one lady laughed and said, "I guess it just depends on what you want to eat everyday. We all have our specialties." That, folks, is my definition of HEAVEN!

As soon as Orange was in the books, we were OFF to Galveston, TX...right on the shores of the Gulf of Mexico. Galveston LOOKS like it's probably a fun town in the spring and summer - but in the dead of winter....or "winter", it's plain desolate. We did have 2 great shows...and the audiences were very appreciative of us coming to Galveston to perform. The weather in Galveston was warm (70's) - but the entire time we were there, there was this strange mist/fog/haze that hung around. It made our entire quick trip to Galveston seem very SURREAL. (So did the fact that we saw a guy run a stop light and miss going in to the ocean by mere inches...hitting the ONLY pole within 100 yards in either direction. Story is that he was a doctor who fell asleep on his way home. That mist did crazy things to people...) I was lucky enough to have an old boss of mine, Joy Nagel, who hired me at the Speakers Bureau come down to see the show in Galveston. Joy still works for WSB but now lives in Houston. So she and her sister and her niece came down to the show and we grabbed a bite to eat afterwards. It was great to see Joy and to be able to catch up with her! Joy has always been such a HUGE supporter of me and my desire to pursue this career...and it was great to have her see my in action. She's doing well and very happy in Houston!

Galveston ended and we were back in the van - and back up to Louisiana for a quick 2nd stop in Lafayette. And this time, we're performing. That's right folks....through the genius of our schedule, we are back performing in a place we had a day off in last week. So we wrap up here tomorrow, and then head BACK into texas for 3 more weeks! And we're hitting most of the hot-spots in Texas: Houston, Austin, San Antonio, Dallas, College Station and Texarkana! Can I get a big YEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEHAW! for that? Thanks.

Everyone is finding their groove...and we're all adjusting well. We've had a wacky first week...which can only translate to tell us that the next 4 1/2 months are going to be JUST as wacky, if not more!

We'll talk to you soon....from the streets of HOUSTON!

Later, pardner!

OK FOLKS! HOTEL BOOKER FOLKS! Who had the bright idea to put the black girl in room 227 the first night on tour? Fess up!

This is Felicia and I celebrating room 227! Doesn't she look a LOT like Yzma, Ertha Kitt's character in the awesome Disney animated film, The Emperor's New Groove? Well, she does. Trust me.

This is Felicia trying to recreate a Hampton Inn ad we saw in the elevator in our hotel. It had this woman jumping up and down on the bed. These were the best shots we got. All I'm saying is...WHERE did Felicia's arms go in #4?

On our drive to Lafayette, we stopped in Hattiesburg, MS for lunch...and ended up at McAllister's Deli. It came HIGHLY recommended by my dear friend, Allison Block in DC. It was everything she said, and MORE! Steve even enjoyed a sandwich called 'The Big Nasty' - I mean...how can you go wrong with that!? And Jonny shows off his delicious dessert selection!

A real live CHAIN GANG on our way out of Lafayette. Luckily I got my camera out in time to snap this VERY mediocre shot.

This sign was on the bathroom door at a gas station we stopped at somewhere in Louisiana. It delighted us all.

And then......TEXAS.

This was at Sonic in Orange, TX. I don't know why I took it - except it was funny how everyone leaned over to order into the speaker.

Here is the spread of the pot luck in Orange. LOOK how happy everyone is! I'm just going to say 2 words to sum it all up: DEVILED EGGS! YES PLEASE!

During the clean up, everyone stopped for a quick picture.

This lady was my favorite. And she made a delicious white bean and ham soup...mmmmmmm..... When I asked her if I could get a picture with her, she hugged right up on me and said, 'This is just how we do it here in Texas!' She was a TRIP!

Here are a few of us out front of the venue in Orange...EXCEPT...the venue is to our right and not in the picture. Good planning, Matt.

Felicia stikes a pose in Orange...with the US and Texas flags flying in the background. Work it, girl.

OK. This picture is NOT going to convey what I want you to see. See that pole or rod going STRAIGHT UP? Can you people even process how TALL IT IS? It's sitting out in the middle of NOWHERE in Texas...and it just goes up and up and up forever! I couldn't stop staring at it as we drove South to Galveston. I mean...it's SO TALL! But i don't know if the picture shows JUST how tall it truly is. So trust me - it's tall.

Here is the beginning of the hazy/misty/foggy weirdness that engulfed the Galveston area. That is one of our show trucks ahead of us. This picture was at like 3pm in the afternoon. Strange.

Here is a tour first: CAR FERRY! That's right. We had to take a car ferry across to Galveston Island. Evidently the bridge was washed out by Rita in the area - so the ferry is the only way across if you're coming from the North. It was a most excellent adventure...and pretty amazing how much WEIGHT the ferry carries across. On the right, I caught Katie in the truck on the ferry as we were pulling out from the shore.

Here are some of us enjoying the view off the front of the Ferry.

L: The sun on the water...through the misty stuff. R: Rachel working it on her catwalk on board the ferry.

Felicia took sometime to call family and friends to report on the car ferry experience.

And the seagulls led the way.

The entire cast and crew of Wonka 2007! A pretty excellent picture, I think.

A couple of shots of the beautiful interior of the Galveston Opera House where we performed. It was a great space for the show.

Here I am with Jill, Joy and Joy's niece, Ella! It was SO great to see you guys! Thanks , again, for coming down!

Joy and I say a quick good-bye in front of the Opera House.

I love this picture. CLASSIC Roe. And Jonny just continues to be cool through it all.

On the ferry ride BACK, Jeffrey decided to feed the birds...they all started swarming and then Jeffrey got in trouble, over the ENTIRE loudspeaker system for feeding the birds from the upper-deck. It was pretty hysterical. And a bit scary, too. Those birds were SERIOUS about getting the potato chips.

Remnants of the aftermath of the hurricanes that have swept through this portion of the country.

This is just a really cool Elementary School sign in rural Texas somewhere. Pretty creative, right?

Kennedy Center Part 2: Amazing Support!

2007-01-11T16:27:00.000-05:00

The last important thing I need to touch on before we move COMPLETELY into Wonka 2007 is the AMAZING support we all received from friends and family while we were at the Kennedy Center! My intention, you should all know, was to carry my camera with me whenever I visited someone after a show! Then we could get a picture and I could put you on the blog and the world would be peachy-keen. But a lot of times, I got sidetracked in seeing you all and just FORGOT to snap the picture.

In the end, as a cast, we were reminded how very, VERY blessed we are to have the friends and family and support that we do in the Washington DC area...and beyond! A HUGE thanks to those friends and family members who took the time over the holidays to travel to the DC area to see the show! As corny as it sounds, it's your support and love that makes it possible for US to do this on the road, week after week.

For myself, I wish I could list everyone that took time to come down and see the show. I would try, but I'm afraid I'd forget someone and end up offending someone. To my friends from my community theater life, my church life, my Kennedy Center Sales Services life, my Washington Speakers Bureau life (and anyone else not covered in the above) - THANK YOU for supporting Wonka! It was great to see - or to know that you were out there!

May your new year be blessed with the safety, happiness and love that our cast has been blessed with on the road throughout the run of Fall Wonka 2006!

A selection of the pictures I DID remember to take!

Here I am with my friend, Monica Abangan, from the Washington Speakers Bureau! Not ONLY did she come to the show, but she also brought me a bag of chocolates from Italy. THANKS, BELLA!

Here I am with my old friend, Suzanne Clegg - and her nieces and nephews! Suzanne and her husband, Cory, just had their first child, Max...and although Suzanne claims he's VERY advanced for 7 months old, she didn't feel he was advanced enough to sit through Wonka and really GET IT. Sure do love you guys, Suzanne!

LOOOOOOOOOOK EVERYONE! It's Roe and her father, Greg and her stepmom, Maureen! They made the drive from the greater Philly area to catch the show and have been HUGE supporters of Wonka the show and GoGloop the blog from the beginning! Great to see you, Greg and Maureen! Happy 2007!

Working at the Speakers Bureau was such a blessing in my life - both because I loved the work and I loved the people I worked with! Here I am with 2 of my WSB friends, Becky Shelton (middle) and Chris Male...along with Chris' daughter, Rachel. SO GREAT to se you ladies. Thanks for coming.

More fun with WSB folk! Here I am backstage after the show with my friend, Shanna and her fiancee, Collin! As always with Shanna and Collin, it was fun to see you guys and laugh with you a bit. Never a dull moment. And next time I'm around, we'll hit Old Glory again!

THEATER PALS! L-R: Brian Huseman, Mia DeMezza, ME, John Segota, Marc Willensky. (Mia and Marc are married - and the rest of us have all worked on shows together at one point or another. And I'm PRETTY sure Marc has been a patient audience member through countless numbers of those productions!) Great to see you, friends!

Some of my dearest friends came to the show right before we left the Kennedy Center! L-R: Chris O'Donnell, Anias Haas, ME, Lacey O'Donnell, Christy Banker! Chris and Lacey are the married couple not standing together in this picture...if you couldn't put the last names together. And Anias, Lacey, Christy and I all met at church over the past few years. Sure do love you guys. Thanks for Wonka - and the trip to Georgetown Cafe POST-Wonka!

Almost 2 years ago, I did a production of THE WHO'S Tommy with the Little Theatre of Alexandria. And Friday night, 2 days before we left the Center, a group of that cast came to see the show! Lori, Sarah, Rae, Renee, Nikki, ME, Janice and Mike are standing in the Hall of States! I appreciate you guys taking the time (AND MISSING YOUR REHEARSAL!!) to come check out the show. Break legs!!

I actually put BOTH of these pictures of Rachel, her sisters and her Mom because of how funny her niece, Sofia, was being this day. She would NOT look at me...and not even TALK to me for a large portion of their visit. The first one is so funny because they were all struggling to get Sofia to LOOK UP - and by the second one, they were basically over it....and just wanted to take a picture. Thanks for coming down from Philly, Brennan Ladies! It was great to see you all.

Even you, Sofia!

This last group shot was a fun group to have at our show! This is another friend from WSB, Darlene, and her husband, sister, nephew and some friends! Darlene has been a HUGE supporter of my pursuit of this professional theatre thing....and has become a dear friend of mine since starting at the Speakers Bureau. Thanks for coming to the show and bringing Brian, Sheryl, Dominic, Colin and Fran! See you again SOOOOOON!

Kennedy Center Part 1: Old meets New

2007-01-11T01:24:00.000-05:00

Fall Wonka 2006 Cast

So...after ALL THAT, we made it back to the Kennedy Center in time for our shows - AND to jump back in to rehearsals with our 2 new cast members! Starting the day after Christmas, we welcomed with OPEN ARMS our new Violet: the incomparable FELICIA CURRY, and our new Charlie: the talented Jonathan Atkinson! And it was a full week for everyone! We would rehearse in the mornings with the new cast and perform in the afternoons with the old cast. And it was a MAD DASH through rehearsals, because Felicia and Jonny were slated to go ON STAGE with us for their first performance on Friday night! That's right - after 4 days with the cast, they were taking the stage. (All of this is even MORE amazing for Jonny...because unlike Felicia who rehearsed with us back in August, Jonny was coming into this all BLIND! He had never met any of us, and had only had 4 days of rehearsal the previous week with our music director and choreographer! 4 days with them - 4 days with us - 8 days total and then your Kennedy Center debut? WHOA. That's all I can say! And you know what folks? HE DID IT! And he did it with STYLE!)

So that's pretty much the run of the first week: REHEARSE. PERFORM. REHEARSE. PERFORM. SWAP CASTS. PERFORM. SWAP BACK TO OTHER CAST. PERFORM. It was all pretty mind boggling. And I'm going to be pretty honest with you. It was TIRING. And considering everything ELSE that had gone on in December, it made us all that much MORE tired and worn out and ready for our New Years Break! And as luck would have it, we ended up have 4 days off for new years. We all went our own ways...but not before we said HUGE good byes to Eric and Tara, who did their last show with us on Saturday night, December 30th! How weird was that? I don't really know how to describe it. Especially after the fall that we had - and all the amazing experiences we had throughout the tour. It just all went so fast and the end kind of crept up on us.

Excuse me for taking a step outside the GENERAL recount, and for jumping in to a personal note, but I have to say a few things specifically about saying GOOD BYE to Eric. As most of you know, this is mine and Eric's 2nd tour with the Wonka World. We started out together in August 2005, and after an initial 'misunderstanding' with his stupid good-bye party, we became fast friends. Since September 2005, Eric has been my best friend on the road, my right hand man for adventure, and my cohort in crime as we swept the nation. We survived bad movies, car crashes, scary hotels, national parks, bad drivers, landmark performances, HOT smashed pennies...and the list goes on and on and on. Performing with him Saturday night and realizing it was our last show caused me to be a little more emotional than I tend to be during the show, and made me realize just HOW MUCH I'm going to miss having him around every day. Eric is an incredible friend with incredible talent - and I'm letting him leave the tour because I know he has great things out there waiting for him! I miss you madly, Eric...and can't wait to hear where life takes you next!

So that's how Fall Wonka 2006 ended. It was an amazing journey - and the start of another amazing journey as we welcome Felicia and Jonny into our ranks! Wonka 2007 is off and running...and we are starting BIG - as we head to Texas for a month. YEEEEEEE-HAW! is all I can say.

Augustus welcomes Spring Violet and Spring Charlie!

So one picture has better COLORING - but one picture is more FOCUSED. But BOTH of them show the excitement of Felicia and Jonny to be starting their Wonka Tour at the Kennedy Center.

And Fall Charlie, Eric, ponders his time with the tour.

Fall Charlie supervises Spring Charlie as he gets ready for his FIRST performance in front of an audience.

The Tale of 2 Charlie's.

So I had a SLIGHT mishap with one of my props: The Fish Fin. My fish fin SMASHED into the fish piece Jeffrey uses in the show - and since I'm so strong, it RIPPED the tip of the fish fin off and catapulted it into the audience. And then I got it as a souvenir. And then Eric had fun with it in the dressing room.

Felicia getting ready for her first show - WORKIN' it backstage.

L: Rachel shows off her 60's Cowgirl get up. R: Eric and Mike being funny with the new shipment of condoms we received. (FYI - we use condoms to protect our wireless microphone pacs from sweat. Music theater magic.)

L: Jodi and Craig say good bye to Eric! R: not sure what is going on, but it SURE is a funny picture.

L: Director Graham says GOOD BYE to Eric! R: Old friends Roe and Rachel snaps pictures before Eric's last show.

The ORIGINAL Mrs. Bucket from the movie, who lives in the DC area, came to see our show at the Kennedy Center! So the 2 Mrs. Bucket's swapped notes and character analysis.

After our last show, we all went to grab dinner and drinks. Director Graham and Choreographer Ingrid came along to say GOOD BYE to everyone, as well! YOU MADE THE BLOG, INGRID! CONGRATS!

BEST FRIENDS FOREVER. TO THE MAXXXXXX!

Finishing Out 2006

2007-01-09T01:44:00.000-05:00

So how did we wrap up 2006? It's been a long time in waiting...mainly because the last 4 weeks of 2006 were so CRAZY for us! But the ONE word that sums up our December (and even starting back in late November) is: REHEARSAL! Lots and lots of rehearsal for lots and lots of different things! And all that rehearsal, plus all the performing plus ALL THAT DRIVING made for a tired Wonka Cast...and one EXTREMELY tired blogger. So I took a break over the holidays....while I rehearsed and performed some more at the Kennedy Center. (But that's a story for another time....)
So back to Washington State we go (ONLY IN OUR MEMORIES....) And actually, to get the whole story, I have to take you back to PRE-White House visit...to Stockton, California...when Tara decided to RUN downstairs to the stage and ended up falling down the stairs and throwing her knee out of whack. She went on with the show - but she was clearly hurt. And over the next few days, it didn't get better. We were REHEARSING the White House show every day along with performing 2 shows a day in Stockton.
After we got back to Washington State from the White House, we knew Tara's leg wasn't getting any better...so she went to a doctor, and was given a CANE and told to stay off the leg as much as possible. SO...we entered into a NEW week where we REHEARSED a new show - that included a Violet complete with a cane (which I am STILL slapping myself for not taking pictures of!) until we could get her understudy out to the West Coast with us.
Things finally worked out for Cristina (Tara's understudy) to pack up somethings and head out West for our last 5 shows - while Tara flew home and tried to rest her leg. And as soon as Cristina got into town, we headed CROSS STATE to the Idaho/Washington border of Pullman for one show. That's right. ONE. But before that show? REHEARSAL. Because we had to go back to the original show since we had a Violet who could do everything now. So we rehearsed, and we performed, and then...through the magic of our scheduling, we headed BACK to the Western side of Washington State for our last 4 shows on the road with the fall group. The shows were in Kirkland, Washington. But enroute, we ended up NOT making it there when we were supposed to because the 2nd MAJOR STORM of winter 2006 hit the Seattle area...and forced us to stop in the snowstorm in Ellensburg, WA.
And as we slept, the weather worked HARD on the Pacific Northwest...and forced us to cancel our FIRST of four shows in the Kirkland area the next morning. We didn't actually cancel it. The venue had to - since we were in Ellensburg AND schools were closed AND the venue had no power. OTHER than those factors, we probably could've done it. Being the brave FOOLS that we are, we loaded up the van and trucks and headed the last 100 miles from Ellensburg to Kirkland...which ONLY took about 5 hours over the Snolquamie Pass through the remainder of the storm. We arrived to find 95% of the area we were staying was without any power. That's right. NONE. LUCKILY - our hotel and the 2 restaurants in it's parking lot were part of the lucky 5%....so we checked in...and waited. And waited. And slept a lot. And waited some more.
LONG story short, the power didn't come back on in a timely matter....so our last 4 shows in Washington were cancelled. Which was sad...since Cristina had flown all the way out to Seattle to meet up with us. BUT - them's the breaks. PLUS - we also had 6 straight days of driving to "look forward to" - so no tears were lost on 4 lost shows!
And then the drive started...and it went on and on and on. And for the most part, I slept through most of it. And what I didn't sleep through, I think I blocked out. Because it was a LOT of driving and it was just too much at THAT point of tour. We had been through a LOT the past month...and ending it with 6 days of driving ALMOST pushed me over the edge. I survived. We ALL survived. But I'm pretty sure if you look close, I have a few scars.
That's about the blanket-explanation of the close of the fall portion of Wonka 2006. We survived...only to find out that along with performances at the Kennedy Center, we were going to have another EXTENSIVE set of rehearsals for our week between Christmas and New Years. But those stories and pictures and FUN are for the NEXT blog entry. You have enough to process with all these writings and pictures.
And I need to go to bed.
TOMORROW: Drive to Lafayette, LA and a look at our 2 weeks at the Terrace Theater in the Kennedy Center in Washington DC! Plus a chance to get to see our NEW Charlie and Violet! (NO...Tara didn't die. Her contract ended.)
Later, folks.
G

Cristina jumps RIGHT into the tour life...on a trip with everyone to the grocery store.

Elisa looks as thrilled to be at understudy rehearsal as we all were.

My collection of CRISTINA IN ACTION shots from our rehearsal. For those who are wondering: The girl gets an A+ + + for coming in with a great attitude, for knowing her stuff from the minute she stepped off the plane, and for making a seamless step into the show AND the madness that it WONKA 2006!

Cristina backstage and READY. TO. GO!

Old friends right before the show.

Um. This is in the lobby of our hotel in Ellensburg, WA. And this is MOMENTS after Roe mysteriously just FELL DOWN - and couldn't get back up. AND of course, we were all laughing so hard that no one really could help her. I don't even think I know how she eventually got up...but the place had some DELICIOUS chocolates in a candy dish near where I was taking the picture. Seriously though - the fall was hysterical and I'm SAD I didn't have a video rolling.

Scenes from our 5 hour/100 mile over Snolquamie Pass.

Bathroom break at this gas station. Yes. There is a gas station under there. Jeffrey is used to show you scale.

Everyone heading in to the gas station that has no power...which means no light...which means FIND THE BATHROOM IN THE DARK! OR - by the glow of your cell phone.

These are all bathroom shots taken INSIDE the powerless gas station. OH the drama....

The trip BACK over Snolquamie Pass...2 days later...on our way CROSS COUNTRY to Washington DC.

Not quite sure why they wanted me to take this. Roe couldn't get over the bathroom lady having arms.

This was somewhere between SLC and Rock Springs, WY. Jodi was looking GOOOD...and excited to find Ice Cube Chocolates. So excited, she bought the WHOLE bucket. I'm glad she liked them...because I tried one and it was NO BUENO.

One of my most FAVORITE pictures ever. PURE JOY at the Old Chicago in Kearney, NE. Seriously - I LOVE IT!

The trip home REALLY took its toll....

ON EVERYONE! (but atleast I look rugged and pretty hot here.....)

...AND....we're back!

2007-01-08T02:12:00.000-05:00

So Happy 2007 Readers and Friends!
It's been awhile since I've reported the news of Wonka! Our 2 weeks at the Kennedy Center were fun and insane and busy and exciting and tiring and all that jazz rolled into one. But I knew I needed to sit down TONIGHT and ease my way back into this whole BLOGGING thing. Our spring portion of the tour will get the same fair and balanced coverage that the last portion did. I promise!
Today, I was thinking about WHAT I could report to ease back into things. I wasn't too sure what to tell you all that wouldn't be TOO laborous. (Remember...I'm EASING back into this...)
And then during out first show today, I had a FLASH of inspiration. WELL...let's be honest. It wasn't really a FLASH. It was more like a quick passing of one's life before their eyes. WHY? Well. Because I fell over. ON STAGE. ON MY OOMPA LOOMPA PUPPET. That's right folks. Oompa ass to the clouds...and me crawling off stage right.
So HOW did it happen? I'd like to report that the CURTAIN stage right jumped out and got me stuck up on it on purpose...but my extensive knowledge of theater curtains leads me to admit that for the most part, normal black curtains just don't JUMP out at anyone. Instead, as I was ROLLING off stage right on my Oompa Loompa stool puppet, I misjudged my exit and my back wheel caught the corner of the curtain....and instead of continuing my rolling motion to the right, I instead STOPPED dead in my tracks. BUT...I still had the momentum built UP...so I was going to keep moving. And in doing so, I ended up tipping over sideways.
NOW - at this point...I panicked. Jodi, off stage right, reports that I IMMEDIATELY wrapped my arms around the body of the Oompa. I like to think it was to protect it. The good part is that the puppet is actually in 2 parts...so the base/stool portion sits on the bottom - and then the body of the Oompa slides down on the top of it. So as I went over, and was holding one of the hands in my hand, I slowly but (probably) gracefully tipped over. And got up, all befuddled looking at Jodi...not sure what to do. I'm here to report that life did ACTUALLY flip into slow motion. The next thing I know, Jodi is grabbing the Oompa from me, whispering (loudly) "I need your robe! Get it off!" and shoving me in the direction I needed to go.
And then, with the BOTTOM half of the Oompa still tipped over sideways ON STAGE (I'm sure with wheels still slowly turning), Jodi slowly moved out as the next scene was starting, and ushered the poor little half-Oompa off the curtain and off the stage into the wings. Talk about needing some SERIOUS puppet therapy!
The show went on...we made it through everything...and time sped back up. Eventually, I even stopped laughing about the events that were involved with my fall. It was a banner day...and a great way to kick off Wonka Spring 2007! And since the LAST time I had an Oompa-tipping-mishap, (catching the curtain and tipping over but this time as I was going ON stage) it was September of 2005 as we were in Indianapolis getting the show ready to go, I'm comfortable in reporting that this WON'T be happening again anytime soon. (UNLESS...of course...it does. Wouldn't that be weird!?)
Tonight we're in Harrisonburg, Virginia...and we are heading to Texas over the next couple of days...via stops in Alabama and Louisiana. And while we travel, I'll finish my coverage of 2006 and get you up to date on our fun at the Kennedy Center...PLUS introduce you all to our new cast for 2007! Like I'm fond of saying here at GoGloop, the magic really NEVER stops!
Happy New Year!
G

And In Other News....

2007-01-02T03:28:00.000-05:00

CONGRATULATIONS

to the Broncos of....

Winners of the 2007 Fiesta Bowl!

BOISE STATE: 43 - Oklahoma: 42 (OT)

* * *

All I can say is WAS THAT GAME FOR REAL!? That's the BRONCO SPIRIT, folks!

An Explanation

2006-12-21T00:42:00.000-05:00

So I was going to come on and do my FINAL entry of the three-part-series I promised earlier. BUT today, somewhere in the middle of Illinois or Indiana...I decided that I had a PRETTY good explanation I could put up to explain WHY I wasn't doing that entry tonight. It is a PICTURE EXPLANATION...and it's an explanation that started on Saturday morning, December 16th at 10:00am PST. It's also an explanation that isn't going to END until tomorrow, Thursday evening, December 21st around 4pm EST or so. So yeah...it's a PRETTY long explanation. But I think once you see it, you'll understand. And you'll wait patiently for the REST of the story when it shows up.

Here is the key:

A. Leave Kirkland (Seattle), WA on Saturday @10am. Arrive Mountain Home, ID.

B. Leave Moutain Home, ID on Sunday, December 17th. Arrive Rock Springs, WY.

C. Leave Rock Springs, WY on Monday, December 18th. Arrive Kearney, NE.

D. Leave Kearney, NE on Tuesday, December 19th. Arrive Moline, IL.

E. Leave Moline, IL on Wednesday, December 20th. Arrive Statesboro, OH.

F. Leave Statesboro, OH on Thursday, December 21st. Arrive WASHINGTON DC!

G. WONKA OPENS SATURDAY, DECEMBER 23rd @ THE KENNEDY CENTER!

Thanks for understanding....and HAPPY HOLIDAYS from GoGloop!

Washington Is For Friends

2006-12-20T00:24:00.000-05:00

Our actual SHOW SCHEDULE in Washington is a complete BLUR to me. Once I was back from Vancouver, we jumped into shows in Bellingham (2 shows), and then Everett (8 shows) and then a drive across the state to Pullman (1 show) and then a drive clear BACK to the Eastern side of the state for 5 more shows in Kirkland! Bellingham, Everett and Pullman all had their own little experiences...and Kirkland is a story for another day.
The real fun of being in the Everett area was when my good friend, Josh Campbell, came to visit from Boise. Josh is currently a big star on Holland America Cruise ships - singing in the shows on board a number of their different ships. But luckily, our schedules KIND of crossed and KIND of put us in the same area of the country...so he hopped over to Seattle and we got to spend some time together catching up. Josh and I have been friends since we did this quirky little musical in Boise back in 1998 or something like that. We INITALLY had our differences, mainly because he hated me, but we got over it and became fast friends. It was great to have Josh in Seattle and I'm glad he got to see Wonka...3 TIMES! It was so funny hanging out with you, it made me think that we should PROBABLY write movies...just because we're so funny.
When we weren't at the theater for Wonka, we were kicking around the greater Seattle area, eating, sight-seeing, shopping and having fun! Josh spends a lot of time in port in the Seattle area, so he had a chance to show us some of his favorite areas. We had Roe, Rachel and Eric along for the fun - and we did a mad-dash through the Seattle area seeing the highlights and laughing a lot. We did the Space Needle, Unversity Place Shopping Center, Pacific Place Mall, Capitol Hill District, a drive by of Pikes Market (closed after 5pm on Sundays), and ate a lot of delicious food all along the way!
In the end, I have to give a HUGE shout-out to Josh. Thanks for coming - thanks for dealing with the zaniness of Wonka - and thanks for the INTENSE amounts of laughter. I mean HONESTLY...it was a blast. You're welcome anytime you want - and next time, if you plan it RIGHT, we can probably get YOU in a costume and have you go on as Violet, should the need arise. You've got the skill...and I'm pretty sure the 'magic' blueberry would fit!
Best of luck on the new ship, JOSH! BON VOYAGE!
Word.
G

Not quite sure why I took a picture of the venue in Bellingham and no where else...BUT...I did. And here it is.

Bellingham, WA is a city of REALLY strange murals. This one, if you make it large, is a multi-color block painting of the last supper. Just in a random parking lot across from the theater. Weird.

Thanks to Sound Man Mike, I found THIS mural....claiming that Bellingham is, you read that right, the 'City of Subdued Excitement.' HAHAHAHA. I'm moving there IMMEDIATELY!

Um, I think this is a museum or city hall or something. But to me, for some reason, when I see it, the theme song of The Office starts to play in my mind for some reason.

So Josh gets to town...and why NOT have his hair colored in my hotel room by Roe? Everett is JUST that exciting!

Josh gets an art shot at the Apple Store in Seattle.

Mean while, Rachel and Roe turn the CANDYMAN! video on in the store, set the volume to HIGH, and then high-tail it out of the store. A good time was had by all, as we walked off and heard the music blaring. WE GOT YOU, APPLE STORE!

L: Roe, Rachel and Eric when we arrived at the Space Needle. R: My art shot of the Space Needle. (I LOVE this picture!)

L: Josh and I show off our Space Needle tickets. LOOK at that excitement! R: Wonkerers waiting for the elevator UP!

Seattle from the TOP!

FRIENDS AT THE TOP! We've arrived!

We got stuck in some PRETTY brutal traffic, so to pass the time, everyone sang along to something on the radio or iPod...or in our heads. Regardless, we found ways to pass the time.

Rachel and Roe, going STIR CRAZY in the back seat.

And then, MY LIFE CHANGED. Thanks to my friend Brandon Christensen, I was led to the magical Mocha Cafe in Capitol Hill called Dilettante. And while there, I was served up the most amazing cup of hot chocolate I've ever had. It's called ephemere hot chocolate - and TRUST ME, it has the ability to change lives. Just be warned.

Josh tries to figure out the "street art" in Capitol Hill...and dance a jig in the process.

Strike a pose if you had fun in SEATTLE with JOSH!

O Canada....

2006-12-19T00:01:00.000-05:00

So after our time with George and Laura wrapped up, we were jetted back to the West Coast for our last 2 weeks of the Fall portion of our tour. And our last stop was Washington State! Since we were in Washington and I had a couple of days off, I took some free time to head NORTH to Canada...Vancouver, to be precise...to check the city out, hang out with my friend Darren, AND prepare myself for the 2010 Winter Games that will be held in Vancouver. (You can NEVER be TOO prepared for something like that....) I had heard a lot of great things about Vancouver, but it really takes a trip there to realize how great a city it is! And aside from the crazy money, the flashing green lights (I mean, WHAT is up with that?), and very few people ending sentences with the phrase, 'EH?', it was exactly like I thought it was going to be.

With both days I spent in Vancouver, I was able to just take in the highlights...in a mad dash around the city to see it all! I got to eat some amazing food...i.e. Vancouver has some crazy good Korean food...and check out the city and it's buildings and areas...and see where they are building the Olympic Village (hoping I'll be there with the 2010 US Curling Team....) and a ton of other things that make Vancouver worth visiting. (Do NOT miss the penny press machine at the IMAX Theater! Amazing.) It was also very fun to see Vancouver put on it's holiday best...and see the city full of holiday spirit.

In the end, it was a great couple of days away from the group...and to hang out with Darren. A HUGE thanks to him for being the tour guide while I was there. (I like to call him Tour Guide to the Children's Theater Star....but I don't think anyone besides me found it funny.) A huge thanks to Canada...for being up there and letting me back and forth across the border so easily. And finally, thanks to the gelatto store in Vancouver with 218 flavors...yes, 218! I didn't NEED to know what pear gorgonzola bleu cheese gelatto tastes like...but because of you, I do and always will.

I'll be seeing you again, True North...strong and free....

A couple of shots of the mountains around Vancouver. Pretty, eh?

After MUCH talk about the Mounties, and wondering if I'd ever see one, and being told probably not, I turned the corner and THERE he stood! Right in front of the Mountie Store!

This is a really cool statue I saw downtown Vancouver. It's in front of the train station...commemorating the people who built the Canadian railroad system. I think it's a beautiful statue...and I loved just standing, staring at the details of it.

I'm pretty sure Darren had never seen the statue...

Some of the sights of the city: Top L: The Steam Clock in the Gas Lamp Disctrict. (Gas Light? Hmmm...can't remember...) Top R: Just a cool building. Bottom: The peaks on the Cruise Ship Terminal in Vancouver.

Vancouver City Hall. To 2 flags on the ground, with no wind to show them, are Olympic flags! The one on the left was the Vancouver Games flag...and the one on the right was the flag with the Olympic Rings. Maybe the most excited i got the whole trip.

The magical Gelatto Shop with 218 flavors! I enjoyed a scoop of Pumpkin and a scoop of Praline. Darren enjoyed...um....something I don't remember.

This one is for Katie McManus. We went to a place in Vancouver called Death By Chocolate and they had a dessert that made me think of Katie called 'The Dessert Formerly Known As Prince." Pretty funny right? I didn't order the dessert...but I did get one of the chocolate Prince symbols they put on the dessert...to take these pictures for Katie. And then Mike, our sound guy, ate the symbol. Meanwhile, Darren happily approved of his chocolate dessert...that i don't remember what it was.

I, on the other hand, went to Death By Chocolate and got cheesecake that had NOTHING to do with chocolate. I got a piece of Maui-Wowee Cheesecake...and it was pretty delicious. There was a shortbread crust, a layer of cheesecake, a layer of coconut, pineapple and whipped cream and it all worked together pretty well. I would end up giving it a high 7 on the MASE. My only real problem was that it was the end of the day, and it kind of had that 'been out all day' dryness to it. But I ate it anyway. HA.

I walked by a bakery that gave me an idea for Eric's birthday cake...so i had to snap a quick picture.

OK...not that we ate the ENTIRE time I was in Vancouver...but...close. This was a little cupcake shop somewhere in Vancouver called CUPCAKE - and they have 16 kinds of amazing cupcakes. So i bought a dozen and brought them back South of the Border for the cast and crew! And they were a HUGE hit.

So. check out this little car I saw parked on the street.

So yeah...check out the lights on a hospital right downtown Vancouver. And the pictures don't even tell the FULL story of it all. I mean LOTS of lights.

THE FOLLOWING SECTION MAY BE INAPPROPRIATE FOR SOME READERS....

So PEOPLE...riddle me THIS! What do THESE 3 window box displays have to do with an OPTOMETRISTS OFFICE? Yeah - you heard me right....walking by an Optometrists Office, I glance to my right, and what do I see but these 3 'WINDOW STORIES'. And the ONLY way you'd know it was an optometrists office at first is the RANDOM pairs of glasses in the individual scenes. I mean....WOW. and double WOW!

And now, back to our regularly scheduled programming....

So one night, Darren decided to bust out his tree and get it up - and I sat and watched TV and coached on the placing of various ornaments and lights. I'm best when I'm supervising, or as I like to call it, 'coaching.'

The finished product...albeit blurry. But finished....

Various ART SHOTS of 'The Tree'.

My B&W Panoramic of Vancouver.

WHERE in the World is WONKA?

2006-12-18T04:36:00.000-05:00

I know. I didn't blog all last week. It's like I did the White House performance and then I was OVER blogging. And that's not entirely false...but probably for reasons other than what you might be thinking. There was just so much STUFF going on building up to it, travel and performances and rehearsals, that once it came and went, I'm PRETTY sure my mind went into hybernation. And now that we're heading into the heart of the holidays, I'm trying to break OUT of that "cave".
So where are we? WELL...we are 2 days into our 6 day trek across the country from Seattle, Washington to Washington DC. And if you want the most ACCURATE of locations: you can find us tonight at the Hampton Inn in Rock Springs, Wyoming. Classy....that's how we do. Tomorrow it's on to Nebraska....the next day we drive to Iowa....that is followed up with a jaunt over to Ohio...and then Thursday, we finally roll into good ol' DC. We have Friday off as they load the show into the Kennedy Center, and then the curtain is UP on Wonka in the Terrace Theater at the KC! It's all very whirlwind and exciting.
So what have you missed? A ton! But never fear...over the next 3 nights....I'm going to catch you up on the happs the past week or so! From my time in Canada, to the visit of my friend from Boise, JOSH, to the craziness of the UNDERSTUDY arrival and rehearsal and performance, to the even MORE craziness of SOMEONE in the cast performing a few shows with a CANE before they headed home to nurse their injury. You need to hear about the travel and the weather and the snow and the power outtages and the ridiculousness that we've encountered the past....oh....5-6 days! Luckily, all I have is time until Thursday, so each night, I will update a little bit more of what you've missed...complete, of course, with all the amazing pictures that come with my stories.
Consider this your 'rain check' for the things to come later this week! Have a great Monday...and get your holiday shopping done QUICK! Only 7 more sleeps 'til Christmas.....

Cheers!
G

NOT White House Stuff In DC

2006-12-08T03:14:00.000-05:00

OK. So you've gotten ALL the White House story you probably ever wanted OR needed...and then some. But what about the other 11 hours we were around DC and NOT at the White House? Well, I had a chance to catch up with some friends in the DC area....and I have to give them all a big SHOUT OUT and THANK YOU for spending some time with me on my abbreviated and highly secret trip to Washington! Especially for agreeing to do things so last minute. And to those I didn't get a chance to see, NEVER FEAR...I will be back on the 21st! Good times.
Here is my collection of pictures that I would like to title: QUALITY TIME WITH FRIENDS IN WASHINGTON DC.
Enjoy.....
G

L: Tyler and I waiting at Cheesecake Factory for a table. R: Rachel and Darci doing...something...which is unclear at this point.

This is ALSO unclear...but Tyler in the background is HYSTERICAL.

L: Testing out the setting for the group shot. R: The group shot. (Stephanie, Myself, Jeff, Darci, Tyler and Rachel.)

Art shots of Stephanie Felsted...at Mazza Gallery.

Sunday night dinner with friends! Roe, Myself, Shanna and Collin. Thanks for coming down guys!

Lunch with the WSB kids before I flew out on Monday afternoon. L-R: Myself, Christine, John, Diane and Brendan. Sorry you had to go back to work, Katie! Thakns for taking the time to come over to Theismann's for really crappy service, guys. That's real nice of you!

My White House Account

2006-12-07T00:02:00.000-05:00

Well...you've seen press pictures....and you've seen the CBS footage of our amazing little show at the White House. BUT I'm sure the thing you've all REALLY been waiting for is my picture collection and thoughts on the day! Well wait no longer. Here are the thoughts. Here are the photos. Here is the magic from our week that JUST keeps getting crazier. (We were on JAY LENO TONIGHT! Did you know THAT? Just a QUICK little clip...but we were there....and that's a big deal. And people saw us!)

Our White House day was an EARLY start...and I'll tell you what...an early start was NOT a good thing after a night of LITTLE sleep. I woke up about every 20 minutes - paranoid that I had slept through my alarm. After about 5 hours of fitful sleep, I got up, got showered and met everyone in the lobby at 6am. Everyone was in good spirits - despite the fact that pretty much everyone slept the same way the night before. But really who cares? We were going to the White House.

BUT FIRST - we had to go to the Kennedy Center to get ready...and we had about an hour and a half or so to get ready to roll. Luckily, for me, it takes me about 7 minutes to get ready. So for the first hour and twenty-three minutes, I ate yougart and played mahjong on my phone...so

I could take my mind off how nervous I was slowly becoming.

Finally it was time to head to the White House - so we loaded up in the van...everyone in costume (except for those who didn't have to wear one...like Graham and Elisa) and we made the drive the few short blocks to the White House. I was actually anticipating the security to get IN to take much longer. BUT - I guess there isn't a LOT of security to process at 7-ish in the morning. They did a quick security check with us all in the van and checked our ID's - and then they let us drive IN to the grounds and park - and we had to do another check in at the gates where you walk in. And we all got our White House Guest badges. And it all started to sink in.

The performance was schedule for 10:42am EST...and it was just about 7:42am at this point. The next few hours consisted of a lot of waiting in various holding rooms - and a quick microphone check and a chance to run through some of the numbers - and then some more waiting. And we all were still in amazing spirits...even though it still hadn't really hit us yet. The stage space turned out to be just about the size we had last rehearsed on - and the sound seemed to be working well, so we all were starting to fell like we were going to make it through the whole experience without TOO much incident!

After a lot of waiting, we were taken up to the Blue Room - just outside the East Room - and were standing by the Christmas tree in the room just talking - the 7 of us in the cast - and suddenly, we look up when we hear, 'Are you the cast?' And lo and behold, THERE was Laura Bush! Just standing there, smiling and welcoming us to the White House - and thanking US for being there! It was so SO surreal. And she was SO DANG NICE! She has a very easy going manner about her - and was very interested in where we all came from and the show and the tour. She was also very delightful to talk to about the White House...telling us about some of the history of the rooms and furniture and some of the landscaping. The coolest part is that we had about 15-20 minutes of time with her, just the 7 of us and The First Lady. Afterwards, as we waited in the Red Room, one of the military escorts mentioned how GREAT it was for her to spend so much time with us just chatting because that is so rare!

After about 15-20 minutes with just Mrs. Bush, she suddenly said, 'Well there he is!' And she was RIGHT! I looked up and there was the President coming towards us with a huge smile! He shook everyones hands and thanked us for being with them in the White House! First impressions: He's MUCH taller than I thought he would be. Maybe 6'1" - or 2". I expected him to be more....HOBBIT-ish. I also found him to be strikingly handsome in person. And like him or not, he has an amazing ability to make you feel like you are the only person in the room. When he shakes your hand, he looks right at you, and you have his FULL attention. He is very happy and friendly, and even his critics in my cast (and they are many) were taken by him and his attention to us during our time with them. After about 5-10 minutes chatting with both of them, we got a quick picture and then we were ushered out as everyone was ushered into the East Room for our show.

I wish I could remember more about the show. I remember once we got started, my throated and lips were SO DRY. (And I didn't have any water....blasted.) I remember that the children were SO CLOSE! I remember little mess-ups here and there. And I remember the LINE of cameras and TV cameras and reporters and press! And then I remember the performance being DONE and looking up and seeing President and Mrs. Bush heading towards us to shake our hands and thank us, AGAIN! I think as far as the show goes, and all the work and altering we had to do, it turned out to be an amazing representation of our show. It was sad to not have the puppets...but maybe it will get people to the theater to see the REAL show! (And I'm happy to report that the day after our appearance and press coverage, the sales went berzerk. When I looked tonight, all but 3 of our shows were sold out! BOO-YAH!)

I think I was MOST humbled by the children and families that were present. We were performing for children who have a parent serving in the military overseas. Most of them present that day have parents in the middle East. And after our show, we had the chance to talk to them and get pictures with them - and each and everyone of them came up to us with HUGE smiles and thanked us for coming and for our show and sharing out talents! And I was so taken aback by it - because what we had done was SO little and insignificant compared to what I should be thanking THEM FOR! It is their husbands and wives and mothers and fathers who are serving in the military to secure our freedoms. I'm pretty sure that in the long run, the impact of their loved ones will go FAR beyond the days impact of 24 minutes of Willy Wonka. But if it helped ease whatever they were feeling, being away from their loved ones this holiday season, then I'm THRILLED and honored to be a part of it.

I've told a lot of people that there is no way to really explain it all. 3 days after the fact, it STILL seems unreal to me. And when I try to think of adjectives that I could use to describe the experience, NONE of them do the job. Amazing pales to what I experienced! It was just SO COOL! I think it's safe to say that it was EVERYTHING I hoped it would be - and more. The Christmas decorations were unbelieavable...and the whole White House smelled incredible. The best pine scent EVER! Everyone involved with putting the event together - from the White House staff to the secret service to the members of the military on hand - couldn't have been nicer. And all of the Wonkerer's came away with an experience to share with family and friends for years to come.

Enjoy the pictures and know that I'm sorry that even the pictures can't convey the TRUE experience of our day.

Happy Holidays!
G

Elisa (our stage manager) and Graham (our esteemed director) all dressed up at 6:30am the day of the White House appearance.

Roe and Rachel in the back of the van on our way to the White House.

Scenes from our drive to the White House.

Top L & R: The security stops to get in the gates. Bottom: Finally going through the gates.

Our first real glimpse of the White House close up!

Charlie and Wonka decided to test the facilities at the White House.

Top L: Rachel, Elisa and Eric showing our security badges. Top R: Graham and Eric relax, as our early morning departure starts to catch up to them. Bottom: Steve and Jeffrey strike a pose in our first of many holding rooms.

A vase of tulips, just ASKING for a color accent treatment.

Christmas decorations all along our walk to our NEXT holding room...aka our dressing room.

Eric and I celebrate being in the same dressing room AND on the same stage as the Jersey Boys!

Everyone heading up to The East Room for our rehearsal and sound check.

Our first few minutes in the East Room. The LARGE picture of George Washington is the picture famous for being saved by Dolly Madison when there was a fire in the White House. Steve strikes his best imitation of the pose.

WHERE will the President sit? I FOUND IT!!

There is the bench - and I'm on the stage. SOOOOO...not too far away.

A collection of pictures showing the Christmas Decorations in the East Room of the White House. They have all been color accented. And i'm ok with that.

Me in an ornament. ART, people.

Eric and Roe both try their hand at being Commander in Chief.

L: Looking at ALL the activity in the East Room from one end of the room. R: One of my FAVORITE pictures I took all day. Eric and Roe's faces REALLY convey what we were ALL feeling.

My OTHER favorite picture from the day. Graham in the middle of the room, taking it all in after our rehearsal and sound check.

A couple more shots of the activity and look of the East Room. The 2nd picture checks out the decorations in the hallway leading in to the East Room.

Um....cool light, right? East Room of the White House.

Looking out the Green Room towards the Jefferson Memorial. NEVER looked this direction before.

So our green room was THE Green Room. How's THAT for perfect?

Top L: Christmas Tree in the Blue Room. (This is where we had our cast picture with the President and First Lady.) Top R: Roe and Eric share a bench as we wait to go on for our rehearsal in the Green Room. Bottom: Eric and Roe waiting to enter the East Room.

Everyone sitting and waiting in our holding/dressing room before the show...ready to ROLL!

The cast before the show - with our emcee for the day, Harrison Chad. (Seen on Broadway in 'Caroline or Change', and 'Beauty and the Beast' - as well as 'Mame' at the Kennedy Center this summer. VERY nice kid. And oh so talented.)

THE SUITS! Front L-R: Harrison, Darryl Ayers (Kennedy Center VP of Education), Graham Whitehead (Director). Back L-R: Elissa Rupert, Kim Peter Kovac (Director - Theater for Young Audiences Program)

The ladies waiting to leave the White House after our show.

A cool hall in the White House. Me likey.

I just wanted a shot of the Reindeer topiary. Everyone else wanted Hillary.

And then it was over....and we were on our way back OUT of the White House.

A Nutcracker outside the East Wing says good-bye to our group.

Elvis has left the building....and Jeffrey....and Steve...and Rachel....

'And God bless us, everyone!' exclaims Tara.

One last look at the entire group before we drove OUT of the gates.

Our view as we said GOOD-BYE through the van windows!

More Coverage

2006-12-06T04:27:00.000-05:00

everyone -
so i haven't gotten around to my update of our time in the white house. today was our day off - and i spent the day in vancouver bc canada with my buddy darren. BUT - never you fear! the good news is that today, the crew here at the hotel found a VIDEO LINK of our show on line with CBS!

...but it's not here....

on wednesday we have 2 shows, we drive to everett, washington and i will finally have some free time to sit down and pull all of MY pictures and stories together for all of you! until then have fun watching the video as much as you want.

talk to you soooooooon....
G

MORE Photos

2006-12-05T14:39:00.000-05:00

These are just a few photos Eric found last night on Yahoo News! ENJOY!

Eric and Roe somehow got cut out of this somehow. SO many cameras snapping....

Eric and Steve workin' it!

Steve and the show. This gives you a perspective of how close they were.

Steve doing the George Washington pose.

I LOVE THIS PICTURE!

The FIRST REPORT

2006-12-05T05:31:00.000-05:00

OK. So this is just the first report...and it's just the bare-bones details. And they are directly from the White House website. Click HERE or HERE or HERE to check it out! It's the first press release directly from the White House.

It was an amazing experience - and reports have been pouring in of sightings of the news and performance around the country. Kenny in NYC saw us LIVE on the CNN Pipeline while the show was going...Tiffany in Seattle saw a replay on C-SPAN in Seattle...and John in Alexandria saw a report just hours after the event on Fox News. We're PRETTY much the biggest thing in children's theater now.

Tomorrow, MY full report and pictures. We've had a LONG travel day back to the West Coast and it's time to sleep! But you can enjoy this press release until tomorrow....

Sign me...humbled, blessed and floatin' on cloud 9....
G

Happy Monday

2006-12-03T22:10:00.000-05:00

So. It's Monday. The cast of Willy Wonka is in Washington DC. And by the time most you read this, we will be done with our sole-purpose for the trip. We flew here from Sacramento last night - and we fly to Seattle tomorrow afternoon - and tomorrow morning, we take a scaled-down, concert-ish version of the show to the White House! We are performing for the President, the First Lady, and an invited audience of guests consisting of children who have parents serving in the Middle East AND a press corps bigger than any I've ever seen.
Anyway - it's not a political thing....it's done every year...and so those of you not cool with George W can stop rolling your eyes. (I'm pretty sure the Clinton's did it too...phew. Just with different children. I think they did it with the children from the village they were raising.) It's an amazing opportunity - and because of it, I'm signing off and going to bed! We have to be up and out of the hotel at 6:00am...soooo....I need my beauty rest! HAHAHAHAHAHA!
Check back in tomorrow for all the stories and inside coverage of: MR. WONKA GOES TO WASHINGTON!
Good night!
G

Ideas For New Show Choreography

2006-12-02T01:45:00.000-05:00

I have to first of all give a HUGE shout out to my friend, Rachel Oliphant, for bringing this AMAZING video to me. I think you'll understand after you watch it why I say I'm a better person because of it. Either that OR I'm out the 3 minutes and 33 seconds it runs. Regardless....I think it has some GOOD ideas to help spice up our show a bit...so Ingrid...if you're out there reading this...and watching this...take some notes and see if we can add some of this MAGIC in when we're back rehearsing in a few weeks! Everyone else just ENJOY!

Oh yeah - and for an even BETTER experience, click on the YouTube logo in the bottom right hand corner and then read the COMMENTS left on the video aftewards. People are funny.
Enjoy! Happy weekend. This is your payment for being so patient.
G

Picture Time: THANKSGIVING!

2006-11-30T04:12:00.000-05:00

Let me give you what I have come up with as an (almost) fool-proof equation for a successful, happy and memorable Thanksgiving away from family.

1 part SLEEP IN + 2 parts OLD FRIENDS + 8 parts DELICIOUS FOOD + 1 part BEAUTIFUL WEATHER - 11 parts CURRENT COWORKERS = HAPPY THANKSGIVING TO ME!

For my turkey day this year, I was invited to have dinner with my old friends, Karen and Patrick McDonough, who live in Long Beach, California. I met Karen at Marietta Memorial Hospital in Marietta, Ohio when I was a Mormon missionary in 1994. Each week, as missionaries, we did 8-12 hours of community service at hospital, and through our time there, we all became friends with Karen and some of the other staff. Karen's husband, Patrick, was president of Marietta College at the time...and in 1995, they left Marietta for Long Beach - as Patrick was hired into the Cal State System...and they have been here ever since. Probably because of our love of theater and probably because of our appreciation for good humor, Karen and I have kept in touch loosely over the years. And when I found out WILLY WONKA was playing the Cerritos Performing Arts Center, about 12 miles from their home, I had to invite them to the show! And they, in turn, invited me to spend Thanksgiving with them! We were joined by their son, Jeffrey, who lives in Hollywood and writes scores for movie and TV (who I could've talked to all night about his work!) and his girlfriend, Madeleine who is an actress who lives in Burbank (and had great stories about some commercial shoots she has been on recently!)

It was a very low key affair...and it was SO nice to see them again and talk to them about life and the past 11 years or so! Dinner was DELICIOUS...the Broncos lost but it was worth it to watch it on their beautiful HD TV...and we got to watch a cool short film Jeffrey recently scored. And to top it all off, the next night, Karen and Patrick came to see Willy Wonka with a couple of their friends....and I'm PRETTY sure at one point, I heard Karen clapping along and singing the Oompa Loompa songs with us!

A HUGE thanks to the McDonough's for including me in your Thanksgiving...and for staying in touch all these years! Old friends have been SUCH a huge blessing on this leg of the tour for me...and my day with you all was a HIGHLIGHT of those visits!

CIAO!
G

I LOVE THIS PICTURE! This is Karen and I testing my camera and the mantel and making sure we could get the picture we wanted before we called the others in. We both look slightly shocked and curious about if it was working. And it was!

Here is the whole Turkey Crew! L-R: Jeffrey, Madeleine, ME, Patrick and Karen!

Picture Time: PASADENA!

2006-11-30T03:16:00.000-05:00

So I recovered from my party day at Disneyland...and I figured what BETTER WAY to kick off day 2 of freedom than to hop up and take another cast member to the airport! SO - on Tuesday at 8am or so, Steve and I loaded into the van for another fun run to LAX. Steve headed off to Las Vegas for a couple of days, and I headed back to the hotel to plan my next couple of days!

One of my friends from DC that lives out here now, Todd Cranney, had been in touch previously...and we had talked about doing something on this same day! But I was also trying to figure out how to get up to the Pasadena/Burbank area to see Sister Act the musical at Pasadena Playhouse AND hang out with my buddy, David Kopp. Well, LO AND BEHOLD, Todd calls and says he's driving up I-5 from San Diego on his way to Burbank for a meeting with his boss. Well, as fortune would have it, our hotel sat ON I-5, basically...and so Todd said he would stop and pick me up and I could ride up to Burbank with him so we could spend some time together catching up. The HORRIBLE part about the trip is that it was 2 days before Thanksgiving, and traffic was BRUTAL! I think it took Todd a total of 3+ hours to get to the meeting. The GREAT part about the trip is that the traffic was brutal! It gave us more time to shoot the bull and catch each other up on what is going on in life. Todd just finished working on Governor Schwarzenegger's campaign...and is trying to plot out the next step in his life. And for those of you who know Todd, let me just tell you that he is the EXACT same as he was when he was in DC with all of us. "Good hell......" is ALL Cranney - and I heard it more than once in our few hours hanging out. While Todd went to his meeting, I hung out at the Burbank shopping mall and then Todd and I went to Pasadena and had Jamba Juice and talked some more and then he dropped me at Dave's and he was gone! THANKS, Todd! It was great to see you!

As I was walking IN to Dave's house, he was walking OUT to a meeting in LA...but we were meeting back at his place after our plans...so no biggie. Dave lives about 4 blocks from the Pasadena Playhouse where I went to see SISTER ACT the musical. Here's what I have to say about the overall experience: You would THINK it was a good idea...and then somewhere in the middle of the 2 1/2 EXCRUCIATING hours, you realize EVERYONE was wrong about it being a good idea. It's painful...and of the entire show, I am going to be generous and say 20% of it was any kind of good with substance and possibility. The jokes were VERY sub-par-sit-com-ish, the music was for the most part unforgettable and EXTREMELY hokey. And half of the characters were really trying to be PEOPLE...while the other half were directed to be CARTOONS of what we think pimps and killers and nuns and priests are. It was all very strange...scoring a LOW 4 on the MASE....and I am SO happy I saw it! SERIOUSLY. I love live theater so much that seeing things on THIS level that are trainwrecks make it fun. And if it NEVER makes it to Broadway, I can always say, 'I saw it when.....'

The rest of my time in Pasadena was awesome. The next day Dave and I went to see the FIRST showing of 'For Your Consideration' at his local movie theater...and although it was my least favorite of the Christopher Guest mockumentary line of movies, I still enjoyed myself. Well worth the visit to the movie theater. At lunch, I met up with Jonathan Nessla - from the Barbie Live Tour last year. He lives in Burbank, and he came over to Pasadena to have lunch and catch up. He's doing well and said HELLO to anyone I should say HEY to.

Then instead of heading back down to my hotel, Dave and I hung around his place, watched funny videos on YouTube and then later that night, went to meet his sister, Carrie and a group of her friends at a dive bar in the Silver Lake area of LA called SMOG CUTTERS. No real way to accurately describe the bar. Um - it's tiny...and it's owned and run by these 2 ladies from Thailand. There is a pool table when you first walk in, and then straight behind it, the bar. And on the wall opposite the bar, there is a karaoke machine and TV - which is why we were here. But it's so WEIRD - because when it comes down to it, you spend your time doing karaoke to the wall! But no one seemed to mind...and I had a great time watching the local flair and talking to all of Carrie's friends. It was a lot of fun!

Pasadena ended with a bang...when Dave went COMPLETELY above and beyond his duties as a friend and drove me back down to Cerritos to the Holiday Inn Select. It was a FULL couple of days in the Pasadena area with Dave...and as always, it was a LOT of fun to hang out with him and laugh at all of the stupid things we found to laugh at.

I'll keep you posted on what I hear about the outcome of Sister Act. I'm sure you'll be waiting...wondering.....

So at one end of the bar at Smog Cutters, when we walked in, there was this dude passed OUT the entire time I was there. So of COURSE everyone started getting pictures with him. Top L: Me in the background with Carrie's friend, Elissa's arm pointing. Top R: Carrie on the Left, Elissa on the Right, Bar Dude in the middle. Bottom: Carrie's friend Hugh strikes a pose.

Later on, after Dave and I had left, Elissa got a picture with Bar Guy...awake.

Hugh and I deep in conversation about something pretty serious, probably.

Dave and Elissa rock it OUT, Thailand-style, to the karaoke HITS! The 2nd picture was taken with Elissa's camera...and it has SUCH a cool effect to it...so I included it here.

Dave, Carrie and I muggin' for the camera.

Again. But this time, a bit more perplexed, it seems. Again - taken with Elissa's camera.

Dave tries to re-create what he remembers of my Augustus Gloop dance, from when he saw the show in Thousand Oaks 3 weeks ago.

Picture Time: DISNEYLAND!

2006-11-30T01:52:00.000-05:00

So our first FULL day in Cerritos was a mad-dash to freedom and fun for everyone. My mad dash started with a run to LAX for company member Katie...who was heading home to Iowa for a few days. We left the hotel at 4:15am. That's right. A.M. Don't be jealous. And then when I got back to the hotel, I COULDN'T SLEEP! Partly because I was awake...but also partly because in just a few short hours, I was taking the hotel shuttle straight down the I-5 to DISNEYLAND! And to make the trip even better, I was meeting up with one of my DEAREST friends from back in DC....Miss Darci Nelson! But wait - even better than spending the DAY at the Happiest Place On Earth with Darci is spending the day there with her family. And by saying FAMILY....please don't FOOL yourself into thinking a couple of siblings, some nieces and nephews and a parent or two. I'm saying START with Darci and her 8 siblings - mix in her 2 nephews - and her parents...and then start throwing in cousins, aunts, uncles, and a whole slew of other relative-types...and you end up with the 60+ that we had with our group that day! It was an IMPRESSIVE feat of coordination and planning....keeping everyone accounted for and in contact and fed and happy. An amazing job! And I think we only SERIOUSLY thought we lost someone like ONCE the whole day. Not too shabby....

Disneyland was BUSY and a blast. The holidays are in FULL swing all over the park - and the decorations are beautiful. All the CLASSIC rides were up and running except the Matterhorn...and due to the magic of Fast Pass, we had a SHORT wait on some rides with long lines! I did NOT get to go on the Peter Pan ride for little kids that I love....ran out of time...but did pretty much everything else I was hoping to do. I even saw the holiday parade through Main Street USA twice, somehow. And by the time the fireworks were done at 9:45pm, I was ready to head for the shuttle area and back to the hotel. Having been UP since 4am, I figured I earned it!

A HUGE thanks to the Nelson Clan for letting me invade the ranks and join their 'Nelson For A Day' program. I had a BALL!

Thanks for your patience in me getting caught up on these blog entries. I PROMISE we're almost there.

Darci and her sister, Katherine, as we were getting started in the morning.

L: Yo-ho-ho and a Boat Full of Nelsons on the Pirates of the Carribbean. R: This MIGHT be one of my most favorite pictures I snapped all day. This is on the Indiana Jones ride...and it is Darci's sister and her husband...and it is PURE candid reaction to the ride. Doesn't get ANY better than that, people.

I was standing between Disneyland and the California Adventure park and this family walked by with this little girl in her BEST Princess garb. So I KNEW it had to be color-accented.

Goofy gets the California Adventure sign decorated for the holidays.

More of California Adventure and it's holiday decorations.

A Case Of The Unfortunates that I saw wandering around California Adventure. I am getting QUICK on the draw with this camera!

A couple of shots from the AFTERNOON parade. And I'm here to tell you this...if I had had something LARGE and SOLID to THROW at Ariel, I would've. She is was the most ANNOYING thing in the parade. And she was HIGH up on that float...so knocking her off would've done some SERIOUS damage! There is a fine, fine line between 'cutsie' and 'annoying as hell'. She crossed it.

A look at Sleeping Beauty's castle as the sun sets over Disneyland.

The Matterhorn. Closed due to; Recent Rider Death. Ew.

Main Street Disney all decked out in it's holiday finest.

A closer look at some of the holiday decorations blanketing the park.

Darci and I camped on the side of the road, waiting for the NIGHT PARADE to kick off.

Some familiar, albeit BLURRY, faces from the Holiday Parade.

Darci and her nephews, Sam, basking in their post-parade-glow of excitement and wonder. Atleast Darci is.

L: Darci and I again...this time after the AMAZING fireworks display. R: Darci and some of her many siblings.

So for the holidays, they shoot of an amazing HOLIDAY fireworks display over both the Castle AND Small World. But the KEY is sitting by Small World...because at the end of the FIREWORKS, they turn on these machines that create SNOW. In all actuality, it's soapy-foamy-type-stuff....but look at it. For all intents and purposes, it's a full on SNOW STORM in California. And they are pumping out the Christmas music...and people were dancing in the street....OF COURSE it's the happiest place on earth. Because they do things like THIS! Oh yeah - and that picture on the LEFT is of Small World all lit up.

Darci's brother, Jack (LEFT) and his cousin or uncle or grandfather or something...with some of the "SNOW" piled up on their heads! The snow storm was a hit with everyone...young and old!

Picture Time: MAN OF LA MANCHA

2006-11-28T17:29:00.000-05:00

So our show in Poway (San Diego) wrapped up and I'm happy to report that it was a REALLY great show. Everything just worked. And the audience loved the show. And when we were done, we were all staring at 5 1/2 days OFF for Thanksgiving! I think that energy had a LOT to do with the success of the show. But I may be way off base.

Anyway - we left Poway and headed to Cerritos...where we would spend the next week. It worked out as we were checking in to the Holiday Inn Select in Cerritos, the national touring company of Phoenix Entertainment's MAN OF LA MANCHA was checking out...and Eric, Roe and Rachel in our cast had friends in the LaMancha cast! They were heading over to the Cerritos Performing Arts Center where we would also be performing later in the week. Melanie, in the cast and friends of the our 3, got us some tickets to see their Sunday matinee, and so we headed over and saw the show.

I'll tell you right now that MoL is probably my MOST favorite stage show. Ever. So I'm always excited and a little bit worried to see a production of it. The Phoenix production has a VERY beautiful set and lighting and costumes...and the ensemble sounded and looked AMAZING. I was happy about it all. But the emotional core is Don Quixote...and the dude donning the armor in this production just didn't do it for me. PLUS - I'm being really honest here - his "Impossible Dream" was quite possibly one of the worst renditions of the song I've ever heard. Melanie played the Innkeepers Wife, Maria, and was a delight in the role. Eddie (another friend of the crew) was a Muleteer and VERY creepy and thuggish...in a way the role was meant to be played. And Roe's friend, Tess, was Aldonza/Dulcinea and sounded GREAT in the role - even though she had complained of not feeling well!

A HUGE thanks to Melanie for the tickets and to the REST of the cast of La Mancha for an enjoyable Sunday afternoon in Cerritos.

CIAO!

L: On the shuttle to the Cerritos Performing Arts Center, I caught Roe and Rachel doing their THING...and it made me laugh...so I captured it on film. R: Then I got them in a posed and fine looking picture.

Eric grins through the glare of the sun while we're on the shuttle.

Outside the Cerritos PAC, Roe, Rachel and Eric express their anger and dismay at the WONKA sign - since NONE of us are in the advertising pictures. (The original cast from the original Kennedy Center run is still in a lot of the advertising....)

Roe posses for her color accented CLOSE UP during intermission...with the flower she stole from the Sheraton Hotel. I mean BORROWED.

WONKA MEETS IN LA MANCHA! L: Eric, Melanie, Eddie, Roe and Rachel strike a pose outside TGIF. R: Tess, Roe and Melanie grab a quick picture before saying GOOD BYE!

Picture Time: SAN DIEGO

2006-11-28T00:40:00.000-05:00

***Once again, the internet is conspiring against me. With the unforunate connection we have here in Stockton, it took me about 10 minutes PER PICTURE below to upload. This being the case, I was NOT able to get to Disneyland, Thanksgiving or the REST of Cerritos.

Between shows on Tuesday will hopefully allow me to do some more. ENJOY this....

So we're going back a week or so here. After Lancaster...which was a blink...we headed way South to do a show in Poway, CA. Poway is about 15 miles outside of San Diego...and although we only had about 36-40 hours on the schedule there, I intended to make the most of it all!

A good friend of mine from DC, Tom Benson, recently moved to the OC...and because he was going to be home the next weekend when we were in Cerritos, he decided to come down and party it UP in San Diego with me. It was great to hang out with Tom. We went to see 'The Wiz' at La Jolla Playhouse (which was a fun show...a little uneven in some categories...but ultimately pretty cool to see....), went to dinner with an old Boise roommate of mine, Gabe Beal and his friends (who all live in La Jolla now), spent all day Saturday kicking around San Diego and seeing the sights, Tom came to the show in Poway, and then we drove up to his place in Newport Beach and had dinner with another DC friend, Alyssa Whitby and her boyfriend, John.

It has been awhile since I've had a chance to hang out with Tom, and we had such a great time doing the San Diego scene. PLUS - Tom is one of my friends that enjoys food as much, if not more, than I do...so getting out and eating and eating WELL is always a good time with him. We FINALLY had a chance to get the fried macaroni and cheese at TGIF that we've been talking about since they came out, we found a bang-up place for breakfast called Harry's in La Jolla where Tom actually had....wait for it....bacon pancakes, with pieces of bacon IN the pancakes AND a side of pancakes (BRILLIANT!), we had Ghiradelli chocolate sundaes, we had amazing hamburgers with FRIED EGGS on them at Red Robin (complete with bottomless fries? Life is great....), and as a farewell to our weekend, we washed it all down with a Sunday Brunch at Pei Wei - which is the fast food outlet of PF Changs. So as you can all tell, FINE DINING is alive and well in the greater San Diego/Orange County area!

Thanks TOM...and San Diego.

Stay classy.

L: Gabe, Me, Tom and Gabe's peeps hanging at TGIF after The WIz. We eased on down the road...right to the magic of the fried mac-n-cheese. R: Tom, Me and Gabe strike a pose.

A moment of silence, as I remember my amazing breakfast (PECAN PANCAKES) at Harry's. Yeth Pleath....

WHAT kind of Mormon goes to San Diego and DOESN'T see the Mormon Batallion in Old Town San Diego? Not THIS KIND! Post Harry's, Tom and I beelined to Old Town to figure out just exactly WHAT the whole deal was with the Batallion. And if I told you here, you would't go find out for yourself. So I won't. Hate to spoil the surprise!

Um....here's the street fair that was going on. Not sure WHY I took the picture...and we bought nothing here. Although Tom did consider picking up a bonsai tree. BUT....he didn't....

Some various shots of the historic section of Old Town. Feels like you are right there, doesn't it?

I liked this line of palm trees downtown San Diego.

I dont' know WHY...but on this day, I TOTALLY dug the diagonal crossing idea we encountered in San Diego. So much so that I snapped a picture of it. I'm worried about me and what entertains me these days.

Spent some time shopping in this cool open-air mall in downtown, and while I was looking around, I noticed SOMETHING that didn't look right.....

and so I snapped a picture. I mean - STAY HOME and lay out by your pool. WHO goes to the mall to lay out by the Sharper Image? Weird.

GRRRRRR...

2006-11-27T05:22:00.000-05:00

So I GET to a place where I'm ready to blog and add all my pictures from the past week...and the BLASTED INTERNET isn't letting me add pictures. Not a one. I've been trying for like an hour. And it's just not working. It keeps dropping the connection...so come to think of it, let's hope I get this published.

Couple that with the fact that we're in a city somewhere in the middle of California called Tulare...and it smells exactly like cow crap. Lots and lots of cow crap. Rumor has it that we're at the center of the dairy world here in Cali. Lucky, right?

And...earlier today I "tried" to leave my Chevy Chase bank card at Red Robin at our hotel in Cerritos. I quickly realized my mistake and got it back. And I got it back JUST in time to use an ATM 4 hours later and leave it in the ATM...to be forgotten until 30 minutes later. So yeah. It's GONE. And I get to pay Chevy Chase to not only get me a new card, but to Fed Ex the card AND the pin number to me on the road. Works out great - because I DID have 50 extra dollars lying around that I was just DYING to give to my bank.

All of this AND no Food Network in my hotel to watch Food Network Challenge.

Worst day ever....so far....this week....

Pictures tomorrow when we get to Stockton.
Gussy