Friday, October 23, 2009

Snowy St. Paul


Well, the title isn't completely accurate. We did have the sun for 1 and 1/2 days, but the rest of our stay here has been rainy or snowy. It's not even Halloween yet!

But, I've managed to get a taste of the town. I think the most unique place so far has been an old dining car called Mickey's. It's been in business for over 70 years and operates 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. In fact, it's on the National Register of Historic Places. My girlfriend and I had breakfast there one rainy Minnesota morning: blueberry buttermilk pancakes for her and a Denver omelette with hashbrowns for me. WOW! It was so good that our stomachs ached afterwards. Good thing I took waited a half an hour before going to the gym :) If you are ever in town, you should definitely check this place out. Sit at the bar so you can watch the guy cook everything on the griddle and multi-task like a banshee (amazing) and watch the middle aged waitress look busy no matter what she's doing. For all you actors, this is a great place to character study!

I'm looking forward to our next stop: Nashville, TN. I have a lot of family in that area, and it looks like I'll get to see a pile of them!

Thursday, October 15, 2009

Stop One: St. Paul, MN

We arrived on Monday to a fresh blanket of snow. Wow, that is a change from the balmy 70 degrees we were enjoying in NYC. But I have a feeling we will be experiencing many a harsh temperature change (going from Toronto to Tampa in February.....I prefer this change :).

Our theater here, the Ordway, is beautiful and quite large. Though it is not the largest we will play on tour, it feels quite a bit bigger than the Paper Mill. There are small lights that line each balcony. When you are gazing out "over the Prairie" from the stage, as we do in the show many times, there are times it looks like you are gazing into an endless starry sky. The staff here is great. We have new dressers in each city, so you never know what you're going to get. But my dresser, Dale, is ON IT! I have one full costume quick change to do in about 15 seconds, and it went swimmingly well.

Now we begin to explore the city. St. Paul is connected by a series of "skyways" from building to building, so you really don't have to walk outside at all. Although, I enjoy the crisp air. I hope to get back over to Minneapolis for at least a day to remember all the places I got to know last summer during the previous PRAIRIE run.

Pulling on my parka and out OUT THE DOOR!

Saturday, October 10, 2009

One Chapter Closed, Another Chapter Begins

It is official: PRAIRIE in New Jersey is closed. But the show lives on!!!! We just finished a 5 week run at the Paper Mill Playhouse tonight to another sold out crowd. It's great to be in a show that is so well received by the audience. But there is nary a moment to rest, for we are packing up and heading OUT WEST.

Our first stop is St. Paul, Minnesota. We originated this show last summer in Minneapolis, which is only a hop, skip and a jump from St. Paul. It will bring back a lot of great memories. On the abrasive side, it snowed there the other day. Really cold weather is not high on my priority list at the moment. I just hope for some nice sunshine. Any kind of weather is bearable if there is a little sunshine :)

I am also looking forward to a moment when I am not exhausted....I feel it on the horizon...but where or when?...I don't know.

LET'S GET THIS SHOW ON THE ROAD!!!!

(Oh, some good news: During a talk back with the audience today, someone asked about the possibility of a Cast Recording. Our lead producer in the audience was there and yelled out, "It's Coming, It's Coming".....I hope he meant it! I'll certainly post if that happens.)