Wrapping up for the Holidays

Well, one more week left of Bonnie & Clyde here in Sarasota.  We've had a great run here, although it zipped right by.  Opening night was really exciting.

Because there is a lot of potential for this show to move to Broadway, there were a lot of people from New York and other areas in the audience hoping we would put on a good show!  Luckily, we have a fantastic creative team and a super talented cast.  Everyone worked really hard, and we ended up with a really good story to tell.  I'm definitely proud to share this with my friends and family.  

(The tragic couple, Bonnie & Clyde...and Ted on opening night)

There are a bunch of production shots on BroadwayWorld.com if you want to check it out.    

The flip side of working in Sarasota is access to some of the most beautiful beaches in America.  Siesta Key Beach has sand that I liken to Splenda.  It is made of finely ground white quartz and is always cool to the touch.  In fact, let me me show you how to end a long day in Florida:

I know, I know...how do I get through it?  Well, it's tough to bear such a horrible sight, but I always remember that there must be beauty somewhere in the world :)

Next stop for me is NC for the holidays and then a trip to Uganda for my friend's wedding and non-profit work.  I finally got all of my vaccines.  Luckily I only needed 4 shots...and I didn't faint!  I will definitely post more about my Uganda trip once I'm there or soon after I get back.  If you'd like, you can look at my friend's non-profit called Sewing Hope: empowering African organizations caring for orphans and children by teaching practical skills.  I'm really looking forward to being outside of my comfort zone again.  That is when I learn the most!

Merry Christmas to all!

Everybody cut, Everybody cut...FOOTLOOSE!

View from the back of the MUNY

I'm actually down in Sarasota, Florida at the moment working on my tan....and Bonnie & Clyde :)  But I realized I forgot to write about a couple things that happened this summer after PRAIRIE ended.  So...let's be kind and rewind (a reference that is lost on the generation that only knows DVDs and missed the wide wobbly world of VHS).

Lights up.  100 degrees and 100 cast members.  1.5 weeks of rehearsal and 7 night shows.  11,000 audience members fanning themselves and eating popcorn.....Will the show be ready?  Are we going to pass out form the heat?  Most importantly...can I make them laugh?

Willard's "goin' out" look. Don't espect him ta dance!!!

That was my biggest worry about playing Willard in FOOTLOOSE.  It turns out, everybody loves an honest goofball.  Most importantly, we all had a blast.  The MUNY stage is probably the largest stage I have performed on to date.  Of course, it has to be that big in order to put on a show for 11,000 people!  They actually have airplane propellers in the audience before the show to cool everyone down.  I'm not kidding!!!

Another great MUNY perk is that 50 or more high school students get a chance to be a part of the productions.  Some of these kids have done more shows than I have!  They brought so much energy that it made the rest of us "outsiders" have to kick it up a notch.  It's great when you can feed off each other's energy...especially when it's still around 100 when the sun goes down.  Luckily we had lots of water and gatorade in the wings to keep us going.

Willard's attempt at being sexy...

If you are ever passing through St. Louis during the summer, you really should try to catch a show at the MUNY.  You can even get one of the 1500 free tickets they give away each night.  They cast some amazing talent in each of these shows.  I got to work with actors that have won or been nominated for multiple TONY awards like Dee Hoty and Jeff McCarthy.  The MUNY has a rich history of talent...believe me...I looked at the list..wow!!!  Don't miss it if you're near it.

I wish I had some pictures of the show from the audience's perspective, but I can't seem to find them.  Sorry they're just me bein' goofy backstage!

Gym class...don't we all miss it?...

The night of the DANCE Y'ALL!  And no, that's not a real flower.

New Project = New Adventure

I'm super excited to say that I've officially accepted the role of Ted in BONNIE & CLYDE this fall at Asolo Repertory Theater in Florida.  I was a part of one of the first readings in NYC back before the 2nd act was finished.  Ted is one of the deputies in a small town who happens to be in love with Bonnie.  After seeing his feelings are not returned, he has to join and eventually hunt down the notorious killers, B&C.

The hope is that the next stop for this production will be Broadway.  Below is the announcement on the Asolo website.  The production is directed by Jeff Calhoun with whom I worked on Big River, my Broadway debut back in 2003.  I'm glad to have another opportunity to create something new again!  I actually had to turn down the role of Sky in MAMMA MIA on Broadway in order to do this.  I may be crazy, but I wanted to see B&C through to completion and hope that MM will have a spot for me again down the road.

This business is never dull!
November 19–December 19
Bonnie & ClydePRE-BROADWAY RUN!
book by Ivan Menchell, music by Frank Wildhorn, lyrics by Don Black

Everybody had a dream. They had a plan. 
Bonnie and Clyde’s riveting adventures are brought to the stage in this vibrant and stylish new musical from the composer ofJekyll and Hyde, The Scarlet Pimpernel, Svengali and Wonderland! This seductive and cinematic new musical examines how a troubled Texas teen and a love-sick waitress became America’s most infamous couple, with a thrilling new score that combines 
rockabilly, blues and gospel music. See it at Asolo Rep before it hits Broadway!

Free Performance!

Come on out and enjoy some fun, free music tomorrow (sorry for late notice!)  It will only be an hour long, there are 2 performances....and it's right on 42nd street, so it's actually harder to NOT come to that it is to COME to :)

Where:  Studio Theater at Theater Row  (410 W 42nd Street, NYC)

When:  1:30pm  &  3:15pm

What:  "Joshua the Musical is a new musical based on Joseph Girzone's ground breaking series of novels about Joshua, a mysterious stranger who arrives in a small town and may or may not be Jesus himself.

Joshua is a Broadway style musical that is written for and speaks directly to people of faith.  This musical is a family-friendly story that we hope will resonate with viewers of all faiths and backgrounds and be relevant to our times." - as quoted from the website.  (I'm playing Joshua)

More:  www.joshuathemusical.com

How much:  FREEEEEEE!

Deep in the heart of TEXAS

I think I ate my weight in barbecue during our 5 weeks here.  That's right, between 3 cities (Houston, Dallas & Ft Worth), we spent 5 weeks of the spring in one of the biggest states in America.  And everyone in Texas tells you where the "best BBQ in town" is....and it's NEVER the same place :)  I probably went to 5 different places that all claimed top prize.  But one of the spots was actually in-between shows in Houston when the local crew brought in their own meat, grill and sauce to feed us right in back of the theater.

It was HUMID down there....wow.  I remember dreaming about warm weather when we were freezing in Toronto earlier this year.  But a couple days here almost made you pine for the frigid north.  And it wasn't even the dog days of summer yet!

Houston also gave us an opportunity to get a private tour of the NASA Space Center.  This was probably one of THE BEST field trips we made on tour.

Above is the HUGE pool where the submerge mock-ups of the space station and practice space walks with astronauts preparing for a trip to do the real thing.  A pool is as close to weightlessness as we can get.  Below is a picture of the trainees coming back up from the practice.

We got a chance to talk to one seasoned astronaut that had done 9 different space walks!  He was so cool, actually asking us questions about our show.  We got him to tell a story about one of his space walks where he almost lost his life.  All of our jaws were dropped as he was telling the details.  This was no movie...this was the REAL DEAL! WOW!  The also let us in Mission Control (the very one that  was used in the Apollo 13 mission and many others. Below is probably how I would have reacted to the dire situation.....

Ft. Worth had a fantastic new performing arts house that looks like an old opera house.  Plus, we got a chance to go down the the stockyards and saw many more boots than bulls.  Check it out!

Sorry it's not rotated...I can't figure out how to do that on my blog!  

Gold Rush: SACRAMENTO

Ah California, we finally made it to the ocean…well, almost.  We sit down in Sacramento for 2 weeks, a perfect amount of time to get to know a city that size.  The Govenator’s Office, the CA State Capital, is right down the street from our hotel.  I don’t think we’ll be seeing him this week, though he has MUCH to attend to with the economic troubles in CA.  However, those troubles didn’t seem to keep people from coming and enjoying LHOP.  They were some of our most responsive audiences to date!  Thank you Sacramento J

The highlight of this stop was seeing my sister who currently lives in Berkeley.  Kara and I took that first Monday of travel and drove down to the Bay Area to see my sis, her friends, and throw some serious Frisbee!  I also showed Kara around some of my hold haunts near the Berkeley campus where I used to live when I taught summer school to middle-schoolers when I was in college.  What a great, eclectic town! 

The 2^nd Monday we had there, we made a trip out to Yosemite National Park.  If you are EVER near this amazing place, you must take the time to explore.  The mountains, sheer rock cliffs, majestic waterfalls, wildlife, and up close hiking trails can take your breath away at every turn. 

We also met a wonderful couple from London at our B&B the next morning over breakfast.  It turned out that they were on a trip around the world because she won a contest for boucoups of free nights at any Hyatt in the world and tons of airline miles.  Wow, I guess people actually DO win those sorts of prizes. Kara and I managed to convince the two of them to come down to Sacramento and see our show since there was a Hyatt conveniently located right next to the theater J  Two more wonderful friends to add our lives!  However…as we were gabbing over breakfast, snow started to fall..and I’m talking huge flakes of white fluff.  I wasn’t too worried because it was at least 60 degrees the day before. But low and behold, the snow was sticking.  So instead of a couple more hours in the park, Kara and I decided to head back to make it in time for our performance that night.  It wasn’t 30 miles into our return journey that we got stuck behind a slow car attempting to go up a hill….sliding off the road.  So, I pull pass them on the left, trying to keep momentum.  But we were too slow already, and I ended up sliding off myself.  AHHH!  It all happened in slow motion, literally!  I was probably going 3 miles an hour.  After about 40 minutes, a plow came by to clear the road a bit.  We were able to back out and be on our way.  Not a couple hundred fee down the road, the snow was merely rain.  AHHHH!  So crazy.  

We saw a huge field of strawberries on the way back and scored 8 cartons of huge, juicy deliciousness for $10.  I definitely think we got the fat end of the stick on that one!

Thanks Sacramento for your great audiences, fresh produce, delicious downtown eats, and reliable snow plows.  Until next time!

Back from Break, Let's go WEST! (Spokane)

Yep, a goat....but not just any kind of goat.  Though unassuming, this meek metal animal packs a powerful special skill.  Just inch your way towards it...SLOWLY...slowly...have your piece of trash or pine cone or small object you never want to see again in your had...push button to right of goat....now feed your trash to the friendly animal...don't be shy...go ahead...and watch it...WOOSH!...the goat has sucked up your trash so quickly you barely know what to do with yourself ;)  You HAVE to try this if you go to Spokane.  It is one of the left over exhibits from the '74 World's Fair held at the fantastic park right in downtown Spokane.

We also met a fascinating street musician called Tommy G from the 509.  Kara and I found another fantastic breakfast spot, Madeline's (which has coffees the size of the milchekaffes I found in Germany!).  This guy was playing is guitar in the corner of the cafe, singing with more soul than I've heard in a while from a white guy :)  We got to talkin for about 30 minutes or so, and he has quite a life story.  I found him in the park a couple days later "busting" (defiantly playing on a bench with his case out for money...which is currently illegal in Spokane).  So, I guess I broke the law with him and bought one of his CDs....take that Uncle Sam!

(This is another famous landmark in the park.  We made a cast photo before we left!)

All in all, besides the small hail storm we got, Spokane was a great little town.  I was excited to get to our next destination because it is near my sister in CA!

Raleigh and Appleton

Raleigh was definitely a highlight for me, coming back home in a way.  I grew up in North Carolina and even went to school at UNC-Chapel Hill which is near Raleigh, but I never actually spent that much time IN Raleigh.  I believe, as with many cities, they are trying to revive the downtown and are making nice strides.  It was nice to get to know my own "backyard" a little better.

The best part was seeing old friends.  My parents came, my voice teacher (pictured above), a couple friends from college as well as one guy who voted me in the all male a cappella group I sang with, The Clef Hangers.  The Clefs were a HUGE part of my time at UNC.  I also got a chance to reconnect with the scholarship foundation, the Morehead Scholarship (now called the Morehead-Cain Scholarship), that helped change my life by bringing me to UNC.  Below is a photo with my girl in front of one of the most famous UNC landmarks, the Old Well!

Appleton was probably the nicest city we've been to.  Granted, we've gotten great treatment everywhere, but Appleton kicked it up a notch...cranked it to eleven, if you will.  I celebrated my birthday out there, and a number of people in the restaurant (who I did not know) insisted on singing to me and buying me a drink.  Granted, they were a little tipsy but genuine :)  Our audiences were so boisterous that we had to hold for applause and laughter in places we never had to hold before!  What a way to close out the 2nd section of our tour.  We're looking forward to getting our original Laura back, and I'm looking forward to getting my girlfriend back on tour :)

See you in Spokane, Washington!

Florida Sunshine: Tampa & Naples

For me, Tampa was more than just hope for warmth.  It also meant a chance to see family...LOTS of family.  Most of my father's side of the family live(d) in Tampa as I was growing up.  Consequently I have many memories of making the 12 hours drive down from NC after Christmas to spend the rest of the holiday with the Masseys.  60 or 70 degrees on New Years Eve was always weird though!

I was able to stay with my aunt during the week and see almost all 6 of my cousins and their families.  My oldest cousin is a pastor in a new church.  He asked me to sing on that Sunday and played for me as well.  That marked our first "duet" together :)

While it was warmer than Toronto, it wasn't ALL that warm.  In fact, it was quite windy.  That didn't stop us from enjoying the awesome art fair that was going on right outside the theater downtown.  I liked it so much that I made my first real grown-up art purchase.  I was nervous :)  But I got to meet the artist of the unique piece and can't wait to hang it up in my apartment back home!

*I have to mention that I was surprised at one performance by the older couple that was camping next to us last summer in the Adirondack Mountains (see an earlier post).  Can you believe they remembered us from upstate NY!!  I love those kind of stories :)*

Naples gave us the first chance to hit the beach...and we did as soon as the rain stopped :)  It was SO WONDERFUL to sit in the sun.  I definitely got a little more color than I bargained for...cause I guess I was enjoying it too much :)

I also found this fantastic cafe only a couple of miles from our hotel called the Sunburst Cafe.  The owner is Jerome, a Boston transplant who probably makes the best muffins I have ever laid eyes on.  Unfortunately I couldn't eat them myself because of the gluten, but by the smell and my cast members reactions I could tell he knocked it out of the park.  Plus, he was SO generous, giving more than a plateful as gifts to the cast.  The best part was that he brought his family to see our show on Saturday night.  I feel like I made a friend!  So, if you are ever in the area you will be delighted with the food and welcomed by the owners of the Sunburst down in Naples. I got to borrow Melissa's convertible (shown in the pic above) and it was AWESOME! :)

We also had to say goodbye to the smallest member of our cast, Carly Sonenclar, who played Carrie.  She will be missed!

Soon we'll be back in my home state, North Carolina!

Canadia: Our friends to the North!

Toronto was our longest sit-down of the tour (5 whole weeks!).  It finally gave us time to really get to know a city.  I was able to rent an apartment north of town and used the subway to get everywhere.  Though it's not quite as extensive as the NYC Subway system, it definitely takes the cake for punctuality!

We were in the beautiful Canon Theater pictured above.  It is owned by one of the biggest producers of theater in Canada, the Mirvish's.  Though the audiences were a bit quite and the reviews were less than stellar here, we had a great run.  In fact, the size of the audience grew steadily over the 5 weeks, indicating that we are a word of mouth audience favorite...the kind of show I would rather be in :)  Funny enough, right across the street was a music venue with quite a sensible name (see below ;)

The weather was pretty good considering we were in Canada in the dead of winter.  Actually, my parents in NC got more snow from all of those crazy storms in February than we did!  We did take advantage of some winter sports.

But I wouldn't have been able to take part in this ice-skatery if it weren't for the good folds at the Sports Medicine Clinic.  My PT, Chris, was great!  Check out how pain free it was:

That new fangled thing in the bottom picture is a laser that helps accelerate tissue recovery.  Medicine has definitely advanced since I was a kid...oh no, I'm starting to sound old! 

All in all, it was a wonderful stay in Toronto.  Everyone from my dresser, Woody, to the doorman, Mahesh, was so friendly in the theater.  I got to see some of my Canadian friends that were in The Three Musketeers with me in Chicago.  Plus I got to experience both sides of the coin: watching with amazement as America defeated Canada in Hockey at their first meeting and then eating a good dose of humble pie when Canada defeated America in the final game.  It was great to be in the host country during an Olympic season.  

Onto sunshine in Tampa, Florida.  I could use a day with just a T-shirt on :)

Anniversaries are die besten!

I was reminded by the our dear Julia, now known as Julschi, and Kirsten that today is the 1 year anniversary from my debut as Tarzan in Germany.  I can't begin to tell you what a wonderful year it has been, full of adventures, new friends, new languages and lots of flying!  I thought I would post some of my favorite pictures from my trips back and forth to Hamburg.  I was nervous and excited that first trip out in February...but every time I came back, I couldn't wait to get off the plane and be reunited with the show, friends and fans, all of which I have come to care for deeply!

(One of the many nights we spent at the Boston Hotel lounge)

(After a long day in Lubeck, our reactions to a dinner of currywurst. I guess I missed the memo that it was a "crazy face" shot)

(Breakfast with my girlfriend at my favorite neighborhood morning spot.  Check out those beautiful, huge milchekaffes!)

(One of the first sunny days for me in Hamburg. My German friend from 3 years earlier came to visit and we went to Blankenese)

(Luckily this picture isn't real!  These are Mark's crutches. It was my birthday, so we had to have some fun :)

(from my wonderful birthday night.  I was so touched by how many of the cast, crew and fans all celebrated with me!)

(And my wonderful German friends showing support for this ole American boy).

It's just a glimpse from the past year of Hamburg, but it was definitely one of the bright spots.  Thanks to all of you who made it so memorable.  Hopefully I can return the favor someday.

I'll post about Toronto soon.  We've never been in one place longer than 2 weeks!...ha

3 Stops, Constant Snow

It is definitely winter!  Our first stop after the break was in Fayetteville, Arkansas, and it gave us the coldest temperatures yet on tour.  This was unfortunate because Fayetteville was a great small town with a college campus attached (similar to Tempe).  But there was a gluten-free pizza place!  These are rare finds, so congrats AR!  I was also able to see a friend of mine that I met this past summer in NYC.  I was his "artistic" mentor for a couple weeks.  It was very serendipitous to be able to catch up with him again and hear the new things in his life.  Otherwise, much of my time in Fayetteville was spent in the theater or the hotel....too cold!!!!

Believe it or not, Omaha was much warmer. Funny enough, even though it was warmer, I ended up getting really sick for the first true time on tour.  It was a cold that has been circulating our cast for a week or so.  I almost lost my voice.  But, somehow I was able to pull it together (lots of steam and mucinex!) and didn't miss a show.  I have to admit, I was a little loopy for some of the shows.  It felt like I had a couple beers before the show...but I was clean! Ha.  One day I was walking to the post office which happened to be much farther than I anticipated.  On my way back, I decided to take a different route and came across the building pictured above.  I had nothing to do for a while, so I decided to take a peak inside.  And take a look at what I found below!

It turns out this was an old Union Pacific train station from back when trains were the major source of transportation.  It is now a museum about the history of Omaha and a home to various other permanent and traveling exhibits.  The city recently refurbished the lobby to it's former glory.  It is a amazing how this country was settled and how certain cities made it and other ones passed by the wayside.  I must have spent about 3 hours looking around.  A must see!  We also took a trip to the Omaha Zoo which has quite a collection for a midwest town.

And now we are at our last stop (Madison, WI) before the "international" portion of our tour in Toronto.  And I have just added another first to my career in the business.  I had to call out because of an injury today.  This is also the first time since I got cast in Little House back in 2008 that anyone else has played the role of Almanzo!  Luckily, we have great understudies in our company.  I'm sure Will, one of my understudies, will knock it out of the park today.  Having been an understudy in other shows before, I know how exciting it is to finally get to go on.

So, here's hoping the next memories won't be sickness or injuries :)  It makes us grateful for the times we are healthy.

New Years in the Appalachians

Wow, it was so great to be home with my family.  We PRAIRIE folk are lucky that we all get along and enjoy each other's company.  However, everyone needs a break here and there when you are seeing each other ALL THE TIME :)  So, this holiday break was the perfect timing.  On top of it all, we had a white Christmas in Denver and one at home in North Carolina.

This is the house I grew up in (pictured above).  You are only seeing a portion of the house, an original log cabin that my parents found in another section of the mountains, took apart, reassembled here, and then built the rest of the house next to it.  One of the best parts of the house is actually what it allows you to look at from a cozy dining room table.  See below!

It is hard to leave a place like this.  However, duty called and I answered.  I soon found myself in the next stop on our tour (Fayetteville, Arkansas) missing my mountain home.  One gift I gave to my father this year was a new ax for chopping wood. It was needed, to say the least.  His other two axes were hanging on by a thread...soon to be the culprit of a home tragedy!  So, before I left, Dad made sure he got some action shots with his new ax.  The "sensible" one is at the top of this posting.  The "home tragedy" is below.  Thank goodness I like my brother, or it would have been off with his head!

Detroit, Tempe, Christmas in Denver!

The next 4 weeks were a bit of a blur.  I think we were all looking forward to the holidays and a week off to see our families and loved ones we have put on hold.  It is a funny thing we do, always working when others are playing.  Then we are free when others are working.  Luckily, we have a week after Christmas to travel wherever we'd like.  I'm in North Carolina, where I grew up...but to that later!

Detroit...well, it was pretty cold in Detroit.  Michigan has been hit especially hard with the economic crisis and has been recovering from the riots of 1967 ever since.  Though the downtown, where we stayed, feels vacant and unsafe at times, it is a vast improvement of what used to be.  Times Square in NYC used to be completely off limits to families and visitors and now feels as safe as any small town in middle America.  So there is hope for Detroit.  All that being said, I wasn't able to see too much of the city.  However, one of the highlights was the Motown Museum (also known as Hitsville USA) where thousands upon thousands of Motown songs were recorded.  The number of famous people that came through there was unbelievable.  This is a MUST SEE if you are in Detroit.  A few of the cast members went to the Detroit Historical Museum which is supposed to be one of the best collections of Americana in the nation.  Lastly, the Fox Theater in Detroit (much like the one in St. Louis) has the same tradition of painting murals on the wall.  We left our mark again...part of history now :)

Tempe was a nice change of temperature!....eventually.  We arrived to one of the biggest rain storms they have had this year.  Even with the rain, it was much warmer than Detroit.  The Gammage Auditorium hosted our little skit, right on the corner of the ASU campus.  It was designed by Frank Lloyd Wright and is very memorable :)  We had some great crowds here and some great outings on the main college drag where shops and restaurants line the streets.

(My silhouetted girlfriend in Dillon, Colorado...she's pretty even in the dark :)

And Denver...ah Denver, how I have missed you!  This is my 4th trip to the Mile High City, and it is great to celebrate Christmas in a city you know at least a little.  Plus we have friends in the Christmas Carol playing at the Denver Center, so we are surrounded by familiarity...not normal on a tour!  We visited our favorite restaurant, Rioja, 4 times now.  It is a little pricy, but I have never had such diverse flavors so successfully paired than I have there.  And most importantly, we had a little apartment with a kitchen and a REAL Christmas tree (the tree was a gift from Melissa Gilbert to all of us).  If we couldn't be home, this was the next best thing.

Thank you Little House for a great first leg of the tour.  Here's to another great run next year!!!