Bujigali Falls

I finally figured out how to put video up on this thang!  I...thought I used to be technologically savvy.  As you can see, there is a lot of water flowing a mere feet from us.  No guard rails.  No rules.  This is Uganda after all...ok maybe there was one rule:

This rule was quickly broken...shhhhh

You can see how close we could actually get!

Crazy thing is, the whole Nile flows through this fall.  During the rainy season, it is full enough to make two falls.  The second fall to the left actually dries up at the peak of the dry season.  The sad thing is that much of the Nile in Uganda will change once a new dam, Bujagali Dam is completed this year.  I am glad I was able to see it before, but it is heart breaking knowing life will be very different for all humans and animals that depend on the Nile for life.

That cement stub on the edge of the rock is the only thing left of the bridge
that used to go across the raging Nile.  

The two falls at Bujagali

Safari!

Twas an early beginning to get to our animal kingdom.  We had to leave by 6:30am to get a coveted spot on the early ferry...and you can see why.  It only held about 10 cars!

We lucked out with a cool morning that lasted until at least noon.  In a way, it felt like a huge park for off-road go-carts where you could choose from a myriad of tracks based on a hunch to try to spot some wildlife.  There were some typical watering holes that raised your chances of seeing something, but it really was all chance!  I'll just post a list of some of the highlights below.

Couple o' Baboons causing mischief near the ferry

One of the many elephants we saw.  This one was with about 8 others.

There were about 8 giraffes in this group.  Two of them were "necking"...literally ;)

A male hippo and his harem of females.  He must really know what he's doing!

Water Buck

I love this one.  Just a lonely water buffalo,  looking for a friend.

We spent the whole day in the safari van, but barely sat down.  There was so much to see, and it was a much better view from the pop up top.  HOWEVER, it also became a battle for your balance that rivals a NY subway ride!  This is a view of the crew rattling as we go along.

We took a boat ride up the nile and ended up seeing the motherload of hippos (see the pic above) as well as some crocodiles and elephants.  We stopped before we hit Murchison Falls, which we explored from above the next day.  I got some video of that and will try to find a way to post the clip!  For now, I'll leave you with a teaser...from kinda far away ;)

Just take note, this is about the 7th day straight appearance of those jeans.  My luggage has yet to arrive, so my wardrobe is...shall we say...limited.

Wedding to the Wilderness

We woke up at The Haven to a sun kissed view of the nile.  I slept in a tent, but our happy couple got the bungalo with the Jacuzzi!...and well deserved.  I did not mind sleeping in the tent though, because the view, company…and maybe most of all the breakfast made it all worth it!

The pineapple is UNBELIEVALBE here, not to mention the other delicious fruits.  We also had eggs and bacon along side our incredible African coffee and tea.  The coffee is grown all over the country and has a much smoother finish that most of the coffees we get in America.  And the African tea!....oh my, to my understanding, it is made by steeping a tea bag in heated milk and then adding a mix of spices that are a little similar to chai.  It cannot be beaten!

Next was a drive home.  Here is a typical scene on the road.  Yes, they drive on the left side.  No, the roads are not always this nice.  In fact, some of the worst roads are in the middle of Kampala (huge potholes!).  And yes, there are kids and women always walking along the side of the road carrying something.  Most of the time it is a journey for water in those yellow “jerry cans”.

Back at the homestead, the newlyweds opened their wedding presents.  A typical gift was a couple mugs or plates wrapped carefully in cardboard strips.  Our favorite gift was a small box with two potatoes and a pineapple. 

Then, we packed for SAFARI!!!!  Thank goodness Grace owns a van, because we would have had trouble fitting into the normal “family car”!

Soon, we got off the beaten path and headed towards Murchison Falls Park.  We were not yet in the park, but we began to see warthogs, baboons and different kinds of antelope on the sides..and even on the road.

Even our campsite had its own family of warthogs.  Notice now the one on the right is actually walking on its elbows to make it easier to eat the grass…perhaps it’s just laziness.

We rest well tonight, for tomorrow…WE RIDE INTO THE WILD!

Uganda Arrival!

I can’t believe I am really here!  It has been almost 11 days since I landed, and I am still amazed that I finally got an opportunity to come to this wonderful continent.  I left the blizzard filled world of America and arrived in the warm, dust filled world of Uganda after 36 hours of travel time and an unexpected trip through Ethiopia (thank you snow).  Unfortunately, my luggage forgot the make the entire trip with me, so I am still without my…well, without anything really.  Note to self: always pack one extra pair of socks and underwear in carry on!

Luckily, I have generous friends here that lent me essentials (and I realize that you don’t really need much), and I soon found myself bouncing from wonderously new place to place….and no, not always in a safari van pictured above ;)

The first major even was my friend’s wedding.  In fact, Tara is the reason I am on this journey.  As a true friend for 9 years, I could not miss the opportunity to watch her join her life with a wonderful Ugandan man named Grace Nyanga.  And for a bonus, she immediately gets to be the mother of the spunky 11 year old, Edith Nyanga, who will surely grow up to have as big an impact in people’s lives as her parents have been to others. 

 The Ugandan ceremony has many unique traditions as you might imagine.  One of my favorites is when they introduced this large crowd of Ugandans as Grace’s family.  “Now,” they say to Tara, “this is YOUR burden”….HA!  Family is more than immediate here!

 This was followed by many introductions, pictures…and of course food!  Ugandans do not usually send invitations to weddings.  If you know them, or even just know of them, you come….and you come expecting to be fed as well.  Grace and Tara are both well known here in Jinja, so we had to enlist a couple “bouncers” to ensure all true friends and family got fed!

Finally, as the wedding party got whittled down to the most intimate, we drove 45 minutes down the road to a wonderful getaway right on the Nile River called The Haven.  The view from its perch was incredible.  Needless to say, we all slept well that night.

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!