Some Great Advice (Dec.4)
well i am writing you from my day off. a nice, relaxed day spending time at Costco and Bed, Bath and Beyond to make the new pad feel more like "home".
where did all my money go?
the reason for this blog is because i have had something on my mind...and wanted to share them with you.
on Sunday, the cast and creative team met about 2 hours before the show to go over notes from the prior night's performance. this is a typical practice for us and a good way to get some feedback from "those who make the decisions" to make our show as good as it can be.
so Des gets up in front of us and said something that has stayed with me. i wish i could type it to you verbatim because it was pretty damn spectacular.
this cast has been working their asses off. today was our first day off after 10 days in a row of working 10 hours/day - some of which included performances at night. but i want you to know we appreciate every one that has been there to support us. every single person...every single show.
my experience that i was able to relate to Des' speech actually occurred this past Sunday. after the show, a few of us walked out the stage door to the street and were greeted by about 60 or so people applauding for us. many asked for autographs and pictures of Michael and Erich (2 of our great leads), and a few made comments to us saying how much the loved the show.
that's when a young girl, maybe 14 years old came up to me and said, "are you the Eric that does the blog?" "yes, i am", i said. then she says, slightly nervous, "i just want you to know how much i love it. please keep doing it because i really like reading it."
i originally started this blog for my parents. i wanted them to keep up with me while i traveled the Country. to get emails from people like Audrey (out of the New Jersey area), Jim (Greg Marmalard in "Animal House"), Mr. Alexander (a former TIME editor who wrote the liner notes for the JBoys CD), and so many others is inspiring beyond what any of you can imagine. to get emails from people simply saying "i was there opening preview - you guys were fantastic" makes me feel that show was something special for someone.
i don't want to sound cheesy in these blogs...and certainly not preachy...i'm just a lucky guy living his dream with his girl and dog by his side. but thank YOU for enjoying this blog. thank YOU for enjoying our musical so much.
that being said, please keep the emails coming. if you have something to say to the cast, i am happy to pass it on. if you just want to say a quick something, i will do my best to respond to everyone.
lastly, for that young girl at the stage door, that show on Sunday was for you.
where did all my money go?
the reason for this blog is because i have had something on my mind...and wanted to share them with you.
on Sunday, the cast and creative team met about 2 hours before the show to go over notes from the prior night's performance. this is a typical practice for us and a good way to get some feedback from "those who make the decisions" to make our show as good as it can be.
so Des gets up in front of us and said something that has stayed with me. i wish i could type it to you verbatim because it was pretty damn spectacular.
"i know this show is fresh. i know these audiences have been great. but every once in a while we aren't going to have the audiences that laugh on all the laughs, or applaud where you typically get the applause. there are going to be days when you come in and just aren't feeling it - maybe you didn't get the sleep you needed, or maybe you stayed out too late the night before - and you think to yourself, 'the audience isn't responding as well, i don't have to give as much'. before you do that, think about that one person in the audience who has never seen a musical until they sit down for ours. perhaps its someone who has been saving for 3 months to get enough extra money for a good seat in the orchestra. maybe it's a husband who bought these tickets for he and his wife's first anniversary...maybe their 40th. or even more, there is someone in the audience who is going to get into this industry because of this show...because of your performance in the show. so when you are tired or just not feeling it, please try and remember that."and he was so right. this show brings such joy to people. looking out into the audience when "Sherry" starts and seeing the 50-year old man who usually hates musicals bopping his head along smiling the whole time. Seeing a woman stare directly at center stage and mouth every word of "Can't Take My Eyes Off of You"...and being mesmerized the entire time. Hearing the audience scream with the last chord of "Who Loves You."
this cast has been working their asses off. today was our first day off after 10 days in a row of working 10 hours/day - some of which included performances at night. but i want you to know we appreciate every one that has been there to support us. every single person...every single show.
my experience that i was able to relate to Des' speech actually occurred this past Sunday. after the show, a few of us walked out the stage door to the street and were greeted by about 60 or so people applauding for us. many asked for autographs and pictures of Michael and Erich (2 of our great leads), and a few made comments to us saying how much the loved the show.
that's when a young girl, maybe 14 years old came up to me and said, "are you the Eric that does the blog?" "yes, i am", i said. then she says, slightly nervous, "i just want you to know how much i love it. please keep doing it because i really like reading it."
i originally started this blog for my parents. i wanted them to keep up with me while i traveled the Country. to get emails from people like Audrey (out of the New Jersey area), Jim (Greg Marmalard in "Animal House"), Mr. Alexander (a former TIME editor who wrote the liner notes for the JBoys CD), and so many others is inspiring beyond what any of you can imagine. to get emails from people simply saying "i was there opening preview - you guys were fantastic" makes me feel that show was something special for someone.
i don't want to sound cheesy in these blogs...and certainly not preachy...i'm just a lucky guy living his dream with his girl and dog by his side. but thank YOU for enjoying this blog. thank YOU for enjoying our musical so much.
that being said, please keep the emails coming. if you have something to say to the cast, i am happy to pass it on. if you just want to say a quick something, i will do my best to respond to everyone.
lastly, for that young girl at the stage door, that show on Sunday was for you.
posted by The Guter at 12/04/2006 10:11:00 PM
3 Comments:
Eric I just read your latest blog - they have all been great but when I got to the part about the little girl coming up to you I really chocked up - I can't wait til you get to Chicago so I can actually see you perform -I might even meet you at the Stage Door
Hey, Eric... this is the girl who spoke to you at the stagedoor that Sunday. I really enjoyed reading this post and had no idea that what I said meant so much. Thank you so much for what you said at the end. I really do love reading this blog. You've got to be one of the very few actors who keeps such a detailed and frequently-updated blog.
I loved the show and can't wait till I can see it again. Everyone in the cast has so much energy and puts so much into the show. I'll see you next time I see the show!
BTW- I'm sixteen! :)
I'm really happy to hear everything is going so well. I remember those speeches from my (brief) acting days, and I remember how much they meant (and mean) to me. Moments like that just stick with you.
I have many memories of Eric that have stuck with me for better than a decade... and if there are minors reading his blogs, I probably should keep them secured in the depths of my brain.
Best of luck, my friend.
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