Highway 1 and Los Angeles (May 25)

shame on me...shame...it has been well over a week since my last post and i realized today, as we had our opening night preview in Los Angeles, that all the wonderful people i met in San Fran, as well as my family, are probably waiting patiently to hear about our experience here...so i apologize.

so let's get to it: first, the past week has been great. sarah, toby the dog and i left san francisco last Thursday and drove into Carmel to stay for the night. we spent the night at this wonderful little hotel called The Tradewinds and it was gorgeous! chocolate covered strawberries at check-in, beautiful fireplace, quiet balcony and a lovely bottle of white wine. and Carmel is SUCH a dog-friendly town that we were able to take Toby everywhere with us. even at lunch and dinner, he chilled out (well...as much as toby can really "chill out") with a bone and enjoyed the outdoors. the next morning, after checking out, we stopped by the beach to let him run around a little bit and we absolutely loved it: from there, we did the 17-mile drive around Carmel and Pebble Beach and what an amazing drive it was. if you are not familiar with the 17-mile drive, and are ever in the Carmel area, i highly recommend it. essentially, you drive a specific route for 17 miles and there are a few "points" you can stop at with some gorgeous views and lots of history. my favorite was this one lone tree at the top of a cliff. it stands alone, braving the weather and winds for something over 200 years. it was just a beautiful site and really made me appreciate the beautiful scenery:
after Carmel, we headed down Highway 1, hugging the coastline on one side and amazing cliffs on the other. we drove through Big Sur and again stopped at various vista points along the way. our roommate from san fran, Liz, told us about this beautiful waterfall about 20 miles past Big Sur right off a hiking trail so of course we stopped there as well. it was unreal, right up this trail in the middle of nowhere, you look down to the beach, and hitting the sand is this wonderful waterfall:

but by far, the highlight of the drive came about an hour or so outside of Big Sur where we stopped because Sarah thought she saw some seals. we got out of the car and were slightly disappointed when we looked to the rocks in the far distance and saw only a few lounging around...then i turned my head to the beach to my right, and there were probably 1,000 elephant seals just laying around. it was hilarious mostly because toby had never seen seals before and it scared the crap out of him...but not before sarah for a few good pics of them:

the trip continued, for another few hours actually, until we got into Los Osos (about 10 miles or so from San Luis Obispo) and got to spend some time with Mom and Jeff. it was great getting to visit them and for toby to have some other dogs to play with (Buddy and Goldie). we pretty much crashed that first night but on saturday walked around San Luis Obispo and then had an amazing dinner of grilled tri-tip and salmon.

sunday saw us driving to Santa Barbara and we stayed a night about 2 blocks from the beach on Bath Street. other than walking up and down the pier and enjoying an amazing smoothie place called Blenders in the Grass, it was probably the most "relaxing/lazy" day of our trip.

monday was a very exciting day as we jumped on the 101 to Encino to move into our new home for three months. the guest house is really cute - cozy - and our "landlords" (the people who live in the main house) have been nothing but sweet and totally accommodating. toby loves it because he has a new dog friend to play with ("Chief" is a 12-year old mix of many large dogs and he puts toby in his place) and he loves the backyard. i do too considering we have a pool and an amazing BBQ set so i anticipate lots of hours in the backyard this summer.

and after a trip to Ikea, Bed Bath and Beyond, Target, Costco, Ralphs and Trader Joes, i am proud to say we are unpacked and very comfortable.

now for the Jersey Boys report:

thursday was my first call at the theatre for a 3:20 haircut and then a few hours off before our 7 o'clock call. i will say this; the Ahmanson is incredible. just this huge cavern of a theatre that seats over 2,200 patrons and a wonderful backstage area the size of about two football fields. unlike San Fran, we actually have enough room far upstage to have a full cross-over so none of us have to do that horrible basement crossover from before and none of us have to climb 3 flights of stairs to get to our dressing rooms for costume changes. also, our Four Seasons, as well as John (Bob Crewe), Joe (Gyp DeCarlo) and Rick (our alternate Frankie) all have their own dressing rooms. I am sharing a large room with all the male ensemble and swings (8 of us total in the room). i sit between my good friend Miles Aubrey (who just got married May 12!!!!) and my buddy Nate Klau (who, if he touches my stuff one more time, i will kill). downtown LA is...well...downtown LA. lots of large buildings with quick food choices and the new Disney Concert Hall is one block away. my favorite part about the Ahmanson is outside in the pavilion (which reminds me so much of Lincoln Center in NYC) has a wonderful courtyard area with a few little bistros and grill and places to eat and enjoy outside.

and Richard, Ron and Sergio have been working very hard getting the show in great shape for our first show...

...which was tonight.

it didn't have the excitement of opening night in San Fran, simply because this is technically a preview week, but it still hit me like a ton of bricks that tonight, we played for our largest audience ever...almost 2,200 people. and they loved it.

the show went well - i think for the most past it was a sharp show and everyone really pulled out all the stops to take the notes we have been getting and applying them to their performances. the audience was very giving - some wonderful moments where we had to hold for laughs at different spots than we were used to for 6 months with the audiences in San Fran.
and the energy was just fantastic as well - the audience started applauding with the first notes of the show and didn't stop until we ended the show. i think one of the nicest things about the show was that when we took bows, the audience got to their feet immediately - not just when the four guys took the stage - we all got to enjoy and live in the standing ovation for the show as a whole, and that was a great feeling to have.

the next step is continue to build on what we have been working so hard on since we got to New Haven. we anticipate sold-out crowds for the entire run and we really want to give it everything we have. and come June 3, for our official "LA opening night", we are all going to be in such a great place both in our performances and the running of the show backstage as well.

perhaps that's where i will end tonight. with a big thank you to all the new deckhands, electricians, prop guys, flymen, light operators, carpenters, dressers and anyone else i might be forgetting...you are all kicking ass trying to make this as easy as possible for all of us and we appreciate it.

lastly, for those of you who just saw Jersey Boys in LA and who are just getting to this blog from my website that is listed in the bio...my name is Eric Gutman and this is my little love letter to the show you just saw and i guess, in a way, a backstage glimpse of this fantastic show and the people in it. check out my old blog posts and i hope you enjoy it.

and for those of you who are avid readers - thank you as always for your kind comments and emails. i promise to blog next if anything exciting happens until opening night...and of course...on opening night!

Goodbye San Francisco (May 16)

well kids...it's about that time. time to say goodbye to San Fran as Sarah and i start our way down the coast to Los Angeles.

before i bid the city by the bay my official goodbye, let's get you up to speed with the past week:

New Haven went well overall. it was actually quite nice having the creative staff there and really taking the time to go over all our choreography, all our blocking and all our character choices. just hope as a group, we can stay sharp and build on what Des, Sergio, Ron and Kelly helped us with...Los Angeles certainly deserves it.

the greatest thing about New Haven was by far the audiences. it was almost like opening night all over again. it blows my mind that we were essentially doing a techincal run-through (without costumes mind you) and yet Saturday night and Sunday matinee, there were over 1,600 patrons in the audience. truly, we were sold-to-the-rafters-standing-room-only type of audience. and when the last pose in the show hit, right after "Who Loves You", i literally saw half the audience jump to their feet for us.

and what was even nicer was the beautiful reception they had for us after the show on Saturday. the entire cast and crew was invited to a mezzanine full of patrons and some delicious passed appetizers, some of the best deserts i have ever had, and an open bar. we did some schmoozing with a bunch of people and before you know it, we're all on our 4th drink and the entire place is pretty much cleared out except for the cast (theatre folk love free drinks). then things just started getting silly and we all decided to sleep it off before our matinee the next afternoon.

i do have to mention my dear friend Doug Crawford (one of our fabulous swings) who, as he was getting the car seat onstage from the wings for the Donnie/Stosh scene, smashed his knuckles against one of the light rovers that was offstage and ended up fracturing his index finger. he went the the hospital at intermission and Erik Bates had to finish the show. but i just want to give him a quick "hello" to say that he is my hero that he finished the act with a horribly swollen finger that almost broke and i hope that his pain meds really help him enjoy his layoff week.

once New Haven ended, i took the bus back to NYC so i could see some old friends and enjoy the city i loved and lived in for 5 years.

best part of going back to NYC...? seeing Spring Awakening! the night before they were nominated for 11 Tonys, myself, Erich Bergen, Nate Klau and Courter Simmons and his husband got in line at TKTS and 15 minutes later paid for our 14th row orchestra seats.

for any of you living in NYC reading this, or going to visit in the next few months - GO SEE THIS SHOW! the songs were soaring and beautiful. the acting was strong and tender. and the performances were fantastic (two cast members were nominated for lead and supporting Tonys). it was a great piece of theatre and a huge congratulations to everyone involved with the show on its success and certain future Tony wins.

and after a 6 1/2 hour plane ride in a very cramped window seat, i am back with my beautiful wife and my crazy little dog.

we spent all day today doing laundry (5 loads) and packing up our entire life to stack into our Jeep Grand Cherokee tomorrow to head to Carmel for a night (kind of a mini-honeymoon), San Luis Obispo (to spend some time with mom and Jeff) and then a final night in Santa Barbara before we start unpacking in our little guest house in Encino.

also got to share a final San Francisco lunch with my good friend (and Frankie Valli) Jarrod Spector at this amazing place called Swan's Oyster Depot - a truly remarkable raw food bar where i had probably the best crab salad i have ever had.

that's the other thing i will miss about San Fran - we had some pretty good food here. we weren't able to go to all the places we wanted, but i will certainly miss that Broasted chicken place in north beach, Pearl's Burgers at Jones and Post, Mama's breakfast place, Foreign Cinema in the Mission for a GREAT brunch and lastly Kara's Kupcakes near the marina.

...i also forgot to mention our final San Fran show that we did on May 4.

it surely wasn't a sold out crowd - most of May has been smaller crowds. but by far, it was one of the most loving audiences we ever had. everyone of our "regulars" was there - some rushing the first row as early as 10:30am to get their seat...

every entrance was met with a scream or a holler. every song was ended with a thunderous amount of affection and love. and the final curtain call was met with about 20 pairs of red underwear thrown up on stage. and as we left the stage door, with the rain falling on our heads, the alleyway was filled with people asking for last autographs on their playbills, CD's and posters. it was like a rock concert but with some of your closest friends meeting you afterward. and the best part was...everyone there knew our names. it wasn't "hey, did you play Frankie...?". it was "hey Eric, just wanted to be there for the last show". and that was the best part - knowing that the ones that stayed and watched that night were the ones who this show meant the most to.

so i end this blog tonight i suppose on a little bit of a bittersweet note. San Francisco - thank you. Thank you for taking this show and embracing it (and us) as much as you did. You made our run easy in the fact that even on those hard days (usually Wednesday matinees), we always had you there applauding and screaming for us.

so come see us again sometime. Los Angeles, Sacramento, Costa Mesa, San Diego...we'll be around...don't be strangers.

good night San Fran.

Hello New Haven (May 7)

so after meeting the bus at 5:30am, waiting around San Fran airport for almost 2 hours, circling Newark airport for an extra hour (in the middle seat no less), and lastly a 2 hour bus ride into Connecticut...we are safe and sound at the beautiful Omni hotel near Yale campus.

today we walked into the Shubert Theatre and were greeted by our stage managers, Richard Hester (production supervisor), Ron Melrose (music director) and a handful of the fantastic designers and crew people working their tails off on the show. after a quick "orientation" (ie. this is the stage we are using in LA except for the random 18" section in the middle of the stage which we had to add due to the depth of this space...huh?), we were given the opportunity to walk our new baby and make sure our spike marks were set right and that there were no surprises once we got on the stairs or offstage.

and it was pretty damn accurate to what we left in San Fran. a few little questions here and there as far as spacing, and with Sergio and Kelly around, certainly a lot of good fine tuning that the show needs, but for the most part - an exact replica of what we left 3,000 miles away.

i guess it's just strange though that after doing over 160 performances, we are back to taking one scene at a time, sometimes going over it 3 or 4 times to make sure that our spacing, the tech elements and the overall picture is precise. i'm not going to lie...in a way, it's pretty annoying that we are going this slow again, but halfway through the process today i understood: we need to always be on the ball. we can't rest on the fact that we had 160 performances in San Fran. and once LA is done, we can't rest thinking that we now have 250 performances done...we constantly have to be ready to adjust and fine tune. yes, our characters and performances are (i believe) pretty solid right now. but there is always time to fix problems and make sure that we are giving the best show we can possible give. the fact is, as the months go on, people are going to call out sick and take vacations (perfect example is i was gone for 11 shows for my wedding) and the show needs to run seamless and without any indication that there may be a new person on or that the spacing is a little skewered, or in this case, that our set is brand new and our movements aren't polished.

so though i am known in the company to be the "class clown"...and though yes, of course, i am going to do everything i can to keep people laughing and things a little lighter while we are focused on the task at hand...but that's exactly what i want to also do: be focused on the task at hand. hell, i cover two leads in the show...if there's an adjustment, i have to take a mental note because next thing you know, Bergen is sick or Deven calls out, and i am on as Tommy or Bob again.

this week will be long though...make no doubt about it. we are called from 2-10:30 everyday with a 90 minute dinner break somewhere in between there. the rumor is we will have all wednesday off (if so, a big movie day and playing frisbee with Nate), but i'm not holding my breath quite yet. not that there is much else to do around here...i mean, it's a college town, but other than your typical pubs and delis, i really don't know what else i'm really supposed to do - especially without a car.

and can i just say that i think it's really freaking weird that when we do our full run on Saturday night and Sunday afternoon, there will be over 1300 people in the audience watching. that's right, they literally sold tickets to our technical run-through. we won't be wearing costumes at all, but people are paying up to $75/ticket just to see us in our street clothes give a full run of the show...and it's sold out...been sold out for weeks...i don't get it.

let's shift gears for a second and turn our attention back to San Fran. I saw the show a few days ago with the new cast (also saw bits and pieces of it when i was working the merchandise booth with Sarah that weekend), and it is so strange looking from the outside in. i've actually been trying to think of a creative metaphor to explain how it feels watching a show on a stage that i was literally in the night before, but couldn't think of anything clever enough...so let's just say, to sum up, it fucking blew my mind.

the performances were good. very good for a cast who really didn't get much of a full run before that opening night. and i can't wait to see the show in a few weeks when they have had the opportunity to find their stride and feel the audiences out and get that pacing down. but again, a very good show and i am very proud to say welcome to our new extended family.

but i do have to say, it was still kind of weird. i mean, there i am, watching Ryan Quinn West, who is playing my track in the new production. and he's wearing my costumes and saying my lines, and yet it's different. it's funny - i LOVED his choices...but it's weird. like my Doppleganger is up there saying my lines. and it was the same thing with all of the ensemble parts; there's Doppleganger-Miles, and Doppleganger-Nate...and the Four Seasons are doing the same lines and choreography, but everyone looks different.

again, i am NOT saying different bad. that is not it at all...i guess it's just weird. i'm sure the Broadway cast felt the same way when they saw us in our gypsy run in NYC. i just thank God that i am in this remarkable show and just as the Broadway show birthed us, and we birthed the second tour, there will be many more casts to see take light...

...like Vegas (Feb 08'), Toronto (Spring 08'), London and who knows where else.

to end the blog tonight, i want to thank all of you who wrote in to congratulate Sarah and i on our wedding. it was truly an unreal experience and about the best week of my life, and we thank you for your kind words. to our family and friends who made it all that way for us, you have no idea how much that meant...so thank you so much.

okay - will blog more as the excitement happens. good night!

One Last Addition (May 5)

first off, a huge congrats to the new San Francisco company of Jersey Boys who opened their run last night at the Curran Theatre. a few of us from the "Sherry Company" were there to show our support and we are all so proud of having these unbelievable talents joining the family!

i will blog about all of this Sunday night once i arrive safely in New Haven.

for now, please go again to Amanda Collins' blog to see a few more pictures from our day-after shoot. this was the most fun we had doing pictures and i think it shows!

...more to come.

Addition to Wedding Post (May 4)

hey all...

just a quick blog to post some teaser pics of the wedding.

turns out our brilliant photographer, Amanda Collins, has a blog of her own (she started because of me!!!!!) and posted a few of our pics.

go RIGHT NOW to: http://www.mandymariephoto.blogspot.com/

xo,
eric

Ball and Chain (May 3)

hello all my wonderful readers - lots has changed since we last blogged.

let's start with the obvious...i am a husband!!!!!

the wedding was amazing. the week was amazing. the food was amazing. the beach was amazing. everything was amazing.

we arrived after a long and tiring 15 hours of travel time on Wednesday afternoon and though it was slightly drizzling, it was still like walking directly into paradise. we had about an hour to wait to get into our room, so Sarah and i escaped into the lunch buffet so we could get some food in our systems...

they had every food i could ever want in one room. it was like i wanted to just unpack right there and just tuck myself in between the delicious BBQ chicken and fresh fruit.

once we got to the room. ahem...i mean honeymoon suite (including a separate sitting room, private balcony with hot tub and walk-in closet, we unpacked, got into more appropriate clothing for the climate and walked around the resort.

the place was beautiful. 9 buildings lined the resort with a crystal clear pool that snaked its way around the entire premises. at the end, a fantastic swim-up bar that then led you to the beach. the beach was gorgeous...white sand and turquoise water - just like you see in those postcards.

the entire place was filled with lush vegetation and lots of wild birds (flamingos, ducks, hens and
chickens) roaming around. the entire resort had about 6 or so bars (with constant snacks being served) and about the same in restaurants. Sarah and i opted for the "mexican" themed restaurant a few times during our stay, second to the "japanese fusion" place and a lovely (no kids allowed) restaurant called Dreams. we tended to stay away from those more "family friendly" restaurants other than the breakfast and lunch buffet and i think overall that was a good idea.

friends and family started coming in right away, with the majority of the people arriving on Saturday, and from what we could tell, everyone had a wonderful time. what i loved was that my friends and sarah's friends hit it off fantastically and all the parents even spent lots of time together at the pool and having meals together.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

the big day.

she looked beautiful. like a Roman goddess. i saw her before the wedding (we had to take pictures ahead of time for best light) and i'm not going to lie...i cried. she was just breathtaking. well that is, i started to cry and she asked me not to because she didn't want to cry and ruin her makeup...so i held back. the whole time just simply staring at her.

the pictures were great. no, not great. they were better than great. there actually might not be a word to describe how absolutely insanely unreal our pictures are and as soon as they are available to me i am going to post a slide show, as well as get our photographer's information because everyone should hire her.

in any event, Sarah and i had a great time together for the first quiet hour before the ceremony being together and taking some wonderful shots.

then we were separated. i to go to the ceremony site (about 20 steps away from the ocean) and she to freshen up and get ready for the walk down with her dad...

...and as she got up that crest and started her way down to me, it was if i had not just seen her 15 short minutes ago...and i started crying again. what a baby i am.

the ceremony was lovely. Rabbi Roman (who was flown in as a gift from all the parents) did a wonderful ceremony with just the right touch of religion, spirituality and humor. of course, he made those little remarks about how a marriage means you need to always "know your lines" and other little theatre quips that i knew he was going to do. but it really was an amazing ceremony and it was great to hold her hand the entire time, stomp the shit out of that glass, and finally kiss my bride.

the reception was insane. it started like any other one that all of you have probably attended. first course and second course with a light jazz and acoustic background. Nikki (her maid of honor) and Courtney (my best man) did some very nice toasts, and then all of the parents said some great things as well and we were into the main course (steak and lobster...? delicious!). but by the time Sarah and i had our first dance and we did the daughter/daddy and groom/mommy dances, it was time to let loose.

so the booze flowed, the cigars (some delicious Dominicans that Sarah's brother bought for the occasion) were smoked and everyone danced all night...even Bubi Goldie, who i think was slow dancing with our Dominican bartender at some point.

the next day, we relaxed and got more beach time in, and then went off for our "day-after" photo shoot. at this point, Sarah decided her dress was already trashed from it dragging on the dance floor all night, so we got back into our wedding clothes and took pictures all over the resort: the beach, on a trampoline, in the ocean, in the pool shower, in the pool at the swim-up bar...everywhere. it was so much fun just being silly and those pictures are going to be awesome.

then wednesday came, and it was back to reality. another 15 hours of travel. and now we are back to reality...no palm trees and fresh fruit cut from the trees...just the Tenderloin of San Fran and cloudy skies all day.

i, of course, am leaving out tons. i could go on and on about the fresh fruit smoothies in the morning, or the 24 hour room service. i could talk about the Disco that we went to every night in the resort or perhaps the Michael Jackson tribute show (the best worst show i have ever seen)...but it all truly pales in comparison to the 20 minutes on the beach for the ceremony and the reception that followed.

but what a wonderful trip...probably the best week of my life...and thank all of you for indulging me as i wrote it all out for you.

i think i am going to stop for now. so many of you asked me to blog about the wedding and this is getting pretty long. but i promise, before the end of the weekend, to blog about how tonight was our last show in San Fran and my thoughts on the new cast (they start tomorrow).

i will end, however, by saying a quick something about our fans here in San Fran: they are amazing. we had some regulars that literally waited in line for over 8 hours to make sure they got their front row rush seats to see us of and as i left the stage door of the Curran and headed down the alley towards all of them, it was I saying "thank you" to them for all the wonderful memories over the past six months...

so as always, more to come. but for now, i bid you all a good night.