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!