Nick Part II, Electric Boogaloo (Feb.21)

so a real quick post before i head to sleep.

Bobby was sick again so I got the call (or really, the text) right before 6pm. It was a great Thursday night crowd and though I have only now done the role three times, I am really starting to love the Massi character. his subtleties are the best thing about him and it's so interesting, as the "quiet" one in the group to really get to listen not only to the scenes and react accordingly, but really get the opportunity to see some great actors next to me make some amazing choices throughout the show...

in any event, i am really looking forward to March 11-13 when i get 4 in a row as Nick.

only weird this is after concentrating so hard on Nick the last few days, i have to pull a 180 as tomorrow at understudy rehearsal i am playing Bob...

...i literally have three harmony parts going on in my head at all times. i'm a one-man choral group.

lastly, i want to end this blog with something Sarah did when she was bored yesterday. i loved it and wanted to share it with everyone. just hit "play" and enjoy.

peace out!

Don't send a lame eCard. Try JibJab Sendables!

Shame on Me (Feb.21)

okay, i have to apologize. i honestly had no idea the last time i blogged was New Years. i mean, that means that i haven't blogged in over 50 days. that is absolutely ridiculous and i should be ashamed of myself. but seriously, you ever feel in a rut or kind of just get...i don't know...writer's block? i don't know what it has been; perhaps the fact that i am not in a new city every 4 weeks has added to it, but hey - i AM in the most exciting city in the world, right? and i AM performing in an amazing Broadway musical, right? so no more excuses (at least not right now). i am really going to try to blog at least once a month so you lovely people that have been emailing and calling can get all the dirt on mine and Sarah's life.

so let's get you up to date:

January went by really quick. like really, really quick. however, it was the tail end of January when i finally started feeling relaxed in the show. it's funny that after doing the show close to 400 times, you move to a new company and a new city, and it takes you over a month to really find your rhythm again, you know? but i have to say - honestly - this cast and crew have been fantastic. everyone has been so welcoming and supportive and it's nice to see that i am starting to make good friends here on the Broad-way. in any event though, i truly have begun to feel more at ease and the show seems much more manageable to me than when i first got here.

also in January, our good friends Kelly and Bob visited us from Michigan. Kelly is a few months pregnant so this was kind of their last hooray before she delivers the baby in the spring and we had a blast with them! we went to some great places for food (i HIGHLY recommend Essex for brunch - can you say "unlimited mimosas"?). also found this weird little store in the lower, Lower east village for your candy fix - anything you can think of - called Economy Candy Market. but it was so great seeing them and Toby had a blast as well as Bob wanted to take a little walk with Toby and sure enough, 2 1/2 hours later, they came back and Toby has never been so exhausted in his life.

lastly, mid-January saw the show bid a fond farewell to our friend, Daniel Reichard, who originated the role of Bob Gaudio. as those of you who have seen the show and gotten the opportunity to meet Daniel, you know that you will never meet a friendlier and truly sweet person. we are very excited and proud of him as he pursues other aspects of his career (go see him in Candide at NY City Opera) and personally, it was a pleasure getting to work with him again since our time in Forbidden Broadway many years ago. however, with his departure, we have gained an amazing new Gaudio in Sebastian Arcelus. my favorite part about Sebastian is the fact that I was fortunate enough to rehearse a lot with him before he started his run and it was such a treat to see him really grow into the magnificent character he has created on stage. in any event, it is such a delight having him with us and if you haven't seen the show in awhile, come on out and check it out!

another highlight of the month was when Jackie Seiden, Erich Bergen, Chris and Jenna Jones and Sarah and I all were in NYC in the same afternoon and we all had lunch together. i can't tell you how much fun it was just sitting for an hour and the six of us really just catching up on each other's lives and seeing some great old friends. i miss Jackie immensely and am so happy the strike in LA is over so she can get to what she moved out there for, and i am so excited for Bergen to open Vegas in April! and the Jones's...? we freaking love Chris and Jenna and other than the fact that their dog Fender is best friends with Toby - they have without a doubt become our closest friends and we cherish the (very little) time we get with them.

i will say however, that though i love Chris and Jenna - i did not love helping them move. holy shit, i have never seen a storage unit used to the capacity they had. seriously, how they even got everything in there is a mystery and a move from a storage unit to a studio apartment...even a big studio like they have...should not take almost seven hours. but it did. seven hours. two boroughs. almost 100 boxes. and easily over 1,000 stairs. they are never allowed to move again.

February finally reared its ugly head and the city was abuzz with the Super Bowl. i mean, without a doubt, NYC goes crazy for their Mets and Yankees, but to have the Giants make it to the big game and then not only beat the Patriots, but beat them in probably the best fourth quarter football game in the history of the sport was a huge highlight. Travis (Cloer) had some people over to his place to watch the game and it was nice to hang out with a few cast members outside the show. his wife, Jen, made this freaking incredible chili and some brownies (i think i might have eaten half the pan) so a big thank you to them for having me over.

oh...a quick side note: a few of you have contacted me regarding my website that some of the links are messed up and my blog isn't posting correctly. the deal is my gorgeous web designer (my wife, Sarah) broke her computer about a month or so ago and when she got her new one, it turned out that she hadn't backed up the most recent publication of my site and some of the html or other computer jargon i really don't understand got a little screwed up. anyway, she is going to try to work on it when she has some free time (not much now that she has a full-time job), but in the meantime, just go ahead and bookmark this link to just get to my blog directly to check up on it: MY BLOG . In addition, you can also "subscribe to my blog HERE or if you want direct notifications to your email when i post a new blog, click this link HERE. i think that should cover all bases.

random thought - can i vent here for a second: why do people who sit in the front row think it's okay to put their playbills on the front of the stage? do you not see 15 actors walking around up there? do you think that is really the best place for it...like, better than under your seat or in your stupid lap? because i know, personally, when i have been directed to go downstage or "toe the grate" (the grate is the metal grate that is at the farthest edge of the stage closest to the audience that we sometimes gave to literally stand on so we don't fall in the pit) i like to worry about slipping on a glossy program because someone is too stupid to put it in their jacket pocket. how about this, next time you are at work and in the middle of a meeting, i am going to walk onto your conference table and literally stand on your file folders.

arghhhhh!

also, when there is a show with narration, why do people think that the fourth wall doesn't exist and they can just yell random shit out? perfect example: this evening, Tommy is doing his final speech and this is what we hear:

Tommy: "By the way, you're ever in Vegas, walk into any casino and say 'Tommy DeVito'..."

Some Jackass: "...Tommy Who?"

okay, first off, you have now brought 1300 people out of the scene because you thought it was a good time to yell something out. secondly, Christian Hoff's last monologue (and subsequent laugh) is now lost because you threw him off. thirdly, what do you mean, "Tommy Who"...? where the hell have you been for 2 1/2 hours?

double arghhhhh!

back to the blog...

...last weekend, one of my great buddies from back home, Dave, came into town with his wife Julie. i love seeing friends from back home because they bring a little bit of "back home" with them, you know? i have knows Dave since high school and we lived together for all four years in college and it was so great to have them in town and for them to see the show and spend a little bit of time with them. they really enjoyed the show and our lovely mild weather we had last weekend and i just wish we could have had a little more time. weekends go by so quickly when you have 4 shows within them. i will say one of the biggest highlights of having them here is we went to this sassy burger joint in Union Square called Stand and though their burgers were only pretty decent, i have finally had the PERFECT milk shake. it's called the Toasted Marshmallow milkshake and for any of you that are marshmallow freaks like i am, this was, for real, the most amazing milkshake i have ever had - it was seriously like drinking a marshmallow right off the campfire...but with ice cream.

damn, i love writing about food...

...i also love writing about making my Broadway debut as a Season.

today, Bobby Spencer was sick and i was not. so this afternoon and the subsequent evening performance, i went on for my first (and second) time as Nick Massi.

okay, the first show was a first show. i haven't rehearsed the role in almost three weeks and i never got a put-in for the role so it was kind of like getting shot out of a cannon, but it went smooth. a few harmony problems (it's so easy to jump to old Tommy harmonies) and a few spacing issues (i couldn't find my spike marks for the church scene so i might have been in the right wing i was so off the mark) but a lovely matinee audience. the evening's show was great. i was more relaxed and certainly more confident in my spacing and i just let the nerves settle themselves so i could do a better job. not as many harmony issues this time and an ear plug helped as a monitor so i could hear myself better on those low notes and the audience was fantastic (and that always helps). what i like about Nick is the fact that he really doesn't say that much in the play, but when he does, it means so much to the development of his relationship within the group and with the other characters. in a way, i feel he's so quiet because he's always listening and that's what makes him so interesting to play.

one of the nicest things about playing the role was that my dear friend, Michael Ingersoll, who as you all know is playing Nick in the Chicago company sent me flowers to congratulate me. my friend, i miss hanging out with you to chat over a beer and thank you again for that incredible gesture.

so suffice to say, today was a great day. and though i'm pretty certain Bobby will be feeling better tomorrow. it was such a treat debuting as a lead in this show on Broadway - what a thrill! and i'll be honest with you - a person could get used to the attention at the stage door. everyone was so nice and complementary and it was a real treat to sign so many playbills and posters...i rarely get that opportunity in my ensemble track. and in case any of you would like to see me in the role, i do know that i will be going on as Nick March 11-13 for all four shows while Bobby is on vacation. can i announce that? i have no idea.

to end this blog, i'm real excited to announce that in addition to covering Bob and Nick, i have just been contracted to cover Tommy again as well. it's kind of crazy to me that i am now covering 3 of the 4 Seasons but i am beyond thrilled for the opportunity. a big thank you to the creative staff as well as my stage and company managers here in NYC for having faith in me for triple coverage!

so that's it. it's almost 2 in the morning and i have a sleeping wife and dog next to me and i think it's time to join them.

until next time...