Random Thoughts (May 21)

i love the Price is Right. i am sitting here blogging and Price is Right is in the background and i love it. i'm not thrilled with Drew Carey as the new host, but at least he brings a little more humor to the show that Bob Barker never really did (though how can you beat Bob Barker!). i remember back in college my roommates and i used to watch it all the time and we got to a point that we actually scheduled our classes around it our senior year...

...though maybe it was just an excuse to go to class after noon. either way, i'm really bummed out that while the tour was in LA, we didn't go as a group to a taping.

anyway...

first off, i want to thank everyone from the bottom of my heart for all their touching comments and tributes to John Altieri from my last post. to hear from so many people including members of John's own family was a true testament to how many people he touched in his short lifetime. additionally, as i said i would, i would like to post how everyone can make a donation in John's name. all i ask is that if you saw John perform or ever had the opportunity to speak with him and share in his light, that you consider sending something...even if it's just a few bucks.

donations can be made to:

Idyllwild Arts Academy
Children's Center Summer Program
52500 Temecula Rd.
Idyllwild, CA 92549

*****
so i wanted to share a few pictures from mine and Sarah's vacation to Jamaica. as many of you know, Sarah and i were gone for a week at the end of April to celebrate our 1-year anniversary. we stayed at the beautiful Sandals Whitehouse resort on the southern coast and it was an amazing week. i can't tell you how nice it was to go back on vacation and celebrate our first year of marriage together in such a beautiful place.

highlights included:

the amazing chocolate bar that they had one night while we were there. i mean, we had to stay up until 11:30 to catch it, but it was well worth it! i have never seen so much chocolate in one place and it was delicious. they even had "white chocolate bread" which was liked fresh baked bread that when you tore it open, melted white chocolate pieces were in it...YUM!


we also went snorkeling about a mile or so off the main property. it was a little clouded in the water that day but we still saw some really cool reefs and fish. i got a little sea sick after about 30 minutes of floating in the choppy waters, but still a fun experience.


on the day of our anniversary, we were in the guest newsletter that came to everyone's room. kind of cheesy, but very nice to be recognized.


and of course, for desert that night, our waitress put a nice little spin on the desert we ordered:


sarah and i loved the little pastry shop that was always open. many times we would skip desert after dinner and just bring a selection of pastry's back to the room at night.


we got a big kick at one of the signs at the pool. i thought it was pretty obvious but i guess at a nice resort, they need to make sure of some things:


but most of all, it was soul cleansing just enjoying the great weather and sunny skies with my beautiful wife.


ahhhhhhhhhh.........


*****
so every thursday for the last few weeks, we have been heading to Heckscher Ballfields in Central Park to play in the Broadway Softball League. now i know what you all are thinking: "Broadway performers playing softball...? like in uniforms? like with choreography?" well all i have to say is we are having a blast.

sure, we are 0-3 but we have played powerhouses like Mary Poppins (who are 3-0) and to be honest, there are barely any actors who show up. it's mostly the tech staff that plays. but i have been there every week, even through exhibition games, and it's nice to get some exercise and meet other Broadway folk. and this Thursday is one of the biggest games of the season so far as we play Altar Boyz. this game is important for a few reasons: 1) they are also 0-3 and someone is going to finally come away with a win for the season and 2) Eric Schneider (one of the swings in Jersey Boys) is playing for THEIR team because he did the tour before he was cast in our show and has good friends on the team. that freaking traitor.

i will have Schneider's head on a plate come Thursday at 11:30.

*****
the last thing i want to blog about is some promotion for Sebastian Arcelus (who plays Bob Gaudio in our show).

Sebastian is involved in an AMAZING web video blog called iChannel.

“iChannel” is a collaborative web series about a young man who has his life magically taken over by an audience...YOU. Their goal is a compelling original series where the audience can interact with the creators and the show’s characters in unique, unprecedented ways.

suffice to say, each of their episodes are anywhere between 3-7 minutes long and i guarantee you that if you watch about the first five episodes, you will be HOOKED! it's unlike anything i have ever seen before and Sebastian is really proud of it and that's all i needed to become a fan.

check it out here:
http://connectwithi.com/index.htm

or on their YouTube channel:
http://www.youtube.com/user/ichannel

*****
guess that's it for now. sorry that this blog was all over the place. just wanted to chat a little bit and get my family and friends up to speed.

until next time.

John Altieri (May 5)

as many of you already know by now, John Altieri, the gifted actor who originated Bob Crewe with the first National Tour of Jersey Boys, passed away yesterday.

i, as is many of the people that grew close to John over the past two years are devastated and trying to make sense of what and why has happened. he was so young and had such an amazing and healthy spirit that one would beg the question of why should he have suffered the way he did and why, after spending a month in a hospital, could they not find the way to help him.

in any case, his spirit, laughter and friendship will live on forever in those of us he had touched. i feel, more than most, that i was one of the lucky ones that got to know him so well. i played "Mika" to his "Crewe" for over 400 shows and we were very much inseparable in every scene we were in together. some of my most fondest memories was the shit we would pull on stage together (both of us constant troublemakers) and how much we would make each other laugh...even when we definitely were not supposed to.

one of my favorites:

at the end of "Dawn", Crewe and Mika end up on the stage left stairs facing upstage applauding the Four Seasons on their big ending. The lights are up so hot on the audience at that point and we are facing away from them that John would usually applaud and the momentum of them would smack me in the face and head. I would then applaud slightly broader and the momentum of my elbow would try to catch him in the groin. then when we turned downstage as the Mary and Lorraine characters greeted us, i would pull on his pant leg just enough to have his pants sneak down and he at the same time would pull my shirt from inside my jacket to have it untuck...and so on and so forth.

that was John. always in high spirits and always ready for a laugh.

he was also completely devoted to his pets, Goose (his cat) and Spyder (his Shepard-mix dog). he loved his animals so much that much of his housing was due to their comfort (like we did with Toby, John drove to every city so his pets did not have to fly). thinking about it now, i remember him once telling me that one of his biggest decision in taking the Vegas company was so Spyder could live out her short remaining years (she is, i believe, about 13) in a comfortable environment where they are not always driving to a new destination.

but my favorite thing about John was watching him work. he put so much thought and energy into his lines and knew exactly where each laugh should be. his "metaphor" line was always a show-stopper and i just wish that all of you could have seen him on stage...because he shined so much up there.

he shined upon all of us.

i thank God that i have known John. that for over a year, i got to see him and spend time with him every day. that he was able to come to my LA house and enjoy a fun BBQ. that he and i got to carpool almost every day while we were in Orange County. that he and i had to struggle like hell to get that fucking yellow couch on stage and afterward would both laugh about it. and for a year, it was my pleasure and honor to be his "personal assistant" on stage and i had never had larger shoes to fill when i was asked to understudy him...i only hope that the few times i went on in his part, that i did justice to what i learned from him.

as the days go on, we are hoping to get some more information on what we can do to help his family. one of his friends is hoping to get a scholarship for young actors in his name and as soon as i know what the details are, i will post them. my hope is that for all of us that John touched or made laugh, that we all might give a little to his memory.

i don't know what to say from here. i have nice things to blog about but that is for another time. the lump in my throat and the tears and my eyes are enough for now.

i love you, John. we thank God your suffering is over and you are finally at rest. none of us will ever forget you...

...and i will always have a glass of milk waiting for you.