Happy Trails, Miles Aubrey

Miles Aubrey is leaving Jersey Boys...he's packing up his many guitars, his beautiful wife, and no doubt, a box of donuts, and moving to Nashville.

let me back up for a second...

why am i posting this blog? who is even going to read it? why is this blog still even active? let me answer those questions in reverse.

this blog is active because once or twice a year i find myself reading through old posts for a chuckle...to remember past experiences i shared with the show that changed my life.

i don't know who is going to read this. perhaps there is someone somewhere that still gets automated google alerts when i write something simply because they used to follow my exploits years ago when i was in the show.

and i'm posting this blog because i don't get to be there when Miles takes his last bow. i don't get to raise a glass and toast him at his 'Happy Trails' get-together at the end of the show. so this is my way to say goodbye.

but you have to understand, dear reader, that with Miles leaving the Broadway cast, something bigger leaves with him: my first-degree connection to the show.

you see, over the years, many cast members from the first national tour - and i'm talking ORIGINAL members from JBT1 - have gotten the call up to the big leagues; some to cover for a few weeks/months as people took vacation or leaves-of-absences, or some to be a permanent fixture on the Great White Way.

but to understand truly the reason for this blog post, you have to know more about my relationship with Miles.

Miles and I first forged our friendship in NYC when we were in rehearsals for JBT1. here we were, with dozens of other actors in a rehearsal studio in Times Square, learning the show that would shape our lives for years to come. as we went from city to city, Miles and i were placed in the same dressing room together, in every city we went, for a year. i have seen Miles Aubrey's ass more times then i would like to count.

Miles and i also had a shared bachelor-party for 48 hours in Vegas. he and Erica got married two weeks after Sarah and I did. that was a fun weekend; most of the male actors all jumped in a limo after our Sunday show in San Francisco and hopped on a place to sin city. and then we drank...a lot. at least i assume we did, it was all quite a blur.

but i digress.

one of my happiest memories of Miles was when i found out he was moving to the Broadway company after Donnie Kehr left the show. it was something i hoped for him the second i moved to NYC. and though we didn't share a dressing room on the 4th floor of the August Wilson Theatre, i still got to stand on his right side for half of the second act as we became Charlie Calello and Joe Long. night after night, i got to listen to him solo (a different sold EVERY night) and i stayed in awe of him and his talent for the two years i got to perform with him.

you see, Miles is a rare talent. he's a rare talent because not only is he an excellent singer and actor, but he's also one of the most talented guitar players i have ever met. i would easily say that Miles  is the best guitarist on Broadway...and i'm not kidding. every other actor who plays guitar in any other show for the last ten years pales in comparison to the insane skill that Miles Aubrey has on those 6 strings. he's a thoroughbred on that instrument - a virtuoso powerhouse that makes your jaw drop in awe. and yet, at the same time, he is humble. he has that southern-charm "aw shucks" attitude where you feel lucky to sit and talk with him...about music, family, sports, anything.

but there are greener pastures for him and Erica down south. back to where they can lead a simpler, less chaotic life. playing and performing music together and putting down roots in their new house together - closer to family and a thriving community where they had already made their second home.

you have to understand that your "last show" is an out-of-body experience as you try to enjoy every moment on and off stage; soaking in those times that mean the most to YOU as the actor who always wanted to perform in a show like this. you are looking inward at your younger self - the self whose dream was always to perform on Broadway, and telling them "I'm sorry kid, but it's time to walk away."

for my last show on Broadway, i held it together pretty well...until the second act, when i turned to Miles on my left side, as we were behind the fence as Charlie and Joe, and he kind of just gave me a nod and a gentle smile...and that's when i lost it. my dear friend simply assuring me everything would be okay and that it was time to finish the show and take my last bow on that stage.

(please note, i was then a wreck for the next 20 minutes of the show and two hours thereafter)

so wih Miles taking his last bow on Sunday, it is truly the end of an era. He is the last of the First National tour actors to endure for so long. with his departure, many of us are now without a home. you see, dear reader, as an actor leaves a show like Jersey Boys, they spend a long time coming to terms with that decision. it's not easy leaving something as big as a show like that. and you spend years continuing to chase that dream - to try and find something that lives up to the adrenaline, excitement, and enormity. my hope is that Miles finds that in Nashville with his amazing song writing and session work. i don't doubt for one minute that Nashville will fall in love with him as easily as all of us did that were honored enough to work with him for years.

Miles: i so wish i could be there for your last show. in spirit, i will be to your right side in the second act behind the fence, continuing to watch in awe as your sail up and down the frets of your telecaster. NYC truly loses a master with your departure and the Broadway cast will never sound quite the same.

happy trails, brother.

At the Jersey Boys 3rd anniversary bowling party.