Tuesday, November 17, 2009

Catch-Up


Sorry, sorry, sorry! I realize it's been nearly two weeks since my last post. The excuses abound, not the least of which is I had my PDA (phone) in for repair, and that's where I do most of my writing (I'm doing it now, in fact) and my desktop seemed to tank at the same time (hence the need to purchase a new HP 750GB hard drive, 8GB ram, Intel Core2Quad processor, for you computer geeks). But luckily I'm back in the running.

*Thank you to all concerned about my voice after my last post. It was tenuous and a bit frightening, but I did make it through the show. I actually seemed to get stronger as the show went on, but I was very nervous that it wouldn't last.

*There are many things to catch up on, and I can't remember half of them, but I will say the most recent and thrilling was the opportunity to share my MM! good fortune with my family this past weekend as my Mom, brother John and sister in law Sue, her friend Val and my brother's daughter (my niece) Erica came to the show over the weekend, all the way form Michigan! They actually had a busier two days than I did, shopping at Bergdorf's, seeing BILLY ELLIOT and MM!, dining out, taking taxis - I'm exhausted just thinking about it! But it was a treat to see them and share the joy of "the Mia", topped off by dinner at Joe Allen Restaurant, the perennial theatrical fave. Thanks for coming, guys, it was a treat!

*Also of note last week was my first "personal day". I'm allowed to take 2 days off a year for purely personal reasons (not sickness or vacation, just a day off). Now I'm not the kind of guy who takes days off easily. A few years ago I was doing a Broadway (lite) show called TWENTIETH CENTURY with Alec Baldwin (great guy) and Anne Heche (can you say CRAZY?) at the Roundabout Theater. I was sick as a dog one day, terrible flu, but you can bet I dragged my ass to the theater and got up on that stage. The show must go on, eh?

In any event, I had never planned to take a personal day even when I learned, in early September, that my daughter's Theatrical High School debut would conflict with my performance. She would just have to suffer without me, I thought. Well, last Friday morning (after a Thursday night of prodding by my fellow MM! cast members - Allison: "Are you crazy?", John: "You have to go!", Beth: "It's like suffering through root canal, but you gotta do it!"), I awoke with a start and realised, as her debut was that night, that I couldn't miss it! It was not out of guilt or obligation but the sheer joy of seeing my beautiful daughter, who had worked so hard over the last few months (between school and all her extra-curricular activities) - that I knew I HAD to attend! So I called my extremely understanding and gracious stage manager (Andy) and company manager (Tony) and explained the situation, and with their blessings I was off.
HUMBUG HIGH (A modern adaptation of Charles Dickens A CHRISTMAS CAROL) was a huge hit (not, in fact, root canal at all!) and the star (in my eyes) was the illustrious performance of "Madge the Dead Lunch Lady" inhibited with verve and comic gusto by my daughter Brigid. Bravo!

I promise to try the daily posting this week. There's always a lot going on, so it's easier to keep up by doing it daily rather than playing catch-up.

Slainte!

No comments:

Post a Comment