Not where I expected to see myself...
The Ohio Theatre, Playhouse Square, Cleveland
John and Jerry Lee at the Rock n' Roll Hall Of Fame
Me and Johnny's tour bus, JC UNIT ONE
The only folks left from year 1-3 in Cleveland
James and Katie shooting a scene from Blush
Hello everyone, and welcome to my long overdue, and probably all but forgotten final installment of my blog from Year 3 of the Million Dollar Quartet 1st National Tour. Things have been pretty busy since leaving Cleveland, though it's no excuse for not writing my final installment. I myself am now "installed" in New York City; after a crazy few days at the beginning (you'll just have to wait and see why) and a few more low key days, I am now ready to finish the last blog of Year 3. As we were in Cleveland for 3 weeks, and there was a lot of not so exciting down time, I will be giving you the highlights of our time there. Not to worry. As you can see from the pictures above and videos below, there was still a good bit of excitement.
Unlike any other stop on our tour, we were put up in apartments not far from our hotel. I never thought I would miss a hotel....but there were certainly some things about our new digs that left me wishing for one. The apartment I was staying in (the 2nd one; we won't even START to get into that story....) wasn't bad, per se. I was glad to have the room, but the building itself and the staff were not exactly top notch. And that's saying nothing about the neighbors.....
The first week brought a run through on stage that served as our sound check, as well as to bring us back to the show after 2 weeks off. All went well, and we were ready to break in our new theatre for an uncharacteristic 3 weeks. Nearly three years prior, we spent 3 weeks at the Palace Theatre when we kicked off tour, and this time we spent three at the Ohio (pictured above).
We did a few promotional events, starting with a great day for me and the boys at the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame and Museum (pictured above). An excellent day, and some great exposure for the four of us. We also played a live gig at Playhouse Square just a stone's throw from the Ohio (above), complete with a huge screen flashing 2 story pictures of us!!
Things were certainly changing around the office. We had quite a few additions to our cast in Cleveland, having said goodbye to quite a few people in Dayton, OH. We welcomed Katie Barton, newly married, back to tour as the Dyanne understudy. David and Stephanie both stepped into the full time performing cast (Dyanne and Fluke, the drummer, respectively), and we welcomed Chris Johnson as the new Fluke understudy (he spent quite a while with the show off-Broadway) and in the second week, Michael Goodman joined us as the new Elvis understudy (see my Peoria blog; he joined us for all of 5 hours in the aftermath of the Polar Vortex, as an emergency possibility if James had not made it to town in time). We also gained a new company manager in Carol Oune. Even with all of these changes, there were some things that had never changed. There were only 7 of us left from the first go around in Cleveland; and that's including the cast and crew. Pretty crazy to think that so many people have come and gone. In three years with the show, I have been on tour with 2 Sams, 5 Jerry Lees, 3 Carls, 2 Cashes, 3 Flukes, 2 Brother Jays, and a slew of different understudies. Definitely a new concept that it took me a while to get used to; I was so accustomed to opening and closing shows with the exact same casts. We said goodbye to Maia shortly after our Playhouse Square performance, and Dog bid us adieu following our first week. The numbers were dwindling.
What wasn't dwindling were the vast amount of birthdays we celebrated in Cleveland. I would list them all, but there were so many, I would rather not forget one and leave someone out. Along with birthday celebrations, it was cause to celebrate the performances of almost every understudy in Cleveland. And for some, more than one show. A great way to end this leg of tour for them, and a nice change of pace for the rest of us.
On a personal note, I took some nice walking tours of town and took quite a few pictures. I added a new ballpark to my list of visits (Progressive, above), and took in as many sights as I could. I bought a new MacBook Pro (from which I am typing this blog) and quite a bit of my time was spent orienting myself to the new OSX, as well as transferring a ton of information, pictures, etc. That's what rainy days are for, after all; being productive in the apartment. I also taped an audition that at this point did not pan out, and watched quite a few movies in my down time.
After hearing about it for years, it was finally time to head to Cedar Point (above) and ride some of the world's finest coasters. Thankfully, we had a beautiful Monday off before the end of our run, and two car loads of folks made the hour trek to the roller coaster mecca. It was a long day, but I am proud to say the majority of us rode nearly every coaster in the park; and I know for a fact we all had a great time. If you ever in the area, it is a must see.
Also toward the end of our time, I was asked by Corey and Em to be a part of their brainchild; a short film project for HBO's Project Greenlight, later titled "Blush". Katie, James and I all "starred" in this fun film, along with a bunch of our cast and crew pals in the background. It was great to be able to do something completely different (above), and also to get some experience on camera; this becomes imperative later on.....
When the three weeks were all said and done, we had had a pretty good time in Cleveland. Some of the audiences were quite small, and some a bit lackluster. But we brought our A game to each and every show, and I certainly hope the people that did come see us left with a smile on their faces. After 836 shows, 132 cities (not including the repeats of Cleveland, Memphis and Washington, D.C.), I did something I never thought I would; I walked into the hallway of the studio and signed the wall, bidding farewell to the walls that had been my home for the better part of 3 years. More on that at another time.
After our closing performance, we were treated to food and libations at the very same Wyndham hotel we had stayed at 3 years prior; pretty funny how things come full circle. Though we were all going our separate ways, most of us will see each other soon enough, and it will never really be "goodbye'; just "until next time".
Since Cleveland, I have been quite busy. A couple of trips to Maine to visit my family, and settling officially (and long overdue, I might add; like this blog.....) in New York City. I barely had time to breathe in the smog before I landed my first, and quite surprising gig....a guest star role on Boardwalk Empire. It came at me like a whirlwind, and the shooting was a little....shall we say....stressful? My experience on camera is very limited, so if nothing else it was a learning experience. Please tune into HBO, or get HBO GO now to catch up on the series (and if you have been watching all along, good for you!!!), and tune in on September 7th at 9/8 C to see the beginning of the final season. I would tell you what episode I'm in....but where's the fun in that?
Thank you for tuning in to my blog, and please enjoy a few videos below. It's been a lot of fun writing these blogs and keeping track of all that I have been up to these past 3 years. I will not say I am not returning to tour in January, but a lot is up in the air at this point; so I won't really know what the future holds for a bit. Please continue to follow me on Twitter (@scomoreau), Instagram (scomoreau) and on Facebook (www.facebook.com/scottmoreaumusic) in the next few months. And who knows....maybe I'll be changing the name of this blog to "Scott Moreau On Broadway". Here's hoping. Until then, I hope you all are having a great summer, and have an amazing fall!!
My last time putting on the Cash wig with Miss Susan
A little backstage tour
Final guitar check
Hastily made Cleveland Tourism video. Warning: includes adult language....
Hastily made Cleveland Tourism video #2. Warning: includes adult language....
