Cold, colder, coldest, meeting Mr. Harmony and an unfortunate backstage

The Warner Theatre in Erie, PA

Inside the State Theatre, Easton, PA

Me and the Man In Black backstage 

The Roanoke Performing Arts Center

The historic Tennessee Theatre in Knoxville, TN

The Keith Albee Theatre in Huntington, WV

This is the excitement of travel days

We helped Matt celebrate his birthday in Erie with his family!

Tyler, John and I with almost the entire Marshall University theatre department in Huntngton, WV

I hope everyone is doing their best to escape the cold! It was pretty hard for us to do in my latest blog installment, but we did our best! The whirlwind schedule of our tour continues, as we make our way across the frigid United States! Here's what happened this week:

On Monday we started on our long travel day from Lowell, MA to Erie, PA. We took a bus to Boston's Logan Airport, flew into Buffalo, NY and then took another bus to Erie. Sometimes a travel day without a show can take just as much out us as performing. I often joke that "I don't talk on travel days"; though it's not entirely true, I do usually keep to myself. You can see a glimpse of what our travel days are like above. We arrived in Erie, and the temperature was well below zero with the wind chill. Thankfully, we didn't have a far walk to the theatre the next day, and though our meal and entertainment options were limited, what Erie had to offer was close by. The following day was our company manager Matt's birthday, and his family was nice enough to invite us across the street for birthday festivities (pictured above). Along with cake and singing for Matt's birthday, his family was gracious enough to offer as a great, hot meal, beverages and great company. I spoke to Matt's sister, her husband and their two daughters at length. They are both interested in pursuing theatre as a career, so we talked a lot about my training and how I got started when I was younger. We had a great night as a cast and crew, and I ended up calling it a relatively early night. 

I woke up on Tuesday and was greeted by even colder temperatures. I decided to stay in my room for the majority of the day, only venturing out to go around the corner to the Rite Aid to get a few things, including some microwaveable food for lunch. I hibernated most of the day, and bundled up like the Nanook of the North to head to work that night. As had become all too familiar a trend, our crew had a pretty rough load in, given that the only door to load everything in was the size of a conventional door. Added to that, the Warner Theatre, though historic and gorgeous (see above) had had some flooding and water damage. The basement (home to company and stage management as well as wardrobe) had extensive damage and mold and mildew. That said, the theatre itself was quite lovely, and the show went extremely well. A few of us headed to Jekyll and Hyde's on the way back home for a little food....that EVENTUALLY got to us after some pretty terrible service. We headed home following that to prepare for the trip across PA to Easton the following morning. 

It was a full day of riding on the bus on Wednesday, and we had very little time once we arrived to settle in before having to head to work. We were staying a few miles from the theatre, so shortly after we arrived and threw our bags down, me and the boys made our way to the theatre. It was bitterly cold again, so we were actually glad to not have to walk to work. Yet another beautiful historic theatre (pictured above), the State Theatre had all sorts of Martin guitar memorabilia adorning the walls; we were technically staying in Bethlehem, and the Martin factory is close by in Nazareth. Another great crowd in a pretty little theatre, and following the show we made our way back to the hotel. The other three quartet boys and I ended up at Ruby Tuesday for a bite to eat, and following that, I hung out in the lobby of our hotel with Robby, Frace, and his girlfriend Haley. 

Thursday arrived, and it meant another long day on the bus, this time to Roanoke, VA. Again, we didn't have a whole lot of down time before heading to work. This time we were sorta close, but it was terribly cold, windy, and we had to walk underneath a highway overpass to get to work. Despite the cold, I was very much looking forward to that night's show at the Roanoke Performing Arts Center (above) because my friend Holly who I hadn't seen in years, was going to be there with her boyfriend Tommy. We had another great show with an audience to match, and after the show, Tommy and Holly were nice enough to not only drive me home, but stop at Sheetz for food on the way. MMMM. Sheetz. They sat in the hotel lobby with me, and we ate, caught up, and really had a nice time. That really has been one of the best things about tour; being able to catch up with so many friends around the country that I haven't seen in so long.

Friday brought a very short (by comparison) bus ride to Knoxville, TN. This time we were again a few miles from the theatre, so it was rental car time. It was a little confusing getting to theatre and parking garage, but the boys and I made it with a few minutes to spare. Yet ANOTHER gorgeous, historic theatre, the Tennessee Theatre (pictured above) was in the heart of downtown. This theatre had been beautifully renovated and modernized, and unlike a few of the other older theatres we have played, our crew had a smooth load in. And, to make it even more special, I was put in the Johnny Cash dressing room!! (Pictured above). The crowd went pretty crazy for us that night, and after the show the quartet boys and I headed to a small room near the lobby to do a meet and greet with a number of VIP's. It was really nice to meet so many people that loved our show, and on top of that, the theatre had made some amazing posters with our new publicity shots! Look ma! I'm on a poster!! Back at our cozy hotel, I hung out with Tyler for a bit before calling it a night. 

Saturday was a two show day, but anything but routine. Brad was swung on as Carl that afternoon, so the boys and I got to work extra early to give Susan more time for wig prep, and so we could run a few things in sound check. That afternoon, Curtis "Mr. Harmony" Young was at the show. Mr. Harmony was a long time member of the Jordanaires, and sang on records with George Straitt, Garth Brooks, and countless others. An idol of Tyler's, he came back to the dressing rooms and sang a couple of tunes with Tyler and Bradley (see video below). A really amazing man with a voice like velvet. The show that evening was another great one, and we were a little sad to leave the great theatre and audiences in Knoxville. 

The drive on Sunday to Huntington, WV wasn't too too bad. We got in with plenty of time to settle in and get food. And it was a lot warmer than I expected. I walked around a bit not far from the hotel, got a bite to eat and headed to work. And what greeted me was....well, pretty appalling. The back stage, loading area, dressing rooms were all in complete shambles. Water damage, dirt, rubble and mold everywhere. And this was AFTER they had a cleaning crew come in. It was so bad when the crew arrived to load in that morning, that the show was almost cancelled. The theatre itself (above) was not too bad. You could see the beauty of it's former glory. And the lobby was quite nice. But, the backstage area was completely unacceptable. We made the most of it as best we could, and the audience was great! After the show, we all met the majority of the Marshall University theatre department (pictures above), which was pretty awesome. They were very appreciative, and it was the least we could do to stand and talk for a while and take pictures. Following that, we walked across the street for a lovely reception. Some of us adjourned to Buffalo Wild Wings afterward, and then off to bed to prepare for another travel/performance Monday. 

So, the whirlwind tour schedule continues! It was a busy, but good week, and we are all looking forward to the schedule calming down a bit. Thanks for tuning in, sorry this blog is a bit overdue, and look out for the next very soon!!!

The home of Little League Baseball, the armpit of the United States and....Lowell.....

The Carson Four Rivers Center in Paducah, KY

Our historic hotel in Williamsport, PA

The Community Arts Center in Williamsport, PA

The Mayo Performing Arts Center in Morristown, NJ

The Lowell Memorial Auditorium

I hope this week's blog finds you all well! The whirlwind of travel and cold continues, but we keep rocking! Here's what happened this week....

We traveled from Lexington to Paducah, KY on Monday, and it was a pretty short drive, which was nice. A cozy little hotel with quite a few food options nearby, and rental cars to transport us to the theatre a few miles away. Shortly after unpacking, James and I made the short walk to Panera to get some dinner, and not long after the boys and I headed to the theatre. The Carson Four Rivers Center was a beautiful new arts center (above), and I was quite taken with the locomotive and various train cars just a few feet from the theate's entrance. The show that night was pretty great; not Lexington great, but still. And the load in was quite painless for our crew, which always bodes well. After the show, a number of us went to Buffalo Wild Wings close to the hotel for a little food and merriment. 

Tuesday brought something that has been and will be a rarity: a day without travel, and nothing to do during the day. I used the day to get a bite for lunch, check on the impending upgrade of my iPhone, and run a couple of other errands. It was a pretty laid back day, but it was nice to have the time to do a few things. We made our way to the theatre that night for another great show, and following that we went to BWW for much needed sustenance. 

We had a very substantial travel day on Wednesday, and rolled into Williamsport, PA in the mid evening. Pretty much the entire cast and crew found themselves at the Bullfrog Brewing Co. shortly after we arrived, as it was close by and served food. David and I thought the beef stroganoff sounded pretty darn good in the cold weather; and we were not disappointed. I was pretty tired after that, so I made it an uncharacteristically early early night. 

 

I walked around a bit in Thursday, taking pictures of the amazing murals across the street from the theatre, and quite a few of the buildings in town. I also made the short walk I the Wegman's grocery store to get a few things, including a great slice of pizza for lunch and a sandwich for dinner. The lovely historic hotel we were staying at was just feet from the theatre, which made our "commute" very simple. We had a pretty good show that night, though after the past few, the audience was a bit lackluster. Following the show, Frace, Brad, Tyler and I went next door to The Public House for a quick bite, followed by hanging out in my giant hotel room for a while. 

We made the relatively short drive to Morristown, NJ on Friday. I was excited to get to the theatre, as I had a couple of packages waiting for me; certainly not the least of which was my new iPhone 5S. We didn't have much time once we got to the hotel, and there was quite a bit going on that evening. I got dinner with Frace at a brilliantly thought out but pretty poorly executed "health food" restaurant, Muscle Makers. After that, I made my way through town to get a coffee and head to work. Morristown is quite pretty, and I looked forward to taking pictures in the daylight the next day. I got to work, and was met with a number of troubling situations. The crew had had a particularly tough load in; the venue's loading dock and technical capabilities weren't exactly up to snuff. And on a personal note, I was told that my packages had been opened; I was pretty pissed, to say the least. Thankfully nothing was missing, but I was a little perturbed that someone that works at the theatre would sign for, and then open a package and attempt to steal my new iPhone. Thus, my already low view of New Jersey just continued to plummet. And, the week was young. We all pulled together and put on a good show, for another lackluster audience. However, present that night were our management company, representatives from Broadway Across America and The Booking Group, who books all of our venues. They held a reception at our hotel following the curtain, so it was nice to mill around and meet quite a few new people that are integral parts of the promotion and distribution of our show. A good time was had by all, despite the falling temperatures outside.

Saturday proved to be an interesting day, and with some surprises here and there, it was "interesting" to say the least. That afternoon, a representative from James' agent's office was coming to the show. 3 of them had planned to be there the night before, but had encountered accidents and bad weather on their drive and were unable to make it. So, Gary Krasny, as in The Krasny Office (TKO) was in the audience. Susan had planned to take the show off to head to NYC for the afternoon, so I was in the able yet inexperienced hands of Corey Kloos to do my wig for the matinee. After leaving the hotel, I attempted to get a quick something for lunch and a coffee, so that Corey and I could start my wig prep early. I failed miserably. But I was only a few moments later than we had planned. The prep went quite well, but we had to pause for a bit until I received my clean laundry and microphone. And that is when the plot thickened. It seems that the inept and incapable local wardrobe crew had taken our clean laundry, mixed it without dirty laundry, and sent it off site (no laundry facilities at a tour house?? Really???!!!!) to be washed. And as of half hour, it was clear no one was going to have clean laundry. We all resolved to wear our own undergarments and scrounge for appropriate under shirts. Corey and I finished my wig in good time, and with yet another bad taste in my mouth caused by my least favorite state, we went out and rocked the show out with Katie on as Dyanne. Afterward I had the pleasure of meeting Gary Krasny, who not only complimented my performance, but offered me his card and asked me to be in touch when I was in NYC. I was flattered and very surprised. With a short break between our 3pm and 8pm shows, I stopped next door for what turned out to be the WORST pad Thai I had ever had in my life. Way to go, New Jersey. You keep finding new ways to astound me with your awfulness. I trudged through the cold and wind to the hotel, and attempted to sit for a few moments, eat some terrible food, and continue the setup of my new phone. Just as soon as I had arrived, it was nearly time to turn around and head back to work. The show went relatively well that night, but honestly we were all just ready to get the hell out of New Jersey. That night was pretty fun, as Frace had a couple of friends from his Jersey Boys days in town (one I had previously met in Wichita). James' wife Tara joined us, as did Katie's fiancé Ben, so we had a grand old time in the hotel bar. 

Sunday we made the relatively short drive to Lowell, MA, and shortly after we arrived my parents and our family friend Rae met me at the hotel. We were in a bit of a time crunch, but we found a place relatively close by for dinner. It was great to see them, as it had been since New Years since I had seen my parents, and Boston since I had seen Rae. The show that night was a little strange, in that the venue was not nearly equipped for our show, our load in, or our group in general. It was a rough one, but the audience certainly made up for it. That, and the fact that my family was there made up for any unpleasantness. 

So, it was a crazy week, but we have a few more before we have a week sit down. I am trying to take pictures and see as much as possible, but it hasn't been easy. Thanks for tuning in this week, and I hope you will next time as well!