and I'm back!

Well, it's been a while.
After leaving Backyardigans life was a major whirlwind of activity. I took a train home from Boston and went straight to Ripley Grier Studios for a Chorus Line callback (which went well) and then home to NJ to pack up the car and drive down to Kentucky for another summer at the Jenny Wiley Theatre (pronounced thee-ay-terr). Before leaving I got a new cell phone which obviously stopped working as soon as I got to Sutton, WV where I stopped for the night.
now does this look like the kind of place that has a Verizon store within 60 miles? It's not. Talk about a pain in the tush. Long story short, they sent me a new phone, but it was a major headache.
Anyway, I made it to Kentucky in one piece and since then we have been rehearsing nonstop. First Honky Tonk Angels (i'm dance captain and understudy for Darlene), next was Wizard of Oz (I'm Dance Captain, Glinda, Aunt Em and dance in the ensemble) and last but definitely not least, the reason while we are all here A CHORUS LINE (I'm Judy Turner).
Are you a good witch, or a bad witch?
BFF clearly
I still cry every time we hit our poses for the first time. I know, I'm a loser.

So, now that all of the shows are open, we are getting the chance to enjoy life in the mountains i.e. planning theme parties for the cast. Our first party was a white trash theme and I think Danny, Cara and I really embraced it. Let me know what you think.
The party was a hit and the whole cast got really into it!
We recently had a few days off so Danny, Cara and I headed to Lexington (the big city) to see Danny's friends. We had a great time. We went shopping, had thai food and enjoyed being in a city. Clearly, the only thing left to do was Karaoke...
While there Cara and I made friends with Judy and she danced with us the rest of the night
cara and I really did make a lot of friends at Mia's. We also received applause and shout outs over the karaoke mic for our dancing.
We performed "I think we're alone now" and I'm not going to lie, it was outstanding. Clearly we had some choreography:

I know, we look good.
Ok, time to help quick change for act 2 of Honky Tonk.
I hope everything is going well with everyone. I miss you and can't wait to get home and see y'all!

Last Stop Boston

So here we are...Boston, MA, my last stop on the Backyardigans train.
It was a great weekend even though I had to say goodbye to some very special people. I started it off by meeting up with two of my best friends from college, Karla and Emily. We had some bfast and then just enjoyed all the Boston had to offer (they both live in or around Beantown)
We performed at the Colonial Theatre which was up there as one of the most beautiful theatres we'd been in.
AND get this. The marble table in the Ladies Lounge was the table that Rogers and Hammerstein worked on Oklahoma and did the rewrites. ALSO, Bob Fosse chipped a corner of the table after tap dancing on top of it during a meeting!
I'm pointing to the crack which you can't really see in the pic, but trust me, it's there. So this gorgeous table where Rogers and Hammerstein rewrote Oklahoma and Bob Fosse tap danced is the same table around which the cast of Backyardigans held their brush up music rehearsal.
So after our rehearsal we walked back to the hotel because the weather outside was perfect! On the way we passed this sign:
After a dramatic double take, I cracked up a took a pic specifically for the blog.
While in Boston we also had a casual going away dinner since I was leaving. Paul and I got all dolled up
and met Karla, Nicole, Steve, Sally, Tigger, Dog, Christie, Kimberly, Creighton, Laura and Shawn at my favorite restaurant in Boston, Fire and Ice for a great dinner. Unfortunately I couldn't partake in the delicious cocktails at Fire and Ice because I had partially lost my voice and had a CHORUS LINE CALL BACK Monday morning in NYC. Yes, that's right. When we got to Boston I got a call from Binder Casting to go to an invited call for the tour Monday afternoon. It went well and everyone please keep fingers crossed, tongues bitten and whatever else...
My last day of performances was a 3 show day and was bittersweet. Bitter to leave the wonderful people I met and sweet because I'm getting to do a Chorus Line this summer at Jenny Wiley with the original choreography.
Before the conclusion of the Backyardigans portion of the blog, there is one costume I never got to post a picture of and it's definitely one of my favorites...
The Boxes! I like to think that they are the piles of junk that Austin's mom told him to throw away and he never did. Kind of like my stuff in my parents' basement...love you mom and dad.

So...I'm not one for sappy goodbyes, but I need to take a moment to say goodbye to my bffl Paul Alan Flanagan. He was more to me than just a roommate, fellow footman, merchant, basketball hoop and flower. He was the head to my dragon and I don't know what I would have done without him.

Syracuse

Since we had that whole afternoon off in Buffalo, Christie and I had some serious catching up to do in terms of rehearsals. So instead of staying in Buffalo another night and traveling to Syracuse in the morning, we left the night before and rehearsed all day before the shows in Syracuse. Anyways, they put us up in an AWESOME hotel with beds like clouds and a bathroom with a doorless shower.
The theatre was GORGEOUS!
Upon getting ready for the evening's festivities (the show) Paul came into my dressing room with a BRILLIANCé KNOWLES idea:
Why didn't we think of this sooner???

After the shows we went toa nearby bar for a little wine and cheese before my last trip on the bus. I have to say I was pretty sad to say goodbye to my coffin-sized bunk. It was awfully cozy and I did have some wonderful nights of fitfully interrupted sleep there:
one last view of my bunk.

tear.

Buffalo + Niagara Falls

So, I guess I never really thought too much about Buffalo; where is was, what it had, why I needed to go there, but now I know. It is right near Niagara Falls, has great buffalo wings (duh, hence the name), and it's freakin' gorgeous!

After a great week off during which I got to see some friends, find out I had to move, packed up my apt, took some pilates sessions, got a haircut, etc we met the bus in times square to head up to Buffalo. Returning to tour marked my last week and the arrival of my replacement, Christie! She's great!
So we drove upstate and had the next day off before the evening show so Paul, Laura, Christie and I rented a car and drove up to Niagara Falls.
What a great way to spend a day off! It was pretty darn cold, but otherwise a beautiful day. Remember how disappointing Sioux Falls were because I was expecting something like Niagara? Well these falls did NOT disappoint!
Can you believe that rainbow? Unbelievable!
So you look at these and you think...these little teeny patches of white water turn into NIAGARA FALLS?!?!?!This is a little more like it, but still...you would think it may be a bit more violent up top...

Calm till the last second. That's how she rolls...

So we saw people in ponchos on these red staircases at the base of the falls and decided we needed to be doing what they were doing. Next thing you know we are wearing yellow ponchos, Niagara Falls sandals and carrying our belongings in plastic shopping bags.
Now, Laura and Christie and really giving you face and well...I'm giving you...fish face. Deal with it!
Paul is giving exactly what the camera needs. Look at those shades!
So we take an elevator ride down and then get a brief history of the "Cave of the Winds." Apparently you used to be able to walk through caves behind the falls, but because of the erosion from the water, the roof of the caves started collapsing so you can't do that anymore. Each spring they build a new staircase for you to walk up to the falls. They can't keep it over the winters because the ice in the water will break them anyway.
So we were literally on top of the water from the falls and we climbed further up and danced underneath the pelting water of Niagara falls. How cool is that? I screamed the WHOLE time. Laura just laughed at me. hahahah. It was exhilarating, but when we were done, I was spent.we all were.

from here it was time to head back for our evening show. The theatre was really pretty and apparently very historic. The main curtain weighs something like 4000lbs! Imagine opening that guy!Please take a moment and notice was is flashin on the marquis when I took this photo...clearly, it's fate.
After the show we obviously went for Buffalo Wings! But not just any wings...we went to the Anchor Bar where Buffalo Wings were invented. Apparently, the story is that a couple owned the bar and their sun was working behind the bar when some of his friends came in. he asked his mother if she would make his friends something to eat. She had a bunch of chicken wings prepared to make chicken stock and then decided that the wings were too perfect to be used to make soup, so she fried 'em up and served the first order of Buffalo wings! Or something like that. Regardless, they were delish and the bar serves McSorley's beer. I was a happy girl!

After we ate, Props Paul, who still had his rental car, invited Sally, Paul, Laura and I to go see the falls at night! Of course we said yes!
The lights that are projected on the falls change color every few minutes, here was my favorite picture from our night excursion (which was significantly colder than the daytime adventure)

And on that note we ended a FABULOUS day!

INDY 500

well, really it was just Indianapolis, Indiana, but I wanted a more interested title for this post.

Our hotel was literally connected to the fashion mall and with our week off staring me in the face I felt a strong need to get some new threads. Oy! I spent way too much money, but to be honest, it was totally worth it!

In addition to being the place where I did the most shopping I've done on tour, Indianapolis marked Morgan (our company managers) last city with us. She is now working on the Sheryl Crow tour which is totally awesome! In honor of her last night with us, Laura straightened her hair

(no easy feat) and we went down to the hotel bar.
Even Pete came to celebrate. Well, Paul just raved about the pomogranate martini you see in his hand...so I had to get one too!
which led to...

Soooooooo classy!

The theatre we performed in was a ways from the airport and was hysterical. Well, the theatre wasn't really, but the dressing rooms definitely. We each had our own dressing room which was also a bathroom. It's true. Beside the counter with full makeup lighting and a sink was a toilet and a shower. It was pretty funny.
One thing that was really great about it was that if people were hanging out in your dressing room and there wasn't enough seating, someone could just pop a squat on the toilet! How convenient!

The catering was fantastic! After the first show of a three show day there was an omlette station! I was pumped! AND their Oatmeal Raisin cookies were some of the best I have ever had. All in all it was a great place!

Then we woke up far too early to go to the airport where I had to pay a fee because my bag was overweight. It was $30 and if my bag had been .5lbs heavier (it was 69.5lbs) I would have had to pay $50. I need to learn how to pack lighter. The flight was easy, we were delayed in Atlanta, but then smooth sailing (or flying...) and ready for a week of vacation!

Knoxville, TN

What a cute town!!!

We had a day off and then two days of only evening shows which gave us plenty of time to wander around, enjoy the beautiful weather and get to see everything in Knoxville (which really only took maybe one afternoon, but whatever).
Our first day out and about we walked right around the World's Fair Park which was right across the street from our hotel.

The weather was perfect so we walked down to Market Square and had lunch at this fantastic place called The Tomato Head. If you are ever in Knoxville I highly recommend you go there. I went once a day. There were cute stores lining the square so we did some browsing.
That night Paul and I went out to dinner at Oodles and afterwards went to the Preservation Pub where they were having 1/2 price bottles of wine. Shortly thereafter we stumbled home.
The theatre we performed at was called the Tennesse Theatre and was really nice. I couldn't get the picture from center stage to come out very well, but here;s the best one I got:
The marquis was unbelievable and since we were there for what felt like such a long time I totally forgot to get a pic of it. Thank goodness for Google:

After our last show Paul, Laura and I headed over to Calhoun's for a delicious rib dinner. I was the only one who got ribs, which are claimed to be the best in the USA, and they were phenomenal. I can't believe I didn't used to like ribs. Well, we all had a beer, but Paul trumped us all with his ENORMOUS mug of ale
we were pretty jealous...just kidding.
After Knoxville we headed to Ashland, KY! I called Marty, the artistic director of Jenny Wiley, and invited him to the show! I know that by doing so I was signing up for a whole lotta ridicule this summer (i mean, I'm an egg), but it was well worth it. We grabbed a quick bite to eat after the show and then we got right back on that big rockstar bus of ours and made our way to Indianapolis, IN...

To be continued...

Chattanooga, TN

CHOO CHOO!
Happy mother's day everyone!

I awoke this lovely mother's day in Chattanooga, TN. I decided to leave the bus and relocate to the hotel bed after a text from Paul describing the beds as AMAZING at 4:30am. He wasn't lying. We both slept in until about 10:30 this morning.
So, even though the beds were superb and the washcloths in the bathroom were folded to look like elephants
we are convinced that the hotel was haunted. First off, while I was still snoozing on the bus, Paul came up to hotel room and went to sleep. He woke up at about 3am (remember, I didn't come up until 4:30am) after hearing the door open. He assumed it was me coming into the room, but after waking up and saying hi to me, he realized I wasn't there and went back to sleep. What is so interesting about this is that when I came up to hotel room, the door was not all the way closed. Paul assures me that it was completely closed when he went to bed. OK, fine, it could be a coincidence and the door just didn't close all the way, Laura and Creighton also had an interesting tale.
They went up to their assigned room to find the door open, water running in the sink, the tub filled with rusty water, the toiletries used and the beds unmade. When they went back down to the front desk to get a new room, the person behind the desk said no one had used that room in two days! Weird, right?
Well, once we got up we got some food, walked around a little bit, but there wasn't much to see around the theatre. We had only one show which seemed delightfully easy after yesterday's three-show doozy. The theatre was really big and the seats seemed to go back for miles!
After the show we hopped on the bus for the two hour drive to Knoxville, TN. We have the day off tomorrow so hopefully there is some fun stuff to do! I'll keep you posted!

Funny Story

So this happened a few cities ago, I can't remember where, but we were in the middle of a show and doing the Grabbing Goblin's number called "Oh The Things That Goblin Has Grabbed." During this number I have on the costume that I still don't have a picture of. It's my boxes costume which is literally boxes and books which cover my trunk and extremities. The top of the costume is lined with a purple feather boa. So we start the number and I'm about to sing so I take a BIG breath in and "uh" there is a purple feather now stuck to the back of my throat! Now, in this costume I have no use of my hands, they are covered with a box on one side and a quiver on the other. So gag and try desperately to use my tongue to dislodge said feather. Then I realize "crap! I'm onstage! I need to look like I'm singing! " So I'm up there, in this ridiculous costume trying to look like I'm singing, while trying to get the feather out of my throat. I finally get it, but then I'm stuck with a feather in my mouth! Quick thinking, I put my head down, spit the feather into my costume, look up and finish the number like the true professional I am!
How's that for a story?

Luhville, KY

After a very long busride, waking up at 4am to check into the hotel, have a very unhappy tummy and then FINALLY falling asleep again, we made our way to downtown Luhville (that's how the locals pronounce it). The woman at our hotel advised us to head to 4th Street Live for food.We had a fabulous lunch starting off with some skillet fried cornbread smothered in honey butter...mmmm...and, of course, Mint Juleps. How could we come to Luhville and not have one, right?

Angelina having a Mint Julep, obvi!
Turns out we missed the Derby by one week. I wish we could have been here for it, it would have been awesome! They do still have all the horses around town. Do I smell photo op?

After walking around for a bit, we met up with Laura and Kandace and found ourselves a sensible wig store. While the girls went wild, Paul ventured over to the salon across the street for a haircut. He felt compelled to do so as a result of being called 'lady" tiwce in one day before lunch! After trying on an array of wigs:

We found the winners of the day (I'm the only one who ended up with a different one...although this one was clearly PERFECT....right....)
From right to left meet Victoria, Vanessa and Veronica!
She's real cute right?
So here is the official debut of Paul's new hairdo!
Zach Ephron is that you???
So then it was time to go to the boat for our little adventure on the Ohio River! We had dinner, some drinks and dancing on the Spirit of Jefferson!
Along with about 50 elementary school children
It was a pretty funny crew. All of the girls were IN LOVE with Paul. They kept telling him he was a great dancer and finding other excuses to talk to him. It was hysterical!
At one point we made our way to the top deck of the boat and the driver thought it would be funny to honk the horn and scare the living DAYLIGHTS out of us! We cracked up and took a pic of him behind the wheel accompanied by one of the babies from the elementary school:
Shortly thereafter Paul and I were inspired to perform a rather moving interpretive dance
The dinner on the boat was buffet style and nothing too exciting. The mashed potatoes were good and so was the apple pie. The drinks, dancing and views made it worth it though.
When we came back to shore we took a group photo before heading back to the hotel
Don't the wigs look fabulous?
Please feel free to comment on here about the wigs or you can e mail me, but again I encourage you all to participate and feel free to reference the post titled 'Audience Participation" in case you forgot the protocol.
Before we close, here is the view from center stage:
I'm off to bed now. We have a 3 show day tomorrow and then we go to Tennessee! I'm exhausted already! Can't wait to be home in NYC soon!