Ow. And Wow.

As of today, I know how to fly.

Ok, I'm learning to fly. But the six of us who are here learning are catching on pretty quickly, I think! We all got into town yesterday and had a chance to hang out a little bit and get dinner together. Except for Gabe. I guess technically he got in today, 12:30am, because he had to fly from Florida back into Toronto, where he's from, so he could go through customs to then catch a connecting flight into Charleston. Insane.

After breakfast at the hotel this morning we all walked over to the theater where we're learning to fly. We got fitted into our harnesses and were told about how they work and how we aren't going to die (in so many words) and then we went up in the air! The first couple times were to make sure our weight was distributed properly and practice doing front and back somersaults. It was awesome. A bit uncomfortable - your whole weight is basically resting on your groin and pelvis - but really cool. Next we practiced the "Jesus spin", a part in the song when Ex. Girl and Tunny spin up and away from each other. It looks easy enough, you're just spinning yourself, but it's a lot harder than you'd think. For some reason almost everyone's center of balance didn't want to be where it should have been. That's definitely going to take some practice.

We had an hour for lunch and all went to a cafe around the corner that was pretty good. These Southern portions man, they're no joke. Light lunches are the way to go if you're going to be suspended in the air for 7 hours a day. When we got back we started learning the first sequence of the song. According to Krystina, who did the show for a while on Broadway, we've learned the hard stuff. Now it's a matter of perfecting them, learning the rest, and putting it all together.

Our shuttle and cab drivers will be happy to know that when we finished for the day, the six of us went to Jestine's for some soul food. There were about three places in town that were recommended to all of us so we figured we'd see if they measured up. All in all was some meatloaf, fried chicken, mac and cheese, collard greens, and fried okra, and I think we were all satisfied. We got back to the hotel and the girls watched a bit of Jurassic park while the boys kept up with their fantasy football, then we all watched funny videos of animals on youtube and called it a night. Tomorrow after rehearsal we are going as guests of the production company to see In The Heights! So exciting.

I feel like I still have the harness on.

Fingers Crossed For A Google Alert

Long time no post! I do have a specific reason for posting right now but I'll get to that in a minute. First and foremost, updates...

What have I been up to this summer, you ask? Oh you know, this and that. Lots of barbecues, a swimming pool or two, and a few choice performances. I did a couple of sets for a jazz night that a friend put together every few weeks in Hollywood. I'd never done something like that before, and it's not often I get to sing jazz and bluesy stuff, so it was neat to just be able to sing whatever I wanted for 25 minutes. The same friend who put all that together also decided to start doing Broadway Surprise Nights where he's get a bunch of his friends - stars of the stage and screen - together to do a one or two night singing performance of a Broadway show. the first one was City Of Angels where I sang songs of the Angel City Four and Gabby. The second Broadway Surprise Night was Chicago and I had the pleasure of singing Velma's part, along side the lovely and talented Chryssie Whitehead as Roxie.

Sadly, the restaurant was sold and we don't know what's going in next, but we're all hoping it will be something that will allow and be conducive to the performances we were doing before. We brought a lot of people, and it was really fun!

I got an email not too long ago from the American Idiot people asking if the actors who will do the flying in the show are available in early November for a week or so of FOY rehearsal in Las Vegas. That means I'd be leaving in less than two months. It also means that I'd be going to Vegas for the first time. Well, I have been once before but I think I was nine years old so that didn't really count. And come to think of it, this won't really count in the way that it does for most people. I don't like to go too crazy when I'm doing a show, especially something this big, and that's kind of what Vegas is about. Oh and... that ALSO means I know of a couple other people in the cast! Their names were included in the email. But sorry, I'm keeping that info to myself for now. If they haven't spilled the beans yet, I'm not going to be the one to spoil it.

This coming Monday I will perform in my first staged reading with Musical Theatre Guild. It's their season opener High Fidelity (music and lyrics by Tom Kitt and Amanda Green) and I'll be playing Penny. If you've seen the movie or read the book (or even seen the musical), she's the ex-girlfriend who wouldn't let the main character feel her up in high school, so he breaks up with her and finds out that soon after, she slept with someone else. No one sure why the show ran for only 14 performances on Broadway - the script is hilarious and real, and Tom Kitt's and Amanda Green's music and lyrics are absolutely perfect and a blast to sing. Yes, I did just mention both of them twice. Well, word is that they're in LA right now for the Bring It On musical, and I'm hoping that if either of them has a google alert set up for their name, they may happen to see this and decide to come. I'm have no doubt that we can get them comp'd tickets. Shoot, they can even have mine. Plus, I got to meet Tom at the American Idiot callbacks, and will be working with him once rehearsals start up for that, so I'm not just a random person in a show he worked on, asking by way of internet for him to come see the production.... right? So here's hoping one of them has a google alert set up.... There it is, the real reason for this post.

Anyhow. We had a few hours of musical rehearsal last week, and last night we all got together for pizza and we just happened to do a read/song through. It's a short process - only 3 more rehearsals to touch up the music and do blocking - so we all have a bit of homework to do, but I was impressed with everyone in the room. There are a lot of strong voices and great characters, it's going to be a good show. Monday, September 19 at the Alex Theatre in Glendale. See you there, Amanda and Tom! ;)