Opening Night and the Weekend

[mrdreamjeans]

It’s been a whirlwind of activity for me since Thursday. That afternoon, the director and choreographer made big cuts to the opening number and restaged about a third of it. We had exactly one chance to do the entire “Christopher Street” sequence with the cuts and new blocking before performing it opening night for the audience. Let’s just say a major change on opening night kicks up the adrenaline an extra notch! The only thing that stayed the same for me in the art show sequence was getting smashed over the head with the painting:)

The performance went extremely well, even with one of the student interns missing with a case of the stomach flu. There are no understudies under this contract; if a chorus person is out, you reshuffle and go; if you’re a principal player, you go on no matter what ... Our first review came out yesterday and it’s a rave! The headline reads, ‘The Fun Never Ends in Dazzling ‘Wonderful Town’. It’s in the Saturday Life-Arts section of the Seattle Post-Intelligencer if anyone likes to read that kind of stuff.

Adding to the excitment of opening night ... really making it special for me ... were my guests at the performance and party afterward at Palamino. If you hadn’t guessed by now, gotmoof came into town for a few days for a vacation and to see “Wonderful Town”. Tim’s been staying with me since late Wednesday night (my birthday) and we’ve had a blast in and around my rehearsal and performance schedule.

lovesongman made a lot of this possible. Pat picked me up after my final preview and we drove to SeaTac Airport to pick up Tim. He treated us to dinner before the opening night show at Shiro, a Sushi restaurant in Belltown, was one of my distinguished guests for the debut performance and partied with us at Palamino where I was able to introduce him to many of my co-workers and the creative staff. Pat! You are the best! I am so very grateful for your friendship and company! I think we made a handsome trio.

We did two shows yesterday for enthusiastic audiences and have two more today at 1:30pm and 7pm and then a blessed day off. With all of the rehearsals and up-to-the-last minute changes, a day off will be very welcome. I’m renting a car tomorrow and Tim and I are going to see the sights ... well, at least the ones we’ve haven’t seen on other visits to the Emerald City. Tim’s had plenty of time to walk around and take pictures here in downtown near the Seattle Center and to visit with other Seattle chums. He’s also been helping me with my computer projects. It’s just nice having him around to hang out with!!

So we’re going to head out of the city, perhaps North ...wherever we spontaneously decide to go. Tim heads back to Minneapolis on Tuesday where coincidently, Pat is working this week. I think they plan to rendezvous for a sushi dinner in the Twin Cities. I’m hoping that Pat will have a chance to meet perkk, Tim’s roommate, and other Minneapolis Live Journalers. Lucky me that I have such good friends! All of you have made the opening of “Wonderful Town” and my birthday week the best! I thank you from the bottom of my heart!

With Conductor Joel Fram, celebrating our birthday!	On My Birthday
The Birthday Cake	Pat and Tim on Opening Night
With David Pichette on Opening Night	David Pichette (Appopulous), Bill Berry (Director), David Armstrong (5th Avenue Artistic Director), Chad Jennings (Frank Lippencott), Billie Wildrick (Eileen Sherwood), Timothy McKuen Piggee (Robert Baker) and Sarah Rudinoff (Ruth Sherwood) at Palamino following the opening night performance of "Wonderful Town"

Comments

[quirkstreet.livejournal.com]

Well, Tim's pretty fabulous, and his fabulosity is one reason I figured out you must be pretty neat too. YAY for a good birthday, good friends, and a smash opening night!

[gotmoof.livejournal.com]

Yes it IS good to be me, isn't it? And to know me is to be rock-star fabulous!

Thank you Pete!

[ruralrob.livejournal.com]

Wow. You have green eyes! Or are they blue?

[jodfoster.livejournal.com]

I'm so happy to hear you finally got the opening night under your belt! What would be a good night to come to the show?

I thought you didn't like sushi........

[bearhedded.livejournal.com]

and restaged about a third of it.
They seem to do that quite a bit at the 5th.........During orchestra dress for Yankee Doodle, the instrumentalists SAT there, for the entire call, so they could putz around with staging!

[gotmoof.livejournal.com]

They're very blue.

Re: I thought you didn't like sushi........

[gotmoof.livejournal.com]

Neil doesn't hate sushi, he won't even consider trying any seafood... I think its a texas thing. To me, thats a serious offense, definitely worth tossing a relationship over.

[sohipithurts.livejournal.com]

Don't you look dashing on opening night! Many birthday wishes to you. Here's to many more. Good to hear they're keeping you on your toes. A couple cups of local Starbucks should wire you up for it! :)

[mrdreamjeans.livejournal.com]

Thanks, Pete! Tim's a good egg (or good Kow, take your choice) and it's been fun to have him around, though he really likes to tease me:)

[mrdreamjeans.livejournal.com]

I have blue eyes, though the lighting in this photo, combined with the Seattle Mariners cap, do make them look green. My eye color does change ... grey to blue to green ... grey if I'm angry.

[mrdreamjeans.livejournal.com]

Thanks, Shannon!! I'm happy to be through the first week! I think that any performance of this show will hold up; in general though, I recommend people see weekday shows. For some odd reason, Wednesday and Thursday night shows are often the best ... You've had a day off, a day (Tuesday) to bring you back to the right head space and you don't have the weekend doubles. Thursday's pay day too ... *grin* ... I think most people get a little extra motivation whether they admit it or not. Please let me know ahead of time if you're coming. I'd like to meet you! HUGS!

Re: I thought you didn't like sushi........

[mrdreamjeans.livejournal.com]

My presence in a sushi restaurant is a sign of affection for Tim and Pat. Otherwise, I would never set foot in one:) I ate an appetizer of squash croquettes and a tiny dish of stringy mango ice cream. It was the ONLY thing on the menu that I could eat. However, it was more about being with the two gentlemen who accompanied me, rather than the meal. I also knew we would have food at the opening night party:)

Re: I thought you didn't like sushi........

[mrdreamjeans.livejournal.com]

As to Tim's remark ... I've eaten trout (too much trouble), salmon and mahi-mahi. They were ok, but certainly not something I would seek when I could make another choice. I am allergic to shell fish. I don't think it's a Texas thing. It's more a Neil and Neil's family thing:) As to tossing a relationship, as Tim jokes ... It's as good a reason as any, I suppose:) HUGS!

[mrdreamjeans.livejournal.com]

Thanks, Vinny!!! I'll have to find a different way to wire. I don't drink coffee (n fact never have tasted it:)!

You were strongly in my thoughts today. I finally got my iPod (given to me at Christmas) out of the box and Tim is teaching me how to use it. The first music we loaded on it was your song sampler and jeffinthebox's album "Runt". YAY to having such talented and distinguished friends! HUGS!

Photos, photos...I want photos....

[becker-boy.livejournal.com]

...And you delivered!

Thanks Mr DJ!

Glad to see you got opening night under your belt and that everything went fabulously. And that you had loving friends to share it with!

WOW!

(hugs)

Re: Photos, photos...I want photos....

[mrdreamjeans.livejournal.com]

Thanks!!! I'll have more of the production in short order ... some candid shots that I took and a couple by the official production photographer:) HUGS!