Run in The Motor CIty

[mrdreamjeans]

We landed in Detroit last night after a six-hour bus ride from Chicago. The drive was uneventful. I was on the “quiet” bus which contained most of the crew who had been up till 3:30am loading the show out of the Auditorium Theatre in Chicago. It snowed most of the way, changing the arrival time by about an hour, but I was prepared for the journey with a good book, a gallon of Arizona Diet Green tea and snacks. The bus was silent except for the soft sound of snoring and the occasional ringing cell phone. We lunched on fast food in Paw Paw, Michigan, some of us playing supermarket sweep, grabbing a few groceries to store away in our rooms in Detroit. There are no major grocery or drug store chains anywhere near our housing.

“Evita” is staying at the Renaissance Center in downtown Detroit right on the river. It’s the building that houses the General Motors corporate headquarters. It’s all concrete and steel, closely resembling a giant ant hill, fortress or prison...take your pick. Everything is circular, divided into four towers and very confusing. My hotel room in the Marriott is comfortable; the view out the window is of the river which is the border between the US and Canada and of the Windsor Casino in Windsor, Ontario Canada. Later in the run here, I plan to take a taxi through the tunnel under the river and spend an afternoon doing some power shopping in Canada

Although there are some pockets of redevelopment such as the new MGM Grand Casino, the renovated Fox Theatre (currently featuring the Rockettes Christmas show) and the new baseball stadium, the city still saddens me, so much faded glory. For the past 40 years, Detroit has been the prime example of urban blight and corrupt municipal government. There are examples of stunning buildings all over the city, but most are empty shells, ghosts of Detroit’s more prosperous past. There are entire blocks which have disappeared including the seven block Gimbel’s building. Only GM out of the major auto manufacturers is still located in the city center.

There are some lovely people at the Fisher Theater where we are playing for the next two weeks. Many are dressers who worked the 1998-1999 tour of “Evita”. We teched that tour here and played the Masonic Temple Theatre for three weeks. The Masonic is in the middle of a crack drug neighborhood and we had to be bused in under guard nightly. My dresser from that run in Detroit, Thomas, was assigned to me again tonight and so is familiar with my costumes and the 16 changes. I was happy to have someone where explanations weren't really necessary. There is also a nice lady named Necie who I've worked with several times. I got a great big hug from her and that made my evening!

I’m dressing in a hallway/alcove right above the stairs to the basement next to a water cooler. Only the best for me:) The only wonky moment tonight was when I was changing into my Magaldi manager suit. I was stripped down to underwear and tee-shirt when the local chaperone brought the 10 children for the “Charity Concert” up the stairs. I asked politely that she take the kids back downstairs until I was through the change. The last thing I need is some parent with ten wide-eyed children in tow, giggling and staring at me in my underwear.

Our crew did a magnificent job of getting us on stage. When we arrived at 6pm for our sound check they were far behind in getting set up, but managed to pull it together under difficult circumstances and we had a safe show. The Fisher Building is beautiful but the theatre (owned by the Neaderlanders) is right out of the 1970s, and unlike the beauty of the theatres in Boston and Waterbury, it's a real eyesore. It is also in need of renovation. I watched tonight as it rained on Eva during the balcony scene during “Don’t Cry for Me Argentina”. Kathy’s a trooper, but there were leaks throughout the backstage area and onstage which can be very dangerous to the performers.

We have three-hour rehearsals plus shows for the next two days, but I don’t mind. I’m prepared to complete quite a few projects such as Christmas cards and finalize Christmas presents. In addition, I'm going to have the opportunity to visit the Ford Museum in Dearborn, will hopefully make contact with a friend from "Phantom", Barb Scanlon, who is working on her Master's Degree in Information Technology at the University of Michigan and will also get to meet WonderBoyMI (Brian) from Live Journal. I'm hoping he'll be able to take me up on the unexpected offer of comps this Thursday night. I love it when I can get my friends and acquaintances in for free:)

We did get a piece of negative news tonight. Our run in Washington, DC has been canceled; evidently the show just won’t fit into the theatre for which it was slotted. I will now have several weeks off, three in January and the first and third weeks of February, then the schedule gets much stronger again. I may try to find some work for the off weeks, just to stay productive. Meanwhile, it’s 13 more days in The Motor City and my engine is running:)

Comments

[wonderboynj.livejournal.com]

Sadly, Detroit always get's such a bad rap.

I love the Fisher. I saw my first musical there, and have fond memories of seeing lots of other shows there. My grandmother for many years had season tickets. The 3rd row stage left, first 4 seats in from the aisle were hers. I sat in those seats many times before my grandmother died, and even a few times after.

[mrdreamjeans.livejournal.com]

If it all works out, Thursday night you'll be back in the theatre where you saw your first musical:) YAY!

[ciddyguy.livejournal.com]

Again, another great post. It is sad that Detroit is in a sad state these days, a shell of it's former glory, which seems to be much the case in many cities in the upper midwest and elsewhere.

Glad to know things got off to a good start on opening night. Keep up the good work.

Hope to see you in Evita, either in Spokane, Portland or Seattle if it makes it onto the interary in the end. :-)

[enhydrasf.livejournal.com]

Detroilet...that's what I call it. My dad used to work on E. Jefferson street at the United Auto Workers headquarters. He was the president of the Community Action Program for the UAW, and I spent the first 9 years of my life in Southfield

[mrdreamjeans.livejournal.com]

"Detroilet". Interesting nickname. When we played Boston, and after we saw our paychecks, I understood why folks who live there refer to it as "Taxachusetts". The same here... we're going to have Michigan taxes and Detroit city taxes taken out..I can file to get it back since I live in Texas, but it's a pain to file in several states. They count on that:)

I've been playing Detroit off and on since 1980. I keep hoping that there will be progress in restoring the city to some of its former glory as an industrial center with many assets. Not sure if it can be done....

[gotmoof.livejournal.com]

You can always come to Wisconsin and help paint!

[mrdreamjeans.livejournal.com]

How can I help when you'll be working in another city? :)

[crunchmd.livejournal.com]

No DC run!? What?!?! I've never heard that excuse used for a DC theater before. I've heard that excuse for years in Baltimore, but now we have the renovated Hippodrome. I thought touring companies had configurable sets to accommodate various floor plans?

So I guess Fandando, Merengue, Slothel and I won't get to see you until a year from now? What a damn shame.

[mrdreamjeans.livejournal.com]

Evidently, the size of the backstage area has always been a problem in negotiations between our producers and the presenters at the Warner Theatre in DC. It was going to be very dangerous. The theatre we are in now barely has room backstage for the props, set pieces, costume gondolas, 30 actors, 11 dressers and the running crew. It's much more difficult to be offstage changing clothes and making entrances and exits than it is to be onstage performing:)

I'm just sad because I love seeing my friends in the area and also because I don't like the idea of 5 weeks off in a 6 week period. The schedule has always had this blip in it because the "rights" were secured late in the game. Tours like this are booked a year or two in advance, hence the open weeks for our show right at the beginning of the year. We'll just have to stay in better touch till I get to Baltimore.

[crunchmd.livejournal.com]

Major bummer. I was backstage prior to a production of "Les Miz" at the Hippodrome. It was pretty tight back there, too, but manageable. They had a fairly large dressing/holding area off SL. All costuming is done onstage, and no actors were allowed in costume until 15 mins. to places. Actors had a 30 min. call. Is that the norm?

[mrdreamjeans.livejournal.com]

The half-hour call is the norm for all shows. "Les Mis" and "Evita" (maybe 42nd Street for certain changes) are largely unique creatures when it comes to costume changes in the wings... having all changes in the wings. However, the 15 minute rule for "Les Mis" is probably unique to that show's set of wardrobe supervisors.

I never make it to my dressing room except briefly at intermission, at the beginning and end of the show. There are no costumes in the dressing rooms; we have robes to cover us between the dressing room and the backstage gondolas. I'll show you how it works when we play Baltimore:)

Meanwhile, I'll be changing for the next two weeks next to a water cooler, at the top of a stair case with people crossing behind my dresser and me at all times. It's a cramped space, but hey, the lighting is great:) It's an adventure!

[trulygrateful.livejournal.com]

Being a former Detroit-surburbaniter (Redford Township) I can honestly say that although I don't like giving any city a bad rap, from MY specific memories, the best view of that whole area is from a plane window going ANYwhere! (Save for Iraq). Sorry, Brian!

I've only been to the Fisher Theatre once - 1977 or '78 to see "A Chorus Line" - my first Broadway-type show (hmmmm, go figure!)

If you get a chance to tour the Fox Theatre and, if you haven't done that before, I'm sure it would be a great experience, having seen the one in St. Louis myself.

Stay warm, stay dry, and boy... I wouldn't mind running up those stairs past you while making that costume change!

Hugs from the Wet Apple.

[mrdreamjeans.livejournal.com]

I hope to see the Rockettes Christmas show during a weekday matinee next week. It will give me an opportunity to get a look at the only Fox Theater I've not played. I'll let you know what it's like.

As to the costume change. I have no problem with adults walking by, just the children. The kids have been added in every city. I don't know them and have no interaction with them. Their parents often have manuevered to get them in the show and then are surprised at the sights backstage.

The women have a protective shield around their quick-change area, the men are often down to underwear or dance belts in front of God and everybody. I wanted to protect the company and myself.

[mrdreamjeans.livejournal.com]

The sadness of which I speak is that Detroit had the aesthetics, had the wealth to create beauty, created it and then let it crumble. The current leaders seem to be trying hard, but I always think that when you rely on casinos to bring people back to an area, you're grasping at straws. New Orleans tried the same approach and it failed; however, New Orleans still had the historic French Quarter to attract tourists and businesses. I'm not sure what development could bring people back to Detroit's city center to live.

[excessor.livejournal.com]

I've only been to Detroit a couple of times. The locals certainly malign it enough but I didn't think it was that bad. But then, I see good where others don't. I hope it's a good run for you. Be sure to post reviews from the local papers.

[cimarrondfw.livejournal.com]

Now why should I comment on this post except that it is here I have completed my second month of reading your more-than-one-year-old journal sharing. Thanks for each of them. Of course, I knew Michigan is on the Canadian border, but I did not realize Detroit was a border town. I doubt that is exactly El Paso. As we await Dubya's big speech tomorrow evening on "immigration," I wonder why all the emphasis on the Spanish-speaking and the country from whom we carved out about one-third of our democratic society back in 1848. Oh, well.