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Broadway Musicals, It’s COLD & Insane Tweets

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A photo of the skyline as we left the city last night. I figured I could post this since my fellow passengers are in silhouette and not identifiable.

Spent the day in the city and took notes on our second run through of Anastasia. It’s a gem. There were lots of ‘guests’ in the room; producers, people that work for the producers, designers, etc. I’ve worked on Broadway once before – also on a musical – and in both cases, I was/am aware that I am just a small piece of the whole puzzle. Broadway musicals are huge juggernauts, unlike anything else I’ve every worked on. There are at least three producers (maybe more) on this one. One of them knows me and took the time to introduce himself in Hartford, hugs me when he sees me etc. The others? They have no idea what I do, nor do they care. That’s not a criticism at all. It’s just an acknowledgement of how huge the whole thing is! There are so many elements for them to worry about, far more than when Anastasia  premiered in Hartford.

So I just do my thing, stay in contact with the actors and the writers and Darko, working quietly behind the scenes. In truth, I don’t know if I would ever want more responsibility than that! I like to maintain a quiet profile.

More from the bus.

It is friggin’ cold here today. It’s 8:30 am and the temperature is 8 degrees. I saw buds on my lilacs the other day and I’m praying they aren’t damaged. Enough with the bizarre weather! Each time we have a major change, as we’ve had more than a few times in the past couple of weeks, I get all congested again and this bug I’ve been fighting ramps up. Yesterday, as I was leaving the house, I felt sick. By the afternoon, I felt better. And so it goes.

Today I’m feeling better. I’m definitely through the worst of it and I’m very grateful I don’t have to work every day. I’ve got two days now to rest and relax and then one more run through on Tuesday. Then a break until the week of March 20th, when I stay in the city through dress rehearsals and the first four previews.

The man in the Oval Office is insane. I woke up yesterday to those tweets about “wire tapps” – his spelling, not mine, and he kept putting the words in quotes. The level of paranoia is ramping up and he’s losing it. Captain Queeg in his very own version of the Caine Mutiny. I was thinking of one of my very favorite movies, Doctor Strangelove, and how its brilliantly satiric look at the insanity of those in power doesn’t look so outrageous anymore. How can satire top what we’re witnessing now?

And yet, there are still those who believe everything he says. Ignorance is not bliss. And willful ignorance is choosing to remain uninformed, to drink the kool-aid, to blindly follow.

God gave me a brain and I’m going to use it.

Happy Sunday.

 

On Saturday

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View from the kitchen into the living room.

Boy, is it cold here! I hope my newly emerging daylilies can hang in there. It’s going down to the single digits tonight. What the ??? The weather has been so wildly inconsistent lately. 70 degrees one day, winds and freezing temps the next, and now this. Within another day or so the temps will be back up in the fifties during the day.

We even had a little snow squall yesterday.

I have to journey into Manhattan again today for a run through of Anastasia. There will be at least one more run through next week and then on Thursday, the whole production moves into the theater. As they start tech rehearsals, I’ll stay away for a bit and then I’ll be back in Manhattan (and staying there) as final dress rehearsals and previews start.

Don’s car is all tuned up. We had to make some repairs (the driver’s side window wasn’t working) and one of the wheels was locked. The timing belt needed to be replaced. But our beloved CR-V is now ready to roll.

______________________________

My longtime blogging friend, Tracie Truran of My Petite Maison, lost her husband this week. It was sudden and shocking and heartbreaking. Tracie and her husband, Shayne, lived in California for many years. They made a big change last year when they found a house in Nebraska, a short sale, and moved there in order to finally realize their dream of owning a home. And now Shayne is gone.

If you know Tracie, you know that, in addition to her exquisite taste and decorating skills, she has the biggest and kindest heart. Her love for animals is deep and profound. Her beloved Great Pyrenees, Bechet, is a beautiful boy.  She has always been there for me, especially as I navigated the last years of Riley and Scout. Tracie is one of the first people I met through blogging and my heart is breaking for her.

I know that most of you probably don’t know Tracie, but some of you who have been around a while might. If you know Tracie, her daughter has started a GoFundMe campaign to help with funeral expenses and bills, to help ease the pressures on Tracie as she navigates this heartbreaking journey. Here’s the link.

Tracie blogged for years and now focuses on Instagram and Facebook. You can find her on IG here. How I wish I could wrap my arms around her right now. Rest in peace, Shayne.

Too much sadness now. Everywhere.

Happy Saturday.

Back in the City

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We’re very close to the day we move into the Broadhurst Theater on Broadway.  I was working under the assumption that run-throughs would occur on Monday – Wednesday next week, giving me another four days or so until I had to work again. Imagine my surprise when I got an email on Wednesday evening asking if I could be there on Thursday for a run-through! Normally, this wouldn’t phase me, but I’m still battling the tail end of this illness, so I was thrown.

There I was, pulling out the laptop at 8:30 pm in order to write yesterday’s book review which had long been scheduled for that date. All night long, we had very high winds. Non-stop. So I had trouble sleeping – I might as well be honest – I didn’t sleep. (The poor catalpa lost even more limbs.)

I don’t know what it is about this show, but it’s sure pushed my sleep and health buttons. Anyway, it was a great day in the rehearsal hall with the first run-through. Oh heavens, it’s wonderful! There have been lots of changes made since Hartford – all for the better – and it’s truly better-than-ever. I cannot wait to see it onstage. Another run-through tomorrow and at least one more next week.

Came home on the bus, slept a little, Don picked me up at the bus station, we ate a late dinner and then I proceeded to sleep for 10 hours. I’m groggy this morning, but very grateful for an uninterrupted night of sleep.

That poster was facing me as I rode Metro-North into Manhattan.

Oh, and I ran outside at 10 pm to cover a daylily that had been coming out of the ground during our unseasonably warm temps with leaves/mulch, since it was going down to the low twenties last night.

Today? Rest.

The other day when I had to drive Don to the bus station, I threw caution to the winds and drove to the bookstore as well. A call to B & N told me that they had a copy of Rules of Civility  on the shelf, so I had them hold it for me. I ran in and out quickly, but I did succumb to this gorgeous quarterly publication – it’s new, this is the first one. It has no advertising, so it’s expensive. But it’s so beautifully done and I needed some visual inspiration. Dang it – I deserved a treat! At least, that’s how I justified the whole thing. Quiltfolk comes out of the Pacific Northwest. It’s full of beautifully photographed articles about quilters, quilt shops, and designers – sort of in the Somerset magazine mode.

It’s really neat. I’m going to slowly explore it today.

Tomorrow – another run-through.

Happy Friday.

 

Lambs Like to Party

Lambs Like to Party

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