Well. I ended up not working yesterday because we decided that using me again later this week would be the most productive use of my time. I managed to work with everyone during the 3 days I was in town. But, I didn’t write a blog post yesterday because I was so exhausted. I cannot tell you how sore and tired I was! The first day was the worst as I was at rehearsal from 10 until 6, with the addition of 4 hours travel time – but the real cause of my tiredness was the 20 blocks I had to walk from the Port Authority Bus Terminal to the rehearsal studio – 40 blocks total at the end of the day. My mistake, that first day, was to walk very quickly (I tend to do that.) I also had no idea how long it would take to reach the rehearsal studio and I didn’t want to be late. Having not done that kind of walking for quite a while, I wasn’t in shape for it and the addition of a large tote bag and my handbag didn’t help. By the end of the day, my back and leg muscles were aching. I was wearing the same shoes I wore in Paris, but they didn’t seem to be doing the trick, either. I got home around 9:30 pm, had a quick bite to eat, talked to Darko on the phone about my impressions of the actors and their needs, and went to bed. The next day my back and shins were very sore. So I changed out my handbag for a much lighter canvas bag, but the tote was now heavier with the addition of the script. I did the same walk the next day, only much less aggressively. But my muscles remained very sore for the next three days. I could have taken an Uber at any time, but I wanted to ‘get in city shape’ so I forced myself to walk. There was a time when that kind of walk was an everyday occurrence for me, but I was much younger and living in Philadelphia. Even in the days of filming, I never had to walk that distance from a subway stop to the filming location. Maybe 8 blocks at the most.

I’m not in shape. Clearly. I was very happy not to go in again on Saturday, just to give my body a rest. Much better today. It does make the whole ‘stay in shape’ thing very clear. Walking out in the country is also very different from walking on cement in the city. Sadly, there is no subway stop near the rehearsal studio, so walking all those blocks is a necessity. This is one of things I miss about living in the city – walking. I love nothing more than walking around a city and I did that routinely in Philadelphia, Boston, and Cambridge. And not just to get someplace, but also to explore on my days off. That’s the kind of walking I love. Frankly, walking around here gets a little boring.

All that being said, I like the musical, I like the cast, I love Darko. I have been reunited with Christy Altomare (Anastasia in Anastasia) and also with Sarah, Darko’s assistant. Sarah and I have worked together several times. It’s been very satisfying to coach one-on-one again. I always end up feeling very energized and satisfied. I think I’m going back next Thursday. This week was about my coaching sessions and choreography. Since Darko won’t start staging until Tuesday, he won’t have heard any results from the coaching sessions until then, so adding a couple of days in there for him to take it all in makes sense. (That was my suggestion.) Most likely, I’ll be there Thursday, Friday, and Saturday.

Okay. Too much information, I’m sure.

I am so grateful for the support of my husband, who drove me back and forth to the bus station, made a sandwich for me to take along on the trip, had a bite to eat waiting for me when I got home. It helped enormously.

I start back in with War and Peace  today (I read ahead so I’m right on schedule for Chapter 15.) I’m also reading State of Terror, but I paused for a day or two when I realized that Madly, Deeply; the Diaries of Alan Rickman  is due on Tuesday. So, I read a big chunk of it yesterday and will read more today. I thought I just wouldn’t get to it due to my schedule, but it’s so readable, so honest and charming and fascinating, that I’m flying through it. It’s a wonderful book written by an actor I greatly admired. The entries are on the short side, which I love. He gets to the point. There is introspection, to be sure, but again, he manages to convey it succinctly.

One passage I wrote down because it reminded me of what the Spoiler Alert  movie premiere party was like. He wrote this after attending a wrap party at the end of filming:

“Hideous – loud (as in cannot hear a word anyone is saying) and no one’s dancing, so what’s the f**king point?”

EXACTLY what I thought about the premiere party. I felt like I was shouting all evening, I could barely hear what anyone was saying, it was exhausting. No one was dancing. So, WHY???? Someone with more power than I should have asked the DJ to turn it down. Actually, Don said it would have been much better to have a little combo of jazz musicians playing softly. Most of us who were there, aside from the dreaded ‘influencers,’ hadn’t seen each other since the film wrapped and we really wanted to talk to each other and catch up. I wrote Ben and Todd (Jim’s husband) after the party to apologize for not chatting with them longer and both of them responded with “Wasn’t it LOUD?” They felt the same way.

Anyway, I’m loving the book.

Well, I’m chatty today, aren’t I?

Stay safe.

Happy Sunday.