One Weekend Down, Three To Go (I Wish There Were More...)

Hi, gang -

Wow. Opening Weekend is now behind us. Hard to believe that this time last week, we were just doing our first full tech/dress rehearsal. And while that evening went fairly well, it wasn't all that hot yet... The shows this weekend, though, were in fact hot. Based on my sweaty T-shirt at the end of them, at least...

Seriously, it seemed to be a fantastic opening. Congrats to the cast and crew, and many thanks to the audiences!! We opened with a Preview Night last Thursday, and got some great response from the average-sized (expected) house. Afterwards, most of the cast went to Joannie's in Soulard to celebrate our success over food and drinks - good times, especially since I had taken Friday off from work... How nice it was to sleep in a little bit after such a long week!

Friday night was the "official" Opening Night, and it really seemed to rock! The crowd laughed and clapped (love that!) in all the appropriate places, and even some that we didn't expect. Most folks even stood up at the end of the curtain call. Many of the local critics and reviewers were in the crowd that night as well. So far, we've seen reviews in the Post-Dispatch and the KDHX website, and both were very positive. I guess we're expecting to see more this week in The Riverfront Times, Ladue News, www.talkinbroadway.com, and also in the next local episode of Two On the Aisle. Should be some great publicity (one hopes...). After Friday night's show, the cast gathered at The Cheesecake Factory for more food and drink, and then I went home and crashed hard. It's amazing how draining this show is. I don't believe I've ever done a show where I've never left the stage (except intermission, that is). I love it because it requires constant focus, which is great, but it is definitely tiring as well...

Saturday night was show #3. Also a good one, with a few little flubs here and there. Of course, that is the magic of live theatre and the show always goes on. I don't think the audience noticed anything. Again, a successful show and a responsive crowd. Cast party hosted by Peanut (Aaron/"Dick") and Zak ("Barry") afterwards, which was loads of fun. A late night and a zombie-like sleep for me again...

Yesterday was a luxuriously relaxing day after such a long week. I did some crappy house chores, but mostly just chilled out. It was fantastic. I had been invited to a couple of parties to watch the Tony awards, which was very nice, but I declined to continue some peace and quiet at home. There's a lot to be said for a couch, a cold beer, and a friendly golden retriever. The awards were entertaining as well.

So now we have three nights off, before picking back up again for weekend #2, Thursday through Saturday. Honestly, I'm ready to do it again right now, but I will also enjoy the time off. I'll try to keep posting at least once after each weekend. Every performance of every show is different, depending on the energy, the audience, and about 1,000 other factors. I'll try to keep a good log of that kind of stuff.

As always, best to all who read this. Enjoy your week!!

Rock on,
Jeff