Note from Hamburg

Hello, hello.

First preview Sunday afternoon went very well -- very good show, a responsive audience who enjoyed their experienced, and the team all around felt happy about the kick off. We had a big night out following the show -- drinks with the company, dinner, salsa-dancing, then after-after-party at our house. Never mind that I was leaving the next day at 1pm. We rallied on until 4:30am. Somehow I managed to wake up okay, and luckily I had pretty much packed before the weekend (I plan my partying in advance). I ran the errands I needed to run, and was ready to go to the airport.

David did not fare too well. He was, as we say in the DD company as coined by Ben Mingay, HURTIN'.

Anyway, good times were had.

And now I am in Hamburg, Germany, where it is rainy and cold. I'm in a suite at an apartment-style short-term residence. The suite is a split-level loft-style apartment, nothing big but nice. It seems kind of excessive for such a short stay, but apparently our usual hotel was fully booked. I kind of appreciate the coziness of the apartment though, and it feels quiet and homey (as much as staying in Hamburg will feel... yes, you're correct in surmising that Hamburg is not one of my favorite cities in the world). I'm in Hamburg for 2 nights, then I take a train to Berlin and will be there for 2 nights. Then train back to Hamburg and fly back out to Chicago the next day.

I didn't sleep at all on the flight, so I should try to get some rest. Today is my day off, for which I am grateful -- I shall have a chill day with myself.

It's weird to be out here on my own, when everyone else on the creative team remain in Chicago. Kind of like going away on a sleep-away camp by myself or something.

I hope David's feeling less hungover today...

HAPPY 3rd ANNIVERSARY!

Happy 3rd Anniversary to us!

xoxo

US PLAYBILL

Finally, after all the years of working on the show, here it is: a U.S. Playbill! With the classic yellow "PLAYBILL" above the logo. It's happening -- our U.S. premiere.

And inside the Playbill, a very cool thing for us. David and I both get title page billing. Right next to each other!

We've worked hard for this acknowledgment, and have done it together, so this Playbill is very special to us.

Catching Up: Heading Towards PREVIEWS!

Long time, no blog.

We've kept busy with the show, which will open for previews this Sunday! New changes going into the show even as I type (I am at tech), but I think it will be an exciting, updated version of the show.

There have been 2 new people that have been put into the company, as two people left -- the male ballroom dancer and the actor playing "Neil." I had to re-cast these parts back-to-back and quickly, which was a demanding task to say the least. Fortunately, we cast quickly and both the performers learned the show swiftly to our great delight. The team is very happy with the new additions, which is good.

So here we go! Finally counting down to having an audience.

Chicago continues to be fun, although busy. Tarlan came to visit last weekend, which was a great, fun, party-filled whirlwind of a weekend... good times were had.

I am off to Hamburg and Berlin next Monday... not a long trip, a week, to kick off the casting for Berlin.

But first things first, David and I will have our 3rd wedding anniversary this Saturday -- which also happens to be Family & Friends performance of the US premier of Dirty Dancing -- the eve before we go public!
x

A Look Back: Labor Day Weekend in CARMEL VALLEY!

(David driving with the top off in our yellow Corvette!)

Labor Day weekend fell on our "change-over," which is when we move from the rehearsal space into the theater and begin working afternoons and nights instead of mornings and afternoons. We had a fabulously luxurious long weekend (all things considering, as we usually only get one day off a week)... so David and I decided to take advantage and have some R&R. Last year while we were in Toronto, we had one long weekend and we spent it amongst vineyards in Niagara-on-the-Lake. This weekend trip worked out very well because (1) David got to rent a sports car to drive around, as an "early anniversary present" and (2) I got to drink a whole lot of wine. We took this model and try to make it work for us, currently based in Chicago... and came up with a long weekend out in Central California, in Carmel Valley. I found a lovely place to stay -- Bernardus Lodge & Winery -- a beautiful boutique hotel nestled in a vineyard. Our plan was to fly into San Francisco, rent a car, then drive down the scenic coastal drive to Carmel Valley for our weekend of sun and wine.

The weekend was FABULOUS.

David absolutely LOVED driving his Corvette, and, although I have no knowledge of cars, I could appreciate this one. I thoroughly enjoyed the Mustang convertible in which we drove to Niagara-on-the-Lake last year, but, boy, this Corvette RUNS like a true sports car -- as in what I might imagine would be like to sit in a race car. And we hit some small but delicious wineries, and had a great time. We even returned to Chicago with a carefully selected case!

Here, a pictorial record of our weekend:

(Me in our room -- the bed was the MOST COMFORTABLE BED EVER! I wanted to steal it. The whole thing. Seriously.)

(Two words: WINE GROTTO. Every room at Bernardus Lodge has a "wine grotto" -- they give you a selection of their wines for FREE, along with a free mini-bar of snacks, including organic cookies! Just to David and my tastes.)

(David and I dine on lovely New American Californian cuisine at Marinus, the restaurant at the hotel in which we stayed.)

(Outdoor breakfast... and David is very happy with his meal.)

(David with the car... the car has a very sexy back-side.)

(Beautiful coastal scenery, on the way to the Big Sur from Carmel Valley...)



(These are historic bridges like this all around the coast around Carmel Valley and towards the Big Sur...)

(Another shot of the car... why not, it's hot!)

("Workin' It.")

(David picks up huge kelp on the shores of Big Sur...)


(The water is way too cold for David to swim in... I didn't dare enter either. It's cold!)

(Redwood forest...)


("Workin' It"... part deux)

(David with the car, with the Carmel Valley mountain backdrop...)

(Sea Lions sunning on rocks at a national park...)



(Gorgeous deer feeding... at the national park)