Back in NYC... and onto THANKSGIVING!

David and I returned from Berlin last week... it took us that week to recover from the go-go-go situation at work, being abroad, then coming back home, being jet-lagged and trying to get back into the New York groove of things. We LOVED being back in Berlin, though, and had a fantastic time -- our trip coincided with the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall. It was a fantastic event for which to be around. And most wonderfully, Val visited us that weekend and we had ourselves an awesome good time. Steve also came through Berlin over the 3 weeks we were in Germany. With Steve we spent a Berlin Halloween, which was fantastic. We will post pics as soon as we can (I know we are getting behind pictorially!).

In addition to having a fantastic social time, we were successful at re-casting -- we found a lovely new "Baby," an actress who is still in acting school but who has an immensely appealing and beautiful quality, who I hope will fit well into the company. Eleanor is incredibly happy with her, which makes me feel very successful with the casting indeed. All other necessary slots have been offered, too.

And now we are onto Thanksgiving tomorrow! Tomorrow morning I shall make my usual truffle-scented turkey... as well as truffle gravy, to bring to Eleanor and Michael's house for a large, international Thanksgiving gathering. Today I spent all afternoon baking blue and yellow corn bread muffins from Bobby Flay's Mesa Grill cookbook. I made 4 dozen muffins plus a loaf, it took me the bulk of the afternoon. I also made cranberry sauce, and roasted beet roots for a beet root salad. Tomorrow I shall make some corn bread stuffing. David is enjoying taste-testing my submissions to the Bergstein-Goldman Thanksgiving feast indeed.

Anyway, so onto our next event now back in NYC. We shall post pics of our last months soon xoxox

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone!!!!!!

IN BERLIN

Been too busy to update the blog... but we have been back in Berlin for the last 2 weeks and we have one more week to go. We are doing a re-cast - not a big re-cast numbers-wise, but a big re-cast for me because I need to find a new BABY. Always tricky..... and somewhat stressful.

Anyway we now have a weekend and happily Val has arrive for a visit - so we are going to do some sightseeing and lots of fun-having!

Hooray!

snapshots of Berlin

Few photos from the last days of our time in Berlin...

David near Alexander Platz

Dinner with the gang at one of our favorite restaurants in Berlin (Bocca di Bacco)

David with a massive schnitzel at Borscht Restaurant...supposedly the best schnitzel in Berlin! (And we believe it)

At Alexey's birthday party... with lots of fabulous Russian food and vodka in a cool funky Berlin basement bar/club...

And here are a few photos from Opening Night Berlin --

With Daniel ("Johnny") and Charlotte ("Penny") in the middle...

We had an excellent Premiere in Berlin... the cast is fantastic and we hope the show is a big success!

late night lifts at home?!

Tonight was the last preview before Media Night, followed by Opening Night. We've had the least amount of previews here in Berlin - but the show is in great shape and the audiences have been fantastically responsive.

Tomorrow is our last day off before Opening Night. David and I will spend the day writing cards for the cast and beginning to gather our things to leave Berlin... it's come so quickly!!!

Tonight we had drinks with James (director), Amber (producer) and other people in various departments (video, sound, lighting, etc.) at the 100 Beer Bar near the theater. It was all good times - David had Strongbow cider (as he doesn't like beer) and I had some Chimay Bleu (high alcohol content Trappist beer - fantastic). It was great to all sit outside and chill out as we approach opening.

David and I then came home, had some eats, and DID THE LIFT!!! Yes, indeedy. David wanted to lift some weights and there I was, free and weighty. We did the DD lift in our own home - and I was able to stay up there! If only someone could take a photo of us doing the lift as proof...! We have done the lift with David lying down on the floor, we have done the lift in the ocean, but we had never done the lift standing upright. And in a strange way it was easier to do the lift for real than in other ways! We shall perfect it and get a photo...

PREVIEWS!!!

I arrived back in Berlin yesterday, in time for the first preview. Fantastic to see the show on its feet 2 weeks later - I am mesmerized seeing each cast member in his/her costumes and killing it on stage. The ensemble dancing is HOT HOT HOT. David has done a brilliant job, as usual.

Today we had the 2nd preview and the pacing was much improved from last night, the first preview, which was good but had a nervous energy quality to it. I think the show will just get better with previews.

Tomorrow there is no preview - we have the EPK and press tapings. And then a day off. Can't wait for a day off!!!

It's good to be back together with David. x

How March flies

2009 seems to be moving along quickly!

I have been in London for a week now, beginning the re-cast process, while David remains in Berlin and continues the tech-ing process. I have 4 more days of casting in London, and then will fly back to Berlin on Saturday in time for the first preview. Then we will have a week of previews until DD Berlin opens on April 7th! It's all happening, and quickly.

After Berlin, David and I will make our way back to London, where we will stay for 3 weeks. We can ALMOST feel our home in New York... but we're not quite there yet!

London casting is going apace. It's a big cast change this year, bigger than we expected. But I have seen some interesting actors and dancers, so crossing fingers... being in London solo is a strange feeling, especially since everyone else in the creative team is in Berlin putting the finishing touches to our newest production. Fortunately, there are a lot of brilliant plays on in London at the moment, so I have kept myself busy with outings to the theater. I have seen 1 comedy show and 3 plays already, have seen DD twice; I have a ticket to see Madame de Sade with Judi Dench on Thursday (didn't get great reviews, but still good to see it). Not bad. I have been a social butterfly, went to an engagement party, went to dinner at Val's in Fulham, and have been keeping myself occupied. It's a good change to be in an English speaking country.

But I miss David of course and I miss watching the Berlin cast go into its last stages of preparation before opening, so it will be good to go back to Berlin on Saturday.

More soon.

time goes quickly when in production... (sometimes)

(The facade of the Theater Am Potsdamer Platz, where Dirty Dancing Berlin will open is a few weeks' time)

February came and went, and now we're in March and in tech! The cast went on stage the end of last week and so began tech. It's great to be in the theater finally, working days and evenings, and being able to walk to work. It makes all the difference in our sleep quantity and quality.

Tech has gone fairly well, the theater is great and the cast looks wonderful. David is excited to be working with the dancers on stage, he truly thrives on this process and it is beautiful to see. We've had a quiet time mostly - unlike Chicago, which was full of parties and from where we barely survived with our livers in tact. We have had a couple of cast parties sponsored by the production, which have been great fun. Last weekend there was a big welcome party at the theater, and that was excellent good times - the older actors got onto the dance floor along with the dancers and dirty danced the night away, quite literally. We even witnessed Mr. and Mrs. Schumacher (the old characters) gyrating away, killing it on the dance floor. Incredible. All in all, though, David and I have remained sensible in our partying. We've opted for time lounging at home when we can, or going to the movies (we live near the Sony Center, which has a beautiful cinema that shows films in English, not dubbed or subtitled), or watching DVDs. "Normal" things we don't often get to do. We love our Berlin apartment, so our apartment has been an oasis for us away from the occasional chaos and stresss of work.

On Sunday I leave for London for 2 weeks of prelimiary casting. THIS, will surely be chaos, as we will do two days of open dance auditions, which expect 600 girls and 400 boys. A zoo. And then I will see a series of actors, singers, the usual. David and I haven't been apart in a while so 2 weeks seems like a extraordinarily long time in the middle of tech - but I shall be back in Berlin in time for previews.

For now, here are some recent snapshots from Berlin:

(Close up of the fancy Opening Night invitations - and there we are! Me and David on the invites - we have come a long way since we last did the show in Germany...)

(Dirty Dancing seems all over Berlin... even on back of taxi receipts!)

[At the welcome party at the theater... FROM LEFT: David, me, James (director), Claudia (who plays "Lisa") and Michael C. (our production stage manager)]

(John O'Connell - aka Cha Cha - came through Berlin and we had drinks with him - we had not seen him since the Sydney DD opening, so that was a nice catch up, especially for David)

snow, snow and more snow!

(View from our window a couple of days ago... the snow looked gorgeous in the sunshine... but now it is just gray and overcast as it continues to snow...)

It has snowed non-stop for the past 3 days in Berlin, and continues today. The snow hasn't "dumped" on Berlin, as it might in a snow storm, but it has fallen steadily and has piled up. Initially it was all quite beautiful, the snow softly blanketing the city. But as it continued and occasionally mixed with rain, the city has become more treacherous to walk around, wet, cold, icy, and squishy.

David has made a smooth recovery health-wise, although the heavy, creamy-sauce-driven German lunches at work have taken their toll and his stomach hasn't been at its finest. He has began bringing food from home. I, in turn, have succumbed to the illness going around, and have spent yesterday and today cooped up in our apartment, watching the snow fall, emailing and working from home while trying to rest. Resting is the hard part, when one's mind is racing with all that one might do.

(Prepping for the press event...)

Rehearsals continue well here in Berlin. The cast is gorgeous and getting along very well. We had a big press event on Wednesday, in which 3 dance sections were presented: Magic Moment, Mambo, and Do You Love Me. The dancers looked spectacular -- David has done a fabulous job, as always, preparing them. They were the highlights of the press event... although David and I did both give a brief speech in an interview to the press, which was a first for us and nerve-wracking for me, but we were told we did a great job.

(Me and David after the press event, in front of the DD bus that is all over Berlin)

I am now beginning to set up the London re-cast auditions -- one show cast, another show to look after! I will be heading to London for 2 weeks in March, then David and I will be there for 3 weeks after the Berlin opening.

It will be full spring by the time we return to New York!

Snowy in Berlin

(Snow beginning to blanket the streets of Berlin...)

Today is the first Sunday we have spent all day at home, sleeping in and chilling out, since we arrived in Berlin. Our last Sundays - our day off for the week - have been spent doing more auditions, so we've not had the chance to sleep in. It's so great to spend a free day doing nothing. David has been under the weather, too, so he very much needed the day off. A cold had passed on from Kimberly (the dance department assistant) to Craig (the ballroom choreographer), and finally onto David. He's feeling much better now, but we both have to watch being over tired.

It's snowing in Berlin today since the afternoon, so it's been nice to just stay indoors. A mellow day in Berlin.

Mission Accomplished!

David and I are now proud owners of these two shopping trolleys. Our trusty production assistant called a huge store that seems to sell everything and discovered that shopping trolleys were on sale this week for 15.99euro. A BARGAIN! I was driven to the shop (just down the street, but apparently the area where we are rehearsing is not especially safe), and I emerged a more readily mobile grocery shopper.

Upon seeing these trolleys and testing out their wheels, David was in love. His life had changed - no more frozen fingers gripping onto bags and bags of groceries while we searched for a taxi in Berlin! David loves these trolleys so much, he wants to bring them back to New York. He talks about the trolleys so enthusiastically and effusively, he is convincing members of the cast and creative team that they, too, should acquire such trolleys -- which are, after all, on sale at the store just down the street. And they're so cute! We're starting a trend...

Ah, the small pleasures.

Part of the Berlin Organic Shopping Club

Today we acquired memberships to the LPG BioMarkt, a chain of organic supermarkets in Berlin. There is a modest monthly fee and a membership card deposit (which you receive back when ending your membership). Everything in the store has two prices, one for non-members and another, lower price, for members. It's hard not to feel an outcast paying the higher rate for the same thing... so in a proactive move, we've hopped on the organic-shopping membership bandwagon! Very exciting! Now we feel we are on the INSIDE of organic grocery shopping culture in Berlin.

Here are our brand new cards:

We don't know what it says on the card, exactly (lecker - we do know means "delicious"), but now we feel like considerate people who shop healthfully and sensibly -- and not yuppy tourists who willingly pay higher prices than the locals for organic food.

Next item on our "Berlin life set up process agenda" is to buy a shopping cart. That's right, a shopping cart. We've concluded that the easiest and most economical way to shop in Berlin is with a shopping cart we could roll to the organic market and back to our apartment. Now, that's commitment to organic eating!

But where does one buy such a shopping cart in Berlin?

First Sunday in Berlin

(View from our kitchen window in Berlin...)

Until we move into the theater for tech, our day off per week falls on Sundays. This schedule proves slightly tricky for life in Germany, since Sunday is a "quiet day" and most stores are closed, including supermarkets. Seemingly simple domestic activities such as grocery shopping is a scheduling conundrum, since we don't get home until 7pm at the earliest Monday through Saturday. Sundays were always bizarre when we lived in Hamburg, because there wasn't much we could do with ourselves -- no TV programs we could watch, no movies we could go to (most German movies are dubbed in German), no shopping. Luckily, life in Berlin is comparatively easier. While most stores are indeed closed today (Sunday), we found a few stores in the shopping arcade Potsdamer Platz that were open. Supermarkets do stay open later Monday through Saturday (until 8pm, sometimes 9pm), so we could make a dash for it for the last hour of shopping. I guess we shall get used to it. The comforting thing about Berlin for us is that people eat late -- which did not happen in Hamburg. We already know numerous restaurants that are open until midnight or later, and a few open 24 hours. This knowledge helps us tremendously -- especially for David, who could now reside in Berlin knowing he shall not starve (a threat that seemed always imminent in Hamburg).

(Our dining table and living area...)

Our apartment here is great, which is a huge plus and relief -- this may be the first time we didn't have to move or want to move. We are very lucky. I had looked at an apartment last time we were in Berlin, in the same building as Eleanor -- but then that apartment fell through due to the Berlin Festival (that building is right in Potsdamer Platz and steps from the theater). Only one apartment was available, which, rightfully and appropriately, Eleanor will take. We were just recently told about our new apartment, and just went with it, never having seen it, only photos on their website which too often can be misleading. While it is not as close to the theater as the one we were supposed to move into, this apartment is much better for us because of its lay-out. We have a great panoramic view of the city, and the apartment is very spacious. The apartment is less than 10 minutes walk from Potsdamer Platz, although technically we are in an area called Kreuzberg. It is in East Berlin, and, despite being so close to the glitzy and very commercial Potsdamer Platz -- home of Berlin Film Festival next week -- one gets the sense that Kreuzberg hasn't been "westernized" heavily yet. Many of the buildings around us feel extremely boxy and concrete, spartan in their appearance and very uniform. Some of the buildings (like ours) have been gutted and renovated, but the neighborhood itself very much feels like it is still in the midst of being gentrified. This isn't a bad thing, really. It's quiet where we are, but we are within walking distance to various shops. And while it is cold and dry here, New York has been far colder recently, that we are doing okay weather-wise.

(Another sign that we seem to be moving up in the work-accommodation ladder (knock on wood!) is that this apartment has REAL PLANTS! And they are hydroponic! None of the plastic ones we so often find clever ways of hiding or secretly disposing, due to their creepy quality.)

(Sunset, looking towards the west side of Berlin...)

(Berlin in the late afternoon, as seen from our kitchen)

Reading and speaking German remain a huge struggle and challenge. Today, we went to a Bio Markt in Prenzlaur Berg, because the website had open hours that included Sunday. Turns out the Bio Markt in Prenzlaur Berg is, indeed open on Sunday, from 9 to 3pm, but ONLY the BAKESHOP. We missed this part, because we didn't understand the fine print of "BACKSHOP" on the website -- after having traveled some 20 minutes by taxi, we learnt that "BACKSHOP" means BAKESHOP. This is one thing I will not understand about Germany -- just how much priority baked items receive. The Bio Markt in Prenzlaur Berg is massive -- very much like a Whole Foods. But on Sunday, while the 4 other Bio Markts in the city close -- like most other stores in Berlin -- the biggest one remains open ONLY TO SELL BREAD. And it's in the middle of nowhere. In fact, while most supermarkets are closed, most bakeries around Berlin are open at least until 3pm. There seems to be so much urgency on having freshly baked bread...

... but we must avoid German bakeries, to avoid being afflicted with the "German chubbiness" factor again. And to avoid getting chubby, we must cook for ourselves at home as much as possible. There is just no other way. We are lucky that Berlin has Bio Markt, which is a great chain of all organic supermarkets -- there are 4 of them in Berlin, and one is within a not-too-bad walking distance. That was the first thing we did when we arrived on Thursday -- went to the Bio Markt and filled our kitchen with basic supplies. It was a huge shop, and I think we surprised the cashier who clearly was not used to people buying so much stuff. Anyway, now we're pretty set up and are able to cook at home. So far, we have eaten at home and had a very quiet time.

It remains to be seen how quiet and domestic we shall be in Berlin. Last time we lived in Germany, we lived in a one room hotel room in Hamburg, where cooking was out of the question. We would try to find places we could eat, and late -- or bring up crappy food from the hotel restaurant downstairs and eat on our bed. I survived on chicken wings, and David on Burger King. We came to think that a Chinese restaurant in the red light district was our life saving place for food because it fed us until 1am (we realized that we were fooling ourselves and that it really wasn't very good when we returned to NYC). We really hated living in Hamburg, never got used to it, and doubt we will ever find anything that remarkable about the city, no matter what people tell us. Life in Germany for us is different now, and in Berlin. We still don't know any German, but we have more knowledge about how the DD putting-in process goes... and we have aspirations to keep in tact a more domestic life while living abroad all the time. Plus, we have a kitchen! And separate rooms for sleeping and eating! We have come a long way since squatting for 3 months in a hotel room.

Anyway - so we begin our time in Berlin...

We are currently rehearsing in a massive TV studio about a half hour drive from where we live. Although it's not convenient to travel so far, the space is great and all the departments (music, costumes, wigs, etc.) could be in the same building, which makes life easier. Here are a few pics from the first few days of rehearsal -- currently David is rehearsing the Baby's, Johnny's, and Penny's (the leads and their understudies) in a "dance boot camp":


(Craig - ballroom choreographer - and David teach Baby and Johnny, as well as their understudies, "Hungry Eyes")

(The girl in the orange is Janina Elkin, who will play our "Baby" in Berlin)

(The 3 Penny's -- from left: Charlotte [the role Penny], Bridie and Milana, who are Penny understudies)

(Kimberly, the tall blonde in the middle who is David and Craig's assistant, works with the girls; David in the mean time works with Daniel, who will play the role of Johnny Castle in Berlin)

IN BERLIN!...this time until April (or so it seems for now)

David and I arrived into Berlin this morning! It has been a whirlwind -- as usual -- getting ourselves together and packed and onto the airplane. We've adopted the method of "Just Pack It and Go." 5 large suitcases this time, a clear sign we are past trying to economize. We've embraced the fact that we shall never be "light" travelers... but at least we will be well-heeled ones.

And we are fortunate in sharing similar travel approach/packing abilities.

Sunny here in Berlin today -- David begins dance boot camp tomorrow, so today is our day to unpack, buy some groceries and get our Berlin life up and running. I have a few more people to cast (swings/vocalists), so I shall be right onto casting next week.

Here we go!

And back to Germany...with holiday cheer

(Paper lanterns sold at the Weihnactsmarkt -- one of many Christmas markets that pop up all over German cities this time of the year.)

David and I returned to Germany last Tuesday. We flew into Dusseldorf, from where we were taken by car to Essen. We stayed in Essen for two nights, over the course of which we achieved various things and visited more German cities: on the first night we went to see "Cats" in Cologne, and on the second night we went to Dusseldorf to walk around the Japanese shopping area and ate dinner at a fabulous restaurant, led by our New Zealander colleague, Karin. All this we did as we kicked off more casting, mostly in search of dancers.

After Essen we spent two nights in Hamburg. And now we are in Berlin. It's been a bit of a whirlwind traveling and we have already consumed a great many mugs-ful of gluhwein (mulled wine) and bratwursts... but now we settle into being in Berlin for a week. We're in a different hotel in a suite this time, which makes things more comfortable... and now that we will stay put and not city-hop, we have been able to unpack! Hooray.

Here are just a few snapshots of our travels thus far:

(Delicious feuersangenbowle -- mulled red wine with rum, with a burnt sugar cube dripping into the drink.)

(On the audition tour in Essen with Christoph and Perrin... having a bit of a break with some feuersangenbowle to warm ourselves...)

(David pretends to be a wild boar... eating a wurst made out of wild boar...)

(In Berlin in front of the Weihnachtsmarkt in Gendarmenkarkt... we hear it is one of the prettiest Christmas markets in Berlin...)

(Baumkuchen!!! It is a cake that is a "tree" (baum) made up of layers and layers of thin cake that gets rolled around a metal pole...)

(Fancy baumkuchen ....)

(Feuersangenbowle -- in a big pot with flamed sugar block dripping into it...)

(David with his new favorite drink -- a mug of heidelbeergluhwein, a blueberry gluhwein with amaretto...)

London today. New York tomorrow.

David and I flew from Berlin to London on Sunday -- a sort of last-minute tack on to our European work travels. David has not had the chance to work with the new cast members of the London company (as he was in Chicago), so our few days in London proved productive albeit packed.

Tomorrow we finally FLY HOME!!! Cannot wait. It's been so long since we've been home properly. Berlin casting went well, we are mostly cast for the principals (very good actors), but we shall continue to cast the ensemble... which means we fly back to Germany in December. But for the time being, all I can think of is being back in New York for at least a week and a little bit.

More soon.

In Berlin

(David and I wore our animal-y printed outfits on Halloween -- as we had no costumes and nowhere to go -- me in zebra and David in elephant prints -- and pretended to be on a safari...)

Back in Berlin now... and continuing on with the search for the new DD company. A bit exhausted, really -- long days of casting, focusing on actors and dancers and singers, trying to find exciting performers... we want the Berlin show to be a NEW show, a show that reflects the evolution the production as a whole has underwent since the Hamburg show. We've been seeing some serious German actors, who could be downright WACKY, but it's been an interesting journey, and I feel we have learned quite a bit...

... although maybe not quite enough German. We intend to learn more, and are inspired to do so more than we were when we were in Hamburg. David and I really like Berlin so far -- we love the energy, the atmosphere, the "edgy" vibe, the late nights and the various dining, cultural and social options. It has qualities of New York City, in a way, the sense that there is always something going on, the day and night in Berlin can turn out to be as big or small an adventure as you want... at the very least it suits us far better than Hamburg ever did, and we are already happier in Berlin than we ever could have imagined being in Hamburg, which, despite the fans of the city we know, we find dreary, conservative, and downright dull.

We'll post photos soon... for now, off to bed!