A Photo of the Two of Us from DD Chiago Premiere

Because we were always taking photos of each other with other people, David and I realized after the Chicago Opening Night that we had no photos of the two of us, together! Luckily, we had some press photos taken when we arrived at the party by a professional photographer, so we were able to acquire some for our keepsake:

We cleaned up nice. x

Last Days of Chicago (at least for now)

So David and I are in Berlin (Germany) as I type, packed up to travel back to Hamburg for a couple of days tomorrow... but this is the first moment (at 3AM here) we have had time to post some photos of our Chicago days leading up to the opening.

We very much enjoyed our time in Chicago -- Chicago is a friendly city with beautiful architecture, atmosphere, as well as some impressive restaurants and cultural life. Most of all we loved our US company, had a fantastic time working with the people, and formed some very special friendships and connections we hope to keep for some time to come. The two of us also received great recognition and appreciation for our work on this production, louder and clearer than ever before -- if I may say so myself, the casting was good (ahem) and the dancing was better than ever, exciting, beautiful, emotional, and, of course, dirty/sexy.

David and I have some photos taken by the company we shall post when we receive it, but for now, here are a few snapshots from preview time through the opening:

At the First Preview cocktail party... David and Elsie find a "stage" and perform...


Cheese!

At one of our favorite Chicago restaurants, MK... where one may bring a bottle of wine of their own to drink (for a corkage fee) -- David and I brought out the MAGNUM we purchased in California to celebrate our friend Valerie coming for a weekend visit, to kick off our pre-Opening Night festivities... the wine was FABULOUS and we had some good times (and kudos for Val for going out on the day she arrived from London -- what a rock star)

Me & Val... this time in Chicago! Val flew in from London for the weekend, the night before our Opening Night. She has now been to DD Opening Nights in London, Utrecht and Chicago! x



OPENING NIGHT PARTY!!! David and me with Amber

David and Easton, one of our ensemble dancers... (his wife is in the show, too) He is a wonderful dancer and company member -- he would call David himself for dance notes, which is rare and great (from David's perspective).

FROM LEFT: Jane (our company accountant), Valerie, Davd, me, Tarlan, and Penny

Me and James Powell, the director

We did a spouse-swap photo... me and Easton...

... and David and Haley, Easton's wife. Haley and Easton are THE tallest couple we know.

FROM LEFT: Britta (who plays "Penny"), Eleanor, Michael, me and David

FROM LEFT: James, Amber, Ben Mingay, and me

With the girls of the cast... and a few others...

After-party at Ben Mingay's apartment... me and my favorite girls (Valerie and Tarlan), with John Antony

David and Val get their groove on...

David and Tarlan act "(they're) too hot for the party"...

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David is featured on Episode 2 of the series xoxo

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...

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

What We're Up To, What We've Been Doing...

Just a few things yet to be thoroughly updated on this blog.... here goes:

David's Green Card Re-application: As we approach our third anniversary, we must petition to have the "conditional" status of David's permanent residency removed. Yet another process in the many hurdles of our international marriage. Lots of paperwork involved, trying to prove that we are a LEGITIMATE couple. Very strange and upsetting in many ways, that a marriage simply can't BE. It's a stressful and elaborate process, especially difficult to go through while putting on a show, but we are plodding along......... crossing fingers!

My new role -- International Casting/Creative Associate: A little over a month ago, my new title within Dirty Dancing Worldwide was announced to the international team. This title had been in discussion for some time now, and I have yet to finalize "the deal," but, for all intents and purposes, I was officially given this title and my work began with a BANG. The bang being (1) completing the Toronto casting (done!), (2) finishing up the London casting process (big task, but somehow I finished it), (3) beginning the Berlin casting, and (4) continuing to deal with on-going... changes... within the US Tour company. It's been a challenging role, but a role I had been doing in many ways unofficially already -- so it is nice to have the acknowledgment and title to go along with it. I go back to Germany for almost a week in October to move along the preliminary stages of the Berlin production casting, which should be interesting, if perhaps daunting, as it will be my first venture out ON MY OWN to begin the casting process with solely the local team.

CHICAGO: The Windy City continues to treat us well and charm us with all its energy, activities and fabulous restaurants. It's very easy-going living in Chicago, and David and I are enjoying the city and our life here. Our apartment is spacious and comfortable, and since many members of the company are also staying in the same building, there is a nice community/dormitory-feel to the whole stay. We have gone to a variety of fantastic restaurants..... and we promise to be more detailed soon (photos included). While we miss New York, Chicago has been a very easy city in which to live.

REHEARSALS: Today was our last day in the rehearsal space. We have a long weekend this weekend, and when we come back together on Wednesday, we will be at the theater to kick off the tech. The show is looking terrific, we have a fantastic company, and it will be good to finally get on stage and put the show together in the environment.

MINI-BREAK!: David and I fly out to California early tomorrow morning. We have booked ourselves a little weekend getaway to Carmel Valley, which is a couple of hours' drive south of San Francisco. We will be staying at Bernardus Lodge, which is a spa/lodge in a vineyard. We will be hiring a car in San Francisco, then driving down the scenic drive along the coast, through Monterey, and onto Carmel Valley. David is looking forward to driving (a convertible, of course), and I am looking forward to the wine and relaxation!

And so we are hastily packing now... and we shall post photos of our weekend trip when we return!

Final Week in Rehearsal Studio

Last week in the rehearsal studio -- the show is coming together, and from here onwards we will be busily fine-tuning as we begin tech next week, adding all the other complicated elements to the show.

A lot going on at the moment, which makes life hectic, packed, demanding and at times stressful. We did have a great weekend, though, as we had a house guest in the form of Gerald, who came to visit us. There was a cast party on Saturday night, which worked out perfectly for our weekend activity with a friend in town... and then David and I had a gorgeous dinner at Alinea, about which I shall blog when I have a bit more time.

This weekend is Labor Day Weekend, so we FINALLY get more than a day off for the week -- we finish rehearsals on Saturday and then have time off until next Wednesday, when we begin tech (since the holiday weekend coincides with our change-over from rehearsal studio to the theater). David and I are going for a little R&R out in Carmel Valley -- looking very much forward to it.

Must be off to bed now -- but this weekend when we have some chill time I hope to blog more and post some photos of our adventures in the Windy City. Stay tuned!

Update on Things...

Life in rehearsals in Chicago has been a non-stop whirlwind. Busy busy busy, with no time outside of rehearsals other than eating dinner and trying not to drink too much wine (which is basically what I'd like to do after a long day of rehearsals).

We're enjoying living in Chicago. It's a beautiful, friendly city with fantastic restaurants. And rehearsals are going very well. But time seems to fly by, with not enough down time or sleep time. And definitely not enough time to blog thoroughly.

For the time being, I shall post a photo from an architectural cruise we took with the creative team and our actors playing "Baby" (Amanda Leigh Cobb) and "Billy" (Ben Mingay):

Back in Chicago Together

I returned to Chicago nearly a week ago, in time for full company rehearsals... the first week of which is about to conclude as of tomorrow.  All going very well so far -- the company is nice and very professional, and there is great work being done.  It's great to be back in one place, together again, and starting to settle into life in Chicago...hurrah!

More soon, but for the time being, we are happy to report that we are reunited in Chicago and couldn't be happier about it -- we'll just never quite get used to being apart, and that's probably a very good thing.

Me, London; David, Chicago

I "moved" with my things to Chicago Friday night and joined David in the Windy City. As I unpacked in our Chicago apartment (very nice and spacious), I had to simultaneously re-pack as I flew out to London Sunday for nearly a week. I arrived in London this morning.

My time in Chicago was brief, but it was good to see David before my week in London and Hamburg. I got to see the Baby's, Johnny's and Penny's (the leads and their respective understudies). Everyone seemed to be in good, positive spirits. It was surreal to be in a room full of Baby dopplegangers, Johnny dopplegangers, and Penny dopplegangers. It's like being in a room full of genetically enhanced attractive people.

Their dancing already looks great. As usual, David is doing a terrific job! :)

Chicago seems like a fun city to live for a few months. I suppose it's a nice city in the summer. It was hot -- and I hear the Chicago summers are hot -- but it was less oppressive hot than New York has been, so it felt fresh to me.

But now I am back in London! Just hanging out in the hotel today, laying low. Walked around Covent Garden and tried to get a massage, but everywhere was booked. I walked over to the Sanctuary, which is a "ladies only day spa"... the idea being that women spent half the day there relaxing and being pampered. I didn't want to spend half the day there, only get a massage, but was willing to pay for the entrance fee if that was what I needed to do as I was desperate for a massage. But I encountered a fat, repulsive and rude lady at the desk, who insisted on calling me "Darling" as she emphatically and dramatically told me it was impossible for me to get a massage. She repeatedly emphasized the impossibility in a near panic-stricken and overly loud tone, as if my inquiring about a massage availability was an outrageously inappropriate question. A simple, "I'm sorry, we're fully booked" would have sufficed, it seemed to me, but she was nastily melodramatic and offensively unattractive. It was too much for me to handle having just flown in from Chicago without much sleep, with an aching back. I grumbled, "I understand that you don't have any openings but you don't have to be rude about it" and walked out. There's nothing "Sanctuary"-like about a place that is overseen by a hideous, rude, stressed-out and grotesque lady.

Luckily, I found a nicer, more elegant and certainly more peaceful spa at the One Aldwych hotel, where I booked a massage for Wednesday night.

Casting continues tomorrow, and on Friday I will fly to Hamburg. I hope the week will go by quickly... although I suppose I will also need to hope there will be enough time to complete what we need to complete.

And so it goes... I will miss David this week, but he will have a busy week in Chicago -- ensemble dance week -- so I shall take the positive outlook that we are both working very hard and making contributions to make our show better.

Where We Are...

David is now in Chicago, working through the first dance week of Baby/Johnny/Penny. He rang me from a bus en route to rehearsals on the first morning, and it was very funny to imagine him in Chicago on a bus-full of Baby/Johnny/Penny's... a very peculiar circus of attractive performers!

I am still in NYC, although I will leave for Chicago Thursday. Then it looks like I will fly to London on Sunday for 5-ish days, then onto Hamburg, Germany, for a day, and then back to Chicago.

This means I need to get my NYC life together by Thursday to relocate!

I don't know if I will ever get used to the packing/traveling/moving house.......

Aaaand, we're BACK... for a wee bit

David and I are back in New York City after a FANTASTIC holiday in the Caribbean.

Now we're running around in our usual kind-of-manic style, trying to get ourselves organized for our next installation DD... this time in Chicago! David heads out to Chicago this Sunday. I will join him (looks like, but yet to be confirmed) on Thursday, but only for a couple of days, as I will head out to London for a few days, do a day in Germany, and then back to London for a couple of days........then back to Chicago. It's a whirlwind, as ever. But at least this time we will be working in the US and kind of close(r) to home? It's kind of exciting, living in a different US city for a change...

More to come soon....

A Look Back on Chicago...

(David trying to touch the clouds from the plane.)

David and I had a wonderful time in Chicago, although the trip was short (3 nights, 2 full days). Our first impressions were good -- we look forward to spending more time there, hopefully in the warmer months. Everyone we encountered seemed very nice and easily conversational, from the hotel staff to theater staff to restaurant staff to the dancers and actors we saw... Chicago seemed like a city where its inhabitants were happy.

A bit of musing about Chicago (a week later...):

ON W CHICAGO CENTER:
This was our first time staying at a W Hotel... and I must confess, I was at once excited and nervous about the prospect of staying in the W Chicago Center. Why? Because I looked up the hotel on Trip Advisor. The wonderful thing about Trip Advisor is that it is informative -- the site is laden with reviews from real people. The terrible thing about Trip Advisor is that it could inspire a certain amount of alarm, fear and dread, should there be one or two extremely negative and skeptical reviews about a hotel. Even more terrible thing about Trip Advisor is when one checks out one's hotel on it when one has no option of changing hotels -- the situation we were in in Chicago, and, of course, in which we generally find ourselves. (Since the general manager arranges our accommodations.) The Trip Advisor reviews of W Chicago Center were mixed -- some people liked it, others did not. One review by a newlywed couple, in particular, described in great detail how their computers AND their computer bags were stolen from their locked room. It was an "insider job." This reviews instilled terrific anxiety in us as we considered the safety of David's brand new Powerbook Mac -- not to mention his new, gorgeous Crumpler backpack (of which he is very proud).

Fortunately, we found the W Chicago Center lovely. Our room was spacious, with a comfortable bed and a nice view onto Chicago. David marveled at the flat screen TV, while I made sure to take home all the Bliss Spa products that were complimentary in our bathroom (there is a Bliss Spa Salon in the hotel). While the club-like elevators were somewhat strange (lit like a club with house dance music pumping within it at all hours), we enjoyed the lobby lounge bar as well as the Whiskey Bar... hey, what's not to like about a hotel that makes drinking at all hours tremendously easy? We fell in love with the margaritas at the W... toasty tequila flavor very present in a light, refreshing fresh lime juice and triple sec concoction. The staff were nice, too, and that there was a little boutique in the hotel didn't hurt (David bought a cute tee shirt)... so all in all, we enjoyed our first W Hotel experience.

(Also, we returned to NY with David's computer AND backpack safely with us.)

ON FOOD IN CHICAGO:
We arrived late on Easter Sunday, which meant a lot of restaurants were closed or had closed early. Eleanor, David and I rushed to a slightly out-of-the-way Tex Mex restaurant called Coobah, which was good, although not excellent and without frills. It was interesting to take a car journey out of where we were staying, which is in the city but in a business-y area, to what seemed more like a residential neighborhood. Although it was not our shining culinary experience of Chicago, it was a mellow, first night dining experience.

(David & Tomoko at Blackbird)

The second night, David and I went for a romantic dinner at Blackbird, which was wonderful. We had a beautiful bottle of wine recommended by our very thoughtful and sweet waiter -- a Central Coast white wine, 2004 Treana from Mer Soleil Vineyard. It was just to our taste -- fruity, medium-bodied blend of Viognier and some others, with a surprisingly clean dry finish. Some nights after a long day of casting, there is nothing better than sitting down together for a relaxing, long meal sharing a lovely bottle of wine (I suppose this situation is lovely most days, but it is indeed very nice after seeing one actor/dancer after another and having to be very focused). The food was excellent and innovative, and the dessert (a chocolate mousse with a paper thin wafer underneath) delicious. We had a fantastic time, and befriended our waiter, who turned out to be a real pro in the Chicago restaurant industry. He gave us his contacts at other restaurants we'd read about ("Ask to be seated in the area with Rex (the waiter)," he'd say), and wished us our speedy return to Chicago. (Blackbird's sister restaurant, Avec, is next door. It's a wine bar restaurant with a nice selection of wines. We went there post-dinner and saw our waiter there again, had a nice chat (he was there post-work with his colleagues). Lovely lovely man. We liked Avec for its wine, but we did not like the bright-bright lighting -- we like prefer to drink wines at a counter with a more dim lighting.)

On the third and last night, we ate at the restaurant in our hotel with Eleanor. Eleanor and David ate red-wine braised short-ribs and I had a rib-eye steak with garlic crust. All meat dishes were excellent, and we had a great time. It was a lovely way to cap off our first casting trip to the Windy City.

ON CASTING IN CHICAGO:
We spent our first day of casting seeing dancers from the Joffrey Ballet as well as dancers from other dance companies. Ballet dancers at the Joffrey level are basically certified to be non-human, I have come to understand. I have never seen a girl leap so high, leg kick so readily or feet point so perfectly. It was an exciting day. The treat -- for everyone -- came when Cynthia Rhodes, the original Penny from the film, stopped by to say "Hello." She is gorgeous, radiant, and absolutely generous and warm. David was over-the-moon thrilled to meet her, and ardently wished that she would take up the idea of demonstrating the mambo with him... but alas, she was too modest ("Oh, I'd step on your toes!" she said). I must confess, I did not expect to be starstruck -- I was just intent on making sure David got to meet her when she arrived, as he was in the other room -- but I was awe-struck by her brilliant person. She is beautiful and sui generis.

I also took a couple of photos of David in action teaching the dancing. (Cynthia Rhodes, by the way, whispered to me while watching David teach the mambo, "He is totally adorable!" This comment, of course, brought a wide smile to David's face when I told him.)

ON OUR TRIP BACK TO NEW YORK:
Our flight to Chicago was easy and smooth, and we even arrived about 20 minutes early. Unfortunately, our trip back to New York did not go as well. Because of the weather (snow starting to fall in Chicago), we sat on the tarmac for 5 hours. A machine had to be brought to our plane to defrost it entirely, which is not exactly a comfort-inspiring event. The defrosting process was a funny one, as the plane basically gets doused with pink-ish liquid that is eerily reminiscent of Pepto Bismal. We did have a lovely flight back into New York, however, and flew directly over the city and by Central Park, which allowed me to take some interesting bird's eye photos of New York.
TM

In the Windy City

We arrived safely and easily into Chicago last night. We are staying at the W City Centre -- so far very nice, our room is spacious and with a nice view onto the city (we see a sliver of what we believe is the Sears Tower). The lobby is rather swanky and the elevator is like a club in itself... which is amusing and slightly odd at the same time. About to rush off to Ballet Chicago now for a day of seeing some serious dancers. For the time being, we wanted to share that we have already discovered that the the Whiskey Bar at the W City Centre Chicago has one of the best margaritas we have ever drank, outside of Mesa Grill in New York.

To the Windy City

Looks like we will be making a quick Chicago trip for casting -- we will be in the Windy City April 9th and 10th. We are excited, as Chicago supposedly has some fabulous restaurants. I went for a couple of days when I was quite young, before my foodie-ism kicked in; David has not been to Chicago. Fun, fun.