An oft-had thought during auditions: an entrepeneurial possibility

A thing that surprises me at auditions, again and again, wherever we go, in varying degrees depending on the city, is what auditionees wear to auditions. There are so many audition outfits that are just downright ugly, verging on offensive to my fashion sensibility. A lot of performers who audition are good looking people with fabulous bodies -- yet many manage, around the world, to find awful clothes to wear to auditions that make them look far less appealing than they are right off the bat. Sometimes, one has to work to see the performer DESPITE the terrible audition outfits. Some women wear dresses that I don't understand how ever got made, or where one would find to buy them even if one wanted. And SO much make-up! It's one thing to wear stage make-up on, say, THE STAGE, but it's another to wear stage make-up to auditions in the middle of the day, under usually bad lighting. On a few occasions, we have had to ask women to come back after they had taken off their make-up -- and every single time this request has been made, the women came back looking beautiful in a way we would've never known through all the make-up.

I feel that there is a market for audition-wear consultancy. Truth is, if one were to make the best impression possible in a 10 to 15 minute audition, clothes and appearance DO count. That's showbiz. And very often I get an itch to do a make-over....

Photographic food highlights from the weekend...

We took some fun food photos from our culinary ventures this past weekend in London. The above oozy chocolate cake is one that David ate for dessert at Galvin at the Windows, a restaurant at the top of the Hyatt Hotel Park Lane. There is a great set lunch menu there, and as the restaurant's view above London is gorgeous, we decided on it for our leisurely late Sunday lunch. We had a lovely New Zealand Gerwurtraminer, both the starter and our mains were delicious. I had the cheese platter for dessert -- great selection of French and English cheeses, generously served -- and David had the chocolate cake. He enjoyed every bite of it:

For dinner, we went to Hakkasan for old time sake. Since it was David's last night in London before going off on his casting tour, and he and I will not be in London together in the foreseeable near future, we committed to eating at our favorite places in London. Hakkasan is the fancier, trendier sister restaurant to Yauatcha, and we used to go there quite a bit while we were here casting the show last year, as it is (1) close to the Radisson Mountbatten Hotel, where we stayed (and where I currently stay); (2) it is open late; and (3) it has the best soft shell crab dish we have ever had. This soft shell crab dish is the only dish of which David and I MUST order two -- we generally share very well, but with the Hakkasan soft shell crab dish, our relationship best benefits if we EACH order our own. Currently, soft shell crabs are in season, so the dish was particularly delicious on our most recent trip -- crispy exterior with a spicy kick and a soft interior that consisted of plump, creamy meat that seemed to melt in our mouths. Everything about this dish appeals to us, from the flavors to the textures (there are crumbly bits of...something on it sits, we are not exactly sure what they are), to the fresh, succulent yet crispy crab that is never greasy.

While Yauatcha is terrific, and our most recent dining experience there, we felt, was the best of all the times we have been there, Hakkasan is, we think, ultimately the superior restaurant. Although it is also pricier, the service is great, the dishes are well balanced and more refined, and even the cocktails have a more sophisticated quality -- fresher ingredients and better balance of various liquors and liqueurs used. The lighting in the restaurant is also excellent, dark and intimate yet each table is lit so that one could clearly see one's food, but the light is never in one's eyes. The lighting is so good, I was able to take photos of our cocktails that look as if they were heavenly concoctions with no Photoshopping:

And here is a close up of my deliciously potent Saketini:


And a photo of us, very happy with our food intake:

It turns out we were very wise to have a great culinary weekend: David's first day working in Dusseldorf today has already taught him not to expect much in the way of delicious or particularly nutritious food. The only food item on offer for lunch at the cantine in Dusseldorf was spaghetti bolognese, which was warmed up in a microwave. For his dinner at his hotel, David ordered fish, which, only upon its arrival he realized was battered and fried -- he concluded that the most nutritious item he consumed this evening was a glass of wine. He now looks forward to being in Hamburg, where at least he knows a few places with edible food. I, here in London, went out today to find a Japanese restaurant that would have sashimi take-away. I found such a place, got such a take-away, the people were Japanese and very nice, but the food wasn't. I picked at the sashimi and ate the seaweed salad, which was tasteless and rubbery. I am now hoping that my Tesco-bought Hunter Valley Semillon (e.g. cheap and not very good, but will do the trick) will kill bad things in the fish so that I will not get sick. I have not eaten by myself outside of New York in a long while.

At least David and I will have this past weekend to remember when the going gets tough food-wise this week... and of course, there is always wine.

TM

Me London, David Dusseldorf

David left for Dusseldorf this afternoon to begin his European casting tour. It's cold and rainy, rainy and cold here in London. I have decided to spend this evening indoors, patter around the room (which suddenly feels bigger), watch some television, read trashy magazines, and eat bits and pieces of food I have purchased from M&S. A bit of lonely wallowing? Perhaps. But it is not the same to be casting in London without David, and the next couple of weeks will take a little getting used to...

Leap-frogging to and through London

(David on EOS flight to London - looking very much like a poster boy for the airline.)

A little summary of our time in London so far:

The EOS flight to London was excellent. The airline shares its lounge with Emirates, and the food and drink selection available to its guests were the best we have experienced on any airline. The airplane itself had fantastic seats (only 48 seats on an aircraft that normally would accommodate 220) and great service. The food on the plane was unimpressive -- I've flown to London on Virgin Atlantic Upper Class and that trip set the standard for me in terms of airline food excellence (if such a thing exists) -- this did not compare. David and I had a wonderful time on the flight, however, and were excited to be on it. Due to our excitement we did not get much rest, as we chatted and drank and laughed merrily for much of the flight. We did manage to sleep maybe an hour or so, and were actually able to fit both of ourselves on one seat. David asked permission from the flight attendants for us do so, and they said it was fine so long as we buckled up. This we did. It was like being at university again, squeezing onto a twin-size bed... except it was a fully reclining Business Class seat and the flight attendants make your bed. As one might imagine, just how much space we had on this EOS flight was most evident to us when we were able to sleep side by side with each other comfortably. (Don't worry, we were perfectly innocent, not at all scandalous or sketchy.)

We arrived on Thursday, which we spent walking about London after our usual debacle of changing hotel rooms. The first room we checked into was very dark and depressing. Luckily, we were able to change rooms - the room we are in now is bright and airier, which makes all the difference. Since I will be staying in this room for 10 days, most of which are without David and by myself, it was important for me to feel happy about my room. The hotel was very accommodating and sweet about our changing, which made the change easier. That night, as I wrote in the previous blog, we went to Roka and had wonderful food and shochu.

Friday morning, I went to a massage therapist recommended by Fabi. It was my first deep tissue massage therapy, and it was excellent. I will have another session next week, coupled with sessions with Fabi. After the massage therapy, I went for my first day of London re-cast auditions while David ran errands and prepared for his European casting tour, which he begins on Monday (tomorrow). We didn't see too many people who are right for our show at the auditions, so we hope this coming week will yield more potential. That night we went to see the show, which was thrilling, since we had not seen it since it opened. As I blogged before, the show is in excellent shape, has gotten tighter and tidier, and the audience continues to be passionate and responsive. It made us proud to be sitting in the theatre amidst such a fervent audience, to be part of a production that gives so much joy to people and has so much heart and soul.

Yesterday -- Saturday -- we slept in. We needed the sleep. We completely crashed and did not wake up until well past 3pm. When we did wake up, we managed to decide on where to take our holiday, over which we have been mulling for some time. We are quite happy about our final decision -- we are going to the Cotton House on Mustique Island in the Grenadines. We have done careful research of various Caribbean islands, beaches, resorts and snorkeling locations, and think this is the best choice for us this year. We have to finish sending in the forms and such, tying up loose ends, but are delighted to have settled on a plan.

In the evening, we met up with our friend Val and went to dinner at Yauatcha, which was lovely. We drank fabulous cocktails and ate delicious dim-sum style dishes. Our favorite was tea-smoked silver cod, which we had never had before; the tea-smoked organic ribs, which we have had before at Yauacha and is one of its signature dishes, were also gorgeous. Since we woke up late, we had not eaten anything all day, which turned out to be a good thing as there was a lot of dishes we wanted to try.

(Val, me and David at Yauatcha.)

After dinner, we met up with the Dirty Dancing cast at Nell's Pub, a pub to which many West End theatre performers go to socialize after their shows. We were happy to see the cast members and to catch up with them, especially the Australians, whom we have known for a long time. As the pub closed, the party moved to Adam Street, which is a membership-only private club. As one of the perks of being a part of Dirty Dancing, we can go to Adam Street without personal memberships. Adam Street is a great club/lounge, never crowded, lots of interesting people and fabulous bartenders who concoct beautiful martinis. David had been there years ago with Kylie Minogue, apparently, and we have been there a few times since working on Dirty Dancing on the West End. Always a good time. And always could lead to a very late night! We carried on after Adam Street to Heaven, a giant gay club and one of the last clubs to close in London. It is considered one of the most famous gay clubs in the world. A group of us went to Heaven and danced up a storm, stayed out until it was almost light out -- around 4am. It was one of those nights that just keeps going... and while we were slightly tired this morning, it was a fantastic night out. The best part was that Ben Mingay, the beer-drinking, motorcycle-riding bloke-of-all-blokes-type Aussie, lead the group to Heaven, and he is the last person one would expect to willingly go to a gay club -- he had earlier been talking about how his girlfriend, Nadia, was going to a gay club with a bunch of girlfriends and he'd decided he'd rather drink beer at the local pub than to do that... well, the night took a different unexpected turn! (We think he had fun, though). David and I meandered back to our hotel from Heaven, behaving like our usual silly, drunken selves, picking up awful pizza to eat (all that dancing made us hungry), and I even did a leap frog over a road post. Unfortunately, we do not have a photographic record of my phenomenal leap frogging, but we do have our meandering photos through London dawn:

(David being silly in the streets of London at wee hours of the morning, after clubbing the night away...)

(Tomoko being silly in the streets of London at wee hours of the morning, after clubbing the night away...)

And so we had a nice weekend. The weather has turned a bit cold with drizzling rain. Today we have had a relaxing Sunday, going to a late-ish leisurely lunch, doing a bit of shopping, spending some quality time before David leaves tomorrow for Dusseldorf. We have not been apart in a while, so this is slightly sad, but we shall manage. I am hoping to meet up with him this coming weekend in Hamburg, as I have the weekend off before I head to Amsterdam. Ironically, of all the cities David will be in as he looks for dance talent through Europe (including Zurich, Vienna, Paris, and Rome, to mention the lovely ones), on the days I have off and am able to fly to see him, he will be in HAMBURG. Alas. So it goes.

I suppose I could always eat chicken wings (see blog entry about chicken wings for more information).

TM

Back in London

David and I arrived in London yesterday after a fabulous flight on EOS, about which we shall surely blog.

For the time being: we have had a lovely time so far, despite our lack of sleep and jet-lag. I spent my first day in London at re-cast auditions whilst David took care of some other household and work-related items today, and we went to see the show (e.g. Dirty Dancing) tonight. The show was terrific, we got to see some of the new people we have not seen as well as many swings on, which was great. It was truly exciting to feel the energy and passion of the audience as well as see the cast in such great shape. It was wonderful, and we hope to see them tomorrow night at the local pub.

I also went to see a massage therapist this morning to treat my aching upper back. The session was great, and I will see my favorite osteopath here in London next week, as well as have another massage therapy session. My back has not been well these days, so it would be great to use the time I have in London to see great therapists (the best treatment I have received for my now over 2 year-old upper back pain was with Fabi, a London osteopath).

Last night, we also made our way to Roka, which was MARVELOUS. Truly one of our most favorite restaurants in London. We shall blog about the experience later, but it was very spot on last night and we had a wonderful evening of seafood and shochu last night.

London is gorgeous at the moment, sunny, warm and buzzy. It is supposed to turn cold this weekend, but we keep our fingers crossed...

Green Central Park

View from the office of green and leafy Central Park, taken last week - currently the same view is even greener... but this is a nice photo, thought we'd put it up. (If you click on it, it will be huge and is best for seeing the leafy quality x)

This is how we roll: growing pains

This morning we discovered that David's casting tour begins, in fact, on May 29th instead of June 11th, as we had most recently been told. Apparently there was a miscommunication somewhere in the planning process. This means David will come with me to London, but then will leave several days later -- which means he will miss a large chunk of London, miss Rachel Weisz's son's 1st birthday in Cambridge, and certainly will not be in Amsterdam (Rachel, by the way, is the Oscar-winning actress and an old friend of Eleanor's -- Rachel's mother, Edith, met David last year and adores him to the point of having kept an Australian wine for him the entire year, hoping for him to return).

Very irritating to be briefed of this a day before we leave for London. I suppose it is all the growing pains of a large-scale global production as it rolls out -- difficulties communicating with various people all over the world, making sure all necessary parties are on the same page. It just seems to always happen to us in some way or another...

Much Ado in NYC... and getting ready to travel yet again

Lots of happenings last week yet to be blogged: David's first baseball game (he has become a Mets fan); seeing the musical Legally Blonde; discovering Jewel Bako and Aburiya Kinnosuke (both excellent); clubbing by our two-some at Cielo (and finding out it's easier to get into clubs as a pair instead of a group); going to BAM to see a dance show... it has been a busy week.

This Wednesday, we are off to London for the London re-cast auditions. We will be there for about 11 days, and then we are back to Amsterdam for about 4. Then, I will return to NYC while David continues his European travels with a 13 day multi-city casting tour. We have a hectic month ahead. For our flight from New York to London, we are going to fly EOS Airlines, which is a new airline with 48 business class seats on the entire airplane, which would normally accommodate 220. Hopefully, it will be as glamorous an experience as it seems!

And now we are back to our usual packing scramble.

Obsession with chicken wings... and making them healthfully

For some unknown reason, around the time of the most recent Super Bowl Sunday, I renewed my obsession with chicken wings. I had been obsessed with chicken wings while we lived in Hamburg more than a year ago, primarily because I hated all other food options and the hotel we lived in had chicken wings on the menu -- one of the few choice items besides a mixed green salad. I also discovered chicken wings at Burger King in Hamburg and was delighted to have done so, which, looking back, truly reveals how desperate I was to find food other than bratwurst. (And cooking ourselves was not an option, since we had no kitchen.)

The renewal of my chicken wing obsession in New York is slightly odd, however, as on that Sunday I suffered from a severe stomach flu that had spread through our creative team during casting the previous week. This flu finally took me as its victim on Super Bowl Sunday. That day, I could not stomach anything -- I was hungry, but could not keep anything down. And on that day, the only thing I suddenly craved and seem to have the will to eat were chicken wings.

Perhaps it was my stubborn core that insisted I take some part in the Super Bowl Sunday tradition. I don't watch football, I hardly know its rules, but Super Bowl Sunday is one of those American traditions that I wanted to share with David -- it was his first one, after all. We had been invited to a party, but were unable to attend since I was laid out ill on our couch. But I was committed to David having fun regardless. So, like a good wife, I insisted that he go and buy chicken wings and anything else he wanted -- chips, dips, cider (he doesn't drink beer), you name it.

Being Super Bowl Sunday, however, we were unable to buy simply the amount of chicken wings enough for two people. The fewest chicken wings one could buy from Atomic Wings (where the oil is non trans-fat... which means better for you than they would be otherwise) were 50. David bought them anyway, and he ended up watching the entire football game drinking cider, while I nibbled at a wing here and there and slept through most of it on the couch. We had chicken wings left over for days.

Since this Super Bowl Sunday, I have been startlingly passionate about chicken wings. We had chicken wings as a part of a Thai take away lunch at casting in Toronto -- I was THRILLED. Chicken wings made me happy. I had once watched others eat chicken wings and not understood their value, wondered, in fact, what people found so delicious in chicken wings, since there seemed to be so little meat on the wings.

I am a changed person. I think chicken wings make delicious snacks. They are portable in a zip-loc baggy, and with restraint, could be had in small numbers and be filling as well as satisfying. I was hooked.

The problem with chicken wings bought at restaurants and fast-food chains, however, is obvious: they are not good for you. They are fried, most likely in trans-fatty oil, and who knows what is in the seasonings. At home, David and I have been steadily adhering to a more organic diet (thanks to Whole Foods), and, since David avidly has been reading Kevin Trudeau, our life is currently in the process of weaning out all "poisonous" materials (except alcohol). Chicken wings had no place in our healthful lifestyle...

...until we found a way to make ORGANIC chicken wings ourselves. That's right. That's passion for chicken wings. We bought organic chicken wings at Whole Foods, made our own organic soy sauce based marinade with fresh, organic herbs, and also bought organic barbeque marinade from, yes, Whole Foods (so we could make 2 types of wings). We marinated the wings for 48-hours, and they took about 2 hours to cook in the oven (preparations included). Tremendously time and energy consuming, but the results were worthwhile. Last night, around 10:30pm, we sat down in front of a meal of the most delicious and healthy chicken wings we have ever eaten. Tender, moist, flavorful, with all the finger-lickingly satisfying elements of the chicken wing experience. David and I were both in heaven.

While it is perhaps slightly odd that one would have a home-cooked meal of chicken wings that requires so much time and energy, we thoroughly enjoyed making the wings and are ecstatic that we have some leftovers to bring to work today. And in a way, this is a good, healthy move -- after making our own version of chicken wings that are so delicious, we are less likely to eat chicken wings anywhere else. David and I are already thinking of ways to spice our next batch of wings.

Now if only we could find the time to marinate and cook them more often...

TM

Storm A-Coming

Storm coming into New York City, captured from our office balcony. (Courtesy of Robin's cell phone camera.)

Severe weather alert! (We hope we will get home ok...)

Lift Practice...

David was doing push-ups at work today, and so I offered to help by requesting that we practice our lift. Robin made a photographic documentation of this practice session. I daresay we are getting better at this, and I am pleased to find, upon seeing the photos, that I do not look like a completely deluded disaster.

This one above, however, was one of the "Don't break it, don't break it!" moments, a la the film (lifts in the lake).

It's all about balance, I am understanding, and hopefully, at some point, we shall be able to do the lift in an upright position... because, as cool as this lift is, it is slightly reminiscent of a baby (as in an infant) being lifted up in the air.

Back in Nueva York

David and I returned to New York from Toronto yesterday to find a completely green-ified New York -- by which I mean, all the trees have sprung into full green leafiness whilst we have been away. Central Park looks stunning! And the air is slightly muggy, indicating that summer is not too far off. David is slightly upset that, yet again, he has missed the week in New York during which all the trees seem to burst into green, as last year we were in London casting.

Work continues to be busy, casting complicated and unfinished (both in Amsterdam and Toronto), and our life at the moment has been overtaken by the chaos of unpacked suitcases, which makes finding matching socks or anything else utterly impossible.

But so it goes. Hopefully, we will get back into the swing of New York things before our next trip abroad (in less than 2 weeks), long enough to feel a little bit "back home and settled."

P.S. In the mean time, I shall happily and proudly report that my spinning has been steadily improving with practice... as is the lift, although I have bruises over my hip bone.

Cinco de Mayo!

Feliz Cinco de Mayo!

David and I had a lovely day off today, having lunch at Pangea in Yorkville (gorgeously fresh food), wandering around that area, and browsing through Holt Renfrew, an upscale department store, where David scored a lovely lavender shirt.

We have taken a siesta, and will dine this evening at Senses Restaurant around the corner. And afterwards, we shall celebrate what is left of Cinco de Mayo by watching SPIDERMAN 3 on IMAX!

Cannot wait. Yum. And fun!

TM

Spinning, spotting, and trying out the lift...

"You're a good teacher..."

It's a line from our show, said by Baby to Johnny. Very often, actors who work with David repeat this very line to him, with deep earnest appreciation. David is a terrific teacher, and this is evident in the tremendous gratitude expressed by performers worldwide who have worked with him in an audition or in a production or both.

This afternoon, David taught me how to spin properly. He has taught me dance steps before, but I had never attempted to truly conquer how to spin and spot. In our hotel room, we held our first lesson -- and I felt I understood how performers felt when they tell David, "You're a good teacher." He is. I have now learned to spin a bit better -- albeit not perfectly, still on the wobbly side -- and I can now be found practicing down the halls of our hotel spotting on the EXIT sign at the end of the hall. David has also taught me the lift -- still not THE lift, but a practice version of the lift, wherein he lies on the bed and lifts me from that position. It is thrilling, and I must confess I hope one day to do THE lift with him.

TM

A Look Back...on Amsterdam

(Tomoko on one of the many bridges over a canal in Amsterdam)

Our week in Amsterdam was fabulous. The casting process was great, and we found some very good company members. We were impressed with the Dutch talent we saw -- although we had been told over and over again how small the Netherlands were and thus how small the talent pool is, we found that there are more all-around talents in the Netherlands than we have seen in most other countries. Most of the dancers can act and sing. Each actor came in meticulously prepared, with all the lines memorized. Actors apologized when they did not bring a prop with them (such as a golf club for Jake). We have never seen such committed auditions -- performers thought nothing of ripping off their shirts or having their shirt ripped off, and making out on the floor without being asked (sometimes for what seemed like an embarrassing eternity). The people were sweet and lovely, and tremendously giving. We still have some holes to fill in the cast, but we finished the week feeling quite good about the progress we'd made.

(David by where the Rijks Museum was, before the construction.)

Working in Amsterdam in the spring is a gorgeous experience. The city is simply stunning, with all the fresh greenery and the canals. Although we nearly got run over by bicyclists several times over (urban bike lanes are not something New Yorkers are used to), we fell deeper in love with the city. We changed rooms in our hotel half way through, which made a big difference to our stay. The hotel moved us to a larger room on the ground floor with its own terrace, which was airy and bright, with high ceiling and more closet space. We ended up loving our hotel and our room, as well as the location -- close to various museums and restaurants, as well as the Leidsplein, the city center. We could walk to most places, and it made our stay wonderfully enjoyable.

As I wrote before, we ate very well in Amsterdam. One night we found our way to Le Garage, only to remember that we'd been there before, almost a year ago on our first trip together to Amsterdam. David had wanted to go there since we arrived, as it got great reviews in the travel guides we have, but we did not remember that we'd already been there until we entered the restaurant. The restaurant decor is quite specific, and not easily forgotten -- bright, casino-style lighting over a black and red with mirrors all over motif. Luckily, we also remembered that the food was great -- and so we had a delicious meal. We got a bit tipsy on the wine along the way, however, and behaved in our usual silly manner on our walk home through the park from the restaurant.

(Aboard the Supper Club Cruise)

Our most unusual dining experience was the Supper Club Cruise. We had been to the Supper Club in Rome, but only to the club, and so we thought it would be fun to try dining at the club in Amsterdam. The Supper Club Cruise takes place on, of course, a cruise. The dining area consists of what is basically a massive sunken bed. Everything is white, and the tables are coffee tables on top of a white mattress with white cushions. One must take off one's shoes while dining and lounging, and one does not know what the menu will be. There is a DJ playing, and the dinner is served as the boat cruises around Amsterdam. The boat docks at the end of dinner, and turns into a club. We had a lovely 5-course meal, one of which was served in a silver DOG BOWL. A little odd, but the salmon ceviche was delicious. We had a fun time, befriended our dining neighbors, and enjoyed the music as well as the original ambience.

We really can't rave enough about Amsterdam. Beautiful, fun, culturally rich, lovely restaurants, beautiful people... and some terrific parties to be found. We highly recommend it.

TM

Back in Canada-land

We flew from Amsterdam to Toronto yesterday -- and have finished our first day of auditions in Toronto today. Long day, especially with jet-lag and all. It's strange to have done casting in Dutch in Amsterdam for a week and suddenly find myself back in Toronto casting for the show in Canada. One company to the next! I hardly know where I am anymore, half the time. Anyhow, we shall re-cap Amsterdam when we have the chance -- but in the mean time, we are happily situated in our room at Hotel Le Germain in Toronto, and we are off to dinner at one of our favorite Toronto restaurants, Lee.

TM

Dutch Tarzan

Last night David and I traveled to Hague after auditions to see the Dutch version of Tarzan. The show is a Stage Entertainment production (same as us), so our casting director was able to organize the whole evening for us. We were very well taken care of: A car drove us from Amsterdam to Hague, an hour's car ride. Once at the theater, we were met by someone from the production staff, who gave us food at the cafeteria (not great, but we were happy to get some hot food) and then escorted us to our seats. We had great house seats, and after the performance, we were escorted out again through back stage, given the show CD and photo programme, taken to our car, and were driven back to Amsterdam.

Not bad.

We had been interested in seeing the Dutch production of Tarzan, because we'd heard that the choreography had been changed from the original Broadway version. This decision was an unfortunate one, as we felt that the Dutch production lacked the magical, wonderful gorilla movements and choreography that made the show special for us. While some scene transitions were cleaner and the theater space was used well for the production, all in all, this version of Tarzan made us want to go back to New York and see the original one again. Because of the less than wild reviews that the show received when it opened on Broadway, Stage Entertainment and Disney decided to bring in a different choreographer to try to make it more widely appealing. I think this was a mistake. The show now seems more like Lion King -- big, beautiful and spectacular, but not as innovative. (We find Lion King sort of dated now...)

The actor who plays Tarzan is wonderful, however, as was Jane. We did not like the father gorilla at all -- the actor had very sloppy gorilla movements. Some of the dancers were nice, but not nearly as fierce as those in the New York production. Despite not understanding Dutch, I think that this production was not as fabulous as the one we saw in New York.

But! It was great to get out of Amsterdam and take in a different show, in Dutch, for a change. We also got to see several tulip fields along the car ride, so it was a terrific evening.

TM

So far in Amsterdam...

(Artsy "mirror-effect" photo of David at the Mansion)

Our fourth night in Amsterdam -- so far, we've had a fantastic time and have found some good people for our Dutch production. The weather has been beautiful, and we are enjoying a sunny, warm spring here.

David and I are in love with Amsterdam. The city is gorgeous and laid-back, very tranquil, yet it has an urban buzz that keeps us engaged. The people here are lovely and open, too, and that most of them speak fabulous English (in addition to about 4 other languages) and are attractive don't hurt.

As we always seem to do in Amsterdam, we have eaten very well on this trip. On the first night, we had a gorgeous meal at a Moroccan restaurant, where we ate wonderful seafood tagine. The ingredients were fresh and, while simple, spiced perfectly, not overwhelmingly as some tagines we've had have leaned toward. On Monday night - our second night - David and I went to Blue Pepper, which is supposedly one of the best and most original restaurants in Amsterdam. The restaurant serves a contemporary Indonesian cuisine. It was my first experience with Indonesian food. Apparently, there is a large Indonesian population in the Netherlands and so there are many Indonesian restaurants in Amsterdam. David and I had never tried Indonesian food here, however, as I am not very tolerant of spicy food and David was concerned that there would be little for me to eat from an Indonesian menu. We were pleasantly surprised at Blue Pepper -- the dishes all had heat to them, but I could eat them just fine. The spiciness was one that enhanced the flavors within the dish and added a physical sensation, as opposed to one that killed all palate sensations and thus rendered the dish un-tastable for a spiciness-intolerant like myself. Last night, we went to Mansion, which was a terrific experience. The Mansion is a restaurant/lounge club space in the form of, of course, a "mansion." We had beautiful "modern yet authentic" Chinese cuisine. Delicious, delicious food! All our dishes were wonderful, and the intimate, glamorous atmosphere made us feel great after a long day of casting. We ate well and drank margaritas (in martini glasses) and took some silly photos.

(Below...David and Tomoko lick margarita surfaces as a acting exercise for "committing to silliness.")

In Amsterdam...

We arrived in beautiful, sunny Amsterdam after a pleasant albeit sleepless overnight flight. Our hotel, the Bilderberg, is a boutique hotel in the museum district of the city -- great location, but our room is very "boutique"... which is, frankly, too small for us to comfortably share for a week of flat-out auditions without killing each other (which won't be good for the show). There is no closet space to speak of, only a closet that is big enough to hold our spring coats and a few other items. There are no drawers AT ALL. Since we have traveled with two suitcases EACH (as we are going from Amsterdam straight to Toronto), this space won't do. We will have to investigate tomorrow about switching rooms...gah!

For the time being, with our room overtaken by our luggage, we had a wonderful dinner with Eleanor, Conrad and Penny at a Moroccan restaurant in walking distance. And the night is gorgeous, fresh and mild, so besides the state of our accommodations, we are happy.

Scrambling yet again...

We are off to Amsterdam tomorrow to cast the Holland production -- we will be there for a week. From there, we are off to Toronto for a week and a half... we are, of course, not at all packed yet, as we have been busy busy all week this week. The usual packing scramble has begun... we are going to get some dinner now, as our task at hand is so daunting, we need to let ourselves have a bit of a breather (we were casting until 8:30pm tonight).