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)

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.......

Snapshots of San Juan & Bonaire

Here are few photographic snapshots of our Caribbean holiday 2008....

In Old San Juan, Puerto Rico:

David with sea food paella at the restaurant in our hotel, the El Convento. It was very delicious, if filling...

Great sangria at a restaurant recommended by the hotel -- the place serves Puerto Rican food and boasts that the Pina Colada was invented there.

David makes a funny face while sipping his Pina Colada...


Near the rain forest park....
On top of a tower overlooking the rain forest...

Flora in the rain forest...


And fauna in the rain forest... these snails were seen all over the rain forest trees...



David takes a dip in the waterfall at the rain forest park...


Getting coconuts hacked up for drinking the juice...

A lunch of coconut water and arroz con pollo (chicken and rice)

In Old San Juan...

We visited the Bacardi factory in San Juan... in the end we feel we prefer Barbadian rum...

In BONAIRE!
A pelican grooms itself...

Iguana, up close and personal...

Bonaire flora...

David approaches iguanas who hang out in the beach restaurant where hotel breakfast is served...


"Downtown" Bonaire...

Meeting a wild donkey...

Flamingo at one of the many flamingo sanctuaries...



Very colorful and fearless lizard (the lizards had a habit of approaching people and their cars, so that breaking for lizards became a common observance...)

Fajitas on the beach...

At a Spanish tapas restaurant by the harbour...


On "Pink Beach"... which the guide book claimed would turn "pink" at sunset... it was more a "dusty rose" if any pink at all, but it was pretty and peaceful.

We had a marvelous holiday... and feel Bonaire is a place we'd love to go back!