Maine / Lobster Feast / Auditions

So, this has been our run-out of Maine shows. Augusta the first day, then a quick trip to Worchester, MA (where we played in a 150 year old theater/meeting house) and finally a return visit to Portland for our final show on this run-out. After which we drove all the way back to New York. Needless to say, our return to the city was much-needed; we were pooped.

Anyway, all three days were noteworthy show-wise. In Augusta, we played on a stage set up in the middle of a basketball stadium. Which was really, really, really, really weird. Such a cavernous space is exhausting and everybody was zapped by the end. In Worchester, our 150 year old theater came complete with pictures of important dead white guys on the walls. And over 1000 screaming kids. Which definitely made us feel like rock stars. Finally, Portland held about 2000 kids on a stage that rivals anything I've ever seen in terms of depth and width. Both of the latter two spaces also had elevators for our load-in/load-out, which added an extra level of challenge. Plus, Maine is really cold, and (having just gotten back from Florida) nobody was really as prepared as we should have been.

Maine also continued to bring out the foodies in this cast. I don't think I've put this up here yet, but I've come to realize that the one thing you can sort-of control on tour is what you eat. And our cast has what a friend of mine would call "good eaters"; we know what we like and aren't afraid to go in search of it. So, being in Maine, I took it upon myself to organize a lobster dinner. We chose Portland as our location, and I got a restaurant recommendation from our super-swanky (and heavily-discounted; thanks Theatreworks!!) hotel. Leah, Lydia, Leigh and Michelle joined me for the Feast. I think this sums it up:




(I forgot my camera at the hotel, so these pictures are via phone camera. Hence the quality.)

I (and we) had a lovely time. A number of people kept the indulgence going by having breakfast in bed the next day. I opted for a local coffee shop, which was so good that I'm actually considering a return trip to Portland just so that I can have another cappuccino. Seriously, people, it was that good.

Back in the city today, four of us trekked out for an audition. Which means, apparently, there is life after this tour. Since we all got times before 10:30am, we decided that, if nothing else, this tour has taught us how to sing well and pump up the energy early in the day, thus giving us a distinct advantage over all those other folks in line. I also brought my CHA-CHING hat for luck. Everybody rubbed it before we went in. If that's not a bond, I don't know what is.

Kid quote of the day: Today, the floor creek in Blue Tarantula elicited a different response. Regarding Ruby: "Oh, now SHE'S scared!!"

Call tomorrow: 2:45pm, Manhattan garage near Columbia. We've got a 6:30pm show on Long Island. Life is beautiful.