Ft. Wayne

Marius Company

Les Miserables Tour

1998

Midnight
Sunday
Ft. Wayne, IN

They gave me a suite
A one bedroom with a living room and small kitchen
It had a fridge

Luxury
"Party's in my room" 
I had a six pack
Someone brought a few California Coolers
But before you knew it
We were out
empty
But
stores aren't open on Sunday
Yep
nothing is open on Sunday

Nope
Good thing there is a hotel bar and room service
Bar and room service close at 9pm
It's midnight in Indiana 

Our "weekend" begins now and we can't get a drink
Before the party even got started it was over
We didn't have options
But I did have cash
Pick up the corded phone
Punch up the front desk
"Hello, Mr. Stone how may I help you?"
Clear my throat
Pause
"How susceptible are you to bribery?"
"Excuse me?"
"How susceptible to bribery are you?"
Silence
I continue
"You see. I have a fifty dollar bill here that says you've got a key to the liquor cabinet in the bar. And in that cabinet you might find a bottle of whisky that I could come down and acquire from you."
Longer pause
"Come down in 5 minutes," she whispers
"Thank you," I say placing the receiver back down in the cradle
And the party is on!
We pass the bottle around and have a great time
An hour later it's empty
The party is in full swing
Ring
Ring
"Front desk. How may I help you?"
"I've got another fifty"
"Come on down"
It was a fun night

But that six hour bus ride the next day was hell

JIMMY

He was the doorman at The Gershwin

The first person you saw coming to work

The sentry

Guardian to the main castle

He looked older than his actual age which was hard to guess

more Don Quixote

than bouncer

but he kept order

Letting those he knew sign in and pass

His voice

was classic New Yorker

with slide and slur added

Still though

he was a pro

comfortable in his little nook

When he signed up for the softball team I was surprised

When he stepped in to take grounders at THIRD my eyes widened

He hobbled onto the field

a little left right wobble

smacked his fist into his glove a few times

bent over at the waist

spit

and proceeded to snag ball after ball

firing them over to first with an odd side arm flip

that popped my glove with a light snap when the ball sunk home

Back at work you'd hear his voice after the show

At the sound of the mic opening up on the intercom we'd all pause in various stages of undress to listen

The speaker would crackle. "Mia Price. You have a guesst at the stage dowa"

It was the way he said door that made us all smile

Not door with an R

But dowa

"Jusstin Bohon, You have a guessst at the stage dowa"

"Jimmy," someone would say with a chuckle

He made us smile

Jimmy the doorman was our friend

And our complicit confidant

for the greatest underground club Broadway's ever seen

Club OK!

He ushered up

the kids from Hairspray, the adults from Chicago, and other Broadway ne-re-do wells

to the Men's ensemble dressing room 

We'd slip him a few bucks and a couple cold ones as thanks

And for a while it was GRAND

Eventually The House found out and shut it down

But for that brief moment

there was no hotter spot on The Great White Way than Club Ok!

He was a great guy

A fixture at the building

Like an old brass plaque bolted to the foundation

He belonged to the building

and the building belonged to him

Jimmy The Dowa Man

 

BROADWAY DREAM

Wednesday morning

10am

A phone rings

I wake bleary eyed

confused

Where?

A siren wails

New York

Tuesday night

The crowd is on its feet

As the applause swells

I bow

It is a singular moment in my life

An understudy taking the final bow of a Broadway show

I feel light on air

pumped with adrenalin and serotonin

all the feely good things

It's Tuesday night 1997 in NYC

My last week in New York

Friends dot the audience

After the show

We go out!

We CELEBRATE!!!

Bars

booze

cigars and boobs

bourbon and brevity

A cacophony of jubilation

"DON'T YOU HAVE A MATINEE TOMORROW?"

"Yeah, but just my ensemble track Brujon. Piece of cake! ANOTHER BLACK AND TAN!!!"

The night goes on

and on

till 3am we crash back at the apartment

exhausted

Wednesday morning

10am

A phone rings

head aching

tongue swollen

throat scratchy

thirsty

so thirsty

The phone rings again

lunging up I stumble forward

reaching

"Ummm, hello?"

"You're on for both shows today. AND the rest of the week."

"Huh?"

"Rob's out for the rest of the week. You're on!"

CLICK

"Who was that?" Brian croaks from another room

"la La LA LAAAAAAAAAAAAAA LA La la"

"Oh shit!"

6th GRADE VALENTINE

Oak Heights Elementary 

had classrooms with retractable walls

When opened, all three classes that made up 6th Grade would be one

We were in the same grade but different classes

When the walls opened

across the way

was a clear view of her face

I saw her take notes

smile

Wasn't sure what to call this feeling

Just knew when they opened the walls

I could see her light hair and dark round eyes

and smile

We didn't talk much

A little bit here or there at recess

Was never sure what to say

Didn't have the words

But passing through Sears one day I saw something

a table with a pyramid shaped display of giant Hershey Kisses

I'd eaten the little Kisses before

but I'd never seen a giant Kiss

in a BOX

with CELLOPHANE

THAT YOU COULD SEE THROUGH!

Valentines Day was coming

This-giant kiss in a box with cellophane that you could see through-was everything I couldn't say

Tradition at Oak Heights Elementary

on Feb 14th

was to tape a big manila envelope to the front of your desk

The walls would retract

everyone would drop a Valentine in the envelope

One for every kid in 6th grade

a little card

a piece of candy

Sometimes someone fancy would gift a box of Sweethearts

I wanted to take it next level

Saved up my allowance and secretly bought the giant Kiss sliding it safely under my bed

I was nervous about giving it to her

The timing had to be just right

Couldn't exactly slip the Kiss into the envelope taped to her desk

Had to be

when we were alone

and she would know 

that my feelings for her were like a giant Kiss in a box with cellophane that you could see through

Valentine's day came

Nervously I hid it in the space under my desk

Taped my folder to my desk

quickly handed out all but the one

then waited

and waited

and waited

When I opened the Valentine from her my heart leapt

It read,

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!

Love,

Beth

I was ecstatic

Love!

It was written RIGHT there!

I was dizzy

I wanted to reach under my desk and dazzle her with oversized chocolate display of my affection

I didn't care if the rest of the class saw

This 

This love was reciprocal

Might as well make it public

Curt next to me let out a small gasp

He just opened his valentine from Beth

It read,

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY

LOVE

underline

underline

underline,

Beth

There were three lines drawn under the word love

THREE

My heart sunk

It was clear

she loved Curt

3 times more than me

Stunned I slumped home and stashed the secret present

For a couple of days I didn't know what to do

It sat there under my bed

in the dark

Then one day

I reached down

broke through the cellophane

removed the giant Kiss from it's box

and

ate it

I pity ate that whole darn kiss

So, 

that's the story 

of how a little heartache

led to a big bellyache 

ON SAYING NO

One winter in the early 90's I was hired to sing with

The Dickens Carolers

Found it enjoyable

Singing harmonies

Making people smile

Wasn't so keen on the costumes

But getting paid to sing

$20 an hour

Not bad

I was the tenor in a full time group which meant we were available all times of day

One gig we sang outside a frigid Bell Square starting at 10am for SIX hours

THAT will wear you out

Performed a couple of evening parties that were nice

And then

We were hired to sing The National Anthem

for The Seattle Supersonics at Key Arena

AND

Were given seats one row up from courtside

I was so excited

Been a Sonics fan since before the championship team of 1979

Had their autographs

Jack Sikma

John Johnson

Dennis Johnson

Freddy Brown

and the rest

but that was then

This team

had Gary Payton

and Sean Kemp

I couldn't have been more pumped

Getting ready to sing we waited on the court

Gary Payton was taller than expected

Always thought he was a little guy on TV but he was all of 6'4"

Couldn't see the top of Shawn Kemp

Even George Carl was taller than me

We sang and were making our way to our seats when we got a message

We had been given another gig

in Burien

That started in an hour

The gig was for half an hour

We were expected to leave the game and go to this last minute gig

For $10 a person

Leave the game

Travel 40 minutes

Sing for 30 minutes

For $10

"They told us we could stay for the game!" I exclaimed

The other three looked concerned, worried

"We don't HAVE to go!"

They looked nervously at each other

"No. I'm not going"

Watching them shuffle off

I

Sighed

Shrugged

Bought a beer

and sat in tux and tails with top hat tucked under my seat

Enrapt

I cheered and clapped and whooped when the Rain Man

slammed home an alley-oop from The Glove

It was a once in a life time experience

Later that week I got called into the office

The manager of Dicken's Carolers was upset

The trio performed without me

I was NOT a team player

He continued dressing me down before asking bitingly

"Did you agree to be a full time employee?"

"Yes"

"Then that means," he leaned forward slowly punctuating each word "I OWN YOUR SOUL!"

For a moment I sat stunned

"No," I said standing

"No you don't!"

Later I heard through the grapevine that Greg Stone is difficult

That stung

But I wouldn't change a thing

If that makes me difficult

So be it

I can live with that

Sometimes saying "No" can be a tough decision

Other times

It is required

PHONE SERVICE

Back in the day
We didn't have cell phones
But as an actor you DID need to have a phone service
Kind of like a beeper thing
But without the beeper
I didn't have a permanent home in NY
Didn't have an answering machine
Got a phone service line
So, after an audition
You'd call your number about every 3 minutes to check
Did I get the callback?
Get the job?
For days

During business hours

Every three minutes
It was a little bit of torture
BUT
When you got the message with the job
It was euphoria

SUSAN

It was during an improv class

I started singing, "Fly Me To the Moon,"

Afterward someone came up to me

"You can sing?" She said

"Yeah,"

"You should be in choir"

"No, I don't think so"

"You should. What class do you have at 12:30?"
"I don't have class at 12:30"

"Come down"

"I dunno"

But I was convinced and showed up to watch the choir

They sounded pretty good

It looked pretty fun

but mostly there were pretty girls

Lots and lots of pretty girls

and 5 goofy guys

I joined choir the next day

I liked choir and did well

Susan took notice of me

I'm not sure when

Bob was the choir director

But one day Susan pulled me aside

Informing me that she was giving me vocal lessons

I didn't ask for voice lessons

I didn't audition for voice lessons

She just told me I was taking them and they'd be on scholarship

Just had to pay Betty (the accompanist) $10 a lesson

Figured that was a pretty good deal

So we started

At the beginning

The classic beginning

She taught me to sing properly

How to stay grounded

Sing with a loose jaw

Support from the diaphragm

She was kind and friendly

But serious

There was fun but no goofing off

I remember many of those songs fondly today

This was the back bone of my singing career

She took us to the opera

The one that goes to hell

Eurydice

Oh, it was so good

Dressed in my tux

I listened transfixed

The runs the tenor traversed

were like nothing I'd heard

It was exhilarating 

When the show was over I leapt to my feet

Shouting Bravo! Bravo!

Susan looked embarrassed

She waved with her hand for me to calm down

But I could see a smile at the corner of her lips

She had turned this wild young man into a fan of opera

She arranged for some students to audition for the Seattle Opera

I got a paid regular chorus member position

Not an easy feat for a young man who couldn't even buy a drink

After graduating Shoreline our voice lessons ceased

Probably could have kept going to her

But I was young and didn't know it

At the opera people were talking about their voice teachers

When I asked who was the best I was given a name and got an appointment to sing for her

To see if I would be accepted

She was very pricey

I sang

Thought it went well

She looked at me passively

"What do you want of me?"

I was confused

"I don't know any French songs"

She waved her hand dismissively

"I could teach you songs, yes, but you don't need me. Just sing as you are singing"

At that was that

Susan Dolacky had taught me what I needed to know

She gave me the foundation for a career in singing that lasted over thirty years

And it was fun learning in that small room

The three of us

Susan leaning over, instructing and correcting this teenage boy and Betty at the piano

Witch Melt

Lunch is called

Noah and I burst onto the Seattle streets dashing through pedestrians racing to the bank

Paychecks gripped tightly

we nervously wait in line

shifting foot to foot

till cash in hand

we slam it in our wallets and bolt back 

giddy with laughter and excitement

1994

The Wizard of Oz

The 5th Avenue Theatre

Ensemble

Turns out there wasn't much they could do with me

Not being a dancer and too tall for a munchkin

In the first act I sang "Ooooohs" offstage

Didn't care

I had a job and it paid

My only moment on stage was in The Merry Old Land of Oz

But when we got to blocking The Winkie part of the story

You know

Oh-Ee-Yah! Ee-Oh-Ah!

I thought, Now I get my chance

I could play a Winkie guard

Practically born to play the part

The director scanned the cast

"Okay, I need someone big and tall for this part," he muttered to his assistant

I made sure to pull my shoulders back and stand straight

He walked by slowly and paused in front of me

Placing his hand on my shoulder

"You," he said. "You'll do"

Yes!

"Apparently it costs something ridiculous for the hydraulics in this next part. Well, we just can't afford it soooooo," his voice lowered and he looked me in the eye

"I need you"
Yes!?

"I need you...to be the Witch Melt"

Confusion

He sighed, "I need you to crawl under the stage and when they throw the water on the witch!" (he imitated a throwing motion) "YOU will be under the stage unlocking and opening a hatch. Our witch, Mavis,(another flourish) will crawl onto your shoulders as you slowly sway back and forth while she screams and DISAPPEARS!"

He shouts to the cast

"So, I'm not going to be a Winkie then?"

"No, but you WILL be saving us $50,000 so I'd say it's a crucial part," he said with a chuckle

So, in my 5th Avenue debut

I sang in an off-stage mic

Performed in The Merry Old Land of Oz

and was the Witch Melt mechanism

BUT

a few things happened along the way that I'll never forget

One night I was invited to play cards after the show

It was late

I'd lost what little money I brought to the game

Character actor Michael Mulheren (The Cowardly Lion)

chewing on a cigar turned to me and said, "Kid. You're good looking. You can sing. Why not go to New York?"

I hadn't thought of such a thing 

Never entered my mind

New York?

"Really?" I asked but he just shrugged

Huh! New York 

Why...not...go...to New York?!

Next day during tech I found myself standing next to veteran actor Bob Fitch (Scarecrow) and told him about this new idea of going to The Big Apple

"Just make sure you get seen," he said. "I don't care if it's a cabaret or an off-broadway showcase or in someone's living room just FIND a way to get seen!"

He eyed me a moment then pulled a 50 cent piece from his pocket

It began to dance along his knuckles

Back and forth the coin moved before disappearing with a puff of breath

"and have a little trick in your pocket. Something that makes you memorable."

Bought a companion ticket with my buddy Coop to New York that week

Paid for by a check from the 5th Avenue

Though Winkie nor Witch Melt never made it to my resume 

I learned a thing or two doing that show

HENRY

We met waiting for the bus headed into NYC

Decamp 33 on Broad St

One block up from Holsteins where they filmed the last episode of The Sopranos

Across the street from Bob's

The place the real wise guys hung out

(Inside Bob's they sold The Post, Bus and Lottery tickets, The Daily News and coffee

There were always a couple of old guys just sitting there and a lady behind the counter

In the summer they'd sit out front one fella fiddling with a golf putter)

I met Henry across the street from there

He was an older gentleman

Once he was wearing a jacket that said Korea on it so I figured him for a vet

"Where do you work?" he asked

"I do theater."

"Oh," he said with a nod

He worked somewhere down in the financial district

It had a fancy name

Henry wasn't fancy though

He wore a button up and slacks but they were a little worn

His hair was cut tight and combed over with a little Brylcreem

He was clean shaven but usually missed a couple spots

Henry took a shine to me and every time we'd stand there waiting for the bus he'd strike up a conversation

I'd take off my earphones and put my book down inwardly sighing

Henry 

liked to talk

specifically to me

Henry was also hard of hearing

He'd lean in and ask me to repeat myself often

I had to enunciate clearly and speak up

Here's the thing about Henry

He was a guy from another generation

He often said things that were awkward

Slightly inappropriate

Nothing too crazy

More like something a guy might say in a movie from the 50's

"Look at the gams on that broad!"

"That fella needs to lose weight."

"That guy's long hair makes him look like a girl!"

He sort of skirted that edge

Sometimes people would chuckle

I was often a little embarrassed

"He probably likes it that way." I might say

"WHAT?"

"I think he likes it that way!!" 

"Huh." He might say with a shake of his head

After a couple of years he started showing up with a cane

He was a little thinner but he still loved to chat me up

I'd get on the bus skipping a few empty seats and settle somewhere in the middle

He'd amble back and sit next to me to talk

So, I started sitting closer to the front

We became bus buddies

Henry liked to tell jokes

Jokes that were sometimes funny and I'd laugh

Jokes that sometimes were a little off and I'd give a "Hmmm"

and jokes that were so out there I'd guffaw from the absurdity

He never talked about family and I pegged him for a bachelor

His limp got worse and we took to sitting in the front row

The bus driver definitely found Henry funny

I'd glance in the mirror to see responses of people behind us

But they just read the paper or looked out the window as the Meadowlands rushed by

I'd move back to a different seat if another elderly or disabled person got on

My reason being both polite and a self serving respite as well

Henry could be a bit much

But you couldn't help but like him

One year, to my surprise, he hobbled up the steep steps to my front door

"Ding Dong"

There he stood, cane stuck under his arm with a card extended

An anniversary card for Chelsea and I with 20 bucks stuffed inside

I don't know how he knew where we lived or when our anniversary was but I guess through all those conversations he'd learned them both

I watched him carefully make his way back down to an 80's Oldsmobile idling out front, slowly climb in and drive off

The gigs in NY ended and I spent some time on the road touring

Trips into Manhattan lessened

So I don't remember my last bus ride with Henry or what he said that day

And then, kind of suddenly, we moved

and it wasn't for some time till I realized

I didn't say good-bye

I wish I had

I wish I had a card with a Far side cartoon that would make him laugh or maybe say, "Huh."

I reached out to Joe (this other guy at the bus stop) hoping Joe could pass on a message or give me his address

Joe didn't know where he lived and hadn't seen Henry in over a year

This is a regret I carry

I still think about him

How he made me a little uncomfortable

How he engaged me into conversation

and how he became my friend

Motorcycle ride 1969

ESCAPE FROM DANGER ISLAND

It's the bottom of a small waterfall
Icy cold water splashes onto dark jagged rocks around me
Muffled shouts of dismay come from above
Pushing myself up from the sodden log which softened my fall
I squint skyward
Dirt crumbles down
Worried eyes peer over the edge
A look of relief washes over his face
"I'm alive," I say with a grin

ESCAPE FROM DANGER ISLAND

The bus bumps along a beaten dirt road deep into the woods
When we finally get there all the kids run off down the hill
I walk off a ways and find some bushes to take a whiz
After-which I amble to camp
Clueless that the very first thing one did at camp was sign up for classes
I was the last kid down the hill
Most of the coveted classes
Water skiing
Parasailing
and Pottery(for some reason) filled up
Quickly I scribble my name in Archery

and
The only other class left
was
for
Repelling
Wasn't sure what that was
Heard something about climbing rocks
Didn't much like the sound of it
Signed up all the same

It

started off nicely
Carefully climbing into canoes
We paddle across the water to an uninhabited island
It's early
The sun is out so we're warm when we hit the foreign shore
(dragging the boats up a ways) and hike into a dense dank forest
The ascent begins
In and up we press
Soon the sun is swallowed by clouds and heavy evergreen branches
Ferns and mossy rocks adorn a barely discernible path
The sweat on my arm takes a chill
Even though the climb is vigorous the forest is cold and damp
I begin to question this quest
Hiking to a giant rock face from which we are to repel
Over 100 feet
The thought fills me with dread
My spirits lift as we break into a sunlit field

But not for long

Because they come
Big, black and biting

ESCAPE FROM DANGER ISLAND

Horse flies
Nasty and ferocious
A buzz and a blur and bam
It's bitten right through your shirt and it hurts
We try to fight them off to no avail
The flies retreat as we re-enter  the cool dark tree canopy
The path though
is getting narrow

and more perilous

ESCAPE FROM DANGER ISLAND

Musky dense verdant air

fill our lungs

as we slink our way

sidling along a steep slope to our right

that disappears at a ledge

We wind along

When suddenly the girl in front of me

slips off the path

and slides down

dropping toward the edge of the ledge

At the last moment

she grabs a sapling

a few feet 

from empty air

and

stops

This is my moment

I've been waiting for it some time now

Somewhere deep inside

A voice has told me

whispered

That I am

going to be a super-hero

Though, I'm not sure what my power/powers will be?

Flying?

Time travel?

Shape Shifting into some water form?

I don't know

My powers have yet to manifest

But this is the time

Time for these superpowers to SHOW THEMSELVES

I leap after the girl

and

slip and fall

and slide just as she had

plummeting past her and her sapling

Just before the empty space is a fallen log

A log that I intend to use to stop my descent

My descent to...

Who knows where?

ESCAPE FROM DANGER ISLAND

I thrust my legs out

and kick at the log

which breaks

disappearing into space

I follow arms pinwheeling

(Turns out flying wasn't my hidden secret superpower)

downward I tumble

landing with a squishy thud on a spongy mass of detritus

unhurt

with jagged rocks and splashing ice-water around me

"I'm alive," I say with a grin

"Thank God," shouts the counselor

They can't get me back up

It's too high

The ledge too unstable

"There's a bridge a couple hundred yards up that a way," he points

"We'll meet up with you there"

They trudge off

I'm alone on Danger Island

"Uh Oh Chongo!" I say

and press on through the brush

Turns out cliff repelling wasn't half as scary as the journey

Isn't that often the way of it?

We went through safety protocols

Belay on blue?

On belay blue

We repelled

It was fun

We hiked and paddled back to camp as twilight touched the sky

Maybe that summer I didn't go

Parasailing

or

Water-Skiing

or

Make myself a vase?

(Still don't get the pottery popularity)

But how many kids can say

they 

Survived Danger Island?!!

Sting-Ray

My first sense of freedom
came from a hand-me down bike
A green dream machine

to glide along the sidewalk at heart-pounding speeds

The distances it could carry me were intoxicating

Seldom went a sunny day without being on my

Schwinn Sting-Ray

She was sweet

Banana seat had sparkles that glittered like tiny stars

We went on many adventures
Up and down the sidewalk
and occasionally all the way around the block

One year there was a bicycle forum
A course put on by the police
A safety seminar
with stickers given out upon completion

Ride through these lanes
swerve through those cones
and roll over a small ramp
At the end
was the hardest bit of all

A line painted on the pavement
indicated a spot
where
from a string on a pole
hung an apple

The challenge was to stop your bike on the line
stand on your pedals
balance

take a bite of the apple

and ride back off

WITHOUT putting your feet down

I'd spent everyday on Sting-Ray that summer and knew her well
Steadily I approached the last feat
The bane of every kid who'd gone before
None had succeeded
They'd all fallen over
or rode right past
I slowed
Spotted the apple
Stopped underneath
Balanced myself
Stood as tall as I could on the pedals
Took out a massive bite
and rode off
My Dad was so proud
I was the only kid who did it
The next week
for my birthday
My Dad bought me a new bike
A Mongoose
It was a glorious thing to behold
Chrome silver frame
Red alloy wheels
Small handle bars
and
hand brakes
but
I didn't want it
It was shiny and all
but it wasn't Sting-Ray
I didn't want to upset Dad
I could tell it was expensive and he was excited
So, I leaned Sting-Ray onto her kick-stand
and climbed up
"It's for BMX racing," he said grinning 'I've signed you up for a circuit."
The Mongoose felt hard
The handlebars were stubby
The pedals didn't brake when you stepped on them
They spun backwards!
"It's called freewheel. You'll get used to it."
Clumsily, I rode Mongoose down the sidewalk
"You'll get used to it. Use the handbrakes to stop!" he shouted
It was a very thoughtful gift
and a really nice bike even though I could hardly ride it
My Dad tucked Sting-Ray deep into the garage
Putting her away
I liked my new bike
It was a handsome futuristic contraption
But
How great could it be?
It didn't have a kick-stand
or
a seat that sparkled with stars

AUDIENCE PARTICIPATION

"Drink with me to days gone by
Can it be you fear to die?"
Sings
Grantaire (Jon Lutyens) as he ambles across the stage
Village Theatre
2013 (random matinee)
One of my favorite moments in the show
DRINK WITH ME
a respite
a song of reflection
bordering on maudlin
yet camaraderie prevails
real and intimate moments happen on stage
A lullaby of sorts
as the cast falls asleep on stage
For Valjean, it is an opportunity
to focus
grab a sip of water from the cup hidden in the barricade
or from a bottle handed by (Alison Standly) a revolutionary
relax
breathe
Bring Him Home
is coming
so
watch the cast settle in
take in the setting
take in the moment
Focus
do a vocal check
voice is fine today
take slow
deep breaths
place yourself there
France
in war
while aware
you are in a theater
with an audience in anticipation
The orchestra diminuendos
The last few notes emanate from the pit
find my mark
take a deep breath
And in that instance
That VERY instance
Prepared to sing my prayer to God
A withered yet surprisingly loud woman exclaims,
"Oh I HATE this song!"

Café Edison

I had just come off 2 plus years on the road
It was hard
Travel day was your only day off
A real grind
It was the best gig I ever had
Contract over
Head back to my empty house in NJ
Needing work
So, I called up the Producer who extended my last contract
He came out on tour after I was thrown into the lead as a stop-gap replacement
He was doubtful
I was pretty young to play the part
Grew a bushy beard
Learned some make-up tips
Did a little "old man schmacting" and BAM!
Kept the job
Till the contract ran out, and, a person you may have heard of (Colm Wilkinson) took over the role
Funny thing
He shadowed me several shows
Nice as can be
Heard, "I'm too feckin' old for this" in a brogue more than once
With Colm taking back over I was out of work
The producer, Peter, was involved with another show
This character was young
A Marine in Vietnam
Hesitantly he agreed to have lunch with me
at
The Café Edison
Walking in, well, it wasn't what I expected
Booths looked like they were out of the 60's
A menu was sort of stuck up on the wall behind the register
with those letters you can change around like on a church sign
But you can tell these menu items haven't changed
Maybe ever
High ceilings
Beautiful columns
Chandeliers and a neon Budweiser sign
The place was worn down
It looked like New York
Glamorous and disheveled
As we sit down Peter looks a little surprised
I was shorn clean for the first time in years
Pink cheeks a poppin'
Hair cut tight
Ran the 6.2 loop around the park
Daily
Not the same guy he knew several months ago
He suggests the Moza ball soup
Which was delicious
Tells me,
"More deals have been done in this place than anywhere in NY."
Looking around
It's eclectic
Odd for sure
But there was something
Even if you couldn't quite put your finger on it
There was energy all around
I get my audition
Got the role

THE UNFORTUNATE ADVENTURE OF BEAR AND THE FRUIT OF THE LOOMS

HOUSTON
2007
Whistle Down The Wind

It had been maybe 8 years since being on tour
It was fun getting to hang out with people
Make new friends after rehearsal
One of the things about being on tour
is most times you're in the same hotel
Feels a little bit like living in the dorms in college
This first stop on tour
We were in a nice hotel
Open atrium design
with trees in the middle
You could see the lobby and most the rooms from the hallway
Here's the thing
Sometimes
I sleepwalk
Not frequently
But enough that he has a name
Bear
Not a scary bear
Think, more like Winnie the Pooh
He can climb stairs
Do some mundane tasks
He might take a bite out of the cheddar cheese
or
Leave an open peanut butter jar on the counter
Bear is fond of peanut butter
Though not fully conscious Bear gets around fairly well
Especially if he knows his environment
It's happened since I was a kid
This first night in Houston
Bear rolls out of bed
Starts to wander
In this new hotel room
Instead of finding something yummy to eat
Bear finds himself
in a brightly lit hallway
Confused
Behind him he hears a loud
KTHUNK
The door has closed
He turns to open the door
But it won't open
He tries and tries and tries but it WON'T OPEN!
It's LOCKED
Bear takes this as his cue to dissipate
Disappear as it were
Whereupon I awaken
Standing under harsh lights in
TIGHTY WHITEYS
Locked out of my room
In the hallway of a fancy open atrium hotel
Actually, NOT so TIGHTY WHITEY but more like Droopy, Fruit of the Looms
SHIT
Looking around panicked I find USA TODAY at my feet
Pick it up and cover myself, looking right and left
Someone wearing a hotel uniform approaches
"Help" I whimper
It's probably good that Bear wears DROOPY LOOMYS
If he wore the t-shirt and no bottoms of Winnie the Pooh
Might have ended up in jail

JOURNEY

FT Atkinson, WI
Fireside Dinner Theatre
January 1st 1996
8am
Head splitting
Took a long pull of water
Climbed into my friends' Toyota Celica
Alone
Snow slowly falling
Peaceful
and pretty
but there were many miles to cover
Slammed the door
Started the engine and took off
WISCONSIN
Snow
MINNESOTA
Snow
NORTH DAKOTA
Snow
MONTANA
Snow flakes flying right at you
Then parting as the Celica hurled down the road at 80mph
It was somewhere in Montana that it became hypnotic
The background was black
with white spots swirling around
Couldn't sleep
Didn't want to
There was a picture of my black lab Lucy
Taped to the dash
She was sitting on the front porch
Waiting for me to come home
Well, I did stop the car and closed my eyes for three hours in Montana
The wind buffeted the car
It was cold
Really cold,
My buddy needed me to drive his car back
He left for a last minute concert opportunity
Sure, I said
But 20 plus hours in I was gripping the steering wheel
Hard
Pulled over to puke once
The constant thick blanket of white was mesmerizing
Hour after hour
Somewhere in Montana I began to feel dispirited
Why am I pursuing theatre?
Why am I in this distant tundra alone?
I was pondering quitting performing
A song comes on the CD player I'd never before heard

Just Wait

Blues Traveler

If ever you are feeling like you're tired
And all your uphill struggles leave you headed downhill
If you realize your wildest dreams can hurt you
And your appetite for pain has drinken it's fill

I ask of you a very simple question
Did you think for one minute that you are alone
And is your suffering a privilege you share only
Or did you think that everybody else feels completely at home

Just wait
Just wait
Just wait
And it will come

If you think I've given up on you you're crazy
And if you think I don't love you well then you're just wrong
In time you just might take to feeling better
Time is the beauty of the road being long

I know that now you feel no consolation
But maybe if I told you and informed you out loud
I say this without fear of hesitation
I can honestly tell you that you make me proud

Just wait
Just wait
Just wait
And it will come
Just wait
Just wait
Just wait
And it will come

If anything I might have just said has helped you
If anything I might have just said helped you just carry on
Your rise uphill may no longer seem a struggle
And your appetite for pain may all but be gone

I hope for you and cannot stop at hoping
Until that smile has once again returned to your face
There's no such thing as a failure who keeps trying
Coasting to the bottom is the only disgrace

Just wait
Just wait
Just wait
And it will come
Just wait
Just wait
Just wait
And it will come
Just wait
Just wait
Just wait
And it will come

It was a spiritual moment
I drove on, tears rolling down my face
I was aware I was in an altered state
Hours upon hours of staring at the same scenery
It felt like God was speaking to me
Directly
Onward I flew down the highway
IDAHO
Snow
I crossed into Washington ELATED
My home state
Then it stopped snowing and dense fog rolled in
Could hardly see 10 yards in front of the car
Went from 80mph to 30mph
and that was probably too fast
but when you've been doing 80plus for about 30 hours
It's a hard transition
Got up and over the Cascade Mountain range
The skies clear
Hit 60mph
and Seattle rush hour traffic
5MPH
Bout 12 miles from my Shoreline home
Took over an hour
All in all the trip took 36 hours
But
IT DID COME
A couple months later I booked a National Tour and my career began