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After a refreshing two days off in NYC, we packed up our belongings and returned to the Brooklyn Center for the Performing Arts in Brooklyn, NY. It was the first time in the tour that we had returned to a venue at which we had previously performed. Although our two performances in Brooklyn were for small, yet appreciative audiences, the shows were exceptionally tight and full of energy since everyone was rejuvenated from their time off in the city.
Immediately following our Brooklyn shows, we journeyed a short distance to Peekskill, NY. Located 41 miles north of New York City, Peekskill is situated on a bay on the east side of the Hudson River. This early American industrial and manufacturing center is now an artist colony, and is the birthplace of actors Mel Gibson, Paul Reubens and Stanley Tucci. It is also the location of the school that was featured in TV’s ‘The Facts of Life’. L. Frank Baum, the author of ‘The Wizard of Oz’, attended military academy in Peekskill, and it is believed that the yellow brick road in Peekskill provided inspiration for the same element in Baum’s ‘Oz’.
We performed two packed shows at Peekskill’s Paramount Center for the Arts. This two-tier, 1024-seat theatre originally was built in the 1930s as a movie theatre, and recently has been renovated. The theatre continues to show movies in addition to plays and other musical performances. Even though my sinus infection was still lingering, I was feeling physically stronger and better, and created two great performances that day in Peekskill.
Next stop – the TriBeCa Performing Arts Center in New York, NY. Until the next adventure…
Ciao!
XOXO-
Janine
After a long, grueling week of twelve performances, everyone was exhausted and ready for a little break. We were excited to have two days off in New York City to relax and recharge.
I love New York City – the energy, the people, the attractions. Having two days off in the city was just what my mind and body needed after almost four weeks on the road. In the spirit of the NYC-based Letterman show, I have composed a top ten list of some of the best things that I did during my two days off in the Big Apple:
- On one day, I walked almost 100+ blocks. Since our hotel did not have a fitness center, I had to get my exercise in somehow - might as well get some exercise and take in the sights of the city.
- I visited a drama book store and bought ten plays. There is no better place than New York to pick up the latest and newest dramatic works.
- I enjoyed a lovely walk from our hotel, located conveniently near Times Square, to Lincoln Center, where I met my castmate Jimmy, and bought a ticket to ‘Sleeping Beauty’ at the NYC Ballet. From Lincoln Center, we then perambulated through Central Park to the Upper East Side. There is nothing better than having good company and good conversation during a leisurely stroll.
- I spent an entire afternoon at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, taking in Egyptian and Asian antiquities, admiring paintings and ornate furniture, and absorbing the art in the American Wing.
- I spent one afternoon walking through the Fashion District to Herald Square and then to the West Village. Walking past the assorted fabric and trim stores and the Parsons School of Design reminded me of one of my favorite TV shows, Project Runway.
- I saw the musical ‘Next to Normal’, which overall, I thought was good. The performance that I had hoped to like the most, I actually liked the least; however, I was pleasantly amazed by two other actors in the show. And to top it all off, my ticket, which was orchestra seating (with a few sightline issues), was only $40.
- I saw Yasmina Reza’s ‘God of Carnage’, which I thought was excellent. I had originally tried to get a ticket to ‘A View from the Bridge’ with Liev Schreiber and Scarlet Johansson. When I discovered that the only tickets remaining for this show were standing room only, I scurried to the Jacobs Theatre, where I scored a great fourth row center seat to ‘God of Carnage’. I laughed so much during this 90-minute, intermission-less comedy that my sides hurt and tears spilled down my cheeks. The cast of Christine Lahti, Annie Potts, Jimmy Smits and Ken Stott was superb and I got to meet 3 out of 4 of the actors after the show (check out my picture with Annie Potts!)
- I ate a great and surprisingly cheap meal at Dallas BBQ at Times Square. Who can complain about a filling, delicious meal that costs less than $10?
- I ate one of the most delicious pieces of cheesecake that I have ever eaten at a restaurant called Junior’s, that is located right next to the Booth Theatre where ‘Next to Normal’ is playing. Their Chocolate Mousse Cheesecake is to die for!
- I reinvigorated my soul, spirit, mind, body and creativity. Nothing like a couple of days off doing things that you love to recharge your batteries.
Next stops – the Brooklyn Center for the Performing Arts in Brooklyn, NY, and the Paramount Center for the Arts in Peekskill, NY. Until the next adventure…
Ciao!
XOXO-
Janine
Sorry, blog readers, for the span of time that has lapsed since my last post. My internet access for the past two weeks has been sporadic, and I have also had an extremely jam-packed schedule, filled with my great performances and experiences.
Now back to my adventures…
We departed from the prestigious Paper Mill Playhouse and ventured onward to Storrs, CT. Named in 2005 as “America’s Best Place to Avoid Death due to Natural Disaster”, the city of Storrs, CT, is dominated both economically and demographically by the University of Connecticut. Notable residents of Storrs include author Wally Lamb and Samuel Pickering, a professor at the University of Connecticut who inspired Robin Williams’ Mr. Keating character from the movie ‘Dead Poets Society’.
I have enjoyed both of our Connecticut visits (Hartford and Storrs) so far on the tour. All of the cities are picturesque and look like they should belong in a storybook or fairytale. And yes, the temperatures are cold…very, very cold. But that is what long underwear and down jackets are made for, isn’t it?
Our performance venue in Storrs was at the Jorgensen Center at the University of Connecticut, where temperatures were freezing both outside and inside the theatre. Although this theatre has the capacity to seat 2630 people, our audiences were probably in the range of 1200-1500 people. Rather than performing on the actual stage in this space, we performed on a smaller raised platform that was placed in front of the stage. The dressing rooms in this theatre were so chilly that many of us put on our costumes quickly, trying to expose the least amount of skin possible, and then layered our down jackets over our costumes for added warmth. Quite a sight to see!
Our Storrs’ performances went well, but not without two major hiccups. In our first performance, the cardboard canister that anchors our pasta noodles popped over the set and was visible to the audience, with a huge FedEx label in plain sight. It was funny to follow the audience’s eyes as this occurred. In our second performance, two castmates missed an entrance (due to a backstage injury), and a costume and set change went horribly awry as a result. Of course, in theatre, “the show must go on”, as the old adage says, and we managed to maneuver our way around both situations with minimal detection by the audience.
Next stop – New York City, NY, for a couple of days off. Until the next adventure…
Ciao!
XOXO-
Janine
With stars in our eyes and our feet on cloud nine, we floated back to the Garden State, to Millburn, NJ. Ahh, New Jersey…while I do not enjoy many aspects of this state, I will concede that several nice things have come from here, including Frank Sinatra, Bon Jovi, Bruce Springsteen, and most importantly, the über-talented and dreamy Zach Braff of ‘Scrubs’ fame…mmm.
Millburn, NJ, is a 9.9 square mile township with a population of around 19,000. Because of its close proximity to Manhattan, Millburn is becoming a quickly growing community among young professionals. The township recently celebrated its sesquicentennial (150 years) in 2007. Notable residents of Millburn include actors John C. McGinley (also of ‘Scrubs’ fame) and Anne Hathaway, and stylist Rachel Zoe. Downtown Millburn is very idyllic and has many tasty eateries.
Millburn is home to the prestigious 1200-seat Paper Mill Playhouse, the state theatre of New Jersey and residence of the New Jersey Ballet. The Playhouse is one of the most acclaimed not-for-profit professional theatres in the US, attracting close to 300,000 people annually. With its great location (nestled in the woods along the Rahway River), as well as its focus on producing large scale shows, the theatre is like a Broadway Theatre thirty minutes from Broadway. Originally a paper mill until 1928, the Paper Mill Playhouse was one of the first theatres to begin the regional theatre movement in the United States. As we toured the theatre’s lobby filled with pictures from past shows, we were inspired to know that we would be performing on the same stage that had been graced by many stars, such as Betty Buckley, Barbra Streisand, Christine Ebersole, Kristen Chenoweth, Ann Miller, Bernadette Peters and a young Anne Hathaway.
We performed two great shows to sold-out audiences at the Paper Mill Playhouse. Our composer, Aron Accurso, attended one of our performances, and we were all happy to see him again after working with him last year in Berkeley. Aron is an extremely talented composer, conductor, lyricist and Broadway pianist, and I guarantee that you will be hearing his name one of these days at a future Tony awards ceremony.
Next stop – the Jorgensen Center at the University of Connecticut in Storrs, CT. Until the next adventure…
Ciao!
XOXO-
Janine
After a lovely five nights and four days in Westhampton Beach, we hit the road again. We were bound for snowy Hartford, the capital of Connecticut and also the second largest city in the state, with a population of 125,000 (the largest city being Bridgeport). Located on the Connecticut River, Hartford is almost 400 years old and is among the oldest cities in US. It is the home of the nation’s oldest public art museum (the Wadsworth Atheneum) and oldest public park (Bushnell Park). It is also the home of Trinity College and was where the TV show ‘Judging Amy’ was based. Hartford is nicknamed “The Insurance Capital of the World” as it houses the headquarters of many of the world’s insurance companies, and insurance is a major industry of the region. Famous residents of Hartford have included Mark Twain, Harriet Beecher Stowe, Sophie Tucker, Charles Nelson Reilly and Katharine Hepburn.
Our performance venue in Hartford, CT, was located in the Bushnell Center for the Performing Arts. Constructed in the 1930s, by the same architects who designed New York City’s Radio City Music Hall, the building features a Georgian Revival exterior and exquisite Art Deco interior. The center houses two theatres: the 2800-seat Mortensen Hall and the 908-seat Belding Theatre, where we performed. The Belding Theatre has a gorgeous decorative painted ceiling, and generously uses wood, rich colors and textures. No seat is more than 75-feet from the stage.
The most unique aspect of our performing experience at the Bushnell was the fact that the National Tour of ‘The Lion King’ was performing there at the same time, in the adjacent theatre! Check out the picture of our smaller trailer next to their trailer in the loading dock. While we loaded in our set, the music of their opening number wafted through the air. We got to see many of the puppets and costumes up close, and even had the opportunity to chat with many of their actors and crew. Not only were our backstage areas adjacent, but so were our dressing rooms. One of our performances occurred simultaneously with their matinee show. It was funny to see ‘Rafiki’ in full make-up, talking on her cell phone in the stairwell, as we walked to places. We giggled with excitement as we saw many characters in various states of dress (including naked!) and smiled as we heard their show on our dressing room monitors. Some of their cast was just as excited to see us as we were to see them, and peeked their heads into our theatre to catch a glimpse of our show. Such a surreal experience!
And to top off our 'Lion King' bliss-induced euphoria…we had an opening act for our show – JuggleJoy - two friendly, magical, and yes, juggling clowns. We are definitely moving on up in the world, blog reader.
Ciao!
XOXO-
Janine
From the bitterly cold temperatures of Lebanon, NH, we voyaged back to The Empire State, to Westhampton Beach, NY. Located on the south shore of Long Island, Westhampton Beach is part of the town of Southhampton, and is one of the fastest growing communities on Eastern Long Island. It is considered to be the “First Hampton” in that it was the first village in the Hamptons to begin renting out rooms.
Westhampton Beach is a popular seaside resort and one of the historical summer colonies of the American Northeast. During the summer, I imagine that this coastal village is probably very busy; however, during the dead of winter, it is absolutely barren, with many closed businesses and nary a person in sight. I was surprised that all of our performances were packed when I hardly saw any people on the streets. On one day in our Hampton stay, the weather was so inclement with torrential winds and rain that the emergency alarm system sounded.
Over the course of three days, we performed six full shows at the intimate Westhampton Beach Performing Arts Center. This 425-seat theatre was extremely cute, complete with its own Susan Lucci Dressing Room. It seems that Ms. Lucci, who is a resident of the Hamptons, was also a major donor to this theatre in her pre-Emmy days.
Despite its cuteness, the Westhampton Beach Performing Arts Center had absolutely no wing space and the stage space was small, making all stage traffic and set changes precarious. We were reminded of our days at OCPAC during the first leg of the tour, with its small elevated playing area and minimal wing space.
I finally got antibiotics for my sinus/ear infection and am slowly starting to recover my strength and spirit. Although I am getting used to not being able to breathe, smell or taste food, nothing is more disconcerting than not being able to hear. Imagine performing a musical for six shows while being completely deaf in your left ear and partially deaf in your right ear – AAAGGGHHH!
Next stop – the Bushnell Center in Hartford, CT. Until the next adventure…
Ciao!
XOXO-
Janine
The next city in our ‘Strega Nona’ adventure was Lebanon, NH. Nestled in the Connecticut River Valley in Western New Hampshire, Lebanon has a population of 12,640 and is the home of Dartmouth Medical School. Lebanon is a cute, picturesque New England community, complete with colder New England temperatures and plenty of snow.
Over a period of two days, we performed three shows at the Lebanon Opera House. The Lebanon Opera House is a two-tier, 803-seat venue with a slightly raked stage. Performing on a raked stage with a rolling set is definitely an interesting and exciting experience. Throughout all of our shows, we had to keep an eye of the set, in case it started to roll or move downstage. At one point in our first show, I almost got hit by a runaway trunk following a set change.
During our shows, we also kept an eye on the audience, hopeful that Tomie DePaola, the author of ‘Strega Nona’, would be there. We had been told that there was a possibility that Mr. DePaola might attend one of our New Hampshire shows, as he is a resident of New London, New Hampshire. Unfortunately, he did not attend, but all three of our performances in Lebanon still went well despite my lingering cold, which I fear has now developed into a sinus and/or ear infection.
On our final evening at our hotel, the lovely Courtyard Marriott, our bartender Josephine told us that the hotel had been visited by the Extreme Makeover TV Show and Barack Obama in his pre-presidential days. As I enjoyed a warm bowl of soup and hot cup of tea at the bar, I watched the Hope for Haiti telethon for the victims of the massive Haiti earthquake and felt extremely grateful and appreciative to be where I am in my life. Every time that I am feeling sorry for myself, I remind myself of those in far worse conditions than I am, and remember just how fortunate and blessed I am.
Next stop – the Westhampton Beach Performing Arts Center in Westhampton Beach, NY. Until the next adventure…
Ciao!
XOXO-
Janine
