Alabama Redemption

We finished our time in Louisiana with more crawfish, lots of fried oysters and, in Shreveport, a vampire search (some of you may understand this reference; suffice it to say, our True Blood fans Alaina and Claire were thrilled to be in the "motherland" when the tenth book came out). Shreveport also brought us an exceptional crew, full of great IATSE characters who were particularly happy to see a pro-union show treading their boards. The lighting guy actually held up a raise "solidarity fist" during "Loretta's Anthem." We lunched, drove to Meridian, MS, played two show, slept in a cramped Microtel and the headed off to the portion of the tour I dreaded most: Alabama.

'Bama and I don't have a very good history. My last visit to the state involved an unfortunate stop in Talladega, which is a place I would prefer never to revisit. Anybody who needs a refresher can read this entry. Meeting my friend Stephen on A Christmas Carol last year helped break down some concepts, but when I announced my arrival in Montgomery, AL to the world of Facebook and the response was "hide," I figured something was up. Worse? We had four days off, and THEN a show. What on earth were we to do?

Plenty, it turned out.

First, we should not forget that Montgomery is the home of Martin Luther King Jr's Dexter Avenue Church, the site of the Rosa Parks-started bus boycott, the birthplace of Hank Williams, the headquarters of the Southern Poverty Law Center and the base of the Alabama Shakespeare Festival. That's sorta a lot, if you are into that sorta thing. And I am. Grace and Claire accompanied me to check out Hank William's museum, where we indulged our love of honky-tonk, and realized that his music is clearly lost on our generation (the next youngest person was at least twice my age.) Feeling countrified, we strolled the deserted weekend streets and then headed for some Shakespeare. Which is located in a place that looks like this:



A downright cultured first day.

Sunday, Mother's Day, brought a trip to Waffle House (where there was a wait!!) and then a visit to the Montgomery Museum of Art. I guess mom's everywhere love waffles and Edward Hopper.

My big trip, however, came on Monday. My day. In search of some civil rights education, I decided to take the bus (!) to the Southern Poverty Law Center and Rosa Parks Museum, curious to see what was going on. The Southern Poverty Law Center has always been in my psyche, as my dad is a long-time donor, and their materials have always been either available or discussed at home. And their Civil Rights Memorial and Museum did not disappoint. The museum in particular is sort-of the perfect mix of memorial interpretation and explanation of the SPLC's mission. Plus, it's short, interactive and heavily reliant on multimedia, which makes it very manageable for school groups and individual visitors alike. I "nerd-ed on" for a while:




Rosa Parks's Museum is similarly well-done, recreating the event through media, sound clips and a nice array of historical documents. My trip there was cut short, however, with a report that the Technical Director for our venue had invited us to a BBQ at his place that evening. WHAT??? This is the stuff of Theatreworks legend, and, in four tours, it had never happened before. Anyway, Adam welcomed us with open arms, burgers, brats and beers, and we spent the evening in his house, playing Rock Band and getting to know each other. As it always does, being in a house after months of hotel rooms was such a relief:




The Southern Hospitality did not end there, however. Post-show the next day, Adam and Josh (another staff member) took us out to lunch. Another first. Clearly, one of the best days of our tour. We were all quite sad to head off for Dothan.

If this redemptive experience in Alabama has taught me anything, it is that, regardless of sites and "culture" (which were great, really!), the people really make or break my view of wherever we go. Theater people the world over seem to "get" each other, and my experience in Alabama proved that our shared experience, plus some true hospitality, can make what should be a rough town into a great place to visit. 'Bama, I'll be back.

Call tomorrow: 7:40, Super 8 in Dothan, AL. Let the Southern good times roll!

Kid Quote of the Day: One kid seemed to doubt the authenticity of my performance. After my first scene with Jenny, one little girl called out to me: "You’re not a real granddad." Thanks, kid.

Colleen Tractor Quote of the Day: "Ethan Marc Angelica!! If you can remember the show after three days off, I'm sure you can remember to put your tractor away!"

P.S. Montgomery did have one fault, however. Here was the marquee on our venue:



We're hoping that Billy, Kevin and Brad (the writers of our fair show) can script this one for us. We're thinking something slightly Brechtian?

Cajun Cows

We arrived in Lafayette, LA after an epic drive across the northern part of Florida, southern Mississippi and Alabama, and a good chunk of Louisiana. Crossing over the bayous provided for a lovely view of town, but, by the time we arrived in Lafayette, the tummies were a-rumblin'. Being the foodie cast we are, it naturally occurred to us that the appropriate food option for the evening would be local fare: Cajun! Sunday in Lafayette affords limited options, but the very Cajun attendant of the front desk at our La Quinta offered a solution, a place that included live zydeco and dancing. What followed was easily one of the better nights on this tour:




Alaina samples her first taste of 'gator




Crawfish étouffée

Colleen gobbles down the world's best bread pudding


In case you couldn't tell, this is an alligator statue

Call tomorrow: 7:30, La Quinta parking lot. Time to entertain the kiddies once again.

Kid Quote of the Day: When the cows start to learn how to type on the laptop, a little boy turned to Alaina (who, this time, was exposed in the house) and told her, "You know, those cows are gonna break that computer."

Colleen Tractor Quote of the Day: "Ethan Marc Angelica!! I believe one of the Ten Commandments is to honor thy father and mother, and you can start by putting your tractor away!!"

West Palm Beach

After a rather-uneventful, although very muggy, trip through parts of central Florida (stops included Ft Lauderdale, Avon Park and Ocala), Theatreworks placed us in West Palm Beach for three days, with a “sit-down,” of sorts. One of them was a day off. Clearly, this was a major blow to cast morale. In fact, it was so demoralizing that Aaron and Colleen flew their significant others (wife and fiancé, respectively) in from NYC to help them cope. For the rest of us, well, it was just sheer misery. What is there to do in West Palm Beach, besides…

Stay at an unfortunate hotel in the middle of nowhere,



(Photo Credit: Hyatt.com)
Where we do nothing but sit inside the hotel room,


Completely sober.


Nearby, there was no nightlife at all.



Oh, and the venue was just a boring shack.


Sometimes, touring is the pits.

(P.S. Sadly, our time in Florida didn’t end quite as delightfully as it started. On our last day in West Palm Beach, our fair Proud Mary (also known as “the Passenger Van”) refused to drive in the morning, and had to be towed to a Sprinter dealership. After six hours of work, she was ready to roll. Then, the following day, our La Quinta in Tallahassee refused to honor our reservation, sending us an hour out of our way to find available lodging. Needless to say, it was a bit of a relief to get to Louisiana.)

Call tomorrow: 9am, Country Inn and Suites, Marianna, FL. Onward to Louisiana!

Kid Quote of the Day: At one point during their confrontation, my chicken calls the cows “scaredy-cows.” One little girl didn’t appreciate that, and decided to tell me so. In the clear, she bellowed, “It’s called a scaredy-cat!”

Colleen Tractor Quote of the Day: “Ethan Marc Angelica!! It’s Sunday, we didn’t go to church and you didn’t put your tractor away. Therefore, you’re going to hell!”

Duck, Duck, New Duck!!

(For a show about cows, there has certainly been a lot of Duck talk in this blog).

Ladies and Gentlemen, introducing our newest cast member, and Duck. Meet Kristen:



After just over a week of five-person shows (which we were performing very well by the end), Kristen swooped in to join us on April 19, while we were performing in Coral Springs, FL. We had just finished the first third of our second show when a strange figure appeared, laden with bags and suitcases, at the stage door. Turned out, Kristen had been flown into Fort Lauderdale and taken a taxi all the way to join us, as nobody from the show could really leave in the middle of a performance. He watched from the winds (script in hand), and we all made friends afterward. A big "new family" lunch ensued at a Panera nearby, and then it was off to our La Quinta for rehearsal.

Now, here's the thing: Kristen is good. Like, really good. So good that he walked into the rehearsal with new choices, strong convictions and a seriously-funny new Duck already formed. On top of that, he had his lines completely memorized, and blocking (and choreography) perfected. It was totally incredible. Our rehearsal (all one and a half hours of it) might as well have been a performance. And good thing, too. Because Kristen was going in on Wednesday.

After a travel day and a quickie rehearsal the night before, Kristen's debut performance arrived. We loaded in at our venue (a school with a disgustingly-beautiful theater space), warmed up, ran through some of Kristen's big numbers, and then started. And it was great! Kristen's Duck brings a level of sass and class to the role that is new and exciting. And his lisping chicken is still making me giggle. (He also plays well onstage, so there are some added moments in that scene which are just a ton of fun.) Alaina had mentioned afterward to our venue manager that we had added a new cast member to the show today. His response: "Which one?" Really, it was that seamless.

Now comes the part that I'm very interested in. Casts are interesting social beings, very much alive and always changing in little ways. With a brand new personality, the dynamics are starting to shift. Thankfully (and we have been so lucky!), Kristen is a wonderful, charming, funny and smart guy, and is fitting into our mellow groove very nicely. However, the amateur sociologist in me will be intrigued to see how our group changes as we get to know him better. I have every confidence that it will be for good. Mostly, though, I am glad that, as Grace has said numerous times, "our little family is complete again." It really feels that way.

Call tomorrow: 7:30am, La Quinta in Miami. We're returning to the Beth Am Day School, where I had my car accident on Max and Ruby I. And I'm slated to drive. REDEMPTION IS MINE!!

Kid Quote of the Day: Shortly after Loretta hid inside her pizza box to eat her pizza, a little boy angrily shouted at the stage... well, I'll let Aaron explain:



Colleen Tractor Quote of the Day: "Ethan Marc Angelica!! We have a guest today, and I expect you to make a good impression by putting your tractor away!"

Disney World

Orlando seems to be a favorite Theatreworks/USA destination. It appears that the children of the surrounding areas require much in the way of theatrical exposure, and we are happy to oblige. Our venue, it turned out, was in Tampa, but it was immediately preceded by a precious day off. Jenn, our hotel booker, was kind enough to place us in a lovely La Quinta right up the road from Disney. Alaina and I both flipped when we realized this. Immediately, the planning began. We were going to Disney World!!

Now, as happened with Max & Ruby I, the opportunity to go to Disney inspired everyone’s excitement. But, as we got closer and closer to our Orlando arrival date, people started dropping like flies. For some, it was financial. For others, sentimental. At the end of the day, however, Alaina, Claire and I stood strong. Alaina, a true Disney expert/fanatic, had a schedule and plan to hit all of her must-visit rides; Claire was tagging along on her plan; I was in it for Epcot and Animal Kingdom, where my good friend Dave works. The night before, he and I had coffee at Universal Studios (his other gig), where he updated me on his exciting new life in Orlando, showed some pictures his adorable baby girl, gave me the run-down for my plan of attack at Disney and, to my utter shock, handed me a free ticket to the park. Thanks, Dave!! It was wonderful to see you:



Back at the hotel, Alaina and Claire had a surprise for me. They had gone shopping for some “uniforms” with which to go park hopping, and had picked up a little something for me. If only they had known the perfection of their choice:



You see, Goofy is my favorite. Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Pluto… they’re all fine. But Goofy has always held a special place on my heart. I had one of those Goofy hats with the ears and buckteeth when I was little, and I wore it until all the pieces fell off. One of the greater disappointments of my theatrical life thusfar was being told that I am a quarter-inch too short to play “Santa Goofy” at the NYC Disney Store, despite qualifying with all of the other “actor-ly” stuff. So, needless to say, I was thrilled, and ready to go.

The next morning, the trio assembled in the breakfast room for a hearty meal and some planning. We shuttled to the parks in our hotel’s complimentary vehicle and then headed for the Magic Kingdom for a beginning-of-the-day trip on Space Mountain. Alaina was so excited that she ran:



After fun ride through Disney’s version of space, I bid farewell to the ladies and made my way to Animal Kingdom. Following Dave’s advice, the trip began a trip through the African “forest preserve” walking area, where my zoo-brain perked up as I listened to presenters giving animal facts over a loud speaker (remember, it’s a theme park, not a zoo, so they don’t do placards) and surreptitiously watched a few of the educators doing interactive interpretation with some kids. As a fellow practitioner of zoo-based education, I was beyond-impressed by the set up, and the quality of the educators. I picked up some tips, ate my stolen-from-breakfast apple, and got in line for the safari.

Now, this safari ride is somewhat incredible. Disney has essentially created an open-air zoo environment where the animals roam freely and the visitors are trucked through to catch a glimpse. It truly feels like you are in the wilds of Africa. And, as somebody who knows a little bit about the requirements surrounding space and care of zoo animals than the average visitor, I was floored. At the Bronx Zoo, we have two crocodiles, which everybody thinks are impressive, but fake. At Disney? They have about two dozen. Want to see a hippo? How about seven? Giraffes? I counted nine. Beyond my interest in animals, the sheer facilities and upkeep required for this kind of park absolutely blew my mind. It is astounding what money can do:





After lunch with the ladies, and a visit to the Finding Nemo musical (which is a spectacular undertaking – six times a day!), I headed to Epcot, my favorite of the Disney parks. The three of us were planning to meet up and do the major stuff together a little later (Alaina and Claire had to hit the rides at Hollywood Studios first). I strolled along, looked and the flowers, enjoyed the space-aged plants growing in humid air, got a snack and plotted my attack. Alaina and Claire arrived, looking a little tired, and we started. Spaceship Earth, Mission: Space, Test Track and then a trip to the nations of the world, where Moroccan food provided us with a tasty dinner (and Claire, a near-native French speaker, chatted up the servers). It was getting late, and, while the ladies grabbed gelato in Italy, I split away from the group. My day had been wonderful and exciting, but there was one more thing I had to do:




Three sleepy people, we dozed in our shuttle back to the hotel, said our goodbyes and headed to our respective rooms. It was truly a day to remember.



(photo by Alaina)

Call tomorrow: 9:30am, La Quinta, Orlando. Off to Tampa for another 5-person show. We’re getting pretty good at this!

Down a Duck… for good

Big news, world! Shaun has unexpectedly left the tour. We had a little “going away party” the night before his departure in our Albany, GA, hotel room, where we all had more than a few drinks, quite a few laughs and everyone shed a couple tears. Shaun’s a great guy and a very talented actor, and we will all miss him a lot.

With Shaun gone, Theatreworks went looking for a new Duck. The usual suspects were still unavailable, so audition notices went out. We knew things were serious when we spotted postings on ActorsAccess, Backstage and Equity’s Casting Call. However, while Theatreworks put out the legwork in New York to get us a new cast member, we were working equally hard to retool the show around a five-person cast.

We’ve had some experience with the five-person show, as posts found here and here will detail for you. However, with the arrival date of our new Duck somewhat in the air, our preparations became more extensive. Remember that “fall chart” I wrote about way back in February? Well, Aaron was back on deck as the Duck, only this time in the full role. He had to learn the “Chicken #1” part of the Duck track, which, while not rocket science, has a few specific “cluck-ography” moments. It also gave us the opportunity for a nice photo-op:



And then there was the matter of “Down,” the Duck’s big number. The role requires some funky moves, highly-choreographed and stylized, and Alaina was right there to help. Watching her teach Aaron the choreography was one of the greatest moments of the tour for me thus far, both because of Aaron’s new-found dance skills, and Alaina’s surprising ability to “get down.”

With Aaron all set, attention turned to the other two cows. “Loretta’s Anthem” was the main cause of concern, especially since all three cows are present for the song, and each sings a pretty significant chunk. The last time we lost a cow, Claire picked up the whole song, but this time, things were different. Alaina, tossing on her director’s cap for a moment, found an ingenious way to split the song up so that Claire was able to stay in one key (she had been switching between “boy” and “girl” keys, which is extremely hard to do) and Grace could maintain the ambivalence of her character. After a few minutes of script work, a quick run through of the full cast “Boiled Chickens” number and a deep breath, we had ourselves a show. And a good one too!

So far, audiences seem to respond very well to our cut-down version, but, from the stage, it does feel a big foreign. Aaron and I have discussed how the ephemeral nature of live theatre makes it so that the show you see is a moment in time that will never be replicated. Once it is finished, it is no longer in the world, and that is what makes it so exciting. Likewise, the “show” of Click Clack Moo that I know, and have been performing for the last few months, is no longer. Sure, the lines, songs and (many of the) jokes will all be the same, but the little nuances, the way each actor interacts with the other onstage, those “inside jokes” that only the cast knows about are completely shaken when someone is removed. Actors often talk about the sense of “post-partum depression” they have at the close of a show, and I am certainly feeling a little of that for our production. I know Theatreworks and their casting abilities, so I have no doubt that the new Duck will be incredibly talented and will bring a grand vitality to the show (which, nearly four months in, we all could certainly use), but I am taking a moment to reflect on the end of one chapter of our Click Clack Moo tale. It has been wonderful, and I have no doubt that the next one will be too. So, Theatreworks, get us a good Duck!

Call tomorrow: 7:30am, Quality Inn, Niceville, FL. We’re in Florida for a day, back to Georgia for another one, and then we begin the long-awaited “Florida loop.”

Kid Quote of the Day: When the cows side with Jenny and march back into the barn, they give a collective “moo.” One little boy observed, “That’s all they [the cows] say!”

Colleen Tractor Quote of the Day: “Ethan Marc Angelica!! When we get to Orlando, we’re not going to Disney World unless you put away your tractor.”

Duck for a Day

It had been a lovely two days of performances in Greenville, SC. Our venue was large and beautiful, the downtown area provided charming lunches and daily diversions, and we were all getting more sleep than we've seen in weeks.

Yet, all was not entirely well on the farm.

For reasons I am not at liberty to disclose (positive ones, though), our fair Shaun was called back to New York City for an important activity. Now we've done the show once before with Aaron filling in as Duck (for those new to the blog, check out this entry), but our venue in Greenville was of particular importance and, as this absence came with some warning, Theatreworks decided to send us a new Duck. For a day.

Now, a replacement is a strange beast in the world of Theatreworks. It is much easier just to grab somebody who's done the part before, give them a quick brush-up and send them out (witness me in Max and Ruby II). However, Click Clack Moo is so new to the Theatreworks repertoire that they're somewhat short on Ducks. And, with the only two other people who know the role out on other gigs, it was time to call in the reinforcements: Josh Isaacs, a friend of mine from college, and Farmer Brown in the Fall 2009 tour.

Josh is a great guy: funny, smart, talkative and very talented. I was eagerly awaiting his arrival for selfish reasons as well: it was been a few years since I had seen him, and I was eager to catch up a little. And I knew he'd bring an nice energy to the cast. Which he did, within the first few hours. After Collen woke me from a mid-afternoon nap with a water gun spray to the face, I knew it was "on." Click Clack Moo 2010 Water Balloon fight commenced immediately in the parking lot of our La Quinta:





After dinner, and a good night's sleep, it was time to rehearse. Josh is a true pro, and came in ready with great choices, an extremely strong knowledge of the show and a sense of fun that made the experience new and different for everyone. By this time in the tour, we've all become a little set-in-our-ways, and it was nice to have someone come in and shake us up a little. Josh's Duck seemed a little Mick Jagger-ish at times, which is a major change from Shaun's. Our first show went very smoothly (a few glitches, but none noticeable to anybody but the cast), but by show number two, we were flyin'. We lunched together, headed back to the hotel and said our goodbyes to Josh, who was headed back to New York that day. It was a whirlwind of a day for all of us.

That evening, I headed off to the airport to pick Shaun up. While it was fun to have a new energy onstage for a day, and I loved spending some time with Josh, I felt very relieved when he jumped into the passenger seat of our Sprinter. One of the interesting things about a Theatreworks tour is that we truly become a "family" of sorts, and changing even one person does alter the dynamic. I am very proud to say that this cast has gelled extraordinarily well, which makes everything (even the most challenging days) great fun. And, with Shaun back, the "family" felt complete again. Which certainly makes me a very happy touring actor.



Call tomorrow: 8:10am, Greenville, SC. Last day of shows during this sit-down.

Kid Quote of the Day: What do you call a granddad without a granddaughter? One kid had the answer: "A meanie!"

Colleen Tractor Quote of the Day: (Remember, this is a sit-down, where we leave the set up for a few days) "Ethan Marc Angelica!! This is a very big day. Put your tractor BACK!!"