Tony Award Party

Some of the DOLLY! gals led by Brooke Shapiro who plays Ermengarde opened their group house for our company to watch the Tony Awards tonight. Brooke created this graphic so that we could walk the red carpet as we arrived.

Your humble correspondents.

TS with Klea Blackhurst (Dolly)

Charles MacEachern (Ambrose), Brooke Shapiro, Catherine Blades (Minnie Fay), Jeremy Morse (Barnaby)

Katie Terza, Brooke Shapiro & Maddy Apple, our party hosts

Melissa Chaty (Swing)

Melissa with Robbie Smith (Ensemble)

Matthew Kilgore (Dance Captain) and his partner Morgan

Gregory Dassonville (Swing), Katie Lin Terza (Ensemble) & Frankie Paparone (Ensemble)

Steve Geary (Ensemble-right) and his partner Bryant

Frankie Paparone, Ashley Brown, Katie Terza, Gregory Dassonville

Melodie Wolford (Ernestina) and TT

with Spencer Moses (Cornelius)

Everyone brought a plate which means the girls now have enough food for the next two weeks.

And Brooke had the inspired idea of creating a Gypsy Robe for our most experienced ensemble member Steve.

Then it was time for the main event. Wasn't it thrilling to see Caroline O'Connor wowing the crowd at Radio City??

Kevin Yee

The Library

Haven't fully immersed myself in the incredible collection of scripts, scores, playbills, CDs and magazines at the Goodspeed Musicals library but Klea and I had the chance to run our lines in the Max Showalter Room. Mr.S was an actor /writer who supported the theatre and left them his personal effects when he died.

The handsome young man

he played Vandergelder opposite Betty Grable, Martha Raye, Betsy Palmer and Marilyn Maye

here he is in the "Parade Passes By" number

We didn't get much rehearsing done as we couldn't stop staring at the memorabilia

This lovely ceiling feature is a fake skylight. I fear once the show has opened and Klea and I have time to really explore the library we may never be heard from again.

Putting it together

 

 

 

 

 

More of the 'hood

The park next to the theatre

the airport at the end of the street

private planes only and teeming with activity. Not.

walking up the hill to a small second hand goods place

then on to the Nathan Hale schoolhouse

Nathan Hale was the schoolteacher who was executed by the British for being a spy and said "I regret I have only one life to give for my country".

He is not to be confused with Nathan Lane who said "Never put your own money in the show".

Theatre World Awards 2013

A lightning overnight trip back to Manhattan to present at the Theatre World awards, my favorite event of the theatrical season. I wrote a detailed 5 page speech about PRISCILLA's Keala Settle then left it on the train. I figured it was the universe telling me to wing it. We ran into Caroline O'Connor on the street! Midtown NYC is ridiculous for that sort of thing. She'll be back on Broadway later in the year for a return season of CHRISTMAS STORY.

 the heavens opened just as we arrived which is why my clothes are spotty

On the PIPPIN set at the Music Box Theatre. Nathan Lane said it looked like Madonna's bedroom.

I remembered the whole speech except for one sentence! thank you, angels!

Tears! I was soooo thrilled to be there for dearest Keala.