Okay, it's been a while since I posted. Lots of stuff going on. Not sure what's too personal, what's too boring, and what's too ... Well, anyway, here's a few things.
The response to our show, the Spitfire Grill, has been incredible. The people who come up to us after the show are seriously moved, some to tears. Several gentleman have told us that they never liked musicals, but they liked this one. I've had so many compliments, I'm starting to feel like a superstar.
However, we've only sold out one night. That seems to be because of the economic downturn of late. I guess it's the same for theatres across the nation.
But Sarah Palin came to a show last weekend! Got to shake her hand and she said she enjoyed the show. Took a pic with the cast and crew. Don't have a copy of it yet. Lots of flashbulbs going off that night.
Today I narrowly escaped an accident on the highway. What is it with Alaskans and driving? As soon as snow appears, you see 10 cars ditched, rolled over, or crashed. Do they think they're invincible just because they see snow almost every day in the wintertime?
Today it started snowing on our way home from Eagle River where I taught a class. When a person would pass, you wouldn't be able to see for a bit because of the snow being swirled around.
At one point (I was averaging about 45 to 50 mph by this time) a couple of loose dogs approached the highway like they intended to cross. I slowed to a stop and honked my horn to deter them. They moved off and I picked up speed again. As I glanced in my side view mirror, I saw a car sliding toward me at high speed, whipping back and forth as the driver tried to regain control.
I started muttering, "Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit" over and over. Logan didn't realize what I was talking about until the car slid by us sideways, missing us by about an inch or two. He ended up backwards in the ditch. Thank the gods he didn't hit us or anybody else. And I pray those dogs went back home and made it safely.
In other news, Yahoo Messenger has disappointed me yet again. For some reason, now it will not open for love or money. No matter how many colorful names I give it, I can't figure out why or what to do. I may just cut my losses and try something else. In the meantime, I'll have to stick to Facebook and/or Myspace chat. At least until I can figure out what's going on.
A few days ago, when it snowed, the flakes were so tiny, you could clearly see the crystal pattern they form. When I went out to my car one morning, it looked like it was covered in stars. It was so pretty, I didn't want to drive it!
Got to see "Les Miserables" at long last. Colony High School performed it and they did very well for a high school production. Sure, it had it's fair share of glitches, but some of the singing was pretty good and some of the acting was even better. I enjoyed it very much. That's quite a difficult undertaking for a high school!
Okay, guess that's all the updates for now. I get to go see my local nurse practitioner tomorrow morning to start my yearly feminine invasions once again. Oh, joy and rapture. >Rolls eyes<
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
Monday, January 19, 2009
Now I Remember Why I Love it So Much
This show, the Spitfire Grill, has really brought home to me why I love performance theatre. I had never realized how much a person could be affected by what we do on the stage. I have never received such glowing comments on anything I've done. And this cast is truly a remarkable cast to work with.
I wanted to share this letter from a patron. I hope she won't mind. I won't leave her name and I don't even know who she is myself. But it's too special to me not to share with those who read my blog.
This is a big excerpt from the email:
"Effy was a hoot and always a joy to watch. As we watched the transformation of Shelby from wall flower to a strong and assertive woman, we cheered. The actress who played Shelby was truly wonderful and her lyric vocals were a pleasure to hear as well as her dancing and duets. The wild bird song was so touching and the small duet with the sheriff added a sweet touch. We felt the desire of Shelby to comfort her friend, the pain of Percy as she thinks and relives the painful memories, and the love of the sheriff for Percy despite the rejection. A lot in a small package. Caleb was indeed a cad, but he was written that way, and it was well acted. The angst that Hannah must have gone through was well portrayed and we felt her pain as she struggled - very nice vocals to boot! I can't say anything that will do the scene with Eli justice. My kleenex ran out after that.
"The woman that played Percy was truly a blessing to hear. From opening to closing she was indeed a "spitfire". We loved hearing her sing and her dancing and acting just made it that much more enjoyable. When she sang the song on the hill with the sunrise I was grinning from ear to ear. There is forgiveness and second chances indeed. I whispered to my friend,"Where has she been? I didn't know we had ladies that good in Wasilla!" The man that played Joe...I had been hoping to see him in a musical again since Beauty and the Beast. When he sang both times on the hill he gave me goose bumps and his duet with Percy was flawless and we knew that there should be more coming. When Joe sang the forest and trees song and proposed to Percy my goosebumps came back. We could feel his intensity and passion from where we were sitting. When Joe looked at her we knew he loved her and that he was singing only to her - the rest of us just happened to be VPA voyeurs! My friend leaned over to me and said, "I bet they're a couple in real life. You don't fake that!" Please keep those two together because they are a joy to hear and to see together and the chemistry crackled.
"I went expecting just another night at VPA and left truly touched. My heart was warmed by the message of the story. I think the actor that played Joe mentioned that the story was heartwarming and spoke of love and forgiveness during the radio interview. He was right. I left having had a truly wonderful experience and one that I will remember fondly for a long time to come. I will be telling my other friends about this and encouraging them to go see the show."
I am truly blessed. I can't even express how emotional I feel right now. I cried earlier, tears of joy. Thank you for sending us such warm sentiments and letting us know that what we do is indeed special to many.
I wanted to share this letter from a patron. I hope she won't mind. I won't leave her name and I don't even know who she is myself. But it's too special to me not to share with those who read my blog.
This is a big excerpt from the email:
"Effy was a hoot and always a joy to watch. As we watched the transformation of Shelby from wall flower to a strong and assertive woman, we cheered. The actress who played Shelby was truly wonderful and her lyric vocals were a pleasure to hear as well as her dancing and duets. The wild bird song was so touching and the small duet with the sheriff added a sweet touch. We felt the desire of Shelby to comfort her friend, the pain of Percy as she thinks and relives the painful memories, and the love of the sheriff for Percy despite the rejection. A lot in a small package. Caleb was indeed a cad, but he was written that way, and it was well acted. The angst that Hannah must have gone through was well portrayed and we felt her pain as she struggled - very nice vocals to boot! I can't say anything that will do the scene with Eli justice. My kleenex ran out after that.
"The woman that played Percy was truly a blessing to hear. From opening to closing she was indeed a "spitfire". We loved hearing her sing and her dancing and acting just made it that much more enjoyable. When she sang the song on the hill with the sunrise I was grinning from ear to ear. There is forgiveness and second chances indeed. I whispered to my friend,"Where has she been? I didn't know we had ladies that good in Wasilla!" The man that played Joe...I had been hoping to see him in a musical again since Beauty and the Beast. When he sang both times on the hill he gave me goose bumps and his duet with Percy was flawless and we knew that there should be more coming. When Joe sang the forest and trees song and proposed to Percy my goosebumps came back. We could feel his intensity and passion from where we were sitting. When Joe looked at her we knew he loved her and that he was singing only to her - the rest of us just happened to be VPA voyeurs! My friend leaned over to me and said, "I bet they're a couple in real life. You don't fake that!" Please keep those two together because they are a joy to hear and to see together and the chemistry crackled.
"I went expecting just another night at VPA and left truly touched. My heart was warmed by the message of the story. I think the actor that played Joe mentioned that the story was heartwarming and spoke of love and forgiveness during the radio interview. He was right. I left having had a truly wonderful experience and one that I will remember fondly for a long time to come. I will be telling my other friends about this and encouraging them to go see the show."
I am truly blessed. I can't even express how emotional I feel right now. I cried earlier, tears of joy. Thank you for sending us such warm sentiments and letting us know that what we do is indeed special to many.
Sunday, January 18, 2009
Spitfire Success!
It's almost 3 o'clock in the morning right now. I can't sleep. I'm so jazzed up and feel the need to squawk about it.
The show is going great. The response is really amazing. Instead of the usual obligatory "Great show, wonderful job" statements you get from the patrons as they pass, we find ourselves surrounded by people grabbing our hands and saying with great exuberance, "That was fantastic!" and other expressions of rapture. People are REALLY enjoying this show!
Yes, we've had our share of problems. We've had several forgotten lines and song lyrics, a wig falling off on stage, a mic cord getting caught on something and requiring one of the techies to run to the store during intermission to get it working again. And that was all just tonight!
But it never seems to matter. We've had standing ovations both nights. I think the seats are going to fill up quickly.
And this cast is the most amazing cast I've ever worked with. The talent is impressive, and they like to go out and bond and have fun. We went karaoke-ing tonight and I'm still dancing and humming. So much fun. That's why I'm still awake. We have a matinee tomorrow, but at least I could sleep until 11:30 if I wanted.
This must be sinful, to be enjoying myself this much. Or at least fattening.
I'm going to be blubbering like a baby when this show closes. I hope I'll be able to put the tears to good use on the stage.
The show is going great. The response is really amazing. Instead of the usual obligatory "Great show, wonderful job" statements you get from the patrons as they pass, we find ourselves surrounded by people grabbing our hands and saying with great exuberance, "That was fantastic!" and other expressions of rapture. People are REALLY enjoying this show!
Yes, we've had our share of problems. We've had several forgotten lines and song lyrics, a wig falling off on stage, a mic cord getting caught on something and requiring one of the techies to run to the store during intermission to get it working again. And that was all just tonight!
But it never seems to matter. We've had standing ovations both nights. I think the seats are going to fill up quickly.
And this cast is the most amazing cast I've ever worked with. The talent is impressive, and they like to go out and bond and have fun. We went karaoke-ing tonight and I'm still dancing and humming. So much fun. That's why I'm still awake. We have a matinee tomorrow, but at least I could sleep until 11:30 if I wanted.
This must be sinful, to be enjoying myself this much. Or at least fattening.
I'm going to be blubbering like a baby when this show closes. I hope I'll be able to put the tears to good use on the stage.
Friday, January 16, 2009
You Tube Spitfire Grill vids
Here's a taste of the Spitfire Grill. Please ignore the little problems here and there; we were still ironing out the bumps at this point!
Shoot The Moon
Diggin' Stone
Colors of Paradise
Shoot The Moon
Diggin' Stone
Colors of Paradise
Opening Night!
Spitfire Grill opens tonight! AHHHHHHHHHHHH!
Okay, I feel better now.
I'm going to post the radio program that three of us did to plug the show yesterday somewhere on this blog. Just not sure where yet. We'll see where it appears!
Okay, I feel better now.
I'm going to post the radio program that three of us did to plug the show yesterday somewhere on this blog. Just not sure where yet. We'll see where it appears!
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
Watch your backs, California!
Logannie-poo is headed your way!
Logan is going to visit his family for a bit. It's a good time for him to go, job-wise. I can't go back until after the show is over, so I've booked a flight for February 21. That's a Saturday and I'll stay until Friday, the 27th.
Rehearsals are getting better and better. I kind of wish we had one more week of rehearsals rather than one more night. But then, that's because I don't want the show to end. I'm having too much fun, I love the people I'm working with, and I don't want to drift apart when the show is over.
Sigh. Going to bed to dream.
Logan is going to visit his family for a bit. It's a good time for him to go, job-wise. I can't go back until after the show is over, so I've booked a flight for February 21. That's a Saturday and I'll stay until Friday, the 27th.
Rehearsals are getting better and better. I kind of wish we had one more week of rehearsals rather than one more night. But then, that's because I don't want the show to end. I'm having too much fun, I love the people I'm working with, and I don't want to drift apart when the show is over.
Sigh. Going to bed to dream.
Saturday, January 10, 2009
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
