Mad City

Week 24: Madison, WI

"Philosophy is common sense with big words."
--James Madison


Our Wisconsin odyssey brings us at last to the capitol city, Madison. Madison is super cute.
An artsy, ultra liberal college town that has been described as "70 square miles surrounded by reality," the city is built on an isthmus between two lakes and has a very comfortable and charming feel. It reminds me of Cambridge, Massachusetts and the areas around Harvard Square. The impressive capitol building is the heart of Madison with the various neighborhoods radiating out from it in four directions. State Street is the main drag, lined with funky clothing boutiques, cafes and restaurants. At its furthest end it terminates in the middle of the very beautiful University of Wisconsin campus. I indulged in a little retail therapy on State Street, adding a couple soft summer blazers and a new hat (a distressed leather "Gatsby" cap) to my growing wardrobe. I am developing something of a natty style, caps and vests and designer jeans and boots. Eccentric and classic at the same time. I hope. Well, that's what I am going for anyway! I strolled around the university campus, enjoying the spring weather, the blossoms on the trees and the sparkling lake. There is a happy energy around town as this is graduation weekend. I visited the Chazen Museum of Art on campus which has some very nice pieces representing all eras of art. Visiting museums has become one of my solitary pleasures on the road.




The highlight of this week was a drive out to Gennessee Depot, to visit Ten Chimneys, the home of legendary theatrical couple Alfred Lunt and Lynn Fontanne. It is a magnificent compound which has been lovingly restored and turned into a wonderful museum. A group of us were given a terrific tour by one of the very knowledgeable docents, Bonnie, who took us through the houses and grounds, which have been preserved and set up as if the "Lunts" have just gone out on an errand and will return at any moment to entertain their guests. If you are a theatre lover then you will know that the Lunts were America's first couple of the theatre. In the 1930's they were the darlings of Broadway and an extraordinary, talented and beautiful pair. They were friends and collaborators with all the greats of their time--Noel Coward, Helen Hayes, Laurence Olivier and many others, all of whom at one time or another came to visit at Ten Chimneys. The house is an extraordinary record of a wonderful time in theatrical history as well as a living portrait of this amazing couple. Lunt was multi-talented; he was a great actor, a wonderful visual artist and a Cordon Bleu trained chef. Fontanne was not only a supreme actress but one of the most influential women of her time, a fashion trendsetter and style icon.
The house, grounds and outbuildings are exquisite, at once country cozy and elegantly theatrical. Scenic designer Claggett Wilson spent two years in the home with the Lunts, painting sublime tromp l'oeil murals on the walls and ceilings of every room, and even on furniture and a wonderful piano. Each room is a delight for the senses and a treasure trove of theatrical memorabilia and souvenirs of a glamorous life. For a theatre geek like me it was sheer heaven. I was also delighted to explore the place with my coworkers, among them Gary Beach, with whom I was finally able to remember to take a picture--here we are with Ten Chimneys in the background. If you are ever in this part of the world, make a point of visiting this unusual and beautifully managed piece of our cultural history. For me, the place inspired feelings of great pride that I am part of this marvelous industry. I hope that my career to come will be even a fraction as successful and creatively fulfilling as the Lunts'.




We are performing this week at the Overture Center for the Arts, a brand-spanking-new facility, only three years old, which incorporates several performance venues, including the restored movie palace, the Capitol Theatre, as well as the Museum of Contemporary Art.
The Overture Center was funded through the single largest personal endowment to a cultural institution in the nation's history-- $100,000,000 from a single benefactor. The interior of the main theatre where "Spamalot" is performing was designed by the same architect who created the theatres we played in Miami and Dayton. All blonde wood and pewter colored seats, the Overture Center is very modern and very elegant. The backstage facilities are very fine and the dressing rooms comfortable and pristine. My dresser in Madison is Angelina.
Angelina had never dressed a show before and is training on "Spamalot" this week. So I had the honor of being one of her first actors to dress ever. Angelina is a sculptor and visual artist and stumbled on wardrobe work quite by chance. She is doing a very fine job and dealing with the nerves admirably! Dressers in each city we play get thrown into the deep end of the pool rather--given a set of notes and some rudimentary instructions, a little rehearsal of some of the more tricky changes in the show, and then bang! The show is running and they have to basically run alongside and keep up!

Madison has been very pleasant indeed. Allergy season continues to be brutal and I am still doctoring my sinuses and my vocal chords in order to get my eight shows a week out there, but in general I am experiencing spring fever and having a nice time. Grand Rapids, Michigan is our next stop so more from there next week, friends.

A River Runs Through It

Week 23: Appleton, WI

"My brain is the key that sets my mind free."
--Harry Houdini

The transition from Milwaukee to Appleton was a strange one--leaving a bustling city full of activity and arriving in small town America. Appleton is one of 14 cities known as the "Fox Cities" because they are all situated along or around the Fox River, which passes right through Appleton. The river has long been a part of one of the leading industries in this area, paper making. Appleton is situated near Lake Michigan and at the north end of Lake Winnebago. Green Bay is the nearest large city. The town was established in the early 19th century by a man named Amos Lawrence, who named the place after his wife, Sarah Elizabeth Appleton. The town is home to Lawrence University, which was one of the first coed colleges in America. And Appleton feels like a college town; in fact the main street is College Avenue. Some well known people came from Appleton, among them actor Willem Dafoe and Maury Laws, the man who composed songs for beloved holiday animation classics like "Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer" and "Frosty the Snowman." However, the favorite son of Appleton is Harry Houdini, who grew up here and reportedly as a kid went up and down College Avenue in the middle of the night picking all the locks of all the businesses along the street. The local History Museum has a whole exhibit dedicated to Houdini and the town even hosted a magic convention at one time. What's interesting about Houdini is that in an effort to be more American in the eyes of the public, he claimed to have been born in Appleton. Actually, his given name was Weiss and he immigrated from Budapest and was the son of the first Rabbi in Appleton.
Another famous Appletonian was Edna Ferber--novelist, author of "Giant" and "Show Boat," member of the Algonquin Round Table--and also part of the close knit Jewish community here in this little Wisconsin city. So I guess you won't succeed in Appleton either if you don't have any Jews!

We are performing this week at the Fox Cities Performing Arts Center, a beautiful new complex built only six years ago through corporate and private funding.
The theatre serves the entire Fox River area and brings in top Broadway tours, like ours, as well as great music and dance programming and international theatre productions. This week I am staying across the street from the theatre, which is great, because I have been under the weather. I may be allergic to Wisconsin. I started feeling sick in Milwaukee--the onset of sudden seasonal allergies, which attacked my throat and voice box and has progressed to a painful bronchial cough. I began to lose my voice, which is scary for a performer and painful and nerve wracking to work through. The Appleton weather has not been helping--it can be warm and sunny for a couple hours then suddenly drop twenty degrees with a bone chilling damp. I am told this is due to the proximity to Lake Michigan. I have gotten treatment here in Appleton, but despite my best efforts to get well, and pushing through most of my shows this week, I finally had to sit out a performance to rest my ragged voice. This is very hard for me to do, and is only the second time in my career I have missed a show. Many people can do a day's work at their job while sick but we performers rely so much on our bodies to do our work that illness can sometimes make doing the job impossible. And no actor wants to disappoint a full house of over 2000 people. We are all human and sometimes we just need a break. Being sick really sucks.

Do you remember the movie "Fargo?" Remember the funny midwestern accent that Frances McDormand and the other actors executed so beautifully? Well, damned if people don't really speak like that out here. Oh yah, they doo, doen't ya knoe. It's a very distinct and very heavy accent. Something to log into the actor's mental library of sounds for a future part that might require it.

One of the other freak Wisconsin specialities is cheese curds.
These are the fresh curds from the making of cheddar cheese. Their flavor is mild with about the same firmness as cheese, but have a springy or rubbery texture. Fresh curds squeak against the teeth when bitten into, which some would say is their defining characteristic. Cheese curds are sometimes referred to as "Squeeky cheese." They are a popular snack and I have seen them in bags with bits of ham or little Vienna sausages. Are you saying yuck or yum?

I did get a very nice review here in Appleton. We tend not to look at reviews much--the nice things that are written can give one a lift, but if there are negatives, they can stick in your craw for weeks. That said, I will occasionally indulge my ego and Google myself to see what has been put into print about the show and my Sir Robin as we have made our way around the country. Below are the Appleton review and a very nice notice I found from a Florida publication. These both made me feel a little warm and fuzzy in my sniffly, sick state this week:

Beaman, Shakespearean trained and weaned, is always on task. His face and gestures are flawless. Though an actor who sings, he certainly carries the day.
--Post-Crescent

James Beaman (Sir Robin) is a particular joy to watch on stage. With his shock of ginger hair, he resembles nothing so much as a hyperactive leprechaun filled with the spirit of song. He’s got stage presence in spades and the hilarious send-up “You Won’t Succeed On Broadway” number was just an absolute joy both for the shockingly funny lyrics and the chance to watch Beaman kick up his heels.
--Neapolitan


My Appleton dresser is Janis. Janis used to work for an insurance firm and decided to have fun instead, so she became a stagehand. She has been a pleasure to work with this week and she has genuinely loved the show so much she and her husband are driving to Madison next week to see it from the audience. As for me, I am going to tough it out through the last few shows here, enjoy a quiet day off in Appleton, and then climb aboard the bus for Madison. A special shout out to my Mom: HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!! I LOVE YOU!!!

Schlemiel! Schlemazel! Hassenfeffer, Incorporated!

Week 22: Milwaukee, WI

When you're a secretary in a brewery,
it's hard to pretend you're anything else.
Everything is beer.
--"All About Eve"

All I ever knew about Milwaukee was that Laverne and Shirley went there to "make all their dreams come true," and that there was a lot of beer. And there is a lot of beer in Milwaukee, primarily because it is home to many generations of German immigrants. And there is plenty of delicious authentic German food and beer to be had here.
On my first day, I found Mader's, a Milwaukee tradition and an unmistakable German restaurant. Dark wood, stained glass windows, beer steins, and waitresses dressed as beer maids--it's like the German pavilion at Disney World on steroids. And the food was fantastic, as was the beer. I was the sole person eating at the bar and I witnessed not one, but two transactions between the owner and beer distributors. The bartender, Gary, told me that all the major brands of Milwaukee beer--Pabst, Old Milwaukee, Schlitz--have moved their bases of operations out of Milwaukee and now it is the microbreweries that are keeping the tradition alive here in the city. Mader's was an authentic taste of the town.


We are performing this week at the Marcus Center for the Performing Arts, beautifully situated on the Milwaukee river. It is one of a wonderful cluster of theatre venues downtown; the massive Milwaukee Theatre, the historic Pabst Theatre, as well as the city's major regional theatre, Milwaukee Rep, are all in the neighborhood we are working in. Milwaukee is a real, working city and it has a feeling of solidity to it. There is a lively cultural scene and an enthusiastic audience for live performance. This week, I had the good fortune to be able to attend a midweek matinee at Milwaukee Rep. The theatre is highly reputable and I was excited that our schedule allowed me to see something. I saw a performance of a new play by Jeffrey Hatcher called "Armadale." Hatcher has written several plays based on classic literature, particularly 19th century literature and he is also the author of screenplays including "Boys Don't Cry." "Armadale" is based on an obscure Victorian gothic novel by Wilkie Collins, who also wrote "The Woman in White," which was made into a musical by Andrew Lloyd Webber. The production was very fine, and the design of sets, costumes, and lighting, as well as an original score were all first rate. The show didn't exactly know what it wanted to be--a straight out melodrama or a campy over the top spoof. The inconsistency in the director's point of view made it a mixed experience but it was nice to see well produced, quality regional theatre and it gave me a little yearning for the classical work I was doing during the years before I got "Spamalot."


Thursday I visited the Milwaukee Museum of Art. Beautifully situated on Lake Michigan, the grandest feature of the place is the new pavilion designed by Santiago Calatrava, which is very much like the dock for a starship from some sci-fi movie. It is crowned by the Burke Brise Soleil, a huge kinetic sculpture with enormous wings that close around the glass roof of the Calatrava atrium, and are opened to spectacular effect a few times each day. I visited the museum's permanent collection, which has some very nice pieces from every era of art. As you have probably already figured out, I am a big fan of visual art. The Milwaukee Museum of Art did not disappoint. And I had a very nice lunch at their cafe with a sparkling view of the lake.


Thursday night, our resident party girl, Piper, organized a pub crawl to celebrate three birthdays that are happening this week--Jen, Tim and Bree-- and also as a sendoff for Piper herself, who is leaving the company after a great run as one of our swings. She will be sorely missed, as she was always the organizer of the various parties and outings along our trail and is a genius at it! Anyway, she hired a "party bus," complete with keg and stripper pole and we did a Milwaukee bar crawl. I will spare you the gory details but there was much carrying on and a good time was had by all.




Friday was a rainy day and I took my umbrella and made my way down the Riverwalk to the historic Third Ward, which is the "funky" part of Milwaukee. An old warehouse district, today the neighborhood is sort of like Soho in New York: art galleries, funky shops, and design stores and interior decor showrooms.
The Milwaukee Public Market is here also, which is a large covered market chock-a-block with gourmet goodies, fresh flowers, etc.; on the weekends there is a farmer's market here as well. All in all, Milwaukee has everything one could ask for to make a satisfying city lifestyle--plenty of culture, lots of nice bars and restaurants, ethnic and cultural diversity, and a very nice style in general. It has been a pleasant place to be for a week and the audiences have been great.


My Milwaukee dresser is Aggie. Aggie married into back stage work. Her husband is a sound guy and traveled with rock bands for many years. Aggie has done all manner of tech work and was also a restaurateur for a time. She is a very pleasant, level headed and delightful dresser and has been great this week. We have a day off here Monday before moving on to the next stop in our Wisconsin odyssey, Appleton. More from there next week. I want to take a moment to congratulate Clay Aiken on his successful run as Sir Robin on Broadway, as he performs his last weekend! Bravo! Maybe we will see more of Mr. Aiken on the Great White Way. And maybe you'll see me there in the not too distant future (God willing)...!

City in Transition

Week 21: Dayton, OH

Dayton has seen some hard times. And the downtown area is another of those American urban centers that have become depressed due to the development of suburban areas that offer more of the conveniences that people want. Much of downtown Dayton has a sort of sad, worn out feeling. People work here, but there doesn't seem to be a life to this city. However, as I have mentioned before, one has to look for the beauty and for the fun. A short walk from my hotel down Fifth Street takes one to the Oregon Historic District. This is the "funky" part of town. Originally settled in the mid 19th century along the Miami River, this was Dayton's first affluent "suburb." And it still retains much of its charm, even having survived a flood in the early 20th century and the hard times Dayton saw in the 1960s. Flowering trees line the brick paved streets, and charming 19th century brick residences sport ornate porch railings and stained glass windows. The day I walked the streets of the Oregon (no one really knows why it was called that over a hundred and fifty years ago) the blossoms were blooming and the cardinals were chirping in the trees and the neighborhood gave me a real feeling of Americana. The Fifth Street strip is home to several restaurants offering diverse cuisine, and the funky shops and art galleries that bring the tattooed, the hip and the edgy of Dayton into the neighborhood. Again, it is a relief to find a bastion of "cool" in the heart of this rather lackluster downtown.





Bringing its own luster to Dayton is the Schuster Performing Arts Center, which is the home of "Spamalot" this week. This must be the newest venue I have performed in on the tour thus far. Only a few years old, this beautiful structure incorporates a 2300 seat theatre, a black box theatre space, a restaurant, and a six story glass enclosed atrium called the "Wintergarden" which has a palm tree grove in the middle of it and spiral staircases leading to the upper seating tiers. It reminds one of a modern and upscale cruise ship.
The theatre we are in gleams with light wood and warm colors and is topped by a deeply vaulted ceiling with a glittering fiber optic starscape meant to capture the sky as it might have appeared to the Wright Brothers the night of their famous first flight. Oh yes, did I mention that the Wright Brothers were the favorite sons of Dayton? Indeed they were. The Schuster Center is meant to revitalize the life of the downtown area of Dayton, and judging from our sold out houses this week, it may do just that. Operating in conjunction with the historic Victoria Theatre across the street, it is home to the Dayton Opera, the Philharmonic and the ballet. My only criticism of the venue is that the back stage area is so sprawling and confusing I literally got lost trying to get from the stage to my dressing room for my first costume change opening night! It is heartening that Dayton has these cultural institutions and a resident theatre company, The Human Race Theatre Company. Further proof that the arts create business and vitality in our cities. Support arts education in your schools! Let's ensure a future for music, dance and theatre in our communities. I would also urge the restaurant owners in the vicinity of the Schuster Center to alter their hours to cater to the workers and the patrons! On our first night a few of us went out around 7PM to grab a quick bite to eat before the show and the only food or drink options open were Subway and Uno Chicago Grill--and the latter was taking reservations! When a chain restaurant has a reservation list on performance nights it should be a clue that there is a need for dining options in the neighborhood. There were over two thousand people coming to the show and they were hard pressed to find a refreshment or a meal before the theatre in the area around the Schuster Center. Wake up folks! Participate in this beneficial new institution and the commerce it can bring--run an ad in the program and offer pre-theatre dinner specials!

Okay, I will get off my soapbox. Maybe. So here we are working at this lovely luxurious performing arts center while all around us is this strange crumbling city. And it is a freak show of humanity that wanders the streets of Dayton--toothless, chatty vagrants, aggressive panhandlers, every imaginable bizarre type. This is why the prevailing adjective used within the company to describe Dayton has been "ghetto." It is no wonder the well-heeled suburbanites who drive in for our performances make a mad dash to their cars after the show. Regardless, I have met some nice business owners here, some interesting and talented artists who are creating work, and have enjoyed some very good food at the diverse establishments in the Oregon District. This will seem like it comes out of left field, but speaking of food-- I am a vegetarian and, traveling from place to place, it can be a challenge to find satisfying and nutritious meal options. I manage just fine but I must get on the soap box one more time to just let restaurant owners know that when you offer a "veggie sandwich" or a "veggie pizza" or a "veggie omelette," you must put something more into it than peppers and onions!! Technically, yes, they are vegetables. However, I think a rule of thumb when putting together a "veggie" meal option should be to ask oneself--if I were to sit down to eat a portion of vegetables, would I eat a pile of onions and peppers?? Just remember, restaurateurs, that vegetarians eat lots of different vegetables for their nutrition and their flavor. So toss in some broccoli or spinach or something, okay?!


My dresser in Dayton this week is Sharleen (when she spelled it for me she blamed the oddness of the spelling on her mother). Sharleen has been working wardrobe for 43 years and is a seasoned pro. She told me her Dad was a stagehand and that her first steps as a child were taken across the lobby of a theatre. This lady has devoted her life to working back stage, as I have devoted mine to working on stage. I have great respect for her commitment and she has been a delight to work with.

We begin the Wisconsin leg of our journey next week in Milwaukee. By the way, my West Coast friends and family will be happy to know that we received word that the Las Vegas company of "Spamalot" will be closing in July. This means that the tour will be able to play cities in California, Nevada, and Arizona as early as summer '09. If I stay on for another year I may be doing the show in a theatre near you. I will keep you posted!

Old Friends and New

Week 20: Raleigh, NC

If the heart be right, it matters not which way the head lies.
--Sir Walter Raleigh


Raleigh is of course named for Walter Raleigh, and is also known as "The City of Oaks." There are some gorgeous neighborhoods with grand houses and magnificent grounds. The downtown area is a hodge podge of different things and doesn't really speak to me. I couldn't tell you really what the essence of Raleigh is, the way I could with Greenville. I did get to explore the area known as City Market, which is an old market area that now houses some nice restaurants and art galleries. And I had a splendid meal in a grand old nineteenth century house which is home to Second Empire, a fine and elegant restaurant. But my hotel is five miles out from the downtown area and most of my spare time has been spent shopping at the mall across the street! Gap has some very nice things this season...

I had a real surprise this week when I received roses back stage at the show along with a card from a woman who I had been at school with from kindergarten to high school and who I had done high school plays with etc. I was always very active in theatrical pursuits back then even though life for me in public school was not happy. I actually left high school two years early and entered an early entry college. Anyway, Meg was a childhood friend. And she lives here now and planned to see "Spamalot" only to discover that I was in the cast. She wrote that she was really proud of me and she included a photocopy of a note I wrote in her yearbook back in 1981 (now I am dating myself). This was what I wrote:


Meg,
I've been struggling through the Beverly school system with you since Mrs. Alexander's (kindergarten)! It's unfortunate that I won't be able to graduate with you and the rest of my friends. Thanks for the great times in the shows (including "Our Town"-BLECH!) and at lunch tables and in Keany's class! I'll never forget ya and I'll see you (hopefully!) at my BROADWAY debut!
Love Always,
Jamie Beaman

I can't say that I never forgot you, Meg. But I am so touched that you didn't forget me! And so glad you got to see the show.


My dresser this week is Anne. Anne is actually a talented costume designer who works with the ballet here. It turns out that she studied costume design under a teacher who worked with my Dad for many years during his tenure as associate professor in the theatre program at Boston University. Anne also grew up in a theatre family so we had some things in common.

One of my new friends in the show, Bree, a talented dancer, is a Raleigh native. We spent an enjoyable afternoon walking around and shopping. We posed for a picture at Marbles! which is a children's discovery type museum.




And this week, I have to say goodbye to my very first friend in the company, Jonathan Brody . During those early days around Christmas in D.C., Jonathan reached out to the 'newbie' and has always lent a sympathetic ear and been a really great person to hang around with. He is a talented actor in his own right, and in addition to being one of our ensemble "knights" he was a very able understudy for both Bedevere and Lancelot. I am really going to miss Jonathan.




So people continue to come and go and some appear magically out of the woodwork. It's a real journey, this touring thing.
More from Dayton next week.

Beauty is Truth

Week 19: Greenville, SC

Beauty is truth, truth beauty,--that is all
Ye know on earth and all ye need to know!
--John Keats

"Just living is not enough," said the butterfly, "you need freedom, sunshine, and a little flower."
--Hans Christian Andersen

You will have to forgive me for rhapsodizing some more about Greenville. Spring is here in all its glory, and the weather has been just spectacular. I have been taking my morning coffee down to Falls Park, and have sat in that lovely place absorbing the sounds of rushing water and birdsong, drinking in the lush greenery and colorful flower beds.
I watch the moms and kids at play, art students working seriously on drawings and pastels. Greenville is a cornucopia of great things to look at and to eat. I have designated the remainder of my visit here to a sort of spa vacation (broken up of course by several performances of the show). There are a few lovely spas in town as well as an alternative therapy center. So I will be indulging in some massage and some other therapies. All of us in the show give a great deal of ourselves as performers, and the touring life can be stressful on the body--moving from place to place, sleeping in strange beds, and of course not having access to the comforts of home. Sometimes I feel like I just have to give myself a little back for all that hard work. Greenville is the perfect place to do it. The place itself seems to inspire it. So much art and beauty, nature and good food and drink. Make a point of visiting this town if you can. If I were ever to retire from performing and seek a comfortable community in which to teach high school or college drama, this is the sort of town I would choose. I have to say, that this is my favorite stop on the tour thus far.


My Greenville dresser is Tisha. Tisha is a single mother of two, a four year old daughter and a two year old son. She commutes here to work on the show, and her mother and aunt both are on the crew as well. This is only Tisha's second time dressing and she is doing a terrific job. I admire her very much for raising two small kids on her own and doing what she can to support her family.

As you can imagine, playing this role is something of a dream come true. And with it has come opportunities to experience and do things that I have long wanted to do. One of these has always been to be able to buy original artwork from working artists. My father is a painter and a fine visual artist and I was brought up with an appreciation of art. It has always been a wish of mine to fill my home with pieces that came from the heart and hand of a talented artist and by purchasing such pieces, make an investment in that person's special gift.
Since Greenville is a place of many beauties, it is no accident that I found a wonderful piece here that I decided to take home with me. It is a beautiful blown glass bowl by a local artist named Robert Clair (his last name, in French, means 'bright or clear'--very apropos) and is a wonderful large organic shape bursting with ribbons of color: vivid oranges, pinks and warm yellows. I just had to have it. It felt so good to know that my purchase will not only be a great thing for the artist, but will be a beautiful piece of Greenville to keep with me always. It will be shipped home to New York next week. If you are interested in more of the artist's work you can contact Mary Praytor at the Mary Praytor Gallery: www.marypraytorgallery.com. I will truly be sorry to leave this lovely town but the road beckons. More from Raleigh, NC next week.

Nothing Could Be Fine-ah

Week 19: Greenville, SC

"Actors are the only honest hypocrites. Their life is a voluntary dream; and the height of their ambition is to be beside themselves."
--William Hazlitt (inscribed on a street tile in Greenville, SC)


The highlight of our bus ride from Birmingham to Greenville was a stop at our stage manager Jovon's favorite southern chain restaurant, a Georgia tradition called Varsity. Varsity is all red and white and has the feeling of a 50's diner. All it needs is car hops on roller skates. They specialize in greasy chili dogs and burgers, and things like the Frozen Orange (a sort of slushie that tastes like a Creamsicle) and fried pie. Yes, that's what I said--fried pie (and it's damn good, lord help me). If anyone had told me a year ago that I would be sitting in Norcross, Georgia eating fried pie wearing a silly paper hat I would have guffawed in their face. But when in Rome! It was a very silly and very fattening detour on our way to our next destination.




One of the great pleasures of this tour is that I get to discover places I never even thought about going to. My friend Tim from Montgomery, AL had told me that Greenville was the city that the rest of the south now held up as a model for what a southern city should be. It is easy to see why. Greenville is a clean, quaint and charming town with all the style and conveniences of the 21st century. The streets of downtown are so pristine one is reminded of a Disney Epcot exhibit--"Southern Town of Tomorrow," or something. Artsy without the grit, urban without the, well, grit. Where Birmingham was a creepy ghost town at night, Greenville is alive with activity and the main strip is lined with restaurants purveying every possible kind of cuisine, from sushi to Dutch (would you believe). We arrived here on a Monday night, and the bars and restaurants were packed with well heeled customers. If we have our first night free in any given place I try to go out for a nice meal. A group of us went to a place called Soby's, which serves modern reinterpretations of traditional southern dishes, and even has its own cookbook. The meal was terrific and the price a fraction of what it would have been at a comparable restaurant in New York. It is clear that the residents of Greenville are living the good life, and they even seem to have an air about them of pride and self satisfaction.

The main reason that downtown Greenville feels so new is that it is new! In the mid-1980's, the south end of Main Street in Greenville looked like many other downtowns across the country - empty store fronts, vacant lots, and a rapidly diminishing business community. The city of Greenville decided it was time to rejuvenate what had been the very heart of downtown, and in 1985, Mayor Bill Workman appointed a citizens' committee to investigate building a performing arts center. Three branches of Greenville's Peace family kicked off a capital fund drive by pledging $10 million in the memories of Roger C. Peace, B.H. Peace, Jr., and Frances Peace Graham - no strings attached.
Thus, the Peace Center was born, and we are performing there this week. If any one has any doubts about the value of the arts to the life and sustenance of a community they need to visit Greenville. Having a top-notch performance venue helps to encourage restaurants and music venues and creates a lively interest in the community for the arts. Greenville has several small theatre companies and numerous art galleries.

On a sparkling spring day I wandered into what is known here as the West End of town. I know I have said before on this blog that beauty is everywhere and we only have to look for it. In Greenville, you don't have to look far. So much thought and care has gone into making this place aesthetically pleasing and visitor-friendly.

Falls Park on the Reedy River is one of the most magnificent public parks I have ever visited. Wrapping around a beautiful series of small dams and waterfalls that used to power textile mills in the early days of Greenville, the park is beautifully landscaped, full of stepped gardens, shaded swings and pleasant walks, and across it stretches the beautiful Liberty suspension bridge. With the rushing waters, the lush greenery and floral plantings, it is an idyllic spot for a picnic. Beyond the park lies the West End area, which I was told by a shop owner has seen a renaissance in just the past three years. Here one can find antique stores, art galleries, a spa and a wellness center, and numerous fun shops and restaurants. If I were ever to leave the world of show business for a quieter existence, Greenville is just the sort of charming place I would enjoy settling into. It just makes you feel good. So as to keep this post from being too epic, I will sign off. More from Greenville later this week, including the now traditional introduction of my dresser and other stuff.