The Only Constant

Week 12: Jacksonville, FL

"People come and go so quickly here!"
--The Wizard of Oz

If one chooses to, one can see any journey as a metaphor for life itself. This tour is no exception. While the show remains the same, the scenery and the people are constantly changing. And one has to simply roll with it. In the brief three months since I have been with the tour, four performers and two crew members have been replaced. And within the next few weeks there will be a few more changes in personnel. Is this a cosmic lesson not to get too attached to anyone? Or is it simply the way that life is-- people come in and out of your life. Enjoy them while they are there. If these changes were not part of the life of a long running show I wouldn't be here! I already have a sense that touring life is going to give me the ability to roll with life more, and to take what comes with as much humor and flexibility as I can.

Florida continues to be a blessing, with bright sunshine and balmy breezes. Hearing reports from my friends and family up north of inches of snow and ice storms I can only express my gratitude for this early summer. Last night a bunch of us went out to taste some Jacksonville nightlife. We went to a sort of club "complex" where there was a piano bar off the main part of the club which was more of a disco. Being from New York where smoking is prohibited in bars and restaurants, the smoke level in this place was oppressive. Let's get some national laws about this, people! Anyway, we stuck it out long enough to have a most surreal experience. A gaggle of people were gathered around the piano singing songs and suddenly the pianist starting into playing "Not Dead Yet" from our show. Before we knew it, they were singing through the entire score of "Spamalot" at lightning fast tempos! We just looked at each other in disbelief. It's following us wherever we go!

We are wrapping things up today in Jacksonville and will have a "golden day" (day off without travel) here tomorrow--a great opportunity to just relax at the beach. The price we will pay for this day of rest will be a six hour bus ride on Tuesday to Ft. Myers, followed by a 5:30 soundcheck, our performance, and an opening night reception. Let's hope they have comfy beds at the hotel in Ft. Myers.
Here is a picture of me and Suzanne, my Jacksonville dresser. Suzanne moved up here from Cocoa Beach to be near her kids. Her son is a stagehand so Suzanne jumped on board and became a dresser. Our crew here has been great and one of the crew members is a berry farmer and made fresh blackberry shortcake for the entire company after our matinee today. Good folks. I hope that wherever you are, you are rolling with the changes in your own life and my prayers and best wishes for health and well being to you and yours. More from Ft. Myers! Feel free to ask any questions you might have about the show, touring, or anything else that might be of interest, and I will try and answer them in upcoming posts.