Dutch Treat and A New King

Week 38: Amsterdam, Netherlands
Week 39: Hartford, CT

The Amsterdam Vacation




In the life of the struggling actor in New York, things like paid vacations are the stuff of fantasy. Having lived hand to mouth most of my adult life in a series of freelance or part-time jobs, I had never had a paid vacation until now, working on this tour. I used one of my two weeks of vacation to visit Amsterdam with my very best friend, Mickey (who you may remember from my postings in Boston earlier this year).
Mickey and I have talked about such a trip since college and it was something of a dream come true for us to go. My good friends Olaf and Matt have a house just outside the central ring of Amsterdam and offered us their cozy corner of the city as our home base. And thank goodness for that! For us poor saps, the Americans, European travel is a very costly endeavor these days. The Euro is clobbering the dollar, leaving it a poor, bloody pulp. This being the case, even the simplest and most frugal agenda in Europe costs Americans a packet. Just to give you an example: on the day we visited the major art museums, we went to a nearby cafe and had a sandwich, a salad, some water, and two coffees. The bill was the equivalent of almost 50 bucks! Needless to say, shopping was not at the top of the Amsterdam agenda.

However, there was so very much more to do there. What an incredible city it is. Achingly, zanily beautiful. Completely unique. Coming at you with the intense energy and pace of any world class city, yet steeped in rich old world charm. A complete culture unto itself, much like New York: diverse, stylish, with it's own character.
One of the most unique aspects of Amsterdam is the Bicycle Culture, as I came to call it. The most popular and expedient way of getting around the city is on a bicycle and they are absolutely everywhere. For an Amsterdammer, the bike is an extension of the person, like a witches' familiar. And they mean it, these local bikers. God help the poor tourist who finds himself walking on a bike path. Bikers rule in Amsterdam and have the absolute right of way. If you hear that tinkle of a bike bell behind you, you'd better haul ass. Because of the intensely confusing layout of Amsterdam, and the aggression of the experienced bikers, we decided to spare ourselves a possible disaster and forgo the bicycles this time around.

This of course meant a great deal of walking. We walked our feet off from one end of the city to the other.
Amsterdam is a non-stop feast for the eyes: the ancient houses leaning against each other as if destined to topple at any moment; the canals, or grachten, spanned by charming bridges; the genteel shops, the old churches, the windows bordered in red neon in the Red Light District, framing ladies engaged in the "oldest profession." The spider web layout of the city is endlessly confusing and we clung to our pocket maps as we routinely found ourselves lost! By the end of our week we had something of a sense of the shape of the city but man, it was a challenge getting around. The weather during our first few days was cool and damp and gray but by the end of the week it was perfection--sparkling, sunny summer weather.

Now there are two stories of my trip to Amsterdam: one is rated PG-13, and the other, well, let's just say "what happens in Amsterdam, stays in Amsterdam." And since this is a PG-13 blog, I won't go into detail about the rest... however, I did visit a coffee shop or two--but only for the coffee, um, er... I , uh didn't inhale, uh, well... no comment...

Some snapshots of Amsterdam... The crowds, the pigeons, the pealing bells of Dam Square. The quiet, sad and deeply moving Anne Frank Huis.
The masterworks of the Rijksmuseum, including the most famous Vermeer in the world and Rembrandt's monumental "Night Watch." Bucolic moments of contemplation in Vondelpark. Prostitutes beckoning from behind street floor windows.
The marvelous photography of Kors Van Beddecom at FOAM, the photography museum. Discovering a terrific old print for my apartment at the open air book market on Spuistraat. Dutch pancakes that overflow the plate on the Leidseplein. The Van Gogh museum and its astonishing treasure trove of masterpieces by that tortured and brilliant artist. The floating flower market bursting with color. Snapping hundreds of photographs of the exquisite architecture of Amsterdam, that never ceases to dazzle the eye. Amsterdam is a city fully alive in the 21st century, while inhabiting the bones of the 17th and 18th centuries. It has a wonderful style, incredibly chic, very sophisticated and vibrant. It was a welcome break from the routine of the tour and I returned refreshed and ready to get back to work.



Insurance Capital of the World

Hartford, Connecticut was the next stop on the tour, and our engagement here was reduced from eight to six performances, which allowed me 48 blessed hours in New York to recover from jet lag and reorganize and repack the luggage before the next round of performances. While I was on vacation, the wonderful Gary Beach finished his run as King Arthur, and our new king, Jonathan Hadary, came in and rehearsed with the company in preparation for his opening this week in Hartford.
Mr. Hadary is no stranger to "Spamalot", having played Arthur for nearly two years on Broadway; in fact, I saw his performance several times during the audition process for the show. My only previous experience of his work was his wonderful Herbie opposite Tyne Daly in "Gypsy," and I know he was an original member of the cast of the important AIDS play, "As Is." Jonathan and I almost literally met on stage at our opening in Hartford! It was wild to jump back into the show and play with a new King with an entirely different energy and take on the role. Jonathan's Arthur is befuddled, understated and charming, and we had a great opening here at the Bushnell.

The Bushnell Theatre was built in 1930 and the gold encrusted art deco interior speaks directly to that period--it was created by the designers of Radio City Music Hall. The ceiling is graced by an enormous mural entitled "Drama" by Barry Faulkner. It's quite an impressive space, but like most old theatres the wing space is very small.
Most impressive to me, being a big fan of his work, is the incredible red chandelier piece by Dale Chihuly in the theatre lobby's Great Hall. It is one of the most massive and beautiful pieces of Chihuly I have seen and it was a treat to discover it here in Hartford. We are in Hartford for such a short time it is not possible for me to get out and about and see the sights in this city, which has a rich cultural life, including a number of museums and the prestigious Hartford Stage Company.

At the time of this writing, I have injured myself in the show. Ironically, during only my second show back after vacation, I hurt myself on stage--so much for R&R! In the middle of my big number I was doing a small, routine bit of choreography which I have done hundreds of times and I suddenly heard a 'pop' and felt a stab of pain in my right calf. I almost went right down but managed to limp my way through the rest of the number and the performance. But it is pretty clear to me that I have a rupture in my calf muscle. How bad it is remains to be seen; the only real treatment for it is ice, anti-inflammatories and staying off of it. Which makes performing rather a challenge, as you can imagine. It is likely I will miss performances this weekend, which completely sucks, but we fly to Toronto on Monday and I need to have the ability to schlep myself around airports! We truly forget what miraculous machines our bodies are and how much we take them for granted. Until you have a freak accident and can't walk! Sigh. As I have mentioned before, performers are athletes and sometimes athletes get hurt. Nothing to do but treat the problem and be good to the body to minimize the damage. Think good thoughts for me that I can get back to my role as soon as possible!

My dresser here is Ginny, and I am fortunate that she dressed my track the last time the show played in Hartford in 2007.
She is a scrappy, down to earth lady and was a pro from the get-go. Thanks, Ginny! I mentioned in my last post that there has been a request for a Q&A posting, addressing your questions about the show, touring life, and anything else that you might want to ask. Feel free to send your questions and I will answer them within the next few weeks. I hope everyone had a great summer. More from Canada next week.