Christmas Caucus

Week 55: Des Moines, IA

I stopped believing in Santa Claus when I was six. Mother took me to see him in a department store and he asked for my autograph.
--Shirley Temple

I hope your holidays were warm and wonderful. I had a pleasant Christmas in Des Moines, mainly because of the delightful way that the company came together to celebrate and make this holiday away from home special. We were treated to a delicious Christmas Eve dinner, and a wonderful dessert and egg nog party in the penthouse of our hotel.
Secret Santas were revealed, carols were sung, Christmas crackers popped, and our own pyro guy Mike Berg played a fabulous Santa Claus--and found himself being sat upon by every member of the cast and crew! Here he is with the two resident Jews, me and Jonathan Hadary! People flew in their families and significant others; Matt Greer had his beautiful children Spencer and Miranda dashing about. Lest you should worry that we don't get to have a family style Christmas on the road, let me assure you Christmas with the Spamily was an affair to remember.

My week here started with a series of seven back to back radio interviews at various studios spread out around town. The local press representative picked me up at the unholy hour of 7:30AM on our first day here, and shuttled me from one interview after another. It was rather fun, though, to tailor the conversation to the station that was conducting the interview--"musical theatre" talk for the public radio/arts station, fart jokes and showgirls in bikinis for the rock station. It's fortunate that our show has such a broad appeal! Des Moines is an odd city, rather nondescript and strangely quiet. Part of this has to do with the very convenient skywalk system that connects office buildings, hotels and indoor malls--leaving the streets almost deserted. We are performing at the Des Moines Civic Center which gets my vote for ugliest theatre I have thus played on my tour. The interior is vast, with plain high walls of grungy white stucco, and horseshoe shaped, continental style seating, upholstered alternately in primary green, red and blue. However, the audiences have been great.




Lest you should think there is no beauty in Des Moines, au contraire. A small group of us went on a tour of the governor's mansion, Terrace Hill. This historic home was built in the mid 19th century by Iowa's first millionaire, Benjamin Franklin Allen, who squandered his family fortune and had to sell the home to one of the lawyers who worked on his bankruptcy case, F. M. Hubbell, whose descendants lived in the house for over 70 years. The family bequeathed the house to the state of Iowa and in the 1970s it became the governor's official residence.
Built in 1869 at a cost of $250,000, it was the first home in the region to have gas lighting, indoor plumbing, and an elevator. Rich with sumptuous woods and veneers, magnificent stenciled walls and ceilings, marble fireplace mantles and an extraordinary stained glass window at the top of the grand staircase (reminiscent of "Gone With the Wind"), this place is a real treasure of Victorian and turn of the century opulence. It was a pleasure to visit it and to learn about the extraordinary efforts of the nearly all-volunteer staff that keeps the place going while the governor's family resides in the historic home. We even got to meet the staff chef, whose pumpkin pies filled the air of the house with sweet smells of goodness. The place was all decked out in Christmas finery and all in all it was a real treat to see it.

From Terrace Hill, I went further up Grand Avenue and stopped in at the Des Moines Art Center. It is a small gem of a museum: the main building dating back to the late 40's is sort of sleek, post-war deco with light woods and matte steel railings, and a very special wing built in the 60s and designed by I.M. Pei is in his signature style, all clean lines and striated concrete. The collection itself is small, and primarily focused on 19th and 20th century artists. There are some fine pieces by Picasso, Childe Hassam, Rodin, Monet, as well as some photography by Man Ray and Alfred Stieglitz.
The most famous piece in the collection, and the one that drew me to the museum, is "Automat" by Edward Hopper. Regrettably, the painting is currently on loan to a museum in Seattle so I missed the chance to view this wonderful piece up close and personal. I did have a very nice lunch in the museum restaurant, reputed to be one of the finest in Des Moines, and the art dork in me was very satisfied.

Flo is my Des Moines dresser.
She and her husband were publicans, and owned a bar in the East Village section of Des Moines for 25 years. They got involved with stagehand work via the fire fighters who frequented their pub (seems fairly common that fire fighters do back stage work on the side), and Flo became a wardrobe worker ten years ago. Luckily for me, she dressed my "track" the last time the show was in Des Moines, so this week has been easy breezy. Thanks, Flo! New Year's will find me in Cincinnati, so I will write from there in 2009. Happy New Year everyone!

Girl of the Ozarks

Week 54: Fayetteville, AR

Touring is traditionally an adventure playground for young actors and those who would remain young past their first youth; oats are sown, hell is raised, candles are burned at both ends. The twin excitements of a new town and an almost unbroken succession of first nights, every one a triumph of adrenalin over adversity, added to the curious sense of truancy involved in being away from home create an emotional wildness.
--Simon Callow, "Orson Welles: The Road to Xanadu"

Sounds like fun. What tour was he on?!

Welcome back--did you miss me? Last week's layoff week marked the end of my first year with "Spamalot" and so I suppose this begins the next major phase of this journey for me. The week off afforded me some time to get my holiday shopping done in New York, and to enjoy an early celebration with my Mom and family up in Massachusetts.

It is perhaps timely that I write something about our lovely leading lady, Esther Stilwell, since we are in Esther's hometown this week.
If you have seen the show, you know what all of us know about Esther--that she is an attractive, graceful young woman with a stunning, powerful voice. Hers is one of those great show business stories about the start of a young performer's career. Esther studied at the University of Oklahoma and spent a summer at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in England; upon graduation she did a handful of shows including a couple for Disney and the 25th anniversary tour of "Cats," in which she played Grizzabella. But "Spamalot" was her first professional job; she was brought in as the stand by for Lady of the Lake when the national tour was forming and toured with the company in that capacity for the first year. When the reigning Lady left the show, Mike Nichols and the other creative team members decided to give Esther a wonderful break and move her into the role. Thus, in her early 20s and at the start of her professional career, Miss Stilwell became the diva leading lady of a major Broadway national tour. Yet for all the hoopla, Esther is incredibly down to earth, self effacing, sweet natured and real. I believe she owes these qualities to a strong background of family and faith right here in her home town of Fayetteville. She welcomed us here with great warmth, leaving goodie bags for all of us at our hotels, complete with lists of her favorite spots around town and delicious chunks of her own homemade fudge, and her parents hosted our opening night party in their home. Esther will be leaving us in January and there is no doubt that she will be much missed. And the fudge was divine, by the way.

Fayetteville is the home of the University of Arkansas, and has all the qualities of a college town, with a charming campus and a downtown strip of pubs, restaurants and fun shops.
In the heart of this district is the Walton Arts Center, our theatre this week. The result of a collaboration between University of Arkansas, the city of Fayetteville, and Sam Walton (the founder of Wal-Mart, which has its headquarters in nearby Bentonville), the theatre was opened in 1992. It's a somewhat institutional feeling building, a far cry from some of the ornate old theatres we have played recently, and the interior of dull tan colored seats looks rather like an enormous graham cracker. Aesthetics aside, the Walton Center is a well supported, integral part of the Northwest Arkansas region, as evinced by our sold out houses this week.

I admit I have not done a great deal of sightseeing here in Fayetteville. My hotel is out on a highway and we are carpooling, plus there are not too many attractions in this town. There is a museum in honor of Bill and Hillary Clinton, commemorating their time spent here, teaching at the University of Arkansas School of Law. The Fayetteville Public Library is said to be one of the best in the nation. I regret to say I did not visit either institution. It's been a week of simple pleasures--some shopping, internet surfing, reading, and generally hanging out. Sometimes weeks like this are so very welcome on tour--resting and recharging is necessary and places like Fayetteville are great for that.
The highlight of the week has been watching our company game of "Secret Santa" unfold. Every night people are finding goodies and gifts at their dressing stations, being treated to poetic recitations, sent on scavenger hunts, being made to wear funny clothes, finding their spot in the quick change booth festooned with Christmas lights and wreaths. Several of the folks who elected not to participate in the gift giving have volunteered as "elves" to deliver goodies; here is Brad Bradley in full elf regalia ready for duty!

My dresser this week is Melissa, and this is only her second time doing this.
She's a nice, soft spoken young lady who executed her duties to perfection on her very first night. She says her sister is a theatre major but Melissa is more interested in art history, because she wants a job that will afford her opportunities to travel. I harangued her with talk of my passion for the Italian Baroque, and recommended all sorts of books to her, poor girl! Ah well. So, folks, next time I write it will be after Christmas and Hanukkah have passed. I want to wish you and yours the happiest and healthiest of holidays! Take time during this next week--of last minute shopping, tallying up receipts, dashing from one commitment to another, and in general overindulging as we all do this time of year-- to just sit quietly and remember how fortunate you are. In this season of giving, make time to give back to yourself in the form of positive thoughts and feelings of gratitude. And if you can, do something for someone less fortunate this year. The "Spamalot" company has "adopted" two families in Des Moines and it has been a source of great joy for each of us to contribute to making the holiday warm and happy for these deserving people. Give your loved ones the greatest gift you can give--your affection, your embrace, your appreciation and your love.


The best of times is now

What's left of summer but a faded rose?

The best of times is now

As for tomorrow, well, who knows, who knows, who knows?

So hold this moment fast
And live and love as hard as you know how
And make this moment last
Because the best of times is now, is now, is now...
--Jerry Herman

Four Feet

Week 52: Sioux City, Iowa

Brrr! Sioux City is in the grip of a deep freeze this week, but apparently this is not unusual for this part of the country. The extremes of weather here in "Siouxland" are just part of the way of life. Still, the cold is brutal. Sioux City is a small, quiet place; I will be honest, there ain't a whole lot going on here. One of the young ladies in the show was at a local restaurant and she asked her server what there was to do in the area. The server enthusiastically said, "Well, "Spamalot" is in town!" When this dancer said she was in it, the waiter sort of shrugged and said, "Well, I don't know what to tell ya." So, this is a rather quiet week. There's a cineplex across the road from the hotel, and I got to see Baz Luhrmann's new epic "Australia."
Beautifully filmed, and starring Hugh Jackman, who is my new hero--he looks the way every 40-something man dreams of looking. His physique is beyond belief. Oh, and Nicole Kidman looks pretty too. But she is going the way of Meg Ryan with the weird plastic surgery on the lips. A collagen intervention is called for. Saw "Changeling" as well--grim, gripping, terribly upsetting. Beautifully directed by Clint Eastwood in his usual restrained style, with one exception. He seems to have been so seduced by Angelina Jolie's beauty that he allowed her to be given the full Hollywood glamour treatment, in a role that really would have been served by a little less makeup and fashion. Jolie gives a finely modulated, strong performance nonetheless. I have also had a couple nice meals here in town at a place called Sweet Fanny's, where the southern specialties they serve are first rate. The rest of my free time has been taken up with working out, writing Christmas cards, and taking driving lessons from my dear friend Tim. Tim and I did what I called jokingly a 'Thelma and Louise' road trip, flying into nearby Omaha and renting a car to drive the hour and a half to Sioux City. So we have a rental car this week and Tim has been taking me out to parking lots and back roads and letting me practice. I must say, I am doing pretty well!

We are performing at the Orpheum Theatre here in Sioux City.
Built in 1927 as part of the famous Orpheum vaudeville circuit, this local landmark went through a meticulous restoration which was completed just seven years ago. It's an opulent, beautiful old theatre with a fully restored Mighty Wulitzer organ. Unfortunately, the restoration process didn't include enlarging the playing space to accommodate today's large scale tours, like ours. When the crew arrived, they had to do some fancy footwork to fit our scenery into the shallow stage space. This meant eliminating four feet of the stage 'deck' from the front of the stage, foreshortening our playing space considerably. A few additional changes were required in the set and some restaging of some key moments in the show--the rehearsals for these changes being quickly accomplished just an hour before our opening performance. This made for an exciting and sometimes scary first show. With cast and crew on our toes the entire evening, making sure that everyone was safe and knew where to go in a very different space, the energy was kinetic. Only one moment of terror opening night, during the nun and monk pas de deux in the "Camelot" number. At the climax of the dance, the monk takes one of the nun's arms and one leg and spins 'her' around-- but with the stage space being smaller, this move brought the dancers perilously close to the pit and Matt, our nun, almost ended up in the string section! Scary! But there were great benefits to the sudden change in stage space as well: the energy on stage was electric, spontaneous; we were closer to the first rows of the audience which made for a stronger connection with the spectators. And what an audience! Don't judge a book by it's cover, folks. Sioux City may be sleepy but it's inhabitants are not. Rarely in my year on this tour have I experienced a more enthusiastic, responsive and appreciative audience. It was pure joy. The day after opening I was sitting in a local coffee shop and heard a group of elderly men talking about the show. One of them was rapturously reporting to his friends that our show "will spoil you for any other Broadway show--it's that good." I sat there, in anonymity, grinning with great satisfaction.

Something else touching happened on our opening night at the Orpheum. As you may remember, at the end of the show, Patsy goes out into the audience and finds the Holy Grail under the seat of an audience member. It's a different "peasant" and a different seat every night, and the unsuspecting person is brought up on stage in a bit that never fails to delight the audience. On our Sioux City opening, Brad Bradley, who plays Patsy, went out and brought up a young boy, a shy kid with floppy bangs half obscuring his eyes. The next day I received this message from our bass player in the band about just how special it was that this particular young boy, Austin, was selected:

Great show tonight in Sioux City. I play bass in the pit. I wanted to let you know about the boy you brought up on stage tonight. He has had a very rough year and is suffering major depression. He has been in and out of school all year and his father passed away earlier this year. This is the second time he has gone anywhere besides school in the past few months. Today was his birthday and also the first time his family has seen him smile in months, and you have it captured in the picture you took tonight. I know it was not planned but you made his family very happy today. Kudos to you and the cast!


My emotional reaction to this touching news requires no comment. What we do does matter.

The holiday season always brings with it a time of reflection for me, when I look back over the year that has passed; the gains, the losses, the lessons learned, new friends made, and the growth that new adventures have engendered in me. This tour has been a seminal event in my career. After 20 years of solid work in many areas of the profession, from cabaret to Shakespeare festivals, I got a real 'break' being offered Sir Robin. It has been a year of many firsts and a chance to see the country. I have experienced more of North America in the past year than I have in my entire life. The opportunity to travel, to make a good living as an actor in a profession that offers a precious few such chances, to reach out and connect with our audiences and to be able to share my experiences with people like you... all this has been an embarrassment of riches. I feel very blessed. And my "Spamalot" adventure will continue into 2009. I have been asked to stay on at least until May. So there will be many more tales to tell in the next five months. I hope you will stay on for the ride.

My dresser here is Chris.
She qualifies as the coolest dresser I have worked with thus far on the tour. Chris was at one time a jockey in Colorado; she married and moved back to Iowa, working in her parents' photography studio. In her mid-forties, she decided to test to become a firefighter and passed! She is now the only female firefighter in her station house. Many of the guys she works with take part time work as stagehands and she followed suit, which is what brings her back stage at the Orpheum. This fascinating lady also competes in riding competitions with her horse Boo Boo. I just think she is the coolest. Next week is a layoff week, and I will be returning to New York to attend to some business there and then spending a long weekend with my Mom in Massachusetts, celebrating an early Christmas together. So look for a post the week after, from our Lady of the Lake Esther Stilwell's home town of Fayetteville, Arkansas.