Lush Life

Week 65: Tampa, FL

Some stops on our tour feel like resort vacations rather than work. Tampa is one such. Pristine, sleek, the city embodies everything I imagine a Floridian city to be. It's elegantly situated by water on many sides; it seems to all have been designed by the same architectural firm and been fabricated overnight. Reflective glass, creamy sherbet colors and lush plantings of palms, hibiscus, and bougainvillea. Our gym this week is over a bridge in chi-chi Harbour Island, all impeccable landscaping and gated communities, and my spacious room at the Sheraton Riverwalk Hotel has a balcony overlooking the Hillsborough River, with a view beyond it to the most eccentric feature of the Tampa skyline.

Plant Hall at the University of Tampa was built originally in the late 19th century by a wealthy magnate, Henry B. Plant, as the Tampa Bay Hotel.
This over the top fantasy castle in the "Moorish" style was meant to outdo any luxury resort up to that time. It rises five stories, with spires topped with silver minarets tipped with crescent moons. It has over 5000 rooms and was the vacation home for luminaries like U.S. Grant, Teddy Roosevelt and Sarah Bernhardt. Now it is the main classroom building of the University, but, framed by flamboyant palms and silhouetted against a hot pink Floridian sunset, it looks like something out of The Arabian Nights.

On Friday, I took an adorable streetcar to historic Ybor City.
This, the Latin Quarter of Tampa, was established in the 1880s by a cigar manufacturer from Cuba, attracting Cuban, Spanish, and Italian immigrants, who came to Ybor City to work in the cigar trade. Today, this national historic district retains its multi-ethnic flavor, but like most re-gentrified ethnic neighborhoods, is also home now to the "funkier" element of Tampa--with gay clubs, artist's studios, tattoo and piercing shops, and a lively nightclub scene. The two story brick buildings, with their upper galleries framed in wrought iron railings are reminiscent of New Orleans, while the Latin music and cigar smoke wafting out on to the street speak to the neighborhood's Cuban roots. The only real eyesore in this charming neighborhood is the Centro Ybor outdoor mall, a tourist destination with all the familiar and tiresome American mall businesses like Urban Outfitters, Claire's Accessories, Starbucks. Americans simply cannot go to a new place and explore without having the security blanket of these ubiquitous temples of commercialism. Tacky. Hungry for an authentic experience and some real Cuban food, I wended my way to the Columbia Restaurant, a Tampa institution for over 100 years.
This popular (and noisy) eatery with its painted tile facade and wacky, overdone Spanish interior, serves some really stellar traditional food. I opted for the "El Combo de Cuba," with roast pork, rice and beans, empanada and fried plantains. Absolutely delicious. Despite the more touristy aspects of Ybor City, I am glad that Tampa has supported the ongoing life of this historic district and has encouraged commerce and tourism (even with the tacky mall shops). I wish more cities would invest in the heritage of their old neighborhoods. For example, I am waiting for someone enterprising to revive Coney Island in Brooklyn and bring it back to its former glory.

I love answering your questions about road life, but haven't had any in a while. This week, Jeff asked:

How much or does the change in weather and or venue change your performances?

Well, going from one climate to another definitely has an effect on one's health and energy levels. I have terrible seasonal allergies and asthma, and moving from the cold weather in the midwest to the warming spring of Florida had a real impact on my sinuses and bronchial tubes. That said, the warmer climate is more relaxing and rejuvenating. In terms of the effect of the venue on the performance, there are things to be adapted to in each theatre. Some theatres are enormous and the audience can be very far away from us. This requires us to really reach out with our energy and to bring a larger physical presence to our performances. Different spaces have different acoustics; sometimes we can hear ourselves perfectly and sometimes it is hard to find the balance between us and the orchestra. Some theatres are overheated; some underheated. Sometimes the climate on stage is so dry that we are guzzling water all night, sometimes it is so humid that I have sweated through my costume within minutes of starting the show. All of these things require our flexibility and good humor, but they also keep us on our toes.


My inner art lover was thwarted this week, as both the Tampa Museum of Art and the Florida Museum of Photographic Arts were closed. Drat. I had to console myself with lounging by the pool, working out at our swanky gym... all right, smack me now, I know! We are performing at the Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center, a huge complex with a loyal following of theatre lovers. Richard has been received particularly warmly here, and it's been a good run.
I was reunited with Ann, my dresser from last year in Clearwater (lord, time flies). You may recall that Ann had been a competitive figure skater in her youth. She still has that elegant posture and bearing and is she ever the most impeccable pro! It's wild that I have been on this tour now long enough that I am repeating dressers. I am excited that our next stop is Austin, Texas! I did a play in Austin a few years ago and it is a good time town. I am so looking forward to a little two step, a little push-tush. See y'all in Texas.