Godspell National Tour: Week 5

Here we are at the end of week 5 on the Godspell National Tour! Just one week left until we fly home to Ontario (then we hit the road again mid-January).

When I left you last Friday, we were set to perform in Clinton Township, Michigan that night. It was another fun show and surprise, surprise: our director David Hogan and musical director Mark Payne drove across the border to see us!  More than just the 'creative team', they're also the heart of this Godspell family. Thankfully, we did them proud and they loved the show. It was really nice to see them after all this time, though they couldn't stay for long. They were in the middle of producing yet another stellar show back home!

The cast & friends w/ dir: David Hogan & musical director Mark Payne in Michigan

We performed twice more at the Macombe Center in Michigan the next day (Saturday), and were fed and watered by an older lady known simply as "Mom". She's a long-time matriarch and employee of the theatre who's as sassy as she is generous, and as witty as she is petite. She graciously prepared a huge thanksgiving feast for us between our matinée and evening performances. 

We also had a number of out-of-town visitors that weekend including parents and grandparents, wives & kids, siblings, friends, and by the time we got to Texas on Monday, my husband joined the fold too! We like to think of these people as honourary Godspellers. And/or groupies. 

Alessia with friend Aly Workman

We arrived in Austin, Texas on Sunday night after a stopover in Charlotte and a few delays. It was the first flight we'd taken on the tour so far (we've been travelling solely by bus), and it went pretty well, all things considered.  We had the next day (Monday) off, so that's when our Texas adventures began. 

A bunch of us sat down for an authentic Tex-Mex lunch and it was gooood. I was the first to brave a server-recommended drink called 'The Hurricane' that was a tasty blend of EVERYTHING. It was icy, sweet and so strong that it was probably the only drink I needed for the rest of the day... or week (as if). Some castmates began a bar-hopping expedition after our spicy lunch that continued into the wee hours of the morning! Texas has amazing night life & a thriving live music scene, so naturally it's become the new favourite tour stop for many of us (I'm still holding on to good memories of St. Louis, but that's just me :-).

Bright and early on Tuesday morning, Jake Stern, Alessia Lupiano and myself had an interview at KUT - a radio station operated out of the University of Texas.  The host was (unintentionally) hilarious, teasing Jake about his cowboy hat, leading us into an impromptu acapella performance, and closing our interview with some random song called "Day After Day" because he couldn't find the song "Day BY Day" in his track listings (the one that's actually in our show). So much funny in a single morning.

Alessia, Jake and I after our KUT interview

Amidst all these Texas shenanigans, we had a SHOW to put on! Tuesday night was our first show in Austin at the Long Center for the Performing Arts. It's a phenomenal venue, seating approximately 2500 patrons, and the crowd was on fire! It was one of our most exciting shows, where the audience was with us from note-to-note. 

Our stellar band at the Long Center in Austin, Texas

These were painted all over the sidewalk outside the Long Center:

Wednesday night was another great show, another great night on the town afterwards, and Thursday we were blessed with an American Thanksgiving Dinner at one of the few local restaurants that were still open. After dinner, some of our crazy little bunch went to a make-shift amusement park situated behind our hotel. Bumper cars, rides and gaming ensued, with winners and stuffed thingies all-around. The fun just never stops. Unless you're this guy:

Jake's new bus-buddy

It's Friday, and we've just arrived in Crockett, Texas for another show tonight. It's a wee little town with a population smaller than the seating capacity in some of the venues we've played thus far. Apparently the theatre here is unable to house some of our larger set pieces like... our stage. And much of our lighting. But have you MET this Godspell cast & crew? Do you know what we say to that??? Challenge accepted. Our set may be scaled back, but our performances would never and could never be.

I can't wait to tell you how it all went down in next week's post. So check back!

Xoxoxox

~ Lisa Michelle

Tweet us! Use the hashtag: #GodspellNationalTour

Godspell National Tour: Week 4 update!

Time is flying by! We're already at the end of week 4 of the Godspell National Tour, and we've just left Kalamazoo. Yep. It's a real place. And nope. Nothing to see there. 

But that was just a 2-day pit stop as we made our way to where we are now: Clinton Township, Michigan. We have three performances here this weekend, beginning tonight at 7:30. Some cast members have family and friends visiting from back home this weekend, and in good time too. A taste of home is just what some of us need at this point.

When I posted last week's update, we were about to begin performances at the Peabody Opera House in St. Louis, Missouri. Once again, we were able to make our mark in another great city, and inside their theatre's walls:

Peabody Opera House in St. Louis, MI

Before leaving St. Louis, we celebrated cast member Michael DeRose's birthday! We held a pseudo-surprise soirée for him in Jesus' hotel room, then skipped out to a fantastic live music joint called BB's Blues Bar. The band was i-n-c-r-e-d-i-b-l-e. When we weren't salivating over their musicianship like the geeks we are, we were tearin' up the dance floor to the beat of their funked out, soul-stirring set list. It was the final note on why St. Louis has been my favourite stop on the tour thus far.

Love for Michael De Rose! :-)

We also performed at the Grand Theatre in Wausau, Wisconsin this week. I'm still not sure how to pronounce that, but I can tell you they gave us another beautiful house; velvety red seats, exquisite design, and the 'wow-this-place-is-huge' vastness. We've been very lucky, as all the venues we've played on this tour have been aesthetically impressive. Hence the intense camera-phone action that happens upon our arrival in every new place.

Grand Theatre in Wausau, WI

Well today's blog was kinda late, so once again I'm dashing off to eat and get set for another evening show. And to break all my legs, of course :-).

Talk to you next week! xox

~ Lisa Michelle

Twitter: #GodspellNationalTour

Godspell National Tour: Week 3

Today marks the end of week 3 on our Godspell National Tour!

Right now, we're in St. Louis, Missouri and have our first show here at the Peabody Opera House tonight! We arrived here on Wednesday afternoon after 3 days of driving and nightly pit stops from New Jersey, so tonight will actually be our first performance since last Sunday!  

Since getting off the bus on Wednesday, we've been making the absolute MOST of our time off and have been having an amazing time in St. Louis so far.  Just some of the things our group has gotten into include visiting the Gateway Arch (a 630-foot monument), getting spa massages, enjoying the food, daytime strolls and a trip to the St. Louis Zoo.

The highlight was our excursion to an NHL game last night at the Scottrade Centre! I'm certainly not the world's biggest hockey fan and yet it was still an extraordinary experience. We had great seats, "our" home team the St. Louis Blues SLAYED with a 7-3 win, we got to meet the players and coaches AND Godspell got so much love on the big screen. A huge thank you to our generous stage manager Paul Pembleton for organizing, and to Jesus, *ahem*... Jake for his star-power connections. It was a wild night!!!

I must say, our good times have been well-earned at this point... We recently came out of a crazy, hectic journey of 8 shows in 6 days in 6 different cities. That means daily traveling, one-nighter hotel stints, lots of go-go-go, and most notably; little time to rest our bodies and vocal chops between shows. Here's how it went down:

Tues Nov 5: Capitol Centre in Concord, New Hampshire

Wed Nov 6: Zelterion Theatre in New Bedford, Maine

Thurs Nov 7: Symphony Hall in Springrield, MA

Fri Nov 8: Tilles Centre in Greenvale, NY

Sat Nov 9: Proctor's Theatre in Schenectady, NY (2 shows)

Sun Nov 10: State Theatre/New Brunswick, NJ (2 shows)

Symphony Hall, Springfield MA

Inside Proctors Theatre, Schenectady NY

Tilles Centre, Greenvale NY

If you've seen our production of Godspell, than you are privy to just how much physical and spiritual energy we put forth in our performances. So having this many shows (and this much travelling) in that short amount of time was a challenge. But what was truly incredible to me was watching how each one of us gave the show our EVERYTHING, every single time. Our passion and commitment to the show and to taking care of eachother became even more apparent when we all needed it the most. As one cast member emphatically put it (and I paraphrase): "I would rather DIE than miss a moment on that stage!" Extreme? LOL maybe. But that individual was dead serious and wholeheartedly understood. It's called LOVE, baby! And we have so much of it. Well... except when we're fighting over a game of Euchre (WWJD?!?).

Aaaanways... it's time for me to get my game face on! Hit the gym, warm up those vocal chords, eat something delicious and prepare for SHOW TIME! I'll leave you with this crrrrazy video from my beloved (and did I mention, crazy?) cast mates Stacey Kay & Rebecca McCauley. This video was clearly made before that hectic week I described above and it's... Oh geeze, it needs no intro. Just laugh. And pray for our sanity. Lol

Click here: PRANK ZONE!

See you next week!
~ Lisa Michelle
Twitter: #GodspellNationalTour

Godspell National Tour: Week 2

It's Friday! Time for me to encapsulate the happenings of week 2 on our Godspell National Tour.

In case you missed the first post, we are the FIRST national tour of this production, and we are still letting that sink in and fester in our happy (and tired) minds, bodies and spirits.

Before I get into the factual business of where we played this week, (venues, cities etc), I would be remiss if I didn't speak about the relationships between our cast, band and crew.

We spend a LOT of time together. There's the show of course, but outside of that, we choose to eat, laugh, play, shop, gossip, meander, sing, facebook, tweet and instagram... TOGETHER. We LOVE this show and more importantly, we LOVE each other! Apparently the kind of chemistry we have flowing between us isn't common place. Even singing & dancing can start to feel like any other kind of work after a while, but we've still got that joyful thing going on. We look after eachother in ways that a healthy family would. If someone is hurt or sick, virtually everyone will offer a hand, an ear or a remedy to help. If one of us is stressed or blue, you can bet another cast member (or two, or three) is on the case and ready to kiss it better. And don't even get me started on the shoulder rubs. With all the physicality Godspell demands of us, there are lots of friendly massage circles happening at any given time. 

Our pre-show group sing/love-fest

Guacamole fights.

Outside Symphony Hall in Springfield, MA

Being far away from home, I've found this closeness to be one of the best things about touring another country for what will be a total of 13-weeks. I miss my family, I miss my home, but all the while, I know I'm wholly loved and taken care of by my Godspell family while we're out here on the road. We really are living out a beautiful, crazy dream.

It's super late on Thursday night/early Friday morning as I write this from my beautiful hotel room at the Sheraton in Springfield, Massachusetts. We performed at the Symphony Hall tonight, which is right around the corner from our accomodations. It's a stunningly beautiful theatre with a grandiose exterior and glamourous interior to match.

Outside Symphony Hall in Springfield, MA

Symphony Hall

Since last Friday's post, we've performed in St.John's NB, then crossing back into the US for New Hampshire, Maine and now, Massachusetts. Some of the more adventurous souls in the bunch spent their downtime discovering these new towns on foot, snapping away at local sites and nature. It is them you have to thank for the following few pics... my downtime was more often spent enjoying the hotel beds and hot tubs :-).

Day off in Maine! Zzzz...

Jesus discovering New Bedford

The show itself has been going well, and many of us in the cast even marvelled at the fact that we're still discovering new things within our characters and stories every day. I think we're all grateful (and surprised) that no matter how many times we do this, it never gets old. 

I mentioned our tour bus in my last post, but only briefly. Well it's AWESOME, and not because it's decked out with comfy beds, a kitchen and a living room (it's not), but because a) we still like eachother, b) we all packed headphones, pillows & snacks and c) we have the coolest, down-homiest bus driver anyone could ask for. His name is Robert and he's funny, kind, and plays sweet throw-back tunes when he's good and ready.

Ok, my lids are getting heavy and I really want to get up on time for the Lobster Benedict I saw on the breakfast menu before we have to leave.  We're off to Greenvale, New York in the morning and performing at their Tilles Center at night.

Please wish us broken legs! And check back for next week's new news :-)

Xo

~ Lisa Michelle

Twitter: #GodspellNationalTour

Godspell National Tour! Week 1

We've just hit the end of week one on our 13-week National Tour of "Godspell"! It's already been a fun & crazy ride and we still have so much more to go.

First stop was Shubert Theatre in New Haven, Connecticut (with a one-night stop in Syracuse along the way). I don't know if it's possible to exaggerate the magnificence of this particular venue or how excited we all were to be performing there. But it was INCREDIBLE! Built in 1914, it has 1600 ruby-coloured seats, golden nostalgic design and a rich Broadway history... which OUR cast of Godspell is now blissfully a part of :-)

We spent the better part of our first soundcheck taking photos (shhh!) from the stage, OF the stage, of eachother on the stage, the marquee... you name it, we were taking pictures of it. We all had the same "I'm-doing-something-right-with-my-life" grin on our faces the whole damn day. It's not that any of us are new to performing in theatre... some of us may have even played bigger houses than the Shubert. But it wasn't about size... the MAGIC in this building was undeniable.

We opened the show, and ultimately our tour, at the Shubert on Friday October 25th. It's safe to say 'we brought it', because they loved us as much as we loved them! We had new friends/fans waiting for us at our stage door for pictures, autographs or just to tell us to our faces how much we made them laugh, cry and love.

Our experience at the Shubert was THE perfect way to kick off this tour and after our four shows were done (two nights, two matinees), it was hard to say goodbye. After all, they even hosted our opening night party rife with hot eats, drinks on the house, and lots and lots and LOTS of dancing. But... we did leave our mark, as indicated by the signatures we scrawled on an inside wall* as the 1st EVER National Tour of this Stephen Schwartz musical. Thanks New Haven!!!

We got on our tour bus that Sunday and headed for our next venue: Fredericton Playhouse in New Brunswick, but with another one-night stop in Portsmouth to ease the stress of an uber-long drive. Oh, someone remind me to say more about the tour bus and border crossings in next week's post. Fun times. (Was that sarcasm or do we really love it? You'll have to wait and see!)

The Fredericton Playhouse has 763 seats and has a very intimate set up. I felt like we could reach out and touch the audience at any time (and if you've seen Godspell, you know that we DO). I, personally, love the feeling of being physically close to the people I'm performing for. They can hear us breathe, see our sweat and our tears. They have the opportunity to be a part of our world in a way that's not as accessible in larger venues. But let's be honest... I love it all and I would perform just about anywhere.

Anyways, we had one of our best ever shows on our second night in Fredericton. The chemistry and connection between us just seemed especially 'right' and it shone through. Meh... Perhaps one or two cast mates may have seen it differently, but 'alas for you', I'm the one who volunteered to write the weekly blog ;-).

Right after that show, we had THE best Hallowe'en party in our hotel's party room. The cast, band and crew came together in the form of a grease monkey, a couple kitty cats, a hamburgler, a lumberjack, a girly boy (nothing wrong with that), a botox junkie and more. Definitely more. (You really, really need to meet these people).

As I write this, we have one more night here in Fredericton than we're off to St. John's! At some point, we're heading back into the U.S.... I can't remember where and I'd check for you, but my room service has just arrived (See ma? I told you this was a real job!).

More updates next week!

~ Lisa Michelle
Twitter: #GodspellNationalTour