Another tour in the books. And to say I’m relieved is a gross understatement. Wanna hear what’s in the front, back, and sides of my reptilian brain from June (when I start planning the itinerary) until April (when we finally pull into the school parking lot after it’s over)? It explains in part why I hardly sleep at all on tour. Here is a partial list, in no particular order, because they’re all #1.

• Terrorist attacks
• Bus accident
• Kid or chaperon getting gravely ill
• Kid getting lost or running away
• Violent crime against a kid, or a kid getting hit while crossing an intersection
• The NBC Studios elevator (Selfish inclusion; elevators constrict my breathing…they make me want to hyperventilate. Ridiculous, but there you have it. I’m phobia’d to death.)

But none of that happened, and I am grateful. I’m not a picture-taker, but I do have some favorites from tour…

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But now I have to start thinking about spring concerts and graduation: the return to reality. Back in the old routine. Yeah, man.

FO

And they’re off. This tour has gone so smoothly…something has to go wrong today.

I hope my students and the chaperones have had a ball; I know I have. Trying to have fun while on tour is a challenge for me, but my chaperones make it much easier to entertain the possibility. Great folks, they.

Saw Phantom on Broadway last night. While the Christine and Raoul characters were not necessarily to my liking (not happy when you can’t really tell a diff between the Christine and Carlotta voices), the phantom was once again very strong. Likey likey.

Today’s menu: Staten Island Ferry, shopping in Times Square, IMAX movie, Chinatown/Little Italy, Top of the Rock, then back home. Big day, big night, good tour.

Yay, it’s Finkday. But every day’s a holiday in old New York….

FO

April fool. Heh.

So what’s on the menu today? Ah, yes. Our step-on tour of Manhattan. Love that. We get a step-on guide who tells us (often in a very entertaining fashion) about the landmarks as we drive the city, and every so-often, we get out and explore. It’s a great morning.

Then it’s lunch at the seaport, Madame Tussauds, Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. and Phantom. Should be a good day. The fact that it’s going to be 68 and sunny in NYC today makes it even better.

I just might be starting to enjoy this tour. Six hours of sleep didn’t hurt, either! I’m having trouble with the pictures part…as in, I’m not taking any. Heh. I’ll try to do better today.

Happy Thurbsday.

FO

Tonight, I will accompany 103 fine people to NYC. Sleep? Feh. You can sleep when yer dead.

Lots of fun stuff planned for my students, most of whom have never been to Man Hat. The highlight for me, as always, is the performance at the Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine. That, and sleeping when I get home, because I don’t do so good in a moving vehicle — especially when I’m watching the driver every minute to make sure he/she is awake, not texting, not speeding, etc. I don’t mind being a backseat driver sometimes.

Judging from the Facebook posts I’m seeing, everyone’s getting excited. That makes me smile. I hope the right choir shows up for the gig tomorrow morning; if the music is good, I will be happy. I will make a concerted effort to post to RtB each day, although I can’t guarantee my customary 6 a.m. EST press time. I will be checking in, though, so feel free to lurk when you think of it.

In other news:

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Keep repeating to yourself: It’s not stupid, it’s not stupid, it’s not stupid…Couldn’t have happened to a nicer team. Did I say that? Yes, I did. Just call me Sarcasmo. Sarcasmo, the Sore (Perennial) Loser.

Schadenfreude: curse or blessing? Discuss.

Now you all have a great week — I’ll check in when I can. But for now, it’s eastbound and down, loaded up and truckin’.

Sincerely,
Jerry Reed

I’m not getting too old for this I’m not getting too old for this I’m not getting too old for this I’m not g…

What a great weekend, though, eh? Once again, I am reminded why I do this.

I still don’t know how they all pull it off. You really have to see it actually happening to get the complete gist. I swiped some photos from the Facebook album of RtB fiend Greg, who is also my tech director. Hope he doesn’t mind. Those of you on his friend list saw his step-by-step photo album of how the show came together — great idea, that. I need to get with that program. Anyway, as you will see, we have a very limited, small performance space. It’s a cafeteria with a tiny stage that has no dressing facilities, no wingspace (actors have about 5 feet in which to wait for entrances), no scene shop, no catwalk, no hardwired sound reinforcement system and no storage. Yet, the cast, crew and tech people consistently do outstanding work. I couldn’t be more proud. Here are some clicky pictures (thanks again, Greggy) of how things look:

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Again, you’d just have to see how they do it to believe it. I always get a kick out of when my students go backstage at a “real” theater at a neighboring school and come back talking about how enormous everything was. Admittedly, there are also times when I wish that mo money (lots mo, like 6 figures mo) could be thrown at our little space to improve it. But until that time, we will keep using every square inch of the real estate we have.

All right then…*rubbing paws together*…who’s up for choir tour on Tuesday???

Fink out (and feeling a bit aged).