Once in a while, you have one of those weeks that is such a breeze that you barely remember you're actually working. One of those weeks when the shows are cake, the drives short, the hotels pristine and the day (or days) off is in a super-awesome location with tons of cool things to do.
This is not one of them.
After a wonderful Tuesday performance in Whitewater, we loaded up our trusty Sprinter, lunched on burritos, swung by the post office and raced off to Onalaska, WI, a suburb of La Crosse. Onalaska offers very little in the way of entertainment, but the mammoth Woodman's grocery store (and it's extraordinary cheese and Leinie's sections) kept everybody busy for an evening. I passed the time spotting Minnesota license plates on the freeway and reading Albee's Tiny Alice with a cup of decaf coffee.
Our two shows the next day in West Salem, WI were fine, but the challenges of the last months were beginning to show themselves. About now on tour is when people start getting sick, and we was not immune. Just about everyone was battling something viral (me included), but Nic was suffering the most. He sounded great onstage, but was coughing a ton, and staying very quiet offstage. None of which was comforting. A smart actor, he took himself to a doctor, who prescribed the ultimate singer's cure: vocal rest. Uh oh.
You see, Theatreworks does not travel with understudies, which means we cover each other from within. The "fall chart" in this show is tricky and, for the guys at least, much of it falls on me. So, as I watched the election results pour in, I began reviewing Nic's songs and lines, hoping he would feel better in time for our newly-added show in Illinois on Thursday (more on that later) and praying that, if needed, I'd be able to make it through his show. Nic's track is HARD!!
We loaded into the van the next day, headed for Rockford, IL, a three-and-a-half hour drive to get ready for our added show. Theatreworks got a last-minute booking for a 9am performance at a school in Rockford exactly eight days ahead of time, which is the minimum notice we are required to receive for added shows under our contract. This show replaced our day off this week, which meant (again, according to contract) that our travel day to Rockford would count as a "day off" and we would be provided with an extra day off in an upcoming week.
Our evening in Rockford was quiet, with everyone catching an early evening at our Super 8. Nic and David chatted and Nic decided he was feeling well enough to do the show the next day, which was welcome news. Rockford is a lovely town, I'm sure, but, sadly, our slice seemed to close up around 7ish, so I dined on Burger King while discussing the election results with my folks.
The Rockford show was great, particularly for a show that early! Being on a gym floor affords us the opportunity to see reactions up close, and the kids ate the show up. With involved and invested teachers, a school sponsor who was beside herself to have us there, coffee and snacks before the show and boxed lunches after, we were thrilled. We loaded up the van, bid farewell to our young fans, grabbed coffee at a local Starbucks, met up with the non-union A Chorus Line tour (and, no, I did not attempt a rumble, as in past tours) and began a four-hour trek past Chicago, through Indiana and up Lake Michigan to Benton Harbor, MI, the location of our next venue. Passing into Eastern Daylight Saving Time, I mentally recounted our travels: Wisconsin to Illinois to Michigan, in as many days. This is turning into one heck of a week! And now, in "the mitten," they are predicting snow.
To be continued...
Call tomorrow: 8am, Red Roof Inn, Benton Harbor, MI.
Kid Quote of the Day: On the button of "Babymouse: The Musical," a little boy made a super-hero hand motion and shouted, "Go Babymouse!!"
Adult Quote of the Day: Between shows in West Salem, WI, everyone hunkered down for a nap to nurse their colds. Out of nowhere, we hear from Matt, "I love this couch! It has peacocks all over it!"
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