The Anniversary Approacheth
As I sit here to begin writing the report this week, I am struck by many things. One, I can’t believe how unbelievably hot it is in NYC today. Two, there is a bottle of brown water sitting at my station still about a third full that has been there for months (what is wrong with me?) Three, I can’t believe I am up to Volume FORTY FOUR on the report (which should technically be 45, but Fenkart failed me on my vacation). And Four, I have another vacation coming up next month!! OOH…that just got me excited.
This time around I am splitting up the time off. The first half of the week is still up in the air (but I am thinking a spa somewhere in the tri-state area will be in order)…then on Thursday morning bright and early I am flying down to the Riviera Maya in beautiful Playa Del Carmen Mexico.
This time I am seeking fun in the sun with one of my dearest friends from Florida State….Dearing. No one can make me laugh like Dearing; she has the quickest wit of anyone I know. She never fails to make me laugh (and she is also a professional when it comes to brown water!). She has two absolutely beautiful daughters and this will be her first trip SOLO…so I hope the resort we are staying at has the brown water stocked up (Note to self…call travel agent to make sure this happens…)
Before I go soak up the sun…there are big happenings over here at MEMPHIS. I can’t believe that the starting date for when we started rehearsal was over a YEAR ago!! Where did the year go? Craziness I tell you.
Also, we are swiftly approaching the YEAR mark when we started previews here at the Shubert! Then, the mother of them all. On October 19, 2010 MEMPHIS will be one year old on Broadway!! What a difference a year makes!! We came into the city “the little musical that could”….hardly anyone had heard of it. Even some of my friends thought that I was working in the city of Memphis when I told them what I was doing. One friend (coulda been Dearing…) even offered to come visit me if I promised to go to the Peabody Hotel to see the ducks.
Almost a year later, and we went from the “dark horse” to the winner of the Grandmother of them all in Theatre talk. The T-O-N-Y!! It’s crazy all the hard work that goes in to making a Tony Winning Musical. I talk a great deal about the hard work that the cast puts in here. But, I tell ya, without the never-ending hard work of our crew, our management, our creatives, our PR, our marketing, and our Producers things would not be the same here at The Shubert.
I can’t imagine the challenges they faced trying to make MEMPHIS a hit and getting the “word out” to the masses when we first opened. Now, they have the challenge of making sure the show continues on for a long and healthy run! And these folks do not STOP!!
Look for MEMPHIS everywhere in the coming months. First off the annual “Broadway on Broadway” concert on Sunday, September 12th! I love that event. It really galvanizes the entire community and it’s nice to see friends from other shows getting to strut their stuff in Times Square! I’m not sure if I am supposed to say what number we are doing. But it may involve thievery.
Also, as our year approacheth (I don’t think that is a word really, but I just made it up….) I think it is kinda cool that there are still 20 original Broadway cast members (22 if you count Dionne and Charlie who are just on leaves)…It seems like we have had so much turnaround, but 20 originals is pretty awesome!! If we are going old school…all 5 of us who were in the original incarnation who are in the original Broadway cast are still here. Wait…was that confusing? Wow…that brown water looks thirst quenching right now….
A year might seem like a long time….but I look forward to all of the adventures that year two brings here at MEMPHIS!! It definitely seems like we are getting off on the right foot. How nice to be sitting pretty a year later when I didn’t know last year if I would even still be sitting in the bungalow at all! I had faith, but as an actor you are always filled with a little doubt!!
As the year anniversary approaches, we are still having some firsts around here!! This afternoon, Rhett made his debut as Wailin’ Joe and he KILLED it. This cast is ridiculously talented!
One wonders if we will get a cute little present for the one year birthday? IF I was to wish for something…maybe brown waters all around?
Hockadoo.
-Kevin
Celebrity Sighting – THE AMAZINGLY talented Alfre Woodard!! I think she is one of the finest actresses around. She is always good!! (and she is on True Blood this season!!) I told her that I was a HUGE fan of hers, and she fired back “Well, same here!” I almost peed!





























