Seder Opening number

Seder Opening number
Matty, Nancy and Jake

Monday, June 13, 2011

Blog Installment June 13, 2011


Hello, it has been quite a while since I have written. The tour actually had a month layoff. Wow, how wonderful to be back home and back in New York City, at least for a little while. It was wonderful to reconnect with acting class teacher and fellow actors, my singing teacher as well as family and friends. Luckily, I was able to participate in a reading of a new play by a fellow acting class actor turned playwright. It took place at Sardi’s and we had a full house. It was a fun role and a fun evening, we even had 16 hours of rehearsal!!! Then it was back on the road.

The tour restarted in Norfolk, VA for a week sit-down with eight performances. It was interesting to get back to work daily after having had four weeks off. We also had smaller audiences until Saturday afternoon. Which brings me to my topic of conversation tonight: Audiences and how they influence the actors, the show and the energy.


There are various Acting and Singing Teachers who have voiced theories about Energy and how it affects performing: the performer and the audience. I was taught that there are three circles that emanate from a great actor: one that circles the actor’s self, one that includes the cast and the third that goes out to the audience and then comes back to the performer. Another voice teacher from the UK, Patsy Rodenburg, wrote a book and included this quote about circles of Energy: “
Second Circle
is The Energy of Connecting.  People who operate in this circle have real presence.  People who operate in this circle give out energy but also receive it back. These are the performers who literally change our lives when we listen to them. You feel they are connecting directly with you personally even although you may be one of a very large audience.  They connect.  These students are the ones who give back energy to you and we emerge from our studio feeling as if we have not been working at all. If only all our students could be like that, we say.”

There is definitely a circle between the audience and the performers that create a natural high.  It is truly amazing, but it does happen. Just such an experience happened to me the last show on Sunday night in Norfolk. Usually during the 5 show weekends, I have been very tired by the last show Sunday night. It has taken more focus and more of my own energy to give the audience the show they came to see. However, Sunday night in Norfolk I felt like I was flying and fresh as a daisy! The show flew by and was a hit from the first moment I stepped on the stage. The audience laughed at all of the funny moments and sent back energy up onto the stage so that all of us could give one of our best performances of the tour. I wasn’t the only one who was flying at the end of the show… This also happened for the entire week in Tempe, AZ. I don’t know why, but every audience in Tempe was excited to be there and really loved the show, sending energy pouring back to us onstage, which of course then poured back or circled back to them, creating incredible theater for us and for them. Friends who were in the audience that week said they had never seen such a great performance of “FIDDLER”.  We are very lucky that our troupe of actors have come together as a family. We have traveled together, had a Seder together, celebrated Thanksgiving together, laughed and cried together!! This has made us a village in reality, not just onstage. I really believe that the energy and love that is passed around backstage crosses the “Fourth Wall” into the audience and when the audience is receptive, it creates a moment of great theater and great energy. I have been very lucky to have been a part of this group and had these terrific experiences as a performer. The best part of all of this is that for some synergistic reason, the entire cast has figured this out at the same time and all of our last nine shows have had that incredible energy circling from the cast to the audience so that the laughs and cheers from the audience have really fueled us onstage. What a life I lead!!!

Thursday, April 21, 2011

Blog Installment April 21, 2011


Cooking is one of my pleasures in life. For those of you who know me, cooking for 10 people for dinner, 40 for a Seder, 50 for a Sit Down Bar Mitzvah or surprise 50th Birthday Party or 70 for an Engagement Party is not unusual for me. Being on tour does not allow one to be able to cook as we don’t have kitchens in our numerous hotel stops. We are lucky to sometimes have refrigerators and microwaves! Many a night I am at the ice machine, collecting ice to save my perishables! Some of our cast members have coolers that go on and off of the bus!

I might have mentioned this in another blog, but I thought it would be fun to tell you about the two times I have prepared food for the cast/crew/musicians with help from other cast/crew/musician members.

The first time was at Thanksgiving. We of course, were in Ottawa, Canada for the week of Thanksgiving. We had 8 shows there with not a lot of down time. However, we did have mini kitchens, i.e. stoves and refrigerators and microwaves and pots and pans! The hotel was going to cater a Thanksgiving Dinner for all of us, but our company manager thought it would make the holiday more meaningful if a few of us could also cook our favorite holiday dishes/desserts. So we called the hotel and found out that even though we had the kitchens, there would only be three available and they didn’t have the right pots or mix masters that we needed. Peter, that wonderful man, was driving up from New York to stay with me for the week. Guess what? I had him fill the car with pots and pans and mix masters and the Cuisinart and every baking need you could imagine!  I baked a cheesecake, stuffing and chocolate mousse, our company manager borrowed my mix master and baked two different kinds of pies, another cast member came to use my kitchen and we made some candy. Others contributed bread, veggies, a salad and an appetizer. So it felt nice to have some homey touches to the day. Some of the other cast kids had family join us as well. A nice day, we had a show that night and over the weekend we had two shows Saturday and Sunday. With a little ingenuity and a lot of fun, the holiday was extremely meaningful for all of us.

The other holiday event with food that I helped organize took place on Monday, April 18, the first Seder for Passover. Now this is a little more complicated as it grew into a huge event. Let me start by saying we were in Green River, UT on Monday night as a stopover, we did not have a show that evening. We had been in Albuquerque the weekend before. They did have a Trader Joe’s, but it was not in a Jewish neighborhood and they only had Matzoh and Horseradish. Remember, there are no kitchens at the hotel in Utah and I only have an hour between when we would arrive and when the Seder would begin! It was a conundrum. Should I just do blessings and pass out Matzoh and bless wine and sing a couple of songs? Where would we get hard boiled eggs? Matzoh Ball Soup and Gefillte Fish were definitely out of the question. There were no kosher for Passover noodles and microwaved noodles taste yucky to say the least. I got some Mushrooms/Asparagus/Chicken Stock/shallots/Mushroom Soup hoping someone would be able to put them together for us to eat. Now I have to back up.

I wanted to have a Seder, but it was looking dire. I had no Hagaddahs, no music, no food, no kitchen…..who would come? What would I do? What parts of the Seder to make it more enjoyable for people who had never attended a Seder? I had a couple of ideas but needed to do research. In Albuquerque I talked to a few of the cast and the company manager to feel out when would be the best time to do a Seder and we all decided that Monday night would work before people went off  to do their individual thing…The hotel actually had a separate breakfast room with tables and chairs. So that was a go. There was a microwave in the lobby, which was a go. I went back to Trader Joe’s, bought Horseradish, apples, praline pecans, walnuts, and dates for Charoseth that we would put together Monday once we reached Logan. Sunday night after two shows, I went on the computer and started hunting for Hagaddah prayers and songs for the Seder. I was especially looking for a parody of “Clementine” that deals with the four sons, which we use in our Seder at home. I was thinking our “Russians” could be the sons and Father. Well, what do you know? There were several parody songs about Passover, all to very well known Musical Comedy Songs. This is a Musical Comedy Troupe. Hey, Hey Hey, we’ve got a show! I did the opening number with back up dancers, I had everyone take a blessing, Hebrew and English, 3 kids did the four questions, the musicians played saxophone, guitar and mandolin. Several of the cast and the violinist helped make the charoseth; our Yente, Birdie, made the Mushroom Machel for our festive meal. The hotel front desk lady let us have hard boiled eggs that were in the hotel’s refrigerator for Tuesday’s Breakfast!! Lots of the kids brought wine. What a day! Pictures and Videos were taken. It was a wonderful event, everyone loved it and we all were able to feel like we had had a celebration of a holiday that means a lot to us. It was our very own Anatevka Seder…..Tradition!!

Blog Installment April 13

Hello Dear Reader! Here are some fun facts from February 28 and April 4

Our totals to As of 2/28/11

MILES DRIVEN:           20,310
MILES FLOWN:            2,021
STATES VISITED:   33
PERFORMANCES:     126 (including 2 previews)
CITIES VISITED:         74 (including 11 stopover cities)

As you can see, the totals are really starting to add up.  So, let the adventure continue...........

Before we left Tempe, April 4:

MILES DRIVEN: 24,082
MILES FLOWN: 3,249
STATES VISITED: 38
PERFORMANCES: 162
CITIES VISITED:  85 (including 13 stopovers. That means we performed in 72 as of
April 1)
Then there were 2 in Santa Barbara, 1 in Bakersfield, 4 in Modesto bringing the total up to 169 performances.
For the last three days we have been traveling on the bus: 500 miles the first day, 488 the second and 380 today…..driving through 4 more states---
Tonight will be performance #170!!

 As you can see from the above facts, we are presently on day 3 of a three day bus ride to get us from Modesto, CA, where we had 4 performances in three days, to Greeley, CO, where we will perform tonight!! Monday we had an 8 hour bus trip, Tuesday a 7 hour trip and today will be a 5 hour trip. Several of the cast members took this time to stay in one place and relax, flying to Denver today and getting to the theater before the show. I, however, am sitting on the bus with twenty other cast and orchestra members. Before we break in May for our layoff we will travel to Pueblo, CO; Albuquerque, NM; Logan, UT; Reno, NV; Medford, OR; Tacoma, WA; and Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada!!! Not bad for two and a half weeks, huh???

I am so sorry that I have not been diligent about keeping my blog current. Sit back, relax and I will explain what has been happening.

The last time we were together, it was January and we had just performed a wonderful show in West Point, NY. As I wrote at the time, we were heading out to many places where I had “friendly laughs” in the audience. When we arrived in Easton for our Wednesday night show, it was canceled as a blizzard was moving in. So my lovely supporters came Thursday night instead. Thank you to all my wonderful friends and in-laws who braved the snow and cold weather to share an evening with me. It was great to see you all and know that you were in the audience!! The last Saturday in January saw us in Waterbury, CT where I not only had friends in the audience, but also my niece and nephew who are currently Freshmen at the University of Hartford. I was so thrilled that they could be at the show!! February 1 we were in Roanoke,VA. Not only was a friend of mine there who had gone to High School with me, but also one of my Sunday School Teachers was there, talk about support!!! I knew they were in the audience and even though I had a fever and chills, the show went on with me in it!!! It was great to perform there and such fun to see old friends!

Our schedule in January and February was quite intense as I have mentioned several times. We didn’t have any time off, except for bus travel until February 4. By this time, however, I was starting to become ill. The flu that I had in Roanoke was just the start. The next day I went to an Urgent Care Facility and saw a doctor who was very concerned that I was extremely dehydrated. He started me on meds and lots of fluids. However, the reason for my dehydration, long hours on the bus, heating systems in a different hotel every night that were very drying, new theaters every night with different ventilation systems: all of this contributed to wearing me down more. By February 15, I was very sick and went to another doctor who told me I should not perform that night and put me on other meds. We were now in Cincinnati for a two week sit-down. I had been looking forward to this for a month as Peter was to join me here for the second week, plus we would be in one theater and one hotel for two weeks, heaven!! I did call out for one show, but then went back to work. The good news was that by Friday, I was starting to hydrate, the bad news---I developed a bad case of bronchitis. By Saturday night’s performance I could no longer sing. Of course, I found this devastating, but went back to the doctor who recommended that I take a medical disability leave for three weeks, get myself well and then get back on the tour! So I did!! Everyone in the Cast and the Administration was wonderful to me and I couldn’t wait to get healthy again and back to work!

I rejoined the tour in San Jose, California where I had lots of “Friendly Laughs” in the audience. We were also there a week, then a week in Thousand Oaks, then a week in Tempe, AZ. I must say Tempe, AZ has been the best week of the tour as far as performances have gone. The audience wanted us there! A FIDDLER Production had not been there in 15 years and everyone was absolutely thrilled that the show was performing in their city for a week. Every show was sold out. We later learned that there is a large Russian Jewish Population in the Tempe area as well as lots of Chicago Jews who travel to the Phoenix area for the winter. The administration at the Gammage Theater in Tempe is also quite terrific. They had organized several events for us including a luncheon with the Theater Donors. Five of us from the cast as well as our conductor went to this event. What a lovely day. The host and hostess were so lovely and all of the people there were so genuinely happy to meet us and tell us how much they enjoyed the show or were looking forward to being at a performance. It makes such a difference when there are now faces to an audience. There is a closer connection. Also, it doesn’t hurt when the curtain goes up, the fiddler starts fiddling from the roof, and the audience goes crazy applauding!!!!  We had performed 150 shows and that night in Tempe was the first time that had happened. What a boost for all of us! Also that week my friend, Craig Bohmler, who himself is a wonderful composer of classical, orchestral and musical theatre genres was in the audience. He was blown away by our cast and our production, so much so that in his interview the next day for the local PBS station, he bragged about us on air!! I am so proud to be a part of this show! This cast and orchestra and crew are so extraordinary.

It is hard to believe that only two and a half weeks are left before our Spring Break. We will be home the entire month of May. Well we are coming into Greeley, Colorado for our night’s show. More later…..





Blog Installment April13, 2011

Hello dear readers.

We are presently on day 3 of a three day bus ride to get us from Modesto, CA, where
we had 4 performances in three days, to Greeley, CO, where we will perform tonight!!
Monday we had an 8 hour bus trip, Tuesday a 7 hour trip and today will be a 5 hour trip. Several of the cast members took this time to stay in one place and relax, flying to Denver today and
getting to the theater before the show. I, however, am sitting on the bus with twenty other cast and orchestra members. Before we break in May for our layoff we will travel to Pueblo, CO;
Albuquerque, NM; Logan, UT; Reno, NV; Medford, OR; Tacoma, WA; and Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada!!! Not bad for two and a half weeks, huh???

I am so sorry that I have not been diligent about keeping my blog current. Sit back, relax and I will explain what has been happening.

The last time we were together, it was January and we had just performed a wonderful show in West Point, NY. As I wrote at the time, we were heading out to many places where I had “friendly laughs” in the audience. When we arrived in Easton for our Wednesday night show, it was canceled as a blizzard was moving in. So my lovely supporters came Thursday night instead. Thank you to all my wonderful friends and in-laws who braved the snow and cold weather to share an evening with me. It was great to see you all and know that you were in the audience!! The last Saturday in January saw us in Waterbury, CT where I not only had friends in the audience, but also my niece and nephew who are currently Freshmen at the University of Hartford. I was so thrilled that they could be at the show!! February 1 we were in Roanoke,VA. Not only was a friend of mine there who had gone to High School with me, but also one of my Sunday School Teachers was there, talk about support!!! I knew they were in the audience and even though I had a fever and chills, the show went on with me in it!!! It was great to perform there and such fun to see old friends!

Our schedule in January and February was quite intense as I have mentioned several times. We didn’t have any time off, except for bus travel until February 4. By this time, however, I was starting to become ill. The flu that I had in Roanoke was just the start. The next day I went to an Urgent Care Facility and saw a doctor who was very concerned that I was extremely dehydrated. He started me on meds and lots of fluids. However, the reason for my dehydration, long hours on the bus, heating systems in a different hotel every night that were very drying, new theaters every night with different ventilation systems: all of this contributed to wearing me down more. By February 15, I was very sick and went to another doctor who told me I should not perform that night and put me on other meds. We were now in Cincinnati for a two week sit-down. I had been looking forward to this for a month as Peter was to join me here for the second week, plus we would be in one theater and one hotel for two weeks, heaven!! I did call out for one show, but then went back to work. The good news was that by Friday, I was starting to hydrate, the bad news---I developed a bad case of bronchitis. By Saturday night’s performance I could no longer sing. Of course, I found this devastating, but went back to the doctor who recommended that I take a medical disability leave for three weeks, get myself well and then get back on the tour! So I did!! Everyone in the Cast and the Administration was wonderful to me and I couldn’t wait to get healthy again and back to work!

I rejoined the tour in San Jose, California where I had lots of “Friendly Laughs” in the
audience. We were also there a week, then a week in Thousand Oaks, then a week in
Tempe, AZ. I must say Tempe, AZ has been the best week of the tour as far as
performances have gone. The audience wanted us there! A FIDDLER Production had
not been there in 15 years and everyone was absolutely thrilled that the show was
performing in their city for a week. Every show was sold out. We later learned that there
is a large Russian Jewish Population in the Tempe area as well as lots of Chicago Jews
who travel to the Phoenix area for the winter. The administration at the Gammage
Theater in Tempe is also quite terrific. They had organized several events for us including a luncheon with the Theater Donors. Five of us from the cast as well as our conductor went to this
event. What a lovely day. The host and hostess were so lovely and all of the people there were so genuinely happy to meet us and tell us how much they enjoyed the show or were looking
forward to being at a performance. It makes such a difference when there are now faces
to an audience. There is a closer connection. Also, it doesn’t hurt when the curtain goes
up, the fiddler starts fiddling from the roof, and the audience goes crazy applauding!!!! 
We had performed 150 shows and that night in Tempe was the first time that had
happened. What a boost for all of us! Also that week my friend, Craig Bohmler, who
himself is a wonderful composer of classical, orchestral and musical theatre genres was
in the audience. He was blown away by our cast and our production, so much so that in
his interview the next day for the local PBS station, he bragged about us on air!! I am so
proud to be a part of this show! This cast and orchestra and crew are so extraordinary.

It is hard to believe that only two and a half weeks are left before our Spring Break. We will be home the entire month of May. Well we are coming into Greeley, Colorado for our night’s show.

Here are some fun facts from February and April:

Our totals to As of 2/28/11

MILES DRIVEN:           20,310
MILES FLOWN:            2,021
STATES VISITED:   33
PERFORMANCES:     126 (including 2 previews)
CITIES VISITED:         74 (including 11 stopover cities)

As you can see, the totals are really starting to add up.  So, let the adventure continue...........

Before we left Tempe, April 4:

MILES DRIVEN: 24,082
MILES FLOWN: 3,249
STATES VISITED: 38
PERFORMANCES: 162
CITIES VISITED:  85 (including 13 stopovers. That means we performed in 72 as of
April 1)
Then there were 2 in Santa Barbara, 1 in Bakersfield, 4 in Modesto bringing the total up to 169 performances.
For the last three days we have been traveling on the bus: 500 miles the first day, 488 the second and 380 today…..driving through 4 more states---
Tonight will be performance #170!!

More Later.....

Sunday, January 23, 2011

Blog Installment January 23, 2011


Hello. This installment will have two parts tonight. The first is about performing for family and friends.

I just finished performing at the Eisenhower Hall at West Point. The Hall has 4400 seats so that all 4400 cadets can be seated for an event at the same time. It is the second largest theater on the East Coast after Radio City Music Hall. Tonight we had almost 3,000 people attending our show. A Fabulous Audience. I was lucky enough to have 25 family and friends attend. Which leads me to my first topic tonight: the road and family….pluses and minuses:  as we go to all these far flung cities I am able to see friends and relatives that I might not ordinarily see—big plus; being far from family and friends so they have to travel great distances to see me perform and even then as lovely as that is, one cannot visit long as the hotel or bus awaits—big minus. It is one of the things that I find the hardest about being on the road: being so far from family and friends and not having people who know you in the audience on a regular basis. Now I must say, it is gratifying beyond words to have people stand and cheer for you during bows who only know you as “Golde”, however, the real treat is when you have people who know you forever stand and cheer when you are “Golde”!!!

Friday night we were in Lowell, MA and my son and his wife were there; tonight was West Point where I had 25 in the audience who knew me; Wednesday and Thursday of this week we will be in Easton, PA. I will have friends at both performances. Friday and Saturday we will be in Waterbury, CT where I will also have friends and family at the Saturday matinee. February 1 we perform a show in Roanoke, VA where I will have a friend from High School attend. So these 10 days are very special for me. I was very excited Friday and tonight and I imagine that I will also be very excited to perform all of the other show dates I mentioned since “friendly laughs” will be in the audience. We will also be in San Jose, Tempe, Vancouver, Reno, Medford, OR: I will be fortunate to have friends and family be in the audience in all of these cities. I am quite excited to see them as well as have them share the experience with me. I think that is why this week is so special. My children and immediate family and dearest friends were able to make the trip to see me perform. By the way, they all had to travel a minimum of an hour to see me perform; some traveled 2 hours to get to the venue. This is friendship, familial love and incredible support for me. It also adds to our relationship. They are on the journey with me at this particular moment in time, so their understanding of my routine, of the show-including the cast, crew and orchestra, of what my routine consists of for the moment—all this becomes clearer to them. Almost everyone tonight asked me where we perform next. As I reeled off the next week’s shows they were 1) amazed that I knew the schedule so well and 2) that we had 7 more shows to do in 5 different cities/ 3 different states and that I didn’t get a day off ( a Golden Day) until February 4!!! Monday, January 31 is just a travel day, no show that night. So quickly I can give them a rundown of what my life will be like for the next week. They can better understand when I am a little nutty and don’t remember to write or call. Of course, I now miss them more because I had a few minutes to see their lives again. But I think it is wonderful when someone like me can have an evening/a 10 period like I am having so that those who mean so much to me can share this journey for a little while and we can travel together for a few hours.

As I write this I realize that everyone in the cast has the same situation again and again. Each night someone in the cast says, “I have so and so in the audience” and we all rally together to give the best show possible for that family member or friend. It makes it more special for all of us to know that someone has a “friendly laugh” in the audience!! When one is far from loved ones and far from home, it is the little things that make it feel like home. We all jump on the bandwagon to be able to feel a part of someone’s family, helping us feel less homesick ourselves. Interesting dynamics. Of course, I have mentioned several times that our cast has really become a family. I think this also gets reemphasized when “real” family members show up and we all rally around them, taking a little bit of home back to the show or the hotel or the bus with us.

The second part of this is because of a story I was telling one of my friends tonight….In Lowell, MA on Friday night we did not have our Tailor Shop. It wouldn’t fit in the building. So the tailor shop scenes took place on a semi-bare stage. In Lowell, we also didn’t have several of the scenery drops that we usually have. When we get to Springfield, MA, we will not be able to have the House Set onstage and so will have to use the Tailor Shop instead. We usually find this stuff out 20 minutes before we hit the theater. Our stage manager sends a message to our company manager, who is on the bus with us. She then reads the agenda for the evening’s show- location of dressing room, whether there is a Green Room or Rehearsal Room, what time the company meeting is, the times for Sound Check and what is in the show…..including sets, drops, orchestra pit and people….Sometimes we are warned ahead of time, i.e. Springfield, MA. But generally we don’t know what we are walking into until we get there. There are some theaters, such as Eisenhower Hall, where we have everything in the show, lots of wing space and crossovers, an orchestra pit, etc. Other times, we have had to have a remote pit, not fun—I will talk more about that in a minute- we have not had certain set pieces or as we had in Kingston, Ontario, the House could never entirely leave the stage, so we were constantly walking or dancing around it…..made for some awkward moments. Depending on the severity of conditions it also makes for a longer load-in/load-out for the crew. Several times in the past few weeks, our crew has been exhausted as the load-in took longer than usual. They are amazing people who work very hard for very long hours!! I and the entire cast thank them because without our crew and the locals who help them, we wouldn’t be able to do our job. Fiddler Crew, I salute you.

Another salute goes out to the Orchestra and Conductor, again without whom, this show would not be the great show that it is. I was mentioning remote pits. What is a remote pit? Usually there is an orchestra pit right in front of the stage, either a few feet below ground or level with the seats. However, occasionally and luckily very occasionally on our tour, theaters either don’t have a pit or they have sold seats in the pit to have extra money. Then the orchestra must be in another place-voila…remote pit. For our orchestra this has been a windowless room and a basement room, both without heat!!! This of course, raises another issue: costly instruments need proper temperatures to keep them from being damaged. This temperature is at least 68-70 degrees Fahrenheit!!! We have been playing in some very cold venues. Space heaters have even been brought into the orchestra pits in the theater so naturally the remote locations needed space heaters as well. This is a huge concern as not only the instruments, but also the orchestra members’ hands and fingers need to be warm. Another little note about orchestra pits. If the pit is level with the seats it is usually difficult for our Mandolin Player and Clarinetist to get up onstage during the wedding. Yes, they actually wear mikes and dress up in Beards, Hats and Wedding Coats as they become part of the Anatevka family wedding ceremony in Tevye’s Backyard!!! We really miss them when they can’t join us onstage. This happens especially when they are in the remote pit as it takes too long to get up on stage. The best is when the pit is a little below stage with a hidden door. Then they have easier access to the stage. I think they have not been onstage with us 4 or 5 times so far. Jake, our Cymbal Player/dancer/Nachum the Beggar, is on his own at those times.

Well, we have discussed lots of fun topics tonight. I got a little carried away with myself. It is now time for bed as I have an early bus call tomorrow: 6:30am for 7am wheels up!!

Good night, and of course as usual…..more later…..

Thursday, January 20, 2011

Blog Installment January 20, 2011


Hello, Happy 2011 to you all. I hope this finds you all enjoying Winter.

Well, I just got off of a 10 hour bus ride. To say that every bone aches would be an understatement. But let me backtrack. I left you as I was heading to Schenectady for a week “sit-down”, ah Heaven is staying in one place!!! Sammy did show up and was with us for the week. In fact, we had rehearsals for two days and notes almost every day, refining and adding business, changing blocking and actually learning how to get great laughs!! The man is a genius when it comes to knowing audiences and what works onstage. I love working with him and told him so!! His family came to see us perform on the Friday night show. John and I had fun changing some of our routines. Of course, every night we had shows while all these changes were happening. So of course, I would have to write down the changes and make sure that I was able to remember them while doing a show I had already performed 66 times. Muscle memory gets in the way, but I succeeded. We had some great laughs during rehearsals trying to get everyone to do new things. But we all accomplished wonderful stuff and the show got better and better. The audiences in Schenectady are very theater savvy as shows have been performing here for years before they go to Broadway. We had several sell outs and the other houses were 80% full. Incredible!! The house management was quite happy as were we. It was such fun to get great laughs in places that had not had laughs before!! I feel like a half rock star now as I also get some cheering when I come out for my bow. John is clearly the rock star of the show, but it is great to have to hold while the audience laughs at my lines!! I am really enjoying the stillness that is necessary to deliver many of my funny moments. One is never too old to learn this craft; it keeps one on their toes and makes for very memorable adventures onstage. I cannot tell you how great this cast is. I hope you don’t think I am redundant, but even Sammy had praise for us, and he doesn’t praise lightly. The bottle dancers are excellent, every night they stop the show; “To Life” is another crowd pleaser as well as “the Dream” and “Do You Love Me”.

I am not the only actor who benefitted from Sammy’s direction. The entire cast has grown in their roles and continues to meld into a vibrant and interesting village, seething with character and drive and enthusiasm. The Stage lights up with the energy everyone brings to their roles and the applause at the end of each performance has grown exponentially with cheers and standing ovations galore. We are all so happy to be onstage together and it shows in the performances.

This caring and good will carries over into our day to day interactions as well. Since Schenectady, we have been in a different city almost every day, we had an occasional two nighter once a week for the past two weeks. But we are traveling long distances on the bus and then have a performance. Get home, sleep in a different hotel every night, get back on the bus, travel for 5-6 hours, (except for today which was 10 but there is no show tonight, thanks be to the Gracious Higher Being!!) then perform, go home, sleep in a different hotel, get back on the bus, etc….for 2 weeks this has been our life. Not very much fun. But today Nicole announced on the bus that this was the best bus group ever and I second that!! No one complains, no one whines, everyone smiles a greeting and is totally supportive of each other. It is amazing. And I salute everyone of my bus mates.

We did have a wonderful time in Charleston, SC, Sixty Degree weather and blue skies, as well as wonderful audiences. We had the morning free yesterday; in the afternoon there was a rehearsal as we got an addition to our company—a new male swing. We were and are thrilled as punch as this will hopefully help out when people are sick and need to call out. I think I mentioned how difficult it was when everyone started getting sick in December and Aaron had to go home as he hurt his foot quite badly. Our male swing, Patrick, was admirable, sometimes doing up to three different characters in one show. He is amazing!! Anyway, the new swing, Cort, is terrific and debuted last night as one of the Russians. He is already a wonderful addition to our Anatevka family. Back to our free morning: with the beautiful weather, I decided to walk to lunch at a restaurant that was a mile away from the hotel. As I was walking I realized first that this was the first day in weeks that I had seen the sun and secondly, this was the first in weeks that I was able to walk somewhere without having to get back on the bus within 15 minutes or an hour…we usually have a 15 or 20 minute pit stop in the morning, an hour for lunch and another 15 minute stop if the trip is longer than 5 hours. Otherwise, we barrel through to our hotel. Please see other blogs for more details of bus trips….I relished the walk and the sunshine and eating in a grown up restaurant that was not a chain or fast food. It is remarkable how the simplest things become so important and relaxing.

We are on our way now to Lowell, MA (my son will be at the show there), then Portland, ME Saturday for two shows, and then on to West Point, NY where I will have a crowd to see me. I can’t wait to be able to perform for my family and friends. It will be so very nice to have people I know and love in the audience!! Then we have one more 6am call (we had several very early calls this week with long distances to cover) and then the distances get shorter and we can sleep a little in the mornings. This will make for happier campers I think. We are all anxiously awaiting a ‘sit-down’. I think I explained that in an earlier blog. Anyway, it is exactly what it sounds like. We actually stay in one place for a few days. Toledo, OH will see us for four or five nights in early February. In mid-February we will be in Cincinnati for two entire weeks. We will even have a Golden Day in Each of these cities. Golden Days are VERY SPECIAL. It means No Travel and No Performance!! We don’t get many of them, but we certainly appreciate them when we do have them.

I hope you all have a good weekend and if you get to a show, please let me know. I would love to see you before or after!!

Good night and more later…..

Sunday, January 2, 2011

Addendum January 2, 2011

Happy New Year again. I realized I needed to tell you something else. We have all been waiting for the Fiddlerontour.com website to post the cast list and update the Itinerary. Well, the Itinerary still has not been updated, however, the cast list and bios are up!! Please go to http://www.fiddlerontour.com/ and check out "Cast". It is quite exciting to see, especially since we have been on tour since September and it just got posted! Also I am posting a url for a 30 second commercial that is being aired on local stations advertising our cast:

I am hoping this will work from the blog, otherwise, you can cut and paste. I am also going to try and talk to some of the younger cast members who are more computer savvy and see if I can start posting some pictures as well as words. Making the blog more interesting for my wonderful readers.

Well, good night and rest well.
And as always.... More Later....