Traveled Out

It's been a while since I last wrote -- and that's for a very simple reason. I have had NO time or energy. 

Once I'm in a new city, I have a hard time remembering what city I've just left. The last week has especially been impossible. Newport News, Virginia to Roanoke, Virginia to Wintston Salem, North Carolina to Cincinnati, Ohio to Detroit, Michigan without stopping to breathe!

Once we hit Detroit, we got to stop and settle for a few days -- which was wonderful. But we also did 5 shows in 2 days. But we saw snow! AND it was the most beautiful theater I've ever seen! Follow my last week below:

Newport News, Virginia

We left Indianapolis last Sunday (November 27) and flew to Atlanta, had a 3 hour layover, then flew to Richmond (another capital city!), then took a bus to Newport News. We had the whole next morning/afternoon off, as we had only one show that evening, and Newport News is about 15 miles from Yorktown, Virginia. Yorktown is the site of the last major battle of the Revolutionary War; and I love that part of history. I posted on our cast Facebook page about going to see it during our free time, expecting 5 or so people to respond with interest -- but 18 out of our 20 cast members came along! It was awesome. 

Below I am dressed in a Continental Army uniform holding a musket. So cool.

 There was a musket demonstration outside; also very cool.

 Me holding the musket that he fired.

 The theater in Newport News at a very new university -- Christopher Newport University

Lots of people had performed at this theater/concert hall; but Michael Crawford OPENED the space back in 2005, and that's too much for me.

Roanoke, Virginia

On our way to Roanoke we stopped at a rest area, and there were some great photo opportunities.

 Berglund Center in Roanoke...looks like the bridge of the Starship Enterprise to me.

 Some famous people had played this place as well -- that's James Taylor and Amy Grant (among others).

Winston Salem, North Carolina 

I decided to walk the 3 miles from the hotel to the theater -- after sitting on a bus for so long, it's good to get out and walk. It was sunny and cool.

 The huge arena where we performed -- at Wake Forest University.

Cincinnati, Ohio

A big colorful theater in downtown Cincinnati, a beautiful city I would have liked to have spent more than a few hours in -- but that's the way it is.

 Looks like the inside of a birthday cake to me.

Detroit, Michigan

About half the cast of my current tour was on the other tour last year; and they went to Detroit, and had nothing but great things to say about it, even last year. They talked about it this year, too, but didn't even get close to describing what I saw. The Fox Theatre in Detroit has a rich history, as do many of the theaters I've played in the past 3 years, but it's second to none.

I'll let the pictures tell most of the story -- it's MUCH bigger than it seems; keep in mind that most of the spaces we play seat around 2,000; the Fox seats over 5,000.

The theater is right across the street from the Tigers ballpark, so I stopped by before our first show and took some pictures.

ABOVE - work lights on
BELOW - work lights off - show lights ON

ABOVE - work lights on
BELOW - work lights off, show lights ON

There were literally THOUSANDS of signatures in this theatre, up the stairwell to the dressing rooms, hundreds of shows as well. Here are some of the most famous things you'll ever see. Frank Sinatra below...

Comedy section apparently -- you can see Red Skelton, Bill Cosby, and Chris Rock in the center, Jay Leno to the right and Martin Short to the left. INSANE.

There were SIX Jerry Lewis signatures (along with his trademark face sticker) in this building. JERRY LEWIS!

The lobby was also impressive, but no comparison to the inside of the theater itself.

I also had an entire dressing room to myself (that always makes things easier); check it out --

It snowed the night of our last day in Detroit -- right as our last show was ending. It was a terrific first time in Detroit for me.

We have had 25 shows thus far; and we have 26 more. HALFWAY THERE!

Thanks for reading.