sing out, louise

Haven't you seen Gypsy yet? Do you not believe me when I rattle on in blog posts about how great it is? "The Stuff Broadway Dreams are Made Of" according to the Daily News, and lemme tell you, they are not wrong. It closes on Sunday, so get your ass in gear and get some tickets. I had planned to go when it was set to close in March, and I found out upon my return from my most recent NYC trip that it would close early. That was also the same day I got into my little fender bender - and really? I think I was more upset about the show closing... Since my checkbook will not sustain another jaunt to the city so close to the last one, I will have to be content with the last time I saw it, which you know? Was pretty damn great. All in all, I saw the thing 12 times, counting Ravinia, City Center and Broadway and it was worth it - great show, a diva who is the very definition of "beyond beyond" new friends (who taught me all I know and who just understand) and lots of memories.

Ravinia

(I am totally in this photo - back row on the right - you can see my head!)

City Center!

Here she is, boys...

The Gypsy cast recording came out yesterday! But since I pre-ordered mine at the theater on post-Tony Tuesday, it came straight to my door on Monday afternoon, so for a while at least, I was the first kid on my block to own it. I can't stop listening to it. Makes me want to go again, like right now. I did the same thing in the car when the overture started that I did when I was sitting in that darkened theater, waiting for the show to start, I bounced in my chair, clapped my hands and went "wheee!" (Yes, I know. Easily entertained. But give me a break here. I got kind of a promotion last week, although this basically means a new title and more work. I am taking my entertainment where I can find it, these days...)

I was intrigued especially by the added tracks that have not been recorded before - songs that got cut along the way. My favorites of these are "Small World/Momma's Talkin' Soft" "Nice She Ain't" "Smile, Girls" and "Who Needs Him." I would really like to see a few of these put back into the show, but when you listen to them, it is kind of understandable why they got taken out in the first place. But they do kind of add a whole new dimension to Rose's character.

London Calling...

Could this be true?

If so, it would mark the first time I've gone made an international trek for a diva. Although we did try to make plans to get up to Paris to see Renee during the whole summer in Rome thing, it didn't quite work out.

I was in London once - when I was in high school, I think in spring of 1995. The trip kind of rocked, in retrospect, but it was my first trip away from home AND my first trip out of the country, so at the time, I don't think I enjoyed it as much as I could have. I'd really wanted to go, and a friend was going to go with me, but she bailed at the last minute so I went with people mainly from the drama department, who I didn't know very well. As I say though, it kind of rocked, because our "chaperones" despite promises to our parents that we would never be left alone, etc. totally left us alone - a LOT. They were the worst chaperones possibly in the history of anything (Robert Johnson, I am looking at you here. And I am not just saying this because you spent four years calling me "Nicole") I totally got seperated from the group in Windsor and it was ME who found THEM rather than the other way around. I'd probably still be there, speaking with an English accent and walking the Queen's corgis or whatever, if I hadn't located them. A year or two later, when we went on the choir trip - to Minnesota, mind you, our director put tape on our doors so that they could tell if we went from room to room at night. Letting us wander unattended through the Mall of America gave her a minor heart attack.

We stayed in the gloomiest kip of a hotel you'd ever want to stay in (the Enterprise Hotel, right near one of the tube stations, I want to say Earl's Court). The rooms were spread out and in odd locations. There were crazy French people in one of the rooms who would knock on doors and run away. We were nowhere near other members of the group. One night, Mr. Johnson knocked on the door to "check" on us. Here's how it went

Knock knock.
Us: Yeah?
Him: Are you all in there
Us: Yeah
Him: OK! Good night!

And he left! We were all in there, at the time, although we sneaked out later. One night, the chaperones (all teachers, and the head of the fine arts department!) all got totally trashed and so we were up to our own devices. One afternoon, I remember wandering around Piccadilly Circus and Oxford Street, completely alone, but totally happy. I was 15 or 16 at the time. I went shopping. I bought Doc Martens. I had high tea. No big deal. We saw two shows She Loves Me and Don't Dress for Dinner - I don't remember much about either. What I do remember was wanting with a fiery passion to go and see a new show called Sunset Boulevard... one of my classmates did sneak out and go see it. I don't know now, if Patti was still in at that point - does anyone know??

So yeah. Gypsy? London? I'm in.