Hey Guys! My name is Jeff and I’m on the road with a new musical based on Dodie Smith’s book “101 Dalmatians.” Thanks for comin over… Welcome to the UNDERdogs!
Being a theatre actor makes for an interesting life in many ways, particularly on a gig like this where we are on the move every week or so. Discovering new cities week in and week out is intriguing and, more importantly, it brings the opportunity to experience unique aspects about each place… Restaurants, bars, clubs, historical landmarks, museums… you name it. Anything that sets apart that spot… the spot where you currently find yourself, from the REST :) For instance: there is only one place you could see the Alamo, or the Liberty Bell, or the Golden Gate Bridge, or Fenway Park. These truths are obvious… I mean, those things aren’t going to come to YOU right? Herein lies the fun of touring (or traveling in general if you like.) Every city is different and each offers exciting specifics that separate them from the rest; and along the way can create amazing thrills and memories for anyone looking for them. Especially if we’re talking about sports! (uh-oh… How many people did I just lose?? :)
Alright, alright. I must admit I’ve been a pretty avid sports junkie since I was a kid, and every year I spend countless hours watching games, sports shows, or reading about sports on ESPN.com or other sites. It’s fun for us. I like to think this “hobby” is at least in a reasonable place though… I mean I’m not one of these guys so obsessed with a team that it becomes my entire world, or find it absolutely necessary to memorize EVERY pedestrian statistic on the off chance somebody might ask me. I don’t do fantasy sports or see the allure in betting on who wins (or covers the spread.) It’s about the winning and losing; and the beauty and simplicity of each game. It’s not conjecture, it’s conclusive; you win or you lose, that’s it. I think secretly we all want life to be this absolute. There is comfort within the foul lines. All of the excitement in the world can be found on any given night and there’s certainly enough to go around!
We got to Minneapolis on Saturday the 26th of September to start a technical rehearsal process for the show, downtown at the Orpheum. I’ve always admired this fresh and vibrant city when I’ve been able to visit in the past. I’ve been here in the Winter (COLD) AND the Summer (HOT) and was excited this time to be here right in the smack of Autumn. So far it’s been slightly confusing though, as it seems the weather just doesn’t know what to DO! Perhaps a useful conclusion after all, the locals must be well aware of these climactic shifts since the city is flush with skyways (elevated and more importantly INDoor walkways that connect many of the downtown buildings) AND because all of the major sports teams in this town play indoors as well. Like somebody was on to something right? “Hey, why don’t we just cut out this Rain, Snow, Wind, Frost, and Scorching heat thing? Just put ‘em all inside and adjust the thermostat. Easy.” Good idea Minneapolis.
But I digress, the point of this blog is not to ponder the many mysteries of North American Weather patterns, but more to focus on the great anomaly of Sports in the National Landscape. What other way could so many people be brought together so passionately? I’ve seen games all over this country and team spirit truly does defy every demographic, race, creed, or any other invented boundary between people. Plus… it gives us lots of stuff to talk about :)
EXHIBIT A – Minneapolis THIS weekend.
Saturday: The city hosted the annual ultra rivalry-juiced University of Minneapolis Golden Gophers vs University of Wisconsin Badgers Game. They play every year for “Paul Revere’s Axe” (except for the 30 or so years it was LOST apparently :) with the winner bringing home the axe and the Bragging Rights! Wisconsin Won 31-28.
Sunday: following the start of the Twin Cities Marathon, the Hometown TWINS laced it up against the Kansas City Royals in the latest of what has seemed like a month of Must-Win Games in their quest for the playoffs. This was an OFF day for us at the theatre so I actually made it to the Metrodome for the afternoon game, in what coincidentally happened to be the final Regular-Season Twins game EVER at the Metrodome. (I know this is true because they gave me a certificate to prove I was there. Nice right? But we’ll have time to talk about that later. Oh and BY the WAY, I heard later that our 101D Director, Jerry Zaks, just WALKED in and stood in the back... no ticket. Just WALKED in!!! Amazing. I'm wondering if, right now, the Minneapolis Ticket Taker Association is circulating a grainy security camera still of Jerry slipping through the gate to every local venue to make sure that nothing of the kind happens again. Y'know as far as I can tell they take that stuff pretty seriously. Or maybe there's a clause in Minneapolis ticket-taking etiquette that 4 time Tony Award Winners are exempt from admission prices on occasion. I guess it's possible :) Incidentally, the Twins did win and forced a tie-breaker game against the Detroit Tigers on Tuesday night, back at the METRODOME!!! And that brings us to TONIGHT… oooooo, ahhhhh...
Monday, October 5, 2009: forever to be remembered as “The day that Brett Favre played against his old team, the Hated Green Bay Packers at the Metrodome wearing PURPLE!!!” For so many years he steamrolled into town with his perennially contending old Pack and broke the Vikings hearts. I know this to be true because nobody in this town can stop talking about it. And now in one of the wildest flips in sports history, he ends up on the squad of a bitter rival! You just can’t WRITE this stuff! The hype for this game is enormous. As expected, downtown Minneapolis as I write this is littered with Purple Jerseys with the occasional Packer Green sprinkled it (albeit mostly segregated from the rest) and it feels like a major International incident is afoot or something. Honestly, with all of the energy in the streets right now, the dogs are HOWLING back stage. It's in the AIR! They can feel it… and so can we.
To be continueeeeeeeed :)
Yay! You're blogging again! And what a game... ! One comment on the page though, it's a little harder for me read on my iPhone with a black background (the words started to look wiggly, but maybe I'm just tired). And that is what I use for most of my reading... Cheers!
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