News
We started the tour in Chengdu, then onto Chongquing and Wuhan. Then they told us that Beijing cancelled because they needed the space for some pre-Olympics things, which bummed a lot of us out. So instead of keeping us sitting around for a couple weeks doing nothing until our next city, they shifted some things around and sent us all home for a month. Some went back to the US, some decided to go exploring on their own in Malaysia (I needed some America-time, so I went home).
Then the big earthquake hit. The epicenter was about 100km from the first city we were in (Chengdu) and severe damage was caused as far away as our second city, Chongquing (about a 4-hour drive). None of our people were hurt, or anywhere near the damage zone, but it was a very disturbing feeling to know we were there so close to this tragedy.
Of course, that threw the country into turmoil, so our tour understandably got delayed by another couple weeks. We came back at the end of June to the city of Harbin. A couple of us came back early for a press tour that took us to four cities in three days, which made the jet lag even more fun. After Harbin, we went to Shenzhen, then Nanning, Guangzhou and Fuzhou. The days went quick and the shows were well-received.
That brings us to today, in our last city of Macau (or Macao, I've seen it spelled both ways). They call it the Asian Las Vegas - the largest gambling city in the world. Unfortunately, I've been sick these past two days, so I haven't been able to enjoy any of it. It's been sad. But it feels like the cold is progressing, so I hope to get out and explore soon. We have a dress rehearsal tomorrow and open on Wednesday. We perform through Aug21 and go back to the US on Aug22.
Some may question, "But wait, from May to August... That's not eight months, as the tour was originally scheduled. What gives?" Good question! There are many people shaking their heads and shrugging their shoulders over this one. All that I know is that the booking company told the production company that they have no more signed contracts after Macau. There have been rumors and speculations galore, but the fact is - they're sending us home. We've been told that there's a possibility that the tour could continue later in the year, but that bridge seems far away and crossing it isn't really on my mind right now. I'm just going to enjoy this city and look forward to drinking tap water, eating a real American hamburger and sipping down a milkshake made with real American ice cream!
So that brings things up to date. Again, my apologies for not writing more regularly. Thanks for checking in!
-- michael~
It's been an incredibly long couple of days. We left JFK airport on Mar15 at 1:30a on a non-stop flight to Shanghai. 16-1/2 hours later, we were on the ground - I think I slept a total of about an hour in 10-minute increments. After a four-hour layover and a bit of coffee, we were on a three-hour flight to Chengdu, the largest city in the Sichuan province with around 10 million people. As soon as we got our luggage, we were greeted by the press! About five cameras tracked our every move from the baggage claim to the bus. The attention was neat an' all, but after twenty-four-hours in transit, it got old quick. I was told to expect a lot of that attention throughout the tour.
We got to the hotel and checked-in and it's a nice place. Free breakfast every morning, good water pressure in the shower (which felt so incredibly nice, though we're constantly reminded not to ingest the water, which makes me wonder how you can actually get "clean" when washing with tainted water). The beds are a bit hard for my liking.. kind of like a mattress/box-spring set without the mattress. And my room smells a bit like stale cigarettes, so I may be changing rooms soon. But it's got a nice view of the city and a huge intersection. The traffic is amazing here, not so much the amount (I'd say it's on par with New York, if not less), but there's no discernable logic to the flow! There are a couple red and green lights in the intersection, but they really just seem to be suggestions, and watching people cross the street reminds of the video game Frogger.
We went out to dinner at a very nice restaurant. Nine of us sitting at a round table with a big "lazy susan" thing in the middle. The room was very elegant, even with the polka "Roll Out the Barrel" and Carmen's "Habanera" played on synthesizer piped through the speakers. Our interpreter ordered something and then it began - the non-stop flow of food! The lazy-susan was about four-feet in diameter and within a half hour it was filled with dishes - they even had to start taking plates away to make room. The food was delicious and most was incredibly spicy. I felt horrible that we left enough food to feed a small village. They say the portions are sized according to how many people are at the table. Maybe there was a miscommunication, because it seemed like the kitchen thought we had 30 people in our party.
Then finally, it was time... time for sleep! That was the quickest I've ever fallen asleep in my life, but oddly enough, I only slept for 8hrs. I expected I would need at least 12 to feel normal again, but woke up refreshed and fine. Weird.
The day started with a press conference - the kids, Maria, myself, the presenter, producer, director, et al. It turns out they've been trying to get this show to play here since 2004. The only other musical to come through this city was Cats, and that was just a month ago. I'm really excited to see how the people react. The kids and Maria sang "Do-Re-Mi" and we all sang "Edelweiss". I couldn't tell how well it was received because I was blinded by a camera light, but I think it went well.
I didn't have rehearsal, so I wandered around the city a bit with some other cast folk. We felt a bit like a circus sideshow with all the stares we were getting. Apparently, the ratio of local to westerner is around 10,000:1, so we're a bit of a novelty here. I got back to my hotel room, totally ready to go over my script and be productive. I figured I'd lay down, just for a minute to rest my eyes. Five hours later, I wake up in darkness... it's 10p! I'd missed my dinner plans and totally screwed up any sort of new body-clock schedule that I'd set the night before. I tried going back to sleep at 11p, only to wake up two-hours later, then another two-hours after that. Finally, around 4a, I decided to just stay up and add a new entry to my News page.
So that brings us up to date! I'm hoping to get a camera and add a China Pics page to the site. Maybe in the next week or so, but now, it's time for breakfast and then rehearsal. More to come.
-- michael~
Aug11, 2008 ~ I'm coming home!
First of all, I offer my apologies to my die-hard fans out there. I have not kept up with updating this News section as I'd hoped in the beginning of this tour. I could offer excuses and justifications, but in the end, those are just words like these, so instead I'll just add an update now.We started the tour in Chengdu, then onto Chongquing and Wuhan. Then they told us that Beijing cancelled because they needed the space for some pre-Olympics things, which bummed a lot of us out. So instead of keeping us sitting around for a couple weeks doing nothing until our next city, they shifted some things around and sent us all home for a month. Some went back to the US, some decided to go exploring on their own in Malaysia (I needed some America-time, so I went home).
Then the big earthquake hit. The epicenter was about 100km from the first city we were in (Chengdu) and severe damage was caused as far away as our second city, Chongquing (about a 4-hour drive). None of our people were hurt, or anywhere near the damage zone, but it was a very disturbing feeling to know we were there so close to this tragedy.
Of course, that threw the country into turmoil, so our tour understandably got delayed by another couple weeks. We came back at the end of June to the city of Harbin. A couple of us came back early for a press tour that took us to four cities in three days, which made the jet lag even more fun. After Harbin, we went to Shenzhen, then Nanning, Guangzhou and Fuzhou. The days went quick and the shows were well-received.
That brings us to today, in our last city of Macau (or Macao, I've seen it spelled both ways). They call it the Asian Las Vegas - the largest gambling city in the world. Unfortunately, I've been sick these past two days, so I haven't been able to enjoy any of it. It's been sad. But it feels like the cold is progressing, so I hope to get out and explore soon. We have a dress rehearsal tomorrow and open on Wednesday. We perform through Aug21 and go back to the US on Aug22.
Some may question, "But wait, from May to August... That's not eight months, as the tour was originally scheduled. What gives?" Good question! There are many people shaking their heads and shrugging their shoulders over this one. All that I know is that the booking company told the production company that they have no more signed contracts after Macau. There have been rumors and speculations galore, but the fact is - they're sending us home. We've been told that there's a possibility that the tour could continue later in the year, but that bridge seems far away and crossing it isn't really on my mind right now. I'm just going to enjoy this city and look forward to drinking tap water, eating a real American hamburger and sipping down a milkshake made with real American ice cream!
So that brings things up to date. Again, my apologies for not writing more regularly. Thanks for checking in!
-- michael~
Mar18, 2008 ~ I'm in China!
Well, a lot has happened in a very short time, but long story short, I'm in China! I was cast as Captain Von Trapp in the Troika tour of The Sound of Music, which will be touring around China for the next eight months. I had a little over a week to wrap up life in New York and get ready to live on the road again. I'm pretty sure I took care of everything, but I'll probably realize I missed something a couple weeks from now.It's been an incredibly long couple of days. We left JFK airport on Mar15 at 1:30a on a non-stop flight to Shanghai. 16-1/2 hours later, we were on the ground - I think I slept a total of about an hour in 10-minute increments. After a four-hour layover and a bit of coffee, we were on a three-hour flight to Chengdu, the largest city in the Sichuan province with around 10 million people. As soon as we got our luggage, we were greeted by the press! About five cameras tracked our every move from the baggage claim to the bus. The attention was neat an' all, but after twenty-four-hours in transit, it got old quick. I was told to expect a lot of that attention throughout the tour.
We got to the hotel and checked-in and it's a nice place. Free breakfast every morning, good water pressure in the shower (which felt so incredibly nice, though we're constantly reminded not to ingest the water, which makes me wonder how you can actually get "clean" when washing with tainted water). The beds are a bit hard for my liking.. kind of like a mattress/box-spring set without the mattress. And my room smells a bit like stale cigarettes, so I may be changing rooms soon. But it's got a nice view of the city and a huge intersection. The traffic is amazing here, not so much the amount (I'd say it's on par with New York, if not less), but there's no discernable logic to the flow! There are a couple red and green lights in the intersection, but they really just seem to be suggestions, and watching people cross the street reminds of the video game Frogger.
We went out to dinner at a very nice restaurant. Nine of us sitting at a round table with a big "lazy susan" thing in the middle. The room was very elegant, even with the polka "Roll Out the Barrel" and Carmen's "Habanera" played on synthesizer piped through the speakers. Our interpreter ordered something and then it began - the non-stop flow of food! The lazy-susan was about four-feet in diameter and within a half hour it was filled with dishes - they even had to start taking plates away to make room. The food was delicious and most was incredibly spicy. I felt horrible that we left enough food to feed a small village. They say the portions are sized according to how many people are at the table. Maybe there was a miscommunication, because it seemed like the kitchen thought we had 30 people in our party.
Then finally, it was time... time for sleep! That was the quickest I've ever fallen asleep in my life, but oddly enough, I only slept for 8hrs. I expected I would need at least 12 to feel normal again, but woke up refreshed and fine. Weird.
The day started with a press conference - the kids, Maria, myself, the presenter, producer, director, et al. It turns out they've been trying to get this show to play here since 2004. The only other musical to come through this city was Cats, and that was just a month ago. I'm really excited to see how the people react. The kids and Maria sang "Do-Re-Mi" and we all sang "Edelweiss". I couldn't tell how well it was received because I was blinded by a camera light, but I think it went well.
I didn't have rehearsal, so I wandered around the city a bit with some other cast folk. We felt a bit like a circus sideshow with all the stares we were getting. Apparently, the ratio of local to westerner is around 10,000:1, so we're a bit of a novelty here. I got back to my hotel room, totally ready to go over my script and be productive. I figured I'd lay down, just for a minute to rest my eyes. Five hours later, I wake up in darkness... it's 10p! I'd missed my dinner plans and totally screwed up any sort of new body-clock schedule that I'd set the night before. I tried going back to sleep at 11p, only to wake up two-hours later, then another two-hours after that. Finally, around 4a, I decided to just stay up and add a new entry to my News page.
So that brings us up to date! I'm hoping to get a camera and add a China Pics page to the site. Maybe in the next week or so, but now, it's time for breakfast and then rehearsal. More to come.
-- michael~
Archives
Jan15, 2007 ~ It's been awhile...
Nov26, 2007 ~ Update on A Christmas Carol
Oct30, 2007 ~ I got a new gig!
Oct22, 2007 ~ It's been awhile...
Jun20, 2007 ~ What's been going on?
May01, 2007 ~ 26,352...
Feb18, 2007 ~ No title can sum this up...
Feb01, 2007 ~ I'm on tour!
Jan28, 2007 ~ I'm on the web!