culture

"Wicked" Saturday night at the Fox: SPECTACULAR!!!!! There were times I caught myself holding my breath, gripping Dustin's leg (sorry about the claw marks, honey!), laughing, crying, or simply just shaking my head in wonder and amazement. "Defying Gravity", which ends Act One, was awesome, and I loved the power in her (the actress who played Elphaba) voice. I wasn't too impressed with Fiyero--he just seemed a bit flat to me at times, and he wasn't all that great. The lady who was Glinda was born & raised in St. Louis--she was hilarious, wonderful, and just so damn cute. Was terribly disappointed we had an understudy (rather than Carol Kane) for Madame Morrible, but she still did a fine job. The Wizard (who used to be on the TV show "Married with Children") was great as well; I had no idea he could sing and dance. There was so much to see and watch; it was definitely a spectacle, a feast for the eyes. And if anyone has a spare ticket and need someone to go with them....well I wouldn't be opposed.... ;)

"Rent" last night at the Des Peres Cine: WOW. I went in to view a musical in the medium and context I'm not used to for this particular show: as a movie. One needs to go into "Rent" with that attitude, otherwise you will be sorely disappointed. If you go in expecting to see a taped performance of the musical, you won't like the movie. But if you go in with an open mind and expect to see a MOVIE version of a musical that, in some areas, has slight adaptations and changes (spoken song lyrics--"They're supposed to SING THERE!!!"), you will enjoy the movie. I LOVED it. Then again, I'm a "Rent"-head, too. Was pleased to see the original Broadway cast together on the big screen, and was very impressed with Rosario Dawson's protrayal of Mimi. Never knew she could sing and dance. AND, as my mom and I noticed: during the Life Support meeting, the first guy who stands up to sing (character name is Steve) might look familiar to some of you....Well, I did some research and found that he was one of the Bash Brothers in the "Mighty Ducks" movies. Very nice singing voice; I was impressed. Note to all who have yet to see it: bring tissues; you'll need them...

5 year mark

Today Dustin and I are celebrating 5 years together...Love you, honey!

(I had a photo up, which I had to remove since it wasn't appearing. It was a cute picture, though, I swear!)

families

Dennis expressed his sentiments to the cast before the show last night: "When we first got my diagnosis, Jim & I thought we were the only family we have...you all have proved us wrong with your outpouring of prayers, gifts, and well wishes...some of you have offered to take time off of work to take me to chemotherapy treatments...Now we know you are our family, too. Tonight's phrase is: I will never leave you..." Needless to say last night was a very emotional show--tears were freely flowing during the song "Say Good Bye to the Freak Show", as they were before the show, during curtain call, and after.

It's been a fun 8 weeks, and I've gotten the chance to work with some very talented, albeit VERY down-to-earth, people. I've also rekindled old, dear friendships that had fallen to the wayside over the past couple of years. Much of the community theatre circuit of St. Louis I consider my second "family", and they never cease to amaze me.

BUT, with the holidays RIGHT AROUND THE CORNER, it's time to focus on my flesh & blood and married families. Plus, being gone 4 nights a week has not allowed me to keep our apartment as clean as I would like it...which is a nightmare in itself.

that's my boy

"...There were other players with more home runs (Andruw Jones with 51), and other players with higher batting averages (Derek Lee), but no one meant more to his team than Pujols meant to the Cardinals...
Pujols hit .330, with 41 home runs, 117 RBI, and scored 129 runs...
(He) is the first Cardinal to win the MVP award since 1985, when Willie McGee won the award..."

By winning the MVP, Pujols joins the ranks with other Cardinal greats such as: Willie McGee (1985), Joe Torre (1971), Bob Gibson (1968), Stan Musial (1943, 1946, 1948), and Dizzy Dean (1934).

Not to mention, he joins the ranks of other past NL winners: Ryne Sandberg (1984), Pete Rose (1973), Johnny Bench (1970, 1972), Roberto Clemente (1966), Willie Mays (1954 with New York and 1965 with San Francisco), Sandy Koufax (1963), Hank Aaron (1957), Roy Campanella (1951, 1953, 1955), and Jackie Robinson (1949).

For a complete list of all the past National League MVP winners, check out the story on ksdk.com.

special guest

"...In your programs, you notice it indicates the role of Terry Connor will be played by Dennis Shelton. However, Dennis was recently hospitalized and is preparing to undergo chemotherapy treatments. We ask that you please keep Dennis in your prayers and thoughts. The role of Terry has been taken over by our assistant musical director, Kevin Jones."

This is Joe's speech that he gives every night before the performance. But then last night...

"And, we have a special guest in the house tonight that I ask you to all help me welcome. By special permission of the staff at Barnes-Jewish Hospital, we have in the audience Mr. Dennis Shelton..."

* (cue audible gasp from all performers backstage) *

A few people had suspected that he was there: "That guy in the audience looks exactly like Dennis...", but none of us thought it possible: "There is no way that is Dennis...he's in the hospital..." We became determined to put on the best damn show that we possibly could, and send our energy level through the roof. And we did just that. We performed our hearts out for Dennis and "did him proud", to quote. He really enjoyed the show, we were incredibly happy to have him there, and everyone was in tears. Talk about a moving experience.

crumbles

Just wanted anyone who does community theatre, or knows these people, to know some info:

--The wake for Mary Jo's father will be on Sunday at the Kutis funeral home in Lemay from 12 p.m. to 9 p.m., and the funeral will be Monday. (Not sure of location or time; check the Post Dispatch for exact info.)

--Dennis will not be playing the role of Terry in "Side Show". Our musical director, Kevin, will be taking over the part for both weekends, and fair warning: he will (obviously) be doing the show with the script. It was announced to us last night before rehearsal that Dennis has leukemia and lymphoma. They are transferring him to Barnes Jewish Hospital today, where they will start a month-long treatment of intense chemotherapy. He will be in the hospital for the entire duration of the month, but then will be able to come back home. Dennis will have to be in and out of the hospital after--for more rounds of chemotherapy, some radiation I'm sure, and possibly bone marrow transplants. Jim (his partner) said the reason his body was destroying (?) the platelets in his blood is because he has so many tumors that it's affected his bone marrow, of which he no longer has much. Dennis wrote a short, but very heartfelt, letter to the cast which brought us all to tears. Poor Jim had to leave the room, but he's being a trooper even though he's scared to death. To close the note, Dennis told us all, "Take care of my Jim for me." I have the utmost respect for those two, and if you ever get the pleasure to be around them, they're so infectious and such a joy. Dennis, you're in our hearts and minds, and this show's for you.

more: news & outrage, prayers, etc.

--It's about time they do something. Maybe this will kick schools into gear to keep up on their maintenance, and for the administrators / districts to keep on top of things...

--Everyone screams for "separation of church and state", but THIS is RIDICULOUS. The ACLU (American Civil Liberties Union) "complained the Boy Scouts are a religious group, because members were compelled to swear an oath of duty to God." Give me a break. This is going to far. Let's not have enriching groups for young children, that encourage them to grow and develop, simply because, somewhere during their time within the group, they might utter the horrid 3-letter-word: G-O-D. Don't even get me started...

--My show is cursed. Again, please keep Dennis in your prayers--it looks (tentatively) that we may have lost a leading man. He is still in the hospital, and has received blood transfusions, but he is not stabilizing. From what I hear, he looks and feels better, but if his body continues to reject / destroy the platelets, there is a more serious condition than mono to blame. I hope for the best--not for the purpose of the show, but for Dennis himself, and for Jim--that everything is alright...

--Please keep the Flowers family in your prayers, also. Mary Jo received a call last night during rehearsal that her father had passed away. My heart and prayers go out to her and her family.

--Geez, now here is something for St. Louisans NOT to be proud of...

--Take time to give someone a hug today. Tell your loved ones that you love them. If you are in love with someone, show them. Words are empty without actions to back it up. When your sweetie tells you they had a bad day, listen with your heart; tell them it will be ok if that's what they need to hear. Even if it won't be ok, tell them it will and that no matter what, you will be there for them. I have friends right now who are hurting and sad and frustrated and afraid. This goes out to all of them: I love you all, and no matter what, I'm here.

long stream of consciousness

--PLEASE pray for Dennis--one of the leads in "Side Show"...He has been sick with the "flu" for the past couple weeks, yet has refused to go to the doctor or any other type of medical treatment. Yesterday he drug himself to the Urgent Care Center...and ended up getting hospitalized...for mono and a severe case of anemia. So one of two leading men is hospitalized until Wednesday night, and we're all just praying that he WILL be able to do the show. We do have a backup plan, but hopefully we won't have to resort to it...

--Read an article on KSDK.com yesterday regarding the deterioration, filth, and health risks inside some St. Louis schools. I was horrified, disgusted, and angered all at once while I read: lead paint is chipping off of walls and children are playing with it; plaster is flaking off and walls are separating, foundation is crumbling; and in one case, PIGEONS have over-run the 4th floor of a school, rendering it useless. It made me horrified to see the footage of the peeling paint and walls, disgusted to see the mounds of pigeon droppings, and angered for two reasons: 1) NOTHING is being done about these maintenance problems, 2) parents are sending their children to these schools, to these environments. SOMETHING needs to be done...

--I am on a mission. I am losing weight. My ideal is to lose 30 pounds, but it's all about baby steps to start out. Some of you may disagree with this mission, but it would make me feel a lot better about myself, and I've been putting this weight loss stuff off long enough. (Or starting out good and then falling off the bandwagon, so to speak.) So, let's hope I can buck up and do it--but if you see me eating a Snickers bar, please don't be like the gal in my office and say, "What are you doing? That's going to go right to your butt..." Sorry, but that doesn't motivate me; it makes me want to eat 10 more of them...

--I ache, from the top of my head to the bottoms of my feet. I don't know if it's just from dancing, or if it's from some of my costumes putting strain on my shoulders (because they're tight), or if it's stress (BIG factor)...but I think it's a combination of all of it. Whatever it is, though, it hurts. Especially in my neck, shoulders, and back...

--Yesterday started the final phase of Busch Stadium demolition. We in the office walked outside to see if we could see anything, but they started on the opposite side of the stadium from where we are located. I watched it on streaming video on KSDK.com, and although it was a bit emotional (hey, that's a part of St. Louis history coming down, that holds a lot of memories for me...), it wasn't nearly what I thought it would be. When someone says "wrecking ball", I envision a ball the size of an SUV swinging and smashing into the side of a building. Nope. Even though this particular ball weighed 10,000 pounds, it looked puny, and they simply dropped it on the top part of the stadium. (And it didn't even do that much damage, at first.) But, I suppose over time, as they tear more and more down, it will become more real...

--This is going to be a really long week...

weekend wrap-up

Friday: Going-away party for the Hopeless Meanderer (it's just her blog title, people!) at Hacienda and then at Growler's Pub. I hope she knows how much we've all enjoyed getting to know her, becoming friends with her, and how much she will be missed. I also hope she knows how we all wish her the very best and hope things work out just how she would like them to. Keep in touch!
Saturday: Craft show / fair with mom at Fox Highschool. Nice day of just hanging out, shopping, and bonding with mom--we don't get very many mother/daughter days. Shopped at Target and the mall with RJ & Dustin, then came home and did about 7 loads of laundry and cleaned the apartment. (It was starting to look atrocious--at least from my perspective.) He stayed up playing PS 2 until 5:30 a.m.; I, on the other hand, was dead to the world on the couch by about 1:10 a.m.
Sunday: Set construction / costume parade / rehearsal at the Carousel House. Tried on most of my costumes--yowza!--and decided what needed to be tweaked or altered. Dustin came to help out with building the stage and set--thank you, honey! (Don't tell anyone, but I think he actually enjoyed himself and had a good time while doing it. ;) We started all this jazz at 1:30 p.m., broke for dinner around 4:30 p.m. or so, then began running the show from beginning to end (for the 1st time--yikes!). It didn't go as horribly as I figured it would, but it wasn't so great, either. But then again, everyone was tired already from set construction, and it was our first complete run through. So all that considered, it wasn't horrible. Finished up around 9:15 p.m. and was home by 9:45 p.m. / 10:00.

Tech week starts tonight--wish us luck!

two left feet

Rehearsals are getting frustrating: I'm feeling like a two-left footed dancer for whatever reason, people are still on book for lines and songs (INCLUDING the leads...and including yours truly, but only for a few songs that I got placed on stage for), we have not completely run through the show one time yet, the 2nd act is better than the 1st act, we have to keep stopping--I'd say every 5 measures or so--while TRYING to run through the songs either because we've screwed up, or the pianist is screwing up, and everything has been blocked WAY too big in comparison to how little our stage is going to be.

Don't get me wrong, I'm having fun, and I do have confidence that--somehow--everything will come together and gel and be fine by opening night. But we open A WEEK FROM TOMORROW and we're in this kind of shape. So it's fair to say I'm more than a little concerned.

Personally, for me, I'm going to have to listen to the CD nonstop this weekend, run over the dances about a thousand times a night until my legs are about to fall off, and bury my nose in the book and musical score until I know every line of every song I sing. I've never been this clueless in a show before, so I don't know why all of the sudden I am. I just feel lost sometimes at rehearsals; I guess because I'm not used to feeling pressure during a show. I mean, I AM used to feeling pressure, but I guess I should say I'm not used to rehearsing for only 6 weeks and then opening. I'm sure it will come together, and it's going to be a fabulous show that I'm sure all of you will really enjoy. Just wish us luck to get our acts together...and FAST!

WARNING: Do NOT try this at home...

True bravery is arriving home late after a boy's night out, being assaulted by your wife with a broom, and still having the guts to ask: "Are you still cleaning, or are you flying somewhere?"