Final week in DC staying with friends and for me it starts with a morning iced tea latte and some food prep
Vincent Rodriguez III
I cooked up some Taco Chili and Qunioa w/ Peanut Sauce for my hosts. I'm a good houseguest. =)
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Off I go on a beautiful sunny day in DC to drive my happy self to work, The Kennedy Center.
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Ah, the callboard. Here we sign in and see what news there is to know from Company Management, Stage Management and other stuff.
Vincent Rodriguez III
One of our Stage Managers, Geneveive, puts them up in every city so we know where the heck we are going once we get to the theatre. Getting lost on your way to your entrance isn't a pleasant feeling.
Vincent Rodriguez III
Outside our dressing rooms we get our mic pack from the mic tree.
Vincent Rodriguez III
Marcus and I play a duo in the show so we often share the same dressing room. These signs also get put up before us actors get to the theatre for sound check.
Vincent Rodriguez III
We had a few extra vanities in this large dressing room so I got comfortable and made myself at home. Especially since we were there for 4 weeks as opposed to 1 week.
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One of our dressers sets my costumes by my spot after steaming them so they look sharp for my first entrance. The robe on the left is so I don't walk around naked whenever I'm out of costume.
Vincent Rodriguez III
I like to keep my make up tidy so it's easy to find just in case I am running behind in my pre-show prep.
Vincent Rodriguez III
Gotta have my sugar and food options on stand-by. I usually eat right before the show and again during our big break after the Act II opener, "Blow Gabriel Blow."
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A before shot so you guys see my little make up process.
Vincent Rodriguez III
After lining my eyes with white, which is supposed to make my eyes seem bigger, I put a bit of blush on.
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Then I line my eyes with black eye liner via brush. My former pencil application wasn't strong enough with all my sweating so I switched to the heavy duty stuff, Paint Pot. #thanksmac
Vincent Rodriguez III
After applying some lip balm and lip liner, I blot. Can't go on stage looking like a drag queen. Unless I'm in Kinky Boots, Priscilla… or La Cage. Hint hint: Kinky Boots =P
Vincent Rodriguez III
Here's my mic pack and my mic belt. I have a very specific way of putting it on so that it doesn't come off and that it doesn't interfere with my hat or my physical warm up.
Vincent Rodriguez III
After wiping a small alcohol wipe by my right temple, behind my right ear and the center behind my neck, I use 3 small pieces of thin 3M tape to keep my mic from moving.
Vincent Rodriguez III
There's my mic clip which sits right under where my hat usually sits and there's my center mic tape spot.
Vincent Rodriguez III
I love my spats. Both Marcus Shane (the guy who plays my "brother" John) and I have spats. It helped show that our characters were trying to be more progressive towards American customs. ie. my fedora, which you'll see in the next photo.
Vincent Rodriguez III
And this is a finished me after about 10 to 15 minutes. (Sometimes my black eye liner gives me problems so it can take longer if I've had too much coffee. Shaky hands = busted eye liner
Vincent Rodriguez III
Whoops. Almost forgot to wrap my knee as per my physical therapist's orders. Doing 8 shows a week can take their toll on ya.
Vincent Rodriguez III
Yay, now I'm ready to go up to the stage. I bring a small bag with me that has my physical therapy toys, slippers for after the show, whatever pants I wore to work that day and my smoothie and/or my bottle of water.
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The calm before the storm. This is usually what our backstage gondola area looks like when I arrive. All the sailors are on stage singing as I am there to drop off my bag, do a final looksy in the mirror then head stage right.
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A few of our Angels wait backstage and chat quietly before their next entrance. I've always loved this lighting and now I get to share it with you guys!
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Kristopher Thompson-Bolden (or KTB as we call him) being his charming happy self as he too awaits his next entrance stage right.
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Once my first bit of the play is done, I head back to my chair and take off my hat and hang my jacket so it stays crisp. Along with it is my tuxedo tails for the finale.
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I tap less than others do in the show so my tape lasts longer. (Reason for the tape: So we don't slip and fall during the tap number, "Anything Goes." Yes, it's happened to many of us)
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See? Though this has probably one more show left in it then I'll redo them, which happens about every 6 to 8 performances with two layers of tape.
Vincent Rodriguez III
A little overview of my small bag of stuff that sits to the left of my chair. That roller is shared by many of us backstage before we do our dance numbers.
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Speaking of physical therapy, here is our sign up sheet that goes up every Tuesday. First come, first dibs on time slots.
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Backstage we do numerous things to occupy our time. Jeff Brooks is catching up on emails and texts. Apparently that spot by the stairs was a perfect spot to catch a signal without going outside.
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And while we pass the time backstage, there are monitors throughout the backstage/dressing room area where we can watch what's happening onstage.
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For the past few weeks, Marcus, will wait backstage, leave his bible for me to put back in the prop box and he hides somewhere nearby till I find him. And when he sees that I see him, he hisses like a cat and playfully runs away.
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…fun things like….Facebook on our phones. (and this isn't even the most sailors we've had at one time on their phones.)
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Mackenzie Warren awaits in the wings, dressed for one of her crosses as a passenger aboard the S.S. American. As one of the understudies for Reno Sweeney, she likes to be ready and knowledgeable with her understudy assignment by watching.
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During the show we have lots of down time. Some of us read a book, like Gary Lindemann here.
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Or you can take some floor backstage and stretch like one of our newest Angels, Katie Hagen. Usually you can find more of us on that floor with Katie, warming up and stretching before our big dance numbers.
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Had to make an important phone call during my big break in the show in Act II, so I had to step outside since our phones didn't work inside the Kennedy Center. I also got a great photo out of it. (Notice the American flags. I felt so patriotic)
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Backstage that week, Correy West was tracking one of our sailors since would soon be replacing one of our cast members. Correy may look familiar since he was just in Nice Work If You Can Get It on Broadway, another Kathleen Marshall show. Welcome
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Okay, so sometimes after Blow Gabriel Blow, we get overheated, so yes, the costumes come off and the best spot to sit and catch your breath is next to the backstage fan…turned up to the max.
Vincent Rodriguez III
Some of our sailors have numerous entrances and so there's a lot of sitting and waiting for their next entrance. Or in Tony Neidenbach's case, a sensible "lay down" and wait. (Note: This was after dancing 3 of our big dance numbers) #starbucksbetweenshow
Vincent Rodriguez III
Now here is me in my little "sit and wait" spot. Everyone is onstage for the wedding except for Marcus & I. It's probably my favorite grooming prep for the show since I get to wear tails and gel my hair over. I love the 1930s look. #ilovegenekelly
Vincent Rodriguez III
For 4th of July I went to a theme park with my partner and friends. It was such an awesome day.
Vincent Rodriguez III
I even rode this! The tallest roller coaster I think I've ever been on. Ridiculously scary but so much fun! Thanks Intimidator 305!
Vincent Rodriguez III
With daytime off, catching a late night showing of a movie can be a nice alternative to going out for food and drinks. We ended up having a private screening for me and my friends of "Monsters University." Fun times!
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Travel day this time was a bus from Washington, D.C. to Schenectady, NY, so I got to carry way more stuff than if I were to travel on a plane. I loaded up on groceries at Trader Joes since there wasn't one in Schenectady. Can you tell?
Vincent Rodriguez III
Never stayed in a hotel where there was a swimming pool AND water fountain IN the lobby. The smell reminded me of my high school swimming pool. #random
Vincent Rodriguez III
This is what I get for not unpacking properly as soon as I get to my hotel room. Ugh.
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Not the best view but at least I don't have to worry about anyone seeing me walk around in my undies.
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A lovely walkway past some cute little stores on the way to the theatre.
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A bunch of the stores had our show advertised. Love seeing that!
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Ah yes, our home for the week. Proctors Theatre. Conveniently attached to a coffee shop that I went to about every day. #sorrystarbucks
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I was assigned to this vanity in the men's ensemble room. Many of the theaters that have tours coming through, have murals of each of the shows. In this theatre, they had murals on their vanities instead. Spamalot!
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Quick company meeting before we start sound check.
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Had to get my vanity box and unpack all my stuff before I head to the stage.
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Welcome to the house of Proctors Theatre. In the red shirt is our music director, Jay Alger. He's pretty awesome.
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And our pit with our local musicians for the week. Except for Albin E. Konopka, our Associate Music Director/Piano player and Joshua Samuels, our drummer. They travel with the company along with Jay as our trio music team.
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And our stage at sound check.
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Post sound check, many of us talk with our new dressers to go over some quick changes that range from 30 to 90 seconds. Me, I don't have quick changes so I went to….
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…yup, that little coffee shop in the lobby. And of course, as a nice "Brother Luke," I got Marcus and my mic pack before heading up to the dressing room.
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Sometimes Aaron Umsted is ready at the places call. And sometimes there's an empty wardrobe rack. And sometimes I get a sensible photo of him and his back attitude. We have happy sailors aboard the S.S. American.
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Me and my little project during the show. The cast's first "Lip Sync" video. #spoileralert
Vincent Rodriguez III
Tonight Kristie Kerwin went on for Reno Sweeney and I caught her lounging after the show at Ambition, a local restaurant, in one of their sexy "Heel" chairs. I think Kristie is still in character here.
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Got to work a little early and saw they were having an onstage rehearsal for the opening bar scene with one of our replacements.
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At this moment, Gary is onstage as a priest and will come back to this chair to change into a passenger in less than 30 seconds before his next entrance. With a little planning, some rigging and a good dresser…it can happen.
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The audience waits with anticipation.
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First scene behind the curtain.
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Next scene behind the 2nd curtain.
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Marcus with his bear, Doritos, enjoying some down time backstage. Yeah, we had lays from when we had a Luau potluck.
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A great way to have a company of actors sign posters without the use of a table. Brilliant.
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Primping before Act II. Notice what Aaron Umsted is putting in his hair. #backstageshenanigins
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We had three new cast members so we had a Put-In Rehearsal where the cast comes in to rehearse with the new folks.
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Typically our principal actors are not called to this rehearsal, so instead, their understudies play their roles.
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Koh Mochizuki, one of our new cast members poses for my camera.
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Tony and Marcus iPhone-ing in the gondola. It is surprisingly comfortable to sit in it like that. (No, Marcus is not wearing a wig…or, is he?)
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Spacing out "Blow Gabriel Blow" with our newbies.
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It was a lovely night before half hour call.
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Apostrophe, the awesome coffee house I went to daily, had a cool chalk art advertisement for our show. It only took me 5 days to notice it. #fail
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Our call time for our Travel Day buses. Crew leaves way before the actors do so that they can get to the following city sooner and get our set loaded into the theatre.
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When it's our final performance in a city, this is what my gondola looks like right before the finale.
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Dennis Kelly, who plays Elisha Whitney decided he would pack himself away before the finale. Gary was moments away from not letting that happen.
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Yup, load out begins a little early backstage as the crew stacks the chairs upstage right before the finale. This photo reminds of Matilda for some reason. #theatregeek
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As I get set for my entrance in the finale, I see the stage left dressers have preset tap shoes & shoe horns for some of the ensemble so that they can put them on quickly for the tap dance after the bows.
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Our beautiful Passengers, Sailors & Angels taking their bow.
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The cast celebrates its 300th performance!
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Right before I leave the backstage gondola area, the big white and black drop go up into the fly space and many of our crew begin to break down the set. This whole process is called Load Out.
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And once we pack up our vanity boxes, we put them back in this big bin so they can be travelled to the next city.
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As per usual, I'm the last one to leave the dressing room area and this is our final look at the dressing room before wardrobe comes to get our robes/slippers and our laundry.
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Waving goodbye to my Spamalot vanity. Definitely the best vanity I've ever had. Thanks Proctors!
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On the humid walk back to the hotel I caught KTB, Ryan Steer & Josh Franklin before their small road trip back to NYC before we have 1st preview in Toronto on Wednesday evening.
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For my night off, I enjoyed some sushi & drinks while I finished writing the script to a film project I'm working on.
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This is what I saw at 6:30am when I woke up before loading the bus.
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All my luggage before I boarded the bus to Toronto. Yeah, I shoulda did my laundry before travel day.
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Me with my homemade beef stew, iced coffee & bottled water before I board the bus to our 5 week stint in Toronto. Come visit beautiful Toronto and see our fun musical! Vincent Rodriguez the 3rd here signing off!
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The cast recently celebrated its 300th performance. A few fun facts:
- Reno's "Blow Gabriel Blow" dress features over 1,700 Swarovski crystals and over 2,000 sequins. Each was hand-sewn to the gown.
- Twizzlers are the favorite backstage snack of the cast and crew. They go through about five pounds of them every week.
* Kathleen Marshall directed and choreographed the Roundabout Theatre Company revival of the Cole Porter musical at Broadway's Stephen Sondheim Theatre. It won the Tony as Best Revival of a Musical in 2011, and Marshall won the Choreography Tony.
Rachel York, who plays singer-evangelist Reno Sweeney, is joined by Fred Applegate as Moonface Martin, Erich Bergen as Billy Crocker, Alex Finke as Hope Harcourt and original Broadway cast member Joyce Chittick as Erma.
The principal cast also includes Jeff Brooks as Purser, Dennis Kelly as Elisha Whitney, Vincent Rodriguez III as Luke, Marcus Shane as John, Sandra Shipley as Mrs. Evangeline Harcourt, Edward Staudenmayer as Sir Evelyn Oakleigh, and Chuck Wagner as Captain. The ensemble includes Jeremy Benton, Jacqueline Burtney, Jan Leigh Herndon, Kristie Kerwin, Gary Lindemann, Dionna Thomas Littleton, Michael Milton, Ashley Peacock, Bobby Pestka, Courtney Rottenberger, Vanessa Sonon, Ryan Steer, Kristopher Thompson-Bolden, Aaron Umsted, Mackenzie Warren, Sean Watkins, Audrey Cardwell, Alexandra Matteo, Sean McKnight, and Tony Neidenbach.
Anything Goes, set aboard a transatlantic liner, first appeared in 1934, boasting music and lyrics by Porter ("You're the Top," "I Get a Kick Out of You," "Blow, Gabriel, Blow") and a book by P.G. Wodehouse & Guy Bolton and Howard Lindsay & Russel Crouse. In the 1960s, it was revised for an Off-Broadway run, and had a larger makeover (with new book by Timothy Crouse and John Weidman) in the 1980s, when Lincoln Center Theater revived it to acclaim. It's that last version of the show that Roundabout has revived. Sutton Foster won the 2011 Best Actress Tony Award for playing Reno — and tapping her way through the eight-minute title number at the close of Act One. Ghostlight Records released the cast recording.
The creative team includes music direction by Jay Alger with additional orchestrations by Bill Elliot, original scenic design by Derek McLane, costumes by Martin Pakledinaz, lighting design by Howell Binkley and sound design by Keith Caggiano and Brian Ronan.
The tour is dedicated to the memory of Martin Pakledinaz, a beloved member of the Roundabout Theatre Company family, who died earlier this summer.
For more information, visit anythinggoesthemusical.com.
