Our last show was, to put it mildly, a letdown. First of all, it was a private performance, so we had to load into a middle school; a middle school, mind you, that was having a class meet in the auditorium at the same time we were supposed to load in. The show was scheduled to start at 12:30, and we were supposed to start loading in at 9:30, since they were going to feed us prior to the show. Well, according to the administration, we might have had to wait until 10:45 to start loading in, since the class was going to go on for awhile, or they were holding more than one class, or they were a bunch of morons. I never did get the final tally on which it was. But thankfully our school contact was a woman of fortitude, determination, and advanced pregnancy. I figure she walked in, told the principal what she wanted, and threatened to go into labor. I know if I was faced with a woman whose water could break at any second, I'd do anything I could to make sure she stayed calm. So we started a little late, but got to unloading. Oh, did I happen to mention that the temperature this fine day was around 600 degrees? Okay, okay, it wasn't that bad, but it was already in the upper 70's and it wasn't even 10:30 yet, and there was no breeze at all, so load-in was a nasty, sweaty affair. We kind of had crew, which was helpful, but they weren't exactly the buffest of the buff, so that slowed things down a little. Everyone was kind of dragging anyway, since this was the last show, and there were a lot of mixed emotions among the cast. Add to that the fact that we were all just plain old exhausted, and it made for an interesting set up. But we got it, and actually had enough time to go eat without rushing, which is always nice. I was actually looking forward to the last show, despite the fact our dressing rooms were orchestra practice rooms. The last few shows have all gone over really well, and I was looking forward to ending a tour which had been relatively full of high points on a high.
What a shame. The kids just did not seem into what we were doing at all. They got a little interested about halfway through the second act, but for the most part, they were a pretty unresponsive audience, which is NOT the way you want to close out a tour. But as disappointing as that was, I can say that I think we did some really great shows all the way up to the end of the tour. I didn't notice any of us losing energy to any great degree, and despite many of our jokes to the contrary, nobody phoned it in. I think that the group I went out with in spring turned in some very high quality performances, and we also managed to end the tour still liking each other. I will miss my cast, no question. I'm just sorry that Steph, Michael and Josh couldn't have experienced the kind of cast bonding I did on this tour, because I think that would've been a blast. We then loaded out in even hotter weather, which made me want to stab myself in the head, and then headed from Shrewsbury to Boston, where we had to drop off a bunch of stuff before heading to our last hotel. Everybody headed for the hills once we reached the hotel, which was a Best Western in Quincy, right on the water. The only people left were Flo, Bob, and myself. We had a lovely dinner at the pub in the hotel, and then Flo and I polished off a bottle of Jameson in celebration of making it through the tour. All in all, a good way to end.
The next day, I bid a fond and sad adieu to both Bob and Flo and boarded a Greyhound (yes, a Greyhound) bound for Chicago. Greyhounds have come a long way, baby. This one had power outlets and wifi. And leg room! I was amazed. The trip from Boston to Cleveland (yes, Cleveland) was surprisingly smooth and un-annoying, and spent most of it watching episodes of TV shows I had missed while on tour that Marta had recorded to DVD and sent to me earlier. We had several short layovers to change drivers on the way, which allowed me the opportunity to stretch my legs and marvel at the fact that for the most part, bus stations were still places you don't want to hang out unless absolutely necessary. Then we hit Cleveland (if only!) and I changed buses. That's when I discovered the old Greyhound I had grown to know and avoid. The first bus I had ridden on was technically a Peter Pan bus. (Yeah, I know, it fits just a little too well considering my incredible immaturity, refusal to act in any kind of adult way, and ability to fly) Once I transferred to an actual Greyhound, gone were the outlets, the wifi and the leg room. And since I was doing this transfer at 3:30 in the morning, I wasn't in the best of moods about it. It also didn't help that our driver had all the personality of Tonya Harding during her period. But, all in all, the trip wasn't so bad. I don't ever want to go cross-country on a bus again anytime soon, but I said that back in 1994, and as far as I'm concerned, 15 years was too soon. Maybe the train next time.
So here I am, back home, and already trying to find work. Had an audition and everything today that didn't completely suck. It's a little strange to be back, when I consider I've been touring basically non-stop since last August. I am glad I did the tours, and I enjoyed the experience. I also made friends that I know I'll keep for a very long time, if not forever (i don't like to assume things like that, since I know how I wear on people) and I am very thankful for that. It's also kind of rewarding to know that you can do something like that for an extended period of time and not get beat down by it. Still, I'm looking forward to doing some local theatre where I don't have to build the set every day. I'll keep the blog going, and hopefully there'll be things happening that are post-worthy. of not, I'll just ramble. (Think of that, and fear me, gentle readers!) And remember, vote Pond in 2012--Leave the Driving to Him!
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