6 Months

Saturday, August 4th

All the sudden it's August. This week marks my sixth month Spam-iversary. I left NYC to join the tour on Monday, February 5th. Tuesday night marked my 200th performance and the beginning of my 26th week on the road.

Some numbers:

4700 Miles (Roughly)
20 Friends and Family Who’ve Caught Up with Me on Tour
15 Cities
13 States (FL, TN, GA, MD, PA, CT, NY, IN, KY, TX, OK, IA & MN)
9 Planes
9 Visits from My Wife
8 Rental Cars
7 Cast Changes
5 Baseball Games (and 1 Rain-out)
4 Buses
4 Crew Changes
1 Wife who puts up with the Craziness

Now for the regularly scheduled blog…

Occasionally, I have these brilliant flashes when I realize what a crazy thing life on tour can be. Moments when I look around and consciously think, "You know, I'm really lucky to be doing this." (Sitting in a luxury box, drinking free beer at the I-Cubs game was an extreme example of such a moment.) I was sitting in Mickey's Dining Car enjoying my enormous breakfast Saturday morning, when I had just such an "a-ha!" moment. Mickey's is a magical place all on its own:

The wikipedia entry about Mickey's.

Mickey's is, of course, one of my Roadfood stops for St. Paul. As it is styled as a railway dining car, it's a tight squeeze inside. Three quarters of the restaurant is dominated by the counter with four small booths at one end. That's it. Seating for about 30 folks.

I stole this photo from Roadfood.com (I wouldn't have been able to take a picture, it was far to crowded!)

This place was a classic diner, both inside and out. The menu was all staples, and all of them are available 24/7/365. The woman next to me at the counter was eating liver and onions at 11 AM. The "Potatoes O'Brien" were a meal unto themselves: hash browns with diced ham, onions and green peppers. The waitress was the right from central casting (a'la Alice's sidekick: Flo - "Kiss my grits"). Needless to say I enjoyed myself immensely and took a milkshake to go.

While I was there, my father was in Chicago driving in circles. He cashed in the Andretti Racing School gift certificate we got him (Casey, Sheila Marie, Mom & I) and was learning to drive an Indy car. He turned in a very respectable top speed of just over 150 MPH. In both the message he left me and then in our later conversation, he sounded like a kid in a candy store. The gift certificate was a long standing gift idea, but hanging out with Mom and Dad at the racetrack in Indianapolis in May really cemented the idea.

Dad in Winner's Circle

Monday night, I put together a Spamily outing to the ballpark. We invaded the Metrodome and watched the Twins beat up the Royals. The game was fast-paced and really fun. We got to introduce Julie to baseball. She's a Brit, and though she'd played softball, she'd never been to a baseball game. There were 14 of us and I think everyone enjoyed themselves. Again, though, it was weird to sit inside and watch a baseball game. (It was a beautiful night for baseball in Minneapolis, but I can understand why they might need a dome in April and October.)

The Metrodome was clearly built with football in mind. The rightfield wall is all weird as it is where the seats have to be retracted to make room for the field. There's the normal baseball fence with a 16 foot plastic sign above. The sign is in play, though it's not rigid - so anything that hits it just dies. They also curtain off a bunch of seats in center and right-centerfields. The sight-lines are also a little weird. The diamond is situated in what would be the corner of the football field, so the seats around homeplate are great. As you move down the foul-lines, the seats are all still oriented toward what would be the 50 yard line. Fortunately for us, we were behind home plate, high up in the upperdeck, but behind home plate. We also got to experience that weird sensation of being "burped" out of the Metrodome. (The air pressure that supports the dome also sort of pushes you out of the revolving doors.) The trip brings my major league ballpark count to 6 (Tiger Stadium, Wrigley Field, Yankee Stadium, Minute-Maid Park, The Ballpark at Arlington and The Metrodome). I hope to add Kaufman Stadium in a couple of weeks.

The rightfield "baggie" wall.

EDITOR'S NOTE:

I'm so desperately behind in my blogging (I started this post a week ago!) that I'll cut off this post here, just to get it online. I promise I will catch up soon! Sheila Marie's here through Tuesday afternoon, so there'll be lots to write about.

JV

Yet More Photos!

July 26th

Two more rolls of film have posted on Snapfish. (Bringing me up to date). The first roll is of Dallas (a lot of the Hell Party). The second roll is of Des Moines. Some highlights:

Dallas:

Erik and Mitchell IN HELL

Jeff celebrating his birthday (that's make-up making him look like he just rolled in the mud)

Des Moines:

This picture encapsulates Iowa for me. A pick-up truck full 'o corn.

Couldn't pass up the "Strudl Haus"

My "arty" photo of the Iowa State Capitol reflected in a nearby office building

A more traditional picture of the Capitol

Ken contemplating the "Mind Eraser" shot - you're supposed to drink it through a straw...

Erik sums it up: Des Moines: Hell Yes.

St. Paul has been lovely. The presenters welcomed us with some delicious, pudding-filled cupcakes on Tuesday evening. Then they threw a nice party after our opening night. The theatre space is huge - plenty of room for us to spread out - and the auditorium is beautiful and warm. There's lots of wood trim in the house and the backstage spaces. Really has a good vibe.

Our load-in lunch was at Cossetta. Ken remembered this tasty Italian joint from his last trip to St. Paul. The food was served sort of cafeteria style with enormous portions. Every one liked their meal (I liked it enough to return for dinner again last night). Their asiago bread sticks were cheesy bits of light, airy deliciousness.

There seems to be plenty to keep me entertained here in Saint Paul, though I haven't taken advantage yet. Yesterday afternoon we put Brian O'Brien into Kevin Crewell's former track. He did a really great job last night in the show. Today, I read all day. In the past 24 hours I have consumed 500 pages of Harry Potter. (NO SPOILERS ARE COMING.) I'm really enjoying it, though I'm worried I'm flying through it too fast. These are my last pages with Harry et al, but they're so good I don't want to slow down...

JV

Picture Pages, Picture Pages, Time to Get Your Picture Pages...

Picture Pages, Picture Pages, Time to Get Your Picture Pages...
Tuesday, July 24th

Snapfish strikes again. Photos from Dallas and Des Moines are here.

Some highlights:

Aw Shucks (in a converted Orange Julius!)

Hey, Erik, enjoying your meal?

You can almost make out Jeff on the Jumbotron...

Spamily in the Skybox:

Graham, JV, Michael, Jeff, Siobhan, Robert & Nigel

With the Iowa Cubby!!!

The second in the JV and plushy mascots series

The Spamobile (complete with Holy Grail)

JV

Corn, Soybeans & Windfarms

Corn, Soybeans & Windfarms
Monday, July 23rd

This morning, we boarded a charter bus in Des Moines and a few hours later we emerged in St. Paul. It was an easy trip (4 hours or so). The bus was pleasantly full; there was someone in every row, but nobody had to double up. The scenery was pretty.

We passed, of course, miles upon miles of corn fields broken occasionally by a soybean field. I was happy to notice a couple of windfarms dropped in amongst the crops. The big windmills whooshing around in their slow circles were pretty. I have to think that the windmills make sense for the farmers. Their footprint is relatively small, so they can plant around them. Sheila and I recently changed the electricity for our apartment to 100% wind power. (Con-Edison makes it easy, they gave us the choice of conventional power, "green power" - a combination of hydroelectric and wind power, and wind power. The wind power is going to cost us about about $3 a month more than the conventional. New Yorkers, you can check out your options here.

We also passed several casinos. Am I imagining that this is such a big change in the American landscape just in my lifetime? While I'm certainly not opposed to casinos, I do wonder what this says about us. It seems that nearly everywhere we go, there are casinos near-ish. (Just inside Indiana from Louisville, an hour east just into Louisiana from Houston, just over the state line into Oklahoma from Dallas.) I'm sure that the explosion in interest in poker (which, again, I have to qualms about) is a part of this. Not all of them belong to the Indians, either. The casino just outside of Des Moines is on a state owned horsetrack complex. Anyway, just noticing.

The hotel here in St. Paul is nice. I'm spending the next three weeks as a guest of the Hilton Garden Inn City Center. It's super convenient to the theatre (though, it's hard to beat last week's hotel: I could see the theatre out my hotel room window) and there seems to be some life downtown. While it's no Residence Inn, my room is spacious and came equipped with a fridge and a microwave. I'm being a bit of a homebody this evening. I made a run for groceries and ordered in. I'm in baseball heaven with the Yankees on the radio (the soothing sounds of John Sterling and Suzyn Waldman calling a game made for radio) and the BoSox on the TV (muted). (Check out the wikipedia article on John Sterling if only for the list of his player nicknames - the man is a certified crackpot genius. )

Sunday was Kevin Crewell's last show with Spamalot. He was one of an increasingly small group of original cast members for the tour. There were some classic backstage shenanigans to send him off. Cuz (our sound man) appeared in the back (open) side of the large wooden rabbit dressed only in his kilt. Yikes. Kevin leaves us to touch base in NYC and move into his newly purchased apartment before taking off on the Drowsy Chaperon tour. He will be missed. We'll put in his replacement, Brian O'Brein, on Wednesday afternoon.

JV & Kevin (Fran snapped this one on our opening night in Des Moines - just in time!)

I've stolen a couple more photos:

Nigel snapped this one: There was more spare pyro to be disposed of on Sunday. Ken is impersonating the Statue of Liberty. The loading dock at the Des Moines Civic Center is right near the main entrance for the theatre, so we drew quite a crowd firing off pyro a half hour before the show. In true "carnie folk" tradition, Ken barked: "That's only a taste of what you'll see inside, folks!"

The ad for "Brave Sir Robin's Blonde Ale". In addition to serving the special beer at the opening night party, it was on sale in the lobby of the theatre. Can this explain the wild reception the audience gave us every night?

I post this picture for two reasons: (1) This is Cuz (picture him in just a kilt.) (2) This is life on tour. Cuz is asleep on the floor of the Tulsa airport having just loaded the show out of Tulsa and on his way straight to the theatre in Des Moines to load-in. (Thanks, Fran)

Fran took this next genius set of photos. Harry Potter-fever hit the company this weekend. These are just a few of the folks spotted with copies.

Callie

Darryl & Akilah

Graham

Karl

Nigel

We had a similar run with the I-phone. (There are now 3 in the company.) One could have taken similar photos in Dallas of everyone drooling over the latest bit of must-have technology. (In fact, the pyro photo above was taken on Nigel's I-phone...)

I'm told that my copy of Deathly Hallows is winging it's way across the country toward me right now. Fear not, there will be no spoilers here - I'm working hard not to know what happens and won't ruin it for anyone else.

St. Paul is shaping up to be a lot of fun. We're headed out to the Metrodome a week from today to see the Twins take on the Royals. At the end of next week Sheila will drop in for an extended weekend visit! The two of us are having dinner (two weeks from today) with Kari & Paul who'll be in Minneapolis to work on the Target Industrial. There's also a model railroading museum here! First things first, we'll open the show tomorrow and do a put-in on Wednesday...

JV

“Hawkeye Iowa: Dubuque, Des Moines, Davenport, Marshalltown, Mason City, Keokuk, Ames, Clear Lake…”

“Hawkeye Iowa: Dubuque, Des Moines, Davenport, Marshalltown, Mason City, Keokuk, Ames, Clear Lake…”
Saturday, July 21st

- With Apologies to Meredith Wilson -

“So what the heck, you’re welcome,
Glad to have you with us.”
Not only did the presenters here in Des Moines treat a handful of us to the I-Cubs game on Monday night, they threw us a nice Opening Night Party at a brewpub here in town. We celebrated a successful Des Moines opening at Court Avenue Restaurant & Brewing Co. There was plenty of food, wine and beer. The bewmaster even came up with a special flavor (Brave Sir Robin’s Golden Ale) to welcome us to town. With our early 7:30 show, we were celebrating by 10 and we stayed past midnight to toast the arrival of Fran’s (one of our beloved/embattled wardrobe crew) birthday. A round of shots and a loud chorus of Happy Birthday left little doubt that Spamalot was in town.

“Such as Marian … Madam Librarian.”
Wednesday, I took a walk up Locust Street, over the river toward the State Capitol. The capitol looks a little like the Connecticut State Capitol – like a castle. I took a tour of the building. The inside is quite grand and actually, very pretty (in a governmental kind of way). Much of the building looks like you think a capitol built in the late 19th century would: there are big House and Senate chambers. There are 22 different kinds of marble. The bench in the former Supreme Court Chambers is carved from a giant piece of mahogany. The law library was the most breathtaking room in the building, though. It was a four story room with stacks surrounding the room on all four levels. In each corner, there was a spiral staircase with a dumb waiter next to it for the transport of heavy volumes. The main floor was the reading room with long tables and reading lamps. Very civilized.

The Iowa State Capitol

The Law Library

“But it’s different than it was. No it ain’t. No it ain’t. But ya gotta know the territory.”
On my way back from the Capitol, I stopped off at the State Historical Society of Iowa. In the main hall, the skeleton of a Wooly Mammoth was on display. Pieces of a mammoth skeleton were unearthed as a new parking garage was being built for an insurance company downtown. They also had some interesting exhibits on the history of Iowa from the time of the Native Americans through the more recent past. There was an especially large section devoted to the Civil War. I had to leave when I encountered the surgeon’s tool kits – it brought back the awful scene from Gone with the Wind.

“Whatayatalk? Whatayatalk? Whatayatalk?”
After the show on Thursday, we convened in the hotel’s bar to continue celebrating Fran’s birthday. We completely overwhelmed the bar, ordering food, drinks and even a cupcake for a candle and another round of Happy Birthday. It was nice to have most of the company in one hotel and gathered together for some socializing. In Houston and Dallas, so many people got apartments, that we were spread all over town. In Tulsa, the miserable conditions at the downtown hotel, again, spread us out. While too much togetherness can be a bad thing, it’s also fun when we can easily hang-out.

“To sit with me in a cottage somewhere in the state of Iowa.”
Thursday, I laid relatively low. I was able to listen to the Yankees’ matinee game against the Blue Jays (we failed to sweep the Blue Birds in the last game of the series). I also finished reading Al Gore’s “Assault on Reason”. I’m currently tearing through “3 Nights in August” hoping to be done before my new “Harry Potter” arrives on Tuesday…

“Ya got trouble, my friend, right here,
I say, trouble right here…”
The audiences at the Des Moines Civic Center have been overwhelmingly enthusiastic. The wall of loud applause during the curtain calls is almost enough to knock us over. The backstage ghosts and gremlins have been less welcoming, however. A weird series of problems have cropped up here all week. On opening night, the lightboard froze during The Song That Goes Like This. The lights bumped up to super bright cue, the chandelier gag tripped and the fog machines went crazy. Mark was able to solve the problem by the time we got into Camelot. Friday night, after I had put in the warns for the end of Fisch Schlapping Song, the cue lights all went dark. The fly rail took that as their cue and flew out the drop. Fortunately, no one else took their cue. Last night, there was also a problem with Tim the Enchanter’s staff and its pyro failed to fire. All sorts of other minor technical problems have plagued us to some degree all week.

“If you get a squeeze back, that’s fancy cookin’.”
Friday, I headed out of the hotel in search of my Des Moines dose of Roadfood. Just around the corner is Java Joe’s. Roadfood wrote up their “Dutch letters” and cinnamon rolls. I went for lunch and was pleasantly surprised by their Rueben (served with Fritos!). I wrapped up my meal with a Dutch letter (mine was an “S”). A Dutch letter is a flaky pastry filled with almond paste and topped with sugar. Tasty stuff! I hope to get over there again before we leave to try the cinnamon rolls…

Java Joe's

I became a full fledged member of Roadfood.com this week. This allows me to suggest restaurants for review, to write my own reviews and keep an on-line logbook of all the establishments I’ve visited. (I’m working on the backlog from 4 months on the road.) I also downloaded a file that marks the location of the all the listed roadfood restaurants on my version of google earth! It’s a big help when trying to find a place in a new city.

“But what the heck, you’re welcome,
Join us at the picnic.”
On the plaza outside the theatre, there was a big lunchtime party going on. The fountain had been turned off and a band was playing on the upper level. The local radio station was hosting a free lunch! Though I had already eaten (so I didn't dig in), they were handing out an entire free lunch (chicken, fruit, etc.). The weather was cooperating in spades. It cooled off on Friday (to the low 80’s) and the humidity went away entirely. The last couple of days have been perfect.

“There were horns of ev’ry shape and size.”
Everyone told us to check out the Des Moines Farmers’ Market on Saturday morning. Even the hotel’s guide book mentioned it. I dig farmers’ markets, but that sounded like a weird tourist recommendation. I’m so glad I got up and around early this morning to check it out! As soon as I stepped out of the hotel, I could here the crowd and the music. This is no ordinary assemblage of local farmers hawking their veggies. Mixed in with the produce, are arts and crafts, prepared foods, wine and bands. They close a half dozen blocks every Saturday for the market and lots of people turn out. I enjoyed some goodies from the “Strudl Haus”, an ear of roasted sweet corn (served by an old man with a crock pot full of melted butter), an Italian sausage sandwich and a piece of blueberry cake. It was really a fun way to spend the morning and a one of a kind experience! Their webiste.

“They were followed by rows and rows of the finest virtuosos, the cream of every famous band.”
Between shows today, Graham and I headed over to the Hessen Haus for dinner. I love German food! The sauerbraten was delicious (as were the potato salad and red cabbage that came along with it). The beer cheese soup (with bratwurst) was velvety. The black forest strudel was intense. It was too bad I had to go back to work tonight, as I had to limit myself to an iced tea rather than the appropriate German beer. It worked out well, though, as the beer on top of all that rich food would have undoubtedly put me out for a post-dinner nap. Graham and I were seated underneath a bunch of pictures of happy looking older men who composed the “Iowa Polka Music Hall of Fame.” AWESOME!!! As we were eating, a polka band began setting up their tubas in the rear of the room. Curse Spamalot making me leave this corner of heaven!

The Iowa Polka Music Hall of Fame!

“Ya can talk, ya can talk, ya can bicker, ya can talk.”
On my way to the capitol on Wednesday, I passed Barak Obama’s Iowa Campaign Headquarters. It turns out that Hillary’s is just a few blocks from my hotel. My preferred candidate (Dennis Kucinich) has an office just a little too far away to walk over for a campaign sticker. Today at the Farmers’ Market, I ran face to face with Chris Dodd (Democratic Senator from Connecticut). How it is that the good people of Iowa are favored (along with the folks in New Hampshire) with so much power in the selection of our next President, is beyond me. The just less than 3 million people of Iowa get to meet all the candidates for President on their street corners and diners while the 8 million residents of New York City only get to meet the candidates at fundraising dinners. I think they see more of Hillary Clinton than we do AND SHE WORKS FOR US! Crazy.

“There is just one place that can light my face.”
I have really dug our week in Des Moines! The people have been super friendly. The food has been great. I was sufficiently entertained. The audiences have been wild for the show. AND I got my picture made with Spammy the Spam mascot.

Eric Hayden bought a shirt that sums up our experience here. It reads: "Des Moines: Hell Yeah."

“Now goodnight, my someone, goodnight.”

JV

You Really Ought to Give Iowa a Try

You Really Ought to Give Iowa a Try
Tuesday, July 17th

I've been in Des Moines 24 hours, and I already have seen more than I saw all week in Tulsa.

After we arrived yesterday afternoon, I struck out from our hotel (which is right across the street from the theatre, hooray!) in search of food. I found several restaurants nearby. I ate lunch in the Royal Mile, an English pub. The guinness and steak pie was delicious. I was already much happier in Des Moines.

Last evening, Jeff Dumas (our Cubs fan in residence) was invited to sing the National Anthem at the Iowa Cubs game. I, of course, posted a sign-up sheet inviting other members of the Spamily to come to the game. The local presenters reserved a sky-box for the game and invited us as their guests! Seven of us ended up going to see the I-Cubs take on the Round Rock Express in AAA action. Not only were the seats great (right behind homeplate, glassed in, air conditioned, with a view of the Iowa State Capitol just beyond the centerfield wall, and free), but there were food and beverages catered! Quite the Iowa welcome. Jeff did a great job with the Anthem and we had a really fun time at the park. (Look for a picture of me with the Iowa Cub in a future posting...) The I-Cubs soundly beat the Express, and the thunderstorms stayed away 'til after game time.

Load-in seems to be going smoothly here at the Civic Center. We have plenty of room backstage for all our gack. Hopefully, this translates to a smooth show tonight. In other exciting Spam-a-news, the Hormel Spamobile is parked outside the theatre! So, hurry on over to Des Moines for free Spam-samples. (You can keep track of the Spamobile and all other Spam-related news at spam.com.

At first glance, the schedule this week seems less crazy than last week's, so I hope to be able to see some more of Des Moines.

Suzanne must have heard my complaints about not seeing an armadillo while we were in Texas, because when she arrived at the theatre this morning, she presented me with this:

AN ARMADILLO CANDLE HOLDER!!! Please enjoy that he is holding the candle in his cowboy hat and he is also wearing a gun belt. Hi-larious. He's sitting on my desk, hidden behind my pictures of Sheila Marie (as Ken declared him creepy and asked that I position him so Ken can't see him). Thanks, Suzanne!

Before we left Tulsa, there was some extra pyro that had to be "disposed of". (We can't travel unused pyro.) So, Mike took the three SMs out onto the loading dock and we fired it off! Francesca took pictures:

Mike's Pyro-Room Signage

Mike Loading the Pyro

Boom Boom, Jr.

Mike fires a gerb

Sheila Marie sent me a virtual care package from NYC last night. She's been taking pictures of our neighborhood and her adventures in it lately. She included some of the new businesses and construction, so I can keep up on the comings and goings. She also took some of the changing seasons in Fort Tryon Park. So great to see a little bit of home. A few of my favorites...

Andrew D. Dog hangin' out in Fort Tryon Park

Our Corner of NYC

Sunset through the George Washington Bridge

Also want to take some space to congratulate Jessica and Mark Drewry on the sudden arrival of their new baby! Jess was all set to come and see me in Tulsa last Friday. When I called her to arrange our meet up, she said that their adoption agency had called and wanted to see them right away, so she'd have to leave our plans up in the air. Later Friday afternoon, she called back to tell me that she wouldn't be able to make it to Tulsa, as there was a baby waiting for them in Fort Worth! Last weekend, they went to pick up their new daughter, Georgia Rae Drewry (born July 6th). A couple of photos:

The hand-off. The foster Mom presenting Jess with her new daughter.

And baby makes three.

Georgia Rae Drewry

Congratulations to Jess, Mark & Georgia!

JV

O-K-L-A-H-O-M-A (Yow!)

O-K-L-A-H-O-M-A (Yow!)
Saturday, July 14th

So, Tulsa. Yeah.

While the car show has been inconvienent, it's about the only thing going on in downtown Tulsa. This is also the first city on the tour where I have literally not seen anything of historic or tourist value. I have seen the theatre, a rehearsal studio, a few restaurants, my hotel and Target.

Tuesday we loaded in all day. Wednesday we put Andrew Fitch into the show (congratulations Andrew!). Thursday and Friday we rehearsed the newest member of the company, Brian O'Brien (welcome!). Saturday and Sunday are two show days. We're off to Des Moines on Monday. That's how a whole week gets by without venturing out to see Oral Robert's University.
Wednesday, I did make it to the local Roadfood.com hot spot: The White River Fish Market. It's a fish market and restaurant all in one! You order from the glass fish cases, and they prepare your meal fresh and on the spot. I had some very tasty broiled scallops, but the real stars of the meal were the hush puppies. I went with Piper, Amy and Siobhan - there was something for everyone on the menu. The showgirls took some dessert to go; the chess pie and cheesecake didn't even make it back to the theatre...

Ken and I are planning an excursion to visit the Cherokee Indians tonight, and hope to return with some of their money...

Snapfish posted an ancient roll of film (there are photos from Houston and Dallas). The link is here. The customary highlights follow:

At the Astros' Game w/ Tony, Patrick, Nigel & Jeff

Francesca's Birthday (Jonathon made cheesecakes)

At the Rangers' Game w/ Michael, Jeff, Cuz, Matt & Mike

w/ My Uncle Colin

And My Aunt Melody

This is the lone picture in my Tulsa file, thus far. Tony snapped this one of Ken shooting some excess pyro out on the loading dock - the perfect load-in stress releaver.

Amusing aside: I was attempting to pull out of the parking lot last night after the show when I was cut off by a minivan bearing the following bumpersticker: "If you don't see God in all, you don't see God at all." Was someone trying to tell me something?

JV

Goodbye Texas

Goodbye Texas

Tuesday, July 10th

Seven weeks in Texas with no armadillo! I wouldn’t have thought it was possible.

Friday was a busy day. As it was my last afternoon off, I tried to make good use of it! I went in search of a laundromat Friday morning. The place I stumbled upon was a little bet sketch. The homeless people sitting outside the building should have been a sign, but I really needed to wash my clothes… I don’t understand why the laundromat is the place where civilization breaks down. No matter what city I’m in (NYC included); people are the least civil to one another in the laundromat. Maybe it’s the fact that everyone’s underwear is on display that puts us on the defensive?

After my laundry adventure, I went to the Museum of the American Railroad. Located on the grounds of Fair Park, right around the corner from the theatre, the museum had a good-sized collection of engines of all stripes and rolling stock. The collection featured one of the largest diesel engines ever built (to pull the “Super Chief”) as well as the largest steam engine ever built (a “Big Boy”). Most interesting, to me, were the Pullman cars that I got to walk through. One car featured five compartments made up in varying day, night and dining configurations. I thought that the Amtrak train to Baltimore to Penn Station was civilized, but this was clearly the way to travel.

The "Big Boy"

From the Railroad Museum, I took a short trip across Fair Park to the Texas Hall of State. Built for the Texas Centennial Celebration in 1936, the Hall of State is an impressive Art Deco building. It features some small exhibits on Texas historical figures and the Texas Revolution. In the basement there is a bigger exhibit detailing the history of Fair Park. There was lots of neat memorabilia from fairs past as well as some plans for the future of the park.

The Texas Hall of State

The highlight of the day came, not surprisingly, at dinner time. I went out to the irresistibly named Aw Shucks for dinner. Aw Shucks inhabits a former Orange Julius building, which lends it a sort of kitschy drive-in feel. They serve all sorts of fried and boiled seafood. You order at the counter indoors, find a seat at the picnic tables on the patio and they call your name when the parts of your order are ready. The house specialty is listed as a shrimp cocktail, but it was more like ceviche. Served in a beer mug, the shrimp was in a spicy sauce with onions, avocado and cilantro. DELICIOUS! I also peeled and beheaded a pound of shrimp along with some oysters – I was stuffed full of shellfish by show time! On my way out the door, I picked up a t-shirt. The front says, simply: “What the Shuck?” The back explains that Aw Shucks was voted best crawfish in Dallas.

After the show on Friday night, we bade a fond farewell to Rick Bertone (affectionately known as Ricky B.). Rick was our second keyboard player and was an original member of the touring Spamily. We celebrated at a bar near the theatre known as Minc. Though we were warned that another group (of alleged Ethiopian Soccer Players) had also booked the bar for a group gathering, they never materialized. Spamalot took over the back patio and feted Rick properly. At the close of his last show (on Sunday night), Rick was hit from all sides with confetti. The pit was a disaster area with mountains of the stuff around the keyboard when we left.

Saturday, between shows, Mike Berg, Keith Martin and I returned to the Exposition Café for another Double Fudge, Bourbon Brownie. The temptation was too much. After the evening show, temptation was again too much, and I went back to Aw Shucks with Erik. This time we split the mountain of shrimp. Since it was after the show (and Erik was driving), I was able to enjoy a couple of beers on the patio as well. Beer always tastes so much better outdoors!

Roadfood.com only had one listing for Dallas: Sonny Bryan’s Barbecue. It seemed a shame not to check off the only restaurant on the hit-list, so Piper and I arranged an outing to Sonny Bryan’s between shows on Sunday. Amy, Julie and a couple of Piper’s local friends went along. Their onion rings were justifiably famous: enormous rounds of sweet onions hand battered and perfectly fried. Their meats were also tasty – I’ve had enough Texas style barbecue, I’m ready to return to pig and vinegar. The company really made the meal. Piper’s friends were charming - did I mention that one of them was wearing a seersucker suit?!?! That pretty much made him my hero.

Yesterday morning, I rode up to Tulsa with Ken. Much of the drive stretched through various Indian reservations, so there were several casinos of varying sizes along the way. About half-way here, we needed to make a pit stop. Alongside the travel plaza, there was a Choctaw Indian Casino. We decided we should duck in and gamble as well as use the restroom and buy some coffee. The guard informed us that the casino didn’t open until 10 AM. Not to worry, he also let us know that there was a smaller casino INSIDE THE GAS STATION that was open 24 hours. “Perfect!” we said. The casino was in its own smoky little room and featured about 50 slot machines. Ken and I both emerged about ten minutes later as winners! I was ahead $13 and Ken nearly $40. Not a bad rest stop. The rest of the drive was uneventful, though through some pretty country. There were, however, some curious signs reading: “Don’t drive into smoke” spaced at regular intervals along the turnpike.

We’re settling into the Tulsa PAC today. It’s a modern performing arts center, so we shouldn’t have too much difficulty with the show. The excitement is outside the building. Tulsa is hosting an international classic car show this week. The streets on two sides of the theatre are closed and will be filled with classic cars and a swap meet. The third street facing the theatre is under construction. Add to the excitement of the Tulsa Auto Expo the unseasonable rains that are chasing the Spamalot Tour across Texahoma, and you’ve got a recipe for late starts on the show.

Below are some more pictures from the stay in Dallas. Many are stolen from Francesca (she got a new camera while we were in Dallas and took lots of cool pictures). I have several rolls of film out for developing; I’ll post links as soon as I have them.

From the "Hell" Party:

Mitchell and the "Disco Casket". This was an actual casket converted to a party supply. The Dallas local hair person also does work for the mortuary and hooked Mitchell up with the casket.

Mitchell and Paula - our hosts in "Hell"

Suzanne's Barbecue:

Welcome to Suzanne's Home

Hangin' Out on the Porch:

Ryan, SM, JV, Piper, Sabra & Jeff

Tony & Pam Blowing Bubbles

Watchinig the Horseshoes Tournament

JV & SM by Torchlight - Watching the Fireworks

The Fireworks Show - You can just see Mike and Cuz at the bottom of the frame, our pyro-technicians for the evening.

The cutest cat in the world (after Capone and the Red Lion):

Tallulah "Curled Up" Inside a Pillowcase at the Indigo

JV

Sheila's Dallas Photos!

Sheila's Dallas Photos!
Friday, July 6th

The Snapfish gallery of Sheila's photos from her weekend in Dallas is here. (She got some really great snaps, check out the whole gallery.) Some highlights:

From our meal at Joe's Crabshack. SM titled this one: "Bibs are sexy."

Suzanne's new home.

Suzanne's East Texas party wear.

Mike Berg: the unstoppable horseshoe tossing machine.

(Please note his "rally cap" - once he put on the rally cap, the other team was doomed.)

Sheila Marie, JV, Sarah & Casey at the Stock Yards in "Cowtown".

Casey & JV with a real-live Texas Longhorn.

Outside the Cowtown Coliseum (home of the world's first indoor rodeo).

Casey & JV at the Dallas World Aquarium (that's a 3 story waterfall in the background).

Casey also took some pictures during his part of the visit, I hope I can post a few later.

JV

Dallas Continued

Dallas Continued

Thursday, July 5th

Last week, Paula and Mitchell hosted a "hell" party at their rental house. Everyone was invited to dress up. The Spamily came up with all sorts of interesting ideas. (Graham and Darryl dressed as the Menendez brothers. Ryan sprouted horns out of his baseball cap. Mitchell looked like something out of "A Clockwork Orange". Lots of people took the opportunity to be exhibitionists.) Their house was ridiculous. It was a split level affair with lots of small outdoor porches. One of the porches was walled in from the neighbors one one side, faced the kitchen, the living room and the bathroom with big windows on the other three sides. You could stand in the kitchen and look into the bathroom - you can imagine the hi-jinks this lead to. The roll of film has gone off to Snapfish.

Friday night, Sheila Marie flew to Dallas! By the time her plane finally arrived and she drove from the airport to the hotel, it was early Saturday morning; but I was still overjoyed to see her, no matter the hour. Ken let me take off Saturday evening's show, so we went out the mall after the matinee. It was one of those days when every store seemed to have something you wanted, and there were lots of good sales going on. We both came home with some new stuff. I'm glad there was some extra room in Sheila's suitcase! All the shopping made us hungry, so we stopped off at Joe's Crab Shack and feasted on big plates of crab on their outdoor deck. Really relaxing.

Sunday, Spamalot only had a matinee performance (there were fireworks scheduled on the fairgrounds that evening), so Sheila Marie and I had a second evening together! We headed out to see "Sicko", the new Michael Moore film. While it's wrong to say that I enjoyed the film, I am glad we went to see it. I left wanting to do something about the health insurance system, though I'm not sure what, exactly, to do. It seems so obvious to me that the health care system in the US is broken and that the people making money from its dysfunction are determined to keep it from being fixed, that I don't know how we get out of this predicament without some really fearless leadership. (The sort of leadership that is always in short supply.) After the movie we went to Kirby's for steaks, wine and conversation. We both had delicious pieces of beef. We, as usual, confused the waiter: he tried to give me Sheila Marie's "Cowboy Cut Rib-Eye" and wanted to set my Roquefort Fillet in front of her. The meal was carnivore heaven all the way from the fried pickle chips to the carrot cake with cream cheese frosting. We both slept contentedly, if fitfully.

Monday morning, we headed over to the Farmers' Market to pick up a house warming gift for Suzanne (one third of the Spamalot Hair Department). Suzanne lives 2 hours east of Dallas. Before I joined the tour, her home burned. No one was injured, but her home was a total loss. Since I've been on the show, she's been showing off pictures of the rebuilding process, pouring over blueprints and making decisions about cabinetry. On Monday the 2nd, she invited the Spamily to come to East Texas and see the progress. Her house is going to be lovely. The exterior is mostly done and the interior is taking shape - you can really get a sense of what it's going to be like when it's done. She catered in some tasty barbecue from the only restaurant in town and we had a fun afternoon. Mike Berg and Mark Vlahos kicked every one's butts at horseshoes, folks sat on the porch and shot the breeze, we got to meet Suzanne's family and Cuz lit up the night sky with fireworks. Sheila was right, though, when she said: "there sure is a lot of nature" around Suzanne's house; her neighbors are a long way off and it gets truly dark out there.

Tuesday, Casey and Sarah drove up from Austin for a visit. We met in Fort Worth for the afternoon. We toured the former Stok Yards and learned about the cowboy era in Texas. Fort Worth was the last "civilized" stop for cattle drives headed north to Kansas after the Civil War. Later, as the railroads came to town, Fort Worth became a major market for all sorts of animals (during World War I, the Europeans bought thousands of horses and donkeys at market in Fort Worth) and then meat processors came to town. In their heyday (the 1940's and 50's) the stock yards were such a giant operation, that a pig or sheep could be unloaded from an arriving train and dressed out in the processing plant in 25 minutes (a cow took 30 minutes). The two major slaughterhouse operations left in the 70's, but the city has preserved much of the Stock Yards. The livery building is still a working stable. The cow and hog handling building is fitted with all kinds of shops where the pens used to be. In the administration building, there's a museum as well as a modern, digital animal market. The city of Fort Worth keeps a herd of longhorn cattle as well as a staff of cowboys. Twice a day there's a "cattle drive" up Exchange Street. Unfortunately, we didn't get to see the drive as the heaven's opened in a deluge just about the time it was scheduled. The rainy weather has followed us from Houston. It has rained nearly every day here as well. There have been all manner of flash-floods and crazy thunderstorms. We left Fort Worth in the rain and drove back to Dallas under black skies with sheets of rain keeping traffic on I-30 to a crawl.

The Fort Worth Herd on their daily cattle drive (on a sunnier day).

Wednesday, July 4th, Casey and Sarah elected that we visit the Dallas World Aquarium. I wasn't very enthusiastic about their choice, having been to two aquariums on the tour already. I was, however, very happily surprised by the experience. The World Aquarium was as much zoo and ecological display as it was aquarium. The exhibit was divided into two parts: Rainforest and Mayan with a small "Ocean's of the World" exhibit between the two. You entered at the top of the Rainforest and worked your way down to the underwater portion. On display were many kinds of monkeys (including Sheila's favorite: Pygmy Marmosets), birds, a three-toed sloth, alligators, spiders, bats, sharks, turtles and fish. Then, you saw examples of the sea life from all sorts of environments and stepped outside to see their penguins, before entering the Mayan exhibit at the bottom and working your way up. From South America there were rattlesnakes, crocodiles, more monkeys and a jaguar. It was a really awesome morning! Casey and Sarah headed back to Austin from the aquarium. Sheila Marie dropped me back at the hotel on her way to the airport. I spent the balance of my afternoon watching a Law & Order marathon, until it was showtime.

We had a great time with Casey and Sarah. It was really fun to spend time getting to know her. After the show on Tuesday, the four of us went out for a really casual drink and conversation. Though we met Sarah in September during our trip to Austin, this was our first opportunity to really talk to her. She seems really wonderful.

Sheila Marie's trip was also wonderful. It was so nice to have two evenings to spend together in addition to the day off on Monday. I know that the travelling is hard on her (her flight on Friday was delayed an hour and a half; and though her flight on Wednesday actually landed ahead of schedule, it took her almost 4 hours to get home from the airport), but it's so good to see her. I'm really enjoying the tour, but like it even more when we're able to spend time together.

This afternoon, after rehearsal Ken, Karl, Francesca and I visited Jaki. She's moved out of the hospital and into a rehab facility. Her brother and her boyfriend are both here with her, and when we visited, her room was overflowing with Spamily. She's doing really well. When we visited last week, she was on lots of pain medication and didn't seem herself. Today, she was funny, clever and much more the Jaki we know and love. She's still got several weeks of recovery and rehab to do before she can leave Dallas, but she's on her way back. Continued best wishes, Jak.

Sunday was Jamie Karen's last performance with Spamalot. There was lots of backstage silliness to mark her farewell performance. Somehow, her set of mace balls (in the Camelot number) were replaced with a pair of rubber chickens. Jamie swung those chickens and kept of dancing like a pro. She will be missed.

Jamie's replacement, Sabra Lewis, had a great debut on Tuesday and has slipped right into the company. We're also rehearsing a new Spammer; Andrew Fitch will be our new vacation swing. As Christopher Gurr and then Michael Siberry take vacations in the coming weeks, Andrew will cover various ensemble members as they step up into principal roles. Next week we also welcome Brian O'Brien who will learn Kevin Crewell's track before he leaves to join the Drowsy Chaperon tour. Lots more rehearsing to do.

As soon as I have photos from the last week, I'll post them!

JV