Hey Bloggers!
So we've just finished our East Lansing engagement of the tour, which was busy and rewarding. While in East Lansing, we had a major rehearsal with our Production Stage Manager, Eric, who had been away from us for a time working with Michael Mayer on the Vienna production of SPRING. He reunited with us in St. Louis and scheduled a big rehearsal for this stop to freshen a few scenes and implement some minor staging changes and new ideas Michael discovered while working on the London and Vienna productions. See if you can spot them next time you catch our show! Anyway, it was a fabulously productive rehearsal, and I've been so proud of everyone's work this week. It was a great experience to get back to basics and explore things we hadn't since Michael's last visit some time ago, or even since rehearsal in New York. For example, to rediscover the blend and ensemble unity in Touch Me, Eric had us all sit on the floor in a circle and just sing the song to each other and really listen. It was so beautiful! The icing on the cake was having such invested audiences to explore things with in East Lansing. They were so with us, and made all of our hard work in rehearsal worth it.
East Lansing was also a huge personal joy, because it is just 45 minutes away from Ann Arbor, where I go to school, and so my week was full of visits from friends and faculty. I was also able to order Pizza House whenever I wanted it- those who are in the know should know how amazing that is!
After our last performance, which my best friend from school attended, I actually got to go back to Ann Arbor for the night and see even more old friends. It was beyond trippy to see all of my old haunts peppered with new buildings that didn't exist when I lived there, but so nice at the same time. When you're on the road, familiarity is a rare luxury. I was so glad to enjoy that luxury while I played to the wonderful audiences of East Lansing. Thanks for coming along for the ride- maybe I'll see you again when I'm back at school!
Best,
Andy
[BlogMaster Note: Here are a couple of videos created by Andy and Gabby, now live on our Youtube channel. Perry's parents come to E. Lansing to give the tour cast a proper meal. And we held a concert to drum up excitement on MSU's campus]
[The Guilty Ones in E. Lansing came to the concert and we have one in particular to thank for taking this footage]:
The Guilty Ones also painted this awesome rock on MSU campus!
Thanks too for everyone who submitted suggestions for things the cast should do in E. Lansing. In the suggestions, one fan also warned Andy not to wear U of M wear while he was on MSU's campus (you can see from the audience's reaction in the Q&A above that that was a very wise and appropriate heads up LOL)! While they chose not to blog about them (most of the suggestions were for bars, etc), they were used as an insider's tour guide and helped make it an amazing week in E. Lansing!
10 comments:
I saw your show in East Lansing Feb 28th. It was amazing!!!!! I am a huge fan of the show. I enjoyed all of the these videos, thanks for posting. Blake Bashoff, you are amazing...!!!!
I noticed a few changes, but thought you guys were just messing up. ;)
Looks like you guys are having a ton of fun! Can't wait til next tuesday, going to the evening performance on opening night! ♥
Also, quick question if any of the cast members / stage hands / whoever is reading this, is the stage seating idea similar to the broadway version? By this I mean are cast members going to be sitting among real audience members and stuff? XD
Psychopathic, it's EXACTLY the same idea as on Broadway. Yes, cast members sit next to audience members on stage, although shhh...we still want to keep it a surprise for those who might not be "in the know." There's nothing better than seeing the faces on unsuspecting audience members when our ensemble cast whips out their microphones from their seats! : )
Haha, that's awesome! Can't wait to watch the show now, =D Thanks for answering my question.
It was great seeing you in E. Lansing- especially as an Ann Arbor resident and Umich student.
And cheers to Pizza House. I know EXACTLY what you mean.
I recorded those msu union videos!! =D Thats kinda exciting that you posted them haha
You were all amazing here in East Lansing. I hope I get the chance to see you again! Have fun with the rest of your tour!!! =]
Lovely job in EL, and cheers to Pizza House!
GO GREEN (sorry Andy, I had to)
I saw you guys in East Lansing on March 1st at your matinee performance, and i absolutely loved it!
it was also my birthday, and it was the best gift i could ever ask for. I've been obsessed with the show for the past two years and it was such an amazing experience to finally see it!!
OMG Kyle in the first video. EPIC.
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