Third and Fourth Quarters 2007

Happy New Year everyone (and belated Merry Christmas and Happy Hanukkah.)

FALL

The biggest part of my fall was rehearsing and performing Seven Brides For Seven Brothers. This was a very big show for me because it was the first show that paid me a pretty good amount of money to perform. The theatre was huge and the choreography was wonderfully challenging. I was cast in the role of one of the suitors that goes after one of the brides. When telling a friend about being cast he said: “What the hell, 14 f-ing leads and you didn’t get one of them?” It made me laugh. Sure, it wasn’t a huge role but it was big enough and I was pretty satisfied with the way everything worked out. I’m not sure I could have done anything bigger since I’m still working full time at Bon Appetit. So it was up at 6:30 am, work until 5:00 pm, drive an hour and a half to rehearse from 7:00 pm – 11:00 pm to get home at midnight to do it all again the next day. That went on for almost 2 months…but, again, I was pretty satisfied. I saw only “pretty satisfied” because the bride that I had to court throughout the show was not the nicest. Seriously. I don’t know what her problem was with me but she and I just did not get along at all. It was the first time in all my years of dancing that I ever had a partner that I just loathed. It got to the point that we did not say one word to each other until we were actually holding each other on stage and in character. That was it. Even during the run of the show when we were backstage in the wings waiting to go on. All the other suitors and brides were standing together and whispering getting ready to enter and Sonia (name changed to protect the innocent) and I stood on almost opposite ends of backstage until just a few counts before our musical cue. Then we hooked arms and walked on stage with great, big smiles. Talk about acting. If she wasn’t talented it might have been laughable but she was cute, had a good enough voice and was a good dancer. Of course she was only 19 (I think) so that might have had something to do with it.

Something extra special about the show was that as the world’s biggest surprise my mother came out to surprise me and attend the show. She was very sneaky and smart about it. Mother found out that a friend from my neighborhood growing up was going to be out visiting me and also seeing the show. She talked to Monique to make plans about going to the show together. So my mother made all her travel and hotel arrangements and flew out. Thinking I was just coming out of the theatre that night to find Monique waiting there, all of a sudden from around the corner out popped my mother. Seriously, I was stunned. I have never been so surprised. My mother flew out of Chicago on a Saturday morning to attend my show in California that Saturday night only to fly back to Chicago the very next day. Such a jetsetter, who knew? But seeing as how this was such an important show to me and that no one in my family has seen me perform in probably more than 10 years (and less than a half dozen times in all) I felt very proud and loved. It was perfect, thank you so much mother.

LAS VEGAS

Thanksgiving was spent in Las Vegas with my dear friends Jim and Greg as it has been for the last 5 years. Friend, fun, food - it was a great time. But an even better trip to Las Vegas was in December. As some of you may know my very good friend Greg has been performing with Celine Dion in her show at Caesars Palace for the past 5 years. Saturday, December 15 marked their final show. I decided to fly out and see Greg in one of his final performances. Reason being, I was lucky enough to see to be in Las Vegas when the company and friends were given an exclusive tour of the then new Coliseum theatre in October of 2002 before the show opened. In November of that same year I went to Europe meanwhile the cast was rehearsing in Belgium. Since I was so close I went to Belgium where I stayed with Greg for a few days, got to know the cast and even attended a cast party where I met Celine in person. The show opened the following spring and I attended one of the previews and was fell in love with the production. Throughout the last few years I’ve been lucky enough to see the show a few more times. Because of all that, and wanting to support Greg, I just had to be at one the last weekend performances. I was in the audience on Friday, December 14 and saw Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes make an entrance before the show started. They looked great. The show was amazing, amazing, amazing. There was some new choreography and some great songs added. I was also privileged to watch the final show on Saturday, December 15 from the Green Room backstage. Such electricity. I saw the show’s choreographer, Mia Michaels (from TV’s So You Think You Can Dance), after the show and told her how great it was. It was a truly memorable evening. But the highlight was yet to come for at the VIP cast party to follow I had my picture taken with Celine. A lot of you have already seen it but for those of you who haven’t just drop me a line and I’ll send it to you. With all that said, I’d have to say that the best part was being able to share in the joy and celebration of the show with two of my best friends. By the way, there is a DVD of the show available for purchase so if you’re a fan (and even if you’re not) consider it. Maybe even see if it’s a rental option because it’s just that good of a show. Congratulations to Greg and best wishes on the new chapter in your life!

HOLIDAYS

I went home to Chicago for the holidays. I was really looking forward to my trip this year and it was terrific. I spent half my time in the city and the other half in the suburbs. One the first day in town my sisters, Renee and Rhonda, and I spent the day together. What a treat. We ran around downtown Chicago, had lunch, had mannys and peddys, had dinner and conversation and then saw Wicked. While I’d seen Wicked in Los Angeles 3 years ago I wanted my sisters to see it and was excited to see it again. I’m happy that they liked the performance as much as I’d hoped. Other highlights include getting together for an annual dinner with friends followed by annual purple slushies with friends. There were lunches and coffee dates and a really great night with a group of girls I’ve known since grade school. Christmas was wonderful. My nephews seem to never stop growing. Particularly the two older ones, they’re so manly these days. I’m sitting there thinking – why does it seem like it was just yesterday when I was their age. But then I think again back to the time when I was their ages (14-16) and reality sets in. Thinking back 25 years (YIKES) and then everything in between, it seems like at least a few lifetimes have passed. Just think of how many different versions of ourselves we go through in a lifetime. Having nephews and nieces certainly can help you remember if you have a hard time remembering on your own. Speaking of nieces and nephews, I spent the 4 days in the suburbs at my sister Rhonda’s house with my niece Morgan (almost 3) and my nephew Jayden (9 months). We had the best time. I fell in love with those children over the course of 4 days. Morgan and I colored, played with her new train set/table and watched Bears 1, Bears 2, Bears 3. Meaning – we had to watch all three bear cartoons in a row. I don’t remember the name of the cartoon but I can still hum the melody of the song that was in the “Winter Solstice” episode.

PERFORMANCES

Tonight is opening night for “Shark Tank.” It’s a straight play (meaning a non-musical production) with a gay theme – go figure, huh? I play Tim, the over the top gay best friend of the lead character – again, go figure. Even though this is a very small, non-paying production (a pretty far cry from the last show I did) I’m so glad to be doing it. It’s the first show where I have a lot of dialogue and had to think about my character, make choices and be kind of actor-y. The show runs for three weekends in January and as of right now I don’t have anything to follow this. Oh, wait…this doesn’t really FOLLOW but rather happens during…I’m performing in a musical theatre showcase on Monday, January 21. I took an 8 week musical theatre workshop which concludes with a showcase for industry people. I’ll be performing “Everyone’s A Little Bit Racist” from Avenue Q. This is the show I saw 2 summers ago in New York. Very funny, very fun, and very tongue in cheek. I’m excited about this showcase because, although it’s a trio, it’s my first number where I’ll be singing some solo parts. Me, me, me, meeeeeee. That’s me, warming up.

MESSAGE FROM THE UNIVERSE

As some of you know I subscribe to the daily “message from the Universe” email. (To receive go to www.tut.com) I’m going to end this quarterly update with one of the messages I received during the holidays. The message is very similar to what I’m told “The Secret” is about. Memo to self: watch The Secret ASAP. The message below really spoke to me and hope it speaks to you too:

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By the simple act of thinking, Don, vortexes are created, invisible energies are applied, and circumstances begin creeping to make real what was previously just imagined. This supernatural pull of your thoughts continues long after you think them, whenever there follows intent, expectation and action; moving mountains, parting rivers, and doing the "impossible" until there is the inevitable manifestation.

This is how your "thoughts becoming things." How they physically become things in a dimension that already exists, with billions of players and massive momentum. Not by appearing out of thin air, but through a manipulation of such forces in the unseen that literally begin shifting, morphing, and arranging all of the elements in your life so as to deliver to you the nearest equivalent of what you've been thinking. In other words, the "law of attraction."

"Thoughts becoming things" explains the law of attraction. It's why there is a law of attraction. And unlike any other 3 words in all the vocabularies of all the languages in the world, "thoughts become things" tells you exactly where you fit into the picture, as the thinker, the decision maker over what you will think about, revealing your power as a supernatural, all powerful, unlimited, CREATOR.

But, of course, many prefer not to think of themselves as so phenomenally powerful.

The Universe

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Happy New Year to my family and friends. I hope to hear from you all very soon.

Don