Tour #35: Naples and Ft. Laudredale, FL

Florida!  Another vacation tour.  Awesome.

 Rolling into Naples.  Palm trees and sun!  We had four shows in tow nights in Naples.  Hit the mall with our free day.  Please see my Facebook page for the best purchase ever: my "I Love the Situation" hat.  Thanks, Derek. 

 Those Who Must be Kept!  This statue outside the Naples theatre couldn't look more like Akasha and Enkil.  Please see The Vampire Lestat for that reference. 

 Mahm hit the shorts right away to celebrate the 80 degree weather.  She hit her Blackberry to celebrate her new Facebook page.  Sucked in.

 DAD!!!  Dad was there for 3/4 of our Naples shows.  He also brought coworkers along and he hit the bowling alley with us on our second night.  Oh yeah, and he didn't hate my tattoo.  Thanks, Dad!

On to Ft Lauderdale.  Sometimes on tour you get put up in motels.  Sometimes hotels.  Sometimes RESORTS.  Thanks, Broward Performing Arts Center.

 On the way into town we sought out this lunch spot.

 As if it weren't enough that I saw my dad for two days, I also got to see my second set of parents, Meredith's mom and dad, the Barons.  They were kind enough to make the trip from Wellington to see my show.  It was awesome to see them.  Of course this particular night we were slated for mandatory clubbing at a local bar, so I had to take off.  Thanks for coming, Barons!!

Clubbing Jess and Dawn.  Hanging out on a couch wearing hipster glasses.  FUN! 

The trip was one of the best in recent memory.  Five shows, malls, beaches, pools, free drinks, good food, dad, fake mom and dad, and a Jersey Shore marathon.  This trip makes touring the best. 

Next stop: Dubuque, IA

Tour #34: Seaside, CA

Ok, so you could call Wheaton and Orland Park tours #33a and b.  I didn't count them, as in my old tour age I no longer conider a Chicago suburb a "tour."  No offense, IL. 

One important thing about those mini-tours: it was the first time these guys played together as RedCo!

And now our first tour...morning flight to San Jose, CA.  Kevin made Tilliski laugh, so it's a good start.

 And Warren found a sandwich.  Also a good start.

Another drive directly to the venue, thanks to a long flight and long drive.  USC Monterey Bay had a lovely theatre.  And apparently they was glad to have us.  Here is a wall of the press they did in prep for our show.  It's very nice of them...and as Jessica pointed out, slightly stalker-esque.  But moreso nice.  The show did sell out after all.

Here is our lovely hotel, the Bay Park. 

 And even more lovely...N. California.  Everytime we tour around here I don't want to come home.  It's beautiful is the point. 

Before our departure, we were treated to breakfast at the adjoining restaurant, The Crazy Horse.  Derek offers an homage to Ross and Mystic Lake. 

Mom was taken from us for this trip and sent to Texas instead.  Boo.  But we were lucky enough to have Josh Miller step in as our surrogate parent and it was great.  Did I take any photos with him?  No.  Because I am starting to suck at this.  Touring for too long.

And speaking of touring for too long, I should mention that I neglected to celebrate my one year tour-versary properly.  It was unofficially on January 22 and officially on February 1.  In some ways it's flown by and I still feel new.  In other ways...I mentioned to Tamara recently that I had been touring for a year, and she said, "Really?  It seems like 2 or 3!"  Well, yeah.  I did get off the boat just over three years ago now, which was my official understudy start, so technically I have been doing some manner of the job for that long.  Maybe tour years are like dog years.  In which case, I've been on it for 7.  Makes sense. 

Home for a while.  Next stop: Florida!

Tour #33: A lot of places

First I would be remiss if I didn't mention that we had our last matinee with Ms. Angela Dawe on Feb 12.  We are happy to welcome back JJ, but Angela is dearly missed. 

 I mean, look how sad she is to go!

 So off we go on tour #33 (roughly) to Hazard, KY, Blacksburg, VA, Cullowhee, NC, Lynchburg, VA and finally, Rock Hill, SC.  After a treacherous flight on a tiny plane (Joe Ruffner, I appreciate your apologies), we landed in Tri-Cities Airport (for the second time on tour, we discovered) and rented our cars for the long journey across the southeast. 

 Our first stop was straight to the venue in Hazard, KY.  Turned out to be a dinner show preceding a morning of improv and workshops the next day.  We got to hit the buffet and eat in our weird section-of-a-ballroom green room, so that was nice. 

The next day before our IAS show, Mom and I discover an off-brand version of Splenda called Allure...?  Anyway, we had a free evening in Hazard and took advantage with a RedCo family dinner at Reno's Steakhouse.  Fine, except it was attached to a hotel that had the creepiest doll collection the world has ever known.  Yikes.  JJ wasted no time in making a quick Flip video.  See my Facebook page for that. 

 Onward to Blackburg, VA, home of Virginia Tech.  The on campus hotel was lovely, as was the whole place.

 See, classy hotel.  JJ, Patrick and Daniel were first to call time and took advantage of the sensible lobby fireplace.

V-Tech show was good...next stop: Cullowhee, NC.  This college was awesome.  We stayed in their "campus hotel" which was actually a dorm called Madison Hall.  JJ talked everyone into a dorm hallway taco party post-show.  Cullowhee was by far our best show of the week.  The college (WNCU?  Something like that) went NUTS for Gaga and Jessica got to be the closest thing to a pop star a comedienne can ever hope for.   

 Next Stop: Lynchburg, VA.  Our show was in a small performing arts center.  I think this place won best food of the tour (veggie lasagna, salad and pecan pie from a friend of Tilliski's fam) as well as best het find: a sombrero reminiscent of the one we used to carry for History Boys.  Mom's new headshot!

On to the final stop: Rock Hill, SC.  We got some free time in Rock Hill during the day where we learned that people who drive there don't think pedestrians exist.  Thanks for not actually killing me, you weirdos.  Oh yeah...and we did a show in a bank. 

 The theatre space is a converted bank branch, which still has teller windows and an official FDIC sticker on the door.  For turning over a recent financial institution, they did a really great job making it into a theatre.  It was acutally lovely.

Especially the mechanical seat for going down about 7 steps.  Unfortunately it was only for show, it wasn't functioning.

And we're done.  This was Daniel and Patrick's final tour and show with RedCo.  We closed out there stay with a trip to a Rock Hill Chili's .  They were awesome to have around and I hope they get to tour again.  Too bad it may be with Blue or Green.  You heard me.

Long, long road trip.  Next stop: Suburbs!

Tour #32: Iowa City, IA

A drive to Iowa City looks about like this. 

 This was a special tour for me because it was my first real repeat (not counting a revisit to Palos Hills).  Iowa City was one of my very first tours with RedCo last year.  I looked forward to a) seeing it again, since it was fun last year and b) being the only person to return, on account of my now being Grandma Red. 

 Back at the ol' Englert.  They're great to us and we had two really good shows.  Visited the Mill, where Julie took us last year.  It was really cool to be back somewhere and feel comfortable.  I'm so old.

 But at least we had this kid with us.  Hi Dan!

And for her last road trip with us, Angela pulled an Angela and slept on the way home.  Sshhh. 

Next stop: Hazard, KY!

Tour #31: Elizabeth City, NC

Technically, we toured to Northwestern.  No offense, Evanston.  I didn't count you as a tour.  Too close.

 

 We flew into Norfolk to drive to Elizabeth City.  Oh boy!

 They were very nice to us and printed us up these delightful show posters. 

Of course Patrick had to play the role of Edgar Blackmon.  He was a good sport of it. 

Next stop: Iowa City!

Tour #30: Barrington, IL

So most of our tours this month won't exactly feel like tours, since they mostly involve short drives to Illinois cities. But here we are.

 It was an IAS show, which in TourCo language means Improv All Stars.  And it was understudypalooza!  Daniel and Cate were great to have along. 

 This turned out to be Edgar's last tour with us.  I hope he takes this to mainstage with him.

Oh T.  Getting over the flu. 

Barrington High was a lovely venue and it was for a good cause, a fundraiser for diabetes research.  It was a surreal night, being without our regular cast, knowing it was the last time I would improvise with Edgar as a member of RedCo.  He was an anchor for us, and it will be a huge challenge to simulate his energy.  Just under a year after I became Red, I'm the senior!  Let's do this, class of '11!

Next stop: (non-Illinois venue) Elizabeth City, NC

Tour #29: First Tour of 2011! Galesburg, IL

 Back on the road!  Oh the glamor.

 And speaking of glamor, we had two lovely understudies with us on our trip to Knox College.  Daniel and Patrick were just delights.

 Oh, touring.  We were greeted by the familiar fruit and veggie trays and array of beverages.  Now, a show run is great, but man...I did miss all the free food.

 Mahm!!  Dawn is doing her best Carlo.

Temp RedCo!  The show was awesome.  It was incredibly nice to have a full house excited about our show again.  College kids love things.  And it felt nice to be back in our college RO.  Post-show we went to Duffy's, advertised to cater to "The friendliest people in town."  Patrick and Daniel were regaled with college stories and entertained by a talented young man who could instantly tell you the number of letters in any word or sentence.  It truly was a magical night.

It's great to be on the road again.

Next stop: more Illinois!