Rochester NY - Week Fourteen

Ah Rochester. How I haven't remotely missed you. I know many of you reading this are from this area, and I think you will agree with me that the theater here, The Aud, is a complete crap hole. Filthy, Musty, Cramped, and Difficult are the words that come immediately to mind. At least this year we aren't doing a show in January, to add sub zero to that list. However, it rained all the dang time I was here, with small bursts of sunshine.
Now before you start thinking "Oh great. Fran's going to complain for another entry (yawn)" I have to eat a little crow. I am not sure what venue I was thinking of when I said to all of you that the crew here blows, but I was waaaaaaaaay off the mark on that one. I am going to blame it on the early onset Alzheimer's I have been having bouts of recently. As soon as I saw this lot of ladies, I remembered how awesome they were. These gals are great. I truly believe they are some of the best in the country. Not only are they good at their jobs, but there isn't a bad attitude to be found. Tons of laughter, everyday, make the short comings of this space just seem non existant. This crew is so used to every show having trouble with the space and reworking all the notes for each track. Opening Night was so smooth considering the fact that at least 4 of the dressers had notes that were basically useless. One must give credit where credit is due. Mike Lipsitz is a rock star. Nothing fell through the cracks. He figured out EVERYTHING! Working in a space like this is challenging. It tests your memory as well as your creative problem solving skills. He was unreal! Not a single cue was missed. That just blows me away.
Jaki has been out this week, and Erica Alderson, who some of you might remember from Hairspray and The Producers Tour, came in to cover her. She has worked her ass off this week, trying to pick up any slack and figure out the laundry, as well as, deal with issues on stage right that she has no clue about. Hats off to her as well.
So work wise the week was pretty good. Everyone on the Spam crew was helpful and cool during load in, which was a huge change from the last few. I mean, no one is ever mean to me, but they have been just evil to Mike. So much so that, it is the main reason he is leaving. It just pisses me off. He is so damn good at his job. He has been doing this crap for years and the people on this tour that have been torturing him are just substandard at best at their own jobs. It makes me ill.
Aaaanyway.

I don't want to talk about work any more.


The week was made fantabulous by the fact that I got to spend it with Kricka!! As I have said in the past, for me, there is just nothing more calming than having my people around me. I was reticent to stay at her family's house. I had this image of me waking up every day - "Morning Mr Kissack, Morning Mrs. Kissack. I am just gonna grab my bookbag and head off to school." Might as well be wearing ponytails and draw my freckles in darker.
However, if I had stayed in a hotel, the family Kissack would have never seen their daughter, so I acquiesced. It was a good thing. My room at the house was so great. AND my bed was a Temperpedic mattress. I have never slept on one before and I gotta tell you, they totally KICK ASS and the next time I buy a mattress I am getting one. I fell asleep so quickly. Usually I am a complete thrashing violent dervish while I sleep. The whole week it was as if someone had konked me on the head, and I woke up in the same position I feel asleep in every night. Kricka and I even did the wine test. As you can see from the picture, the ads are TRUE! Kricka's parents house is beautiful and warm. Her parents themselves are just groovy. Sharon is an artist and the entire house is full of her work. The house itself is her design. Barry is a hot shot eye doctor who used to work for Bauch and Lomb researching contact lenses. He gave me the most thorough eye exam ever, was appalled at how off my perscription was, hooked me up with some groovy new frames, is gonna put new lenses in my cool old ones, and fitted me for contacts. My experience with contacts has been varied and extensive, and these are the best I have ever ever worn. Barry Kissack ROCKS!

The week with Kricka was so wonderful. Wednesday after the SAT eye exam her dad gave me, we were supposed to go to a baseball game, but much like Hartford, it has done nothing but rain here the whole time...so no game. Instead, we went out to lunch, shopped at Wegman's (which is extremely famous out here.) and got our eyebrows waxed. So no baseball, but my eyebrows are FABULOUS! Wednesday night we hung out at Cosmo's, which is the local towny bar. Ericka walks in the place and this woman, completely loaded out of her gourd, throws herself at Kricka, squealing and freaking out. That was pretty funny. Once the drunk lady took off, probably to drive home, we just settled in and started chatting. That's the thing about Kricka. I have known her for so long, but we have yet to run out of things to talk about. I love that. We also monopolized the Megatouch video game. Those of you in cyberland who have toured with me before, know how much I just LOVE the Megatouch Music trivia game. I have left the name GirlFran across this grand country of ours dominating the top spot in various cities. However, I believe I have reached the pinnacle of the music Megatouch scoring system. 54 million points. I think the highest I have ever had before was 16 million. Kricka and I were whooping and cheering...you would have thought I had won the lottery or something. I knew none of you would believe me, so there is the proof right there.
WOOOOOOOOHOOOOOO. I wonder if this means I have to retire my Megatouch Music Trivia tournament with myself that I have had since I was 23? meh. I will never top 54 million. I suppose I should retire.

Thursday Kricka and I hung out in her house and then went to dinner at Dinasour BBQ. It's a famous restaurant out here. It was really good, but BBQ just doesn't sit so well with me. This of course, doesn't keep me from eating it. I just have to deal with it a little longer than other people might have to. I went off to work and Kricka watched our skit. She thought it was hilarious, so there's that. That night we met up with Don and hit some of the bars on Monroe St. Don is hardcore, and invented some shot called a Sunday Morning. I don't know what is in this thing, but it is yum yum yummy. Too yummy. You don't realize the damage you are doing until it is too late. There was a ton of laughter and we had just the best time. Don rolled out the red carpet for us and fixed up his spare room and we crashed there for the evening. When we woke up, we had to boogie home cuz Dr Kissack wanted to check out my eyes some more and take pictures of my retinas. That was wicked cool. We got back home and caught up on the TV shows we both like to watch together at home. The simplest things are the the best sometimes. Just sittin' around with a good friend watching tv might sound boring to some, I guess.

Friday Night we went back to Cosmo's and I got to finally meet Kricka's BFF, Deanna. I have been hearing so much about her for the last 6 years. She was somewhat of an enigma. She said the same of me. Actually she said I was this mystery person and before I got there she told Kricka she might miss the mysterious element of it all. She was cool. Smart, gorgeous, and obviously just loves our girl, so she's ok in my book. It was nice to meet a best friend of a best friend and have them be as positive about meeting me as I was of them. After meeting Yenni's best friend, I was a little gun shy. (No offense, Jenn...I think you would agree about that meeting. Brrrrrrrrrrrrr.)

I haven't done anything crazy exciting in Rochester ( is there anything crazy exciting to do here?) but what a great week it was, once we got past opening night. I slept in the most comfortable bed known to man, in one of the nicest houses, with some groovy parents one of my dearest people. Kricka just flat out rocks. No two ways bout that, people. I always get sad when I have to say goodbye to her. Sometimes I feel like a spoiled brat who just wants to stamp their feet and pitch a fit about it. I will always try to get her to stay longer. One time I tried to make her hang out longer in Minneapolis and she said no, but then her plane got snowed in. I tried to be all "Ohhhh man that just stinks. I am so sorry." but I giggled and laughed and clapped my hands when she knocked on the door. Unfortunately it's not snowing, so no chance of that happening again.
Balls.

Bye Rochester. You didn't suck nearly as much as I thought you were going to.

Bye bye kricka. love you big.






Extra Pics:

When I first arrived, Kricka picked me up and instead of going to get my rental car right away, we went over to her friend Don's house and woke him up. Don, being the ever groovy host, pulled out the lawn chairs and we sat in his driveway drinking coffee and chit chatting for an hour. Don cracks me up. I met him when he came to visit in NYC.





This was Dinasaur BBQ. Just looking at this picture makes me stomach ache. Hurl.





Oh this is funny. We only had a minute to eat during load in, and Mike decided we should go to KFC.(ewwwwww) This is my first experience at a bulletproof KFC. They wanted nothing to do with their clientele. I laughed my head off.





Don serenading us with one of my favorite Don originals "Huevos"





OK C'moooooooooon. You HAFTA love these ladies. This is part of my crew. Look at them laughing and having a ball. That is what they were like all week. They had this tailgate party, called it the Car Bar. LOL. Now before you get all judgemental and crazy. They weren't knocking back shots and driving home. They had a glass of wine, enjoyed each other's company, and just yukked it up. I think they are just riotous.






Kricka at her high school locker. On one of the days our plans were destroyed by rain, we walked around her old stomping ground.





On Friday the Methodists were advertising a SUPER SALE. So we checked it out. I dunno bout the super part but it certainly was a sale. Kricka is right there at the counter purchasing 2 shirts. Lord knows where they have been. (giggles...get it...Lord knows....Methodists. oh nevermind.)





This is Nigel. He is one of our male swings. He originally was wearing jeans, and I was explaining to him that he legs would still be all ghostly white. His solution was to go inside and grab a pair of Frenchie ruffle bloomers that he wears during the show. I know you guys might not get it, but trust me, this picture is HILARIOUS.

Hartford CT- Week Thirteen

Good Lord the Weather BLOWS! It has been raining and raining. Just misery on a stick. bleh. Where the hell is spring anyway??

Even though it was practically a monsoon out, i ventured the 2 hour drive to see my mom. She just rocks. That's all there is to it. We had a great day together, just hanging out talking and then we went out, got her glasses fixed and shopped for some fun stuff for her new pad. I can't wait until June when I get to spend a few days with her when I bring all my belongings upstate to put in storage.

The drive back from my mom's was, well, in a word, HORRIFYING. Those of you who know me fairly well know that I am pretty blind. At night, I am just a mess. Add to that the shitty weather, and I had a 2 1/2 hour white knuckle drive back to Hartford. I thought I was going to die. I couldn't see ANYTHING. There were honestly a few moments that I truly thought I was done for.

It is so funny to me that locals remember me so well from the Producers Tour. I came into work on Tuesday and there was this local woman who was all "FRAAAAAAAAAAN!!!! I have been looking for you ALL DAY! They told me you were here, but I almost didn't believe them!" I am all (inside voice) "Who the hell is this????" Her name is Shannon and apparently, we were fast friends the last time I was in town. Nothing is more embarrassing to me than having to say "Hey!.....You!" My early onset Alzheimer's isn't helping these situations any. Some of the other dressers all wore earrings I made them when I came through town 2 years ago, I am looking at these earrings, not remembering them AT ALL. Needless to say they are all expecting another pair of earrings, so I have been trying to churn some out this week. I must admit, it is nice to be remembered fondly. Especially in such a hard ass town. By the end of the run, they really stepped up their game and helped Mike and I finish the run here without our Jaki. They even gave us presents during load out! You know how I love presents!!


This week, Jennifer and I headed out to the Mohegan Sun Casino. We had a blast! I was kicking ass at the Roulette Wheel...that was until I lost. LOL. When all was said and done, I left 150 bucks poorer, but we laughed our butts off. Marvin, our dealer at the Roulette Wheel, was so much fun. I have never really played before and he was very tolerant of my ignorance. I just got some chips and started putting them all over the place. I hit 3 times in a row (only once dead on, the other two were on the lines) I had all these chips in front of me! Of course I got all cocky and lady luck kicked me in the teeth, that bitch. We had a really great time. It made me think back to when Jenn and I lived in Vegas, and every once in awhile we would go out and play. Sometimes I would hit these really amazing lucky streaks, where if I just walked past a slot machine it threw money at me. Jennifer would get all irritated and pissed off because she seemed to think I won all the time. God that used to make me laugh. I used to love winning, not just for the money, but to watch Jenn get all grumpy and pissy at me. LOL. Hilarious.

Also this week we had lunch with her cousin Karen and Alison (Karen's daughter) Alison is A-dorable as you can see for the picture right there. Karen and I have met a few times. She is such a great gal, no pretense or veneer about her. Just an honest person with a huge heart. She just radiates kindness. You rarely run into those people these days. Most of us are just jaded and bitter, but somehow she has managed to retain her small town girl sweetness. I wish I still had that. Hell, I don't think I ever had it. Alison was a trip. Lotsa personality. I gave her my camera, taught her how to take a picture and she took a few. I think for a 2 year old, she shows a heck of an eye (Alison took the rainy picture at the top of this entry and I have 2 more in the Extra Pics section below)

On Thursday, Jenn and I went to New Haven to take a tour of the local TV station. She won this prize at some auction. Well if I am going to be honest, it was an auction that nobody bid on AT ALL, so Jenn just gave them 20 bucks for it. All week I was thinking about how silly it would be. Something to tell all of you about. However, I have to admit, I really really enjoyed that tour a lot. We started off meeting the head of marketting, Connie, who was our guide through the place. She was really nice, but bless her, the suit she was wearing had stains all over it and for someone who is a major player at this station, one would think she would do something with that hair. Not that I am a beauty queen mind you, but I have the decency to keep my filthy clothes and rat's nest back stage in the dark where no one will be subjected to looking at them too closely. Anyhoo, the first guy we met was the dude in charge of ratings. I have to tell you it was so INTERESTING! I never knew what they did with those numbers other than fire people if they got too low. I really learned a lot. He had this giant map with the country divided into 3 different colors representing the different markets. Eack market had a different tactic for gathering the required ratings info. He showed us the big book which stated which channels and shows were doing the best. As I joke I said I was looking to see how one of my favorite shows was doing because I was afraid it was going to get cancelled. Low and behold he found it. Jericho (wednesday nights at 8pm - watch it people!) had won it's time slot in the CT region. I was pleased. (See Kricka, they aren't going to cancel it!) After that we went to the graphic arts depeartment and editting. then we went to the control room, right at noon, when the news was starting. It was AWESOME! They were shouting and swearing and calling cues. It was wicked cool. As we were leaving Connie apologized for all the swearing, Jenn and I just laughed. As if working with stagehands we don't hear the most graphic language known to man. Oh Connie you silly woman...
We sat and watched the news for about 20 minutes in the studio. It was a little sad to see that no one runs the camera's anymore. It is all done by automation now. The female achor, actually sat there and did her own make up. sat right at the news desk, whipped out her little Clinique make up pouch, and starting putting her Bonnie Bell lip gloss on. wow.
So that was way more fun and interesting than I ever thought it would be. I just figured it would be goofy and dumb. I actually could see myself working in a place like that. I loved that ratings stuff. I would just never really care enough to do anything about crappy numbers. Oh yeah, they gave us the silliest coffee mug at the end of the tour. Hilarious. It is sitting on my table at work, with seam rippers, needle nose pliers and laundry markers in it.

That pretty much sums up the week. Oh yeah...on Saturday a giant heavy peice of wood slammed down on my head. That was fun. My eyes rolled back into my head and my teeth jammed toegther. I actually saw stars.That shit hurt. That is the offensive wooden hamper lid I am speaking of. It crashed down on me while I was repacking it. Normally I have half a brain and let the thing go all the way back, but a temporary lapse in judgement is all can plead. After it slammed onto my head, Mike came running over and asked me if I needed anything. I really just needed to be silent and left alone for a moment, but instead I said "I need this job to stop sucking." LOL. He laughed his head off and then proceeded to tell Linda Lee (the big cheese in NYC) about it. Thank God she thought it was hilarious. Otherwise Mike would be singing soprano. Everyone was very caring and sweet. Even the house head Junior, ran and got ice for me and was just great. Of course my paranoid brain took over and throughout the evening I would think "Could my brain be swelling? Maybe I now have a blood clot that is going to sit in my skull until the most inopportune moment and will rupture." The list goes on. But low and behold I woke up this morning with nary a dull ache, just a little bump. I suppose I could have that blood clot thing, but not a whole heck of a lot I can do about that, so life goes on.

I gotta be honest, I have been avoiding really talking about the show because the work situation kinda blows, people. Being the optimistic gal I am, I keep thinking that maybe this tour will turn around. Maybe next week it will be better. Unfortunately it doesn't seem to be getting any better. Mike has given notice and is leaving the show in about 5 weeks. Jaki is terribly ill and won't be with us at the next city. So we are down a supervisor for load out here in Hartford, and for load in once we get to Rochester. Did I mention that Rochester is one of the worst venues on the tour? uh yeah. So I can tell you right now, this Tuesday is going to S.U.C.K. not just a little, but a lot. It just doesn't seem to get any better out here. But the good news is, is that if it gets to the point where I am going to kill myself, my good good friends have already told me I can leave whenever I want and they will give me jobs. If I want I can run away and move to Oregon live with my friends, make jewelry, and write my tell all. And boy would I have a lot to tell. It really does make me feel better to know I am not trapped. It sort of lifts the heaviness of it. It also keeps things in perspective. It is just a play.
Contrary to what you might think though, I have no intention of leaving. It's nice to have those wonderful offers from my people in my back pocket, but I am not going anywhere. This has been one of the hardest jobs I have ever undertaken, and I am extremely proud of my own resilience and the work I have done. I have surprised myself.

and even as hard as it has been. It is still better than Hairspray. (shivers)

So so long Hartford. I had the most wonderful time with my buddy Jenn. Sitting on her deck at night, having a drink, playing cribbage, and talking about our respective work days, made my visit. I am going to miss her more now than ever before. Shame on me for forgetting how we click so well.
And of course, farewell to the Most Awesome of Beasts- Mr Man. Seeing him so happy has given me such relief, but makes me jealous too.

ugh. Rochester. It's going to be bad. But it is only a week. AND anytime I am not at the theater I will be with Kricka! that right there makes load in not matter as much.

Love to you all
stop worrying about me (and you know who you are)




The Extra Pics:


This is Yenni at her job. She is so cute, all smiles and stuff.




This is jenn and our tour guide Connie at the TV station. You can't see it but her suit is just riddled with nastiness. She was very nice though. That's my goofy coffee cup in her hand.





This is the guy in charge of the ratings at the station. He was veru impressed with the pictures of famous people behind his desk. Jenn and I could have cared less. I wanted to know more about what everyone was watching on tv.





Tv Studio during the noon news broadcast. Scary that there really is no one working really. Just a bunch of automation.




The next few photos little Alison took


Pretty good for a 2 year old, eh?





One of the many hands of cribbage I played with Jennifer. Of course I took a picture of a kick ass hand. Even though she trounced me almost every game. lil trollop.






My beast being all sweet.






this was a little message written in the dust on the back of a bus ahead of Jenn and I on our way to the TV station. We promtly took off our shirts and shimmied our fun bags around. LOL nahhhhh (we really did) nahhhhhhhh (nods head yes we did.) No really we didn't.






bye bye mr man. You are the best beast ever.

Hartford CT- Week Twelve

The last time I rode on a tour bus, it was all rock and roll and such. This time was very chill. I went back to my hotel after load out and showered (to minimize bus grunge) and packed up the last of my stuff. When I got to the bus Tahzah (Elaine's dog) and Tallulah (Francesca's cat) had everyone's attention. Most of us, being pet starved, have to glom on to the the animals of others. It's a pathetic display, which I wholeheartedly embrace. I tried to stay up and watch a movie, but my eyes kept fluttering and I actually crawled into my bunk and slept for a spell.
Until the bus started moving.
Yeah.
This bus was so loud and the ride so bumpy (nothing worse than I-95 between Philly and New Haven) I barely slept. So Monday I was a walking zombie. So much in fact, that all day today (Monday) I have been falling asleep. Jenn picked me up at my bus, I fell asleep in the car. We got back to her house, and I fell asleep again. We went to get my rental car and I slept the whole way up. Jenn probably thinks I am on drugs. Nope. Just crazy tired..

So I am staying with Jenn while I am here in Hartford. She recently moved into a new house in New Britian CT. I think it is just adorable. Not to mention my bed is soooo comfortable, and she keeps her house nice and cold, like I like it.
The tipper of course, is that Mr Man is here. I haven't seen my favorite beast in 3 1/2 months. He is so happy with his new digs. He has more space than ever before and even another cat to dominate. Bagheera, is just this big fat cat who has no problem giving up leadership to Mr Man. I actually think they like each other. When I first saw the two cats together I thought Bagheera was around the same size as Mr Man, but then I took that photo below, and I realized, Bagheera is just a Fatty McFatterson the Mayor of Fat Town and Mr Man is still the Freakishly enourmous mountian lion he has always been. Seeing how happy he is here, I know I made the right decision to not bring him on tour with me.
Reluctantly, I left Jenn's and Mr Man to go to load in.

um ok. Load in was kinda shitty. Mike just got back (YAY!!) and we are all shitfting position and finding how we all fit together again. So it was kinda slow and bumpy, but everything got done.
The bad part came the next day. Now it could be that we had a new chorus girl just start the show, and it could be that we had a swing on. It could be the space itself, which SUCKS. It could also be the fact that at least 30% of our local crew is completely useless. In any effect, Opening Night was bad. Real Real bad.
To be fair, it was horrid all around. The actors were all over the place in the scenes. Props caught on fire. Yes you read that correctly, we had props catch on fire. And we were running around like freaks trying to keep up with dressers who just didn't get it. And not for nothin, but this is Hartford. Even when they stink, you have to just suck it up and smile, otherwise they will make your lives miserable for the entire time you are there. Even the most minute of tasks can become a long drawn out affair. So the best thing to do is just lie and say 'It was fine, and will be better tomorrow. No worries." And to an extent that is true. Even the people who were shitty won't be AS shitty. Who knows, they may even get a lot better.

So after that catastrophe of an opening night, I spent Wednesday resting with the cats, cleaning up the kitchen (gotta earn my keep, yo) and puttering around.
I sat outside on the deck to check email ( all hail wireless!) and noticed her neighbors. Well they aren't quite her neighbors, they live through these trees out back. Three men, in their late 30s, home on a wednesday afternoon, (if they aren't stagehands, then they must be in construction or on the dole) all sitting around watching this big fire they made to burn leaves and something that looked like a sheet, listening to "Blinded by the Light" by Manfred Mann. (it's "wrapped up like a "Deuce" not "Douche" you dorks)( I bet my brother Dave is the only person who gets that joke) They all have the same enormous beer belly tightly clothed in concert tshirts from the 80s. "Look at those FLAMES, man" One of them runs up with a gasoline container and throws some on the fire, jumping back to not get scorched, to the delight of his other pot bellied buddies. All they need is to bring a 1978 Firebird back there, throw it up on some cement blocks and you got yourself a perfect stereotype.
Makes me wanna get back on that tour bus. giggles.

I honestly did absolutely nothing this week, outside of work. I didn't go see the largest ball of twine or even visit a museum. Every spare moment I had, was spent hanging with my cat. Isn't that dumb? It sounds boring, I know, but he relaxes and calms me. If he wasn't so awesome I might have gone out and seen something. By the second or third day, he was hanging out in my luggage. And I thought I would never have cat hair on my clothes again. I, no doubt will be lint rolling his furballs of my clothes for months to come. LOL

On Saturday Jenn had a House Warming Party. It was so cool of her to wait until I was going to be here. I got to meet lots of people she has spoken to me about over the years. Except her best friend Sandy. Everytime I am in town, Sandy disappears. For some reason she doesn't want to meet me. Isn't that wacky?? I mean this has been going on since 1993. BEEEEZAAARE.
I don't know what the big deal is. I don't bite....much. giggles. Jim drove all the way up from NYC with his man, Larry, to go to the party and to see me. I got to spend about an hour and a half with them. It was a lot of fun. When I had to leave for work, I was driving away and I got a little teary. Isn't it crazy how seeing someone you love and miss so much, can make you happy and sad at the same time?

Well the drama never ends on this tour. Mike told us he has had enough and gave notice. That makes me so sad, but he has to do what he needs to do. I have no idea who will replace him or what. On top of that, my poor Jaki is sick again. She had to call out on Sunday. Hopefully she will get to the doctor on Monday and we will know what is up with her soon. The fun never stops with this tour, I tell ya. The good news is, at least the dressers here got a lot better. By the end of the week, I was able to actually get a little of my own work done.

This weekend I am going to visit my mom, who has been battling bad health for quite some time now. The rotten weather should make it a challenging drive through the Berkshire Mountains. Even if she isn't feeling great, it will be good just to be with her.

Hope you are all well
:)


The Extra Pics

This is another shot of Bagheera. In this picture you can really see his two different colored eyes.



jennifer grinding coffee beans at the party with one of her fancy chey toys. She has a ton of really crazy kitchen tools. My jenn has turned into a Becky HomeEcky.



The is Jenn's TV. I had to take a picture of it. It is the largest TV I have ever seen....well except that piece of crap that was at Beechwood my first year (remember that thing guys???) (Tony, you must remember it)



On Sunday I went to church for some peace. This is one of the more interesting modern Cathedrals I have seen. It was built in the 60's. When I first saw it, I laughed because there are a bunch of little churches all around it. The Baptists, Episcopals, and the Methodists all have churches right there. I figured the Catholics built this massive cathedral, just to be showy. You can imagine how guilty I felt when I found out the original one burnt down.


This is the back of jenn's new house. Isn't it cute?!