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Okay----and yes Kristin Carter-B, I am having another incongruous picture/location blog.....mainly since I have not blogged since Jeff City (Jennie Mac---I know you love these---so I am back on the ball---LOL) and since then we have hunkered down and performed at University Park, IL and Elgin, Il which is right in the backyard of where I grew up....ARLINGTON HEIGHTS! So the pic is a shout out to the CHI TOWN area----where we have since left......
Well, after the fun of Jeff City, we had a bus night---which I actually managed to sleep my face off on! Then I was hit in U PARK with some family drama (no one is sick or dead-----just some serious emotional damage.....which has lead to many tearful phone sessions with my beloved MOMMY)---anyhoo, nothing worth spending blog time on.....but since I am always one of those actresses who refuses to bring my baggage to work----but at the same time, I think it is only fair to share with your fellow cast members if you are going through something----I had a quick meltdown in our dressing room---my girls were awesome---then it is back to work----to quote one of the best Karin's (that is a CBL character, in case you are confused), who went on the night that her Mom had succumbed to cancer "Nothing really bad every happens in The Church Basement"----yep, so I dried my eyes, sucked it up, and knocked another show outta da proverbial ball park!
Then onto Elgin, IL----good news---I had about 14 people in the audience that night---including some past theatre pals, my beloved high school director who gave me my first BIG part in hugh school----and for some crazy reason, kept telling me he thought I had some serious talent---so all his fault---hee hee! Also in attendance was Jessica Meyer, daughter of the late Renee Meyer---who gave me my first ever paycheck in 1986--and as Jessica also likes to remind me "when I had never left the city of Arl Hts by myself"---also there, sweet Jennie Mac who has become a CBL groupie thanks to me, and other family friends and IWU pals whom I had not seen in forever. One of which, our wonderful Nancy Huening, came and fetched me the eve before and we wined and dined at a wonderful pub in Elgin and saw some serious Christmas cheer as Elgin celebrated DICKENS IN THE WINDOWS!
Okay---now the bad news----well, the Sat matinee, a small but very responsive crowd. Then came Sat eve with my peeps. Well, as I always say----when CBL works with the right audience (aka Blue Hairs, Lutherans, Catholics, and Red Hat Ladies)---you can feel like a rock star----when IT DOES NOT---well, like any comedy---I call it the Shawshank Redemption Effect---I.E YOU BASICALLY FEEL LIKE YOU ARE IN A GIANT FOOTBALL FIELD OF POO FOR 2 HOURS!!!!!!!!!!! Well, Sat eve---welcome to our worst audience yet---I knew we were in trouble when the "good ole standby" of the Church Matriarch walking across the stage with her Wonder Bread Bags on her feet merely got a titter! Yep---did not get much better from there! Thank God me and my entourage went out and threw back a few---I NEEDED IT!!!!! On the bright side---with pretty much no laughs, we shaved about 10 minutes off the sucker---and while the audience blew---I will give such a bravo to Hemmens Auditorium for how well we were treated---and we even got little plastic souvenir mugs! :)
The next day---another fun reunion---my dear Larry Keefe and gorgeous Carmen Wagner---again the magic of Facebook and how it brings people back together! Also, Larry and I took in some pre show lunch at a fun lil sports bar---thank God I was not too hung over because it was a Sun football special, and the place kept ringing a big ole bell and running a siren whenever something good would happen....hee hee!
Well.....here we are in Grand Rapids! Now some are not happy with the hotel because, yes we are out in the middle of nowhere----but I needed to catch up on a blog (obviously)---and we have had evening shows.....but have had full days to just catch up on life----and honestly---I have needed it! I had an absolute blast in Elgin.....but the minute the curtain came down and I said goodbye to Larry and Carmen---well, lack of sleep hit like (to quote my own song in AWAY IN A BASEMENT) "A Hydrogen Bomb". We had a fun bus ride to Michigan, compete with a viewing of LOVE ACTUALLY and an in debt discussion about pooping---hey when you are on a bus---anything becomes fun! Thanks to all who I got to see in Elgin---with the exception of the dirge audience---IT WAS UBER FUN!
O, and here in Grand Rapids---we are back to sold out houses and CBL lovin' old ladies-----now off to Carbondale, IL---one day of travel and 2 (COUNT 'em) 2 FREAKIN GOLDEN DAYS!
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