A Bite of the Big Apple...

Talk about jumping right in! I left the theater in Vienna, VA around midnight on Sunday early morning after an unfortunately short 2 performance run of Wolf Trap Opera Company's Le nozze di Figaro. I had a bite to eat at our favorite Greek diner and then had a short rest before taking my wife to airport. On 3.5 hrs of sleep I drove caravaning (is that how you spell that?) with another colleague up to new york. Upon arrival it was by the grace of God that a woman was leaving her parking spot right in front of my new home on 67th street! So, I got the "front row joe" parking spot and started moving in. Its at this point that I realize moving around really does suck. Ahhh, what we do for our art. Anyway, my buddy Jeff came over to help move things along and by the end of the day I was settled and moved in, groceries in the fridge. (which reminds me, I need more milk) END OF FIRST DAY.

(photo above is of Lincoln Center's New York State Theater, home of NYCO)

After an amazing night's sleep and then a GREAT shower. You see, the water pressure that I have lived with for the last 2 months has been possibly the worst water pressure EVER! Sometimes it would literally not even turn on at all. At best it was washing myself under a dribble. On the contrary here in NYC the water pressure is like being blown away by a jet engine that is connected to my shower head! Wooohooo! This was my first day at NYCO or New York City Opera! We had a meet/greet at 2 where we got to meet all the Administrators and stage managers and directors and so on that are involved with the production, and of course the other cast members. Then we had a music run-thru from 3-5:30 and then started staging that evening from 6-9! By the end of the first day, we had staged and even ran thru more than half of my role!

Today we ran thru the first few scenes that we had staged with the associate director for the head guy and he made a few changes and added some insight with the characters...great stuff. And then they released me for the rest of the day! Pretty cool stuff!

Tonight we are going to see Rigoletto at Central Park put on by the Metropolitan Opera. Should be good.