Exciting Stuff, That Opera

Le ciel ouvert, la vie errante,

pour pays, l'univers;

et pour loi, sa volonté,

et surtout la chose enivrante:

La liberté! La liberté!

The open sky, the roaming life,

For a country, the universe;

And for law, one's own free will,

And above all, the intoxicating thing:

Liberty! Liberty!

So go the final sentiments before Carmen's intermission: La liberté!--which we as Americans, in the words of our director, "know a little bit about."  You can bet what I'll be thinking when I sing these words this Friday and Sunday at the Bob Carr Performing Arts Centre in my professional theatre debut.  (Seriously, you can buy your seats on Ticketmaster and everything!)

Eric's Special, Too

As I sit in this delightfully sticky booth enjoying my free wi-fi access and stuffing my pancake-hole with deliciously free breakfast, staring out into a rainy afternoon, I'm thinking of Eric on our regular day off and why I'm having a date with my laptop at Denny's.  Well, Eric is someplace special today--probably in full awareness of the syrupy goodness he's missing and the gloomy precipitation he's not.  He was selected to be a...well, I can't remember exactly what it's called, but there's a big press event going on at Walt Disney World with media luminaries attending from all over creation, and Eric gets to tag along with some of those illustrious personalities for a week.  He is basically in charge of being the liaison-type guy between Disney and the group from a New York City "hot" adult contemporary station.  These on-air folks and various station VIPs have the privilege of hanging out with my hubby during a week full of fun events and activities all over property.  It's an honor because only a few managers from all across the Walt Disney World Resort were chosen, and he's told it's an exciting adventure hobnobbing with all the media and enjoying all the perks.

Aw, shoot.  In my blogging excitement, I accidently dipped my pancakes in ketchup!  Dunking the sausage in syrup would've been a tastier mistake. 

In the meantime, I'll be savoring my breakfast-for-lunch catered with care by my South of the Border server Samuel, slung with a smile and a lonely rat-tail (photo forthcoming--if I'd thought to bring the microSD adapter for my cameraphone, you wouldn't even have to wait to see this truly amazing example of American [?] cosmetology EDIT: see below).  And I waited less than ten minutes!  Don't worry--later Eric will be enjoying my leftover eggs and bakey from the to-go box because on Free Grand Slam Day, there are no substitutions, even for picky eaters.

BONUS: My Thoughts on the Super Bowl

Did anyone else notice...

• the consecutive commercials featuring ladies being tackled (Snickers/Focus on the Family), schlubby dudes in their underwear (Career-Builder/Dockers), and woodland creatures (CarMax/Monster.com)?
• the Stripes theme featured on the Budweiser bridge commercial?
• the commercial announcing free food at Denny's?  Seriously, I only waited like six minutes.  Where is everybody?
• the ironic Super Bowl snapshot (EDIT: see below) circulating the tongue-in-cheek humor blogs yesterday? (Photo forthcoming--because Randall Gay is in the photo, the Denny's server won't let me pull it up.)
• if Baby Brees got an e*trade endorsement deal?
• anything but the commercials?

EDIT: Here are the photos I promised.

The rat-tail is small but effective.  This guy totally got a 100% tip.

Randall Gay sashays by as two Colts share a passionate embrace.

Gigs Galore

Since this new year began, I have been blessed enough to be just about in constant rehearsal for gigs from the start, and there are no signs of my slowing down any time soon!  First was the latest in a collaborative chain of performances for the Orange County Library System.  Last year around this time--when I had just bought my equipment and gotten my act together (literally)--I answered a post on CraigsList seeking musicians for Music in the Library, a celebration of National Music Week, at each of their branches.  I did a set in the study room at the Southwest branch in Dr. Phillips (kind of ironic to have some lady banging on a piano and screaming into a microphone in a library at all, much less a study room, huh?), and then another at the downtown branch on Central Avenue.  Jimi (spelled like Hendrix), the library's incredibly friendly and fun Community Relations liaison, recommended my services to his college roommate, who just happens to be Chef Chris Lacey of Jack's Steakhouse in the posh up-and-coming neighborhood of Baldwin Park.  As a result, I have gotten to play several sets at Jack's, enough, in fact, to cover the cost of my entire system--speakers, stands, mics, table and all!  So anyway, Jimi was nice enough to recruit me for another gig at the library, Dr. Phillips High School's Art Expo.  There were lots of nice comments and even a booking for a Friends of the Library event this December.  Mark your calendars!

Meanwhile, Eric and I were both tapped by Encore to perform in a small group of singers for Transitions Optical's annual international Academy at Disney's Yacht Club Resort.  The performances was for their 2009 Lab of the Year Awards ceremony, with a theme of "Never Lose Sight...of the Possibilities" (Get it?), so we were asked to sing a few inspirational numbers to open and entertain throughout the show: a Queen medley of We Will Rock You and We are the Champions, Power of the Dream from the 1996 Summer Olympics opening ceremonies, and a beautiful part-a cappella arrangement of Go the Distance from Hercules.  Our final selection was Defying Gravity from Wicked, and I was so excited to sing a solo!  Transitions Optical was nice enough to provide a costuming and cosmetology team for us, so I had a beautiful costume, amazing updo, and incredible make-up to wear!

Me as Glinda with Beth Neel as Elphaba

Then, just about the day after that event, I received a phone call from Mad Cow Theatre about a callback I had attended in December.  I was on their alternate list for the chorus of Bizet's Carmen.  Someone had dropped out at the last minute so they invited me to join the cast!  The performances will be Friday, February 26 at 8:00pm and Sunday, February 28 at 2:00pm at the Bob Carr Performing Arts Center, which means I will be learning the entire role in less than three weeks!  I consider the entire experience to be a very exciting challenge, and I am thrilled to have my first theatre contract!

Coming up next will be the second annual cabaret featuring singers from Encore.  Like last year, all the proceeds from this year's show, called Time and Music, will go toward our budget for the summer production.  The goal is to keep making the summer show bigger and better so we can raise more and more funds for our selected charity recipient, which this year is the Make a Wish Foundation of Central and North Florida.  The cabaret starts rehearsal the first of March and goes onstage on March 11, 13, and 14 at the Odyssey Restaurant at Epcot. 

Finally, to keep me booked until May 16, I have just been cast in Garden Theatre's community production of good old Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.  Back when I was a big fish in a little pond, I played the Narrator in Ware County High School's production, so it'll be a fresh and new experience this time since I'll be playing one of a few wife-y type chorus members.  Hopefully in the meantime I'll get a chance to be a judge again at East Ridge Idol, the annual fundraiser for my friend Gretchen's chorus program.  I'll have to double check my schedule.

As always, you can get the latest updates about my career by visiting my website.