Tulsa and the State Fair!

Well, it's a Friday on tour...and it's time to catch you all up on our antics here in Tulsa! We got into town on Wednesday, and it was an uneventful day. The drive from Tahlequah was only about an hour and 15 minutes - and then we all just kind of hung out and ran errands. Nothing too exciting.
Thursday brought our first show - a school performance - and it went fine. The space is at the Tulsa Performing Arts Center - in the John H. Williams Theatre. It seats about 440 people - and it's a great stage and house. Please check it out at:
www.tulsapac.com/venue.asp (under venues, click on John H. Williams Theatre. It's ALMOST like you're there)
The big excitement for Thursday was that it was the opening day of the Tulsa State Fair! I mean - let's be honest - WHO could've planned our time in Tulsa better? Everyone was pretty jazzed about going to the fair (that's right...I said JAZZED!) and so after our show and lunch and a bit of relaxing, we headed to the fairgrounds to take part in all of our FIRST Tulsa State Fair!
And I'm going to save you the stress now, WE LOVED IT! (And I'm going out on a limb to say that Tara loved it the most...)

We all arrived and bought our tickets and headed in to walk around...and just scope everything out. Right off the bat, the shopping started....with Eric procuring a new cowboy hat and Jackie ALMOST getting a Ginzu Knife Set. We quickly moved from the exhibit booths to the midway and the livestock and the food vendors. And then madness ensued. Here is what happened:
So I saw a food cart that said 'FRESH FRIED VEGETABLES' - and on the side of the cart, I noticed that it said FRIED PICKLES. Well, being a huge fan of pickles and things fried, I thought WHY NOT GIVE IT A TRY! So I did. And people, them friend pickles were simply delish. So those who want to try the fried pickles try them, and then we find Tara (who had come earlier with a local friend) and she tells us about the OTHER fried treasures around the fairgrounds. Well now, it's become more than a fried pickle vendor - it's become a state fair fried EXPERIENCE...so while some people go catch some rides, and a couple of people hunt down their jumbo turkey legs, the rest of us start out on our 'Exploration Of The Fried'...and people, it was good.

So here are the deep friend pickles. Me likey.

You'll be happy to know the first treasure we came across was DEEP FRIED CHEESECAKE!
This takes my happiness for the dessert food to an all new HIGH! Indeed it was fried, with a cinnamon tastiness on the outside - and I think everyone that tasted it enjoyed it. Please see my M.A.S.E. scale rating below!

I mean PEOPLE! This was the highest 8 it could be. It would've probably been a 10 if I had gotten the strawberry goodness to go along with it. But it was INDEED a good choice.

Pickles and cheesecake down, the hunt was on. We passed a booth for Fried Brownies - but collectively, we passed. And then - we turned a corner...and standing there were 2 signs to end all Fried Explorations: Deep Fried Oreos and Deep Fried Twinkies! HELLO? Jen steps up to get the Oreos - Puppetmaster Chris gets the Twinkie - and the next thing you know, we're all sampling these tasty treasures. (I think we all agreed that although the Oreos were good - they could've done their customers a greater service by deep frying Double Stuffs, instead. I mean - you're already deep frying an Oreo - like a Double Stuff is that much worse!)

L-R: Chris and Jen show off the signs. Chris models the Deep Friend Twinkie. 2nd Row L-R: Jen and Chris enjoy their finds. The deep fried Oreos...upclose and personal.

2 more down - an unknown number to go - we headed down the row of food vendors - but were QUICKLY side-tracked by a sign that promises to show up the BIGGEST PIG - ALIVE - 1,100 POUNDS! Well, we were all skeptical...I mean, how big could it be? Well, Eric took the plunge...paid the $1...and headed up the stairs to see THE BIGGEST PIG. I wish I could've captured his reaction - because it was that reaction that had us all reaching for our $1 and heading up the stairs. There are no words to describe it - except to say that it was bigger than I ever could've thought. So go ahead and see the pictures of the pig below - and then tell me what you think!

Here we are...at the big pig pen! Want to know how amazing it is? Just look at Tara's response!

Back on the track, Tara leads us to the deep fried sign she had seen earlier - and we all partook in deep fried Snickers bar (Milky Way was also an option - but Snickers are so...satisfying.)
and then we all dipped into the deep friend peaches. Mmmmmmm....they were both very satisfying, as well. And just about the time we finished all of these, another in our group (hazy on the details of just WHO) showed up with Fried Green Tomatoes.

L-R: The deep fried peaches. That sauce...OFF THE HOOK! Eric and Andrew model the goods. And finally, that IS a deep fried Snickers. Strange...but true. and OH so good.

And then, just like that, we ended our Exploration Of The Fried. And I think we all came away with it THRILLED with the experience. And I'm going to be honest right here on my own blog...there was NOTHING really bad in the lot!
The rest of the night was spent on rides (except for that unfortunate detour into the 'Side Show' - now THAT was a wasted dollar. Unlike the wonder pig!) - and I left everyone as they headed to the midway. I scooted out of the fairgrounds to meet up with my friend, Holly Scott, who was a boss of mine at DirecTV in Boise - and now lives and works here in Tulsa at DirecTV! Holly and I had a great time seeing Tulsa - she showed me some of the cooler areas in town - and gave me a tour of the DirecTV call center here in Tulsa! (A big shout out to Nick - don't be jealous of my schedule every day!)
Upon return to the hotel - I met up with everyone, who regaled me with stories of the rides, the lights, the fun AND the mechanical bull! I can't believe I missed the mechanical bull! But also, probably good...considering all that fried FUN going on inside me!
End of the day: it was a GREAT one! We loved the Tulsa State Fair...and feel pretty dern lucky to have been here for opening day! Tulsa has treated us well...and we still have a couple more days here. Can't wait to see what they hold.

Fried pickles rule -
Gussy


Ah the fair. There is always something for everyone. Eric enjoys a corndog in his new cowboy hat.

Tara, Me and Jackie take advantage of the setting sun and the fair backdrop to strike a pose....

Eric tries out the Passion-Meter...and now wishes he'd have stayed OFF.

Jackie shows off her new hair and eyebrows. She's a 10 on the HOT factor!

Chris, Todd, Me, Andrew and Tara take a moment on the midway!

The Tulsa State Fair from the top of the ferris wheel. (This picture is on loan from the Andrew Frace Photograph Collection)

MEET THE STAGE MANAGER: Elisa J. Rupert

You've met the cast...you've been introduced to the crew...and now...the time has come to roll out the red carpet for the liaison between both groups. Our stage manager is the life of this show, people. She is the gaff-taping, cue-calling, savant-direction-remembering, master-driving, chocolate-hating, iPod-sharing, medicine-providing (but only if you find it yourself), beautiful-voiced queen of the road. Put your hands together for our favorite stage manager: Elisa J. Rupert!

I think it has taken me so long to do Elisa's PROFILE because I've been trying to decide exactly HOW to scale down all the greatness into ONE sleek blog entry! I knew that it had to start with a love that we both share. The place is called Chili's - the food is our favorite - and it made us instant friends! She loves the lettuce wraps - I love the boneless buffalo chicken salad - we both love the chips and salsa. I mean - you can tell a true friendship when it starts with Chili's.
She also loves Jane Monheit, Tenascious D, iPods, continental breakfasts and Kanye West. (OK - one of these things is not like the other...but it's fun to say Kanye's name and see her get riled up!)
Elisa is a California girl who has been living in New York City for the past...um...5 years. (mmmm....lo mein.......) This is her, like, 3rd or 4th tour - with previous tours/stage managing stints being with dance companies and other musicals. Willy Wonka has turned out to be her favorite experience, EVER, and so she was telling me the other day that she might retire after this one. I mean, how do you follow up with something beyond this? The answer is you don't. You simply retire from the business and start a line of women's perfumes and clothing.
Although she is a behind-the-scenes kind of gal, you will all love to know that Elisa has a B-E-A-UTIFUL singing voice, and is a lot of fun to sing along with in the van. She does a mean Elphaba from WICKED - and if someone would do colorblind casting for Aida, she would put Heather Headley to shame!
Elisa has been all over this country of ours with the tours she has done - but her favorite destination for traveling is to visit her mother in the land down under. She loves Austrailia and could very well serve as a spokesperson for the travel and tourism board, with all of the good things she has to say about it!
The thing I like best about Elisa is her laugh! She loves to laugh - and is one of those people that is a LOT of fun to laugh with. Plus, she is always surprising me. With new skills (Did you READ the Tahlequah blog where she cut Tara's hair? HELLO! Who expected that!) to her listening-ear and sensible-advise (if you haven't been to Dr. Rupert yet...get an appointment!),
Elisa has become more than an Equity stage manager who knows her stuff...she has become a friend to most all of us on the tour - and that is better to come away with in the end, as opposed to any t-shirts or magnets you could collect in each city! (Although, the Decorah t-shirts really are pretty cool....but no...Elisa trumps it!)
We are a lucky cast because we all get along and we support each other - but we are most lucky to have the knowledge, skill and talents of Elisa on the road with us! Plus she'll always be an extra vote for Chili's!
Hands together...EJR is in the house!

'Two Is Enough' refers to our number of shows in Tahlequah

Well - today was SHOW DAY here in the Cherokee Capital! We had one school performance this morning at 10am - and then a public peformance tonight at 7:30pm. The school performance was PACKED. I am pretty sure they even sold seats for children to sit in the actual rafters of the building. I think the theater probably sat....going out on a guess-limb here...1100 people - and all the seats were full. The evening show probably had about 800+ - and it's always fun to perform to an audience that is atleast HALF adults. It keeps you on your toes. They were both good audiences - but the shows today were actually weird for a couple of reasons.
Let's start by talking about the HEAT in the theater and on stage. Now, for those of you who know me and have seen me on stage, I will freely admit that I have a bit of a sweating problem - and in this show, it's intensified by like 100 times, because of how much we do. I'm always running around, changing costumes, moving set pieces, rolling things, lifting things....just whatever it takes to make the show go. Well today, in like the first 5 minutes of the show, I had sweat as much in that 5 minutes as I normally do in an entire show. And it wasn't just me - before you start thinking that is the case. Everyone was glistening a little more than usual.
ALSO - we did the show without the big Golden Tickets that hang over the stage and light up or go out - as the tickets are found and the kids disappear in the factory. Well - the space didn't have the light rails to hang them...so we just did the show without them. It wasn't a huge thing - but it just throws a strange little kink into the works - because you get so used to certain things. And since the show orchestration is all on a CD, we couldn't just cut those music-cues out or EVERYONE would've been confused.
The BIGGEST weird part of today was the venue itself. I'm not going to say it was old - but it DID have some serious problems with the stage. The front half of the stage was relatively smooth and normal - but the back half of it was so full of cracks and spaces that there was a SERIOUS concern that our puppets or Oompa stools might catch the cracks and tip over. So - being the DEAR STAGE MANAGER that she is, Elisa put gaff tape over all the LARGE cracks in the stage...so there would be no accidents. (I have to be honest - even with the assurance of gaff tape, I still had a brief panic attack everytime I rolled out on the Oompas - because my luck is that I would've been the one to catch a crack and sprawl across the stage.)
Oh yeah - and we also had a WEIRD Tara-Toss today. It was for the kids, though, and they seemed to find it exciting...so no big deal. I guess it could be that they found it exciting that she almost landed on her head instead of her feet. Silly kids. Speaking of silly kids - today after our school show, we were sitting in the green room, and right outside the windows, the kids who had just seen our show were standing in line waiting to get on their busses. There were these 2 little girls (3rd or 4th grade, I"m guessing) who I caught them looking in at us, so I smiled and waved at them. One of the little girls wrinkled her nose and then put her fingers up to her ears and stuck her tongue out at me! I was like - wow...ok...someone didn't listen to the Veruca part of the show. So then Tara/Veruca walks by, and the little girls all smile and wave at her. Grrrr.
So then, everyone decides it's a game...so now Chris/Mike Teavee walks by - AND THEY SMILE AND WAVE AT HIM! Not wanting to be left out, Jackie/Violet comes to the window, and they smile and wave her, too! So I look back at them, and the dang little girl STICKS HER TONGUE OUT AT ME AGAIN! So I opened the window and punched her in the face. OK not really...but seriously...why was she hating on Augustus? This is an answer I will never have.
That's about it from Tahlequah. I wish there was something MORE exciting to report -but there really isn't! OH! But between shows today, we went to a restaurant just here behind our hotel called Katfish Kitchen. And it was good! For those of you excited to hear more - please see my pictures of my lunch platter - AND of course, of the cheesecake (complete with review.)
Tomorrow we head to Tulsa - and I am excited! Oklahoma has been good to us - and the folks out West promise that Tulsa will be even better!

Catch you there....
G


So Tara decided she needed a haircut on tour....and Chris just bought new clippers....soooooooo......during Monday Night Football (GO BRONCOS! Sorry, Chris...) Chris shaved her a new do.....


JUST KIDDING! It was actually Elisa who gave Tara her new cut...and it turned out beautiful. (Chris didn't have time to do a cut - he was too busy watching his Kansas City Chief self-destruct on National Television. Ooops. Sorry, again, Chris....)


So here is the theater in Tahlequah - on the campus of Northeastern State University. And here is the stage - with the gaff tape over the cracks. There actually is a LOT more to the right - but our set was on it and the crew was taking it down so we could leave and I didn't want to bother them.


I like to call this, affectionately, my dressing nook. All the comforts of home.....in a 3-foot-square box. And here are all 4 guys in the cast peeking their heads out for a brief photo-op. Aren't we fun?


How nice! Another town advertising our show around town...WITH PICTURES OF THE OLD CAST! Makes a guy feel all warm and fuzzy inside. The program also had pictures of last years cast in it - and I'm sure everyone was confused when Charlie came out and he wasn't Filipino.


So....here is the 'Kitchen Platter' from Katfish Kitchen. This is the Catfish, fried ocre, hush puppy and tater tot plate. And for those of you thinking, 'But Matt doesn't like fish!' please know that I became a fan of catfish as a Mormon missionary when I was in Kentucky - and it is the only fish (besides Van de Kaamp's frozen fish sticks) that I enjoy eating. It doesn't taste fishy. ANYWAY - I digress. To the right, THE CHEESECAKE. Pretty average...kind of tasted like maybe a frozen cheesecake from somewhere with caramel ice cream topping drizzled on top. I am going to have to give it a high 4 - or even a low 5. Yes. A low 5. It lacks flavor and creativity. I mean - selling it as a 'Caramel Cheesecake'? I'm bored already.....But the lunch itself...a high, high 8. Very enjoyable.


Here I am forcing Andrew to eat the last few bites of the Just OK Cheesecake. (WAIT! That is how they should sell it! Just OK Caramel Cheesecake. BRILLIANT!) Please Note: Andrew was NOT harmed in the taking of this picture. After the flash, he happily ate the food on his fork.


And just to pass the time, Tara and Eric discover the Merry-Go-Round while we were shopping. I doubted at first, but it's true - that Wal-Mart really was SUPER! Look how much fun they're having!

Tahlequah means 'Two Is Enough'

Sadly, we packed up and left the magical town of Norman, OK and the University of Oklahoma. We were only there about 24 hours - we did 2 shows - but we all had such a great time, we wanted to stay a bit longer. The Sooner Hotel turned out to be a fun little stop. I'm pretty sure it's a converted dorm building - but it has a charm of it's own, and VCR's too! Check it out at:
http://www.housing.ou.edu/soonerhotel/
Saturday night, Eric and I walked over to Sonic Burger and we stopped at 7-Eleven on the way back because I need to get a Slurpee (to feed my addiction...and because 7-Eleven's are HARD to find in the Midwest!) So we stop in - and I go to the machine that RESEMBLES a Slurpee machine. But for some reason, in these parts, they don't call them Slurpees. They are called Icy Drinks. So I got one, but I'm still just a little confused by the differences I continue to find in different parts of this country. But I guess if I could just wrap my mind around it, I might find out that these differences are what make us such a richly diverse country. But then again, I doubt you can find all that out through contemplating the name of a Slurpee...or an Icy Drink, as the case may be.
So we did our shows - in a beautiful space on the OU Campus - and then sadly, it was time to pack up and go to Tahlequah - which is about 3 hours East of the Oklahoma City area. It was a pretty uneventful drive...although those present were treated to a pretty moving rendition of the musical PARADE by Matthew A. Anderson* and Eric Thompson* (*members Actor's Equity Association.) And then, just to pass the rest of the time, we did a quick run-through of RAGTIME - the musical.
Today has been a day off in Tahlequah - which included laundry, a trip to the post office and lunch at a local Mexican restaurant unique to the area...called Taco Bell. The rest of the day has just been resting, emailing, and chillin'. And now, we're watching SUPERSTAR - because we found it at Wal-Mart last night for a mere $5.50.
Tomorrow - 2 shows here in the big T, and then Wednesday we are going to Tulsa - our last stop in the Sooner State.
Unless something else EXCITING happens tonight, we'll catch up with you all tomorrow or beyond!
Ciao!
G


This is a statue on the campus of OU. It's just outside the building we performed in...and I thought it was a cool statue. I especially enjoy my black and white shot. I'm really good with a camera.

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Laundry fun in Tehlequah. The glamour of life on the road! Andrew and Tood reading, on the Left. Tara folding, on the Right.


Jackie and Eric pass the time at 'Laundromat' in Tehlequah. Pretty catchy name, eh? Laundromat. Good stuff. Simple. Straight to the point. And me showing a full bag of fresh laundry! Hooray!


Chris pulling his clothes out of the dryer. Nothing more. Nothing less. No witty caption available.

MEET THE CREW: Emily, Todd, Chris and Torg

So we're 3 1/2 weeks into tour, and I figured it was time for all of you to get a chance to meet the BACKBONE of our little traveling show! We travel with 7 actors, 1 stage manager (profile to follow) and then our 4 member tech crew! And here they are now: Emily Steger on Wardrobe, Todd Hendricks on Sound, Chris Schardin on Puppets and Aaron Torgerson (just call him Torg) on Lights!
Emily Steger comes to us from the beautiful state of Wyoming - GO COWBOYS! - and is the Queen of props and costumes! And in all the shows I've done, she is the most on-the-ball person - as far as knowing where everything is and keeping track of things - that I have ever seen. She puts up with all of us and our lost, ripped or dirty costume pieces and props...and has even been known to chase small children down to reclaim stolen golden tickets! (She had to play 'The Bad Guy' on the day all the kids rushed the stage....she did a great job!) Emily loves a good game of poker, the band Green Day, calling her hotel room her 'house', and doesn't like having her picture taken that much - so the couple that I have, I consider myself lucky for getting. Oh - and Emily LOVES Boise! Which is one MORE reason I think she's so cool - AND why she got profiled first!
Todd Hendricks is the Texan of the group - and a genius when it comes to making us sound WAY better than any of us really are. This is his third Kennedy Center tour in a row - just coming off the Tom Sawyer tour from last year...but OF COURSE he likes this tour/cast the best. He plans on taking a trip to Europe during our 3 weeks off, and I THINK he promised to bring all of us some amazing gifts. Tara makes a special note that Todd is an amazingly resourceful person and is the connection WIZARD! He helped us get my portable DVD player hooked up in Indy, when the rest of us thought it just couldn't be done. Todd to the rescue - movie was watched - all were satisfied. His favorite part of the show is the puppets - specifically the grandparents and the Oompa Loompas. And he loves it when I call him Tood.
Chris Schardin hails from the great, but small, state of Massachusetts. And when you hear his title of 'Puppetmaster', I'm sure you all wonder just WHAT that means. Well, it means that not only does he make sure the puppets stay together for each of our shows - but it also means that he spent the time we were rehearsing figuring out how to make the puppets travel the safest way possible. He came up with a storage system that has allows each puppet it's own travel space and keeps them intact. Actor Chris affectionately calls Tech Chris C2...and says that he is just an awesome guy. He always seems to be the first from the tech side who is willing to go out with us exploring or celebrating or experiencing the towns we're in. Like so many in our cast, Chris is an avid beer-drinker. He also is very reliable - I can always count on him getting my Oompa to the places they need to be.
Aaron "Torg" Torgerson is a native of BIG SKY COUNTRY - and for those of you asking, WHERE? - he's from Montana. Torg's claim to fame is that he owns 15 pairs of the same outfit - his standard green cargo shorts and army-issue brown t-shirts and then his socks and shoes.
And he'll tell you it's his 'uniform' 365 days a year - come hell or highwater. He packs them in individual Ziplock bags...one for each day. Now THAT is organized! He is a Corona drinker and when it comes to Karaoke, he put a cast of MUSICAL THEATRE performers to SHAME! He built a fan base of locals who were at the bar the night he shook the rafters. When Torg isn't doing the light thing or the karaoke thing, he is an avid fan of the HBO series, OZ - and for the kids reading this, it isn't a series about Munchkins and wicked witches.
We are VERY lucky to have these 4 with us - and appreciate their patience with all of us on the road! They each MAKE this show what it is - and make SURE it runs smoothly and flawlessly.
THANKS TECH STAFF FRIENDS!
Gussy and Co.


Torg and Emily kickin' it at T-Bock's in Decorah, IA.


Chris relaxes after a show in Cedar Falls, IA.


Todd is ALL smiles in the Cedar Falls green room - after seeing the food spread they had for us!


Torg is ALL b usiness backstage...um...doing...paperwork stuff.


Emily carefully crafts the individually wrapped chocolate bars for Charlie. Look how INTENSELY she is working on these!


Chris and his beer with lemon in Decorah, IA.


Chris and Todd hanging out on the Ryder trucks, during the 'Hotel Debacle of 2005' in Indianapolis.