A Few Final Words

Happy Monday, Readers!

Thanks for checking back in for the 'wrap up' session of the Wonka tour! We made it to Wilkes-Barre, PA on Friday, from the Atlantic City area...and it was all pretty un-eventful. (I feel like I said that a LOT this 2nd half...and yet...we got in wrecks and saw alligators and performed in arenas and stuff like that. I might have to re-evaluate my use of that word.) Anyway...we made it and on Friday night, we had a nice dinner out with the ENTIRE 12-person group. We went to celebrate the end of tour AND the 30th birthday of Jill! And it was a great night.

Our last show was on Saturday afternoon and it wasn't anything that out-of-the-ordinary. We did have an intermission (like in Staten Island), so the show was two 30 minutes halfs, but we didn't mind. And then we were done. While we stood there, in the finale, I looked over at Jill, got a little emotional at that, and then remembered that I wanted to look at EVERYONE on stage and remember what they looked like. So I glanced around and watched the rest of the cast singing the end of the show. I tried to sort out the feelings that I had as I watched...and I think tonight, I finally found a way to explain it to you.As I stood there watching everyone, I was overcome with a sense of PRIDE for everything that this tour was. I didn't feel overly sad that it ended...and I wasn't overtly happy to have it done. But I did find myself very PROUD of what we, as a mighty group of 12, had accomplished over the past 9 months.

Let me lay it out for you:

-The Willy Wonka tour was the longest tour in the Kennedy Center's Imagination Celebration long history. Clocking in at 9 months, we spanned an entire school year as we traveled the Midwest and East Coast.

-Our group ended up performing the show 215+ times in 78 cities and 26 states. And I didn't even take the time to sit down and calculate the hours or miles we drove or the actual numbers of students and/or families who saw the show.

-We covered the 9 months with the least amount of loss and/or injury that we could. Aside from some sore legs, sore bodies, a few lost voices, a lost iPod and a lost white van, we all made it through.

-We tackled every obstacle that was hurled at us. From last minute show changes to constant schedule changes and updates, we all took the news in stride, and continued on doing what we were doing.

-We survived a major car accident, the China Delite Hotel, the Queens Hotel, Sioux Falls and Detroit Lakes in winter, Van Gas, the Blizzard of 2006, the Staten Island Venue 'experience', Jersey, losing Torg and Tara, adding Jill and Travis, the LLC Extended Stay, the little red cooler, the football and a number of 3-show days.

-We took a show that had been previously produced at the Kennedy Center, and made it our own. With the support of our production staff and our touring technical staff, we ended up sharing a show with the country that excited kids and touched hearts young and old. And as I've said before, there is no telling what effect our show had on the numbers of children who saw it.
(Don't make me REMIND you of the 14,000 children in Orlando ALONE who saw it!)

-And finally, we came into this experience as 7 actors, a stage manager and 4 technicians here to do a job, and we leave as friends. I think the most impressive thing to me over this time has been how each of us, regardless of any differences we may have with each other, has put those aside and focused on making this experience the most for each other. As cheesy as it may sound, I think each of us, at one time or another, rose above ourselves to make sure that we were contributing to the experience as a whole. And what I love about it most is that people NOT with our group noticed...and commented on how WELL it seemed we got along as a group.

I thought for sure I would be weepy and a mess as this all drew to an end. I have been surprised the past 24-48 hours how when I thought I would have tears, they have been replaced with an immense feeling of love, friendship and respect for the Family of Wonka that I said good-bye to last night and today. We each brought ourselves to the table, we each committed to the experience and to being true to ourselves, and we all left today with a little piece of each other. My life has been improved, enriched and bettered because in the summer of 2005, we all said yes to a silly little children's show.

Excuse me for a dip in the pool of sentimentality, but like the witches of Wicked, because I came to know Elisa, Jackie, Jill, Jen, Tara, Emily, Andrew, Eric, Chris, Chris, Travis, Todd and Torg, 'I have been changed for good.' And I wouldn't change it for the world!

With deepest respect and love -
I am humbly your Gussy



The THOMPSON'S officially gain the title of MOST DEVOTED WONKA GROUPIES! They saw the show in 3 different states! Talk about DEDICATION! And Eric got to show off his newest nephew and fan, Jonathan!


IMMEDIATELY post-show, Andrew got to get rid of his facial hair and return to baby-face-Frace.


And Jill got to get a sassy new do, too!