Countdown: 2 days until rehearsals, 6 days until departure!

Here we go! Costume fitting tomorrow, rehearsal Monday morning. I can't wait to meet my von Trapp family! It's nice that we've been able to email back and forth and "get to know each other," in a sense, that way.

Last night I saw Gypsy for the last time, before I leave. This past week I feel as if I've been immersed in the theatre world, which takes me back to my childhood and teens. (Oh, I am soooo old.) And I miss that! It feels sort of fuzzy and dreamy, in a good way, not at all like the classical world I've been in for the last several years. Ah, Broadway. You are too good to me! And now I get to spend 8 months doing a musical!



I was in the front row for Gypsy last night. Unless you first see the show from farther back, I don't recommend those seats. Because the apron of the stage is used, not taken out for the orchestra pit, the front row is staring at a wall: the end of the stage. You have to look well up to see faces, and when people were sitting (or on the floor) at all upstage, we could only see heads, or sometimes, nothing. Too bad! But for me, it was worthwhile to see Laura Benanti cry twice, real tears! (Big, wet tears, for all my friends out there reading this.) I believe Patti looked at me several times in the beginning, because I was fortunately placed just perfectly for her to do so as she was gazing away from her colleagues onstage. We had some seat-juggling because there were empty seats near us, so we moved toward the center, and then those people showed up in the middle of Act I claiming their seats, so we had to scoot over. They moved at intermission, so I got the better seat back for Rose's Turn. Which was amazing. Sitting about 15 ft away from Patti LuPone singing Rose's Turn is really quite an experience. But then, I am a huge fan. Some aren't. After the show, I did the whole stage door thing (which also takes me back to my childhood, and I found myself idolizing these actors, some of whom are my own age!). Got to meet and chat with many of the cast. Patti was brisk in exiting, but very kind - she signed autographs and took fast pictures with anyone who asked.



Ah, it was fun. Now I get to move into the more lyric theatre world of The Sound of Music. Hooray!

I'm nearly packed. Bought a new backpack today - large, but lightweight - to use as a carry-on, since we found out that the China Eastern Airlines (not my favorite, really) restricts carry-on baggage to 11 or 15 lbs, plus a laptop or purse. My room is also nearly packed up for my subletter, so I kind of feel like I am camping in my room during this week of rehearsals. But that's not bad.

On Monday night we'll meet more of the cast at a little dinner get-together!