This is Our Season of Love

Okay! I have some free time, so that means UPDATE TIME! Yaaaay!

Wow, what a whirlwind few weeks it's been! As soon as things have been getting busy, and interesting, I stop blogging. But this is exactly the time to be doing it! So we've moved out of Westmount and we've been down at the Plaza for a week now. We opened on Tuesday to a full house, which isn't too bad for a show we aren't allowed to advertise. The run has been going fairly well, except for Thursday when it was rained out. Keirstyn and Yoshi gave me the mask on the first performance. I gave it to Arash, and I couldn't be more satisfied with my choice. The next day he came up to me and told me that he was up all night trying to think of who to give the mask to. That is why I gave it to him; because I knew he does not take it lightly. He doesn't take any of this for granted. He ended up giving it to Heather, with I think was a fantastic choice. She's a strong chorus member, she's hardworking and a great person. Arash racked his brains and his heart, and as soon as he gave it over, I knew it was the right choice. She gave it to Graham Mothersill, and I KNEW he would get it at some point in the run. If not from one person, then from another. A great performer, a compassionate and intelligent human being. That being said, we're only 3 actual performances in (sadly Heather's night was rained out), so we have a long ways yet to go. And I know by the end of it it'll feel like we've been doing it for a million years. But I should say that as every day passes, I love this cast more and more. And I'm honoured to be doing THIS show with them. Who knows if or when I'll ever get to do Rent again, let alone play Mark Cohen. As a bonus, AIDS Calgary has sponsored us and has set up there tent by our tents on the Plaza. I'm so proud to be spreading a message this powerful and beautiful.

So that's basically what I've been up to. I've had little time to read, so I'm still on The Unfinished Canadian, where the arguments are getting more and more provocative as they go on. I'll publish a commentary on each of Andrew Cohen's points when I finish the book and have a life again. Speaking of books, I have to start brushing up on my Shakespeare pretty soon, too. Romeo and Juliet is coming up in just over a month!

On Thursday night I broke my own rule. When the show was rained out, a few of us went to James Joyce, where I had the Irish Sampler, which is five ounces each of Guinness, Smithwicks, Kilkenny, and Harp. I had eaten virtually nothing for hours, so this was actually hitting me. And beforehand, Graham, Dean and I were casting Stockers in the Lord of the Rings roles. Kevin is Samwise, I was cast as Frodo apparently, Kylian is Aragorn, Graham is Merry, Dean is Pippin, Arash is Wormtongue, Amanda Davis is Eowyn, Amanda Agapi is Arwen, Keirstyn is Galadriel, Graham Macauley is Haldir, Brendan Collins is Gollum. I can't remember who we cast as the other characters, but my POINT is that this made me reeeeeally want to watch Lord of the Rings. I was already craving it from a couple weeks ago, and such discussion only rekindled that longing. So Kylian and I decided at James Joyce that we'd split a twelve pack and watch Fellowship of the Ring. So I got drunk during the run of the show, which I don't condone or would particularly want to make a habit of. But this time was special: I'm going back to Vic soon after Rent is over, and there wasn't much time to hang out with one of my best friends, and the idea of getting smashed to the quest for the Ring was just too enticing to pass up. Needless to say it was a blast and I don't regret it, even though I felt a liiitle hungover the day after. It didn't compromise the show, so I got away with it. But now I will get on with the next week and hold out until Aftergala. I'm sure both my wallet and liver will thank me.

This is where the summer gets really good, I just want to say I'm loving every minute of it.