Return to the Midwest (and some Alabama....)

We flew from Forth Worth to Indiana two weeks ago (I know- I'm a little behind).  It was my first time in temperate climate since early September.  Needless to say, it was pretty rejuvenating.  The leaves were off the trees and I had to wear layers- it was awesome.  We stayed on campus at Indiana University in Bloomington, and I can't tell you how many times I heard from cast members, "Ah, it feels like I'm in college again!"  And they had plenty of right to make the statement, for it was hard not to feel that way after slinging a bag around your shoulder and hoofing it to the theater on campus among the countless poor college kids......those were the days. I even had a college night after one of the shows- two bars, many drinks, up super late, staggering home.

The theater itself was pretty cool.  At night it was illuminated with the title of the show and other decorative lights, which is very welcoming as you're approaching it to perform.  We had a nice little extension of our college days with great audiences.

Indiana University Auditorium, Bloomington, IN

The latter half of the week was spent in Huntsville, Alabama.  There wasn't really anything that stood out in Huntsville........it was slightly warmer.....

Von Braun Auditorium, Huntsville, AL

A week ago we woke up incredibly early to fly to Wausau, Wisconsin.  Now when I say we, I mean the musicians and the crew.  The cast got to sleep in and fly in the afternoon.  I didn't mind the early flight- it was nice to have the entire night to myself.  What made me even less jealous of the cast is all of the problems they had with their flights; while recounting it, they made reference to the "running through the airport scene in 'Home Alone'".

Wausau was a beautiful little town, especially with the pre-winter weather.  There were plenty of places to walk to close by; the mall was about two miles away and it was 32 degrees out, but I walked there anyway.  It was here that I started breaking out the Christmas candles, music, and lights, and became possessed with Christmas spirit.

Grand Theater, Wausau, WI

On Thanksgiving day, we traveled to Rosemont, Illinois.  That night we had a cast dinner at Harry Caray's Italian Steakhouse.  It was lovely.  Probably the most notable thing about our time in Rosemont was our trendy hotel and modern rooms.  I felt like a hipster.....a little late, considering we left Portland over two months ago.

Rosemont Theater, Rosemont, IL

Oh yeah, and on the Saturday after Thanksgiving we had our first and hopefully only three-show day.  We did shows at 10:00, 3:00, and 8:00, and they were surprisingly well attended.  There were so many understudies and swings filling other roles that I could barely keep track of them.  The venue fed us in between the shows, as is mandatory when the shows begin five or less hours from each other.

Doing only one show on Sunday was very refreshing.  My friend Mike came to that show and I spent the rest of the evening with him.  This morning he dropped me off at the hotel to board the bus as it was snowing.  I got off the plane a couple hours ago and it was about 78 degrees and humid.  Illinois to Florida in late November is quite a shift.  To be honest though, I'd rather be visiting Florida in February.  This heat might throw me off my X-Mas spirit a little bit.....