Up and down: that's life in commercial theater.

The weekend was great! S and I had fun wandering Chelsea, meeting some friends old and new for food and drink, and seeing Priscilla, Queen of the Desert. On Monday, we went up to New Haven for S to be part of a 'Life After Yale' seminar at YSD. That night, my in-laws arrived.

On Tuesday, S, her parents, and I hit the Met for a few hours. That evening, we met up with my parents, aunt & uncle, sister, and some friends for dinner near Times Square. Then, the opening night of High! It was terrific: a good show, a supportive audience, and a great celebration!

Then, this afternoon, the closing notice came out. The reviews were not great. Many were downright mean, with only Kathleen Turner and John Lasiter (lighting designer) coming out with only positive notices. So, with little presumed prospect of recouping their investment, the show posted. It will close on Sunday, with only eight performances after opening. It's a damn shame.

High opens tomorrow!

High opens tomorrow! Some family is already here, and others are en route tomorrow morning! Friends are coming into town! Food will be eaten! Alcohol will be drunk! Show will be seen! And celebrations will be made!

I hope that I can post some excellent reviews here soon!

Blogging while ill

S and I are on the last leg of our trip to NYC. We're going to take a weekend together in the city before family starts flowing in for the HIGH opening. I usually blog from the air, but I'm ill right now, and I don't feel much like blogging.

Much love to Grandpa Hodges, one of the readers of this space, who is battling his own, far worse, illness. Get well soon!

NYC: HDR

Huntington Day!

S and I had some free time on Friday (together! gasp!), so we went to the Huntington Library. We spent a lot of time in their Dessert Garden area, where many of the plants were in bloom. Here are a few shots:

And, finally, a beautiful little statue on a cloudy day:

Headed back to LA

I'm back in the skies, flying from New York to LA. So, time to update.

HIGH is going well. Sound is done, and I won't be back until just before opening. Last night, a group of UCI students came to see the show, and we had a talkback afterwards. The cast, director, and playwright were all there, and it was a great experience for the audience members who stayed.

Classes are back in session this week, and my colleague at the U was filling in for me this week. I'm back in the classroom next week. This quarter, I'm teaching the undergrad class that I usually teach and a grad class that has come to be one of my favorites. Plus, I'm mentoring some independent studies and advising on some productions. Also, it's time for me to get cracking on some work for Extraordinary Chambers, a new play that opens in late May. I've been doing research, but it's time to start work in earnest.

This weekend will be some catching up time with Sarah. She worked almost nonstop from August until early March, and right when she finished her last show, I took off for my USITT conference. After that, I was home for 48 hours before shipping out again for NYC. So, now that I'm back, we finally will get some time to be together!

Home for two weeks, and then back to NYC for the HIGH opening!