Typical Day on the Road
April 2004
<- March 04 - April 04 - May 04 ->
April 1
Spent the day, and the evening at a school in Coos Bay, Oregon. Did two performances during the day, then stuck around for an evening show for families. Stayed in the gym the whole day, bringing in our computers and printer to get caught up on some office work during our break times. At the end of the evening show, Zephyr just had to tell everyone that the performance was being shown live on HBO, and they should turn and wave at the cameras. (Note the date.)
April 2
Headed back to Eugene, where we visited the YMCA.
April 3
Visited the new library in Eugene. We performed a couple of times at the old one, but had not seen the new one yet. It's quite impressive.
Zephyr saw the new Johnny Depp movie, "Secret Window". As usual, he loved it.
April 4
One more day in Eugene, visiting relatives and taking care of some errands. Then we went to the Mystery Spot near Gold Hill-- a place where some interesting optical illusions-- or whatever you call them-- take place. Some kind of strange flux in the earth's magnetic field occurs here that causes things to appear bigger or smaller than they are, depending on exactly how they're positioned. Even Einstein was fascinated by it, and theorized that the magnetic currents caused the body's molecules to contract and expand. The Native Americans never ventured inside the area, because their horses refused to enter it-- and even now, it's virtually devoid of animal life. And the airspace over it is a no-fly zone because it causes airplane instruments to go haywire. In some experiments, tourists standing beside each other would switch positions, and the taller one would appear to be shorter! We even tried it ourselves!
April 5
Medford, Oregon. Moved into Kinko's for the day.
April 6
Medford again. Kinko's and YMCA.
April 7
Still catching up on the office work at Kinko's. Also spent some time at Barnes & Noble.
April 8
Took Zephyr to a homeschool P. E. class at the YMCA. Then drove down to Ashland, one of our favorite little cities. Had a bite to eat at a coffee shop in a delightful little independent bookstore, then went to see "The Comedy Of Errors" at the Shakespeare Festival.
It was a very memorable production. We were apprehensive at first, because it was another one of those modernized settings--the location of ancient Ephesus was recast to look like Las Vegas in the Thirties. (In a place like Ashland, where people have seen so much Shakespeare, they've probably seen plenty of traditional settings and welcome such innovations-- which have themselves become rather hackneyed.)
It worked beautifully. Although this work is a light-hearted, slapstick-laden farce that came very early in The Bard's career (he was probably no more than about 25 when he penned it) he already was flirting with monumental themes like the question of fate versus free will-- and the "nature or nurture" conflict that we still haven't worked out 4 centuries later. While the seaport of Ephesus was a suitable backdrop for a plot that involves highly unlikely coincidences, the gambling mecca of Las Vegas, which was BUILT on chance, is even better.
More important, the staging for this production was incredibly dynamic, using physical comedy to punctuate the humor of the dialogue in a similar manner to what we do. The director also made the challenging decision to cast one actor to portray both Antipholus twins and one actor to portray both Dromio twins. It resulted in a bit of awkward staging (involving doubles with their backs turned) in the climactic reconciliation scene, but it was well worth the risk.
The audience delivered a standing ovation at the end, and it was entirely deserved.
April 9
Headed south to California, arriving in the Bay Area again.
April 10
Enjoying our return "home" to San Francisco. Attended the improv class at Fort Mason that we used to attend years ago, and saw some old actor friends. (Well, not really THAT old.) We arrived early in the morning to stake out a parking space in the lot, which always becomes impossibly crowded by mid-day. This time, however, it never quite filled up. Must be because tomorrow is Easter. Anyway, when you're lucky enough to find a parking space in S.F., you hang onto it for as long as you can, so we ended up spending the whole day-- and evening-- in the neighborhood.
On a stroll through the Marina District, noticed something we don't remember from before: a business behind high closed gates with a sign that said "Wine Management and Cellarage". How exactly does one manage wine, anyway?
Took an afternoon stroll down to Pier 39, where we partook of the usual sights, sounds and smells, including a chilly, windy fog, and a jazz trio performing in a cafe where diners were prying open their oysters. Also an outstanding street performer braving the cold with a juggling act. Then back to Fort Mason, where we caught an evening performance of Bay Area Theatre Sports comedy troupe.
April 11
Easter Sunday in San Francisco. Visited our friend Frank, who played keyboard at our wedding and used to compose tunes for our shows. Then drove through our old neighborhood by the beach and stopped at Other Avenues, the health food store where we used to shop and volunteer our labor when Zephyr was a baby.
On to Japantown, where Z got a taste of the country he is so fascinated by. He even bought some books in Japanese.
Drove by Dolores Park, where the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence were staging their annual holiday festival, but there was absolutely no chance of parking, so we had to settle for a drive-by sighting.
April 12
Spent the day at Kinko's in Pleasant Hill, Ca.
April 13
Zephyr attended a scout meeting with the troop of Kyle, who at age 3 was the ring-bearer at our wedding, and is now driving his own car.
April 14
Performance at a school in Tracy, then drove back to the Bay Area.
April 15
Celebrated tax day by performing at the San Leandro Library, where we have performed many times in the past and also appeared at an entertainers' showcase for librarians. It's a magnificent library with excellent children's services.
Our friend Sue Ellen came to the show, and we went to visit her afterward. She's the one responsible for Dennis and Kimberly meeting in the first place. (She directed the theatre company where they both got a job back in 1988.)
In the evening, we attended a performance of "Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead" by Tom Stoppard, which she directed. It's a long, rambling wit-fest that, at its best moments, is rather stunning, though it sags a bit at times. Anyway, Sue Ellen's direction, as always, was masterful.
April 16
After catching up on some errands, drove back to Tracy.
April 17
Performed at the library in Modesto, hometown of George Lucas. This was the 5th or 6th time we've performed at this library over the years.
April 18
Stayed at a KOA in West Sacramento. A far more pleasant place than that notorious KOA down the road in Lodi.
April 19
Another day at the West Sacramento KOA.
April 20
Kimberly's parents came to Sacramento to visit her brother and his family. We all went out to dinner because it was her mom's birthday.
April 21
Performed at the Walnut Grove Library. Walnut Grove is a little town south of Sacramento, right on the river. (In fact, there is a drawbridge near the library, and we heard the horn blow a couple of times, apparently a signal for the bridge to be raised.) There seems to be a lot of history hidden here. On Theatre Street is the decrepit shell of an actual theatre. And signs designate both a Chinese and a Japanese section of town, although little remains of either.
In the evening, we performed at the Colonial Heights Library in Sacramento. Kimberly still having a touch of laryngitis, and was a bit hoarse by the time she'd done two shows today.
April 22
Two more performances for the Sacramento Library System: North Highlands and Fair Oaks. Kimberly's voice much better today, and Zephyr recovered from his own illness very quickly. Phew!! We've performed with only two people, but performing with just one would be tough.
April 23
Celebrated Bill Shakespeare's 440th birthday (Did he have a middle name? Just wondering.) by performing at Southgate Library, the last of our Sacramento shows.
April 24
Left Sacramento without ever bumping into the the "Governator". Started heading toward Las Vegas for our next gig. Spent the night in Tulare, Ca. It's in the Beef Belt (or so we call it), a stretch of towns along Highway 99 that have so many cattle ranches along the road that it's hard to drive through without a clothespin on your nose. We wonder how the people ever get used to it, but apparently they do.
April 25
Drove through Barstow, where we had our vehicle breakdown last year (See previous story.) Drove by the lot at the garage to see if our old van was still there, but it wasn't. They probably replaced the engine and sold it with no trouble. It was essentially an excellent vehicle.
April 26
Returned to perform at Gilbert Magnet School in North Las Vegas, one of our very favorite schools in the whole world. We're green with envy that we didn't attend such a school ourselves--not just because of its capable emphasis on performing arts, but also because of its healthy, respectful, nurturing attitude toward students. And somebody forgot to inform these folks that education isn't supposed to be fun. While the students were filing into the theatre to see our show, they were also singing along to some peppy songs being played over the sound system, and a few of them even came up onstage and danced.
The theatre, by the way, was state-of-the-art, and was in fact one of the best designed and equipped facilities we've encountered. And it's at an elementary school! The lobby is lined with impressive photos from some of the theatrical productions the students have done. After our show, we lingered a bit to watch an acting class begin. As Kimberly noted, it's a hard place to leave.
Drove to the Hilton, home of Star Trek: The Experience. We've experienced this attraction before, and its 30 dollar price tag. So we passed on it this time--and its new attraction involving the Borg. But we let Zephyr drool in the gift shop for a while.
Another new attraction in town is the X Scream, the third thrill ride on top of the Stratosphere. This one is somewhat like a large seesaw that abruptly totters over the edge, over 1000 feet above The Strip, with its riders screaming their guts out. This is a ride for people who are really jaded.
Went to our hotel at noon, but our room wasn't ready yet, so we waited outside in the van-- fortunately there was a shady parking spot, as Las Vegas in April is like July everywhere else-- until our room was ready, then we checked in.
April 27
After spending the day working in our room, we took an evening stroll down "The Strip". Our destination was Treasure Island, where we were to watch a performance of the new production replacing the buccaneer battle--which we had seen many times over the past ten years or so. (In fact, we witnessed the 3000th performance several years ago.) It was always one of our favorite attractions in Vegas; Zephyr especially loved its pyrotechnics and stunt diving, and mock battle culminating in a sinking ship.
We passed an aged, grizzly war veteran who was mounting a lone protest against the siege of Iraq, and we applauded him for his courage.
We arrived at Treasure Island about 7:00, when a performance was scheduled to start, but as luck would have it, this particular show was cancelled. The reason was that a movie shoot was taking place just inside the casino.The film, we eventually learned, was "Miss Congeniality 2". So we staked out our spot in front of the ropes and prepared for our 90 minute wait until the next one. By 8:30 it was good and dark, and of course the throng was thick.
Just before starting time, there was a commotion behind us, and someone was asking if anyone had a piece of candy or anything sweet. It seems that a young man with hypoglycemia was having a dizzy spell and was in need of reviving. Someone apparently handed him something to eat--and a bottle of water-- and he seemed to recover a bit as his companions led him away. He missed the show--which, as it turns out, made him the luckiest person in the crowd.
Like a great many other things in this Age Of Soundbites, the new production was dumbed down beyond belief. Called "Sirens of TI", it replaces one of the ship's crews with a crew consisting of scantily clad females, apparently reflecting the city's recent drive to become more "adult" (as if it really needs to make an effort). Sirens,according to Homer's Odyssey, were supernatural beings whose singing caused men to go mad. At Treasure Island, they are lip-synching disco divas whose "singing" makes musicians go mad.
Gone is the swordplay, gone is the sense of period realism (the costumes and the music are decidedly contemporary) and gone is a reasonably intelligent script, replaced by an endless string of double entendres. There is still diving involved, but it no longer is integrated into the action in any kind of believable fashion.
Zephyr was so outraged that he talked about wanting to picket the place.
We started walking back to our room, but while Kimberly and Zephyr took their time to take in the sights, Dennis decided to relieve his aching back and increasingly claustrophobic reaction to the crowds by going on ahead and catching a bus part of the way.
April 28
Another day of work "at home". In the evening, Kimberly took Zephyr to a scout meeting, and he finally got to meet Scott, his counselor for a merit badge in entrepreneurship, who's been patiently fielding his emails and rambling phone calls for the past few months. Dennis remained in the room to put the finishing touches on the script for the new show, and to watch (twice) "Being John Malkovich", which has quickly become one of his very favorite movies. Although he considers it one of the most brilliant films ever made, Kimberly hates it, so it's just as well that she didn't stay to watch it again.
April 29
More office work and rehearsing the new show in our room during the day. Then after dinner, it was expedition time.
Kimberly has a new high-tech toy: a GPS (global positioning system) unit, which her brother recently gave her. Accordingly, she's become more interested than ever in geocaching, an international game in which participants find descriptions on the web about caches of interesting objects concealed in various places, and then use their GPS devices to track them down and leave their names in the register included in the stashing container. (For information about this fascinating activity, go to www.geocaching.com and see what other caches we've found)
There are numerous caches in Las Vegas, but this particular one was on the extreme south end of The Strip, away from most of the frantic tourist activity, and a pleasant walking distance from our hotel (which is about a block from The Strip).
This cache consists of two decks of cards (in a watertight container) concealed in a public place, and participants may bring along a deck of their own cards and exchange some of them for the corresponding items in the cached deck. As a result, the decks are gradually becoming quite motley, made up of cards from a variety of decks from all over. (One person, for example, contributed a card from a deck obtained at a casino in Minnesota, and noted this in the log.) We finally found the cache, made the exchange and log entry, and concealed the cache again without being questioned by the police.
On the way back to our room, we stopped at Excalibur to catch the last free act of the day--The Mechanical Man, who's been performing there since our first visit eons ago.
Hard to believe that Michael Jackson is one of Excalibur's owners.
April 30
Still in Las Vegas-- or rather in Henderson, where we took care of some shopping (Trader Joe's, for one thing) and other errands.
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