Thanksgiving is well and truly over, Christmas has come and gone and we have almost completed the first month of this beautiful New Year.
How exciting it was to once again reach that point in a year when one gets to wipe the slate clean and prepare to begin afresh. I have finally managed to quit smoking (actually it’s been over 3 months now – with only a couple of minor slip ups) and I have been blessed enough to enter 2012 with a job. I spent the holiday season rehearsing for Two Gentlemen of Verona at the Shakespeare Theatre in Washington DC and on Monday January 23rd we had our opening night. It has been a fun, if a little challenging, ride. For many reasons. Including the fact that for most of my scenes my partner is a dog. Not just any dog mind you. A seasoned professional. With an extensive resume. Most famous for his role as Sandy in numerous productions of Annie, Oliver is ‘Crab’ to my Launce and he teaches me a thing or two about scene stealing every night.
: Adam W. Green (as Speed), me and Oliver (as Crab)
If only I could lick myself and still manage to look gorgeous when doing it, then maybe I too would be as respected and command as large a fee as he does… He comes with his own blanket to suckle on and a lifetime supply of cookies (which I must feed him with regularly to keep him interested in being on stage with me). Rather reminds me of working with a certain other actor who shall remain nameless. Couldn’t go on without a blanket and someone to feed him compliments all the time…
Anyhoo, I digress. Two Gentlemen of Verona runs until March 4th and by the end of it, I believe I will be without debt for the first time in my adult life! Isn’t that exciting? I didn’t even need Suze Orman’s advice to tell me getting out of debt was vitally important. Of course, I did recently receive some rather interesting advice from a different financial source. I was told that if the end of the world is coming in 2012 then perhaps it would be better to pay for everything on credit card and have the banks come chase me up for it round about December 22nd. I’m almost a little tempted. I have grown to despise the banking industry so very deeply recently and wouldn’t mind having them pay for everything I do this coming year if I thought I never had to give it back again!
Doing a play over the holiday season is so different from a musical because I can actually party with friends and not have to worry about my voice. It’s kind of freeing to know you can have a late night and that waking up a bit scratchy isn’t such a disaster. Of course, I did this rarely over the month of December but it was rather wonderful. It hasn’t been complete singing rest though.
I was thrilled to be asked by my good friend Barbara Cook if I would like to join her for a special evening of song and mirth at Feinstein’s at the Loews Regency in New York on December 16th. I jumped at the chance to share the stage in this prestigious and intimate venue in the Big Apple with such a star of the musical stage. She has been a big supporter of mine since our days together in Sondheim on Sondheim. We sang the night away and then I hopped back in the car and drove overnight back to DC to return to rehearsals the next day. Too brief a visit to the city for me. How I have missed New York recently.
I was lucky enough to return again only a few days ago though and this time to perform at the Morgan Library and Museum as part of their Robert Burns and Auld Lang Syne exhibition (which runs through February 5th).
I sang songs from the old country and enjoyed sharing a genuine Scottish evening surrounded by Burns’ personal letters and hand written poems and songs and meeting members of the St Andrew’s Society and the New York chapter of the Burns Society. Another proof that us Scots are everywhere and LOVED!
I will be back on the concert tour quite soon after the end of Two Gents (which as you probably know by now, I love doing). More info to follow about locations and dates.
Until then, come to the nation’s capital to see some Shakespeare. You’ll thoroughly enjoy the dog…
Many kind thoughts for 2012.
May it bring you much joy and more happiness.
If we only have today, let’s use it wisely.
Love
Euan
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