Hong Kong...city of...wonder?

This completes my first leg truly of the tour that is my life of Cinderella: a month sit down at the Hong Kong Cultural center. How truly amazing this theatre is. It sits on the Kowloon side of Hong kong (HK proper being an island, much like Manhattan) right on the water (a wopping 30ft from the water's edge) and was a architecturally cool building with a state of the art kind of feel to it. It was what I was used to performing in from the US tour, so it was a welcome change from the old, small, smelly and battery-operated Chineses theatres. Just saying.
So Hong Kong. I had a bit of a Love/Hate thing going on with the city and it's people. I felt that the way the city was run was much more effecient than the way NYC trucks along. The subways are suuuuper clean, the streets and neat and tidy, and there are not many, if any, slums in the city and most people were very very pleasant. (HK island i mean) All that being said, i think Hong Kong lacks a personality of it's own. It lacks character and individuality. It was a British territory for so long that it maintains some European influences and exclusively Bristish cultural stereotypes ie. double decker buses, british english and driving on the oppostie side of road. Is there a point to that? or are they just being....british? difficult for the sake of being so. it's lucky they have it written on the streets which way to look for traffic before you cross. It tries to maintain it's Asian identity with chinese markets, traditional foods and building a Buddha statue atop one of the highest peaks on the island. Even with those very Asian things....i just felt like the city was trying too hard to be something that it isn't. is it odd that i speak of a city like it's a living, breathing thing...? i truly feel though, it's a cold place. the bar scene is full of people who make ridiculous sums of money but complain of their jobs and drink themselves silly. the shopping is all very posh designers only and lacks that thrift store or private designer we all seek out. everyone is beautiful, but in that, "i should be on a billboard, so don't look at me in person" kind of way.
I know it sounds as if i didn't like my stay in Hong Kong, but truly i did, but i'm a spoiled guy living in Manhattan. I did meet some wonderful people and have made friends there that if i went back, i would seek them out on the double.
The audiences were a welcomed group because they widely spoke English and understood theatre and especially musical theatre. they were receptive, active and acutely aware of the plot and subtle humor. It was a welcomed change from the very polite and reserved audiences that were in China.
This past week was Thanksgiving and the company graciously hosted a dinner in the swanky downtown area called Lan Quai Fong complete with turkey, cranberry sauce (my favorite, out of the can:-) and of course, some good company. It was nice, but nothing like the home cooking i love on my favorite holiday of the year.
I miss my family very very much, especially in these times of the holidays. Life on the road is quite wonderful, but there's nothing like decorating a tree in NH or Washington Heights, strolling in freezing Central Park or College Woods, Egg Nog Lattes and good convo in any starbucks in the world, the singing snowflakes at Columbus Circle above Whole Foods, Ice skating with the one you love's hand in yours, Boston commons and gardens and that freezing night of tossing each other in the snow, and of course being around everyone you love. This Thanksgiving, i'm thankful for all mentioned above, all things on the road to come and for you, for seeing me through this journey that has shown me what life can be.
Happy Turkey,
your skinny man in the orient.

Beijing Adventures

The much anticipated arrival into Beijing has finally happened!!
My first day entering the freezing city (i was very thankful for the the ability to wear layers) my friends sarah, mashawn and myself trekked immediately to the Olympic village. Although it was night and very very cold, it was a very neat sight. The Birds nest and the water cube are side by side with only a street between them, and are both architectural wonders. You look at the birds nest and wonder how it stands because it lacks any kind of sturdy looking support. It was cool to be in the place where the biggest sporting event in the world took place a mere few weeks before. It was also a little awkward because though the Olympics are a very big deal and bring much to the city that hosts them, these structures are there forever and only got a few weeks of use....hopefully it will bring people to Beijing for more reason than just the Great Wall...
DID YOU SAY GREAT WALL? WELL, YES I BELIEVE I DID!
Have mercy this was the coolest thing I have seen in my life. We went as a group (cast, musicians) and chartered a bus with a tour guide who told of the "communist magic" that brought Beijing to where it is today and then went on to talk about the wall...(funny little man). From the bus we could see the wall scratched into the mountain side from a far distance, and it was awesome even from afar. The trip we took was to a less touristy spot on the wall where there was a cable car up to the middle of the wall where you could climb up (literally...up) or down to where I shot that Youtube video for everyone, onto the luge that zigzagged ridiculously fast back to the village below. I again went with Mashawn and Sarah but after peaking up, we climbed down and parted ways, each of us wanting our own moment alone on the Great Wall. you know, just to say we did. Mine included making video letters to home and frolicking like a fool down (as literally down as it was up....) the wall and leaping and turning until i could barely breathe. I figure if i was going to die of a heart attack, it might as well be on the Great Wall of China. No? I thought so.
I then had a near death ride on my own personal luge where they constantly were screaming at the loud speeding americans to "slow down!!! no photo!!! be careful!!" (again, if i'm gonna go, i'm gonna go while speeding down the mountain FROM the Great Wall of China...still no?)
We did make a side trip to a tomb after the wall...but once a tomb, always a tomb. we probably should have seen it before the wall so that it wouldn't look so lame to us. I took pictures..and then erased them, it wasn't worth it. It was no Terracotta Warriors. Obviously.
Beijing concludes my time in mainland China. I have to admit that it's a very sad thing to me now. In the beginning I was impressed with it's history and culture, in the middle it was it's people that really got to me (see: Noodle shop man) and in the end, it was a genuine blend of the two. Between the lights, food, drink and music of Shanghai and the wall, shopping, and the pleasant people of Beijing, China now holds a very special place in my heart. It was not the first time i'd received the message of not judging a book by it's cover, but this was the most resounding in my heart.
I should also mention that with the end of mainland comes the end of the Ukranian orchestra, my dear friend Yang, and our head wardrobe mistress, Colleen. All very sad losses because all have helped make this tour what it has been for me. Especially Yang, my late night hospital trippin, dancin, irish bar lovin, Californian/Shanghainese Noodle buddy. He only wonders why we all hate rice so much:-)
Cheers

Shanghai- Over in a flash...

SO I spent a total of 8 days in the lush city of Shanghai performing at the Majestic Theatre. This was the first week in a while where we had a solid schedule of shows, so seeing the city was a little difficult, but lucky for us, it's not a "sightseeing" kind of place, it's more about the culture and living in the day to day lifestyle. I must say, not running around trying to jump from temple to temple and tomb to tomb was quite refreshing. There was an H&M which brought me to my happy place and also there was a decent bar scene/going out kind of life. The major attraction of the city is what is known as the "Bund." It's the river walk that butts up against the amazing skyline that Shanghai is famous for. The picture of the needle (which is a TV station referred to as a "cult") is what really draws people and causes me to think i should be seeing the castle from the magic kingdon pop up at anytime. It is tomorrowland. It's suuuuper tacky and pink in the daytime but glows to an even tackier purple sparkly thing at night. I loved it.
The highlight of the week (besides doing 8 consecutive shows) was when we all trekked out to a jazz club. With our show, we have a Ukranian orchestra who were some of the most amazing musicians I had ever met, and on Sundays (the night we went) you were able to share and express your individual talents on stage at this particular jazz club, and they did just that. Our musical director free styled on the piano, our drummer did the same on the set, and the Ukranians busted out the trupet, trombone and some serious dance moves. It was brilliant. One of my favorite parts about my last tour in the US was when we would find live music (highlight of which was in Memphis and Nashville) and this just made me the happiest person in China. There's something about live music that jsut makes your blood pump faster. Also, the real band slated to play that night finished off the evening with the blues, so the night couldn't have ended on a better note. ..no pun intended.
Truly, Shanghai was a breath of fresh air from the rest of the mainland. If you sat in the right cafe, at the right time of day, on the correct street and closed your eyes (bare with me) you could forget you were in China altogether. Not that i was desperate to leave, but for even one moment, it was nice to be someplace else.
cheers

I've Arrived in Tomorrowland....I mean, Shanghai

After roughly 8 hours of travel from door to door....I'm in Shanghai!! A city that is the "Tomorrow Land" of Disney World personified. Tacky, tacky tacky. I love it. More to come!

Always a story, even when you just go for noodles

So there is this amazing Muslim noodle shop across the street from my hotel here in Guangzhou. Go figure, noodles in China. Anyway, the place is awesome and I don't think I could do the noodles justice with words, but believe me, they're good. The best part about it is that the guy literally makes the noodles in front of you and each meal ranges from 0.95cents US to 1.25$ US.... I mean, really.
So I went there by myself today with my current read, P.S. I love you (only because book 4 of Twilight is still on it's way from the states) with full intention of ordering and getting some good book time in. Right as I walked in I realized that was not going to happen at all because I was greeted at the door by a man very anxious to speak with me. He asked where I was from and I said America (common response...United States takes too many repetitions for people to understand) and from that point, we were long lost friends. He started by of course pulling up a chair for myself and he to share a table so he could pick my brain. He was a very small, very fast speaking Chinese man who was literally the stereotype we all imagine: balding, a bit of a waddle, and teeth that leave something to be desired. All in all though, salt of the earth.
So come to find out, he is a translator who can translate between Arabic, Mandarin, a bit of English and a touch of French (he had me at Bonjour).
He proceeded to pull out his little notebook with all the English phrases that he had been practicing (by the by, he is teaching himself English and has only been at it for 6 months and trumped some of the English speakers I know with his grammar) and one by one we went through each phrase and I corrected his pronunciation and inflection. Here and there, I would ask a common question about his life and where he was from. He asked me to guess his age and I started at 33 to be polite, and after he was done laughing he encouraged me higher and when I reached 40, he said, "yeah, maybe 40." Frankly, that is the best answer to "how old are you?" I've ever heard. I shall use it from on!
"oh, today? yeah, maybe i'm 24....tomorrow? well, by then I might be 30, we'll see how I feel." (It'll come in handy later I have no doubt)
So a solid hour and fifteen minutes of slow, but comprehendable english/mandarin convo, with only one HUGE lost in translation moment (when he was trying to say "container" and it sounded like "quin-tin-are"...i was totally lost and it handed me the only blank stare i gave in his direction) he told me that he wanted to practice his English with me everyday over noodles. Where was this old man three weeks ago when I got to Guangzhou with nothing to do? I explained how I was leaving for Shanghai tomorrow and though he grimaced a little, he smiled and said, "May God bless us both."(a phrase I had already corrected his pronunciation on and he said it perfectly) We shook hands, I paid my bill, and with that, we parted ways.
Very cool, this place.

Update for Zhenzhou and Guangzhou

My Fellow Americans, China is splendid. I just received an email from Mama Wells reminding me that I have not updated my nearest and dearest on the happenings of my Asian life. So here goes: China has truly been a wonderful learning experience for me and a lesson in the old saying that "things are not always as they appear." Before I came here, I thought i would really have a tough time having to coexist in a culture whose beliefs i disagree with but, in all reality, the country is very welcoming and, if anything, very proud of who they are and where they have come from and gone through to become what they are today: a bustling whirlwind of over a billion people are moving towards the same goal of bettering China and its place in the world. From Xian (the first city in China with the amazing city walls and Goose Pagoda outside my hotel that dated to 652AD) we did our one and only bus trip to the city of Zhenzhou. We stayed in a wonderful hotel but were only there for four days and there was not much to be seen in the city, so it was an "in and out" kind of deal. However, on the Monday of our last show, I booked a van with some friends to head to the Shaomin temple and caves and also the Kung Fu school of China (the birthplace of Kung Fu). The caves that i saw were truly some of the most amazing I had ever seen in my life. Buddhist Monks took over 400years to carve over 100,000 Buddhas ranging from the size of my finger nail to 60ft tall into the side of a mountain. It was one of the strangest concepts I had ever had to ponder- a monk spends his entire life carving something that neither he, nor anyone he knows would ever get to see finished. Dedication beyond imagination. The main attraction of the caves would of course be the tallest Buddha. He sits overlooking the mountain at a modest 60ft tall and is surrounded but other carvings of kings, demons, students and warriors, eat about 40ft tall. The Kung Fu school was awesome and we got to watch a demonstration of what they do, and it was awesome awesome awesome- again, being around something so old just instantly makes you awe struck. on a random note, have i mentioned how terrible the drivers of China are? well, on the way home from the temples and Kung Fu i experienced first hand, a Chinese car accident. whoops. we were sideswiped while pulling into a gas station by a motorcyclist. we were not allowed out of the car and after a 20 min convo...screaming thing betweens drivers, money was exchanged and we left...i thought "illegal?" not here. everyone was fine- few cuts and bruises- especially for the motorcyclist's passenger- one last thing about zhenzhou was that I did read that the city boasted a "somewhat smaller" version of Xian's city walls and I just had to compare...so...there was a mound of dirt about 15 feet high. it was very exciting... Onto Guangzhou! the culinary capitol of China (so they say). Since i have been here, I have had great italian food, spicy mexican, gelato galore, arabian cuisine(complete with a belly dancing performance in the middle of the meal), lunch and dinner at my new favorite Muslim noodle house for 90 cents US, and had an amazing burger and Guiness at the Irish pub "Hooley's."....twice. Anyone who knows me would be very proud of my expansion of eating habits since I have arrived. I have such things as liver, lamb, intestine, stomach, tail, tongue, and vegetables. The last one on the list doesn't sounds too exciting, but let's be real, have you met my eating habits? I made a trip to Hong Kong while I have been here- (we are playing the month of November there, but i could 't resist, it was only a few hours away by bus) it was one of the coolest cities i have ever seen. It's obviously British inspired, but has so much character of some place like New York without being dirty or overdone. It has a remarkable balance of classy yet hip- I fell in love. So the show...hmmm. well, i'll be honest and say that we will have been in Guangzhou for two and half weeks and we only did 4 performances...also, those performances were not overly great because the show did not fit in the venue- it was more of a concert hall than a theatre venue, so there was just enough room for the show. Lea was almost crushed by the carriage tipping over, there were beams from floor to ceiling on stage, you could see the wings completely, and there were huge holes in the floor that we had to "be aware of.." luckily, no one was hurt and Lea's a good sport (lucky for all of us) about the whole "being crushed" thing. We lost our first cast member this past week- He played the Herald and went back to the US to perform in "how the grinch stole christmas" which is touring between boston and baltimore this christmas- he plays Papa Who I believe. go see it if you can- i heard tickets at the Wang are over 100$, so don't bother if it's that much, but if it's cheap enough, i hear it's a fun show, and he's really great, so i have high hopes. Soo......We are moving on the Shanghai on Monday for a week, and then Beijing for a week and then to hong kong for the month of november- it's all going by so fast, but i'm still having a great time- i miss you all and am starting to forget what normal life is, so i need to come home soon- haha. love to you all! sean ps, i have been able to keep up with all of the politcal can economic stuff from here, so i hope everyone is pumped to vote!! wheee!!

Holy China, batman!

Oy! so i know it's been forever and a day since i have written, and for that i am terribly sorry.
So many thing have happened here since i last wrote. first, the bad news: i tripped on our uneven stage while doing a baseball slide and sprained my ankle very badly. i was out of the show for three nights, two of which i came to see it. it was kind of awesome that i got to watch, but being out was pretty bad. so i rejoined the show after that in a lighter track (my "track" is all of the stuff i do in show) skipping dance numbers and not doing much else besides singing backstage and doing simple crosses. the show closed in Manila and then i flew to the beautiful island of Boracay about 1 hour away. it was the most beautiful place i had been in my life in terms of island paradises. i had never taken a vacation like that, so it was great to experience that. the week was full of white sand, crystal clear water, good people, and stunning sunsets. i couldn't do too much b/c of the ankle, but i did snorkle...i was like nemo with my lucky fin and busted one too- the snorkling there is supposedly some of the best in the world, and though i have nothing to compare it to, i can imagine that that is true. the amount of sea life was plentiful and diverse and again, the water was a comfortable 80 degrees with visibility to 60ft... at least. much to soon, the vacation ended and we were thrust on a bus at 4:30am and shipped off to mainland China and the city of Xi'an. the city is beautfiul and the ancient capital and there is much to see. we are staying near the "Big Goose Pagoda" which was built in 652AD to house and protect buddhist writings and scrolls. somehow it survived the rise and fall of many dynasties and the subsequent decline of Xi'an as the hub of China. at one time the cities population was a grand 3.4million and at it's worst dropped to 20,000 and since then has been rebuilt and brought back to life. also surviving the turbulent history of the city are the city walls. it is the only city in China that has stone walls surrounding it's center. the are incredible. i biked the top of the wall two nights ago (a mere 9miles total) and it was an excellent experience. the walls are around 36 feet high and 48 feet across at the top.
we have not opened the show yet here in China b/c our set is floating from Manila to China to save on costs. lots of time and not a whole lot to do but to soak up the history, eat dumplings and practice my mandarin...i'm kind of a cartoon here and people stop to take pictures with me. i guess i should be flattered? haha.
sorry for the delay i writings and that this one is so abrupt in nature, but internet is not a strong suit in China. i'll write more when we open and i feel like i have a purpose for being in China again!
Love to you all!
the skinny man in the orient (officially)

Opening Cindy

Soo sorry for the delay in an update, we hit tech and steamrolled right into opening without coming up for air. In saying that, yes, the show is open! We had an official opening last night with an opening night party across the street at a wonderful restaurant full of press and cameras and famous people. Haha. The actual opening was very exciting, but we had been running the show in previews since Tuesday evening- for those who don’t know the term, previews refers to the show we perform in front of basically an invited audience (one night was 1800 of Lea’s closest friends…haha) and we still get notes in between and numbers are changed in accordance to what the audience responds to. It’s basically to put the show on its feet in front of people and see how it holds up. All were very successful but with many many changes made, but that just keeps it all interesting.

Opening was a huge success and very rewarding as well. The house was sold out and was filled with a very receptive audience. The evening was full of gift giving and even some tears. We received a lot of lovely gifts from the producers and the director and also Vince, our choreographer. To name some of it, we got a copy of the cast album, a Cinderella hat, a great journal with the show decal and opening date…the producers gave out a beautiful gift of an ornament of sorts but the box that it came was enough for me and I thought that IT was the gift…I’m just not that bright sometimes. J afterwards, the party was filled with wonderful picture taking, conversation, best wishes for the people leaving (all production staff flies out today or is already gone) and it was just a very rewarding and lovely evening. The restaurant sits right on the water in the bay and it was the perfect setting, it was purely heartwarming and fun. I cannot say enough about the people here in the show and who are behind the scenes too. We always sit around as a group and discuss that no matter who you are, you can join in on any conversation or sit with any different group for a meal and it will never be a negative experience. It’s like the high school experience I never got to have. Haha

I will say that I thought I had brought something to wear that would have been appropriate…but then I remembered that I was opening a show in the Philippines starring Lea Salonga, so I needed to look good…I subsequently dropped 12,000Php in about 2 hours on shoes and a new shirt…I’m crazy, but again, how many times will this happen to me? Exactly.

Monday is our first day off in 14 days, so we are all very excited- I might go to a volcano…or I will sleep until I wake up- both I feel are equally important to me.

I hope this finds you all well and happy. I was going to try to keep all my updates short and sweet, so I’m sorry this one is so long, but I figure it had been awhile.

Before tech

It's been a little while now since I last updated you on my discoveries and adventures here and that's because we actually started hunkering down into the show. the show is completely done and has been since about last saturday and so now we are trying to work in specifics and also, because we only have a week to tech an ENORMOUSLY tech heavy show, we have already started wearing costumes to run numbers making sure to split the seems now when we kick our leg rather than next week. it's truly going to be, if nothing else, a beautiful show. the costumes were desgined by an italian designer, built with only the finest materials by a costume crew in Hong Kong and finally have been brought here for alterations. everything fits like we were born to wear it. i have never had any article of clothing fit so well in my life.
last week we recorded the cast album...needless to say, it was one of the coolest experiences of my life. what most people don't know is that there is no cast recording (stop me if i have said this already) of a Cinderella stage production. all of the recordings up til now have been lifted off of movies, so in effect, we are the Original Cast Recording (yes, capitals) of R&H's Cinderella. wicked cool. i have no idea about release dates and where it will be available yet. they have kept us in the dark about it- maybe because it will never be released and they don't think it will sell outside of Asia, but who cares. i'll try to snag some copies:-) Lea Salonga's brother is actually a famous conductor here in the philipines so he was the music director for the recording and will also conduct the orchestra here as far as i know. talented family, no? it's like what Joe, Fiona and Mo will be.
so things really are moving along here. we have a press engagement on friday for the papers and TV stations of the philippines to show them a few numbers as a sneak preview...and then tech it is before we open. i have been here a month and it feels like a week. that's a good sign seeing as i will be gone so long. haha.
i hope this finds you well and i send my love to you all

Asia Adventures

just a little update on my findings and adventures here in the Philipines. things here really are great and seem everyday to get better even though as i live one day i can't imagine it being topped by another.
i can't say enough about the people. my new friend Richard and i trekked into a starbucks looking for directions for Manila Bay proper and from behind the counter came a manager who said he was currently living over there and would guide us when he got off work in 15 minutes. it turned into a local bus ride that lead into riding in a "jeepney" (i almost got sick from the smog and smell) that took us to the bay where he (while asking for nothing in return) showed us where to go and where not to go and different restaurants and all the while carrying on casual conversation about his wife and family and of course how he loves Lea Salonga. who doesn't?
now living in new york and knowing it's people...i don't think that that would ever have happened. in fact, i had to question whether or not i myself would have trusted in humanity enough to either go with someone i didn't know around a city i didn't know or to lead them through the city that i call home. people here have commented on "culture shock" and how it is very hard to get used to, but the "shock" here is how outwardly warm and cordial people are... and i'm used to it. :-)
the night was brilliant- there was a spectacular lightning storm over the bay that held my attention for a solid hour. what can i say...shiny objects.. haha.
yesterday was a spontaneous day off and again my adventurous friend richard and i decided that there were things to do and see. we were up before the sun, took a taxi to a bus which lead to a boat that took us to paradise and the sun and beach on the island of mindora in the puerta galera bay on white beach in the south china sea. all in all we traveled for 4 hours, but once the boat beached itself on the bay, it was all worth it. the sand was white, the lucious green mountains dipped directly into the ocean by way of rock formations no painter could imagine. we rented ocean kayaks for two hours (9 american dollars...amazing) and hopped from cove to cove to cove diving in periodically to cool off. the people were again friendly and the day very memorable. i took my first picture in the morning and the batteries died instantly, so there are no photos to share...bummer.

Manila's Arrival

So this was my first official blog to all those people i hold near and dear to my heart as a way to keep you informed of my ridiculous travels. I left my NYC apartment yesterday at 10:30am and a mere 26 hours, two planes, a couple of screaming kids, three bad movies (one being cloverfield...who thought that that movie was a good idea?) I arrived in my hotel, the Dusit Thani in Minila, Phillipines. It is beautiful and way too high for a guy like me, but i guess i can make an exception this once. we arrived in the midst of a typhoon called Frank which has been walloping the area and it has not stopped raining since. this is all to be expected because i read in my pre flight studies that out of the 31 days in july, 24 are usually filled with heavy rain. lucky i brought the crocs. (thanks carol). anyway, not too much to say so far, i am meeting Lea Salonga (our lead for those who don't know. she won a tony for her role of Kim in Miss Saigon and have been in 5 broadway shows in all leading roles) this afternoon and rehearsal begins tomorrow. i'll keep you updated as things happen, but know that i think you all often and miss each and every one of you. if you would like to chat with me, log into SKYPE.com and make a user name. you need a webcam and a microphone, but it's all free when we're talking.

Testing out this blogging thing

So as you may know, I've been in Asia for the past few months and without great internet, it has been difficult to email everyone as often as I would like. I've decided to set up this blog so that you can check on your own time about the stories of my travels. I'll post some old emails here about my many Manila adventures and be sure to catch everyone up on the awesomeness that is China.
thanks for checking:-)