First Blog of 2012- "It's a Doozy...Makes ya Woozy"

IT'S 2012!!

We return to tour!

After deplaning the second flight Chris...projectile vomits in the Greesboro Airport bathroom. GEE WEEE WOW we are back. So, unfortunately due to a questionable stomach and a definite fever (“Lexie, there's a slight chill in the air in here, right?” “Chris, it's like a sauna in here.” “Oh, mmm. I shall call out”) Chris called out for the first time as the beloved Igor. A real welcome back to tour indeed. However, his understudy Brett Figel was a star and in true understudy fashion bowed to thunderous applause while Chris sweated it out in the hotel.

The good news? It was all uphill from here. The next day was a travel day and we traveled to Louisville, KY..home of Lexie's gay fan base. We saw a fantastic production of “Boeing Boeing” at the Derby Dinner Playhouse and enjoyed drinks and merriment after at the Troll Bar in Louisville. It was inspiring to see other theatre and step out of the world of Mel Brooks for one night. 

"Nobody Crosses My Bridge!"- Troll Bar

After our night off in Louisville, Chris returned to the stage (along with the rest of the cast) in the bustling city of Joliet, IL. We had a suRprise visit from our classmate and Chicago celebrity, CARL! It was so nice to see Carl after we hadn't seen him in over a year.

Freshman Year Throw-back Pic

After the show, no resturants or bars were open, so in true tour fashion we ate tortilla chips and caught up on each other's lives over a sensible boxed chardonnay in the hotel breakfast kitchen area. The next day it was goodbye Carl, hello Fort Wayne, Indiana! The highlight of Fort Wayne was 30 minutes before curtain when we realized that our dressing rooms were only seperated by a mere sliding door. We threw open that sucker, turned on Pandora “Ceeloo Green Fuck you Radio” and did a D-la warm up in our new lululemon swag! That's right! The swag is in and is gorg. Now, at mall and rest stops we all look like homeless people who spent our entire life savings on expensive yoga wear.

After Fort Wayne we traveled to Rockford, IL where we had our first celebrity in the audience. DRUM ROLL....Dustin Diamond. Don't know who that is? Does Screech ring a “bell”? Although he was only there because he was dragged by his girlfriend (a friend of Chris' from high school), it is still official that YF now has a celebrity fan base.

Artsy Marquee Pic from Lexie's private dressing room

After dazzling Screech we drove into a double show day in Wassau, WI. WOOF! Obviously, by the second show Lexie was a little delirious and made this classic in the dressing room.

After the two do-shay, we headed to Mason City, Iowa. Our sixth one-nighter of the week, the exhausted cast and crew cranked it out and gave Mason City a great show. After the show, our favorite bus driver dropped us off for a 15 minute BOOZE RUN! It was a classy night in the Quality Inn filled with tequilla kisses (Lexie's term of endearment for shots), wine, beer, tortilla chips (yes, again), impromptu lip-syncing concerts, hall summersaults, drunk handstands, and all around night-off fun.

We started the following week with a glorious night off in Souix City, IA. Lexie and I got our hair DID at an Aveda-wannabe where Bob gave us new doos and plentiful restaurant suggestions. That night, we went to the one place Bob did NOT recommend, but had a lovely Italian meal all the same. I'm sure some of you have read that article that circulated Facebook (along with everyone's New Year's resolutions to loose 15 lbs) to implement a "phone stack" when dining with friends. The idea being everyone stacks their phones in the center of the table at the beginning of the meal, and aren't allowed to touch them until the end of the dining experience. This was our first experiment with the "phone stack." The result? After 5 minutes of separation anxiety, we returned the stone age of just good ole fashioned FELLOWSHIP.


Following dinner, we caught the critically acclaimed movie of the year "Joyful Noise." After two and half hours of fake southern sayings like "If you don't fit into a box; build a bigger box,"the leading girl's rich baritone vocals, and a whole lot of Dolly's ta-tas, we were definitely "joyful" it was over. The next day, we tried again with "The Muppets" and were singing "Life's a happy song" all the way to the theater that night.


The next night brought us to Columbia, MO where performed at U of Missouri. We don't really remember it, but we're sure they loved us. The following night we stayed at a lovely Clarion in Manhattan, KS where the closest food was an Asian buffet that was verbally raped on YELP as being "vomit-enducing." Needless to say, Lexie and I skipped THAT and trecked to a mom & pop mexican shack on the other side of the highway, where we had to hide out in an local dive bar until they opened at 4:30 for dinner. Big ups to the bartender for the free Equity diet cokes and the warm place to sit.


The following day, Lexie escaped to New Orleans for our friend Megan's wedding, while I was left behind to receive drunken gay-tells from Bourbon Street and fun wedding pictures from all my besties.
While I wish I could have been there, I would have missed out performing to sold-out houses in Souix Falls, SD and Lincoln, NE, where it was negative 10 degrees at night. Who got the better deal? I'll let you decide.

Igor's ready for the wedding.

Lexie and Gad pre-wedding.

After being reunited with my better half in Ames, IA, for a great show in a GIGANTIC theatre...

This really only captures 1/4 of the house...damn.

 ...we hopped on a plane to Butte, MT. That's pronounced "Byoot," folks, as in "beautiful," not "butt" as in "cut." And that is what we gave them, the most cut-down "Young Frankenstein" to date. It was as minimalistic as the dressing room situation, however we left the audiences on their feet. The cast then headed to my favorite Butte hot spot (yes, this is my second time in Butte. Get into it.)- Julian's Piano Bar. Where the bartender was a drag queen dressed as the Bride of Frankenstein, and AJ tickled the ivories while the tipsy cast screlted out their favorite show tunes.

The Bartender giving face

Chris and Graham giving full-out harmony back up vocals.

After a long and hung over bus ride, we landed in a little gem of a city, Boise, ID. Who knew Boise had so much to offer? Highlights included a night of delicious cocktails made with gin distilled on-site, an EPIC game of Phase 10, and a hidden gem of a chain-lette called Elmer's. We highly suggest this establishment to anyone venturing to Idaho. Much like Betty White, the outside may look old and weathered, but the inside is hit and progressive with their organic greens and unique German pancakes. In addition to good food, another common theme in Idaho was attractive waiters. Then again, that could be our "tour goggles" talking.

Lexie's delicious Ginger-rum cocktail

The cool chalkboard Hotel display

Our 14 one-nighter stretch was over. What better way to wrap up this hellish leg of tour than a weekend sit-down in smokey, smokey Reno, home of Dolores VanCartie, for you "Sister Act" fans. As our tour-mate, Brett, compared- Reno::Vegas as  Staten Island::Manhattan. The theater looked like the Epcot globe buried in the ground, while our hotel, Circus-Circus came complete with spooky clowns and pregnant women smoking, drinking, and gambling. America at it's finest. 

"I loove Reno..." -random nun in "Sister Act"

EPCOT!

Smoking, Drinking, Pregnant, LIVING.

Needless to say we needed a break. SANK GOD that's exactly what we got: a week layoff.

CHRISTMAS IN THE MOUNTAINS

The quick three weeks back before the holiday break were a beautiful winter wonderland in the Mountain and Pacific time zones. We started back in Colorado. The highlights of Colorado, other than the wonderful audience response, were our choreographer, James Gray, visiting and this delicious Mexican restaurant we ate at before the show. The view of the mountains was also stunning.

I miss the mountains

Chris and I also met up with Chris's friend, Jesse, for brunch where I had a delicious quiche. Although the food was quite good, and the service prompt, the journey there was similar to journey that Catherine Martin takes in Silence of the Lambs. For those who need a refresher, “Catherine Martin” is the chunky character who is kidnapped by Buffalo Bill and thrown into a white van. In the movie Catherine Martin is played by Brooke Martin, more commonly known as the chunky lesbian doctor cut from Grey's Anatomy. Jesse, who was working in the Colorado Springs area, picked us up in their “company car” AKA Buffalo Bill's van. For those of you who are not scary movie fanatics like us, picture a white van that you would view as your stereotypical rape van with no seats in the back, just a hard, cold, metal bottom of the van. Yes, that was our ride to a delicious quiche brunch. Exciting and delicious.

After Colorado, we headed to Montana and Wyoming. Highlights of our time in Montana and Wyoming definitely include the world premier of Young Frankenstein in an ARENA. It was an arena spectacular. Our audience members chomped on popcorn and shoved hotdogs down their throats while we put on the Ritz. RICH. Definitely not what you are used to when looking out into an audience, but they enjoyed it none the less, and I got some delicious arena popcorn at intermission. WIN WIN.

After our trips to Colorado, Montana, and Wyoming, we left the high elevations behind and put some oxygen back in our lungs in Wichita, KS. Wichita was a blast. We stayed at a gorgeous Hyatt Hotel with an awesome bar and half price appetizer menu. Their spinach artichoke dip was pure crack and we had it pre AND post show most nights we were there. The YF cast also had our first holiday party! One of our cast members is from Wichita and invited us to her house for holiday music, games, and delicious booze. There were plenty of photo opts including this lovely family picture by the Christmas tree.

Oh Christmas Tree, Oh Christmas Tree

After Wichita, we had a 4:30 AM bus call to catch a plane to Seattle for a GOLDEN DAY(a day with no show and no day of travel). Our day and a half in Seattle was nothing short of incredible. We landed in Seattle around noon and we hit the ground running trying to fit in as much tourist activity as possible for our first night. We visited the Public Fish Market for lunch and shopped until we dropped around the Market.

After a quick nap at the hotel, we gathered for a late night dinner in downtown at a restaurant called McCormicks. Don't worry, we are not talking about the chain McCormick and Schmidts. This place was absolutely incredible and we did not hold back. We had wine, cocktails, several appetizers to share, entrees, and dessert. We highly suggest this restaurant to anyone visiting in the the Seattle area. My rainbow trout was like crunchy heaven on a plate.

Golden Day Delights

The next full day in Seattle we went to the Space Needle for a lunch reservation at the SkyCity Restaurant. We splurged on delicious crab mac-n-cheese and fish and chips while the restaurant slowly rotated allowing us to see all of the beautiful Seattle skyline.

This was truly one of the best days yet of tour. The view was stunning and after a leisurely lunch we headed a few stairs up to the observation deck to soak in some more of the view.

SPACE NEEDLE

After lunch, we jumped on the monorail and headed to the downtown area to the Seattle aquarium. Upon walking into the aquarium there were plenty of photo ops with the touch tank of starfish.

We also got to see a octopus feeding. While at the octopus feeding the following happened:

blue-haired hip marine lady who was also the octopus feeder: “Octopus are gooey, fleshy creatures. However, there is one part of the octopus that is hard. Does anybody know what body part that is?”

little kid: “rocks.”

blue-haired hip marine lady: “nooo, not rocks. But yes hard like rocks.”

RICH. Rocks.

MAYHEM and Kevin...lovahs

After Seattle, the tour ventured to Yakima and Spokane. It was beautiful and nice to have some of our days free to eat at various restaurants in the Spokane area. We found a delicious french restaurant that we ventured to on two separate occasions...I just realized that we talk about food a lot. You see, when we are not traveling to do a show, or performing a show, we have just enough time to find somewhere to eat before the show...or we are starving after the show and looking for someplace to feed the monster in our stomachs. AND I think Chris and myself are little fatties at heart. I sometimes can't remember where we were a week ago, but I can recall a delicious meal wayyy to quickly for it to be normal. Fatty mc Fat Fats. Always blogging about our meals.

We also did a fun game of secret Santa amongst the cast and crew and had a small Christmas party at the hotel. Santa this year gave a lot of alcohol. That was the number one gift from Santas. What does that say about this tour? We like to eat AND drink.

The three weeks were a whirlwind of shows and fun, but I think it is safe to say that everyone was ready to go home to their families for the holidays on December 19 when we left.

Back in Business, and Ain't it Grand!!

Hello avid readers! (Well, probably not so avid because we've given you nothing to read...) Unfortunately, Lexie got sick again and kind of put a halt to our blogging. (I simply cannot do it alone.) 

Gee. Wee. Wow.

BUTT, after a restful Thanksgiving lay-off, we are both BACK IN BUSINESS.


So, since we've taken a month off, I thought I'd give you the highlights in picture form, and in no particular order:


I got the worst haircut of my life in College Station, TX. Yep, that's my scalp, folks!

So even.

I am dead.

Our best friends, Beau and Brandon, sent us pumpkins and goodies for Halloween!!

Chris is holding the witch pumpkin, and Lexie is holding the frankenstein pumpkin

For Halloween, we told the boys we were going to be the red and yellow Power Rangers to fill out their set...and boy were they surprised when we showed up as red and yellow ANGRY BIRDS!!

We killed at the Gay Club.

Go, Go Power Rangers!

We went on a beautiful run in Columbus Georgia, and I SUR-prised Lexie as she came around the corner...

We found these really awesome hats at a truck stop for the vegetarians that we are...

"Hardcore Carnivores"

Lexie's friend Colin came to the show in Huntsville, AL, along with Lexie's huge fan base...

We had an awesome bowling night, where Kevin and I really KILLED. (The person with the lowest score wins, right?)

We had a fun time exploring Knoxville, TN. Daddy bought a new pair of shoes, and we had to stop for a photo op at the corner of Union and Gay....So romantic.

                


We took a family portrait at Cracker Barrel (Lexie's fave):

I also threw AJ Holmes a KICK ASS Sur-prise party in Davenport, Iowa. We all acted like we were his fans at the stage door and we even had a special performance in which Lauren Kadel played AJ (cockatoo hair and all) and I played his biggest fan!

OMG, it's AJ HOLMES!!!!

I can't believe it's really him.

"Life, Life,  Give AJ life."

Flawless.

And a bonus full cast pic from some unknown location:

 So never fear, readers. Lexie is back. Our blog is back. LET THE GOOD TIMES ROLL!!

11 Shows in 9 Days...Living the Dream.

Hey world! Sorry we’ve been so bad about blogging this last week, but as you can see from the title- we’ve been a little busy. Not to worry, we survived out 11-day stint and have lived to tell the tale. So listen to our tale of woah:

We started off nice and easy with a 2-day sit-down in Newport News, VA. We suspect that our Holiday Inn may have been shut down in 1993 and didn’t tell anyone (it had no sign). I had my first Hibachi experience our first night in town, in which the chef kept referring to me as “Harry Potter” and I failed to catch the shrimp in my mouth. Lexie’s purse, as we discovered later that night, had a little more luck than I did.

The renegade shrimp  (on top of a pursed Splenda)

Then, our walk to the movie theater led us to a straight-up highway so we decided it would be wise to call a cab. To pick us up. On the side of a highway. Yep. Now I wanted to see the world die of an imaginary bird flu in “Contagion,” but the group opted for “the funny cancer movie.” Just so we’re clear: there is nothing funny about cancer. Except a row of gay boys sobbing on each other while Lexie laughs at them.

Other highlights of Newport News included the fancy raincoat I purchased at Banana, the lady we paid at the Aveda salon to gently rub our backs even though we asked her to go harder repeatedly, Jerome giving Pat (Frau Blucher) a lap dance to the disco version of “He Vas My Boyfriend,” and the most stressful dresser experience I’ve ever had. My dresser, bless her heart, looked about 70 years old, and was overwhelmed. She would show up at my dressing room door PANTING even though I had a solid 10 to change and was already done. I told her to take a load off on the couch and BREATHE. The last thing I needed was my dresser to have a heart attack. AJ’s dresser (who would ask him about hangers while he’s doing a quick change and screaming “PANTS! PANTS!”) and mine made quite the dynamic duo of stress. Needless to say I spent most of my down time in the green room listening to AJ’s dulcet tones on the piano.

Then began our 6 one-nighters in a row- meaning we would get on the bus at say, 6 am, drive all day, do a show that night, and do it all again the next day. How could we possibly handle this, you might ask? Well to be honest, it was cake after Windwood. Last year, my  YF castmate, Graham, and I did the tour of “The Music Man” with WindWood Theatricals in which we did 4 months of one-nighters. Like I said: cake. This week also brought us back to two of the same theaters in Morgonton, NC and Shreveport, LA. Check out where we signed the walls last time!

Mine says "The Coveted role of Ewart Dunlop"

We've come so far...

Our final one-nighter at The Strand in Shreveport was the “doozy that made us woozy.” We arrived at the theater to discover that half of our set has been cut because it did not fit. Highlights of this adventurous performance included: Elizabeth (Inga) and I moving a giant set piece inconspicuously during “He Vas My Boyfriend,” AJ and I moving the lab table mid-scene all the while doing a “mad-scientist-laugh” for about 30 seconds (which feels like 5 minutes), and last but not least- me singing an entire VERSE of Mariah Carey’s “Hero” while AJ attempts to shut the broken dungeon door in my face. When he finally realized it was futile, and we were both on the verge of tears, he shouted “GO AWAY” and I promptly exited the stage. It took the audience another minute to recover. In retrospect, I should have re-entered and continued the song. It would have killed. You always think of those brilliant things when it's too late, ya know? Although this was our smallest stage to date it was by far our BEST audience. I’m so glad we brought such joy to Shreveport.

Our 11 show stretch wrapped up in Springfield, MO where Lexie and I got in the car with a stranger who drove us around for an hour looking for an open Walgreens. Now before you get mad at our recklessness and tell us we could have ended up like those people on the crime shows that my Mom and Lexie are obsessed with, let me point out that he was a cute local gay in a turtle-neck who loved Disney Princesses and Colbie Collait. A special shout-out to Matthew Evans: We’ll always have Walgreens…

And some of us will always have “Tangled.”

Well, if you’ve made it to all the way to the end of this post you’re either extremely bored or my Aunt Patty. Congratulations. We are going to try to keep on top of this “blogging” thing so our posts aren’t so epic. We’re just finding our groove, ya know? 

"I'm gonna make you girls a Hump Day treat!"

Well Hershey, PA was a deliciously good time. We made a friend at the Grill on Chocolate (where we ate every meal)- Lawrence. We knew we liked Lawrence from the start because upon Lexie telling him that we were dancers and "a dancer dances," he promptly told us that all we needed was "the music and the mirror." But we didn't just like Lawrence because he was gay as hell- he also gave us free dessert every night. The pumpkin cheesecake and creme brulee changed our lahhhfs.

The shows in Hershey were a little, um, cramped. The sets were so jam packed backstage that the crew could often be heard BELTING backstage during the quietest moments of the show...and even some of the louder moments. Another highlight was when the ensemble ladies were running to SL (that's theater slang for stage left- you're welcome.) for their quick change into bows, and there was one dresser standing there empty handed and looking confused. Lexie (in her GIANT bride-of-frankenstein wig) takes charge. "Alright ladies. Zip up. You're going on in these!"She starts pulling pins out of her own wig to help secure their wigs, but it's not working. "Just do a SINGLE pirouette, ladies. These wigs aren't gonna make it through a double." It was really rich. The audiences, however, had no idea- and were very appreciative! 

But back to the food. We all know Hershey is all about the chocolate, and I was living for it. The local italian joint, Finicci's stayed open after the show for us, and I had a delicious chocolate-covered-cherry cocktail. It hit every spot. The food was delish too. Lexie ordered her own Italian in the hotel room, and the delivery man told her she looked "as cute as she sounded on the phone." Maybe Lexie shouldn't order delivery without me there anymore...

On our second day in Hershey I went to the Chocolate Factory with the YF crew. We rode the free ride with the belting cows (I'm not kidding) as we learned how they make "Hershey's milk chocolate." Then we decided to design our OWN candy bars. This was an exciting process where we got to pick our fillings, design our wrapper, and where these sexy smocks. I decided mine should be called "Igor's Hump Day Treats"- it was Hump Day after all, and I'm not like other moms, I'm a "cool" mom. 

Dr. F and I- in the Chocolate Lab!

Igor's Hump Day Treats! 

So, Hershey was super fun! We also caught many more episodes of our new favorite show, "Hoaders." Including the episode with the man with 1000+ rats that he kept as pets and lived in the walls of his house. A&E. Check it out. You won't regret it. Now we're beginning our 11-show stretch in Newport News, VA. Lord give us the strength. More on that to come!

Bronchitis and Belting...OH MY!

WELL this week was definitely a week of firsts. If you haven't read Chris' post about how much we spent on laundry this week, I highly recommend it.

However, the real excitement for me this week came when I came down with bronchitis. The positives? Well with all this medication interfering with my stomach let's just say I have never looked skinnier. The gays in the dressing room were borderline begging me to breathe on them so they can drop those final 5 lbs. The negatives? Well, everything else. HOWEVER, in looking for the silver lining it is time to show some proper gratitude and appreciation for three different people who rescued me this week!

The first person would have to be Caitlin Maloney. It wasn't until about 5 pm on Thursday when I realized that my ladies (the affectionate term a lovely Diva taught me at school that I have adapted as the word for my voice) were not going to be coming together. While coughing up a lung and running a fever, I had to make the call to our stage manager that I did not think I could go on for the night. Here is where Caitlin saved the day. Although she had been in understudy rehearsals all week, they were meticulous and she hadn't even had the opportunity to fully run the show. Thursday night she went on and did what I understand to be a remarkable job; Flying by the seat of her pants, hitting all her marks, and singing her heart out as the sassy redhead Elizabeth Benning.  I have to say, it is incredible in our business what happens and that is what keeps live theatre so exciting. You go, you understudy rockstar, you. 

The second person I would have to thank this week is my incredible voice teacher Amy Murphy with the Amy Murphy Studio. The Amy Murphy method of singing and the incredible help I received from my asthma doctor (more on her later) truly allowed me to go back onstage and do four shows for the weekend with bronchitis. Amy checked in on me every morning and afternoon and listened to my voice and helped me work around the sickness. Thank god for Apple's FACETIME and the Amy Murphy Studio!

And the third person I would have to thank this week is the incredible Dr. Clara Chung of Birmingham. When I came down with bronchitis, she came up with a sick plan for me to aggressively fight the sickness and get back on my feet in no time. By Saturday afternoon's show I was back onstage and singing with bronchitis. This could have never been possible without the consultation and help of Dr. Chung. She's the best in Birmingham and in my humble opinion, the world. If you are sick you better RUN, don't walk to Dr. Clara Chung. Here is a lovely picture of be nebulizing on the bus. I know, I have never looked better.

Ironically, while the evil green mucous monster was trying to grow inside of my throat and body, a lovely article/interview came out in the Dayton Daily News. It was an interview with me about tour life and...wait for it....wait for it.... specifically how to stay healthy on the road with a rigorous travel and performance schedule. HOW RICH. However, it is a very nice article and I am sure my mother is thrilled to have something else to laminate and throw in a box in the attic marked "eventual scrapbook." The article is here for your viewing pleasure. (Kathy-Griffin-style, a shameless self plug.) html http://www.activedayton.com/entertainment/ohio-theater-arts/young-frankenstein-performer-on-laugh-track-1265093.html 

*Be sure not to miss the part about my "best friend" (in quotes for some reason), Chris SIMPSON. *

In almost all seriousness (because I never seem to be TOO serious), this week I have been reminded of the importance of patience and understanding with oneself. First of all, as singers and performers, we hate when our voice or our bodies are not at 100 percent. Feeling under the weather and then having to put yourself out there for the world sometimes sucks. However, the truth of the matter is that sometimes we get sick. Sometimes we are not at our 100%. We have to adapt and learn how to give a stellar performance at our 80% health. However, that is when I came to a realization this week. It hit me like what I imagine the stench of the houses from the HOARDERS episodes I watched all day Thursday and Friday while inhaling on my nebulizer(Seriously, there were so many good HOARDERS episodes this week. Including the woman who had over 200 parakeets that flew free in her house and the crazy lady who kept dead cats in her freezer.) Back to my realization.. When you are sick is when you trust your technique, training, and artistry. You take a deep breath and realize there is more to your character and the part you are playing than simply your voice. You fight to keep a positive attitude. You also, hopefully, are as lucky as me and have incredibly supportive people on your side (friends, doctors, and mentors) to help you get back on your feet in no time. 

NOT a Double Tree.

Hello, world! Chris, here. Our week sit-down in Dayton, OH turned out to be quite eventful. So eventful that we needed some time to let the dust settle before we told the world of our adventures. 


The Dayton Grand Hotel is many things, but as we were constantly reminded by the service and the sign outside, it is NOT a Double Tree. See, about 6 months ago, it was a Double Tree, and apparently a great place to spend your time in Dayton. When they decided to go solo, by just using some white-out on the "Double Tree" portion of their sign, they also whited-out the friendly accommodations that go along with that title.

As you can see, a little white-out goes a long way. Now it's just "Hotel"

None of the employees at the (newly-dubbed) Dayton Grand Hotel had any clue what was going on, except that the hotel was NOT a Double Tree. They didn't know if we should have a fridge in our room (even though all the other rooms on our floor had one) because they're not a Double Tree. Should we charge you $10/night for one? Should we give you one for free? Should we ignore your daily requests for a fridge just as our maids ignore the "Do Not Disturb" sign on your door at 9 am? Everyone seemed to have a different answer.


Mass confusion was not all the Dayton-Grand-Not-Double-Tree-Hotel had to offer the cast of Young Frankenstein. We were also graced with hallways the reeked of smoke, elevators that got stuck between floors while a crazed woman with a sundae screamed like she was being stabbed until we were rescued, and most importantly, a send-out laundry service. With the stress of tech and opening, Lexie and I had not had a moment to spare to do our laundry, and frankly, Aubrey, we were out of clean undies. So upon our arrival, we asked the front desk if there was a machine in the hotel. After reminding us that they were not a Double Tree, they informed us that there was no laundry in the building and the closest laundromat was over a mile away- we would have to take a cab. But not to fear! They offered a send-out laundry service! 


After calling Shaw Cleaners, and making sure that they did in fact do machine wash and not just dry-cleaning, we learned that they pick up at 9 am and return same-day at 5 pm. Great! How convenient! We'd only have to free-ball it for the afternoon and we'd have clean panties by the show! So we wake up at the crack, go down to the front desk, and the friendly girl at the front desk reminds us that the hotel is not a Double Tree and tells us to just write our names and room number on a piece of loose-leaf and any special instructions. We both write in giant letters. MACHINE WAS ONLY, and leave our phone numbers as well in case there is any confusion. Done and done. Can't wait for clean laundry.


On our way home from the show that night, we get a text message from our castmate, Greg, who also sent his laundry out that morning. He has beaten us back to the hotel and informs us that all together, our laundry bill is over $600. Surely this is a practical joke. We arrive in the lobby to find Greg in a state on the couch. It was not a joke. The bill for my laundry was $230. The itemized receipt reveals that they have charged $2.50 PER underwear and pair of socks. $4 PER T-shirt. I could have bought a new wardrobe for this price. The manager of the hotel is there and says "Yeah...we thought this might be a problem." You THOUGHT it MIGHT be a problem?? We left you our phone numbers and no one thought to give us a call and see if we were ok with a $200+ laundry bill? He replies with a laugh, "I know, that's more than it's costing you to stay here for the week!" I'm glad we could brighten this man's day.

Good thing I'm rollin' in it

The following morning, we once again awake at the crack for a private meeting with Chris Shaw, owner of Shaw Cleaners. He informs us that the hotel did not have the order sheets explaining the PER ITEM cost of his laundry service until after we had sent our laundry in. He apologizes that the hotel did not inform us of his exorbitant prices, but hopefully we learned our lesson never to send our laundry out through a hotel. Boy, did we learn it. After offering him comps to the show, and some tearful eyes, he graciously cut our costs in HALF. So don't worry, guys. I only paid $115 for two loads of laundry. Good thing that per Diem kicked in this week. 


I don't mean to get all Nancy-negative on our readers. Our 8-show-week in Dayton was a huge success! We played to big houses and rave reviews! My Mom came into town to see the show with the rest of my family from Cincinnati, and a few teachers and friends from CCM made it as well!! Plus, we found a GRAETERS. So my week (and my waist) was rounded out by the best ice cream ever. 


But if your travels bring you to Dayton, OH, and I sure hope it's not on a Sunday cause even Subway is closed, you might want to check out the Crowne Plaza down the street. It's also not a Double Tree, but I hear they have fridges in every room.