Hey Folks,
As I approach my last few days here in Sydney, here's my 2-part interview with the fine folks at Jersey Boys Blog.
Part 1:
http://jerseyboysblog.com/jbb-exclusive-interview-with-jeff-madden-from-toronto-to-down-under-as-a-jersey-boy-part-one/5285
Part 2:
http://jerseyboysblog.com/jbb-exclusive-interview-with-jeff-madden-from-toronto-to-down-under-as-a-jersey-boy-part-two/5288
Enjoy!
About Me
- Jeff Madden
- Jeff Madden, a Toronto area Actor and Singer, starred as "Frankie Valli" in the Toronto production of JERSEY BOYS. In 2009, he won that city's DORA award for outstanding performance in a musical.
Thursday, 28 April, 2011
Saturday, 23 April, 2011
Interview with "The Way I See It"!
Hey Everybody,
I just completed a fun interview with Canadian Theatre Blogger extraordinaire Amanda Campbell all about what's been going on in my world for the last few months. It's quite thorough, and I'm sure you'll find it interesting.
Check it out at
http://www.twisitheatreblog.com/2011/04/jeff-madden-on-jersey-boys-down-under.html
Let me know what you think!
Jeff
I just completed a fun interview with Canadian Theatre Blogger extraordinaire Amanda Campbell all about what's been going on in my world for the last few months. It's quite thorough, and I'm sure you'll find it interesting.
Check it out at
http://www.twisitheatreblog.com/2011/04/jeff-madden-on-jersey-boys-down-under.html
Let me know what you think!
Jeff
Wednesday, 9 February, 2011
G'Day, Everyone!
Many of you have been wondering how it’s going, and why I haven’t reported back on how the show has been going. Well, there’s a really good reason: I haven’t started performing yet.
Well, what the heck have I been up to, you wonder? The short answer is, I go to work six days a week, at the one-hour call before every show, and when I'm not rehearsing, I'm watching the show. The longer answer, well, that needs a little more explaining.
Most of you have seen the show, some of you many, many times. You may recall that in every company of Jersey Boys, there are four actors that could play Frankie at any given show. Usually it breaks down like this: the main ‘Frankie’ does six performances a week (which was my job with the Toronto company), the alternate ‘Frankie’ does two shows a week (usually the matinees on the 2-show days), a ‘Swing’ who covers a few different parts including Frankie, but most days does not appear onstage, and the ‘Joe Pesci’ who is a ‘Frankie’ understudy. Here in Sydney, both the Swing and the 2-show ‘Frankie’ were leaving the show at almost the same time, leaving the company at risk should one of the two other ‘Frankies’ get sick or injured. So, JB Sydney decided they needed to fill those two slots ASAP until they could find permanent (hopefully Australian) replacements.
As you might imagine, it’s fairly difficult to find someone to play ‘Frankie’ – with the casting restrictions on age, height and appearance on top of the acting and dance abilities and the crazy high voice. So, the producers did a couple things – they hired the ‘Joe Pesci’ who played the part in Melbourne but had since left the show, a young guy named Bernard Angel to rejoin the company and fill the 2-show ‘Frankie’ role until the end of February. Then they asked me and Graham Fenton, a great actor who previously played ‘Joe Pesci’ and ‘Frankie’ in Las Vegas, the US National Tour and Broadway to come join in on the fun Down Under. I’ll be doing the 2-show-a-week role, and Graham will be the ‘Swing’ for about three months. Then we come back home.
So, since I have played Frankie about 500 times in Toronto and Graham has been in Jersey Boys for about 2.5 years, you’d think they’d just throw us in there, right? As you know, the show is very slick and probably seems quite effortless to the audience, but when you really break it down, it has about a million different details that need to be accomplished perfectly to make it seem effortless. So, if I may get back to the opening questions, that’s what I’ve been doing all this time … remembering the million little details. Getting them back into my body. And somewhat surprisingly, learning about a hundred little differences between the way we did things in Toronto and the way they do things here.
What’s different, you ask? I can’t believe I actually have to answer this question, but, No, they don’t speak with Aussie accents – although that would be pretty fricking hilarious. But they are different people, and different people do and say things their own way. Also, there are four or five scenes that have lines cut here, some of which happen really quickly, so I’ve spent a good deal of time memorizing those changes. Basically, the biggest chunk of my job so far has been simply watching the show to learn how exactly they do things. Sometimes I’ll watch the show from the audience but I pick up most of the nuances from the wings. The more I see it, the more I love this show – and believe me, I totally get why some of you keep coming back time after time to see it.
Another thing that’s slightly different is the depth of the stage. The stage here is about a foot or two shorter than in Toronto. This may not seem like a big deal at first, but when you do a knee-slide down to the edge of the stage, and you miss by a foot or two, you could end up in the 2nd row, so, it is a big deal. Likewise when you’re dancing around the trap door in the dark, a foot or two could leave you with a broken leg or a concussion, so, it’s a big deal. There are also tonnes of little differences in the choreography – from the height I snap my fingers, to how often I pop my knees, to the way I wrap my arms around my body when doing the “Walk Like A Man” marches. So, literally in every scene there’s something I have had to adapt in my footwork, while still trying to look cool.
Musically, there are many slight differences, too. In JB Sydney, they do all Beach Boys songs. Ok, that’s not true. They do the same songs, they just do them in French. Ok – really, here’s the thing. In each company, the main ‘Frankie’ learns the songs and has a little bit of freedom to stylize them. Maybe he’ll do a little lick here, maybe a growl there, maybe a little back phrasing thrown in. Subtle, subtle stuff, because it still has to sound as much like the real Frankie Valli as possible. The reason I mention this is because the sound design of the show requires a fair bit of “doubling”, i.e. places in the score where other actors – onstage or off, male and female – sing along with ‘Frankie’ and the other Seasons. This gives the audience the incredible sensation of hearing the songs sound “multi-tracked”, the way they were recorded by the Four Seasons. So here in Sydney, whatever subtleties Bobby Fox, the sensational main ‘Frankie Valli’ does, the doublers also have to do. And since the doublers are on every single show, the 2-show-a-week ‘Frankie’ has to learn the same subtleties in order to sound in sync with everyone else. So, as you might imagine, these changes have taken up a fair bit of my rehearsal time.
Another thing to realize is there is just not that much time to rehearse when a show is running a full schedule of eight-show weeks. Without getting into overtime, there can only be two four-hour rehearsals onstage per week, and for the most part I’ve been rehearsing with the understudies and swings. In our first week, we were still pretty jet-lagged, so that slowed things down a bit. Then, our 2nd week here there were no rehearsals at all, with the day-off for Australia Day falling in the middle of the week meaning an extra 2-show day. And then, our creative team started flying all over Australia and New Zealand on an audition tour, making rehearsal hours even tighter.
But, it’s almost all over now. This afternoon we did an Automation Tech-Run which went great. Tomorrow afternoon we do a full Tech-Run of the show, which will be my first rehearsal with the other “3 Seasons” Quinny (‘Tommy’), Stephen (‘Bob’) and Glaston (‘Nick’). But, more tellingly, it will be my first run of the show with microphones, with the band, with the lights and with my costumes in over five months. I can’t wait. Then, my first two shows are this Saturday afternoon and Sunday evening. It’s gonna be awesome!!!
Wish me Chookas!
Many of you have been wondering how it’s going, and why I haven’t reported back on how the show has been going. Well, there’s a really good reason: I haven’t started performing yet.
Well, what the heck have I been up to, you wonder? The short answer is, I go to work six days a week, at the one-hour call before every show, and when I'm not rehearsing, I'm watching the show. The longer answer, well, that needs a little more explaining.
Most of you have seen the show, some of you many, many times. You may recall that in every company of Jersey Boys, there are four actors that could play Frankie at any given show. Usually it breaks down like this: the main ‘Frankie’ does six performances a week (which was my job with the Toronto company), the alternate ‘Frankie’ does two shows a week (usually the matinees on the 2-show days), a ‘Swing’ who covers a few different parts including Frankie, but most days does not appear onstage, and the ‘Joe Pesci’ who is a ‘Frankie’ understudy. Here in Sydney, both the Swing and the 2-show ‘Frankie’ were leaving the show at almost the same time, leaving the company at risk should one of the two other ‘Frankies’ get sick or injured. So, JB Sydney decided they needed to fill those two slots ASAP until they could find permanent (hopefully Australian) replacements.
As you might imagine, it’s fairly difficult to find someone to play ‘Frankie’ – with the casting restrictions on age, height and appearance on top of the acting and dance abilities and the crazy high voice. So, the producers did a couple things – they hired the ‘Joe Pesci’ who played the part in Melbourne but had since left the show, a young guy named Bernard Angel to rejoin the company and fill the 2-show ‘Frankie’ role until the end of February. Then they asked me and Graham Fenton, a great actor who previously played ‘Joe Pesci’ and ‘Frankie’ in Las Vegas, the US National Tour and Broadway to come join in on the fun Down Under. I’ll be doing the 2-show-a-week role, and Graham will be the ‘Swing’ for about three months. Then we come back home.
So, since I have played Frankie about 500 times in Toronto and Graham has been in Jersey Boys for about 2.5 years, you’d think they’d just throw us in there, right? As you know, the show is very slick and probably seems quite effortless to the audience, but when you really break it down, it has about a million different details that need to be accomplished perfectly to make it seem effortless. So, if I may get back to the opening questions, that’s what I’ve been doing all this time … remembering the million little details. Getting them back into my body. And somewhat surprisingly, learning about a hundred little differences between the way we did things in Toronto and the way they do things here.
What’s different, you ask? I can’t believe I actually have to answer this question, but, No, they don’t speak with Aussie accents – although that would be pretty fricking hilarious. But they are different people, and different people do and say things their own way. Also, there are four or five scenes that have lines cut here, some of which happen really quickly, so I’ve spent a good deal of time memorizing those changes. Basically, the biggest chunk of my job so far has been simply watching the show to learn how exactly they do things. Sometimes I’ll watch the show from the audience but I pick up most of the nuances from the wings. The more I see it, the more I love this show – and believe me, I totally get why some of you keep coming back time after time to see it.
Another thing that’s slightly different is the depth of the stage. The stage here is about a foot or two shorter than in Toronto. This may not seem like a big deal at first, but when you do a knee-slide down to the edge of the stage, and you miss by a foot or two, you could end up in the 2nd row, so, it is a big deal. Likewise when you’re dancing around the trap door in the dark, a foot or two could leave you with a broken leg or a concussion, so, it’s a big deal. There are also tonnes of little differences in the choreography – from the height I snap my fingers, to how often I pop my knees, to the way I wrap my arms around my body when doing the “Walk Like A Man” marches. So, literally in every scene there’s something I have had to adapt in my footwork, while still trying to look cool.
Musically, there are many slight differences, too. In JB Sydney, they do all Beach Boys songs. Ok, that’s not true. They do the same songs, they just do them in French. Ok – really, here’s the thing. In each company, the main ‘Frankie’ learns the songs and has a little bit of freedom to stylize them. Maybe he’ll do a little lick here, maybe a growl there, maybe a little back phrasing thrown in. Subtle, subtle stuff, because it still has to sound as much like the real Frankie Valli as possible. The reason I mention this is because the sound design of the show requires a fair bit of “doubling”, i.e. places in the score where other actors – onstage or off, male and female – sing along with ‘Frankie’ and the other Seasons. This gives the audience the incredible sensation of hearing the songs sound “multi-tracked”, the way they were recorded by the Four Seasons. So here in Sydney, whatever subtleties Bobby Fox, the sensational main ‘Frankie Valli’ does, the doublers also have to do. And since the doublers are on every single show, the 2-show-a-week ‘Frankie’ has to learn the same subtleties in order to sound in sync with everyone else. So, as you might imagine, these changes have taken up a fair bit of my rehearsal time.
Another thing to realize is there is just not that much time to rehearse when a show is running a full schedule of eight-show weeks. Without getting into overtime, there can only be two four-hour rehearsals onstage per week, and for the most part I’ve been rehearsing with the understudies and swings. In our first week, we were still pretty jet-lagged, so that slowed things down a bit. Then, our 2nd week here there were no rehearsals at all, with the day-off for Australia Day falling in the middle of the week meaning an extra 2-show day. And then, our creative team started flying all over Australia and New Zealand on an audition tour, making rehearsal hours even tighter.
But, it’s almost all over now. This afternoon we did an Automation Tech-Run which went great. Tomorrow afternoon we do a full Tech-Run of the show, which will be my first rehearsal with the other “3 Seasons” Quinny (‘Tommy’), Stephen (‘Bob’) and Glaston (‘Nick’). But, more tellingly, it will be my first run of the show with microphones, with the band, with the lights and with my costumes in over five months. I can’t wait. Then, my first two shows are this Saturday afternoon and Sunday evening. It’s gonna be awesome!!!
Wish me Chookas!
Sunday, 16 January, 2011
G'Day Mate!
Hello from sunny Sydney Australia!
My epic 27-hour journey is over, I'm totally unpacked, and I'm reasonably over the jet-lag (he says optimisticly). In other words, I'm ready to rock and roll. Which is good timing, since my first rehearsal for JERSEY BOYS, SYDNEY starts tomorrow morning. Which for you back home is sometime yesterday afternoon ... -ish. I think. But don't quote me.
I wanted to take this opportunity to thank everyone at Dodger Theatricals in New York and at Newtheatricals in Sydney who had a hand in giving me this opportunity. I am very blessed. Thank you all, very much.
As you can probably already tell, I'm super excited to be here. The city is so vibrant, the weather is amazing (sorry to you folks back home buried in the snow), and the locals are very welcoming. In fact, last night I had the chance to meet many members of the JB company at a roof-top bar just a few minutes walk away from the Sydney Harbour. Everyone was incredibly warm and welcoming to myself and to another new cast member joining the company here, Graham Fenton. They treated us like gold, and showed us that Aussie spirit.
A lot of you have wished me good luck and safe travels on Facebook and through email and I can't thank you enough for your kind sentiments. I think many of you are sending these wishes in light of the disasterous floods which have claimed the lives of nearly 20 people with more people still missing. However, I do want to point out to folks back home that these floods are happening at least 1000km away from Sydney, some to the North near Brisbane, and some to the South-West in Victoria. The recovery is going well, and it seems the water levels have stopped going up, which is a very good sign. In any case, Sydney has been spared, it seems. Knock on wood.
As for work, I'm excited to get back into the rehearsal hall. It's been almost five months since I've worked on JERSEY BOYS, with the closing of the Toronto production August 22, 2010. Although I played 'Frankie Valli' nearly 500 times, I'm sure it'll take a few weeks to get back into my body, due to the lenghty layoff. But, you never know, it could be sooner. Things can change pretty quickly in Jersey!
I'll be trying to write more frequently now that I'm Down Under. I may start using Twitter a bit more often too, so if you're interested, check it out. And Facebook seems to be the preferred way for everyone to keep in the loop. And of course, my website is another option. It's fun to keep connected to everyone back home!
Alright - till next time.
Tuesday, 9 February, 2010
Lindsay Thomas (revised edition)
Hi Folks,
This is a revised version of my post from late last night. I've made a few corrections and added a few details, so check it out.
Yesterday I went to Lindsay's Memorial service and it got me to thinking. So, instead of going to sleep I started writing.
Lindsay and I met about 15 months ago, on our first day of rehearsals for Jersey Boys in Toronto. She was cast as Francine and about a hundred other smaller parts. We became friendly right away, as often happens when new casts gather for rehearsals. We didn't hang out, go for meals together or talk on the phone, because there was so much work to be done getting the show up to speed. But you could say we hit it off.
In those early days, all I knew of Lindsay was her stunning smile, her infectious spirit, her radiant energy, and her abundant talent. I knew she had many friends and a long-term partner in Stratford, Gareth Potter, a fellow I had played cricket against while I was at Shaw. She quickly earned respect for her work in Jersey Boys, and I came to rely on her to be ever-present in our scene-work.
Once the show opened in December and we started to settle into the run, we began to notice a slight change in her. She often became ill, and had to take some time off for a bad cough to heal. Bronchitis, she was told. But her health continues to worsen and it left her having bad coughing fits offstage. She was encouraged to seek further insight into her health, and throughout this time of going for tests, she maintained her perky spirit. She'd come to work, run around backstage from the stage to the costume booth and back, belt out the high notes in "My Boyfriend's Back", do all the choreo like a pro, and all with a smile on her face. What a trooper.
Yet things continued to worsen. When she needed to take an extended leave from the show, we knew something serious was going on. And when we heard she had cancer, stage 4 lung cancer, our minds went blank and our hearts sunk. How is that possible? How could she have cancer - she's 30 years old, fit as a fiddle, living a healthy lifestyle... it just didn't make sense.
But Linds handled her diagnosis and prognosis like a saint. She stayed positive, she was determined to beat it, and get well again. She had tremendous support from her family, from Gareth and from his family, and from her close friends. They wrapped her in a "Cocoon of Love" as she put it, and it was helping.
On her final day of chemo, the cast of Jersey Boys surprised her as she was leaving the hospital. We were waiting outside the main doors in a line, each ringing a bell for her. I'll never forget the look on her face. She was so moved seeing us there, as we were seeing her there. She immediately came over and hugged each one of us, thanked us for coming, and tossed her hat off to reveal her beautiful bald skull. We gave Lindsay her 1-year anniversary gift from Jersey Boys, and a cheque to cover some of her expenses, monies that were graciously donated by our audiences over a one-week period. She was moved to tears. And beaming, ear to ear.
That was the last time I saw Lindsay.
Since learning of her death last Wednesday, getting through the 'Francine' moments in the show has been difficult. I've somehow managed it, but it is almost creepy how real the loss feels. I know maintaining my composure will be a challenge going forward, but I think we will soldier on and honour her in the only way we can, by doing the show.
As my faithful readers know I have had some difficulties with that particular song in the past. In part because it comes immediately on the heels of learning of Francine's death, but also because death is so difficult to talk about and comprehend.
I was surprised to learn this week that Lindsay's favorite part of the show was "Fallen Angel", a scene in which she doesn't even say a word. Yet, the power of that moment in the theatre each night was palpable, and I could feel her support and connection to me each night as she sat on that bench and touched my hand. It was because of her commitment to her character, to the moment, to the relationship with me that made it all come together.
When I was asked by Gareth to sing "Fallen Angel" at her memorial service this afternoon because it meant so much to Lindsay, I was floored. Gareth insisted that Lindsay would have wanted me to. I asked Gareth if it would be alright since Fallen Angel is quite short if I could honour Lindsay by adding on a verse and chorus of "Can't Take My Eyes Off of You". He agreed that it would be a lovely gesture. I was accompanied on guitar by the incomparable Levon Ickhanian, and we rehearsed the number a couple times yesterday.
The memorial service was amazing. First of all, the church in Stratford was packed. Outside, the line snaked down the sidewalk and onto the street, and inside it was standing room only. Hundreds and hundreds of people traveled for hours to attend the service. And I know there were hundreds of other people who wanted to come, but just couldn't make the trip because of work or other commitments. So, to describe the scene for you, it was a simple church with pews on either side of a centre aisle, and more seats upstairs in a small balcony. Things were elegantly laid out, with a beautiful picture of Lindsay blown up and centered on the stage. It was surrounded by large bouquets of flowers, and in front was a silver urn. There was a grand piano to the left of the stage and a few microphones for the singers nearby. The speakers were eloquent, the tone was a perfect balance of light and heavy, the music was moving, the decorations beautiful and elegant without being ostentatious. Even the sunlight managed to make a graceful appearance streaming through the windows.
As for my performance, it went really well. I was surprisingly composed through "Fallen Angel", but oddly, things changed when I got into "Can't Take...". "You're just too good to be true...". I started feeling a bit overwhelmed, so I looked down towards the floor to focus and gather my strength. Placed exactly where I cast my gaze was a small table with a beautiful coffee-table book that someone had made for Lindsay. On the cover was a gorgeous picture of her, smiling. She seemed to be looking right at me. "You'd be like Heaven to touch, I want to hold you so much". I sang right to her for a couple lines, and felt a wave of calmness come over me. I looked back up and finished the song comfortably. "You're just too good to be true."
I think what I'll remember most from the service was how it came to an end. After listening to moving speeches by both Lindsay's parents and Gareth, everyone was asked to sing along to the Elton John classic "Tiny Dancer", an ode to Lindsay. To a man, every single person in that church was on their feet, reading the lyrics in the program, and belting out that song to a solo piano accompaniment. It was such a joyful moment for me. The entire community was as one. Colleagues, friends and family alike, coming together to honour a sweet young woman, through a song. I had tears in my eyes, yet again.
When the song ended, there was silence for about 10 seconds while we all stood there moved from the experience. Then, someone started clapping. Within a second, the church rang out with thunderous applause. The crammed full house gave Lindsay a stunning three-minute standing ovation, the kind where first your hands start to hurt, then your arms get sore, but you keep going anyway because she damn-well deserves it. It was the perfect ending to a beautiful memorial service.
Afterward we all gathered in the Marquis Hall at the Festival Theatre for a simple reception. Kudos to the Stratford Festival for laying out the spread in what was a very classy move. And, speaking of classy, I wanted to thank Dodger Theatricals and Dancap, the producers of Jersey Boys Toronto. I was supposed to be singing the national anthems at the Leafs game in Toronto yesterday, and upon learning of Lindsay's death, they pulled the event so that I would be free to go to her memorial. Not only that, they allowed me to perform the two songs from the show and sent a beautiful large bouquet of flowers too. Very classy.
Anyway, in trying to take away something positive from this experience, I've been doing a lot of thinking. I haven't figured it all out yet, but I think I've got a good start. I'm going to take a little piece of what I learned from Lindsay with me everywhere I go. I'm going to smile more. I'm going to ask you how you're doing first. I'm going to care about my situation less, and the predicaments of others more. I'm going to reach out to friends more, stay in touch a bit better. I'm going to tell my loved ones that I love them more.
When it all comes down to it, what really matters in life is the people you love and the people who love you. That's the only real currency there is. It isn't money, power, or success or whatever bullshit we think is important. It's love.
Somehow, Lindsay knew that. She may be gone, but she'll live on in my heart and in the hearts of hundreds of others too, because she knew how to love. God bless you, Linds. And thank you for all you've done. You will be missed.
I love you.
This is a revised version of my post from late last night. I've made a few corrections and added a few details, so check it out.
Yesterday I went to Lindsay's Memorial service and it got me to thinking. So, instead of going to sleep I started writing.
Lindsay and I met about 15 months ago, on our first day of rehearsals for Jersey Boys in Toronto. She was cast as Francine and about a hundred other smaller parts. We became friendly right away, as often happens when new casts gather for rehearsals. We didn't hang out, go for meals together or talk on the phone, because there was so much work to be done getting the show up to speed. But you could say we hit it off.
In those early days, all I knew of Lindsay was her stunning smile, her infectious spirit, her radiant energy, and her abundant talent. I knew she had many friends and a long-term partner in Stratford, Gareth Potter, a fellow I had played cricket against while I was at Shaw. She quickly earned respect for her work in Jersey Boys, and I came to rely on her to be ever-present in our scene-work.
Once the show opened in December and we started to settle into the run, we began to notice a slight change in her. She often became ill, and had to take some time off for a bad cough to heal. Bronchitis, she was told. But her health continues to worsen and it left her having bad coughing fits offstage. She was encouraged to seek further insight into her health, and throughout this time of going for tests, she maintained her perky spirit. She'd come to work, run around backstage from the stage to the costume booth and back, belt out the high notes in "My Boyfriend's Back", do all the choreo like a pro, and all with a smile on her face. What a trooper.
Yet things continued to worsen. When she needed to take an extended leave from the show, we knew something serious was going on. And when we heard she had cancer, stage 4 lung cancer, our minds went blank and our hearts sunk. How is that possible? How could she have cancer - she's 30 years old, fit as a fiddle, living a healthy lifestyle... it just didn't make sense.
But Linds handled her diagnosis and prognosis like a saint. She stayed positive, she was determined to beat it, and get well again. She had tremendous support from her family, from Gareth and from his family, and from her close friends. They wrapped her in a "Cocoon of Love" as she put it, and it was helping.
On her final day of chemo, the cast of Jersey Boys surprised her as she was leaving the hospital. We were waiting outside the main doors in a line, each ringing a bell for her. I'll never forget the look on her face. She was so moved seeing us there, as we were seeing her there. She immediately came over and hugged each one of us, thanked us for coming, and tossed her hat off to reveal her beautiful bald skull. We gave Lindsay her 1-year anniversary gift from Jersey Boys, and a cheque to cover some of her expenses, monies that were graciously donated by our audiences over a one-week period. She was moved to tears. And beaming, ear to ear.
That was the last time I saw Lindsay.
Since learning of her death last Wednesday, getting through the 'Francine' moments in the show has been difficult. I've somehow managed it, but it is almost creepy how real the loss feels. I know maintaining my composure will be a challenge going forward, but I think we will soldier on and honour her in the only way we can, by doing the show.
As my faithful readers know I have had some difficulties with that particular song in the past. In part because it comes immediately on the heels of learning of Francine's death, but also because death is so difficult to talk about and comprehend.
I was surprised to learn this week that Lindsay's favorite part of the show was "Fallen Angel", a scene in which she doesn't even say a word. Yet, the power of that moment in the theatre each night was palpable, and I could feel her support and connection to me each night as she sat on that bench and touched my hand. It was because of her commitment to her character, to the moment, to the relationship with me that made it all come together.
When I was asked by Gareth to sing "Fallen Angel" at her memorial service this afternoon because it meant so much to Lindsay, I was floored. Gareth insisted that Lindsay would have wanted me to. I asked Gareth if it would be alright since Fallen Angel is quite short if I could honour Lindsay by adding on a verse and chorus of "Can't Take My Eyes Off of You". He agreed that it would be a lovely gesture. I was accompanied on guitar by the incomparable Levon Ickhanian, and we rehearsed the number a couple times yesterday.
The memorial service was amazing. First of all, the church in Stratford was packed. Outside, the line snaked down the sidewalk and onto the street, and inside it was standing room only. Hundreds and hundreds of people traveled for hours to attend the service. And I know there were hundreds of other people who wanted to come, but just couldn't make the trip because of work or other commitments. So, to describe the scene for you, it was a simple church with pews on either side of a centre aisle, and more seats upstairs in a small balcony. Things were elegantly laid out, with a beautiful picture of Lindsay blown up and centered on the stage. It was surrounded by large bouquets of flowers, and in front was a silver urn. There was a grand piano to the left of the stage and a few microphones for the singers nearby. The speakers were eloquent, the tone was a perfect balance of light and heavy, the music was moving, the decorations beautiful and elegant without being ostentatious. Even the sunlight managed to make a graceful appearance streaming through the windows.
As for my performance, it went really well. I was surprisingly composed through "Fallen Angel", but oddly, things changed when I got into "Can't Take...". "You're just too good to be true...". I started feeling a bit overwhelmed, so I looked down towards the floor to focus and gather my strength. Placed exactly where I cast my gaze was a small table with a beautiful coffee-table book that someone had made for Lindsay. On the cover was a gorgeous picture of her, smiling. She seemed to be looking right at me. "You'd be like Heaven to touch, I want to hold you so much". I sang right to her for a couple lines, and felt a wave of calmness come over me. I looked back up and finished the song comfortably. "You're just too good to be true."
I think what I'll remember most from the service was how it came to an end. After listening to moving speeches by both Lindsay's parents and Gareth, everyone was asked to sing along to the Elton John classic "Tiny Dancer", an ode to Lindsay. To a man, every single person in that church was on their feet, reading the lyrics in the program, and belting out that song to a solo piano accompaniment. It was such a joyful moment for me. The entire community was as one. Colleagues, friends and family alike, coming together to honour a sweet young woman, through a song. I had tears in my eyes, yet again.
When the song ended, there was silence for about 10 seconds while we all stood there moved from the experience. Then, someone started clapping. Within a second, the church rang out with thunderous applause. The crammed full house gave Lindsay a stunning three-minute standing ovation, the kind where first your hands start to hurt, then your arms get sore, but you keep going anyway because she damn-well deserves it. It was the perfect ending to a beautiful memorial service.
Afterward we all gathered in the Marquis Hall at the Festival Theatre for a simple reception. Kudos to the Stratford Festival for laying out the spread in what was a very classy move. And, speaking of classy, I wanted to thank Dodger Theatricals and Dancap, the producers of Jersey Boys Toronto. I was supposed to be singing the national anthems at the Leafs game in Toronto yesterday, and upon learning of Lindsay's death, they pulled the event so that I would be free to go to her memorial. Not only that, they allowed me to perform the two songs from the show and sent a beautiful large bouquet of flowers too. Very classy.
Anyway, in trying to take away something positive from this experience, I've been doing a lot of thinking. I haven't figured it all out yet, but I think I've got a good start. I'm going to take a little piece of what I learned from Lindsay with me everywhere I go. I'm going to smile more. I'm going to ask you how you're doing first. I'm going to care about my situation less, and the predicaments of others more. I'm going to reach out to friends more, stay in touch a bit better. I'm going to tell my loved ones that I love them more.
When it all comes down to it, what really matters in life is the people you love and the people who love you. That's the only real currency there is. It isn't money, power, or success or whatever bullshit we think is important. It's love.
Somehow, Lindsay knew that. She may be gone, but she'll live on in my heart and in the hearts of hundreds of others too, because she knew how to love. God bless you, Linds. And thank you for all you've done. You will be missed.
I love you.
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