Good News, Bad News

It’s been a bit of a wild ride these past 10 days.

First, the Good:
A week ago last Saturday, we officially opened "Wonderful Town" to great reviews in all the major papers (NOT THAT I READ THEM). The sold out crowd was charmed into loads of laughs, making the evening a fun night for us on stage. We continue to run the show around four times a week through to October 5th, so plan to come on down to see it if you haven’t yet.

When I’m not running Wonderful Town, I was finishing tech rehearsals for "A Little Night Music". This past Sunday we did our first preview to an enthusiastic sold out house. Of course, it has been a lot of work, but learning this show has also been a fun and enriching experience . We have 15 more previews before our official opening July 4th, and each and every one of them is sold out! So, if you really want to see this show, book ahead!

Speaking of looking ahead, and proving that good news comes in threes, I will have the honour of singing in front of none other than Prince Edward. Yes, THEE Prince Edward. You know... 7th in line to the throne (I think). He’ll be in NOTL this weekend, and there is a function at which he will be entertained (or so we hope) by myself and four other Shaw folk. How cool is that? Actually, the Prince and I go way back. We met once before, in 1999 after a performance of “Emily” when he visited Charlottetown, PEI. After the concert I think we’re going bowling, then hitting the Angel for a few pints.

And now, here’s the Bad:
The Mirvish’s have backed out of the Toronto run of “The Boys in the Photograph”. This is the Andrew Lloyd Webber/Ben Elton musical that I was offered the lead in, which was to play in Toronto’s Canon Theatre after opening in Winnipeg. Well, it seems the Mirvish’s may be in a little legal trouble with another theatre producer, Dancap, over who runs the Canon. Dancap, the only other major commercial theatre producer in Toronto, is trying to block the Mirvish’s from using the space so that it can run its own plays there. Apparently they still hope to produce the show at some point down the road, but there is no guarantee of it happening.

So, it seems I have a major decision to make. I could still do the one-month Winnipeg run, and be a part of an amazing team debuting a new musical by a major composer, and then cross all my fingers and toes that there will be a future engagement of the show somewhere down the line. Or, I could turn this offer down and hope to be back at Shaw for a 9th season, where I have enjoyed myself immensely. I just can’t do both. It’s one or the other. It seems I have to make this major decision without knowing how it’s all going to work out. And it's not just me I've got to worry about these days. I've got to be on the lookout for Christine, Sydney and Emily too.

Ah, the life of an actor. You just never know how it’s all going to turn out. Good news, bad news, ups and downs. Just another week in the life. I can hear my Dad saying... “What? And quit show business?”