Making Those Dreams Real

Hello Everyone. A fantastic Friday to you all.

So much news to tell... let's get to it! TAKING THE WHEEL is now in my hands, and it looks fantastic! I picked the CDs up the other day in Toronto, and it was very surreal loading box after box into the back of my car... It hasn't really sunk in yet that the whole thing is finished, but that will probably change once I release it into the world this Sunday.

So... This coming Sunday, three days from now, I'm having my CD Release Party. It'll be a Listening party and a Garden party all at the same time. You're all invited. Come. Have some food, something to drink, and buy a CD. You won't regret it. In the garden at 234 Johnson St. in Niagara-on-the-Lake. 2pm-7pm. Drop in anytime.

How to buy it... If you can't attend Sunday, and you want to buy a CD (and who doesn't) you have options!
Option 1: Give me $20, and I give you a CD. Either in person, or thru the mail, whatever you like.
Option 2: Go to www.jeffmadden.ca, click the BUY CD icon on the left, follow the steps and order it online. $20 + shipping.
Option 3: Go to The Shaw Festival Theatre Shop, pay them $20 + tax.
Option 4: Wait a few weeks, and buy it digitally from PureTracks or iTunes. Pay by the song, or the whole album.
Just don't burn a copy for your friends. Tell them get one themselves!

Big Day... Sunday will be a big day. Not only will I have my CD Release Party, but the new cast recording of 'TRISTAN - THE MUSICAL' is also having its CD Release Party! We recorded this album in April 2006, and it's only surfacing now, just in time for the World Premiere of TRISTAN next month here at the Shaw. It'll be released at a 'Coffee Concert' featuring the Shaw's Blue Spruce Spring Quartet, who were featured heavily on TAKING THE WHEEL. At this concert, I'll be singing "One Face" from Tristan, which appears on both CDs! Come check it out - 11am Sunday June 24th, Festival Theatre Lobby.

Beautiful Set... In other Tristan news, we rehearsed on the set in the Courthouse this week for the first time. It is going to look stunning! It is so beautiful, even without lights and costumes. You're in for a treat... especially in ACT 2 during the Chopin/Wagner section. Breathtaking... (Did you know that most of our rehearsals take place in rehearsal halls away from the stage? We tape out the outline of our set onto the floor, and use rehearsal pieces instead of the actual props. This way, other shows can take place on the actual stage, as we do our work in another location.)

The COC... Next week, we're doing a 1-hour concert of Tristan at the Canadian Opera Company! That's right, on Friday June 29th at 12 noon, in the lobby of the new 4 Seasons Centre, we'll sing through most of the music from Tristan, with narration by Jackie Maxwell, the Shaw's Artistic Director. And, it's totally FREE. So, come down if you can.

And Finally... (as I'm sure your eyes are burning) a little news from Mack and Mabel. Today, we had the pleasure of meeting the legendary Broadway composer JERRY HERMAN himself. Aside from Mack and Mabel, he wrote Hello Dolly, Mame, and La Cage Aux Folles. We met with him onstage after our curtain call, and he was so generous with his compliments, and seemed quite moved after seeing our show. I had a chance to shake his hand and thank him for making the trip. He is in his 80's and was quite sick earlier this spring, so we didn't think he'd be make it all the way up to Canada... but, there he was. A very special moment indeed.

OK everyone, that's it for me. Now it's your turn. Leave a comment for me. I love to read them. Just click the little COMMENT icon below, write your comment to me, click OTHER or ANONYMOUS, and click PUBLISH POST and your done. Until next time.