The Gondoliers

Hi everyone, happy Friday! Unfortunately, an outfit post today just wasn't happening. I woke up 15 minutes before 8 and absolutely had to take a shower (after 24 hours in this heat--going without wasn't even a remote possibility), so needless to say I was rather rushed and went with my tried-and-true go-to get-up. Anyway, I thought I would drop in for a little post about my plans for the evening, because I'm kind of excited! My parents are taking K and I out for some pizza and then to Unadilla Theatre for their production of Gilbert and Sullivan's operetta, The Gondoliers--a show that is near and dear to my heart.

In 2004, I played Tessa in a well-reviewed production of The Gondoliers on the very same stage (opposite the same set of brothers who are in the show again this time around). I tried to access the Times Argus article online but they tried to rob me of $2.95 for an archived version sans graphics (there was a huge color spread in the newspaper of my warbling mug, which was pretty awesome even though, let's face it, it's not the New York Times). I have a clipping somewhere (all of my newspaper appearances were carefully clipped and saved over the years). I did, however, find the transcript for Neal Charnoff's VPR feature (if you listen to the actual clip you can hear me singing).

Two years later, I met a gondolier in real life:

(Please note that my friend S is very stylish and had a brass-buttoned military style jacket long before they were "cool" and let that distract you from the fact that I look rather like an eager puppy in this photograph)

Gondoliers are a pretty charming bunch. They speak to each other in a special dialect that only they can understand (no, not Italian--geez, how dumb do you think I am?) and ours was apparently pretty pleased with himself for scoring a foursome of pretty American girls (instead of the more common doughy middle-aged tourists) and would brag about it to every passing boat.

What I'm trying to say is, The Gondoliers and I go way back. And Unadilla is a really great, unique venue--a renovated barn in the middle of nowhere (Calais, VT)--with enough of a reputation to guarantee a relatively talented cast and a lively show! Have a fantastic weekend, and good luck beating the heat! Arrivederci!