Wishing my wonderful Mom, Christine, a very Happy Birthday today! Last week Brian and I had a great winter visit to Michigan with her and my brother, Josh, and sister-in-law, Becky. Mom, hope you can make it out to NYC this year to have some City fun with us!
Josh, Me, and Mom – January 2011
Here’s hoping that everyone had a beautiful Xmas and Hannukah, and wishing that 2012 is filled with happiness and success! XOXO
Congratulations to authors David Zellnik and Joe Zellnik, director David Cromer, choreographer Jeffry Denman, musical director Rob Berman, and everyone involved in The Old Globe’s November 2011 4-week workshop of Yank! Your work was gorgeous! And bravo to the incredible cast: Bobby Steggert, Santino Fontana, Nellie McKay, Jeffrey Schecter, Tally Sessions, Colt Prattes, Adam Perry, Cole Escola, Cody Williams, Cory Michael Smith, Brian Cali, Morgan Spector, Jared Gertner, Scott Barnhardt, and Charles MacEachern!
David Zellnik and Joe Zellnik.
We just had the most wonderful end-of-summer vacation with some of our closest friends in Provincetown, MA. One of the best trips ever! Thank you to Emile & Ricardo, Mark & Paul, and Barry & David for being the best tour guides for our first visit to P-Town. Also a big shout-out to Howard and Thomas at Tucker Inn, who were the friendliest, warmest hosts and made us feel completely at home. (Shout-outs to Michelle, Curtis, and Colby, too!) We will definitely be back 
A leisurely walk on the whaler’s wharf. What a glorious day!
The west end of town from the top of the Pilgrim Monument.
The Pilgrim Monument.
Tucker Inn.
Tucker Inn is by the library (the big white building).
The whole gang hanging out at Tucker Inn.
Happy boys in P-Town.
The backyard at Tucker Inn.
The backyard hangout at Tucker Inn.
Pretty goldfish pond at Tucker Inn.
Coco looking very guilty…she wasn’t drinking out of the goldfish pond, was she???
Colby, master of Tucker Inn.
Emile and Matt at breakfast.
Emile, Ricardo, Brian, and Mark enjoying a chill afternoon at Tucker Inn.
Giving Paulie some love.
Our lovely room (Room 1) at Tucker Inn.
The front sitting room at Tucker Inn.
The breakfast area at Tucker Inn – our morning gathering place.
Photo op in front of Town Hall.
Group lunch at Bubbala’s.
Coco found some driftwood for “fetch” in about two seconds after we got to the beach.
Emile and Coco were brave enough to get in the freezing water. Actually, I think it was just Coco.
Ricardo with an amazing beach sculpture we happened upon.
Brian at the base of the Pilgrim Monument.
Looking down into the staircase from the top of the Pilgrim Monument.
Lizzie Borden sighting!
Brian with the fabulous Varla Jean Merman after her show “The Book of Merman”.
An incredible sunset on Friday night.
Moonlight on the water Sunday night.
Breathtaking moonlight on Sunday night. What a beautiful sight on our last night in P-Town!
Matt and Brian loving P-Town.
Causing trouble on Commercial Street.
The boatslip tea dance will never be the same.
Coco out-vacationed us all
When Brian found out a couple months ago that he was going to be sent to Montreal for 3 weeks in June for work, we immediately made plans for me to join him so we could make a mini-vacation out of it.
Since I got here, we’ve explored Rue Sainte-Catherine (the main business strip), the Plateau, Rue Saint Laurent (a super-happening restaurant and shops district right where Brian’s apartment is which has been a huge street fair the entire time I’ve been here!), the Latin Quarter, the Village, the Montagne, Old Port and Old Montreal, the amazing fresh market in Little Italy, and today we went to La Ronde, the roller-coaster-packed amusement park just off of the downtown on an island in the river.
I love this city! Still have a few more days here, and we’ll definitely be back for more!
Downtown Montreal from a wonderful lookout spot on the Montagne.
Brian and me happy after seeing Cirque du Soleil’s Totem.
A side street in Old Montreal.
The market at the Old Port, beautiful at night.
Notre Dame.
Us with an incredible seafood platter on Rue St. Laurent. As we ate and drank, our table was a perfect viewing spot for people watching at the incredible all-night street fair.
Beautiful berries and flowers at the huge Marché Jean-Talon in Little Italy.
The “biosphere” on Ile Sainte-Helene.
The Dragon and Monstre roller-coasters at La Ronde amusement park. We went on 5 roller-coasters today!
Brian walking up the immense Rue St. Laurent street fair in the afternoon sun.
Square du St. Louis, with it’s beautiful fountain, by day and by night.
Rue Prince Arthur, a romantic restaurant district just a block away from Brian’s apartment.
The campus of McGill University is impressive with it’s old architecture, tree-lined streets, and huge lawns. I had a nice lawn sitting in the sun looking at the beautiful buildings and flowers and watching the students and faculty come and go.
The colorful Palais des congrès de Montreal.
We had a blast in the Gay Village area on East St. Catherine. There is a sculpture there with each of many red posts having one letter at the top. Looking at it from the side, you can’t make out what it means, but when you stand in front of it, the letters come together visually to form words. It says: ” Il Y AURA UNE PLACE POUR CHACUNE DES LIBERTÉS QUE VOUS VOUDREZ BIEN VOUS ACCORDER”, which translates roughly to: “There will be a place for each of the liberties that you want to allow yourself.” Nice, and thank you, Montreal, for a great week!
It’s been a busy couple weeks of theater-going! Some really wonderful things and some not so wonderful. But there’s always something to be learned.
The cast of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert at the Palace Theater.
End of March I caught a preview of THE MOTHERF**CKER WITH THE HAT at the Schoenfeld Theater with Bobby Cannavale, Chris Rock, Annabelle Sciorra, and company. A matinee of LA CAGE AUX FOLLES at the Longacre with Harvey Fierstein and Chris Sieber was totally delightful. I had never seen the Pulitzer Prize-winning play THAT CHAMPIONSHIP SEASON at Bernard B. Jacobs Theater, so was happy to see the starry revival (Brian Cox and Jason Patric were particularly good). The best Vegas show has nothing on the fabulous PRISCILLA, QUEEN OF THE DESERT at the Palace – what a fun, fun time! Jonathan Miller’s production of Donizetti’s THE ELIXIR OF LOVE at City Opera was terrific, and the singing was great, too. The cast of the play HIGH at the Booth Theater (Kathleen Turner, Evan Jonigkeit, and Stephen Kunken) is top-notch, even if the play is not as impressive. CATCH ME IF YOU CAN at the Neil Simon Theater is slick as can be, with Aaron Tveit and Norbert Leo Butz giving star performances. Finally, WONDERLAND at the Marriott Marquis Theater is flashy and Susan Hilferty should get some Tony recognition for her incredible costumes for the Queen of Hearts (played by Karen Mason).
Next week: THE HOUSE OF BLUE LEAVES at the Walter Kerr Theater and PETER AND THE STARCATCHER at New York Theater Workshop!
Karen Mason in Susan Hilferty’s wonderful costume for Wonderland.
Harvey Fierstein as Zaza in La Cage aux Folles
Photos from The New York Times website.
Thank you to the cast of last week’s reading of Señor Discretion! Frank Loesser would have been proud. You all were wonderful!
Cast: Danny Bolero, John Bolton, Sarah Amengual, Bianca Marroquin, Ivan Hernandez, Doreen Montalvo, Joseph Melendez, Orville Mendoza, Tony Chiroides, Blanca Camacho, Jennifer Sanchez, Omar Lopez-Cepero, and Henry Gainza.
Thanks also to Jo and Emily Loesser, Richard Montoya, Charles Randolph-Wright, and Larry Hochman for introducing me to the little town of Tepancinga, Kim Cruse and Martin Damien Wilkins for making it all happen, and Francisco Navarro for bringing some extra flavor (and classiness).
Cast and crew of the March 14, 2011 reading of Señor Discretion.
Exciting news! Roundabout Theatre Company, the major non-profit theater which produces on Broadway and Off-Broadway, is producing a workshop of Yank! this month. The workshop is a great opportunity for David and Joe Zellnik, director David Cromer, and choreographer Jeffry Denman to continue their work on the show. Read the Playbill.com announcement!
(top to bottom) Bobby Steggert, Santino Fontana, Nellie McKay, and Michael Beresse.
The workshop cast includes Bobby Steggert returning as Stu after his praised performance in the role Off-Broadway last year; Santino Fontana (currently appearing in Brian Bedford’s production of The Importance of Being Earnest on Broadway) as Mitch; singer/songwriter Nellie McKay playing all of the female roles; and Michael Beresse (the Broadway revival of A Chorus Line, Kiss Me, Kate, etc.) as Artie. The rest of the cast: Tally Sessions, Colt Prattes, Derrick Trumbly, Jeremy Cohen, Morgan Spector, Tyler Maynard, Cole Escola, Jeff Hiller, Charles MacEachern, Cody Williams, and Colin Bradbury.
Read the Time Out New York blog entry on the Roundabout workshop of Yank!
(top to bottom) David and Joe Zellnik, David Cromer, and Jeffry Denman.
Yank! is No. 1 in The Advocate’s 2010 “Best of Theatre” roundup! Congratulations to the Bros. Zellnik, Igor Goldin, Jeffry Denman, and the entire cast and crew of The York Theatre Company production!
Read The Advocate’s 2010 “Best of Theatre” roundup list!
Jeffry Denman and Bobby Steggert in Yank! Off-Broadway. Photo by Carol Rosegg.
My Dad died peacefully at age 60 on December 6 with my Mother, my brother Josh, my sister-in-law Becky, and myself at his side. We are glad that his pain has ended, but are grieving the loss of his life. A memorial service was held on Friday, December 10 and filled Markey Community Baptist Church. Several pages of this week’s Houghton Lake Resorter newspaper were dedicated to articles remembering Dad.
Thank you to everyone who has been so supportive of me and my family through this difficult time.
Baby Glenn with his Dad and Mom.
Young Glenn having fun on a sled.
Looks like Dad and sister Valli just caught supper…
Dad performing for an unknown audience. Maybe that’s where Josh and I got it from…?
Dad and Mom.
Dad with his Army buzzcut and Mom.
Dad in the sun outside the Kentucky trailer.
My dad holding baby me.
Munchkin-me on my dad’s shoulders.
Young Family: Mom, Munchkin-me, and Dad before Josh came along.
Dad laughing.
Dad reading. Very typical.
The Schicker Family with their Sunfish sailboat, back in the day.
At my graduation from Interlochen.
In Central Park in the early 2000s.
Dad in his kayak.
Mom and Dad.
Mom and Dad in November 2010.
