Home Stretch

Basic Training will have its final Off Broadway performance on December 1 and it feels good to know that we came to NY and conquered.

In the past few weeks I've been doing lots of radio interviews including an interview with the lovely Farai Chideya on NPR which is posted on the website www.basictrainingnyc.com if you'd like to listen in. Early this morning I did an interview on WBAI which went really well. The best thing about doing a 7am interview definitely ain't the time slot. It's seeing the city of New York slowly come to life. WBAI is down on Wall Street and it's right in the middle of the action. I had never experienced that before: The news anchors setting up to let the world know what was happening on Wall Street and how the markets were looking. The vendors warming up their carts full of bagels, coffee and juice. The rumble of the subway under your feet and the cabbies using their horns like a rooster's call to awaken the sleeping giant that is New York City. I miss Vancouver but NYC has a flavor all its own.

My wife returned from England last week and we spent a few days at a gorgeous house in Connecticut. Always good to get away and enjoy the sound of nothing. We just sat by the fireplace and watched movies and talked about our excitement and expectations of our new baby. What will it look like? Will it eat a lot? (if it takes after it's Dad it will) Something tells me fatherhood will change everything but I wouldn't have it any other way.

The success of Basic Training has provided me with so many wonderful opportunities that I am forever grateful for but it's also exposed me to a lot of fake promises and fake people. Like any industry you gotta take the good with the bad I guess. The joy I get in coming home to a loving wife, a few true friends and family is the only thing that seems real to me right now. Like mama used to say - people are what they do, not what they say.

I feel like my hardest work is still ahead of me but this journey started with a few people that need to be recognized. Tony Lepore is one of them - this guy is my stage manager but he's not just any technician. Since 2004 he has stood by the show through thick and thin always believing that it would one day open Off Broadway. When ever I had to do an industry showcase in a rehearsal room at the last minute he would drop everything and make sure that although we only had a boom-box the cues were right on time. Tony's professionalism and work ethic make him one of a kind and he has traveled with Basic Training to Dubai and Abu Dhabi which solidified his place in my mind as one of the hardest working dudes I know. Hanging out in Dubai also meant my wife and I got to spend some fun time with him and it was unforgettable. In 2005 when Tony and I first arrived in the Middle East and realized that we didn't have to pay for food we almost ate ourselves sick. Looking back we probably looked like two inmates sitting there wolfing down gourmet food like somebody was going to steal it from us.

Good times.

I can't say this run in New York flew by but I can say that every show feels like the first one. Except for the matinees. I will never understand the logic behind doing a 2pm show when the 7pm still isn't sold out. But when the lights go down it doesn't matter. Everybody gets 100%.

48 Hours

In the last 48 hours Barack Obama has won the election to become the first African American President of the United States and I have celebrated my 35th year on earth.

The power of the spoken word was so evident in Obama's acceptance speech and as I went to vote at 6am today the build-up to his victory was palpable. There was electricity in the air as we all stood in line in Greenwich Village, way too tired to socialize but not too tired to pull the lever.

My wife will be back soon, and I am really looking forward to having her here. Our baby is quite active and it has been kicking her and making its presence known. Something tells me we have an especially active and healthy baby on the way! Thanks so much for your well wishes and prayers.

This has been a particularly tough week for myself and the show, challenges continue to pile up and the pressure is keeping me awake at night. It's times like this that I really enjoy performing on stage because for as long as I can remember adversity has always been a part of my journey. Not too sure what its like to have things come easy to me but this journey has shaped me in ways I cannot put into words.

There is a revised performance schedule for November so please check www.basictrainingnyc.com or call the Box Office at 212.868.4444 for updates. We want to make sure we are making the most of the time we have in the theater and these changes will reflect that. I apologize for any inconvenience but I promise it will be worth your while. The Basic Training team continues to work harder than ever behind the scenes to make the magic happen every night and it shows. In the coming weeks I'll introduce you to some of these people but you should take a minute and come meet them yourself after the show.

Once you see all the aspects that go into making Basic Training happen every night I think you'll agree that there's no such thing as a one man show.

p.s.
We have 2009 tour dates for Australia! More to come.

NetFlix

One of the most common questions people ask me is 'What do you do after the show? You must be tired!' This is where Netflix comes in. I don't watch much television but I am a sucker for a good movie. A typical Off Broadway evening for me is

5-5:30: Arrive at theater, stretch and warm up my voice
6:55: Places
7pm-8pm: Showtime
8-8:20: Shake hands with the audience
8:20-8:45: Towel off and change clothes, take the subway to the apartment
9:30: arrive at the apartment, shower and eat meat with vegetables of some sort
10:00: Watch an educational epic like '300' or something more sensible like 'Braveheart'. (depends on what my wife wants to watch as well, we take turns).
11:30pm-Midnight: Crash and burn. Bedtime.

So as you can see without Netflix I'd be stuck watching the three channels that are available in the apartment that has been subletted for me. Each channel has a different version of the news but they all have a lot in common - somebody got killed, the nation is in a financial panic and John McCain is 'just like me' or somebody's cat gave it's life to save a crippled rat trying to cross the subway tracks.

I'm sure this is the exciting jet-setting life you expected of an actor performing his own one man show Off Broadway. I am one wild and crazy dude. Kids, do not try this at home.

Critics Pick!

Basic Training is a New York Times Critics Pick. It has been a huge pleasure shaking everyone's hand after the show and there is so much goodwill surrounding the show. As long as I can look the audience in the eye after the show as they leave the theater and personally thank them for an hour of their time and $35 bucks of their hard earned (especially now) money then I believe that the show will continue to do well. The audience numbers still aren't exactly where we'd like them to be but there is no denying the quality of the people who come to see Basic Training. Hopefully you can assist us in getting some more people like you through the doors.

My wife is visiting family in England and it warms my heart to hear that she is happy and enjoying her time there. Family is so important to her and as we start a family of our own we have a different understanding of what it stands for. Who knows what kinds of challenges the future will bring to families. Unfortunately I won't get to spend my birthday (Nov 3) with any family but that void is slightly smaller now that my Tops In Blue family has come into town and supported me here and there. I feel ten feet tall when I see a member of Tops In Blue in the audience because much like troops who served together in the field we have a connection that you can't put into words. Ever been a part of something bigger than yourself? My first was Tops In Blue, then Caesar's Magical Empire at Caesar's Palace, Akeelah and the Bee (I was the Postman) and now Basic Training.

Next stop...more feature films!

Review of the Review

The week the show officially opened was manic - in a good way. It seemed like everybody arrived in town at the same time. My wife and I really enjoyed having visitors and it made the time go by so fast. Spending time with my mom and grandmother was slightly painful but still good. So much of the show depicts a time frame that was very tough for my mother and I so I kind of felt bad that she had to see the show. Its one thing to see Basic Training and say that's a great show but when its your life you look at it with a different set of eyes. My mom has been so brave and supportive through the whole thing. She could've said 'change my name' or 'don't put that in the show' but she never did. One of the battles I fought in keeping the original concept of the show intact for the NY opening was that I didn't want to soften the blow. Life sucks sometimes and you don't always get a 'set-up' or warning about what's coming next. It makes me feel good to know that my family supports me in that.

Three days off immediately after the opening night was a blessing! I was so damn tired. Talk about being lazy. I have been sleeping no less than nine hours every night and it does wonders for my vocal chords. I also use a Kaz Personal Steam Inhaler and it is magical. Interesting to learn the trade secrets of how people on Broadway perform shows like 'Wicked' or 'The Producers' eight shows a week for years and years. Its a new level of health consciousness.

The reviews come out this week. Drumroll please. Since I first performed the show in May 2003 I have let my stage manager know that I don't want to know who is in the audience. Reviewer or not, everybody deserves 100% and that's what they'll get. It doesn't help to tell me 'hey the NY Times is coming to see your show' because unless they put their underwear on any different than I do - one leg at a time - all I can do is perform the best I can that night.

Regardless of how good or bad the reviews are I hope you come and decide for yourself. Tops In Blue. 100 percent baby.

Opening Night

Tonight was opening night and I am tired as hell. Seven shows in four days. My mom was in the audience and there were also some more Tops In Blue members who came out to support. Pictures are on the way! Good night.

Mornin!

It has truly been a crazy and busy week. I have done four shows in two days and I can feel it. Today I have two more shows with a press interview in between. Yesterday's 7pm show was a blast - Barry Josephson was there, his first time seeing the show in a while and he loved it. He was like a proud producer/father in the lobby afterwards. Two of my BROTHERS from Tops In Blue were also in attendance, Gregg Jordan and Arturo Eusebio. It did my heart good to see them before the show. Afterwards Barry took us out to dinner and we had a good laugh and just reminisced. I also had one of my closest friends Ed Lambrich and his girlfriend Nikki arrive yesterday. They're staying with us for a week - their first time in NYC! Ed and I performed at Caesar's Palace together and he was also an usher at my wedding. Solid dude. My mom and grandma arrive on Monday and we also have a marketing meeting Monday morning. Two more shows till opening night and my voice is tired but strong, my wife and baby are healthy and life is good. Bring it on.