It's September! Summer is over, and here we are. OK. Truth talk. I need to be more disciplined when it comes to my musings, my last post was January!! So a LOT has happened. This photo is of Bert and Lindy! We are on a streaming radio station out of the UK called Box Office Radio. All musicals, 24/7 on their website, on their app or through your "smart speaker." Say that with a delightful British accent. Somehow we horned our way into a show every Friday night from 8PM - 10 PM BST, or British Standard Time? We air in LA at noon, and New York at 3. We call it Lunch time, tea time or wine time! We get to share stories from our shenanigans on Broadway and on the Road, as well as play our favorite tunes from Broadway, the West End and film musicals. On the stage and on the screen! We're having a great time, please join us! And if you do join us, share the fun with your family and friends. You never know what we might say. Or do.
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It's been almost a year since my last posting! As you can see I don't have the discipline to stay with too much for too long, except maybe my personal happiness. So, that's a good thing, right?! After The Sound of Music closed, I started fresh with my new position as a Tour Host with The Walt Disney Studios! It's been a perfect distraction as my career finds its new footing. So difficult to know even what to expect or hope for anymore as a new age demands so much less of me now. Showing the lucky guests the studio that Walt built has been so rewarding! I love sharing the stories and the beautiful campus right here in Burbank. You can access the tours as either a member of the Disney fan club, D23, or as a point redemption through Disney Movie Insiders. It is a 2-2.5 hour tour of the lot, backlot, animation building and the Archives, as well as Walt's restored office if you are that lucky! I am still auditioning here and there, so hopefully new and exciting adventures in show business still to be discovered.
This is my first day off after a first week in the rehearsal room for The Sound of Music at La Mirada Theatre here in Southern California. Our first day back, during the meet and greet, the electricity in the room was palpable, and the emotions were high! All the feelings! This show has such a special place in my heart because it was the first live musical I ever saw as a little girl and the one that put a little spark in my soul for musical theatre. I will never forget the movie either, the soaring vistas of Austria, the songs of the children, the escape over the hills. This cast that has been assembled by our director, Glenn Casale and Producers Tom McCoy and Cathy Rigby is stellar and beautiful. Diane Phelan, who is playing Maria, is the first Asian American to do so! She's lovely and immensely talented. Suzanna Guzmán, a world renowned opera diva from Southern California is our Mother Abbess, and yours truly is playing Sister Margaretta who loves and adores Maria and all of her ways. Our production is also blessed with 15 volunteer local vocalists who will be adding to our nun choir. Should be glorious!! If you are local to SoCal, come see us! Opens April 23, 2022
I just returned from a trip to New York City. This was my first trip back since everything changed, shifted, locked down, passed, altered and closed. My last trip was in September of 2019. It's hard to even imagine that it's 2022! What is time now anyway? It has become difficult for me to keep track of it. This trip was like so many others; meeting with friends, eating, drinking, many miles of walking the city streets, "gawking and walking" I like to call it. Workshops, shows, random run-ins with friends on 9th Avenue, the broadway boulevard. I didn't really realize how much these trips sustain me throughout my creative year. I also didn't realize how much of my heart still lays buried in those naughty streets. Maybe not enough to once again call New York home, but enough to make sure that I get back more often to be recharged with its electricity. Thank you to all those who reached out to me, who shifted schedules to meet up, invited me to shows, or homes for drinks and dinner, who greeted me with open arms and took me into theirs for a long overdue embrace. Oof, I needed that.
This past fall I had the joy and opportunity of working with several ol' friends within the dancing community. Some I had worked with on Broadway, some were just colleagues and friends of friends, some were brand new to me! Because Annaleigh Ashford is from the Broadway world, the producers of her show, B Positive, thought that a new opening production number for the credits to the show would be a great idea. They wrote a song, hired a choreographer, designed backgrounds etc and here is the joyous result. What was really remarkable about this is we are all (well, almost all) over the age of 60! To be in a room with other senior members was just hilarious. Short cuts to humor, general recognition of getting our old bodies to respond to the challenges of new choreography, and life with Covid were the main topics of conversation. We worked well together and all were incredibly supportive. Spencer Liff, a young and brilliant choreographer, I think had a marvelous time as did the rest of the crew and production folks. These moments are rare! Lucky us.
During lockdown organizations all over the world have been finding new ways to stay connected, to learn, to teach, to create, to get their goods and services to the folks that need them. Many of these new opportunities have proven to be amazing ways to connect with people that one probably wouldn't have been able to otherwise. I've tried to take advantage of many of these opportunities (this website is a result of one of them) and have learned so much! This past week I finished one such class with the marvelous Karen Kohlhaas. She is a founding member of the Atlantic Theatre in NYC. She is a teaching artist, scholar and director among many titles and an incredible online teacher. During the pandemic she's offered many of the classes that she was teaching in person through Zoom with surprising success. The class I took was her Monologues Class - a process of choosing, self-directing and performing monologues for auditions. Her challenge is to eventually get twenty monologues under your belt so that you have something right for every moment. WOW! I have always been very shy and scared about the idea of choosing and performing monologues, something that musical theater performers are rarely asked to do. But I have also wanted to expand my performing opportunities to include Shakespeare and plays and possibly film and even, yes! TV. The photo above was taken during our first class when she asked, "how great are you going to feel when you have four finished monologues ready to go?" It took a lot of work and bravery, but the 10 feels great. So great, in fact, that I am going to give myself the challenge of 16 more. Gotta get going!
*Covid Freedom DayToday is the day that celebrates our two weeks past our second Pfizer shot! Hooray! I didn't really realize how much relief would come from such a simple day. It started out like most of our days in lockdown have begun: mindful stretching, a little strength training, a quick breakfast, and "what're you up to today?" I immediately went to my friend Roberta's to cut her hair. I have done so a couple of times during this past year and a half of unemployment. But today was different. Today I got to hop out of my car, unmasked (her whole household is double vaxxed too), hug her fully without anxiety, hold her three month old grandbaby and hang out like old times. It was glorious.
During this crazy year of no work and little to no outings, having "a wine" has been a true joy. We enjoy all kinds of wine, but I have also enjoyed seeking out local wineries that have been popping up all over LA. One in particular, Angeleno Winery, has been really fun getting to know. The young couple who run the place are so passionate about wine and the connection to LA's history that their enthusiasm is infectious. And their wine? Stellar. So, do yourself a favor, go have a wine. You'll feel better. |
AuthorThe crazy musings of Linda Griffin Archives
January 2023
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