7/20/01 well, i've been reading the board, and listening to reports 'from the front', and listening to how fun it was for the majority of you - glad you had a good time at closing!  lisa and i were just sitting here talking about the first time i took her to RENT - la jolla previews - and the fact that she was at the very beginning of this tour, and randomly wound up being at it's close.  pretty cool. we went thru this old scrapbook of hers and i think we talked for 2 hours about various performers and things that happened the last 4+ years and "oh yeah - remember *this*?  and remember *that*?"  and the *one* line that we expect every roger to deliver in a certain way, lol.  we've both always had this *thing* about the way roger sings "i see mimi, everywhere".  no comments on who we feel did it right or wrong - fun conversation tho ;-)  i need to take pictures of lisa's old bedroom - she no longer inhabits it but the entire room is RENT *stuff* - on the walls, on the ceiling, on the doors - everywhere.  pictures, magazines, cbgb flyers, bags of snow from the stage, mimi candles - i need to capture that moment in time before we someday decide, 'ok, this all needs to come down' (i'm not there yet :-)  she even has the old rush line sign from the ahmanson tacked up on the wall (yes, she stole it :-)

amber and i had a good talk about closing:  even tho i missed SF closing, and so did she, *our* bennytour closing was really in january 1998. i don't think a bunch of cast, crew and band could have been closer than at that moment in time.  they had been with us for so long, we *lived* at the theatre and lived together.  so, i'm not at all sorry i missed the SF closing, i had mine, long time ago.  the rest has just been icing on the cake.

i have a bunch of closing pictures to put up but won't have time until i get back from SF next week.

there's a good article on 'tick, tick,... BOOM!" by victoria leacock.  that does it, i need to go to NY, this article made me cry.  and becky, *thank you* - got the package, love you girl! :-)

where ARE you people?  freud?  travis?  bobby?  where the *fuck* is sonic?  only lisa.b. and i are there!

jimbo & fredi, you know how to reach me in SF this weekend...

i've gotten some cool mail this week from a couple of  people (you know who you are) just thanking me for having this site all these years and for just being here - thanks you guys that wrote - it means alot.  as most of you who know me or have read the 'news' the past year or so, it's been a rough time, and i appreciate hearing from you. i wouldn't give up the last few years for *anything*, good or bad, i've learned and loved, and loved even more.  what we're supposed to do.  shut-up flinkers :-)

on another personal and totally unrelated note:  my sister-in-law just called and said she wants to have a birthday party for my mother-in-law this year.  rent a hall, bring in the family from all over this country and mexico - whoever can make it.  she had to tell my MIL about it, well, just cuz, you have to tell her these things, lol.  and she's totally against it, doesn't want any of us to spend any *money* on her or on this.  but - in all these years, she's had birthday parties for *all* of us, parties for *all* of our kids - and we've *never* had one for her.  she's *never* had a birthday cake in her whole life.  yeah, we send cards... when we remember... that's it.  we suck.  i *am* going to do this, before we lose her, before it's too late.  money is money, you can't take it with you, this is so much more important.  who knows - next year may be too late.

eh, well, that ended on a personal brigade but whatever - won't be back here for another week, when i get back from SF - wh00 - another internet conference.  

my current wish: for work we have to code & design for all platforms and browser versions - microsoft & netscape and the rest of you bandits - get your ACTS together.  and those of you reading this site who haven't upgraded your browser in a year or more - do it!  at least go to IE v.5.01, if not 5.5, 128 bit encryption. (you can get *all* of this off the microsoft.com site (/downloads)

but if you use netscape, don't go higher than 4.7 at the moment, there are *issues*. 

if the whole world would just do these simple things, my work life would be so much easier, LOL!

see y'all next week!
7/16/01 closing day.  closing nite for this long, long run.  it's kinda weird to know that the bennytour won't be *some* where if i decided to just pack my bags and go see the show.  so, on this day, i just want to thank the cast and crew that i knew or know and still stay in contact with.  you've made the past few years such a special time of my life.
julia girlfriend, i love you.  you're so shy, and people don't understand that and mistake it for 'aloofness'.  i'll defend you to the death and will always love you :-)
christian my 'angry' misunderstod roger.  you go boy :-)
wilson our first angel.  you leaving the bennytour was so traumatic for those of us there at the beginning, lol.  you were the first to go and i can remember so vividly kye talking about "our baby" leaving.  LOVED that LVB - "to wilson cruz!"
brent the love of all our lives :-)  i need to come find that g-string wherever it is - i miss the hell out of your vibes!
mark jackson you're a doll and you know i love you.  stay in touch :-)
kye i've missed you.  always loved your solo.
carla i always *adored* your maureen. you were wonderful and i wish you the best of everything.
neil despite all the intial negativity, you proved them all wrong.  you were a fantastic 'mark', and i loved seeing all the negativity turn positive and glowing. i'll never forget your final LVB when you just *hung there* on la vieeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee...."  unforgettable.
kenna one of the best joanne's i've ever seen.  you and leigh together could blow the roof off the place.
leigh see above :-)
laura diva.  you've got the world before you and i'm proud of you. keep going!
paul i haven't heard much from you lately but hope your records are selling well. you were a blessing to the show.
d'monroe d00d, you *know* i love you and that tat :-)  i'll see you soon, somewhere, in whatever you're doing.
andy you're the best, and such a cute dork :-)  i'll never forget in seattle you stopping in the middle of the street to show me the things you'd bought to take to london, cuz you were leaving like, the next day and you were so excited.  and i was like: "uh, we're stopping traffic" and you were "yeah, oh, but look at *this!* and pulling stuff out of bags. hilarious.  love you honey :-)
pierre i can still remember the 1st night i met you. the parking guard at the ahmanson was yelling at you guys about where to park and we were in the car behind you, lol.  you too, have come a long, *long* way and  altho i haven't talked to you recently, i wish you the best!
anika & owen the best all-around swings i've ever seen in my life.  you two can do *anything* and believe me, we all know it.  you were our super swings!
adrian & jasmine our romeo & juliet :-)  you two were *the* love affair of costa mesa, and we all got to revel in that love.  i miss you both!
wichasta they all said you couldn't replace her. girl, you did more than that, you rocked my world :-)
curt you will *always* be 'the man' to me.  i've never seen anyone do it better in any cast.  you did this thing with julia (you problii don't even remember now) that was absolutely perfect and in character, night after night.
peter oh lol, i remember so well the night in rochester you, me, amber, andy & pierre were hanging out in the room and you were so new to the show and so nervous and so excited.  you've come a long way baby! ;-)
scott another rochester experience: i told you i'd get you to costa mesa, remember?  i did my best, and you and adrian together were *so* fantastic. i hope you're doing well. 
alan mingo you, my friend, are exactly that. a friend i'm proud to call a friend, and a damn fine actor to boot :-) 
hallie, chipper, roxanne, monique and all the rest i'm forgetting.... know that we loved you and your portrayals of jonathan's characters come to life. we've been blessed by all of you.
coy can we ever forget coy ever-circling around on his bicycle?  i think not :-)  and for just being consistently there and a friend.  love you :-)
the BAND ed, matt, scottie, simeon, alan and bob - thank you from the bottom of my heart.  you guys were always SO there and so ON, no matter what the theater circumstances happened to be.  you were GREAT.

okay, i know i'm leaving out *lots* of people, even people i really, really like but i'm going back to the beginning and this was *my* bennytour cast, *my* firsts in this cast (plus a few extras).  don't be offended if i've left off your favorites, i love some of them too, but this is *my* goodbye to the ones i've known or seen many, many times (and no, i'm not gonna tell you how many times :-)

so... have a *wonderful* day and nite - i hope alot of you can do both the AIDS walk and RENT.  i expect lots of reviews and lots of pictures :-)

oh and, read yesterday's news too, there's other stuff going on if you're not in SF! 
7/15/01 well, the time has come, hasn't it.  all of you who will be in SF are most likely already there.  wish i could have gone, but check this:  last night my director called me into his office and said "i need you to go to this internet conference in san francisco next week.  i can't go, so i need you to go in my place".  NEXT sunday.  i was stunned and so amused at the timing.  anyway, i hope all of you there have a great time!  my daughter arrived this afternoon and can hear you line peeps from her room :-)

if you happen to be in NYC instead, daph is performing monday night (thank you karen c :-)

 

"DAPHNE RUBIN-VEGA Set to Perform Original Songs From Her Latest CD. 

DAPHNE RUBIN-VEGA, Broadway star of THE ROCKY HORROR SHOW and the original Mimi from RENT will debut new works from her self-titled CD with two evenings at the increasingly popular club, THE CUTTING ROOM. The hour-long production will showcase DAPHNE's writing talents (as she penned the majority of the songs that will be performed) as well as her signature vocal stylings.

DAPHNE describes her music as "alternative rock with a dance flavor."  Accompanying her are OLIVER HOFFER (Bass); DAVID MATOS (Guitar); RODNEY HOWARD (Drums) and MITCH  CHAKOUR (keyboards).  Substituting on keyboard at the July 16 performance will be DAVID NEHLS."

 

sorry i missed announcing the 9th, i haven't been online, like, at ALL.

in going thru mail today, i'm hearing from many of you that are really upset about the tour  closing... but look at the good.  you saw a show one day, on purpose or by chance, that for whatever reason rocked your sensibilities to a place and a level they'd never acknowledged or been before.  it brought you new understanding - it touched and moved your heart and your soul.  it made you more aware, more open, and a better human being, something we're supposed to be striving for during our time here.  because of RENT, you've met and become good friends with people you never would have come across in your normal daily routine and you've been places and had experiences you never would have imagined.  many of you have fallen in love with theatre itself, and that was jonathan's dream - to get young people back to the theatre.  he has more than succeeded, and i'll be forever grateful for that and what he left us.  it's been a great run, and i've loved it all the way.  don't mourn this closing - celebrate it with all you've got - and MOO for me :-)

i also hear from many of you that you don't want to see the non-equity tour, that it won't be the same.  many of the actors who came to RENT were non-equity and they've turned out to be wonderful. jonathan wanted "the real thing".  well, i think we're possibly going to get that again with the non-equity tour.  yeah, i know it's nice to know so-and-so who was in whatever show in whatever city/country and you've met them - but now you get to meet a whole new group of talented performers and i'm pretty sure you'll find yourselves loving them too.  it's the SHOW -  it's always been the show.  no matter which actors come and go, it's always been jonathan and the show itself.  the show isn't gone - it's still in new york and other countries.  and he's not gone. i've heard *nothing* but rave reviews about 'tick, tick... BOOM!".  and no, maybe it won't mean so much to people who haven't followed RENT and know jonathan's story, but to those of us who have and do - he's still very much with us and his talent is being faithfully honored by the actors in the show.  just FYI, the cast will be recording the soundtrack on july 9th with a tentative street date of september 11th, and they'll be performing in bryant park on august 2nd.

i'm beginning to feel like a counselor writing all that but i've gotten so much mail from distraught fans... DON'T be.  take what you've learned from the show and from your experiences with it into your lives going forward and you can't help but help make a difference.  i know it changed my life, in more ways than i can count.

aw, and girls, they deleted our totalrandomness group cuz we never use it anymore.  oh well, our Ghetto-F group works just fine :-) 

anyone in ohio?  go see TLS!  tomorrow is the last day there, and steve is playing gideon.  here's the details:

TICKETS:
Ensemble Theatre of Cincinnati
1127 Vine Street
Cincinnati, OH 45210-1926
$10 per show
Time:  8 PM
Call:  513-421-3555
http://www.cincyetc.com

and if you can't call and order tickets, just GO.  tell them gail sent you and to go talk to steve - he'll help get you in. or find michael sugar, or martha or gary or lindsay or... *anyone* who knows me - they'll help.  they're getting rave reviews out there, as the show does wherever it goes.  in fact, reading some of those reviews really made me miss the show, and remember moments of it that i've forgotten.  if you've never seen it or if you've seen it 20 times, go tomorrow!

 

 

7/04/01 another 4th of july.  jeez, this site has been up since... 1997? (i had to go back and look).   good gawd.  so now simply in the spirit of tradition, i'm going to use the same old fireworks graphic :-)  happy 4th, be safe!

and speaking of fireworks, we had a *cool* storm here tonite!  it's been hot as hell all week, and then all of a sudden about 5pm it got cloudy and windy, and about 12am it started thundering and lightening and... well, i know all of you who live where there actually *is* weather aren't impressed, but for southern california, it's cool!  i opened all the windows and just watched and listened till it was over.  they're saying maybe more tomorrow - i hope so!:-)

and mandy. good old mandy :-)  calling me this week asking me if i wanted to come to SF this weekend.  you have *never* failed me girl!  thank you, and i miss you :-)  unfortunately, i still can't go - but *thank you* :-)

y'all are going to have to send me lots of pictures from SF and closing!  i've been thinking about what to do with the site after that.  keep it up?  shut it down?  follow the n/e tour?  i dunno yet.  i wish i had more time to spend on it, wish i had time to completely redo it using newer technology now that most of you have upgraded your browsers (ummm, amber, i think i waited 2 years for you! :-)  but i don't, so it's gonna stay in this old format even if it stays up.

man, i'm hearing nothing but RAVES about "tick, tick... boom!"

here's the invitation to last month's RENT reunion (wish i could have gone to *that* too!) and pictures of nadia in chicago with maggie and brian.  jeez, can maggie get any more gorgeous?  chris? ;-) 
7/02/01

happy birthday jimbo!  :-)


 

 

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