The next 4 weeks were a bit of a blur. I think we were all looking forward to the holidays and a week off to see our families and loved ones we have put on hold. It is a funny thing we do, always working when others are playing. Then we are free when others are working. Luckily, we have a week after Christmas to travel wherever we’d like. I’m in North Carolina, where I grew up…but to that later!
Detroit…well, it was pretty cold in Detroit. Michigan has been hit especially hard with the economic crisis and has been recovering from the riots of 1967 ever since. Though the downtown, where we stayed, feels vacant and unsafe at times, it is a vast improvement of what used to be. Times Square in NYC used to be completely off limits to families and visitors and now feels as safe as any small town in middle America. So there is hope for Detroit. All that being said, I wasn’t able to see too much of the city. However, one of the highlights was the Motown Museum (also known as Hitsville USA) where thousands upon thousands of Motown songs were recorded. The number of famous people that came through there was unbelievable. This is a MUST SEE if you are in Detroit. A few of the cast members went to the Detroit Historical Museum which is supposed to be one of the best collections of Americana in the nation. Lastly, the Fox Theater in Detroit (much like the one in St. Louis) has the same tradition of painting murals on the wall. We left our mark again…part of history now :)
Tempe was a nice change of temperature!….eventually. We arrived to one of the biggest rain storms they have had this year. Even with the rain, it was much warmer than Detroit. The Gammage Auditorium hosted our little skit, right on the corner of the ASU campus. It was designed by Frank Lloyd Wright and is very memorable :) We had some great crowds here and some great outings on the main college drag where shops and restaurants line the streets.
(My silhouetted girlfriend in Dillon, Colorado...she's pretty even in the dark :)
And Denver…ah Denver, how I have missed you! This is my 4th trip to the Mile High City, and it is great to celebrate Christmas in a city you know at least a little. Plus we have friends in the Christmas Carol playing at the Denver Center, so we are surrounded by familiarity…not normal on a tour! We visited our favorite restaurant, Rioja, 4 times now. It is a little pricy, but I have never had such diverse flavors so successfully paired than I have there. And most importantly, we had a little apartment with a kitchen and a REAL Christmas tree (the tree was a gift from Melissa Gilbert to all of us). If we couldn’t be home, this was the next best thing.
Thank you Little House for a great first leg of the tour. Here’s to another great run next year!!!
- Kevin Massey
Hi Kevin! I loved reading your LHP-M Blog contribution – you answered what I always wondered about the actors while touring the country. My husband and I saw the play in Denver on Dec. 18th (our 16th Anniversary) and loved seeing you bring Almanzo alive again after the run at the Guthrie last year. You OWN the part! The only song I missed in this version is where you flipped pancakes to the homesteaders – now that was a show-stopper! All the best to you and the whole cast in 2010!
Dear Connie:
Loved reading your response. Belated happy 16th Anniversary! I know the song you mean. It was a really fun novelty number and I think we’d love to find a spot in the show for it, but can’t. It was so off concept that is made it difficult for the story to resume after the intermission. Thanks for being part of a great audience!
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