Friday, March 21, 2008

Dispatches from Kamloops

Kamloops is a very goofy name for a desert place. Dry cold air and blue skies. Brown mountains and a river-carved valley. Pickup trucks, curling and tiny Japanese restaurants with better food than in Vancouver. Curling, hockey, rednecks and culture in an uneasy sandwich.
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I love our hotel! The Rocky Mountaineer has put me, the director and the choreographer into the Thompson Hotel downtown; not close to our rehearsal space but a nice area to walk around. Downtown Kamloops has a surprising number of good restaurants, including Sanbiki, which has Japanese food that puts many Vancouver sushi joints to shame. There are also a surprising number of burly men in our hotel and around town, thanks to some kind of Police curling team championships. Who knew that policemen spent their spare time curling in such great numbers? At least, being cognisant of the noise bylaws, they'll probably cease being rowdy by 11pm.
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It's hard to screw up a gig when you're hired to replace a guy who made the cast feel like shit. He must've been on the glue, as my buddy Amelia would say, because this cast is fabulous! Young, talented, funny, sweet... I had a frustrating day today because there's so little time and so much to do and the band is always noodling away when I'm trying to get stuff done! But even with these petty frustrations I'm so happy to be here. It's great waking up every day knowing you're doing what you were born to do.
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Choreographers always scare me. They bark at casts all the time: "Faster! Slower! Watch your arms! Move! Stay still!" They are decisive and abrupt. They know how to command large casts with little apparent effort. However, I've really bonded with this one. Had too many martinis with Shelley this evening, which is probably why I'm writing in point from tonight.
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I bought a cel phone before I left town. Used to hate seeing people yakking away on their cels in public. Now I can see the appeal. Puts the magic back in phoning someone when you can do it anywhere. I know the novelty will wear off soon, but it's fun while it lasts.
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