Catching Up

Well, it's been a while. . .  I know.  Over the last two weeks, things have not really settled down at all.  I Do! I Do! just finished its second weekend of shows. The reviews have been okay.  The Houston press review was not that great, but he seemed like he just didn't like the script and the music itself, not necessarily our performance.  But, Buzz at Chron.com gave us a pretty decent review although, in reality, it seems like he gives good reviews to everybody.  Sometimes his reviews can be disgustingly positive, but then again, I'm certainly not going to send him an e-mail requesting that he be a little bit harder to please.  If I were to do that, you can be sure that his next review of my work will not be as fun for me to read!

A Gig I'll Never Forget!

Among all of the craziness that has gone on for me over this last week and a half or so, I got to play one of the coolest gigs that I've ever been a part of!  A couple of weeks ago, I got an e-mail from a performer named Merideth Kaye Clarke who toured with Wicked for a couple years as a chorus member first, and later as Elphaba.  She said that she had gotten my contact information from a friend of mine who had played the role of Glinda on the same tour with her and is now playing the same role on Broadway.  She said that she had been asked to perform at the Wortham Theatre in Houston for a breast cancer awareness fundraiser called "Pink at the Brown."  Now, I have to admit, when we first started talking about the performance, it didn't sound half as cool as what it actually turned out to be! 

It ends up, that we were going to be sort of the 'featured performance' in a concert that had performers from the Houston Ballet, the Houston Grand Opera, an instrumental group called La Camera, the Houston Boy's Choir, and the Houston Girl's Choir.  A truly unbelievable group of performers!  In our tech rehearsal the night before the performance, I started getting the idea of just how big of a deal this was to be here.  During this rehearsal time was the first time that I saw the list of the other performers, I also realized just how big the Brown Theatre at the Wortham Center actually is, and finally I realized that I'd be sitting center stage playing on an 8 foot Steinway piano!  This really was a once in a lifetime type of opportunity for me!

The night of the show was amazing! Merideth and I had been hanging out in one of the dressing rooms as the show started and then she mentioned that she'd like to see one of the ballet performances.  So, her and I both walked to the backstage area where we could see the show.  With as much time that I've spent in a theatre over the last several years, I haven't been able to be back stage during many performances, and especially not for a ballet.  After watching these performers go through their warm-up routines before taking the stage and then watching their true skill in their performances, I definitely now have a huge respect for what they do. 

Equally as impressive was getting to watch members of the Houston Grand Opera go through their warm-up routines moments before taking the stage.  I guess I just forget sometimes how cool it is to be backstage and get to see all of these things going on.  As a music director, all I know is when someone screws it up and misses an entrance.  Again, my entire perception of what goes on for a performer during a show has completely changed!

Then it was our turn!!!  Oh Crap!  It has been a LONG time since I have been as nervous as I was for this performance, and I was only responsible for playing ONE song!  I joked with Merideth that I wasn't nervous until she insisted that we go and watch the other performers.  :)   Although I was being a bit serious, I am so happy that I did watch the other performances.  Anyways.  I had gotten so nervous because the other two or three pianists who had played were just absolutely incredible, and from what we could tell backstage, the performance was sold out and there were about 5,000 people out there!   The curtain went up, and off we went.  We were performing Merideth's big song from Wicked, "Defying Gravity," and no matter how much we had practiced the song the night before, that was probably the fastest that she had ever sung it thanks to my nerves getting the best of me.  Actually, the song went pretty well and we were both happy with how it had gone, so it couldn't have been too fast!

To make the night that much better, my mom and dad were able to make it out!  My parents are so supportive of everything that I do, and I am so very thankful for that!  I had called my mother the night before and told her how excited I was to be playing this show, and sure enough, she texts me the next morning saying that her and dad would be there.  What a nice surprise! 

It truly was a remarkable evening, and I was so proud to be a part of it!  Not only was it a great night for me as a musician, it was also great to have a night to perform such a great song with an amazing singer while remembering my Aunt Cyndi who passed away in October 2009 because of breast cancer.  Before she had passed away, I had dedicated my performance of Beauty and the Beast to her, but on this night, through all of the amazing things that were going on, I honestly never stopped thinking of her. 

That's all for now.  Thanks for reading.

Peace Out,

Luke

Opening Weekend!

Tonight is the big night!  After three weeks of rehearsals and a busy tech week, we will finally get the chance to measure the work that we've done by having an audience in the house!  Tonight is considered to be our "Preview" show, so it's not technically our opening, so we've got one more run through to try to finally get things solidified before our opening night.  But, even though we've got another night to try and really get comfortable with some things, there will be a couple of people in the audience that will publish their thoughts on our show as a review.  So that definitely puts a bit of extra pressure on us to do our best.

It's been a pretty crazy rehearsal process for all of us.  As I mentioned in one of my earlier blogs, we've had to deal with three different books when trying to put the music together for this show.  Even in our run through last night, I still made a mistake in a crucial point in the show simply because I had taken notes on how the section was supposed to be played in one of the other books that I've been going back-and-forth to.  Of course that's irritating for myself, but also our cast members who have been more than patient and understanding with me as we all try to get our stuff together.  They understand the situation because these books also have different lyrics, harmonies, and arrangements between them.  So, sometimes when we're going through a number, one of the cast members may be singing lyrics from book one and harmonies from book two, all while I'm playing the arrangement from book three!  Get it?

But through all of this confusion, I feel like we've managed to put up a pretty good show!!  The cast has worked EXTREMELY hard.  Shondra and I both had very bad colds at the end of last week and into "tech weekend", Steve has about a thousand costume changes that all happen very quickly.  He has done a fantastic job of memorizing everyone of them.  i.e.- Which side of the stage to go out on; Which shoes to wear;  What shirt/coat to wear.  He has to remember all of these things while also remembering to listen to the music that I am playing to hear where we are in the music for cues of his.  I tell him every night that I don't envy him for having to do all of these things.  Last time I was in the cast of a show, I couldn't memorize six lines and two blocking ideas.  Forget me trying to do all that he does!!

Well, if you're reading this after coming to our show, or you're sitting in the theatre waiting for the show to start, I hope you enjoy it, especially after getting an inside scoop from the music director.  If you have not yet come to see the show, I hope you will.  It's a great way to spend an evening being entertained, and it is at a great theatre.  Feel free to leave any comments on this page about what you think of the show, and/or if I can expect to look for you at any of our performances!  Thanks for reading!!                                                                                                                                                                                                                            

Peace Out,
Luke


P.S. - A HUGE congratulations to Caleb and Brynne Choate for their new baby girl, Gracie Lynn!  Very happy for you guys, and I can't wait to meet her!

Another Classic Picture of My Rock Star Baby

During the dinner break from the first tech rehearsal of "I Do! I Do!", Blythe and I put Carter's new sunglasses on him, and of course being the little rock star that he is, took advantage of the photo opp.  His smile in this picture reminds me a little bit of the baby at the end of "Zoolander."  It's just a picture that I thought you all might enjoy!

Tech Rehearsal

This is our tech weekend of "I Do! I Do!" at Texas Repertory Theatre.  It's been a good rehearsal process, and we are all eager to get an audience in here to see what we've done.  The music has come together pretty well.  Through the rehearsals, I was having to go back and forth quite a bit between three different conductor books which has made things very confusing at times.  The first book that I had was more of the "original" version, and the books that came in later in the rehearsal process were from the "revised" production.  But the two books that came in were even different because one was meant to be played with just two pianos as the orchestra, and the other one was meant to be played by a full orchestra.  So, this weekend in our tech rehearsals is where I've got to start narrowing down all of our various notes and decisions to what we will actually be doing in our performances. 

Tech week is never fun for anyone, but this week won't seem so bad as Blythe and I are both on spring break!!!  Our first spring break as teachers!  We are both very excited to have some time off.  I've been getting a little bit sick this week, so it seems especially well timed for me.

This week, Blythe and I are hoping to baby-proof some things around the house as Carter could be crawling by the next time we have a significant amount of down time together.  It's very exciting to see him starting to figure new things out every day.   
So, over the next few days, my daytime hours will be nice and free, but I'll be spending some late nights in rehearsals.  It will probably still feel like a pretty busy week.  I'll keep you posted!

Peace Out,
Luke 

Great Moments in Strange Places!

Of all the places to get what Blythe and I consider the "Perfect Picture" of Carter, this picture was taken with my phone at the doctor's office today!  Strange how such a perfect moment can come in the strangest of places.  I guess it may just be another way to tell he is a Kirkwood, by being so content and at ease in a doctor's office.  Maybe the next Dr. Kirkwood!!!


Why the Doctor's Office?

Carter was a bit fussy last night (after we bragged at lunch about how calm of a baby he is), and ended up getting a little sick before falling asleep.  Then this morning, he woke up with a little bit of wheezing.  I don't think that Blythe and I are hypochondriacs, but when it sounds like your baby is having trouble breathing. . .we think that is a legit reason for concern.

After our visit to the doctor today, she told us that all that was wrong is that he has allergies. . . Like his father. I feel bad for the little guy because I know what that means for the next several years!

So, after a weekend in which I had my camera out constantly trying to get that "perfect picture" of Carter playing with one of his toys, or cuddling with his mother, all it really takes is a trip to the doctor and catching him just at the right moment.  Thanks for reading!

Peace Out,
Luke

"Take Your Desire to Win and Get Out of Here!"

I'm sure that Bob McNair, owner of the Houston Texans, did not tell Bernard Pollard to "Take your desire to win and get out of here," but it sure feels like that's what he meant.  On Tuesday, Pollard was released from the Texans after his first full season with the team.  A year in which the Texans finished (6-10), and never seemed to really care about it.  I would imagine that on a team like the Texans, it would be very easy to not care about a having a terrible record in a season that so much was expected by the fans and the media. They have never had better than a (9-7) record and they've never made the playoffs. Head coach Gary Kubiak never puts the blame on any of his players when it is clear to everyone else that our secondary is terrible.  How many games have ended with Kubiak saying in his press conference, "This one's on me."  

No, Gary, it's not "on you" that Kareem Jackson can't cover anyone.  No, Gary, it's not "on you" that Sage Rosenfels wants to be Superman.  And No, Gary, it's not "on you" that Kris Brown wanted so badly to be a football version of Brad Lidge. 

Many experienced football analysts expected the Texans to make the playoffs in 2010.  One journalist was crazy enough to predict that the Texans would beat the Cowboys in Super Bowl 45 in Dallas this last February.  But, after Cushing was suspended for the first four games, and DeMeco Ryans and Ben Tate both went down with injuries for the entire season, all of the desire to win for the Texans went down the drain as well.

Thank God for Bernard Pollard!  Every game, this guy would be flying around the field trying to take wide receivers head's off.  I can't get to the stats right now, but I believe that I read earlier somewhere that over the last two seasons, he has the 2nd most tackles of any player who is not a linebacker.  Pretty impressive if you ask me.  Towards the end of the season last year, the only reason I didn't change the channel when the defense was on the field was to see Bernard Pollard lay someone out, get in their face, and get caught saying some things that can't be said on tv.  (i.e.- Bernard Pollard vs. Reggie Wayne, Sept. 14, 2010)

No one else on the field this last season ever seemed to have the same passion for winning that Pollard did.  The only argument for judging someone else's passion for winning this season, would be Andre Johnson.  Just ask Cortland Finegan if he thinks AJ is passionate about winning!

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New Page!

If you notice at the top of this page, I've added another page to my blog.  This page, called Reviews, is not meant to toot my own horn, or be there for me to stare at and feel better about myself.  The reason I have added this page is that in two weeks, I've got a show opening, and in my bio I have listed my blog address.  So, I figure that there may be the slight possibility that someone from the Houston theatre community may happen to be at the show one night and think about hiring me for a show they have coming up.  By putting my blog information in the program, I've given them another way to learn more about me, find my contact information, see a list of some things that have been said about my work, and even see a more detailed list of all the shows that I've played.  (My 'Show List' page will be coming soon)

First Video Post!

I know it's not much, but I finally got a proper memory card for the new camera that my fantastic parents bought for Blythe and I so that I can finally share videos on my blog instead of pictures. Although it was an adventure figuring out how to get this video uploaded to blogger.com and finally published onto my site, I think I now have a general understanding of how to do this, so look for more video to come!

That's all I have time for tonight, but trust me, I will have my new camera in hand almost constantly over the next several weeks!  Thanks mom!

Peace Out,
Luke

P.S. - How about the crazy timing between my "Where in the World is Jessica Tata" post and the new charges that came down on her that evening.  I'm just sayin'. . .    :)

Where in the World is Jessica Tata?

Photo: Michael Paulsen (Houston Chronicle)

Stuck in her own reality that she is responsible for the deaths of 4 children, Jessica Tata has reportedly fled to Nigeria.  Last week, Tata felt that it was okay for her to leave 7 children (all under 3 years old) unattended at the day care that she runs out of a home in Houston while she went shopping at Target.  When she returned to the house, the structure was engulfed in flames.  As she stood and watched from the front yard, neighbors came to try to help the trapped children.  Of the seven children, three of them died that day, and one later died in a hospital due to injuries suffered from the fire. 

I have so many thoughts about this, and everytime I talked about it, I try to remain calm and remind myself that maybe everyone else doesn't feel as passionately about this as I do.  My biggest concern is what she is being charged with.  Granted, the charges could change (I assume) as more facts come out about what really happened that day.  As of this morning when she hopped on a flight to Nigeria, she is being charged with reckless injury to a child, with a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison. 

In high school, I remember watching a program in our auditorium where we had to criminals come in their prison outfits to talk to us about the dangers of falling in with the wrong crowd.  One of these two gentlemen told us his story about why he was in prison.  Ends up, he was in a car accident that killed a mother and a baby after he had been drinking one night and decided to drive himself home.  His prison sentence:  Life in prison for 2 counts of manslaughter. 

So, looking at the two situations here, both are obviously VERY tragic events that could've been avoided had the two people responsible had been just that,  "Responsible".  In my opinion, if the "criminal" who came and talked to us in high school was found guilty of two counts of manslaughter for accidentaly taking two lives, how is it that this coward isn't being charged with four counts of murder/manslaughter, and three other counts of reckless injury to a child?  Add that potential prison time up for a second.  On second thought. . .why bother?  Lock her up, throw away the key.

Maybe I am a bit passionate about this because Blythe and I also have decided to drop Carter off every morning at a day care that is run out of a woman's house, and we very well could have been the one's to get one of these horrific phone calls that these four sets of parents had to receive.  I can not even imagine what they have to be feeling right now.  But, whether we may disagree with what her prison sentence should be or not, how is it that she was able to get out of the country?!?!?!

We have this "No Fly List" out there somewhere, and regardless of all the crazy things I've heard about the list, you would think that the name of someone who had possibly just murdered three children would've made its way onto that list within 72 hours after the fact. 

Now, I'm certainly not trying to be "Debbie Downer" here as I talk about this, but I've been too angry about this since I heard about the fire last week.  When I woke up this morning to hear that she had fled the country, I  lost all hope of trying to focus on anything today other than the things I've just written.  Hopefully, now that these thoughts are out, I'll be able to move on to thinking about more positive things.  For now, I hope you will join me in letting your thoughts and prayers be with the parents of these children.

Peace Out,
Luke

I got all my information for this post from the Channel 13 News this morning, and Chron.com this afternoon.