Over the last couple of years, I've gotten increasingly excited about a Sunday night in early June every year that celebrates the past year's best actors, actresses, plays, musicals, and everything that is great about theatre!
I've been a fan of theatre for as long as I can remember. Growing up, my mom would always take me and my brothers, along with some of our cousins, to see children's shows at the University of Houston. After the shows, I got such a kick out of being able to go up and meet the cast members of the show, still in costume. Of course, as a kid, those performers seemed like giants to me! Now, after working in the theatre on over 65 different productions, I now know how miserable these actors must have been greeting the audience in the lobby after the show. I guess I am jaded now. :)
Looking back, I still remember the first professional musical I saw. My parents took me to see Cats at Jones Hall in Houston. I remember exactly where we sat, and I remember looking at the set before the show (they kept the curtain on), and thinking I saw actual cats walking around on the stage before the show. I clearly had no idea what was about to happen on the stage. As much as everyone talks about how trippy that show is to watch, and how "terrible" they think the music is, I have always loved the music. Granted, I really have no desire to see any production of Cats now. I'd rather just listen to the soundtrack. Yes, I just admitted that I might sometimes listen of Cats.
Still looking back, one of my favorite memories based around music theatre is all of the soundtracks that I grew to love while riding around with my parents on our way to school, church, or baseball practice. Two of my clearest memories are listening to the RENT soundtrack with my dad after a baseball game that I had hit my first homerun. I don't know why, but I remember getting in the car after this game and having a conversation about the song "One Song, Glory" on our way home. My other memory of listening to soundtracks growing up was while we were driving around as an entire family looking at houses in this crazy fancy neighborhood, and my dad turned on the The Who's Tommy soundtrack which is still one of my all-time favorite musicals. I still listen to this same soundtrack on a regular basis. Of course, it doesn't hurt that I finally got a chance to do the show two years ago!
Well, I don't know why my last few blogs have been so sappy and sentimental. I'll try to snap out of that routine. :) I'm sure it has something to do with the fact that as Blythe and I get ready to welcome baby number two to the world, I find myself appreciating my parents more and more everyday. Of all the things I have thanked them for, I always need to thank them for showing me the world of musical theatre and not only ALLOWING me to pursue that passion of mine, but ENCOURAGING it!! They are so supportive, and still come to at least one performance of everything I do. . . Sometimes, several performances!!
Peace Out,
Luke
Showing posts with label The Working Musician. Show all posts
Showing posts with label The Working Musician. Show all posts
Sunday, June 10, 2012
Thursday, June 7, 2012
Another Season in Books
Tonight, I am playing for the opening night party for the TUTS production of Best Little Whorehouse in Texas. This marks the end of the second season of me playing these events. It is always a thrill for me to play anywhere downtown because it's my little taste of what playing in New York must be like!
Houston's Theatre Under The Stars (TUTS) produces six musicals every year, and every opening night, they host a party at a restaurant that is attached to the theatre and invite their VIP patrons and the cast to come have appetizers and drinks. For this event, they also hire a couple of local singers to come by and sing a song or two with me at the piano with the hopes off it turning into an "open mic" type of feel. It rarely turns into a true open mic, but many times, it turns into a free-for-all with the cast of the shows. It's a ton of fun, and you never really know what's going to happen. However, it is fun for me to try and predict what the night is going to be like based on what show is opening. For example, the opening night party for La Cage was a VERY different experience than the opening night party for White Christmas.
I have met a lot of very cool people, and gotten to also keep my sight reading skills fresh by sight reading several songs each of these nights. Believe it or not, there's a lot of pressure in sight reading songs for singers who are singing for music theatre patrons and other performers.
Tonight ends my second season worth of playing these parties, and I've already been asked to play for a third season. So thankful to be able to play the piano for a living. I never thought that I would ever be paid for doing something that I always did for fun growing up anyways. When we were growing, my brother and I would sit at a piano for hours some nights playing and singing through music theatre books, and I never had any idea how that was preparing me for what I get paid to do now. I will always be thankful for those nights!!
Peace Out,
Luke
Houston's Theatre Under The Stars (TUTS) produces six musicals every year, and every opening night, they host a party at a restaurant that is attached to the theatre and invite their VIP patrons and the cast to come have appetizers and drinks. For this event, they also hire a couple of local singers to come by and sing a song or two with me at the piano with the hopes off it turning into an "open mic" type of feel. It rarely turns into a true open mic, but many times, it turns into a free-for-all with the cast of the shows. It's a ton of fun, and you never really know what's going to happen. However, it is fun for me to try and predict what the night is going to be like based on what show is opening. For example, the opening night party for La Cage was a VERY different experience than the opening night party for White Christmas.
I have met a lot of very cool people, and gotten to also keep my sight reading skills fresh by sight reading several songs each of these nights. Believe it or not, there's a lot of pressure in sight reading songs for singers who are singing for music theatre patrons and other performers.
Tonight ends my second season worth of playing these parties, and I've already been asked to play for a third season. So thankful to be able to play the piano for a living. I never thought that I would ever be paid for doing something that I always did for fun growing up anyways. When we were growing, my brother and I would sit at a piano for hours some nights playing and singing through music theatre books, and I never had any idea how that was preparing me for what I get paid to do now. I will always be thankful for those nights!!
Peace Out,
Luke
Sunday, June 3, 2012
Another Openin', Another Show
Tonight marks the last night of our first week of rehearsal for my next show, Beehive, at Texas Repertory Theatre. The cast for this show is only six women, but they are FANTASTIC!!! After going through several different audition dates and hearing (and casting) several women, we somehow ended up with a cast much better than I could have ever imagined!
The way we always schedule things at Texas Rep is that we start with just sitting and learning music for the entire first week of rehearsals. So, I am thrilled to see this first week come to an end. Beehive is another one of those jukebox musicals that has a very little script, and the music is all popular music that was on the radio between the 60's and 70's. When we started the week, I thought that learning all of the music for this show in five rehearsals would be a challenging task. But, we learned about six to eight songs every night, and we were actually able to sing through the entire show tonight! Pretty exciting.
Now, the other exciting news about this show for me, is that I have somehow convinced six amazing instrumentalists to come together and play in the band for this show!! When we did Smokey Joe's Cafe last year, I thought for sure I would never be able to get a better band together. BUT, for some reason these amazing musicians have agreed to play for four weekends with me for very little money!! Most of these guys have, or are pursuing, graduate degrees in performance on their respective instruments. I can't even begin to imagine how great these guys are going to sound!!
According to my show list page, this show will be my 65th show!! Some of those shows were longer commitments than others, but I have been very lucky to have played so many shows over the last eleven years or so. I remember reading an actor's bio several years ago where this guy mentioned taking part in over 100 different productions. When I read that, I thought there was no way I'd ever get to that point. Well, I've started rehearsals for number 65, and I've got numbers 66-69 booked between now and next June. Not to mention things that just come up through the year. 100 isn't too far away!
The way we always schedule things at Texas Rep is that we start with just sitting and learning music for the entire first week of rehearsals. So, I am thrilled to see this first week come to an end. Beehive is another one of those jukebox musicals that has a very little script, and the music is all popular music that was on the radio between the 60's and 70's. When we started the week, I thought that learning all of the music for this show in five rehearsals would be a challenging task. But, we learned about six to eight songs every night, and we were actually able to sing through the entire show tonight! Pretty exciting.
Now, the other exciting news about this show for me, is that I have somehow convinced six amazing instrumentalists to come together and play in the band for this show!! When we did Smokey Joe's Cafe last year, I thought for sure I would never be able to get a better band together. BUT, for some reason these amazing musicians have agreed to play for four weekends with me for very little money!! Most of these guys have, or are pursuing, graduate degrees in performance on their respective instruments. I can't even begin to imagine how great these guys are going to sound!!
According to my show list page, this show will be my 65th show!! Some of those shows were longer commitments than others, but I have been very lucky to have played so many shows over the last eleven years or so. I remember reading an actor's bio several years ago where this guy mentioned taking part in over 100 different productions. When I read that, I thought there was no way I'd ever get to that point. Well, I've started rehearsals for number 65, and I've got numbers 66-69 booked between now and next June. Not to mention things that just come up through the year. 100 isn't too far away!
Saturday, June 2, 2012
New Year, New School. . . Again.
Well, on day two of my month where I am intending to write a blog everyday, I feel like my body is shutting down knowing that I am done with another school year. I am sure that there are several other teachers who's bodies do the same thing. We've been working so hard to get our job done, then our bodies just know that the first two days of summer would be a great time to stop working correctly! Not to mention that Blythe has still been at work yesterday and today (yes, on a Saturday) and I have been in charge of keeping Carter happy, fed, and safe. Being with my little boy is a blast, and I am so thankful for the time we are getting together, but it is a TON of work!!!
Speaking of the school year. . . What a GREAT year it was!!! This year, I worked as the assistant choir director at Smith Middle School with Megan Weinel who is the head director there. Our choirs did an amazing job. Through all of our contests this year, we were given the highest possible rating by every judge who heard us sing. From our formal UIL competition, to a competition is San Antonio for our Varsity Treble Choir, and to the Cy-Fair Sixth Grade Festival. Twenty-four judges, twenty-four "Superior" ratings and several trophies!! I was mainly in charge of the Tenor-Bass Choir, and I am so proud of how far the progressed within one school year. I started with a group of boys, and ended up with a group of very talented, young men!
However, I will not be back at Smith next year. It really does hurt to leave, but I was offered a job that I felt was too good to pass up. Next year, I will be working at Cy-Fair High School as one of two assistant choir directors under the head director, Jed Ragsdale. I met Jed when I accompanied the Tenor-Bass Region Clinic back in November. He was the clinician and conductor for the choir that weekend. We worked very well together, and we totally got along, so I believe that connection is the reason why he called me in for an interview when that new position opened up. I am very, very excited about this new challenge, but right now, it does feel a bit daunting. I will be in charge of leading the Concert Men's Choir, which is mostly freshmen and sophomores boys, as well as teaching AP Music Theory. That sounds kind of scary, but the rest of my day, I will be assisting Mr. Ragsdale and the other assistant, Hallie Reed. This is a fantastic team who has been running a high quality choir program over the last several years.
It is very exciting, and hopefully, this will be my last move for a while. There was definitely some tossing at turning at night, and some headaches during the day before finally making the decision to make this move, especially when there was another job in the mix in a district that I have ALWAYS wanted to teach in. I will let you all know the details of that job in another post after everything with that job has been finalized, and they have found someone else for the position. It hurt just as much to turn that job down, but I strongly believe that I will be happy at Cy-Fair HS.
Come back and read tomorrow!!
Peace Out,
Luke
Speaking of the school year. . . What a GREAT year it was!!! This year, I worked as the assistant choir director at Smith Middle School with Megan Weinel who is the head director there. Our choirs did an amazing job. Through all of our contests this year, we were given the highest possible rating by every judge who heard us sing. From our formal UIL competition, to a competition is San Antonio for our Varsity Treble Choir, and to the Cy-Fair Sixth Grade Festival. Twenty-four judges, twenty-four "Superior" ratings and several trophies!! I was mainly in charge of the Tenor-Bass Choir, and I am so proud of how far the progressed within one school year. I started with a group of boys, and ended up with a group of very talented, young men!
However, I will not be back at Smith next year. It really does hurt to leave, but I was offered a job that I felt was too good to pass up. Next year, I will be working at Cy-Fair High School as one of two assistant choir directors under the head director, Jed Ragsdale. I met Jed when I accompanied the Tenor-Bass Region Clinic back in November. He was the clinician and conductor for the choir that weekend. We worked very well together, and we totally got along, so I believe that connection is the reason why he called me in for an interview when that new position opened up. I am very, very excited about this new challenge, but right now, it does feel a bit daunting. I will be in charge of leading the Concert Men's Choir, which is mostly freshmen and sophomores boys, as well as teaching AP Music Theory. That sounds kind of scary, but the rest of my day, I will be assisting Mr. Ragsdale and the other assistant, Hallie Reed. This is a fantastic team who has been running a high quality choir program over the last several years.
It is very exciting, and hopefully, this will be my last move for a while. There was definitely some tossing at turning at night, and some headaches during the day before finally making the decision to make this move, especially when there was another job in the mix in a district that I have ALWAYS wanted to teach in. I will let you all know the details of that job in another post after everything with that job has been finalized, and they have found someone else for the position. It hurt just as much to turn that job down, but I strongly believe that I will be happy at Cy-Fair HS.
Come back and read tomorrow!!
Peace Out,
Luke
Tuesday, August 2, 2011
Where Has the Summer Gone?!
August has come FAR too quickly!! It's already the first week of August and I'm starting to get ready for another school year! Let me give you a quick run down of the important things that have happened this summer, and the important things that will be coming up. I am very sorry if this post is a bit disorganized, but I feel like I have SO many great things to tell you all about!
Smokey Joe's Cafe
My summer nights were completely consumed with rehearsals and performances of one of my favorite shows. Blythe and I were given the opportunity to do the musical, Smokey Joe's Cafe at Texas Repertory Theatre. The show went very well, and we got some great reviews! Not that there are too many bad reviews given to Houston shows, but its always nice to get some good publicity out about what we are doing. We really had a great time doing this show, and I was lucky to have one of the best bands that I've ever put together playing with me. I am so thankful to have had the opportunity to play this show again, and finally music direct it on my own! Plus, the "Shimmy Girl" was SMOKIN' HOT!!!
TUTS Summer Camp
The summer "day job." For the third summer in a row, I was asked to play the piano and be the music teacher for the TUTS music theatre summer camp. It is a lot of fun, but I certainly would've loved a little bit more sleep this summer than I ended up getting. Each week we've done a different short musical with a mostly different group of kids. Having taught this last year in public school, I feel like I've gotten much better at this job than I was for either of the last two summers. My public school job has made a HUGE difference in how this summer has gone for me. Managing 35 kids at a music theatre camp is SO much easier than managing 60 choir kids!
Vote!
For the second year in a row, my time playing for the TUTS summer camp has led to me playing for the TUTS teenager musical that will perform in Zilka Hall at the Hobby Center. Last year, we did a rockin' production of The Who's Tommy, which has always been one of my favorite scores, and this year we are doing a brand new musical called Vote!. This production will actually be the premiere of this show which was written by a Houston native who went to the same high school that I did. Kind of cool!! For this year, I actually got a little bit of a promotion to being the Assistant Music Director. Last year, I mainly just served as the rehearsal pianist, although I did teach a little bit of the music. So, although my responsibilities haven't changed much for this year, it is nice to be able to put a new assistant music director credit on my resume. This is one of those rare shows that I am SO happy to be the assistant music director because I am the assistsant to one of the most talented men I've ever met! His name is Dr. John Cornelius, and he is the interim head of the music department at Prairie View A&M. I love working with him, because I feel like I finally get to sit and watch someone music direct a show who knows what they are doing!!
This is the first promo video that is going out from TUTS to get some buzz going for this show. Sounds pretty good for only two rehearsals!!!
The 2011-12 School Year
Things will be very different for Blythe and I both for this coming school year. We'll both be at different schools, and Blythe will be teaching an entirely different age group! Let me explain:
Last year, I was working at Goodson Middle School in the Cy-Fair School District. Things went very well there, and I am so thankful to have had the opportunity to work with Casey Okabayashi, the head choir director, for the one year. Well, with so much construction of new homes in the district, there has been a new junior high added which forced several of the other schools to rezone their borders. This took a huge number of the students from Goodson. But, the district has taken care of me and simply moved me to another middle school not too far from where I was last year. Next year, I will be working as the assistant choir director at Smith Middle School, working with Megan Weinel. I am very much looking forward to getting to work with another director who definately knows what she is doing, and getting to meet a whole new group of kids. Also, even though I only had one year at Goodson, I think I'm excited about having the opportunity to 'start over' with a new slate. There were some rough times last year that I don't think I handled in the best way because of my inexperience with teaching in a public school. It is nice to know that none of my new students will have any idea about those things, and this year I will know how better to handle the same situations if they do come up.
Now, for the REAL exciting news about next year. . . Blythe has gotten away from Bailey Middle School, and was offered the head theatre director job at Spring High School!!!!! This is HUGE! This position at Spring HS is the job that she always talked about every time we talked about getting teaching jobs, and for her to get the job in only her second year of teaching is such a blessing!! There were a few roadblocks that some people tried to put up to keep Blythe from getting this job, but as of yesterday, all those roadblocks are gone, and she has made it back to her old stompin' grounds as the new head theatre director! After all the crappy jobs Blythe has had, this promotion is VERY WELL DESERVED!!!
Upcoming Shows
My personal 2011-12 "Season" is booked!! I have been lucky enough over the last few weeks to be able to book my music directing calendar all the way through next August!!! Between TUTS, Texas Repertory Theatre, and a brand new company called Aeon Theatrix, I haved successfully booked an entire year of shows. I will list these shows on my Upcoming Performances page, and I hope that you will all make arrangements to come out and see some of them. I do realize how lucky I am to be able to book these jobs so far in advance, and I am so very thankful for the opportunities that the people in charge of these theatres continue to give me by trusting their musicals to me.
A Birthday Blog Coming Soon
I know that it has been a while since my last blog, but my next one will be coming very soon. My little boy, Carter, will be one year old next week and I'm trying to put together a blog to try to sum up my first year with him. It has been such an amazing year that I don't really think my words will be able to adequately describe, but I have to try. He is my little hero, and I just want to share some stories with you, re-share some of my favorite pictures, and tell you about his Mickey-Mouse-themed birthday party which will happen this Saturday! I hope you'll read it!
Peace Out,
Luke
Smokey Joe's Cafe
My summer nights were completely consumed with rehearsals and performances of one of my favorite shows. Blythe and I were given the opportunity to do the musical, Smokey Joe's Cafe at Texas Repertory Theatre. The show went very well, and we got some great reviews! Not that there are too many bad reviews given to Houston shows, but its always nice to get some good publicity out about what we are doing. We really had a great time doing this show, and I was lucky to have one of the best bands that I've ever put together playing with me. I am so thankful to have had the opportunity to play this show again, and finally music direct it on my own! Plus, the "Shimmy Girl" was SMOKIN' HOT!!!
TUTS Summer Camp
The summer "day job." For the third summer in a row, I was asked to play the piano and be the music teacher for the TUTS music theatre summer camp. It is a lot of fun, but I certainly would've loved a little bit more sleep this summer than I ended up getting. Each week we've done a different short musical with a mostly different group of kids. Having taught this last year in public school, I feel like I've gotten much better at this job than I was for either of the last two summers. My public school job has made a HUGE difference in how this summer has gone for me. Managing 35 kids at a music theatre camp is SO much easier than managing 60 choir kids!
Vote!
For the second year in a row, my time playing for the TUTS summer camp has led to me playing for the TUTS teenager musical that will perform in Zilka Hall at the Hobby Center. Last year, we did a rockin' production of The Who's Tommy, which has always been one of my favorite scores, and this year we are doing a brand new musical called Vote!. This production will actually be the premiere of this show which was written by a Houston native who went to the same high school that I did. Kind of cool!! For this year, I actually got a little bit of a promotion to being the Assistant Music Director. Last year, I mainly just served as the rehearsal pianist, although I did teach a little bit of the music. So, although my responsibilities haven't changed much for this year, it is nice to be able to put a new assistant music director credit on my resume. This is one of those rare shows that I am SO happy to be the assistant music director because I am the assistsant to one of the most talented men I've ever met! His name is Dr. John Cornelius, and he is the interim head of the music department at Prairie View A&M. I love working with him, because I feel like I finally get to sit and watch someone music direct a show who knows what they are doing!!
This is the first promo video that is going out from TUTS to get some buzz going for this show. Sounds pretty good for only two rehearsals!!!
Things will be very different for Blythe and I both for this coming school year. We'll both be at different schools, and Blythe will be teaching an entirely different age group! Let me explain:
Last year, I was working at Goodson Middle School in the Cy-Fair School District. Things went very well there, and I am so thankful to have had the opportunity to work with Casey Okabayashi, the head choir director, for the one year. Well, with so much construction of new homes in the district, there has been a new junior high added which forced several of the other schools to rezone their borders. This took a huge number of the students from Goodson. But, the district has taken care of me and simply moved me to another middle school not too far from where I was last year. Next year, I will be working as the assistant choir director at Smith Middle School, working with Megan Weinel. I am very much looking forward to getting to work with another director who definately knows what she is doing, and getting to meet a whole new group of kids. Also, even though I only had one year at Goodson, I think I'm excited about having the opportunity to 'start over' with a new slate. There were some rough times last year that I don't think I handled in the best way because of my inexperience with teaching in a public school. It is nice to know that none of my new students will have any idea about those things, and this year I will know how better to handle the same situations if they do come up.
Now, for the REAL exciting news about next year. . . Blythe has gotten away from Bailey Middle School, and was offered the head theatre director job at Spring High School!!!!! This is HUGE! This position at Spring HS is the job that she always talked about every time we talked about getting teaching jobs, and for her to get the job in only her second year of teaching is such a blessing!! There were a few roadblocks that some people tried to put up to keep Blythe from getting this job, but as of yesterday, all those roadblocks are gone, and she has made it back to her old stompin' grounds as the new head theatre director! After all the crappy jobs Blythe has had, this promotion is VERY WELL DESERVED!!!
Upcoming Shows
My personal 2011-12 "Season" is booked!! I have been lucky enough over the last few weeks to be able to book my music directing calendar all the way through next August!!! Between TUTS, Texas Repertory Theatre, and a brand new company called Aeon Theatrix, I haved successfully booked an entire year of shows. I will list these shows on my Upcoming Performances page, and I hope that you will all make arrangements to come out and see some of them. I do realize how lucky I am to be able to book these jobs so far in advance, and I am so very thankful for the opportunities that the people in charge of these theatres continue to give me by trusting their musicals to me.
A Birthday Blog Coming Soon
I know that it has been a while since my last blog, but my next one will be coming very soon. My little boy, Carter, will be one year old next week and I'm trying to put together a blog to try to sum up my first year with him. It has been such an amazing year that I don't really think my words will be able to adequately describe, but I have to try. He is my little hero, and I just want to share some stories with you, re-share some of my favorite pictures, and tell you about his Mickey-Mouse-themed birthday party which will happen this Saturday! I hope you'll read it!
Peace Out,
Luke
Thursday, July 7, 2011
Smokey Joe's Cafe Review
Well, the first review of Texas Repertory Theatre's production of Smokey Joe's Cafe is out! Buzz Belmont, who is a blogger for the Houston Chronicle, just posted his review of opening night, and like we all assumed from his reaction that night, he LOVED it! Follow this link to read his review, and if you have not yet gotten your tickets to see this show, what are you waiting for?!
Saturday, July 2, 2011
Smokey Joe's Cafe Opening Night!
We've finally reached our opening night for Smokey Joe's Cafe, and what a great night it was!! Last night was truly one of those rare amazing experiences that everything seems to go exactly right! Although the audience was smaller than our preview night, and our invited dress rehearsal, they were the perfect audience for this show. It was so nice to look out from the piano and see audience members singing along, toes tapping to the beat, and heads bouncing as some people just couldn't help themselves but to move with the music. . . Including the gentleman who was there to review our show!!
As with every live performance, there is always that one or two spots that things could have been a bit better or tighter, or just a bit different in general. The show is not completely perfect yet, but our overall performance last night felt so good, that it is very easy for us to look past those things that weren't perfect.
I am so pleased with how last night went, and I really have to thank my band for the great job that they've done with getting the show to where it is already. Like I said in a previous blog, I am so lucky to have gotten these musicians. They are all good friends of mine, and I had so many people come up to me after the show last night telling me how great they thought the band was. These guys have been so patient with my extensive notes and nit-picking the details of how we play this show. After 4 nights of being told that tempos were wrong, volumes were wrong, chords were wrong, and keyboard patches were wrong, last night finally felt like the show I've always wanted. Even though this is the third time I've been involved in a production of Smokey Joe's Cafe, last night was the first time that I've ever been TOTALLY happy with the way my band played!! Great job last night guys!!
The Smokey Joe's Band:
Keyboard II: Jonathan Castillo
Saxophone: Ray Gonzalez
Guitar: Robert Wolf
Bass: Stephen Martin
Drums: David Lerner
Piano/Conductor: Myself
It is so nice to have a full production that I am so proud of!! Over the last couple of years of working as a music director, there have been some shows that I have even felt bad inviting my parents to come see. But this is one of those shows, that I truly want everyone I know to come out and see. The cast is great, the director has really made the show exciting, the choreographer has made the dance moves look fantastic, and I've really got the best band in town!!! Please come out and support what we do:
As with every live performance, there is always that one or two spots that things could have been a bit better or tighter, or just a bit different in general. The show is not completely perfect yet, but our overall performance last night felt so good, that it is very easy for us to look past those things that weren't perfect.
I am so pleased with how last night went, and I really have to thank my band for the great job that they've done with getting the show to where it is already. Like I said in a previous blog, I am so lucky to have gotten these musicians. They are all good friends of mine, and I had so many people come up to me after the show last night telling me how great they thought the band was. These guys have been so patient with my extensive notes and nit-picking the details of how we play this show. After 4 nights of being told that tempos were wrong, volumes were wrong, chords were wrong, and keyboard patches were wrong, last night finally felt like the show I've always wanted. Even though this is the third time I've been involved in a production of Smokey Joe's Cafe, last night was the first time that I've ever been TOTALLY happy with the way my band played!! Great job last night guys!!
The Smokey Joe's Band:
Keyboard II: Jonathan Castillo
Saxophone: Ray Gonzalez
Guitar: Robert Wolf
Bass: Stephen Martin
Drums: David Lerner
Piano/Conductor: Myself
It is so nice to have a full production that I am so proud of!! Over the last couple of years of working as a music director, there have been some shows that I have even felt bad inviting my parents to come see. But this is one of those shows, that I truly want everyone I know to come out and see. The cast is great, the director has really made the show exciting, the choreographer has made the dance moves look fantastic, and I've really got the best band in town!!! Please come out and support what we do:
Smokey Joe's Cafe at Texas Repertory Theatre
Thursday-Sunday
Now through July 24th
Sunday, June 26, 2011
Smokey Joe's Cafe - Tech Week!
Right now, I'm sitting in the seats at Texas Repertory Theatre after our first of two runthroughs of the our upcoming production of Smokey Joe's Cafe. After a fast and furious rehearsal process, the show has finally started coming together. On Friday night, we had our sitzprobe, which is the first time the band and singers all get to work together. This always happens to be my favorite rehearsal for any show that I do. It always seems like the energy of a production always seems to really ramp up after the sitzprobe, which is also why I always like to wait until the last possible moment to schedule it. At Texas Rep, this usually happens somewhere between the last Friday or Saturday before opening. It is always so exciting for me the first time the cast hears the band play. Through all the shows that I've done, I've always prided myself on the quality of the bands that I put together. I enjoy working with a cast and teaching them the notes and making a cast really sound great, but when it comes down to it, I always insist that I have the best possible orchestra, and once again, I think I've got the right group of guys together!
The sitzprobe the other night was just incredible!!! I don't think I've ever been this excited for my friends and family to hear a show that I've done. That's not to say that it is perfect right now, but I think that we are in a very good position as we still have 4 days until our opening night. I hope you will all be able to make it out to see the show!! Texas Repertory Theatre is up on the northwest side of Houston (on Steubner-Airline and FM 1960). It is a great place to see a show, so please come out. I think you'll all enjoy it!!
I'll keep you all posted with the reviews as they start coming out after opening night!
Peace Out,
Luke
The sitzprobe the other night was just incredible!!! I don't think I've ever been this excited for my friends and family to hear a show that I've done. That's not to say that it is perfect right now, but I think that we are in a very good position as we still have 4 days until our opening night. I hope you will all be able to make it out to see the show!! Texas Repertory Theatre is up on the northwest side of Houston (on Steubner-Airline and FM 1960). It is a great place to see a show, so please come out. I think you'll all enjoy it!!
I'll keep you all posted with the reviews as they start coming out after opening night!
Peace Out,
Luke
Monday, March 28, 2011
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
Thursday, March 17, 2011
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!
Monday, February 21, 2011
Back to Day One: "I Do, I Do"
The curse of doing what I do is that there are so many "Day One's."
I've been very lucky for most of the last 4 or 5 years to have shows booked CONSTANTLY. It became very rare for me to close one show and not go into rehearsals for another within the next week or so. Well, over the last month and a half, I've been involved with three different shows, but none of them were shows that I would be there for the entire process. In the beginning of January, I worked for two weeks on Country Playhouse's production of "The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee." (Which opens this week) I taught the music to the cast, and then left the show in the talented hands of my good friend, Jacob Carr. After that, I went into a week of rehearsals and another week of performances for Cy-Creek High School's production of "Little Shop of Horrors." The show had already been learned and put up, but I came in to play the piano and lead the band for the performances. That show was also mixed in with a rehearsal and a couple performances as the keyboard II sub for the national tour of "West Side Story" at the Hobby Center. Obviously with that show, I was not there for an extended period of time.
Starting rehearsals does mean less time at home, of course. The last several weeks have been very nice for Blythe and I to be able to be home around the same time, eat dinner together, and go through our nightly routine with Carter as a family. (Which you all saw pictures of! Thanks for reading!) Since August, the three of us have really come to enjoy those rare nights that we can all be home and take our time with dinner and getting Carter bathed and put down for the night. This is the hardest part about doing these shows, and especially thinking of that first rehearsal. There's no "light at the end of the tunnel" feeling because you haven't even entered the "tunnel."
But, before we know it, spring break will be here. Then the show will be open. Then we'll be sitting at Jones Hall watching a Harry Connick Jr. concert, and not thinking anything about what we've just been through!!!
Well, I guess that's all for now. Wish me luck as I start the wonderful rehearsal process all over again tomorrow. I will surely keep you all posted with how everything is going. Thanks for reading!
Peace Out,
Luke
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