DREAMS CAN COME TRUE

This past week has gone by so fast it's crazy. Monday night was out first music rehearsal for MOST HAPPY FELLA In Concert with the Silicon Valley Symphony. We ran through all the ensemble numbers and got started on the three chef's two big numbers. Tuesday was an all day rehearsal where we finished learning all the music and started staging with our director Rick Lombardo, artistic director of San Jose Rep. Tuesday is also the first time I got to have my first conversation with our terrific leads - Gualtiero "Wally" Negrini and Lisa Vroman. Those of you who know me, know that Lisa has been an idol performer of mine for many years. I saw her in Phantom more than a dozen times when it played here in the 90's, I saw her in Threepenny Opera at A.C.T. and also in the all-star concert of Sweeney Todd at Davies Symphony Hall and I am a proud owner of her CD Broadway Classic (if you don't own this YOU MUST!) incidentally also conducted by the great Wally Negrini. Needless to say I am a big Lisa Vroman fan. Both Wally & Lisa have been dream colleagues to work with. Those voices!! It's thrilling to hear them sing together. This is a photo of Lisa & I, backstage at the Curran Theatre more than a decade ago. She signed it when I saw her in Sweeney Todd.

Wednesday night was out first symphony rehearsal on stage at the California Theatre. Yesterday was another all day rehearsal where we ran through most of the show without the symphony in the afternoon and ran the show with the symphony in the evening with the fabulous Billy Liberatore at the podium. And here we are, only four days rehearsal and tonight I fulfill a couple of dreams of mine - 1) to sing at the California Theatre, 2) to sing with a symphony orchestra. But if you were ever to ask me if I'd be singing with a symphony orchestra, in the California Theatre and singing TO Lisa Vroman, I'd say you were out of your fucking mind. This experience has exceeded my wildest dreams and I plan to have a really great time tonight.

=+)

Martin