"Swing (ie: Standby, Understudy) Time!

Hello there Jersey Boy Fans and Friends. Life on the road is splendid. I will catch you up on all that's happened. The "Sherry" company has just completed our 78th performance of 'Jersey Boys' here at the Curran Theatre, SF! Cheers to all! Tuesday night, Kendra, my hair and wig stylist cut my hair under the stage after the show! We had a blast. Kendra is responsible for putting on my wigs during the show, but she is also a talented hairstylist in Marin County by day! Two and a half inches of brown hair gone! It was the best midnight haircut I've ever had! We were the last ones out of the theater that night!

Valentine's Day (Wed.) was a smash. Diane, Janice and Mick ( my favorite wardrobe dressers) organized a pot luck in the mezzanine lobby of the theater inbetween the two shows. My mother gave me a a '1,2,3 Campbell's Picture Cookbook' where every recipe includes a can of soup, huge pictures, and short prep and cook time! (Easy Peesy, thanks Ma.) I made the Enchilada Bake on page nine. It was scrumptious and all gone before the pot luck ended! It's always fun to hang out with the cast and crew and see who brings what- I went away with a lot of great recipe ideas. Also on V-Day a huge SF Chronicle article came out featuring the "Jersey Girls" in the show! It was a great article explaining how only three girls perform all the female parts in the show. There is also a podcast interview that is entertaining. You can hear Jackie and myself laughing and telling stories and all the girls chatting it up. You should listen. Thanks to Leba Hertz, the entertainment editor and writer of the article and all the people involved in making the article happen. Go to my media page on my website if you'd like to hear us discuss the show and learn all the secrets of being a "Jersey Girl."

This week has been "swinging!" Jen Evans went on for Jackie in the "Mary Delgado" role for three shows over the weekend. She did an excellent job; she held her own. It was fun to see her shine. Valentine's evening Rick Faugno (he usually plays Joey) went on for Chris Jones (our regular Frankie.) I absolutely love when swings, understudies, and standbys perform! It keeps us all on our toes, it's always a little different and it's amazing to see a different actor play the same role. I heard lines and words that I'd never heard before! Backstage during our down-time the cast would gather around the monitors to watch Rick during the show. During "Beggin," Rick does this little jump split switch move- wow- we cheered and clapped during the song. During the "splits," Jackie and I sit in the back table in semi darkness and we had to grab on to each other attempting to compose ourselves and not laugh. Yes, Rick is a mover and a shaker. After the show, Brandon and Rick invited us over for a lasagna celebration at their new Nob Hill apartment. I made Chocolate Devil's Cake with Vanilla Frosting for the occasion. A ton of the cast and crew (and their pets) showed up and we ate, drank and were very merry!

When I arrived at the theater Thursday night, the cast learned that Chris was stuck in the NYC blizzard and "Rickster" was going on again for "Frankie!" It was a great show. Jarrod will go on for "Frankie" until Chris is safe from the snow. Speaking of swings, Doug Crawford and Erik Bates go on for Nato tonight and through the weekend. I can't wait to see Doug dancing hip-hop and see him in a moustache. Well, that's all the JB news from my end.
MSS, Over and Out

I'm Back!

Yesterday was a two show day and so many things happened. We, Jersey Boys 1st National Tour or "The Sherry" company, have just completed our #60 and #61st performances. Every night Jersey Boys sells out, every night the audience showers us with a standing ovation and every night I pinch myself! An audience of one thousand six hundred people clapping sounds like a thunder storm. Let just says it pours every night at the Curran Theatre! Including previews and performances about one hundred thirteen thousand and six hundred peoople have seen the show here in San Francisco. We have a lot of "repeat fans" - for instance when Regan and Scott (my sister and brother-in-law) were picking up their tickets last week- they were in front of a lady who was buying a ticket for the third time! I hold the Jersey Boy repeat fans or what I call "regulars" near and dear to my heart! I like meeting them and talking to the "regulars" after the show. They are very smart and notice everything! Even Broadway.com was in the audience last night! They came by to take a picture of the Jersey Girls before the show which was so nice of them. Deven was giving a Broadway.com backstage tour of the Curran that I bumped into him. At first I thought it was his Dad video taping him... I was a little slow on the uptake! I got to say "hi" to the camera (I probably laughed!) and off I went to get ready. It's funny because I used to watch all those video segments on Broadway.com and now I'm in one. It all comes around. Visit my media page to see it!

Back to the "audiences"- which all react differently. I have nick names for all the different types of audiences...clappers, hooters, laughers, coughers, smilers, dancers, sleepers: onstage I can see and hear everything (a lot of people don't realize we can from the stage!) For example, during the matinee yesterday, they clapped after my Italian "Mama" line, while Deven sings "Earth Angel." That was a first! They clapped going into the church scene when I'm "Nick's Date" (that bubble dress is my favorite.) They clapped and laughed after kissing Bergen in "Oh What a Night." During the second act, I can see people crying during "Falling Angel" and have actually witnessed numerous times people reaching for their loved one's hand. Sometimes the audience coughs during the "Francine" phone call or they make comments about what I say to my dad. I'm so close to the edge of the stage I can hear everything! Speaking of audiences, last night a lady threw her scarf on the stage after the act one medley! It was so great. The boys started laughing, the audience started laughing and Deven "the charmer" picked up that scarf and took it back stage. A very classic Jersey Boys moment fitting for the time period and the play!

This week in the cast we've had two people call out because of sickness- so Chris went on twice yesterday and the swings get to perform! Many of the actors are taking personal days so the swings will get a chance to show their stuff. And man- are they prepared. Can't wait for them to perform - it will be fun. We also had a swing in the wig department! Not just actors get sick or need personal days- who knew? Kendra, my wig and hairstylist- was out so I got to work with Monica. She did a great job. With 18 costume and wig changes she didn't miss a beat. It was funny when I showed up in the wrong wig as a blonde for "Dawn." The boys freaked out- you get so used to seeing the same thing every night and when something's different the actors notice and giggle or whisper to each other on stage! I usually wear a short brown curly wig that I've named "Pauline," after my grandma Sabol for "Dawn." All my wigs have names- they all have such different personalities. They transform you in an instant. Let's see... "La Chandra" for my short cropped wig I wear in the Seabreeze Lounge, "Sheep Dog" for my blond "Short Shorts" wig (my mom didn't even recognize me in that one!) and "Trixie" for my waitress and bowling redhead- dutch cut wig.

Because of the wigs I sometimes don't get recognized when I leave the stage door that often. Last night I did get recognized and I got to take a picture with a fan and then with her boyfriend! A few weeks ago, I was buying Nutella at the store across from the theater and a I got to talk with a woman who had just seen the show and loved it! Our window opens directly onto the fire-escape and some of the smokers and cell phone talkers migrate down to our dressing room window that is painted over so you can't see in from the outside. I share my dressing room with Jackie and last night we heard a lady go on and on about how much she liked the show! I started whispering to Jackie that I was gonna open the window and invite the lady in for an "intermission coca-cola!" I started to head for the window and gave Jackie a really good scare... we laughed all the way through the top of act two!

Well, that's all she wrote. So many things are happening!
I will write more frequently - that's a promise!
MSS, Over and Out