DIRTY ROTTEN CHARLESTON

"Dirty Rotten Scoundrels" on tour

And they slowly fell apart..... What ever this little virus is that's going around the cast, it's busy. At the start of the show, Heather is feeling pretty bad and is worried about how much voice she has. Problem is, her understudy has virtually no voice at all and can barely even speak. Heather will have to do what ever she can. Galen, who is even paler than usual, almost transparent in fact, makes the decision to do a 'half-track' show. That is, he is cut from the dance numbers but does his character scenes which involve dialogue. Tracz, who looks like cold shit on an old bagel, makes is through show, but the effort takes it's toll. Several of the cast and crew, including our Technical Director, are sniffling, sneezing and coughing. It seems that our imminent few days off couldn't come at a better time. Our hotel is a newly renovated Hampton Inn and is quite comfortable. It is near the theatre, which is near the airport. We are also quite near the freeway, so 'peacefulness' isn't the first thing that comes to mind if you should happen to sit outside to enjoy the Carolina weather for a moment. The airport is also home to a posting of The National Guard, so there are constantly gigantic, buzzing transport planes flying low over the hotel. At times it's like being in a vibrating bed that doesn't need quarters. Michael and I take advantage of a warm, sunny afternoon. We rent bicycles and tour around downtown Charleston viewing the beautiful and well maintained old plantation-style mansions, the waterfront, the harbour, and the market. I am desperate to get some good ol' southern BBQ into me so we take an early lunch and I eat a platter of meat. The second show doesn't get any better, in fact the casualty toll gets higher. Heather is out, Keely, her understudy, is in, voice or no voice. Keely has about one octave of sing-able notes in her range and, through a combination of modulation the melodies, sing/speak and sheer will, she makes it through the show. Galen is looking a little better, as is Tracz, but neither of them look anything like healthy people. By the end of the show, I am losing my voice, Stephen is complaining of a sore throat and two of our crew are not feeling so great either. On a brighter note,.... Duff and Sarah do manage to create a beautiful mural of the show logo for us all to sign in the dressing room halls. The theatre has a tradition that casts sign the walls to commemorate their visits. There are some that are quite elaborate like "The Drowsy Chaperon" (see photo) and "Sweeney Todd", and some that are downright primitive like Bill Cosby and David Byrne. Outside my dressing room door, there are signatures of luminaries like Anne Murray, Oprah Winfrey and that perky, blond Calgary girl who was in our "Dirty Rotten..." cast this summer, Victoria Lamond.