DIRTY ROTTEN BAKERSFIELD,CA

You know how sometimes, for no good reason that you can remember, you get totally the wrong idea about a person or place before you've even seen them? I had that idea about Bakersfield. For some reason I thought it was a dusty, broken down hovel of a town. Imagine my surprise as we drive into a bustling, lush, verdant and tidy little city. The Four Points Sheraton also contributes to the feel of the place. The decor makes me feel like I've walked into the catalogue. Everything stark white and ice blue and very spartan, punctuated by tiny splashes of powerful colour. The bathroom is so sparse and white that I need sunglasses. IkeaSooooo Scandinavian.

The theatre is bizarre. It's a strange hybrid of arena and theatre space, designed more for a Madonna concert than a Broadway musical. The stage is vast, you could play football in the orchestra pit, the house is vast, and the possible right-to-left spread of the audience could give an actor whiplash. Also, unlike other arena-type spaces we've played, this one does not have the usual raised, temporary stage. Instead, we are playing on plywood panels laid down over concrete. (A first in my checkered career). Much quieter for rolling sets, not so good for dancers. Once again, we are lifted out of the odd, and not always comfortable surroundings, by an audience that plays along and loves the show. We celebrate having played our last arena AND our last one-night-stand! It's back through the Tejon pass, through all the farms, orchards and vineyards to Los Angeles where we will play Thousand Oaks for a week.