Actor in Exile: SUPER-HYPER-MEGA-POST

I have a folder on my desktop into which I dump data that I think might make an interesting blog post. Every now and then, I dig through it and see if there's enough raw material there from which to mine some gold. Often, while digging, I think, "Well, that may have been interesting to me, but who the hell else cares?" On the other hand, I do sometimes pass things over but keep them in the file for later use. I decided it was time to clean out my iPhone and my blog folder, so this post is really a smorgasbord, a collage of people, places and events that could answer the question, "So, what else is going on?"

Here they are in no particular order...

Though it's not always particularly funny to me, there are people that think it's hilarious that I can't go for a pee in my costume. Though the designers did put zippers in what would, technically, be considered to be in the right places, the geography simply doesn't work. (I'll spare you the details of the mess I've made perched over the toilet like a confused giraffe at a watering hole). I've learned that I have to hydrate all day and then ration my water during the show.

Thomas (stage management) and Vero (wardrobe) found it unbearably funny that I would sometimes need to pee through the whole of Act 1, and began making all sorts of jokes about getting me some incontinence underwear. They would appear in the wings waving toilet paper at me and squeezing their knees together. One night, I came into the dressing room and the ceiling was full of disposable underwear hanging from the acoustic tiles (and they're still there). On another night, I found mini-me on a mountain of toilet paper.

Scar & Zazu normally preside over our shared counter space..

I arrived one night to find Scar sitting on his throne...

I, of course, fought back, unravelling an entire roll of toilet paper into Thomas' backpack. Thomas retaliated by leaving me a plastic training-potty for kiddies. Green. And shaped like a seal. I plotted my revenge which will be revealed below.

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We have several people from Paris working on the production. I was feeling the need to cook so I invited some of the Frenchies for dinner, promising them an authentic Coq au Vin. This meant that I had to shop for coq. (Please begin with all double-entredres now because it's only going to get worse). True Coq au Vin is usually made from old coq, which is why it needs to soak in wine and cook slowly. I asked my current make-up artist, Ramya, who is Tamil, if the wet market at Tekka would be a good place to find a coq. She said that it would, and that it would be fresh.

The problem, as always, comes down to language. The Indian butchers didn't understand the word "coq", and "rooster" drew similar blank stares and rapid conversations in languages I don't understand. The only thing that made sense to them was "boy chicken". (Again, feel free to indulge in one-liners). I eventually got what I was looking for and, though I was assured that it was fresh, it's age remains a mystery.

If you ever want to make a group of French people happy, just serve them some French country cooking and finish the meal with a huge platter of stinky cheese. I have never seen people's eyes get so wide with delight. "Stinky cheese", they cried in accented unison as they descended on the platter like starving wolves.

The French Mafia for dinner
Vero, Thomas, Charlie and me

Oh, and the aforementioned revenge? I used the kiddie-training-pottie as an olive boat.

The French word for seal is 'phoque'. Have at it...

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I may have mentioned our weekly "Thursty Thursday", a chance to have a drink and hang out after the show, which is held at South Coast, a hip, up-scale restaurant/bar at Marina Bay Sands. The owner, Kate, and her manager, Aaron, have been incredibly welcoming and treat us like royalty whenever we go there.

Kati & I (possibly drunk)

The food is delicious and the atmosphere is chilled and welcoming. When I have the time and the inclination, it is one of my favourite places to sit and watch the world go by.

It's also a great place to take visitors, allowing them to meet the company socially and introduce them to 'the life' here. Pictured below are my surprise visitors from Canada, who happened to be on tour in Asia with a show from Nova Scotia's Mermaid Theatre.

Kate and I joke that her bar is becoming the unoffical theatre bar of Singapore.

A while back, Kate & Aaron thought that our company morale was getting a bit low so they decided to throw us a special Thursty Thursday. On a normal Thursday, there is usually plenty of free pizza going around, but on this Thursday, they upped the ante with things like Jell-O Shooters and Beer Pong in the hope of helping us find our way back to 'fabulous'.

Whether our morale was lifted or not is unsure. (It's hard to measure through a hang-over). But South Coast's generosity, open arms and party-spirit came through loud and clear.

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Last week we had a few birthdays in the company. It's rare that a week goes by without at least one birthday in a company of over 100 people. Joilson was one of the birthdays last week. Now, I believe in celebrating my birthday all week long, but this guy makes me look like an amateur. There was a party every night, culminating with a blow-out at Movida, a local salsa club.

Birthday boy in the middle

Lavina (Shenzi) takes the stage to do a number with the band
(As a group, we know how to take over)

Important gossip

All of this birthday merriment, which my reports tell me didn't end until 6 a.m., was followed by a pool party at Aaron's (of South Coast) condo. A lovely way to waste a Monday. Tons of great food, beer, wine, miles of swimming pools, and the few, brave souls who didn't totally destroy themselves the night before.

Pool antics

Relaxed (or drunk) (or hungover)

Drunk driving incident with the food trolley

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The first available time for me to take a vacation away from The Pridelands turned out to be the final week of October. Which also happens to be just after my birthday. As Margaret says, the past few years would indicate that I seem to be making it a habit to celebrate my birthdays away from home.

Looking to discover someplace new in this corner of the world, I settled on the Thai island of Koh Samui. Also, being a snob, I immediately started looking for something OTHER than the resorts and hotels where the normals stay. I found a villa owned by a TV commercial producer in Los Angeles. Given that the end of October is low-season in Thailand, the price was similar to what one would pay in a resort over-populated with the mewling spawn of apathetic couples and puffy, white business men on the hunt for lady-boys. Presenting, Villa Sampresada. Happy Birthday to me.