Hey, so we had opening night of Avenue Q on well Friday We did the the invited dress rehearsal for an audience of about 35 or 40 people that went well No, we had opening night Saturday and a matinee Sunday.

We got standing ovations at each shows.

That was exciting and things are going well Here’s some more information about it.

I mean, I guess the good news is if you are Excited to hear more about the theater You got more episodes for me talking about it because I got more shows next weekend and I’m gonna talk about it today And if you’re sick of hearing about it, the good news is the show’s over next weekend So it’s almost done.

But anyway themes on your Daily Lex So I in some ways I think of myself as the show’s dad it’s not a very big cast It’s maybe 11 people or something like that And I’m not the oldest but I’m the second oldest and you know There’s a lot of folks who are in their 20s and then there’s a couple folks in their 30s And then there’s three of us in our 40s But the show went really well It’s funny to see how different people set up their dressing room areas you know, I’m a very large dressing room with Four other guys I think and you know, I’m somebody who comes armed with snacks and Accoutrement, right?

Like here’s some sodas and they give us water So I don’t have to have those the sodas are in case I want a caffeine boost before Joe And here’s some snacks.

They got to be snacks.

You can eat while you’re in a costume, right?

So it’s nothing that can be messy Here’s like I don’t really do a ton of makeup.

I don’t really do any makeup other than powder I do powder just because it helps for me Helps me to be a little bit less sweaty or glare or whatever So I’ve got that and then I’ve got the makeup removers and whatever so but I got all that set up and then there’s folks Who just have like video game consoles because whenever they’re not on stage They won’t be playing video games and I find that funny because that is not a distraction that I need in the middle of show but the show Went really well and they have a professional photographer who comes in and takes photos during the show And I’m definitely having some body image issues with these photos I think I know what I look like and then I see these photos and I didn’t think that’s what I like It could be digest and it quite possibly is that this photographer caught me at some just awkwardly position moments, you know when you’re when you’re posing at the end of a song and you’re kind of in a Goofier body position and I can stretch your clothing over you like basically what I’m saying is I have I have a Belly outline in some of these photos that I find surprising because there’s wearing t-shirts and I feel like I know what I look Like in a t-shirt that in these photos I feel like that’s not what I think of myself was looking like so Really struggling with is that just what I look like and I’m in denial and I took it took these photos to see it or did I get a couple of photos that captured me in awkward moments.

I genuinely don’t know what the answer is But yeah, so that’s been fun except not fun, but other showing really well No major mess-ups, not even really any minor mess-ups, but very enthusiastic audiences opening night We had one family walk out at intermission not no rude, right, right They just didn’t come back after your mission which made sense because they brought two young kids who didn’t belong in Avenue Q They ignored every warning including signs right there and messages in the program messages in every advertisement that the show’s not for kids They brought kids now, honestly, they left it in their mission after which is after all the the worst stuff has happened That’s after the song you can be as loud as the hell you want when you’re making love.

That’s after the song about racism That’s after the song about pornography But that’s when but you know, they did not bring their kids back after admission, which I think was the right move Also on I think it was opening night opening night there was an elderly couple in the front row and Backstage many cast members are talking with them because it didn’t seem like they were cracking any smiles Like it seemed like they were a little bit Not enjoying things But we were sure they were gonna leave it in a mission and they didn’t and we did get a couple after them in act In act two I actually along with three other folks go out into the audience For a moment to try to collect money while we’re raising funds during the show and I really enjoy that moment I wasn’t sure I would but I get to go and you know Encourage people to drop money in the baseball cap that I’m holding and nobody really wants to they also don’t know what’s coming most Of the time and it’s a pretty short time.

They’re out there.

So you’re not collecting a lot on opening night I got Twizzlers which came actually from the director of the show who’s in the audience But I also there was an empty seat Next to a row full of people and I sat in that empty seat made the person.

They’re very uncomfortable I wasn’t doing anything mean or rude to her.

She was just like, oh my god People are looking at me people are looking at you looking at me This is embarrassing And I enjoy that moment because it’s fun and a nice way to torture people in a harmless way And then the second night there was a guy who wanted to give me money And he was going pretty slowly So I’m miming looking at a watch because I don’t actually have a watch on And he’s going really slowly and I’m thinking to myself boy.

I really have to be back on stage very soon He’s like, hang on.

Hang on.

I’m getting it and he finally does get his dollar I have to race up on stage and Really race down the entire theater and then leap onto the stage and as I was doing the leap I thought to myself I am slightly too old to do this leap, but it went fine I did leap onto the stage in a single bound And got there in time for the song’s finale But it was pretty funny all to get one freaking dollar all the dollars we do collect by the way go to the theater Which is a nonprofit so it’s a good cause you just don’t get any tax benefit.

Anyway, that was opening night Now no rehearsals for me all week long until Thursday when we’re gonna just run the show an extra time before we do One show Friday two shows Saturday and the show again on Sunday to round it out And then we’ll have what they call the post show blues and that’s just how it goes in the theater Anyway, I hope your week is off to a kicker kicker like kick.

I was gonna kick ass and then I censored it I don’t know Avenue Q has bad words.

It’s fine.

I hope your week is off to a kick-ass start I get to say the f-word in Avenue Q.

I get to say a lot of anyway Go see me for New Jersey.

Happy week.

Happy Monday.

Talk soon Lex