Oliver National Tour 08

"IT'S SO HARD TO SAY GOODBYE"

2009-03-10T14:37:00.013-04:00

Our final group hug :(

The end of our 24,000+ mile tour had brought us to Akron, OH for 3 shows. A cast party on Friday night after the show and 2 shows on Saturday with an early flight home on Sunday. Gail was flying in on Friday to see the show but got held up in bad weather. Little did I know, she was living a scene from "Planes, Trains and Automobiles" to get to Ohio. Thank goodness she made it, just as we started the cast party! Boy we were excited to see her! Quentin flew from the table like Superman when he saw her.

We all had a great time just taking pictures and not thinking much about goodbye just yet, we still had 2 more shows on Saturday. Gails friend Gretchen who had come to the show in Toledo came to the afternoon show. More friends, Brenda and Larry came to the to the evening show. It was so nice to have friends with us for this final weekend. Their support, love and warmth was exactly what we needed at that time.

I admit I got pretty choked up during both shows. I tried so hard to carve the memory of my little man singing, dancing and perfoming into my brain. It has been an amazing trip, but thats for later. After each show we took pictures in the Green Room, Backstage, Hallway, and anywhere else they let us. It got pretty emotional for all of us as we left for the hotel and took our final pics there. It's really over!

Quentin went right back to school on Monday less the 2 hour delay for snow. Go figure we get snow in Virgia Beach! Nonetheless we are HOME and it is wonderful to be home. It's been a week or so and Q is loving school and I have put our Duffel Bags in the attic :) I must admit though we will miss the ROAD (a little) we will miss the friends/road family (a lot). It was amazing watching everyone grow a little more everyday on stage and off stage. And ....Me offstage, in other ways (not funny though). The stories we all shared and places we have seen will stay with us forever. I must give a Shout Out to everyone who came to see what I thought was an amazing show; eventhough I am biased. Thank you road Mom's for being the awesome "RENTS" that you are. Quentin and I will always remember what great fun we had. "It's so hard to say goodbye", and so I won't. We hope to see you again, we will keep in touch, we'll "be back soon".

Love ya,

John & Q

Friends in Akron, OH

2009-03-09T19:45:00.000-04:00

Thank You Larry and Brenda for comming to see the show
Thank You Gretchen for coming all the way from Toledo

A blog from Mom!

2009-03-01T06:17:00.001-05:00

I felt the need to write a little something from my perspective. It has been a long separation and I am so happy my boys are home, however, at the same time, I am so sad that this adventure is over for my son.

My daughter and I stayed home while Quentin and John went on this 7 month excursion. Someone along the way asked if I was jealous because my boys were on this outing, traveling and seeing the country. There is no way in the world I could be jealous! My son received an education that is priceless. This opportunity is something that only few get to experience and at such a young age. He has grown so much as an actor and a young man. I am so grateful! Grateful that my husband was able to join him in this experience, grateful for the other parents, for their kindness and their encouragement, grateful for the cast for their discipline and for the director for taking this chance on Quentin and giving him this unbelievable opportunity. I am so proud of the show and of everyone involved. Jealous – no! I am overwhelmed with pride, love and amazement. Thank you to all our friends and family!

10 memories from Mom's perspective:

5 am - coffee and blogspot/facebook - where is my baby boy today??
Holding my breath while reading reviews.·
Finding a "Google Alert" in my email inbox.·
My hug in Pembroke, NC. It had been over 4 weeks since I had last seen him and the way that hug felt will stay with me forever.
My (heart) belongs to Oliver and Tiny Tim! I had 2 Dickens boys!
Mikey's rendition in sign language of Mr.Bumble's "lovey, chubby, hubby" – so funny!
"I miss you Mommy" the ending of many conversations. I missed you too, more than life! I hope you know that.
Reina and I flying to Reno, NV. Her final words "Thank you so much Mommy for taking me with you. I had a great time!"
Reina explaining to the passenger next to her on the plane home from Reno that she (this passenger) was sitting next to a STAR's sister. This was the first of many intro's of "My brother's a star!"
Arguing about how many inches he grew…In total he grew 3 inches!!!

Houghton, MI

2009-02-25T01:36:00.000-05:00

Well, It's Happy 100 for the cast. Yup officially the 100th performance. The design team at the venue had made some amazing banners and posters. This time with our cast and kids on it.So how excited were we when he was able to get some for us. The house was so full I had to watch from the Green Room. It was a late show so we were able to get some pool time in the morning actually afternoon. We havent been able to get too much time for that either. We now have embarked on an extremely long 1082 mile ride to Reading, PA with a stop in Elyria, OH again. Yes, again. We were there just a little bit ago. We have a couple of real early bus calls. Might I add a snow storm is following us. We cant wait to see Gail soon. So I will post to you soon.

Love Ya,

John & Q

Merilleville, IN

2009-02-23T02:45:00.000-05:00

Hello all, 7 days and counting. Totally enjoying a Golden Day, albeit a very cold day we managed to pick up Quentins Backugans and check out a movie with Sue and Mikey. We later met up with Missy and Colin and went searching for a restaurant "again" and showed off some new puchases. The show today went well and we even got free popcorn and soda with flashing our pass. That never happens! Directly after the show they held a Q & A with the cast and the kids. Who you know truly enjoy doing those.The kids would answer every question if you let them. Being that it was a 3 o' clock show. We returned to the hotel and walked to Red Lobster. Q has been begging to go for a while. He loves his crab legs. We also enjoyed that Rhianon and Chaz joined us for the festivities. Well we are off again in the morning. So I will blog to you soon.

Love Ya,
John & Q

Salisbury, MD

2009-02-20T03:39:00.000-05:00

Hello Everyone, Oh Happy Day. Papa Nanny, Grandpa and Grandma all here. Unfortunately we had got into town much later than we had expected due to rain so, Q and I had literally 30 minutes to drop our stuff off and get something to eat. Thank goodness papa ran to Wendy's for us. We had left pretty early from Springfield so Q needed a quick shower. Anyway the hello's went pretty quick and back on the bus to the venue. The show went well and Gail's parents, Papa and Nanny sat there laughing along and getting choked up during "Where is Love" and "Who will Buy".It was fun watching them enjoy what I have been able to see for the past six months. I cant even begin to explain how proud Ive been but that's a story for another time. I truly loved having my little girl Reina sitting beside me during the show. She has also grown so much during this trip. Anyway, we were in an arena so being on the floor sometimes can be tough especially sitting behind tall people but it all worked out. Quentin was also really excited because Eric and Susan had also drove in to see the show. They where staying overnight in the same hotel so we all had planned to meat up there and go to Denny's for a late night breakfast. Unfortunately we had a 8:30am call the next morning for another 783 mile trek to Indiana. So it was short but sweet and nice to have a quick coffee and orange juice with the family before we headed off. It was a little sad saying bye but we are almost going home. With that being said I will blog to you later from Indiana. Check out Picasa Web Albums for new pics.

Love Ya,
John & Q

Springfield, MA

2009-02-17T23:37:00.000-05:00

Hello, hope all is going well. We want to thank Cousin Pat and her friend, Melissa and her friend for coming to see the show in Springfield. They truly seemed to enjoy it. Q and myself met up with them in the lobby after the performance and you know Q is always happy to sign some autographs and say hello. Our stay in Springfield was short and sweet not too much to blog on. Although Jen who plays Colin’s understudy as Dodger went on for him today and she did a wonderful job. Colin is fine he just took the night off. She did have some relatives at the show so that was a bonus for her. We will be on our way to Salisbury, MD in the morning and cant wait to see Papa, Nanny, Grandma, Grandpa and of course Reina. We had hoped to hear from some of our friends from Hurrah but being this show is in the middle of the week we understand. Our stay in Maryland will also be a short one but the tour is almost over and oh what a trip it has been. We cant wait to get back home and into our normal routine what ever that may be. We still have quite a bit of miles left on the tour but truly about 7 more performances in 4 more states. Well that is about all I have for today. I will blog to you later.

Love Ya,

John & Q

Lowell, MA

2009-02-16T11:30:00.000-05:00

Hello, Hope all are doing well. We would like to thank all our family and friends who came out to see the show. We were all excited for them to see the show. I think it was the first time they got to see Quentin in a show. So Q was extremely enthused to give a great performance and so proud to know he had family and friends in the crowd. Following the show we first met with this incredible little boy who was waiting at stage door and so excited to see the cast and kids he just made our day. We then moved out to the lobby for Q to say hello to the family. It was nice and quick as we are getting accustomed to that. But not for much longer.We were sad to see the family go. They all had to gat back home and we had to get back to a meet and greet up on the third floor. Once we were done it was back to the hotel to drop off our stuff and go to dinner. We had gone to a great little Italian restaurant the night before in which Q was my Valentines date and decided to go back again with Chaz accompanying us this time. After dinner we all walked back to the hotel and watched “Oliver” on TV the non musical version. We will enjoy a golden day then travel to Springfield. I will blog to you soon.

Love Ya,

John& Q

Morganton, NC

2009-02-14T00:59:00.000-05:00

Hello again, we got into Morganton on Thursday and enjoyed the evening off. On Friday the kids had school early and I finished our laundry, isn't life grand. The show that evening went very well and Quentin had a couple of visitors come to the show. We would like to thank Georgia and her husband for coming to the show. We were all staying at the same hotel so were able to talk a little after the show. Georgia had been in Hong Kong on Monday and had dinner with Gail. They enjoyed the show and it was great spending some time with them. But as usual we had an early call the next morning and had to retire for the evening. Although we did get to see them again in the morning before our shuttle took us to the airport. Oh, I forgot to tell you that we got a break from the bus. The kids and parents actually were offered to fly into Boston and shuttle to Lowell so we took it. The remainder of the cast has to ride the bus to NJ for a layover then to Lowell. We will blog to you again from Lowell.

Love Ya,

John & Q

Jacksonville, FL

2009-02-11T23:59:00.000-05:00

Hello All, hope everyone is doing well. Where do I begin? Well, from Georgia we enjoyed a stay in Clemson, SC for one night and a performance. Thank goodness the hotel was 100% cleaner and we at least got a decent night sleep. Then off again the next morning. We could now enjoy the next two days off in Florida. Sue’s husband Mike came to visit again and brought Maria with him. Unfortunately she had come down with a bit of a cold. She probably caught it from Mikey who caught it on the bus. We have all had some aggravating cough that we just cant get rid of. Mike had rented a minivan so we all could get around for the couple of days off. Monday we were all able to get on the bus and head to the beach for a few hours which was nice just to sit on the beach and relax. The kids of course loved that they could just run some energy off. After eating down by the beach we all went back to our hotel rooms and pretty much crashed and retired for the evening. On Tuesday we headed to the Museum of Science and History in Jacksonville along with Jeremiah the tutor for a field trip which was a nice change from having class on a bus. Thanks again to Mike for providing the transportation. We then again headed back to the hotel for some r & r. That evening Mike & I took the kids to the movies to see Coraline in 3D which is great movie if I say so myself. Sue had stayed back with little Maria who was still not feeling well trying to fight off a cold. Today the cast had 2 shows in which the first was a school show at 10am with about 1800 kids showing up with a Question & Answer session after the show. Needless to say the kids loved the show and all the little girls were going crazy for Oliver and Dodger even asking them if they were available. Available for what, I ask? The kids were even more pumped up when the 3 boys started signing autographs. The 7pm show went well but without all the screaming for the boys. That concludes our stop in Florida and it is about that time I say goodnight. We are off in the morning to Morganton, NC I hope to see some of you there. Please give me a call so Q and I will take some time to say hello after the show on Friday. I am also excited to be seeing my cousin Gerry and his family, Gail’s sister Brenda and Brother Evan and his family in Lowell. I will take tons of pics and post them later. I have added updated all the pics up to this point in Picasa Web links below so check them out. Blog to you soon.

P.S. We all hope Maria gets well soon.

Love Ya,

John & Q

Statesboro, GA

2009-02-07T23:28:00.000-05:00

Hello everyone, Today's news from Georgia. It was actually warmer today here than it was in Florida yesterday. A bit of bad news on the way to the hotel we were supposed to stay at. It so happened that the brand new Ramada Inn had no reservations for us and no space to accommodate the cast. So instead we got to stay at the not so new and pretty shady Howard Johnson. Yuck, and to make a long story short it sucked big time. As for the show that was quite interesting also. The show itself went well, but about fifteen minutes prior to the top of the show the fire alarms went off. It seems that the fog machines had set them off and the fire marshal and trucks had to come out and everyone had to evacuate the building. After about 20 minutes we were able to return and the show went on. When we returned to the hotel most of the cast was hungry so we visited the Sonic next door. If you know Sonic then you know that its a drive thru spot and we do no have vehicles. What a funny picture that was, all of us standing in front of the boards with a few cars in the mix. I wish I had my camera for that one. Anyway we are all excited to leave and 8:30 cant come fast enough. Blog to you soon.

Love Ya,

John & Q

Gainsville, FL

2009-02-06T21:45:00.000-05:00

We have arrived, Yeah. What a trip! We psyched ourselves up for the worst and it ended up not being as bad as we had originally thought. Its crazy how at this point we think 500+ mile trips for day for 3 days is not too bad. Another bit of the stomach bug had struck again and Will had to miss a show. Adam stepped in and did a great job in 2 roles as Grimwig and Sowerberrry. We are getting excited to see family and friends in some upcoming venues. It seems like forever since we have seen you all. The cast has about 15 more shows and I think it is starting to sink in that the end is near. Bitter Sweet it is. Blog to you soon.

Love Ya,
John & Q

OH Canada

2009-02-02T16:38:00.000-05:00

Hello Again, Last time I blogged we were in Canada just on our way to St. John for weekend performances. I must admit I truly enjoyed staying in one spot for a few days. We truly did not do much, it was cold and we were truly beat. We pretty much stayed in the hotel for dinner and just left for the shows. Sunday was even more enjoyable because it was a day off without travel and Superbowl Sunday. WOW, even though the Cowboys aren't there I still get to watch. No big party or anything like that but, we did have a 50 something inch flat panel TV in our room. Don't be confused though the beds looked like a skate ramp and the hotel looked like it was from the 70's.(not retro, just from the 70's) I guess they got a deal or something on the tv's. Anyway the weekend did not go without a hick up or two. Clare our tour manager got sick, I got and gave bad directions to the theatre and we left a man behind. At the hotel that is not in Canada. We now have a wonderful 3 day 1783 trip back to Gainsville, FL with stops in Norwalk, CT and Fayettville, NC. Half the cast have bought out their rooms and decided to fly home for a few days and meet us in Florida, but Q and I will tough it out and ride. I will post again when we settle somewhere.

Love Ya,
John & Q

Kingston, Ontario

2009-01-30T07:06:00.000-05:00

Bonjour, nous sommes au Canada. In English hello from Canada hope all is going well in the states. We are travelling through some crazy weather. Quentin and I have seen more snow in two days than we ever saw in Virginia. Last time we blogged we were in PA. We have gone through Ogdensburg, NY which is across the St. Lawrence river looking into Canada. We spend the next few days here in Canada traveling to New Brunswick near Nova Scotia. I have been able to use some of the French I learned when I was a kid. It has been very trying on this leg, but we are getting excited to be coming home soon. I have updated all the pictures so please take a look, leave a comment. I will post more when I get a chance, miss you all.

Love Ya,
John & Q

Williamsport, PA

2009-01-27T09:22:00.000-05:00

Hello again, We are now traveling through the mountains and snow of Pennsylvania. It has been a little tough lately to remember where we are, what day it is and where we are going. Thank goodness for our trusty itinerary which I am looking at right now. Last we spoke we were leaving Michigan. From there we had an evening show in Springfield, OH that went well. One of the cast members Erin is from Ohio and so her family held a little reception at the hotel after the show on Sunday. Her family and friends were very nice and everyone enjoyed themselves but again we had an early call the next morning. Now Monday was a tough day the crew bus broke down and they all had to fly out to Williamsport and go straight to the theatre so they got no sleep. One of our tour trucks got into an accident,the driver is OK but the costumes and some props and such was delayed and made it a mess for the crew. To top that all off Chris(Bill Sykes) went down with a stomach virus and could not perform. Well, the show must go and the shift of characters made for an interesting show. Shout out goes to Will who did a great job as Sykes and everyone else that had to pick up their game. We are now heading to Ogdensburg, NY then into Canada for a week. It is that time to say goodbye and I will post the pics as soon as I get to a good hotspot. We miss you all and to those in VA hope to see you in Salsbury, MD or Morganton, NC and our family and friends in MA hope to see you in Lowell or Springfield. Please don't forget to call me on my cell (you should know the #) so we can make time to see you after the show.

Love Ya,
John & Q

Kalamazoo, MI

2009-01-25T02:45:00.000-05:00

Hello Again, Check out the billboard we saw on the way to the theatre. It was pretty cool to see our kids up there. Anyway the show was great and everyone enjoyed it. Although Erin (Mrs. Sowerberry) was not feeling well and her understudy went on for her. Michelle did a wonderful job as Mrs. Sowerberry and also Ashley as Old Sally. It was interesting too see them just jump right in and do the show. It was also nice to stay at least a couple of nights in the same hotel. But we are off again in the morning. I have added some new pics and a couple of reviews and interview. So check them out. We are also hoping to get out of all this snow in Michigan. Not much more to add for today so I will blog to you tommorrow.

Love Ya,
John & Q

Muncie, IN

2009-01-23T09:45:00.000-05:00

Hello Everyone, Hope all is going well? It has been quite a grueling week . We have been to Indiana, Kentucky, a stop finally at the St. Louis Arch and show in Missouri, Iowa and now back in Indiana. Thank goodness the temperature has gotten a little warmer or at least warmer compared to Ohio. The show has been going great and still well received wherever we go. Like I had said before its all been one nighters and making it hard to settle in anywhere. So everyone is tired and trying to fight off colds. the only day off was the day we stopped at the Arch in St. Louis. It was a lot bigger up close! We had driven by the arch about 3 times on this tour making it fell like we were going around in circles. Finally we got to stop a see it up close, and I didnt even know that you can take a ride to the top, there is even a gift shop and museum underground. You can take a look at the pics as usual in my web album link below. We only have 201 miles to travel today and so we actually get to sleep in a little longer today and leave the hotel at 10:30am. Although they do perform in Kalamazoo tonight and tomorrow. Well its that time to get to the bus. We will blog to you soon.

Love Ya,
John & Q

Lima, OH

2009-01-16T02:27:00.000-05:00

Hello all I'm back. Our day started early today, a new 7 am bus call in what felt like -40 degrees with a 307 mile trip Lima (like the bean) Ohio. Where again its COLD and thank goodness our hotel is attached to the Convention Center/Theatre in which we never even have to go outside. The roads were pretty bad and we saw a wreck or two along the way.There was a 8 car collision and an 18 wheeler in a ditch, what a ride. We barely stopped at a rest area to get some lunch and off we went. We arrived at the hotel safe and sound but we had to go straight to the theatre to run scenes with the understudies. The show was fun to watch with understudies doing different roles and went well. I guess people in Ohio didn't seem to mind how cold it was because the theatre was packed, not a full house but pretty close. Myself, Missy and Sue accompanied by Rhiannon sat way in the back and enjoyed the show. We met a few members of a local theatre group who are going to be opening "Oliver" in their theatre soon at the stage doors after the show. The kids got to sign some autographs, talk about the show and being on the road. That was our day and away we go. I will blog to you later.

Love Ya,
John & Q

Waukegan, IL

2009-01-15T01:06:00.001-05:00

Hello Again, Another day another state. News for today "COLD" and lots of snow. I have posted some new pictures so be sure to look at the web album link. The Genesee Theatre was probably one of the most amazing theatres we have been to. The pictures do not do it justice and the acoustics were just as great considering it's size, seating like 2400 or so. One sad note, Rhiannon who plays Nancy in the show broke her finger in two places last night. She is ok and perfomed the show tonight but, will not do the show tomorrow. She's in some pain, rightfully so. We are leaving the hotel a little earlier in the morning to combat the bad weather and roads. They also want to get into the theatre early to run the show with understudies. So, I will cut this short and say blog to you tomorrow.

Love Ya,
John & Q

St. Charles, MO

2009-01-14T11:00:00.000-05:00

Hello All, Hope everyone is doing well. Not much to post here today we got into St. Charles yesterday afternoon at about 4 pm, checked into the hotel then got a bite to eat at world famous Denny's. Bus call for the theatre was at 5:45 so we ate quickly as usual and got right back on the bus to the theatre. It was probably the smallest audience to date, but they enjoyed the show none the less. It was a very frigid evening, maybe that's what kept everyone in. Speaking of frigid Waukegan, IL temp yesterday was -2 with the wind chill. Guess where we a heading now ?Yup, Illinois. Like i said before this leg is the toughest by far with the bitter cold weather and all the (one offs) meaning one show and off to the next venue. I am cutting this short, our Internet keeps cutting on and off and its now driving me crazy. We will post soon. Check out some new pics I posted, and more to come later today when we get to our hotel. Hopefully.

Love Ya,
John & Q

Galveston, TX

2009-01-12T11:46:00.000-05:00

Hello Everyone, Back on the road again for our final leg of the tour an it starts in Galveston, TX. We were supposed to go to Galveston on our prior leg but, because of Hurricane Ike they just could not make it happen. So here we are in Texas again. The show went well and beleive it or not, they came out to see the show. They had just finished most of renevations and had their first show last weekend. The main curtain was still not ready but the show must go on. There were only a few places open downtown so there was not much else to do. We took a ferry off Galveston Island to save us 50 miles to Memphis, TN. The devastation we saw coming off the ferry is completely undescribealbe and went on for miles. Tears came to my eyes as I looked at houses and shops completrely wiped away with cars and trucks burried in sand. We all must be thankful everyday for what we do have. Now on to a more possitive note as I had said before we now headed to Memphis for a layover to Missouri. If you remember we had come to Memphis before and had a great time at BB Kings. So, this time Matt David who is now on the Drowsy Chapperone tour is in Memphis performing on Tueasday. Too bad we are leaving that morning and can not get to see him in the show. Anyway we met up with Matt in the hotel lobby and walked on to Beale St. and BB Kings again for their amazing ribs and live Blues band. It was a blast. we will post again soon. I miss you all. God Bless.

P.S. I will load the pictures as as soon as I can.

Love Ya,
John & Q

We're leaving on a jet plane!

2009-01-09T19:15:00.000-05:00

Hello all! We have been home the last 5 days and we are leaving tomorrow - again. We are headed to Galveston, TX and sad to be leaving home, but excited to start the last leg of our adventure. Only 7 weeks to go! Stay tuned, more to come!

Love
John and Q

Sarasota, FL to Milwaukee, WI

2009-01-03T18:54:00.000-05:00

Happy New Year! Last time I wrote I was home and feeling sad because we had to leave. We flew to Florida, to Sarasota. Nanie and Papa and drove down to FL to see our show and for vacation. They picked up Auntie Odile and Tonto (Uncle) Pepe to come see the show. Tonto Pepe came all the way in from France! It was so nice to see them and we were so happy they enjoyed the show again! From Florida we flew to Milwaukee, WI. Wow - what a change in weather! From 75 degrees to 10 degrees. Crazy cold! Thank goodness the theatre was next door, but man it was a cold walk still. The theatre held 4000 seats, the biggest theatre next to the arenas we been to. We stayed at the Hyatt which was beautiful, but they are renovating it. Early mornings for us! Quentin has been busy with school and acting. We spent New Year's Eve at an Italian restaurant right next door - to cold to go to far! "We" meaning the usual suspects, Colin, Missy, Mikey and Sue. Dinner was good, but the champagne that Missy's husband sent to her for her birthday was even better. We all celebrated the new year together and it ended up being nice, quiet but nice. Our family away from home! New Year's day we realized that there is a sky walk. This sky walk went from the hotel to the mall to a shopping center and other, random buildings. Of course NOT to the theatre! We were able to at least get out! Thank goodness! We were starting to get cabin fever! So cold!!!! We performed only 3 shows in Milwaukee. Friday and Saturday and tomorrow we are headed home. Good night all!

Picture - Papa, Nanie, Quentin, Aunt Odile and Tonto Pepe!

Love,
John and Q

Virginia Beach, VA

2008-12-28T15:46:00.000-05:00

We have packed our bags again!! Our flight leaves at 6:15 am tomorrow morning. Yes - 6:15am. Crazy early, but we have a show tomorrow night and the show must go on! Our Holiday has been great, Quentin thinks too short but it's been nice to be home. My honey do list was slim to none thanks to Gail. I only had some last miniute shoppoing that had to get done, not to bad. We had a little neighborhood get together on Chrsitmas Eve and all had a great time. Tonight one more "progressive dinner" in the hood and farewells to all. Quentin and I did go to see A Christmas Carol at the Wells Theatre. We saw it 3 times! Reina was incredible. We are all so proud of her. The show ended on the 23rd and her heart was broken. She has spent the last 6 weeks with this cast and they have all were so great to her. She is so sad to have the show close. I can't imagine what it is going to be like for Q and I when it's our turn to say goodbye. It will be very hard, the cast and crew have become family and this experience has been wonderful. We have NO regrets! Anyway, Gail is fussing becasue we have to get ready for the evening. Stay tuned...more to come....

Miss you,
John and Q

Melbourne, FL

2008-12-21T22:56:00.000-05:00

We are coming HOME!!! Yeah!! We had 2 shows yesterday. They both went well but we are excited to go home!! Our Aunt Carol, Gail's cousin Cathy and kids, Tabitha and Mason all came to see the show. They loved it! I wish we had more time to spend with them but we had 2 shows and were on a tight schedule. The tight schedule included revealing the identity of our Secret Santas. Alaggio had Quentin and Chris had me. So fun! I got an awesome Cowboys apron that will definately go to good use and Quentin receieved Pokemon cards, Star Wars cards and Star Wars legos!! His favorite for sure! It was so much fun. The Christmas party was directly after the evening show, in which the cast was celebrating the Holiday by the pool. Well we have a flight to catch so .... MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

Miss you,
John and Q

Lakeland, FL

2008-12-20T15:27:00.000-05:00

The last few days have been brutel. We have been in one place a night. We have gone from Baton Rouge, LA to Oxford, MS back to LA, Lafayette, LA, then to Florida - Niceville then Lakeland, FL. My Aunt Odile and Aunt MariaLynn came to see the show. It was so good to see them! They loved the show! They said they will head to Sarasota, FL to see the show again. We head to Sarasota after our Christmas break. The weather has been a nice change from the CO snow. It doesn't feel like Christmas much anymore weatherwise but the bus is decorated to the hills, with garland and lights and, well, lots of stuff. We are excited to go home. We need a break and are so tired!

Miss You!
John and Q

Baton Rouge, LA

2008-12-12T15:22:00.000-05:00

We arrived in Baton Rouge, LA kind of late. We had little time to settle in the hotel, we had to go directly to the venue. The kids are getting real excited about their Secret Santas! We will spend the next few days traveling from town to town, venue to venue. None of us are looking forward to it.

Miss you,
John and Q

Memphis, TN

2008-12-12T03:00:00.000-05:00

Hello Again, "It's been an age" since my last post and it's been quite and interesting and amazing week or so. I guess I will start from were I last left you. Orange, TX (Nov. 30) where the temp was about 80 degrees or so. We then traveled to Ft. Smith, AR (Dec. 1) for another one evening engagement, which during this and the last leg after christmas will have plenty of . Our next stop brought us to some little spot in Kansas for our layover to Ft. Collins, CO. We had been in Ft. Collins before during a layover to Montana and thought this could be a nice venue because it was on the Colorado State campus and had a old town feel. This time we are there for 4 whole days with 5 performances. But "its beginning to look alot like christmas" because the night we get in to Ft. Collins (Dec. 3) it snows about 9 to 10 inches. They had a show the evening we got in and which the theatre ghost of Lincoln Center had his or her fun with every scene. But, the show must go on and they did a great job moving through all the mishaps. After all thats showbiz. The theater ghost pretty much left them alone after that crazy night for another great run. We did get the hotel to shuttle us to Wal-Mart and picked up some gifts for our Secret Santa's along with some supplies. We also walked in the snow and had a snowball fight or two and the cast got another understudy rehearsal under their belt. Then its a trip to Rapid City, SD (Dec. 7) for a 2 day engadement. We managed to visit Mount Rushmore as a field trip for school, you have to check out the pictures. It was amazing! Now on the road again to our next stop Baton Rouge, LA (Dec. 12) with 2 layovers one yesterday in Missouri and today now in Memphis which was fun. The parents and I walked the kids down to Beale St. and ate catfish and ribs at BB King's Blues Club while listeneng to the band. The kids even got some stage time there giving shout outs to some of the Oliver cast and crew that also decided to eat there. Well its time to go. We have an early bus call tomorrow. I will add the rest of the photos as soon as I can.

Love Ya,
John & Q

Orange, TX

2008-12-01T01:23:00.000-05:00

Hello again everyone we have just pulled in to Conroe,TX which is a layover on our way to Fort Smith, AK. We were in Orange, TX Friday and Saturday and had a show on each day. The people at the theatre were awesome. They fed us dinner Friday and lunch on Saturday, and it was all homemade too. One sad note, last night was Matt's last show and will be joining the cast of The Drowsy Chaperone. He has always been great with Q as Mr. Brownlow and is a great actor and will be missed tremendously. Today, Adam played the role of Mr Brownlow and did a great job! Adam I will add Adams picture as soon as I get it. He'll be performing a few more times until James another new cast member that I also have to add is ready to take over his role. At lunch today we all picked our Secret Santa's. Most of the cast and crew decided to participate so it should be a lot of fun. Some people are starting to decorate the bus for Christmas. I can't believe Christmas is around the corner time is flying bye. Well sorry so short but we have a 6am bus call tomorrow. Check out all the new pics and a new article to read. I will blog to you later.

Love Ya,
John & Q

McAllen, TX

2008-11-27T14:44:00.000-05:00

Hello everyone and Happy Thanksgiving. Hope everyone had a very filling day. A thank you goes out to Blandine's mom and friend who came out to see the show here in McAllen. We also have to thank Clare for a wonderful buffet at the Embassy Suites. It was hard although to be without Gail and Reina. We miss them even more on days like this. It was about 80 degrees out and that made it an even stranger Thanksgiving for us. We really felt like we were at a wedding reception or something. The buffet was great and I didn't even have to cook it. Although as Hurrah knows I haven't had to cook Thanksgiving dinner in a couple of years thanks to the New York trips. I hope all our Hurrafians are having a great time in the Big Apple and are enjoying the shows, the ones that are left. The cast and crew hung out at the pool later that evening after sleeping off some turkey and everyone was being thrown into the pool, even some parents. I was lucky enough to be spared, this time albeit. I was warned that my turn is coming, guess I'll have to keep guard. That is about all that we have been up to and we are off to Orange in the morning. I will blog to you later.

Love Ya,
John & Q

Waco, TX

2008-11-26T13:56:00.000-05:00

Hello Everyone, Hope all is still going well. We are recuperating from the last few days. What a week we had. The last time I posted we were on our way to Midwest City, OK. The show is going well and the crowds are eating it up as usual. From Oklahoma we then went on to Dallas, TX for 4 days off, and oh what fun we had. The first place we visited was the Dallas Zoo, check out the pics it was a great day. The Next day we went to the Texas School book where the Kennedy assassination took place, this trip was dubbed a school day. The kids went through and were given a study sheet to fill out and give their opinion on what they thought about the whole conspiracy theory. We had gotten a ton of material on the subject because it was the 45th anniversary of his assassination and new material had been released in a magazine we bought at the Grassy Knoll. I also have lots of pics here also. On the third day we went to Six Flags over Texas. Oh what fun we had, there were not a lot of people at the park so we got onto almost every ride without a wait. We spent the whole day there and by the end it our legs were sore. Now for the big fun on Sunday we went to Texas Stadium to watch the COWBOYS play the 49ers. What a game and of course the Cowboys won making it a great week in Dallas. We also were very happy to see Max and Bethany who drove from Corpus Cristi. The four of us went to the game, then to his sisters house for an awesome cookout and time for Q and QQ to play some Wii with Max's niece. Thank You again for your hospitality. OK now on to Waco, TX probably the smallest stage the cast had to perform on. The Hippodrone is what they it and it was built in the 20's I think. They actually left out about half of the bridge to fit it on that stage. They were a bit cramped but the show must go on. Max and Bethany followed us up from Dallas to see the show in Waco. After the show the coodinators had set up a little meet and greet reception next to the theatre, so I snuck Max and Bethany in (Hush, Don't Anyone)lol. Max and I put the kids to bed, then proceeded to have a few beverages in the atrium of the hotel (if you haven't seen the pics of the atrium, you must) anyway we made it hard on ourselves getting up early. Now we are off to McAllen, TX for a show and Thaksgiving. We miss you all and Happy Holidays.

Love Ya,
John & Q

Toledo, OH

2008-11-16T15:51:00.000-05:00

Hello All, Hope everyone is doing well. We are all doing fine, except for the rain and some snow flurries. That would just figure since we actually stayed in Toledo for 4 days.Sue, Mikey, Q and I treked in the rain to a department store some what like Wal-Mart called Meijer's after breakfast on the second day and picked up some boots. We figured this would not be the only trek in the rain and snow we would have on this tour. The cast performed 6 shows there and all were well received and packed, we actually had to sit in the nose bleed section on opening night and sat way in the back for the rest of the performances. I did although miss the Sunday matinee so I could catch up on some football. It worked out for all of us though. The kids only had a limited time between shows so I went over to a sports pub that looked like a renovated Chi-Chi's called Jed's that had an awesome steak with this bourbon BBQ sauce and warm potato salad that was also very, very good and put our order in, so when they got back to the restaurant the food was already on the table. We actually went to Jed's a few times for the steak it was THAT GOOD. A huge shout out goes to Gretchen and I hope I spelled it right, a friend of Gail's from work who had brought a coupl of friends to see the show in Toledo. They actually had better seats than we did, they sat 2nd row dead center and said they loved the show and was really excited to meet the kids. Gretchen even said that she almost cried when Q sang. Anyway, we are now heading for Mid West City, OK with a stop in Lebanon, MO to sleep. I did get a cool picture of the Arch and Stadium in St. Louis when we drove past. It is time to go so, I will post you later.

Huntington, WV

2008-11-12T21:47:00.000-05:00

Hello all, sorry you have not heard from us in a few days. Internet access is always a bear on the road. Anyway the show is going well and the theatre in Huntington was amazing. The theatre was built in 1928 and is completely made of plaster no wood anywhere except for the stage. The pics of the theatre does not do it justice. After the show they threw the cast a little party at a near by swanky bar. Sorry I do not have any pics of the bar, I left my camera behind. But the kids had fun mingling with everyone who attended the show and party. You know Q never minds signing an autograph or two. I even got one of the posters from there. Next we are on our way to Toledo, OH another long trip, but at least we are there for 4 days. Its time for me to cut this short, you will hear from us again soon. Check out more pics on Picassa and Ive added some more articles.

Love ya,
John & Q

New London, CT

2008-11-10T02:45:00.000-05:00

Hello again, I know it has been a while or actually it feels like I havent been on this blog for a while. Being home for the break was great. We have truly missed all of you. Sorry if we missed seeing you this time, we will be back home for a Christmas break. Congats, to Reina for landing the role of Tiny Tim in A Christmas Carol with the Virginia Stage Company. She even cut her hair for the part and it really looks cute. We are sooo proud and excited for her. We hope to catch one of her shows during the Christmas break. Back to the shows in New London, they went well and everyone was happy to see each other. We are currently still in Conneticut for the next couple of days then are off to West Virginia and beyond. I have added some new write-ups, so check them out. I also added some new pics, check those out also. Its getting late, so I will blog to you later.

Love Ya,
John & Q

Tallahassee,FL

2008-10-26T12:38:00.000-04:00

Hello All, Hope you are doing well? Tallahassee was fun the theatre season ticket holders and others were gracious hosts and threw us a really nice party upon leaving their theatre. We had a big buffet with carving stations, dessert buffet and champagne. We all had a great time but, are ready to go home for the break. Take a Look at all the great pics. Making this short but sweet. We have a 4am bus call and our plane departs at 6. See ya soon, we miss you all.

Love ya,
John & Q

Pembroke, NC

2008-10-25T23:50:00.000-04:00

Hello all, Thank you all that came out to see Quentin in Pembroke, NC it meant the world for him to see you all drive out and show support. I hope you all enjoyed yourselves as much as we did. Thank you also to everyone who shared in celebrating my Birthday. Thank you for the gifts, the thoughts and just being there. I am truly blessed to have met such beautiful people inside and out, and of course lucky to have an amazing wife and children in everyway. I am Blessed. Check out the Picassa Web Album to see more photos. Enough with the sappy stuff, the show went well yesteryday and today we had the day off to get ready for our layoff. Tommorrow morning we are off to Tallahasee, FL. We are on the bus for 8 hours get into town and they perform a show. We spend the night in Florida then take off for New York at 4:30am. We will be there until Tuesday to do some vocal work then head home that evening. So we will see you soon. I will expand on this post and add more photos later, the internet keeps kicking me off for some reason. In the mean time dont forget to check out the Picassa Web Albums for pics.

Love Ya,
John & Q

Columbia, SC

2008-10-24T12:40:00.001-04:00

Hello All, here we go again we are on the road to Pembroke and we are so excited to see our family and friends from home. The stop in Columbia was nice and both shows there went well. The cast was even able to get an understudy rehearsal done. It did although make it a long day for some. I have to thank Sue and Missy for risking their lives to get our laundry done. They went off too some crazy little laundry mat that the hotel shuttle brought them to were there were signs stating only the attendant can call 911 and customers must stay inside the building. What a scare, the children and I were safe though at the theatre. I beleive next time it's my turn to risk my life for clean clothes. Congatulations goes out to Rhiannon(Nancy) and Brendon who got engaged when he came to visit her in Binghamton. The cast got together and threw her a little engagement party at the hotel after the show on Thursday. Quentin had a blast as always, as you all know he never gives up a chance at a good party to show off his dance moves. Well its about that time to let you go, Ill see ya soon. Hugs and Kisses to all

Love Ya,
John & Q

Binghamton, NY

2008-10-20T10:30:00.000-04:00

Hello from Binghamton. Actually we are on the bus leaving, and on our way to Richmond, VA. Yes, that's right RICHMOND. Sorry though it's only a layover to Columbia, SC but, we are getting closer and so excited to be coming home. Even if it's only for a week. We can't wait to sleep in our own beds, drink from our own cups, and use our own bathrooms. Living out of a suitcase for 2 months bites. Binghamton was fun though, Collin and Mikey both had friends and family come to the show and stay at the hotel we were in. They showed up on Saturday so got some quality time to spend. Thank goodness for the day off. Like I had said in the prior post the company had 2 shows yesterday but after the first show we got together with Colin and Mikey's family and friends and got a quick bite to eat at a little Italian restaurant around the corner from the venue. Then back to theatre for the second show. Everyone loved the show, I on the other hand did not attend the show this time. I used this time to take some cool pictures of the cast in costumes. Thank You ALL CAST MEMBERS for taking the time to let me do this. Between sound checks, make up, and checking props there is hardly any time. Besides, there are 17 cast members and about 120 costumes used in about 2 and half hours. So you really can't get them all before the show, talk about quick changes. I still think there are a few I missed but I will continue to try to get them all. I removed all the slideshows because it was taking too long for the page to load. You can still see all the pictures from the tour on the link to Picassa Web Albums below. We will see you soon, Pembroke, NC is around the corner.

Love Ya,
John & Q

Cleveland, OH

2008-10-18T11:47:00.000-04:00

Hello, the last time I blogged we were in Billings for an overnight stay to Owensboro, KY and a one night performance. We then were on to Cleveland for an overnight stay to Binghamton, NY(843 total miles). Thank goodness we got into Cleveland early enough to at least enjoy the city and go the Hard Rock Cafe there, which was lots of fun. We got a great nights rest at the Hyatt, a beautiful hotel located in an Arcade in the downtown area near the Cavaliers basketball arena and Browns Stadium. Now on the road again Im on the bus, which luckily the internet is working and I can update the blog. We get into Binghamton today and rest at the hotel. Perform 2 shows tomorrow and go back to the hotel, rest and leave in the morning for Columbia, SC. The company performes 2 shows there and off again to Pemboke, NC. I cant express how much we miss our family and cant wait to see them, including our Hurrah Family. Im excited for everyone to see Quentin in the show. Ive watched it tons of times and never get enough of seeing him up on stage, loving every minute of it. Dont forget to scroll down and check out the Picassa Web Album for new pictures, commercial and newspaper write-ups.

Love Ya,
John & Q

Billings, MT

2008-10-14T07:57:00.000-04:00

Hello from Billings, MT
We just rolled in about an hour ago from Great Falls, MT and the show went well as usual. We got on the road right after the show to Billings(about 5 hours)and in a few hours off again to another stop to sleep before we get into Owensboro, KY(1761 miles)in 2 days. It is now about 6am here and I just finished uploading some pictures. The past few days have been pretty crazy. We have gone from Bozeman, MT to Casper, WY back to Great Falls a total of about 900 miles. We have driven through a huge snow storm, an 80's theme roller skating party in Casper, got food poisoning, feeling better now, and a broken down bus in nowhere land, then had to wait 3 hours for another bus to pick us up. "All the trials and tribulations" after all that Q is still totally enjoying himself and really loves touring. We are getting excited for our first layoff. We hope to see you in Pembroke, NC and can not wait to get to warmer climates. I have to go now cause I'm fading fast. Don't forget to check out the Picasa Web albums for new pics, and also a new newspaper link.

Love Ya all.
John and Q

Bozeman, MT

2008-10-10T02:40:00.000-04:00

Hello everyone, I have not been able to post lately internet access is crazy up in the mountains. The last time you heard from us we were on our way to Albuquerque, NM for a 5 show weekend. The shows went well, and the crowds seemed to totally enjoy it. The parents even got to smooze in the theatre members lounge for some free wine. Albuquerque was having their annual ballon fest but we did not have enough time to check it out. We did although have a toga party after the shows on Saturday (check Facebook) Quentin had a blast. On the road again to Alto, NM for just one night at the Spencer Theatre which was just amazing only about 350 seats, but a beautiful theatre (also check pics on Google). Then off to Bozeman which was about 1400 miles away from Alto. So, we traveled 700 miles or so to Fort Collins, CO slept in a hotel for a few hours woke up to travel an additional 700 or so miles to Bozeman, MT. Yippy, not really but anyway they had a show tonight that went well enough at Montana State University(no great pics here we were in the colisseum, lighting sucked). Now off again in the morning so I am signing off. I miss you all. Hope the Seussical show goes well. Reina and Gail I love you and "Break a Leg" to you and all involved.

See ya Soon
John & Q

Farmington,NM

2008-10-03T05:37:00.000-04:00

Hello again, from New Mexico we are here in Famington for one day only. We are on the road again in the morning to Albuquerque for another show tomorrow and a 2 show a day weekend. The shows are all going well and the kids are hanging in there. The show seems to be opening the new theatre season in each venue we visit, so far. Quentin and I are still trying to catch up on some rest before we leave so this will be short. Look at the pics from Colorado Springs that stop was truly amazing. Garden of the Gods was exciting and awesome. I also added a newspaper article from the Albuquerque Journal. We will be posting soon.
Love Ya,
John & Q

Colorado Springs

2008-09-30T02:59:00.000-04:00

Hello again, Sorry you hadn't heard from us in a few days. We didn't have internet access in our hotel in San Luis Obispo well (we actually stayed in Arroyo Grande, CA) which was about 16 miles from San Luis Obispo, but anyway everything is going well. Being on the road is is taking it's toll already. We are starting to confuse room numbers and floors we are on, even where the last performance was. Thank goodness for tour pictures and our itenerary. Like the title says we are now in Colorado Springs, Co. We flew in today at noon and had no shows. The bus with the rest of the cast comes in at 12am, the kids had to get in early to meet up with our non California tutor and goto school. Yes, CA has their own tutors and have their own seperate laws on child actors. The schedule has been pretty grueling and we have not gotten to see much except for what you have seen from pictures on the bus and theatres. Even still, the scenery has been amazing to see and the mountains are too much to even capture on pictures. Hopefully you are all enjoying looking back on where we have been as much as I do. It all goes by so fast and we sometimes don't get to appreciate what an amazing trip we are on. We truly truly truly MISS you and can't wait to see you all. I'll be posting to you soon. Thanks for all you comments nothing is going unread.
Love ya All.
John & Q

Hello from Medford

2008-09-24T02:51:00.000-04:00

Hello Everyone, It has been a while. We are now in Medford, OR after a 5 hour ride from Reno, NV. The the ride was a tough one after spending the weekend with Gail and Reina who came to Reno to watch the show(It was awesome to have the family together). The scenery was beautiful though. We went through some amazing mountains, watch the slideshow. Quentin had one show in Medford, OR which Gina came to see. How cool was that, it is always nice to see a familiar face on tour. We even got to see her beautiful baby Seth. We went to the mall and had some time to sit and eat dinner, really quick though the show was that evening. The show went well and Gina seemed to enjoy it. We finally have a day off without anything to do. The schedule has been pretty crazy between school, shows and travel. The cast is having a cookout at the pool, and Q is excited so I better get going. I will post again soon. Dont forget to scroll all the way down you might miss something. Sometimes I will add photos without writing in.
Love Ya All.
John and Q

Opening Night

2008-09-17T13:46:00.000-04:00

Hello Everyone, Thank you soooo much for all the support from Facebook to My Family none of your posts have been missed. Opening night was awesome, the show is growing everyday and can not wait until everyone can see it. I am sooo proud of the entire cast. They are truly amazing in everyway. The theatre was packed and had about 2,000 people attend the show. Everyone appeared to enjoy the show. We 3 proud parents on tour tried to mingle about at intermission to hear anything and heard only great things about the show, and of course how cute the little kids were.LOL. After the show we enjoyed a cast party that went into early the next morning the kids and adults were all amped up, rightfully so they really put it all on the stage. The crowd loved them all, and so do we. Well its time to go school is looming around the corner and Q is still sleeping. Post to you soon.

Hello from Fresno

2008-09-16T09:39:00.001-04:00

Hello, We are now in Fresno, CA and the show opens tonight and i am probably just as excited as Quentin. Everyone has been working very hard, and the show is amazing. I am extremely proud of and so amazed at the amount Q has grown as an actor, thanks to everyone involved. The director made Q cut his hair,but he still has some curls. He was a little upset, but understood completely that its part of the job. The trip to Fresno sent us through the Mohave Dessert and saw some beautiful countryside. Just Amazing,We will keep updating with new pics and posts. "So long fare well, pip pip cherio, we'll be back soon."

Welcome

2008-09-13T03:25:00.000-04:00

Hello Everyone,
Welcome to my blog. I know I havent wrote in a while. Quentin and everyone has been working very, very hard. The show looks great and cant wait till you all get to see it. I hope. Im still trying to get this blog right. I will still update Facebook, but I thought this would be easier for everyone to just pop in and check out the pictures of the places we will visit. It might be a little rough around the edges but you will have some idea of where we are and what a wonderful experience we are having. For now though its been work, work, work. Little bit of fun but mostly work and school. Please leave a post if you like, We would love to hear from you.