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A Week of Visits and Villanous Behavior

It has been quite a week – lots of joys, a lot of work, and a lot of heartbreak. My husband came to visit from New York, which was a great joy! During the days, I was heavily ensconced in rehearsals for “Villains Tonight,” which is probably my favorite of all the shows since it’s a huge number of Disney villains rolled into one…and I get to be the one with two arms and six legs. I can’t wait to play with that costume when I get on the ship. We did a few runs of “Villains” yesterday for the first time, and it’s quite solid already; hilarious, frightening, and a lot of fun.

Of course, this week in history will have the names “Sandy” and “Frankenstorm” forever associated with it. My husband was kept from flying back to New York for another two days, and we watched CNN and carved pumpkins on Monday the 29th as the storm hit New York and New Jersey. It may sound callous to carve a pumpkin while watching the waves creep onto my Manhattan island home, but it was actually a good thing to keep my hands busy, and I took out a lot of nervous energy onto the gourdes in front of me. The Canadian winds (which added to the overall strength of the storm) whipped around our building as we watched. I’m thankful our New York apartment is in high grounds, and that the person taking care of our cat was resourceful and responsible while we both were away. I watched Facebook and Twitter, seeing reports from my friends as their power went out (luckily no extreme tragedies) and then back on again. Pete took pictures during his journey back on Thursday, flying back into La Guardia Airport, and then on Friday walked around the city to capture eerie footage of 14th street in total dark. Check out his site to view these.

Sandy and “Baby” Sandy, the pumpkins inspired by Monday night’s storm. Note the pipe cleaners for “windblown” hair.

But we did have fun while he was here in Toronto! I took him around the Disney Rehearsal halls so he could see how I worked and how big the stage taped out on the floors were. We took the time to go to the CN Tower (had a great time at great heights, and he took pictures both with and without his zoom lense). We saw “Frankenweenie” in 3D, which I loved since it was like an old-fashioned Tim Burton movie and had a great message of why not to be an ignoramus. We also walked around Toronto a bit, got a friend a Hard Rock Cafe Toronto pin, and bought ice cream.

Pete & I standing on the “glass floor” portion of the CN Tower…it goes against every human instinct to stand on it, even though it’s perfectly safe.
Lying down on the glass floor and “falling” like a “Die Hard” villain!

On Wednesday, we rehearsed a full day then were released into the HALLOWEEN night! Halloween is my favorite holiday, and in the midst of being in a different country I had to think of something that would be cheap and that I wouldn’t have to lug back to the ‘states afterwards. So, I grabbed inspiration from an episode of Mystery Science Theater 3000 and went as a sexy floor of a movie theater, or a “Cinematic Diva” as it eventually was called. It was fun – garbage bags sewn to a bra and a skirt taped together in a bustle, with candy wrappers/boxes and strings of popcorn, plus strategically placed cups and 3-D glasses from the “Frankenweenie” visit. I painted a film strip on my face, dolled my hair up, and had a blast. And in the end, the large Diet Coke at the movies was the most expensive item – the whole thing cost me $10! And I won “Most Creative” at the cast party’s costume contest that night. Was a bit sad to throw it away…

The front of the “Cinematic Diva” costume.
The back, with bustle.

We go into rehearsals for our fourth full show during these final weeks! I can’t believe that in a little over two weeks we will be traveling to Houston, TX to finish training, then heading out on the 24th to The Magic, which will be my new home for the following 1/2 a year. Surreal to think about, and I still have so much to see here in Toronto before I leave! More to come…

PS. Those who wish to read another Magic 29 castmember’s blog about her current experience can go to Let The Magic Begin by Alissa Wilsey. You can see a cast shot of all of us in costume at our Halloween party, a pic of the “Soup Party” we had on Friday, as well as her lovely “jar” art – I have a black and red one she made for me with imagery of trees on it. Talented in many ways, this lady!