Lately, it seems like everything is about lists and bullet-point charts. With my schedule as crazy as it is, that’s all there’s been time for.

So, some updates:

• Patrick Stewart (Captain Jean-Luc Picard, for you Star Trek fans) was wonderful in the production of The Tempest that I got the chance to see last week. He and some of the other performers were wonderful. I did, like many of the people I spoke with, find the production as a whole to be less satisfying than I’d hoped. I think some directing choices didn’t help tell the story, and some not only didn’t help, but they flat out hurt the storytelling. (The entire prologue of the play – which is the big shipwreck onto the island – was done behind a screen with only a “porthole” view for the audience. This rendered the whole scene absolutely unintelligible.) Still, as I said, several of the performances were wonderful, Ariel and Miranda in particular, along with Caliban and Patrick Stewart as Prospero. That man is just amazing to watch. Simple, clean and direct, complex and inspiring.

• We’re in rehearsal for Every Christmas Story Ever Told!! right now. We’re having a ton of fun, but it’s a much faster process than normal, and the script is so off-the-wall that we’re finding a handful of scenes more difficult than I’d expected and hoped. Still, we don’t open until the 24th so we’ve got plenty of time to polish it all up.

• We close Rounding Third this weekend. Ticket sales the last couple of weeks have been quite good – last weekend was our highest grossing weekend ever. This weekend, I think, is going to come in a close second. So YAY! It’s been a great run. Tobin and John have done some wonderful work, and the reviews and consistently positive word-of-mouth for the show reflect that as much as the increased ticket sales.

• So, the elections came and went, and the Democrats kicked butt! I’m glad about that. I also, though, have to say how much I enjoy the process of voting, and the whole event. There’s something very uplifting, inspiring, about a people exercising their right to choose and making a difference. I hear some folks say “I don’t vote, it doesn’t really matter”, but I just don’t think that’s true at all. The idea that I’ve heard from 4 or 5 people over the last month has been “I don’t see a reason to vote; it’s just picking the lesser of two evils.” WELL?! When given a choice, if that’s the choice, PICK IT!! Don’t let the GREATER of two evils get in there! No matter what your political views are, you should make your voice heard!

• The Detroit Tigers picked up Gary Sheffield! A veteran slugger (who, some folks worry, has his best days behind him.) Still, there’s no question that he can produce at the plate when he’s healthy, and if he stays healthy he is going to be a FORCE in the middle of the Tigers lineup next season! The questions of “Where does he play, and who gets less playing time?” doesn’t seem to be answered yet, but I think that’s because the Tigers still have at least one more move to make this off-season before the picture becomes clearer!

• As mentioned, my schedule has been nuts. It will be throughout the next 14 days, lots of rehearsal, family time, office time and very little sleep time. Still, it’s going to be a very exciting two weeks – wish me luck! 🙂