I've had an absolutely amazing and fabulous week. I got to see Bobby McFerrin and Savion Glover in concert. While watching Mr. McFerrin do his thing (which he didn't do for nearly long enough) he had the whole audience sing Ave Maria with him, and then Somewhere Over the Rainbow. So, technically, I've now sung with Bobby McFerrin. Then, due to losing one of our castmembers to Spamalot (the new Monty Python musical about to hit Broadway) I went into New York with the director and a couple cast members for a quick casting session. Drove back with the actors, and had a lovely chat with them on the turnpike.

Then, this morning, my roommate had to go to the hospital and we found out she has a bloodclot in her lungs, and another in her leg. Thank god she got to the hospital, as she didn't think it was necessary, but another roommate basically forced her to go. Due to that, I was then used as the babysitter for my directors two fabulous three year olds.

And, normally, we get tomorrow off, but due to Thanksgiving (and getting the day after off) we're just working straight through. So, I should get home and rest. Three more long days before a break for me. And then tech week starts (the first two days of which I will be working from probably 9:30am until 2:00am) and the countdown to opening begins.

After Christmas Carol opens, it will only be a matter of a week or two before I fly to visit Kyle, Bek, Elijah and Ezra. This year is almost halfway over. How insane is that?

Christmas Carol is so much fun. I say that now, I'll probably contradict it later, but for now... I'm loving every second associated with this show. Today it helps that I got to "direct" the young ensemble (ages 5-13) in a theater workshop. Theater games, character building exercises, talking about yesterday's reading... it was fun being the person in charge even if it was for just an hour. But besides having little moments like this, I love working with Michael Unger, the director, because he learned his craft working as an AD and he wants me to get the most out the experience. He is just a nice guy, who loves what he's doing and seems to really care about every single person involved in the show. Love it.

Other news, I'm an uber-klutz. It's now official. My bike and tripping bruises on my shin and knees were just begining to fade and heal, so what do I do? I walk out of my office and smack right into someone coming into my office. My papers go flying, my books scatter to the four winds, and I go skidding onto the carpet... knees and shins first. Ouch. Oh well, at least the kids had great awe and respect for my bruised legs. And it looks like Picasso decided to paint a new purple series on my skin. Wahoo.

So, that's really all I do. I go to rehearsal, I fall down. That is my life. Exciting eh?

I'm obsessive. I think we can all agree about that. And one of the things I'm obsessive about is musicals. Odd, dark, weird musicals in particular. Especially one by Adam Guettel called Floyd Collins. Well, for years and years. I think almost eight years now, I've been obsessed with this musical. I adore it, I used a song from it for an audition (the last time I auditioned for a musical) and have dreamed about it for years. I want to stage it. I want to work with the composer Adam Guettel on something similar. I want to be Adam Guettel's Harold Prince or James Lapine. (This is a reference to my two favorite Sondheim directors.) ANYWAY. I adore this musical and the voices in it.

So, today at work I went to a reading of a play we're doing in the spring, Theresa Rebeck's The Bells. (And no, this is not tangentel, non sequetorial, or just crazy, this is connected.) I'm sitting there, staring dreamily at the actor playing the bounty-hunter from Montreal. Just thinking, "My god, that man is beautiful, and he can act, mmm and his voice is lovely." The inner monologue went on through the whole reading.

I go back to my office to type in the contracts for the actors in the reading, and, as my obsessive nature has me do, I google the actor I've been staring at all afternoon, Christopher Innvar. What should pop up, but tons and tons of links to Floyd Collins. My heart stops. I'm thinking, "Oh, he must've been an extra, or in some crazy little production with an overactive webmaster." But no, his name pops on the Amazon link to the soundtrack that I own. And... Mr. Innvar plays the title role.

All those nights I would listen to this album on repeat in my dorm room, or in my headphones as I walked through blizzards, or pursued other obsessions, I was listening to the dreamy actor I just spent three hours with this afternoon. And to pile good news on top of my already fluttering heart and tearing eyes (As that's how my body is responding physiologically to this crazy juxtaposition of long past aural and recent visual stimuli.) he might be playing the role here in the Spring. Spending at least a month in the same building as me.

I don't think I was built to handle meeting my obsessions face-to-face. God help me if Russell Crowe should ever come visit the theater. And what am I going to do when I'm a working director? Swoon over my actors? I must learn self-control. But dammit, I love getting giddy and crushalicious.

"Artistic Office, this is Tracy."
"Well hi Tracy, this is John Lithgow. How are you doing today?"
"Really well, how can I help you John?"
"I was wondering if I might speak with Emily."
"I'm sorry, she's in rehearsal at the moment, but her assistant, Grace is right here, let me pass you to her."
"Thanks so much."

I want to scream. It's so simple and so not a big deal. But I just answered the phone and spoke with John Lithgow and he said my name. Now is the time in Tracy's life when she does a happy dance.