December 21st, 2009 - Oh, the Weather Outside is Frightful...

There was a storm here Saturday night. Yes: a great gale blew in from the south, along the seaboard, and dumped about 15 cm of snow on the Apple. That’s true. But the storm I’m talking about blew here all the way from the land of Oz and his name is Dayton Tavares. Dayton is one of our new Billys.

Dayton’s “dancin’ boy” is truculent, kinetic, and takes no prisoners. He had me laughing and crying... and crying Uncle. The kid was moving so fast in Born to Boogie... and this being my seventh show this week with a dreadful chest-congested cold (eighth really if we count the put-in rehearsal), and him bouncing like a jumping bean... well, my friend Stephen Woodjetts’ mantra leapt to mind, “Too old. Too Tired. Too Talented!”... to keep up! Bless him. But as tough as it was rising to the energy of Dayton’s Broadway debut, this is certainly one of the perks of my job: seeing these new little creatures come into their power in front of 1400 people: the lights, the orchestra, the pressure of carrying the show... and they step up. They shine with a profound light.

The city itself is shining bright these days. The holiday season is in full throttle. The decorations on Sixth Avenue are spectacular... (I haven’t seen the tree at Rockefeller Plaza yet, but by all accounts...) and one truly gets the “city sidewalks, busy sidewalks, dressed in holiday style” thing. There’s a thrill in the air which only occasionally borders on frenzy.

And in the theatre the children (and adults) are all buzzing with excitement over their “Secret Santa” gifts... and wondering who will reveal themselves as their gift-giver at the party on Monday. Our grim backstage hallways are decked with Christmas stockings, and winter parkas, and some rather ratty strands of tinsel and bows. (My personal favourite decoration is a cut-out sleigh with me as Santa, and each of the ballet girls as the reindeer, and from the helm I am commanding, “PISS OFF!”! This from the brilliant imagination of ballet girl, Tessa Netting, of the Swine Flu halloween costume fame.) And Mother Nature blanketing the streets with snow has only added to the great festiveness of a white Christmas in New York.

Now... Dayton, coming from the land down under... has never seen snow! Or at least never stood out in it and had it land on his tongue....“It doesn’t taste like anything!”... so Saturday night was a double whammy for him. All in all we could say it was... a perfect storm. 

(Photo: David Scammell)