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It had to happen eventually. It happens in all relationships, you spend time together, you care for each other and then something tears you apart, pulls you, wrenches you away and you know you'll probably never see each other again. And so it was this morning as we said goodbye to Madison, Wisconsin. Land of amazing food, nice people and English tea. Our last 2 shows in Madison were packed full of the usual screaming 4-12 year olds. The theatre in Madison is a union house and so everything has to be done uber inefficiently with a break every 2 minutes and more health and safety regs than you can throw a spanner at. These regs even involved the appearance of something awul happening to the Gruffalo costume!
No Gruffalos were harmed during the taking of this photo.
With the shows over we paid one last visit to the amazing Nepalese restaurant that we'd grown to love and then as the snow started to fall we drove away from the place we loved, to one that we know is distinctly ordinary... Iowa. But Madison had one last surprise for us, as we drove out of the downtown area the Sat Nav suddenly recalculated and took us in a new direction, one we had not been before. As we drove down this new road, unsure of why we were headed this way it became clear. I counted 59 Obama banners on that road and 1 McCain. With its last breath Madison catapulted Obama to a surely insurmountable lead in my count, and then waved us on our way.
But nature was not finished with us yet, as our spirits fell and we trundled to our new destination, we crossed the state line and as if by magic the sun broke through the chilly winter evening and created the most spectacular sunset. It made us all reach for our cameras (then I remembered I was driving) and for a brief few seconds Iowa looked lovely.
The tour continues apace tomorrow with 2 shows and an afternoon to take in Newcastle vs West Brom. Then its Minnesota and some cold cold weather. 8 Days to 0 folks and if Madison is giving us any clues then they could be some monumental days.
Alan
State lines crossed 1 (17 Total)Time Zones crossed 0 (2 Total)Oil Changes 0 (1 Total)8 Days to Election Bumper sticker/ Yard sign/ Anything else advertising a candidate count:Obama 111McCain 32
Where to begin with Madison, Wisconsin. Certainly the nicest place we've been to so far its small but not too small, filled with coffee shops,bookstores, bars, culture, history, passion and everything else that just makes this place great. As we drove down Washington Av from our hotel we were met by the imposing sight of the state capitol, the only building of its like outside of Washington.
Inside curved corridors snake round the central forum and delicate mosaics proclaiming Government, Justice, Legislation, and Liberty stare down at you from the dome above. But Madison is made of more than just its central State Capitol. Its a place where all our welcome, cafes serve tea, restaurants embrace vegetarian food, people don't stare when you walk, in fact, everyone walks, even the Zombies as we found out on Saturday...
The place is the jewel in America's crown. Its welcoming, local beer is stunning and as you may notice from the stats update below they are Obama crazy (I counted 19 in 2 days to McCain's 0). People here are incredibly politically motivated, they care about there country and want a say in its future, the mix of the university students and Madison's significant political history seeps into the culture, making it an energetic bubble of a place where something is always happening. Its the kind of place you'd be happy for your kids to grow up in, the kind of place you can have the quiet life but still get access to all the things about the city that you love. We've eaten the best food here, we've drank the best drink here, and the audience's are lovely. In case I'm not being clear- Madison rocks!
And one signature in the guest book of the theatre says it all about the kind of people who love Madison...
We leave tomorrow and will be very sad to do so, but Madison has energised us for the rest of the tour, full of good food and nice experiences we should make it through Iowa and Kansas still smiling (just!)
Off to get some more yummy food now
Alan
State lines crossed 0 (16 Total)Time Zones crossed 0 (2 Total)Oil Changes 0 (1 Total)9 Days to Election Bumper sticker/ Yard sign/ Anything else advertising a candidate count:Obama 52McCain 28
Another early start as what promised to be a long day kicked in. Just the small matter of 2 shows and a 290 mile drive to contend with before we could sleep again. The theatre in Ames was huge, over 2000 seats. With 2 shows we were all very excited, surely if they had booked 2 shows they must have thousands coming to see us, surely there would be no point playing 2 shows in this place to an audience that could fit into one...
Ah yes, I forgot that this is theatre, where lateral thinking is a commodity in short supply and true to form we played to audiences of 750 and 300 over 2 shows when they would have comfortably fitted into the one show. In fact had there been 1 show then the 290 mile drive awaiting us would have been a breeze, a doddle. Alas no, fighting fatigue and weather we battled toward Wisconsin (the Badger state!), consoled only by my rather large bag of cheetos that have left me stained with guilt
The show is starting to feel the strain of the tour now and as always its the props that are first to go. As integral as the fans are to Snake scene it seems that they could not last the pace and after looking, without success, in every State we've been in for replacements the original fans finally succumbed in what can only be described as an unrelenting fit of rage from Alex.
They actually just fell apart but we prefer our version.
The shows were fun however and with the gap in between I amused myself in my dressing room with my costume and camera.
A day off now in Madison and then a couple of days in the same venue where we yet again share a venue with the US tour of Avenue Q, which is always nice.
Alan
State lines crossed 1 (16 Total)Time Zones crossed 0 (2 Total)Oil Changes 0 (1 Total)11 Days to Election Bumper sticker/ Yard sign/ Anything else advertising a candidate count:Obama 33McCain 28
Back on the road and that road today led to Iowa, and my what an interesting place Iowa is- why there's fields, and fields and well more fields. Still we got to cross the Mississippi (again). In fact, so taken are we with the old stream that we went over it 3 times today in search for something we could call lunch.
Our hotel is following tradition in being a stone's throw from an interstate, but is very nice and the mexican round the corner was great. Although when we asked for water we were met with a blank stare, we followed up our request using every known word for water/ wader (US Accent needed for that one)/ aqua/ H2O??? Eventually Karina resorted to a mime of water from a fawcett and our server laughed before promptly saying "no".
That's that for today- a short one I know but a 7am get in does encourage an early night, especially when followed by a 300 mile drive- joy.
Alan
State lines crossed 1 (15 Total)Time Zones crossed 0 (2 Total)Oil Changes 0 (1 Total)12 Days to Election Bumper sticker/ Yard sign/ Anything else advertising a candidate count:Obama 31McCain 26
So much happening so little time to write anything about it. Day 22 involved the shlop over the river from Missouri to Illinois and then North to Naperville. One of the problems I have encountered since being in American is that as well as there being a time difference, we are also caught between movie release date patterns. Now, once over here for a few weeks this is fine as you just see the movies when they come out but on arriving I discovered that certain films I had been meaning to see in the UK had been released here months ago and so were no longer showing at the cinema- disaster. So you can imagine my joy at driving into Naperville to discover a small independent cinema showing "Tropic Thunder" one of said movies. Not only that but more joy followed when I discovered admission was $3 and popcorn 75c and you could get free refills (that'll make the touring allowance go further). So I got to see the movie and Anna got to sleep through it and all is well with the world again.
Day 23 brought another great day, with 2 early shows we were done by 1pm and being only an hour from Chicago and never having been before only a certified idiot would have passed up the opportunity to see the windy city. Chicago is amazing! The city thrives with energy, from towering sky scrapers to industrial architecture and rattling subway trains I loved the short time we had here.
We shopped (I suddenly realised a dire shortage of winter wear), and strolled along the bay, through down town, along the pier and eventually to the top of one of the tallest buildings in America. On the advice of others we avoided the tallest in America (The Sears Tower) and headed for one that comes very close. The John Hancock Centre across town beats the Sears Tower hands down for one simple reason. To get to the top you can either- A: Pay $15 to go to the 94th floor observation deck or B: Go free to the 96th Floor bar. I'll give you a second to work out what we did.
The place was stunning, the view was sensational. Chicago rocks! Not content with our afternoons activities we hot footed to the famous "Billy Goat Tavern", a burger joint made famous by a John Belushi Saturday Night Live sketch.
Again this place was great, dinner came in at $5 as we watched the World Series and enjoyed the burgers. All in all Chicago seems like an amazing place, we got to spend a matter of hours here but are desperate to return for more (and we have to as Anna accidentally put $10 on a subway card!)
Over 3 weeks in now then, the weather is turning, the show is still running and we spend most of the next 2 weeks doing circles in Kansas and Iowa.
Thanks
Alan
State lines crossed 1 (14 Total)Time Zones crossed 0 (2 Total)Oil Changes 0 (1 Total)13 Days to Election Bumper sticker/ Yard sign/ Anything else advertising a candidate count:Obama 29McCain 24
Day 21- last 2 shows in St Louis and an afternoon to catch what we haven't already caught. In the absence of anything to say that would be interesting about the shows I have interspersed today with some photos from them.
For me the afternoon was about one thing and one thing only. With the show down at 1.30 I had half an hour to pack up the set, get driven to an Irish bar and take in the Newcastle vs Man City game. "Why?" I hear you cry, "Alan, you're thousands of miles away, take this opportunity to ease the pain, to spend some time away from Newcastle United and all the pain and suffering it obviously causes you!" No folks, I had to see it, once I knew it was on then that was it, my affliction set in and I had to go. However, it wasn't as easy as that, having located 2 bars showing the match I faced a choice. Both at opposite ends of town, I would need dropped off and then have to make my own way back. Not a problem I thought, Anna and the gang duly obliged before heading off somewhere unimportant and I strolled into the bar ready for some misery. I looked up at the many screens displaying a multitude of sports- American Football, Baseball, Basketball, Ice Hockey... but no Newcastle united. Unperturbed I headed to the bar and asked where the match was being shown, a blank expression stared back "You mean Soccer?" Oh dear, dread filled my heart, It was already midway through the first half, the other bar was a good 40 minutes away, surely this place must be showing it, the website had said they were... "Sorry. We don't get that channel anymore" the owner confirmed.
Its a good job there were no small children around me for the 10 minute walk to the Metro station, or sat next to me on the half hour Metro ride into town. So, with 15 minutes of the match to go I strolled into pub number 2 to be met by my lovely Newcastle players, beamed onto a huge screen. It was only 15 minutes but it was worth it, oh how I've missed them. I don't think they've missed me quite as much as they were winning until I strolled in and then duly conceded an equaliser.
The rest of the day was good for my Obama bumper sticker/ paraphernalia count as we drove down a street with 6 signs outside houses- Go Barack!
Tomorrow we head North to chilly Naperville, just outside Chicago. Saturday brings Newcastle United vs Sunderland- 6.45am kick off here, wonder if I'll find anywhere showing it
Alan
State lines crossed 0 (13 Total)Time Zones crossed 0 (2 Total)Oil Changes 0 (1 Total)15 Days to Election Bumper sticker/ Yard sign/ Anything else advertising a candidate count:Obama 28McCain 23
