falcon

Before attending this evening’s performance of LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS at Falcon Theater, I met Anne & Larry at Detroit Joe’s for dinner. You may remember Anne & Larry as the couple with whom we attended WICKED on March 9 of this year.

We met at Detroit Joe’s not only because of their proximity to the theater, but because of their good food. I arrived early since I went to the restaurant directly from work, and had a nice glass of Merlot and conversation with Marla, the owner. After Anne & Larry arrived, we settled into the cozy booth and enjoyed a fine, overly-filling meal of Portobello Ravioli appetizer and a mussell appetizer; salads (hot slaw and green); entrees including “Neptune’s Delight”, marinated tuna, and a shrimp & scallop scampi dish. Everything was very good, and we made it to the theater in plenty of time to see the excellent production of LITTLE SHOP.

After the show, most of the cast (along with Brian & Milan who came to see the show tonight) went over to Lightfoot’s for fried bologna sandwiches, cold beer, and conversation.

After work today, I drove directly to Newport Kentucky because it’s opening night of Wendy’s show at Falcon Theater — LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS!

I stopped at Walgreen’s to pick up some Swedish Fish candy for the cast, then headed down to a restaurant that is the theater’s new neighbor — Lightfoot’s. Lightfoot’s, run by mother-and-daughter team of Sandy & Toni, opened its doors today, so I was excited to support them (and hungry too!). They’ve done a nice job of rehabing the interior of the building, which was previously a restaurant but had been closed for several years. The interior looks good, with tables set with tablecloths and candles. I was given the fairly-basic lunch menu from which to order, so I ordered some cream of potato soup, chicken strips, fries, and a couple beers. Their dinner menu is a bit more interesting; offering lobster tails, steaks, and other choices.
The show went very well and the large audience loved it. I’m very proud of Wendy and all her hard work, as well as the work of the cast. After the show, the cast and crew, about 20 of us, went back to Lightfoot’s for post-show partying.

An unexpected change of plans tonight… I was scheduled to have GARDE MANGER class at Cincinnati State this evening. When I arrived at the school’s kitchen, it was apparent that our food cart — the requisitioned food items that we’re to use in the class — had not arrived. Chef arrived shortly after and made a few calls only to find out that the employees in receiving had already left for the evening so there was no hope of getting our food items.

We did the best we could with what we had on hand, taking the time to create ‘presentation plates’ of our cold soups (I made a Tomato Basil soup) for chef to evaluate and taste. However, we were still done with everything before 6:00. So I headed home as quickly as I could because I knew Wendy had gotten her hair bleached for LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS, the show she’s doing for Falcon Theater, which opens this Friday and I wanted to see what it looked like. While it’s a big change, she’s still super-gorgeous. She invited me to attend rehearsal this evening, so I went with her. Dinner was a visit to the drive-through at Wendy’s for chicken nuggets and fries.

The rehearsal went well and I think their show is going to be very good.

Tonight was closing night of DINNER WITH FRIENDS, the show I directed for Falcon Theater. I spent Saturday morning doing chores around the house and working on my computer. Dinner was in fact a very-late-lunch at Wendy’s, where I had a cheeseburger and a baked potato.

Around 6:30, Wendy & I headed down to the theater. The show went very well, and was attended by a large and appreciative audience. It was, I believe, our best audience and the actor’s best performance. We certainly closed on a strong note. Afterward, our House Manager informed me that this was the season’s best-selling show.

The cast, crew, and I went for post-show drinking and merriment to Claddagh Irish Pub in Newport on the Levee.