by Greg Triggs
I just did my last tour show of the season, thank God. Not because I’m over the show or sick of my co-workers. I just need a little break from the constant travel. As this is being written from MSP (the Minneapolis-St. Paul airport) that seems unlikely, but it’s nice to have a glimmer of hope at the end of the jetway.
I’ve got a gameshow to mount in Alaska. That doesn’t seem to matter to anyone at Delta Airlines or the Intercontinental Hotel in Minneapolis, MN.
In the last 16 hours I have been delayed on the LGA (LaGuardia) tarmac, missed my connecting flight to YCV (Vancouver) through no fault of my own, was screamed at by a fellow passenger using profane language in front of kids, was given incorrect baggage information that resulted in losing 2 precious hours I could’ve been sleeping, spent several hundred dollars on a hotel room I used for about 6-hours, was misbilled for a hotel room costing several hundred dollars, slept for 4 hours and am now back on a plane which is hopefully heading to Seattle so I can layover for 2 hours while I wait for a 127 mile flight to the destination I tried to get to last night.
Insert heavy sigh here.
Where are my friends? I’m alone. Where are Deb, Robert, Rob, Matt, Katie, Gary, Stefan, Adrien, Sarah, Anne, Paula, Emilie, Assaf or Pat?
Traveling with BNHM can take the sting out of the inevitable frustrations of travel. Being a midwestern co-dependent when a snag is encountered I can concentrate on others getting what they need instead of getting wrapped up in my own concerns.
How I wish last night’s screamer had the same distraction.
There have been times when the hive mind of Broadway’s Next Hit Musical goes into overdrive. We find out a blizzard is hitting NYC or an area to which we’re traveling. Rob starts the process of figuring it out and soon everyone is on the plane calling airlines, switching flights, looking at which airports are nearby, re-switching flights, rebooking rental cars and basically exhausting themselves.
But here’s the deal – never once have I seen anyone let that affect their show. Once we get where we’re going, we’re there, giving it all we’ve got left.
And this morning I’m not there yet and I’m missing the distraction of my friends.
Thanks for a great touring season. While I’m ready for it to end I cannot wait for the next.
Happy summer BNHM!
