DAY 1: 11AM
So I spent the week before the cruise playing catch up and sending out press releases for the FLOPZ Concert, as well as the title announcement press release for the World AIDS Day Concert of The Secret Garden. While playing catch up, I spent DAYS on the phone. At one point, I spoke with Steve Marzullo (a brilliant new composer) about some of his work and a possible future concert of it. We decided to go have lunch soon…but not next week, because he was going to be out of town on the Rosie Cruise. Then I spoke with Capathia Jenkins about performing in the FLOPZ Concert…she couldn't do it, but we also decided we needed to hang out sometime…but no time soon, because she was performing on the Rosie Cruise…we had a moment of excited tittering and I explained to her that being on the Rosie Cruise was like a high school drama queen's wet dream. I mean…really…stuck on a boat in the middle of the Atlantic with Liz Callaway, Rosie O'Donnell, Gavin Creel, Cyndi Lauper and a hundred other Broadway stars. What could possibly be more am-ah-zing (as R Family Music Director, Seth Rudetsky would say)?
And now here I am, packed and ready to go…The boat will be departing in just a few hours.
11:45PM
The ship is huge, somehow even larger than I remember it from last year, and the check-in was instant. Everything went smoothly and once on the boat, I was greeted by a dazzling smile and a hug from the lady in charge, Kelli O'Donnell. Kelli had been instant messaging me everyday this week making sure I was as excited as she was…And I was. Apparently there are 500 more passengers than there were last year, a true testament to the brilliant job Kelli, Gregg Kominski and Rosie did with last year's triumph.
Me and Superwoman Kelli O'Donnell
The entertainment began right away as we passed by Lady Liberty, the stunning Brooke Elliot (Wicked National Tour) sang the hell out of "New York, New York." I, for one, am ALWAYS happy to start out a week-long cruise with some Kander & Ebb.
The evening performance was none other than the Dragapella show, "The Kinsey Sicks." This is a show which ran rather successfully Off-Broadway last year and to high acclaim. Their well-scripted jabs at the current administration as well as some extremely clever parodies earned some highly-deserved guffaws and by the end of the performance, they had clearly won over the audience with a standing ovation.
Newsical Director and Original Chorus Line Cast Member Donna Drake gets a smooch from John Tartaglia
