On a more serious note ...

Up till now these posts have been full of jokes and witticisms, but I want to stop and take a moment to be a little more serious.

We open in (according to Leah's Facebook status) 10 days. Wow.

From what I've seen of rehearsals so far, this cast is amazing. So strong, so dedicated. I'm really proud to be a part of this show. You guys are awesome. Even in the face of health crises, exhaustion, and family emergencies, you're still giving it your all and rocking it out every night.

To the crew: You guys rock just as hard. The set looks amazing; Molly Hicks has done an incredible job turning Styrofoam into stone; Kevin King and Rick Wilson have constructed a truly awesome set with all sorts of moving pieces; Theresa Bender has thrown herself into props to the point of driving all the way from Herndon to Rockville at 9 AM to acquire free silk rose petals; Colleen Stock is hands-down the most cheerful and dedicated stage manager I've ever had the pleasure of working with ... the list goes on and on.

I haven't heard the band yet, but I know they're going to be fantastic as well; they always are.

And to ramp it back up a notch to my usual irreverence, the penis piñata is dead. I believe it went down something like this:

Scene: Onstage, during a rehearsal. Cast members are attacking each other with the penis piñata.

Voice from the house: Guys! Stop beating each other with the penis!

The cast member holding the penis piñata drops it on the floor. It cracks. The head now dangles lifelessly from the shaft.

We will be duct-taping it back together for rehearsals and making a new one for the shows, but still, this is a sad day. Let's all please take a moment of silence to mourn the loss of this beloved new cast member.