HEY! I'M TRIPP AND I'M HEADED OFF TRYING TO MAKE IT AS A MUSICAL THEATRE PERFORMER. I'M CHASING AFTER BIG DREAMS AND GETTING TO HAVE A BLAST ALL ALONG THE WAY! COME ALONG FOR THE RIDE AND SEE WHAT CRAZY THINGS I END UP DOING AND THE FANTASTIC CHARACTERS I WILL MEET ALONG THE WAY! FOR PREVIOUS ADVENTURES.... TRIPPAROUNDTHEWORLD.BLOGSPOT.COM AND OFFEXPLORING.BLOGSPOT.COM

Saturday, October 23, 2010

Strolling Down Highways

Our next stop on tour was in Pittsfield, MA. We rode the bus and arrived at the Comfort Inn around 5:00 pm. Not knowing exactly what was around the hotel (which was somewhat outside of the town), the cast decided to start walking down the road to find food for dinner. It was getting a little dark outside, but we figured we would find something fairly quickly. We quickly passed an overpriced steakhouse and decided to go further, over a hill where we thought there would be more options. This simple walk down the sidewalk turned into a bit of a hike along a highway…without a sidewalk…in the dark. We did find one more restaurant that we couldn’t afford, but they were kind enough to inform us that if we had just gone the opposite way down the road we would have hit plenty of options right away. (Of course!)

Once back on track we found the local “Grub and Grog”…yup that’s the actual name. We decided pub fare was the ticket for the night and the whole gang spread out across a few bar-top tables. Our waitress then came over, very friendly and excited to serve. Upon asking for our drink requests, though, she became frustrated. We suggested bringing out waters for everyone and then we would get other drinks after. She sighed heavily and said, “I mean- I don’t know if you guys have ever been servers before, but that’s just kind of hard. There are a lot of you guys.” Actually, ma’am- almost everyone at these tables has been a server.

The food and drinks were good enough and the waitress was really fine, but the night didn’t end well for her when she realized about a dozen credit cards were being used to pay for the meal. A few tears may have shed before we all got to ATM’s and figured it out a bit easier for her! Ha ha! Our first major dinner together was a bit of a mess.


The next day the crew was loading in the show and the cast went into the downtown area of Pittsfield, which was very cute, but it was rainy out so we headed to a movie and grabbed Mexican before going to the theatre. Our show that night was in the Colonial Theatre, a stunning gilded-age theatre over 100 years old. The place is jaw-dropping. It seats around 700 with two balconies, ornate carvings, painted ceilings, etc. The best part is, though, it is a state-of-the-art facility with brand new dressing rooms and backstage space. It was such an exciting night and we had a blast performing in such a remarkable venue. I only hope I am lucky enough to make it back there or perform anywhere quite like that again in my career.

To finish off the night Kevin and I met up with Tavis and his parents (who had seen the show) at a wine bar while the crew loaded out the show. His parents were so fun and kind and we look forward to seeing them on the road again sometime! That night was our first overnight travel on the bus. We are certainly spoiled with an amazing bus that is full of flat screen tv’s with DirecTV, wireless internet, individual bunks, a kitchenette, plenty of couches and lounge areas. It’s pretty awesome to be traveling in that thing! Not exactly like our family road trips growing up. (Although I must say- the Hampton clan always looked pretty slick pulling up in our maroon raised-roof van. We thought we were living the high life with that original Nintendo system, VCR, headphone jacks, and Berry Hampton at the wheel! Ha ha! My, how times have changed!)

Hope the road is looking open and smooth wherever you are in the world!

Love,

Tripp

1 comment:

  1. And don't forget the cool running lights in that thing! Boy, did we have some FUN! haha Can't wait to see pictures of that rock 'n roll bus you're on!
    Much love, Mom

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