A Swing's Tale

What a week it has been. We were in Tempe, Arizona and it was officially my first week of being on “Swing duty.” I wasn’t actually scheduled to go on until Sunday matinee… but boy was I in for a surprise. So to start my not-so-little update… first let me break down the tracks I am in charge of to make this story a little less confusing.
My principals:

Elle: I have learned the music only. Our Elle on tour is now officially a 6 show Elle (meaning she goes on for 6 out of 8 shows a week). The other understudy (Kathleen Monteleone who was on Grease You’re the One that I want) is the 2 show Ellle… so she will be going on as Elle every Sunday. When she goes on for Elle, I will go on for her ensemble track which is called the “Cat Lady/Stenographer Track.” (NOTE: Kathleen is taking over for Lauren Ashley Zakrin who was on the Search for Elle Woods reality show… Lauren’s last week was here in Tempe so she went on for Elle on Sunday as her last 2 shows since Kathleen wasn’t scheduled to start until Sacramento)

Serena: One of Elle’s best friends… the brunette cheerleader. I am starting to learn this track on Wednesday of this coming week!

Enid: A Harvard law student… will probably learn this in the next couple weeks.

Then as far as ensemble… there are 5 different tracks:
1. Cat Lady/Stenographer
2. DA Joyce Riley
3. Elle’s Mom/Whitney
4. Judge/Sales Lady
5. Kate/Chutney

Because of the 6 show/2 show Elle thing… I was scheduled to go on for the Cat Lady/Stenographer first for the Sunday shows when Lauren was on for Elle. So for the 2 weeks we were in Costa Mesa, I was learning the Cat lady/Stenog track. Well… come Wednesday… I find out that one of our principals was out for the rest of the month on vocal rest. Long story short: the other swing had to go for that lead, the girl who plays DA Joyce Riley had to go on for a different principal that was out, and I was on as DA Joyce Riley. So I had a 2 hour rehearsal where I learned the DA track… had a quick 30 minute put in with the cast and BOOM… I’m on stage. It went surprisingly well… didn’t injure anyone or myself. Haha. And for the first time ever… I literally had to write my lines on my hand because there was no way I was going to memorize them after the 2 hr rehearsal. Mainly because the lines are all very similar. Haha. For instance: “will you please clarify for the court…” “will you please explain to the court…” “will you please tell the court…” ya there was no way. So I wrote key words to help my poor little brain out. I do have to say… I have some amazing coworkers. The entire cast was so supportive and wonderful. Being thrown in so quickly, I honestly could not have done it without them. They were all checking up on me and ready to answer any questions I had before we went on stage. They were fabulous… so thanks guys! You’re the best : )

So I survived my first show on Wednesday. Then on Thursday I had a put in for the cat lady/stenographer track. Then was surprised again and went on as DA Joyce Riley on Saturday night… then FINALLY went on AS SCHEDULED as cat lady/stenographer both shows on Sunday. Update on jump rope number in the show… the first time I went on… I was a hot mess. Didn’t hurt anyone or lose my rope, but I was getting tangled and well… it just was not working out. BUT Saturday and both shows on Sunday… I was a jump rope champ! Did not mess up at all! I finished the number and jumped up and down : ) Big accomplishment! Haha.

No time to do any sight seeing in Tempe, but there was great shopping! : ) And we lived in an amazing hotel right off the main street (Mill St. for any of you who have been to Tempe). Nice weather, good food, good people, good shows, good week! : )

Now we are here in Sacramento, CA for 2 weeks. My home state’s capitol! Because of emergency rehearsals and rescheduling, Kathleen has not been able to learn her full ensemble track yet and her Elle costumes are not ready for her to go on as Elle… so I will be doing the cat lady/stenographer track all week and Lauren is coming back on Sunday to do Elle. So if you’re near Sacramento… I’m on all week… so come check us out : ) I’m also looking forward to seeing my mom and sister for a visit!! And hopefully catching up with some friends from the past and other family members who live nearby!! All the while praying and knocking on wood that everyone stays healthy and unharmed since both female swings are already scheduled to go on all week. Send good thoughts and vibes to the legally blonde cast : )

Miss everyone so much! Please keep me updated with everything that’s going on at home and in your lives! I love email updates! ashleynimo@gmail.com
Sending lots and lots of love to you all
XOXO
Ashmo