After many adventures in Europe, it was time to cross the pond back to America. The course would last 7 days at sea. The good news, we gained an extra hour daily with the time zone changes as we headed back home. The bad news, the ocean was rocky and the sky was foggy for most of our journey. It is a weird feeling to be involuntarily flipped over in your sleep.
We had a mostly non-American audience on the crossing. We were lucky if our audiences spoke English, let alone understood American references and humor. Our shows were discouraging because the material wasn’t getting the response we’d anticipated. We changed the 5 scripts, running orders, and shows every single day. Even now, we still aren’t sure if the shows will be changed again... And we’ve yet to do the same show twice.
Our schedule was a struggle. We were doing up to four shows a day in addition to rehearsals. We all wanted the shows to be their best, but personally I was not at mine. Our room situation remained and continues to remain the same: we sleep apart in a cabin that has temperature inconsistencies in both air and water. Our TV does not work (Jeff likes that part), so I have no idea what is going on in the world, which is not good when you are improvising every night. And the noises above and below our cabin continue to make sleep impossible.
My basic quality of life necessities were unreliable: freezing cold showers, boiling hot room, no sleep, a constantly changing schedule of work that need to be approached with focus and clarity since the work itself was also changing at a constant rate, and a cast of performers that have lost any sense of morale.
After nearly 4 straight weeks of crying myself to sleep, (and by sleep I mean jags of 10 minutes of rest until thunderous sounds awaken me), I knew we had to go. We gave our notice the night before we returned to the states. We were fortunate enough to secure some work back in LA. We had such high hopes and excitement for this job, so you can imagine what a disappointment this has all been. I think we’d be willing to hang on if we knew our circumstances would eventually change. But, we are at the bottom of an endless list of problems. And I would like to sleep before October.
We are grateful for the wonderful travel. And we are proud of the Murder Mystery show that we helped to create, which is a huge success on the ship, and is going to be added to other ships as well. But, we also know this is the absolute best decision for us.
New York:
The morning after we made the decision, Jeff and I woke up very early to run up to the top deck as we approached New York City. This journey from Europe to NYC was the same course that so many of our ancestors had traveled. We passed Ellis Island, and I felt a little lump in my throat. We sailed right by the sunlit vision of America’s favorite lady waving us home, the Statue of Liberty. I’ve never seen her up so close. She is a green beauty. I couldn’t help but try to connect this Patriotic vision to our personal situation. After making this painful decision to take control of our circumstances, Lady Liberty stood there as a symbol of freedom from feeling trapped. As artists, we are so often put in a position to please. Sometimes we forget to take care of ourselves. We have to protect our sanity, our spirit, or we cannot feel the playful joy needed on stage.
After Coast Guard drills and immigration meetings, we were greeted at the bottom of the gangplank by two familiar faces. My Mom and Dad! Good ol’ Jeanette and Dave took a train into Manhattan to visit us, and the ship, for the day. It is so nice to be around people who have good intentions for you.
We gave them a tour of this beautiful ship we inhabit. It is gorgeous: elegant dining rooms, sleek and sexy dance clubs, relaxing parlors, a fun water park, 2 bowling alleys, arcades, batting cages, a pristine spa ... At the end of our tour, we took them to our cabin, and my mom actually laughed and cried at the same time when she saw our cabin bathroom. Again, it’s a shower with a toilet in it! It is laughable. And cry-able.
We had a lovely dinner, walked around the busy NYC streets, and went to see a show, starring the handsome and talented Mr Greg Triggs (in case he’s reading this). The show reminded me of the fun of improv and my love for musical improv. All in all, a great evening.
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