A Most Memorable Week
A visit to Downton Abbey and the 50th anniversary of my first professional job!
Hi Friends.
Happy Saturday. I was going to send this a few weeks ago, but decided to chill out on my back porch and make zines and collages instead of writing it. So, after a rather sleepless night of this issue hanging over my head, I decided today was the day!
When last I wrote, I was doing Boom! with Ann at 54 Below (thanks to everyone who watched our livestream!) and was about to go to London to do my Stephen Schwartz show. I had a marvelous week of shows at Crazy Coqs. So many fun people came, including Lesley Nicol, Mrs. Patmore from Downton Abbey!
Worth the Wait
Speaking of Downton Abbey, the highlight of the trip was going to Highclere Castle with our dear friends B. and Laura. Dan and I are HUGE Downton Abbey fans, and B. and Laura had planned to take us last year for our 40th anniversary, but we had to cancel our trip. So finally getting to go a year later was extra special.
We met at Paddington Station, took the train to Newbury, and then a 15-minute car ride to the castle. Having seen the series and movie a million times, the first view of the castle was breathtaking. We had a wonderful champagne picnic, walked around the gardens and toured the inside.
I’m trying something new (inspired by Erik Winkowski (via Austin Kleon ) Here is a little audio recording I made of me playing and singing a bit of the Downton Abbey theme if you’d like to listen while you scroll through the photos. NOTE: The farthest I got in piano lessons was John Thompson Book 1, so I just played the left hand.
Take the Trip
I was home a few days and then left for a 22-hour trip to Chicago for the 50th anniversary of Marriott’s Great America theme park in Gurnee, IL.
Being a Great America Singer was my first professional job.
I auditioned when I was 15 years old, a junior in high school, (still wearing braces!) and even though the minimum age was 16, I was hired for the show Holiday. I was the youngest one in the cast–it was mostly students in college. We did 5 shows a day, 6 days a week in a 1600-seat theatre with a 20-piece live orchestra. It was incredible training for Broadway. Singing and dancing, challenging harmonies…
But more importantly, I made lifelong friends.
I went on to do three seasons at Great America, 1977-79 (two in Gurnee, and one at the Santa Clara, CA park).
What’s amazing is 49 years later, while I can’t remember what I had for dinner last night, I still remember the lyrics and the choreography!
It wouldn’t be an issue of Between Flights without a song. This is a doozy. Here’s me singing “I Cain’t Say No/Honey Bun” in 1978. The video quality is horrible, but you can hear what I sounded like at 17, and get an idea of what the show was like.
Back to the reunion. It was a blast, and so special. I’ve stayed in touch with many of my castmates, some very closely, but there were people I hadn’t seen in 49 years!
And some of us were even in each other’s weddings!
The next morning I wrote in my journal:
I’m so happy I went to the reunion. My takeaways–we were a special, kind and interesting group of people. And this experience, that happened when we were so young, was formative, a highlight of our lives 50 years later- half a century. We reminisced for hours, asked each other–did this really happen? Yes, it did. Was happy to know my memories of this time were real.
Another thing I loved was coming here, not for work, but to see my friends, for fun.
Lesson learned: take the trip. Connect.
Where in the World is Liz?
I’m off for the next few weeks, except for my Mets anthem on Tuesday, and an outdoor concert in Hawley, PA on Friday. It’s nice to have a little time off before the craziness of fall starts. I joined Suleika Jaouad’s month-long At-home Artist Residency and I’m enjoying making art just for fun.
As for fall gigs, I’m doing my first Comic Con in Atlanta over Labor Day, the Oscar Hammerstein Gala in Bucks County, PA, my Stephen Schwartz show in St Louis, plus soon to be announced concerts in Findlay, OH, Boston, New Mexico, Houston, and more.
And…maybe it’s much too early in the game, but what are you doing New Year’s Eve? I’m singing at 54 Below! I’ll be doing the 7pm show. (So I’ll be home in my PJs for midnight.) Tickets are on sale now, and I’m sure we will livestream the show.
CLICK HERE FOR MY FULL SCHEDULE
That’s all for this issue of Between Flights. Need to get ready and catch a train. Ann and Kari are in town and we’re meeting them for dinner!
Have a great weekend and the rest of your August.
xoxo Liz
I've seen some of the authors I read on Substack put a banner of their newest book at the bottom of their newsletter, so I thought I'd try that for my new album, too. Click HERE to purchase the CD or digital album. Or, if you prefer to stream your music, you can download the free digital booklet with Stephen Schwartz's liner notes HERE.
That was a precious clip from your first gig! Your star power showed even then. It's great to reconnect after many years. What fun!
New Mexico!
When and Where?
Excited