“Plans Interrupted,” An Evening in December 2009, was suitably titled. From the audience’ perspective they witnessed a story unfold of a young couple with their lives all planned out. “Sarah,” witnessing the famous kickline of the Radio City Rockettes, planned to make her Broadway debut, but discovered instead an unexpected pregnancy. And thus “A Baby Changes Everything.”

But unknownst to the audience, our cast and crew experienced a parallel storyline, and with our show all planned out, discovered several unexpected surprises.

Weeks prior to the show, the cast was hit hard by the “AEID bug.” Flu symptoms, cold symptoms, and phantom lost voices were just the first inkling. One night, Steve Pearce, our soloist in the final numbers, went outside between the two songs and decorated the bushes with his lunch. Tina Converse became acquainted with our black-painted set–backstage in the dark, kneefirst–and was on crushes for the entire run.

During the show, the Tech Crew was hit hard by some bizarre technical bugs. Rebooting computers, unexpected human error, and phantom lost tracks were just the first inkling. In one scene, our accompaniement tracks cut out only 4 minutes into a 6-minute medley. Fortunately, it was in the middle of a graceful “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” whereupon the cast continued singing a capella while the dance partners kept flowing through their waltz section. To the audience, it seemed like it was planned that way.

The next day, John’s cast warmup included this set of notes, and here are my personal notes as I applied them to my role:

[R]eady for Anything – Now that I know my show, I can’t get comfortable. Be on my toes, ready for anything, whether it’s a person getting hurt or sick, or a machine thinking for itself. (Erik Kennedy: “actors, track failed! Come on stage now! John’s starting scene B! Now!”)

[E]nergy to the End - The seven-show run, with two days of back-to-back shows will tax health and energy. From a health side: rest, energize, take my meds and vitamins, wash hands, don’t share germs. From an energy side: I am to give 100% of what I can give every minute that I’m onstage.

[L]oving God and showing it – The music has great lyrics. I have internalized it, but I need to show it in my face and body to the audience members. This isn’t just a song and dance and some clever lines. This is a story that has depth, but our audience can only get it if I give it to them with my whole being. As if my life was on the line. Or their life was on the line.

[Y]ahweh will Provide - Tina’s knee, Steve’s stomach, the lighting unit with its own brain, the computer that sneezed, and other unexpected interruptions came at us from phantom sources. But my full confidence and faith in God meant I and the cast and crew were leaning on God. The Provider. Yahweh.

As you can see, John asked us to RELY on God. He had cast us, trained us, coached us, prepped us, cracked the whip on us, amd loved on us. Now all we had to do was lean on God and rely on Him throughout.

And not just during this show with its unexpected surprises. Plans Interrupted.

During my life with its unexpected surprises. Plans Interrupted.

~geeWhiz

And the top 10 best moments from 2008, that the audience never saw:

10. Watching a herd of men deadlift a grand piano off the stage and back up again.

9. The little boys in kids’ choir trying to do a spellout, getting it wrong (“J – E – S – S – aaaah ! “), then the big big boys in Dance Team inviting the little boys to join them in a “SHOWTIME” circle (awesome role modelling!)

8. The audience’ first reaction to the SNOW, then getting hit with snowballs, then their reaction to “my brother’s a flake!”

7. The entire Van Aken family making memories with Federica and her Center High School friends that she’ll take halfway ‘cross the world.

6. John complimenting the kids’ choir for singing louder than the choir! YEAH!

5. The visuals, starting from “with a tail as big as a …KITE!” ooohhhh, AA-OOOO”

4. At the end of “Light Your Christmas,” Erik lifting little Makenna to put up the tree topper.

3. Steve Pearce’s discharge papers: “Did you just TOOT?” (ask him!)

2. Brian Bigelow’s ushering challenge and how God used that to result in a torn card.

And my number one favorite memory from “An Evening in December 2008:” The significance of Laura Voska’s solo, especially:

“Next year at this time,
I’m sure that we will find
some things are just not quite the same.
Each season is diff’rent than before.
May we never take for granted
every Christmas from the Lord.”

So, remember your favorite Christmas moments and remember that God Blesses you 24/7.

Lisa and I uploaded a hundred or so of our photos in a Picasa web album. If you’re looking for a photo from an actual show, you’re out of luck; we were on stage almost all of the time. And, we dare not shoot anything on stage, for fear of causing a flash that might distract the audience or jeopardize the safety of a dancer (even though someone in one of the audiences actually fired off several flashes during a show).

But you’ll get a good feel for what goes on during dress rehearsals, backstage during a show, in the “First N-O-E-L” minivan, and at cast parties.

Lisa and I compiled our lists and here are our collective top ten memories from 2006 “An Evening in December.

10. Random vocal track from “Feliz Navidad” out of nowhere.

9. The kids in “Lots n Lots o’ Boxes,” rockin’ out to “we can rattle and shake ‘em, rock and roll ‘em.”

8. Running backstage out in the rain to cross to the other side.

7. “Spirit of the Season” breaking down and starting from the beginning, de ja vu!

6. Patrick’s sideburns as Elvis.

5. Mark Shetler’s over-the-top “Thought that Counts Blues.”

4. Renee Weber (stage manager) stage left, pregnant and grumpy.

3. Back stage chaos before “Spirit of the Season” as the cast scampers to get their props.

2. Alana, Angelique, and Lisa in the car rides to the preshow.

…and the number one memory from “An Evening in December 2006″

1. Dance company versus partner guys competing in preshow cheers.

Don’t you love the sounds of Christmas?

One sound I love is the excited squeal of little kids’ voices as they discover: “look what Santa brought!”

One sound heard in my family: the little kid’s voice (mine) as I discover: “look what John brought!…the CDs for next year’s show!”

Our director John introduced the praise choir to the music this week! I brought home CDs of course, one for Lisa, one for me.

Now the annual tradition begins: the peculiar sound of Christmas music coming from our cars in late May through the hot summer.

Pam and Bobby are already rolling their eyeballs upwards.

I’ve already listened to show three times through and have picked out my favorites.
Stay tuned!

words and music by Dr. Seuss and Albert Hague

You’re a mean one, Mr. Grinch. You really are a heel.
You’re as cuddly as a cactus, as charming as an eel, Mr. Grinch.
You’re a bad banana with a greasy black peel.

You’re a monster, Mr. Grinch. You’re heart’s an empty hole.
Your brain is full of spiders, you’ve got garlic in your soul. Mr. Grinch.
I wouldn’t touch you with a thirty nine and a half foot pole. (oh no!)

You’re a foul one, Mr. Grinch. You’re a , wasty skunk.
You’re heart is full of unwashed socks, your soul is full of gunk. Mr. Grinch
Three words that best describe you are as follows and I quote: “STINK! STANK! STUNK!”

You nauseate me, Mr. Grinch. With a nauseasm super nause.
You’re a crooked, jerky jocky, and you drive a crooked hoss.
You’r a three-decker sauerkraut and toadstool sandwich with arsenic sauce.

You’re a mean one,
Misterrrrr
Griiiiiiiiiiiiinch!

Kevin, who plays Grampa, got a bug in his throat that has turned his voice into a dead-ringer for Louis Armstrong’s gravelly, husky voice.

Audience members are going to say: “where on Earth did they discover this talent, a guy who can pull off that perfect Louis Armstrong character voice?”

We’ll keep it secret, that it was divine intervention.

Pray that his voice holds up, so he can give all he’s got during the remaining shows.

Christmas music goes everywhere we go.
Either we’re replaying a past musical, or we’re trying to ingrain the upcoming 2005 musical into our brains.
Lisa has a 2005 CD in her room, and one in each car.
So prevalent is the music, that Pam doesn’t think twice when she hears it, especially when she switches cars with me.

So, today she picked up my Mom for an appointment, in the middle of a 102 degree July scorcher.

Mom asks Pam: “Gee, they’re playing Christmas music now?”