Ansamcw

Well I'm all set to watch the view. I will be reporting what happens as the show goes on. So I will probably have tons of typos...hee

EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

Unfortunately I won;t be here for Mike and Juliet so I hope someone else can take over the reporting duties then...

ok...5 more minutes....

From Ch:

massmomforclay wrote:

Back from NY and one of the most fun weekends I've had in ages. Our group met for a pre-show dinner before the 8:00 show on Saturday at the Angus McIndoe restaurant. It is diagonal from the Shubert. Our waitress asked us if we were going to a show and we told her Spamalot to see Clay......she told us that the cast gave him a party there last night. So while the fandom was at Sardis 2 doors away, Clay and company were celebrating his opening night.

Yay I put in my vacation request today.... April 25th until May 5th whooooooooooooooooooo...hold on Clay, I'm coming heee.

EEEEEEEEEEEEEEE thats the time I am hoping to go to NYC....if I can go. But the first step is to have a goal. Now...I just have to work towards that.

I'm hoooooooooooooooooome!

I would not trade this weekend for anything but for 12 hours with Clay and some Wet 'n Wild!

This has been an interesting adverture - full of naughty eHPer's and a perfectly darling Clay!

Oh you are gonna give us a longer recap than that right???right???

Sunday night at the stage door, Ethel was back in the crowd about ten deep, so she couldn’t get close to Clay. But she was yelling at him “Clay!! I caught the bouquet! I caught the bouquet!” And without ever looking up from grabbing and signing, Clay said, “You are soooooo attention-starved, Ethel.” “That’s YOUR fault, Clay!” , she returned, and he said, “Nooooo, no no no no, no it’s not.” And he moved on down the line.

Awww ...I know some people would look at that and think Clay is sick of Ethel...but I see it as funny banter and teasing between two people that are fond of each other. Clay knows that the only way to discourage a true fame ho is to ignore them and he sure does not ignore Ethel. I really like Ethel...she does not take herself too seriously IMO.

My thoughts exactlly. LOL I laughed at the fact that even from ten people back, while his head was down signing stuff he knew her voice and knew her well enough to snark on her. Her style may never be mine, but I like her...I'm editing because I decided I don't know if 'like' is the right word. I don't know Ethel personally well enough to either register like or dislike...but to me she's like a part of this Clay family...like the aunt who comes to the holiday dinners and maybe talks too loud or pinches your cheeks every time. You might roll your eyes when you hear she's coming, but you know damn well there'd be something missing without her. LOL. I love her for being that part of the fandom for me.

exactly...and its not that I think she is faultless...aikim, I know that she has been truly OTT and annoying at times and I think even she realized that and has acknowledged it. But she is just another colorful thread that makes this fandom beautiful.

Someone said something about the cold and not having a coat, and Clay said, “It’s my own fault, I just didn’t want to wear one.” I said “Hey! Jerome! Give Clay your coat!” And Clay said, “No, no, Jerome needs his coat.” And then he drifted off down the line.

First I truly hope the person that said Jerome give clay your coat was kkidding cos that is a bit insensitive. Love Clay for making sure the fans don;t blame Jerome for being coatless...

Sunday night at the stage door, Ethel was back in the crowd about ten deep, so she couldn’t get close to Clay. But she was yelling at him “Clay!! I caught the bouquet! I caught the bouquet!” And without ever looking up from grabbing and signing, Clay said, “You are soooooo attention-starved, Ethel.” “That’s YOUR fault, Clay!” , she returned, and he said, “Nooooo, no no no no, no it’s not.” And he moved on down the line.

Awww ...I know some people would look at that and think Clay is sick of Ethel...but I see it as funny banter and teasing between two people that are fond of each other. Clay knows that the only way to discourage a true fame ho is to ignore them and he sure does not ignore Ethel. I really like Ethel...she does not take herself too seriously IMO.

From Spotlightlover of CH:

Sunday afternoon we weren’t attending the matinee, so we decided to get ourselves in position at the stage door before the show let out. nicegurrrrl and I snagged a spot over to the left of the stage door (Clay’s right) because we knew from previous encounters that he goes immediately to his right and spends some time in that corner before moving on. I had my camera at the ready, but he surprised me because usually Jerome comes out and scopes out the situation, then returns with Clay; but this time they just burst out of the stage door together unexpectedly. (I guess Jerome has decided that Broadway stage-door crowds aren’t as cr-enthusiastic as concert crowds.)

Clay talked to MEEEEE!!!

He stood two feet away from me for over a minute grabbing and signing, grabbing and signing, chatting, grabbing and signing. I had him all lined up in the camera display, he was so damn close that even with the zoom pulled all the way back his face completely filled the frame. He wasn’t wearing a coat, only a hoodie, and it was bitterly cold. I had on three pairs of pants, five layers on top including an overcoat, a hat and two scarves around my face and neck, and I was barely surviving. Someone in the crowd said, "Clay, you look good!" and he scrunched his nose adorably and said, "With this hair?!?!" I said to him, “You must be really tired.” He said, “Naw, I’m okay – I got a good night’s sleep last night.” Someone said something about the cold and not having a coat, and Clay said, “It’s my own fault, I just didn’t want to wear one.” I said “Hey! Jerome! Give Clay your coat!” And Clay said, “No, no, Jerome needs his coat.” And then he drifted off down the line.

And I looked down at my display and realized the camera was still on “standby” because my effing thick gloves had kept me from fully pressing down the “record” button. Crap. Crappity crap crap crap crap.

Fortunately snowdrop captured him in all his glory that afternoon. I even see myself in a snip of her video. Hee.

So I recorded a lot of his backside as he went down the line, and then got him coming back into the stage door waving goodbye.

I thought Sunday night’s performance was better than Saturday night, when Clay seemed a little off. I think maybe he got a note or two from Mike Nichols, because a couple of acting things that bugged me Saturday were corrected on Sunday. He looked much more relaxed that night.

Sunday night was notable for soooo many funny things that went wrong. Most of this is not Clay-related. There’s a scene where the knights go to Camelot, which is really more like Las Vegas, and during the musical number this monk and this nun (complete with flying-nun headdress) do this hilarious adagio dance number. (The nun is really a guy, which makes it even funnier.) Early the number they sort of collided with each other and started to grin; I could tell they were having trouble holding it together for the rest of the number (which ends with the nun spinning on his/her belly on the stage floor).

There’s a scene where Arthur swordfights with the Black Knight and cuts off his arms and legs. The Black Knight wears this big fakey mustache, and it started to come off his face on one side. By this time he had no arms, so he couldn’t do much about it. It would flap when he talked. So at one point he just blew on it to deliberately make it flap. I thought King Arthur was going to lose it. But then it got even better. The armless Black Knight backs up against a “tree” so Arthur can impale him with his own sword (thus explaining why his head and torso dangle in midair after his legs are cut off). But this time Arthur didn’t quite get the sword all the way in, so instead of remaining parallel to the floor, it starts to droop forward like a limp – well, you get the picture. It was hysterical. Even funnier, after the scene ends and they start to pull off the scenery with the Black Knight still hanging from it, the sword starts to magically rise again like a -- well, you get the picture. I thought I would bust a gut.

Just before the scene with the killer rabbit, the knights gallop across the stage and then break into a Broadway-style soft shoe. Then they resume their gallop, then come back for a slightly different type dance; then once more, finishing up with “America” from West Side Story. Sunday night Clay completely missed getting into the first soft-shoe – I think he was on the wrong foot at the first beat – and he couldn’t get back in step. He couldn’t help getting this sheepish smirk on his face because he KNEW we were watching and saw him miss it. It was adorable. But it’s the only time I saw him really mess something up, and honestly it didn’t matter at all.

The chorus guy who played the dancing nun (among other things) got to do a little solo dance in the curtain call, and then Clay pulled him up into the front line to take a special bow. We don't know what it was about exactly, but I figure maybe the guy's mother was in the audience or something. It was one of several indications that Clay is really becoming part of this special ensemble.

Sunday night at the stage door, Ethel was back in the crowd about ten deep, so she couldn’t get close to Clay. But she was yelling at him “Clay!! I caught the bouquet! I caught the bouquet!” And without ever looking up from grabbing and signing, Clay said, “You are soooooo attention-starved, Ethel.” “That’s YOUR fault, Clay!” , she returned, and he said, “Nooooo, no no no no, no it’s not.” And he moved on down the line.

There are some frighteningly talented actors in this cast. The Lady of the Lake has a vocal range and power that would shatter the Crystal Cathedral. A glory-note contest between her and Clay would be no contest at all. Sorry, Clay. In fact, there are so many great voices in this cast, I noticed that when they were all singing, even from the second row I couldn’t hear Clay’s voice individually. Christopher Sieber, who plays Galahad/Black Knight/Herbert’s father is gorgeous, hysterically funny, gorgeous, incredibly versatile, gorgeous, a great singer – did I mention gorgeous? Much prettier than his cast photo. He and Clay interact a lot onstage and I’m so glad Clay is being exposed to such incredible talent.

Awwwwwwww, he is just beaming. I am so happy for him that he's having a blast and getting great audience reactions. I hope he can relax today and recoup.

ETA: From what I've read elsewhere, the blinky lights spelled out "A W E S O M E", not Clay. And Clay spoke to the girls/women (not sure of their age) at the stage door, and only commented that the words read backwards from the stage. Personally, if they only wore them for the curtain call, and they were not Clay-centric, I'm not seeing a big problem. The show is awesome (by all accounts). Just my opinion.

I think one spelled awesome, one spelled clay and another superlative...

here are some more reports from CH:

from merrieee:

Guys I have to correct something I just read.....When I spoke to Clay about his accent he did not answer me in a British accent, just his normal gorgeous NC one!

Also we did have great fun but we did not try to clayvert the waiter. He is a huge Dixie Chicks fan and we were giving him great hints on how to work Ticketmaster to get good seats! We are experts at that*g* He just loved our tip at the end!!!! Hee!I think he will like Clay fans from now on!!

I wish that this weekend would never end. It was really great. I am so happy for Clay. He appears to have the world at his feet.

Now I really have to get to bed so I can get up in 2 hours to fly home!!!!! More later when I recover.

Thanks for letting me cellcert. It was a real challenge this time. Lots of pressure*g* Glad you liked it.

From GBB:

From BFS at CV re the stage door: "Sir Galahad -Christopher Sieber is very cute and signed autographs and said i better do these now before Clay comes out b/c after that you won't want me"

"Clay was very cute tonight, he teased a few young girls, who i later witnessed squealing down the street..."

From Artquest:

The minstrels are singing about Brave Sir Robin and all the awful bloody things that can happen to him. When the minstrel begins to say what can happen to his penis, Sir Robin stops him and the crowd laugh. The previous three shows, Clay began his next line while the crowd was still laughing. As a result, we couldn't really hear the line. Tonight he waiting until the laughter began to die before he said his line. This is just an example of the kinds of improvements we saw.

From Permaswooned:

Note on the blinky lights....they were behind me, so I didn't get the full effect until the end and outside by the stage door. These are the ones that a person spins above their head. I remember one or two from an earlier tour -- IT???? NAT????

They didn't just spell "CLAY", I saw one that spelled "AWESOME", and one that spelled out some other superlative. I can't remember what. I had no idea they were actually used at some time before the end of the show. Really??? I'm shaking my head in disbelief.

I think that the cast is starting to "get it" about one of the best aspects of the Clay fandom, and that is that many of us are willing to spread the love around. There are lots of wigs and makeup in this show, so it's easy to miss some of the cast. However, by the third show day, our intrepid band of frozen fans are able to start to pick them out.

They exit and start to pass the crowd, but people call out to them and ask for autographs. They call them by their real names. They tell them how much they enjoyed their performances. Tonight someone called out to Christopher Sieber that they enjoyed his appearance on "Pushing Daisies". He was STUNNED that someone would have known that he had done that and recognized and acknowledge him for it.

One of my favorites in the cast is Tom Deckman who plays Prince Herbert and various other hilarious parts. I dearly hope that all of you still coming to the show get to see him. Most of the stage door fans LOVE him. Anyhoo, he got stopped for autographs and people wanted their pictures taken with him. One person after another told him how great he was in the show.

He was signing a playbill for someone in front of me, and he responded to someone by saying:

"You guys are amazing!! You are so supportive. I can't tell you how appreciative ALL of us are for that".

It was a love fest this weekend, y'all. Hope you all got to feel a bit of what it was like.

More tomorrow, including Perma's guide on where to sit for best views of what's under the tunic. *g*

That was a great ending and a great season. I don't think there was really any scheming going on...just straight forward racing.

I do feel bad that ultimately it was Christina that made them lose. She was so great in everything else...too bad she panicked in the end.

But TK and Rachel were great...and its good to see the good guys winning.

WooHooo!

YAY!!!

Thank God its a cute picture...

I didn't know you used a color. I thought that you would throw a scary looking stiletto. Or is it only KAndre who does that?

hee the stiletto is KAndre's unique touch...I was thinking of the using the whip emoticon but its just not me...

You asked so I'll try to answer. I didn't think there was any real information in the rest of the report regarding Sardi's. Now if she found out what magazine he was being interviewed with and it was a new and impressive interview, then I would have objected because it could have resulted in the story not being run. I'm serious. Some rehearsals are open rehearsals or not completely closed off to others. It would depend on the circumstances. Reporting on a rehearsal during a tour where they are rehearsing the same old songs doesn't seem bad at all. Reporting on a "closed" rehearsal that someone deliberately crashed is a different story. It really depends on the circumstances.

Ansamcw - I was writing this while you were posting your note. I agree about not arguing. If you want me to remove this post I will happily do so.

Thats fine....just clarifying your position...

btw...did we decide on what color ink we should use???

Ok...lets not get into a whole argument about this...

CG I do believe Ivy said she realizes her view may be unpopular but its perfectly ok for her to share those views. She is not an admin or mod on this board so I don;t think her views were meant to set what should be acceptable in this board.

I also think that people expressing different opinions does not have to be contentious or seen as sucking the fun out of things. Lets just learn to resepect each ones rights to their views.

ok don;t make me use color ink again...

I am sorry I brought the report over. I was mostly interested in the part about the teeshirt, which is something I'm definitely want to buy!

Please don't be sorry for bringing info over. Everyone reacts differently to info. These are just individuals opinions.

I really appreciate it when people bring info and recaps over. I do not get to look around other boards too much so getting these reports are very helpful.

From Artquest at the CH, she is at the matinee today:

This view in Row C is so different from last night's mezzanine angle. Some things are much better, like seeing Clay's face close up and some of the silly French stuff, which just love. Other things work better from higher up, like there was nothing to impede my view and getting the whole stage at a glance. Ncgurrl says that she can hear many of the bits better because we're not howling and applauding every time Clay dances or leers at a pretty girl or sings. At any rate, I'm enjoying the show very much.

We'll have to get an opinion from someone who sings about the differences in how Clay is singing. I said last night that he sounds much more "Broadway" in the best sense of the word. His voice is very full and resonant. Someone suggested it might be the sound system, and that might be responsible, but I think it must be more than that.

More later

I wouldn't be surprised if he does change the way he sings for this...he usually sings with a rather pop placement, which is different from the way Josh Groban would sing. I would think that for the songs he will be doing he would need a more classical placement like in the big number there are some glory notes too.

WHAT A NIGHT!!!

First of all....a big THANK YOU to merrieeee!!!!

You were the perfect cellcerter!!! You were able to convey the excitement of the night. I bet you were able to move so many people to tears with just two words...SPOT ON.... When you said that, a huge relief came over me and I just started laughing and got teary...thanks for being able to give us your expert opinion and in such genuine, fangirly way!!!! Never apologize for being to fangirly and giving your true reactions. LOVE YA!!!

Thanks so much to all the others that gave their reports by calling....you made our night. Thank you for taking the time to give us your honest opinion.

At this point I don;t care what critics are going to say...nothing can take away the honest excitement and awe people conveyed to Clay in person and over the cellstream. This is goign to open all kinds of doors for him and earn him huge respect!!!

What makes this accomplishment more astonishing is that he made such a great impression on something that he is a complete novice in. This role was not about singing...it was about acting...about creating different characters. He had to dance, sing and act all at the same time. EEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!! He didnlt just create one character...he created 4. He didn't just hold his own against other more experienced stage actors....he did it with BROADWAY actors that have been doing their roles for a long time!!!!

AMAZING!!!

and he thanks us for bringing the energy and being amazing??? He did that...he brought the energy to the room, he created the excitement. This is why we have been following this mans career for 5 years...he is a true star and and a unique, huuuuuuge talent. (that ones for Muski...hee)

Gah I love the reactions...its all super postive so far...EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

more pictures from WENN and Getty

I'm BAAA-aaa-AAAck.

I have been back for a while, but sily dog needed some serious ear scratching and ball playing in the house!

Every seat was occupied in the balcony, but in the second half a half dozen opened up. I think they filled in downstairs. The balcony really was not that bad, if you don't get vertigo. It must be small theater,Ithink I have been further away in the mezzanine in some theaters.

Act one - It is easy to tell when Clay first appears - I don't even have to see or hear him - the sound of gasps and cheers greets us.

When I say he made only the smallest of movement errors through the play, I mean that. Although I got a feeling he might be adlibbing from time to time. What I saw as small errors were spacing between dancers and using the right hand for a second before switching to the left. I noticed quick small touches from Galahad and some other guy. Clay did not jump off any tables. At one point two women were dancing on something and then the scene broke up and the set darkened a little as the actors moved off stage - that was when I saw Clay give his hand to one woman getting off a box and when she was down,he almost twirled her, but aborted half way. I guess they have some liberty with movement, but it was so Ai Clay, I had to laugh a little.

Act II - Clay did his big scene with out a pregnant pause or sing bad note either with his voice or piano. He greatly over states speaking singing, this was no MGUCL from the Christmas tour. Yes, in Act II we get Glasses Clay,so he makes so many fans happy and we have long hair clay, short hair Clay and bald Clay - again, should make all the fans happy. There was on scene where Clay was supposed to be stupid - I looked with my brand new Binocs and his face was amazing, it was a face devoid of intelligence. I can't tell you how he did it, it just was.

More coming.

bless you play...this is exactly what I was staying up past one for

how was the audience reception...aside from the clay fans I mean...

photos from getty images

Greetings from Aiken-town (aka NYC).

We have the BEST BOYFRIEND EVER, y'all. Beyond amazing -I don't even have the words. He is a natural - pure and simple. Born to be on the stage. Loved the whole show - it was funny beyond expectations. Laughed until I had tears in my eyes several times. The Guard, Brother Maynard and Sir Robin might have been three different people - he made each one unique and awesome. And his voice - just. gah.

BRAVO!!!!!!!!!!!!! We have tickets for tomorrow night as well - but there is no way that just once more will be enough. Hell - I only need one kidney, right? RIGHT?????

BEST (K)NIGHT EVAH!!!!

EEEEEEEEEEEEEE first recaplet...hee

glad you had fun EEEEEEEEEEEEEE

From CH:

Clay was outstanding, especially as Brother Maynard. He used a totally different voice and was hysterical!! The 3 characters he played seemed like totally different people -- He's an ACTOR y'all!!!

The new little bit in the "Knights of the Round Table" song were really good and he got to use the frying pan of talent a little bit.

The only tiny thing I noticed was he has a little trouble clopping the coconuts together at the end, but otherwise he was marvelous!!!

How freakin beautiful of him is that that he blogged tonight!?!?!??! I love that man. He's sometimes almost too much goodness, you know?

thats soo true...

He is soooo wonderful!!!

If he wasn;t amazing that reaction wouldn;t be that great...he still does not get that...what a guy!!!