They're Baaaack!

I'm thrilled to be waking up this Christmas morning to a full house. Sarah and her mom have returned from Detroit in glorius fashion. That's right...bags to unpack, laundry to do, and a "honey do" list a mile long. I couldn't be happier! As the song in the finale says: "What do I care if icicles form? I've got my love to keep me warm."

Irving Berlin's White Christmas 2008 Detroit ended a fine run at the Fox Theater on December 23rd. It was an amazing experience for all three of us, and we will all have very fond memories and more than a few souvenirs. Souvenirs include the program, magnets, hats, t-shirts, mugs, posters, and a very odd bumper sticker that reads "I EAT MY OWN ROADKILL" from a Troy, MI restaurant Camp Ticonderoga.

I'd post some more, but I'm going to take advantage of the fact that we've got nothing to do today, and go do nothing with my wife and daughter.

All photos in this post are credited to James Parker. Special thanks to Suzanne Santos for helping us track them down.

Let Me Sing and I'm Happy (Reprise):





White Christmas and I've Got My Love To Keep Me Warm:

Turkey Day in Detroit

It's Sarah's Dad again with a Thanksgiving update. I've been trying to get Sarah and her mom to put something on this blog for some time now, but as you can tell, it's been tough to get them to post anything here. When they're not schlepping back and forth to the theater, Sarah is either in school, warming up her vocal chords, or sleeping, and her mom is either doing laundry, or spending her time on Facebook!

I made it out to Detroit for opening night. The show is absolutely fantastic and all bias aside, Sarah is remarkable as Susan Waverly. She has a very heartwarming scene in the first act where she is praying for her grandfather. It's hard to remember that she is only 9 years old when she delivers her lines with such emotion. She also stops the show in the second act with a terrific song and dance solo. Even if this blogger wasn't her father, he would be a fan for life. Yes, she's that good!

I returned to Detroit for Thanksgiving, and what a treat it was! Denise Nolin and Rachel Zach opened their apartments for a pot luck Thanksgiving feast for the cast and production staff. When I say feast, I mean a FEAST in the grandest sense. It's truly amazing what these creative types can do with food! Matt Vargo truly delivered with his goat cheese-filled dates, wrapped in prosciutto. It was like eating candy. Denise's Maple Glazed Ham was to-die for! There were so many great dishes, it's impossible to list them all here and give credit where credit is due. Kudos also to David Stiers, whose taste in wine is impeccable. Oh, last but definitely not least, Sarah's Mom did a great job providing a wire array of carbonated beverages.

I hope you enjoy reading about our Thanskgiving dinner as much as I enjoyed eating it.

It's Going To Be A White Christmas in Detroit

Hello Sarah Fans!

It is with great pleasure that I announce that Sarah has been cast in the Detroit production of Irving Berlin's White Christmas. She will be playing the role of Susan Waverly.

Rehearsals start later this week in NYC and the show opens on Nov. 21st at Detroit's Fox Theater.

Sarah, her Mom and I just got back from the Marquis Theater where Sarah had her costume fitting done. (It's the same production in Broadway and Detroit) so the fittings, and possibly some of the rehearsals may be done together with both Broadway and Detroit casts.

Sarah is looking forward to the show and working with an incredible cast and crew!

Let the fun begin!

On another note, Keaton, one of the kids from the Seatlle "Whistle" Ensemble was visiting NYC with her mom and we met for lunch at "Planet Hollywood." Sarah's mom has always had nice things to say about them, and I agree 100%. I am still amazed at how many wonderful people Sarah and her mom had the oppoturnity to meet during the "Whistle Tour", and how many of them have turned into long term friendships.

By the way, if you ever find yourself at "Planet Hollywood" in NYC try the Cobb salad =)

Whistle No More

As most of those who follow this blog know, the Whistle Down the Wind tour played it's last performance on February 17, in Norfolk, VA.

Originally scheduled to run through May, the producers decided to close after 6 months of touring on and off. I won't pretend to know why, or even offer any opinions. It was a great experience for Sarah and that is all that matters.

Sarah has made life-long friends through Whistle. Thanks to cell phones, instant messaging and the internet, Sarah gets to keep in touch with many of her friends from the tour. We've made it a point to get together with the NY/NJ/TX cast members who have become like family. (And if any of you are reading this...WE LOVE YOU GUYS!)

I'll post more as time and events and my muse dictate.

Where's Sarah?

So it's been a while since you seen a post here from anyone, particularly Sarah's Dad. I've been working on breathing new life into Sarah's website at http://www.sarahsafer.com and you should start seeing changes there soon.

I got to visit Sarah and her Mom during Thanksgiving, when the tour made a stop in Seattle. It was great spending time with them. We visited the Space Needle (save your money folks, there are taller buildings that don't cost nearly as much to visit), and the Pike Place Public Market where I had my head nearly taken off by a flying (ok, thrown) fish. The market was a great place if you like to get a feel for some of the unique things the Pacific Northwest has to offer.

Thanksgiving dinner in Seattle was, in a word, "Amazing!" Sarah's mom had managed to land reservations for us (and some of the other touring families) at The Waterfront Grille. The food ranged from traditional Thanksgiving fare, to extraordinary seafood dishes. The menu was as interesting and original as the service was impeccable. There were about 18 of us at dinner, and I am not kidding when I say everyone got their entree at exactly the same time. Nine waiters took up positions around the table, each holding two dishes, and placed each dish down simultaneously. It was very, very impressive.

After Seattle, Sarah and her mom got to come home for a few weeks. We got to spend the holiday's together at home.

On Jan 2, the tour made a stop in Toronto for a week. For some reason the moms took the kids to eat at "Hooters," where, as Sarah observed in a post card to me, "there were only girl waitresses." I guess all the boy waitresses were off that day.

The tour has been in Detriot for a few weeks now. During Sarah's break in December, she was interviewed by the Detroit Jewish News. The article is online here. You will need to register with the jnonline website in order to view it, since it is now located in their archives.

Next stops on the tour are Boston and Philadelphia. We really hope all of our friends in the NY/NJ area will come out and support Sarah!

That's all for this update. As always, visit http://www.thewhistletour.com [Edit 11/14/08: website has been taken down] for updated information on the tour route, dates, and tickets.