My Trip to Florida Rep
The other week I had the privilege of visiting Florida Rep Theatre in Fort Myers, FL. The theatre was very gracious to fly me out for the weekend. Or very stupid to fly me out there. I saw their production of Around the World in 80 Days, did a couple of talkbacks with the audience, did a Q&A/talkback with the Florida Rep board, and had lunch with Artistic Director Robert Cacioppo and his wife Carrie Lund Cacioppo, who is also a founder of the theatre and an Associate Producer.
Me lying to the audience.
It was a hoot and a holler. Florida Rep treated me like the rockstar my mother thinks I am.
Around the World in 80 Days
The production was tremendous. It was directed by my good friend Mark Shanahan. He directed a production of it last fall at TheatreSquared in Fayetteville, AR. And he’s been in the show a few times. So he knows the show pretty well. He did a wham bam thank you ma’am job with it.
Photo by NICK ADAMS
“Director Mark Shanahan and his cast whip up some intense suspense, inventive theater magic and lots of laughs in this madcap dash across the globe.”
The show stars Brendan Powers, Greg Longenhagen, Jason Parrish, Bruce Warren, and Sharone Sayegh. Musicians Mike Magliocca and Sean Hagerty round out the cast.
They all made me laugh, which is a tough thing to do because I know all the jokes. The production really goes above and beyond the magic I was hoping for when I wrote the script.
Photo by NICK ADAMS
‘Around the World in 80 Days’ is wildly funny and thoroughly entertaining. It’s magical!
The best part, though, was meeting everyone. Every single person I met was lovely. Except for maybe Shanahan.
Me with the cast of Florida Rep’s production of Around the World in 80 Days.
Me with Elise Miller and Courtney Feiman. Definitely beauties and the beast.
The Edison Festival of Light
My trip to Florida Rep coincided with the Edison Festival of Light. Ah the Edison Festival.It’s a three-week long festival celebrating everything Thomas Edison. Who knew such a festival existed? I wrote about it in a recent blog post.
Funnel cake fries with Sharone Sayegh.
The Edison Parade is a huge deal. It happens on the last weekend of the festival. Days ahead of the parade, people stake out their place along the route. Days ahead of time! I was expecting something like the Rose Parade or the Macy’s Day Parade. Nope. About 15 minutes before the parade started, Sharone, Sean and I grabbed a perfect spot along the sidewalk. I’m not sure what all the fuss was about.
Edison Parade with Sharone Sayegh and Sean Hagerty.
Me with a bright idea.
I ran the Edison Festival 5k. Yes, they even have a 5k in the name of Thomas Edison. I haven’t run a race in years. A lifetime ago I was ranked 5th in the state of NJ for the 400 meters. I have since slowed down considerably. Between leg surgery a few years ago, an epic battle with mental illness that left me bed-ridden, and a suicide attempt, I just wanted to finish. And I did. In an okay time. Not last in my category. So I was feeling pretty good until I looked at the results and discovered a guy who finished 30 seconds behind me was in the 80-84 age category. What the hell?
You can see how seriously I took the run.
There’s also a great fountain with statues of of Henry Ford, Thomas Edison, and Harvey Firestone (too bad it’s not Harvey Fierstein) on a camping trip. Evidently Edison thought it was “that kind” of camping trip
High School Reunion
And I was able to see my old high school friend Suzy Joiner. We haven’t seen each other since we graduated. It was great to see her and her parents. Suzy even saw the show twice. Penance for something, I’m sure.
Thank You Florida Rep
The cast and crew of Around the World in 80 Days. Photo by NICK ADAMS
I really can’t say enough times how much I enjoyed my trip to Florida Rep. It was a grand visit and everyone there was just wonderful. Thank you to Jason Parrish, Robert Cacioppo, Carrie Lund Cacioppo, the cast, the crew, and everyone at Florida Rep. I hope I get to come back soon.
Around the World in 80 Days closes March 4.
And yes, I made it to Cracker Barrel for chicken ‘n dumplings, biscuits and sweet tea.
“Around the World in 80 Days” is rocketing along, and you’re perched on the edge of your seat, breathless and excited to see what happens next on this wild ride.
