The Pageant Strikes Twelve

Bobo Misses Everybody

It's been almost a week since our 2011 Tour closed, and I got word from Bobo that he was really missing everyone! SO I thought I'd post a quick recap on the last week of tour.

The last few days of the tour were a whirlwind. The road-trips were shorter, and the shows were better! The audiences, especially the Charlotte kids, were incredible.

We had a bit of illness amongst the cast throughout the week, but then on Thursday morning, a semi-emergency. Chad was a trooper and did the show despite being in huge amounts of pain. After a trip to urgent care, it was decided that he should sit out the last two shows in Virginia, so the cast went to Raleigh to pick up the infamous Stephen Wall. We drove from Raleigh to Portsmouth, with our cheerful understudy, and arrived in Portsmouth just in time for dinner at a delicious restaurant where people from the previous casts had recommended. The next day, we did two great shows with Stephen playing the role of "Charlie!"

It's hard to believe it's been almost a week since the tour ended! Thanks to the cast, crew, Serena and Wally for such a great experience! :)

Bobo 2.0 gets the ok from the original Bobo.

Bobo moves into the role of Production Manager in 2011's Best Christmas Pageant Ever!

Thanks to Stephen Wall for joining the cast on the last day as an emergency replacement for "Charlie."

Week 1 Complete!

Bobo getting his make ups diddd

We are in Raleigh for the weekend, after a wonderful week with 7 shows! We will have two days off, and then a two-show day on Monday!  We had lots of long drives this week, but that didn't stop us from having fun! We ate at some delicious restaurants (Mayberry's, El Patron, Big River), and saw some beautiful mountains on our drives. We hope that Week 2 goes as well as Week 1!

Tennessee/ North Carolina Mountains

The Bradley Family waiting for show time!

Greetings from Winston-Salem

YAY! We are back in the Old North State. We arrived at a nice Wingate in downtown Winston Salem tonight.

Our run this morning in Augusta was interesting... It was our first (and only) time in the space, so considering that, it went well. Bell Auditorium was lovely! One of the coolest things about live theatre is hearing how the audience responds. In a show where we're performing for large numbers of children, it's especially fun to hear what the kids think is funny.  Today it was "Shazam" and father's repeated line of "Do I have to go?" Wonder what it will be tomorrow?

Bobo the bear is getting sleepy...better catch some Zzzzs before our 10 am show tomorrow!

Made it to Augusta!!

We made it to Augusta, our first stop on tour! We are enjoying Wireless at the hotel, and waiting on the crew to arrive so we can go to dinner! I think the plan is O'Charley's! No complaints from Bobo when it comes to buttery rolls, loaded potato soup, and caramel pie! :)

Everyone was in good spirits when we left for tour this morning, and so far nobody has had a meltdown...we are taking bets on who will be the first to snap. ;) The cast van was a nice mix of friendly chatter and satellite radio! The Herdmans will take on Augusta tomorrow at 10:00 am, but until then...it's smooth sailing.

Line-through last weekend...a nice shot of the whole cast!

The hotel has a Christmas Tree

The Best Christmas Pageant Ever: The Tour

Best Christmas Pageant Ever: 2011

TEN YEARS!

The Best Christmas Pageant Ever X

A Perfect 'Ten'

Our final night...

What luck it was to spend our final night of the tour in another swanky hotel - The Drury Inn in Greensboro! There was complimentary food and beverages, a killer exercise room, even an indoor pool & jacuzzi...

.

Bieber-mania was in high gear as Justin Bieber himself was performing that evening in the city. We spotted many a young girl at our hotel with a homemade "I LOVE JUSTIN" sign, not to mention that they were also wearing T-shirts with his face. Mr. Bieber wasn't staying at The Drury Inn, unfortunately... that would be slumming it for such a mega-star as he.

.

Still, we made the most of our time. As we enjoyed our complimentary food & drink, Olivia was knitting away, Michelle and Denise were making silly faces, and we were all playing along with "Wheel of Fortune" and "Jeopardy" on the big screen TV in the lobby!

Speaking of the lobby... what a cool lighting fixture!

The morning brought an amazing breakfast... with waffles that were shaped like flowers... or if you tore them apart just right... hearts!

Alas, our final shows in Greensboro ended up being cancelled due to snow and ice. A rather unfortunate end to the tour, but at least we were all in good spirits.

Deleted Scene: Herdmans in the House!

Another great scene that sadly didn't make the final cut, in which the Herdmans practice their terrorizing of "Bill" in the Bradley's living room... and Grace is there... somewhere!

Our designated driver!

Bobo often handles the driving duties... so we don't have to!