We had intended to go somewhere for the weekend as an anniversary getaway, but of course one of the primary reasons we chose Orlando was so we could see "Fully Committed". I got to thinking about that, and realized that it might seem a little bit strange for us to travel so far to see a one man show starring an actor we like. Those of you who have known me for a while probably don't find it that odd, though.
There are a few performers who we will travel almost any distance to see, if we have a chance. Caradorn loves Rush. I like them, but he really loves them and so we go see them whenever we are able to. We both love Gaelic Storm, and I don't think we could ever get tired of them. Even though they don't do huge, elaborate concerts I enjoy seeing them far more than any other group. They are so fun to see in concert! We are going to see them again in Atlanta this June and I am really looking forward to it. I'd love to see them before that but they won't be anywhere that will work for us until then.
And of course if you know me at all you know that I love David Copperfield. For more than 20 years now I've gone to see him perform every time I am able to, and fortunately Caradorn also really enjoys seeing him as well. Even though I know how he does his tricks - and have even gotten to help with many of them - I never get tired of watching him do them. I had to have seen him perform his trick called "Tides" about 5300 times (or so) during the taping of the Tornado of Fire special a few years ago, but I still love watching it every time I see it. Somehow as I watch him perform I forget that I know how he does the tricks and they are just as real as the first time I saw them. It's magic. :) David knows that I love to see him perform. I do like him as a person, but that isn't why I love to watch his shows. He is just an incredible entertainer.
When Caradorn and I fell in love with the Adventurers Club we found a whole new batch of performers that we enjoy watching. They were all quite talented, and because we associate them with a place that we loved we want to support them in their future careers as much as possible. They were all great, but there are a couple of the performers from the Club that we would have loved no matter where we first discovered them.
One is Blondie. I've said it before, but I think he might be the funniest person I have ever met. There's just something about him . . . he can raise an eyebrow and make me cry with laughter. I've never seen him perform when he didn't make me laugh. We haven't managed to see him do stand-up yet, but I can't wait till we finally do. I've seen a few clips of his shows online and he was just as hilarious as I expected. Oddly, I recognized his name when I first heard it and I couldn't figure out why. It turns out that he used to perform at a comedy club near where I grew up and I heard them mention his name often on the radio. I'm sorry now that I didn't go see him back then, but we fully intend to make up for that now and go see his show as soon as possible.
The other is Snoopy. As we were waiting for "Fully Committed" to start the other day, I was talking with another one of Snoopy's fans from the Club, Robert. He was talking about how talented Snoopy is, and he mentioned the same things that always impressed me so much about Snoopy's performance at the Club. Each of his characters is completely different - and it isn't just the costumes. They all have different voices, different mannerisms, their facial expressions and movements are completely different. Watching him in "Fully Committed" was amazing - throughout the play he became different people. I forgot he was Snoopy, forgot about his Adventurers Club characters, and I was just swept along with Sam and the other characters in "Fully Committed". It was like magic. When the show was over, Robert said "My God, he's talented." And that was pretty much all there was to say. It's breathtaking to see him act - I don't think I have ever seen a more talented actor. It's easy to tell he loves what he does, but I often wonder if he realizes how gifted he really is.
It occurred to me, though, that Blondie and Snoopy may not realize why we enjoy seeing them so much. . .that they might think that we like to see them only because it's like a little taste of the Adventurers Club. And while that may be the case with some of the performers from the Club, it isn't the case with all of them - Blondie and Snoopy in particular. Blondie truly is the funniest performer I have ever seen. And Snoopy truly is the most gifted actor I have ever watched. While supporting the former cast members from the Club I loved is a great thing, it has nothing to do with why I want to see Blondie and Snoopy. I really do consider it a privilege to watch them each perform.
I know that they each have performers that they enjoy watching. I know that Blondie, at least, will travel long distances to see some of his favorites. I wonder if they realize that we feel that way about them. For us, Blondie and Snoopy are on par with Rush or Gaelic Storm or David - we look forward to seeing them perform and consider an eleven hour drive well worth it if it means we can enjoy watching them on stage. And while we were pleased to discover that they both seem like genuinely nice people offstage, that isn't why we want to see them perform. Nor is it because we miss seeing them at the Club, though of course we do.
Recently, they have each posted about their upcoming performances and expressed their appreciation for the support of their fans from the Club. I hope they both realize that we don't just go see them in order to support them. We always appreciate it when they post about their appearances because we honestly want to see their shows. And though we wouldn't ordinarily plan a whole trip just to see them, we would certainly change the timing of a trip to coincide with their performances, just as we do with Rush, or Gaelic Storm, or David. Even though I got the impression that Snoopy is grateful that his fans from the Club are willing to come out and support him in something like "Fully Committed", I don't think he realizes how grateful we are when he posts about his appearances. With groups like Rush and Gaelic Storm it's easy to arrange our trips so we can see them - they always post their tour schedules. It's much more difficult with Blondie and Snoopy, especially since we don't live in the Orlando area. I love it when they post about their upcoming appearances, because I don't always hear about them otherwise.
I've posted before about how grateful I am to Snoopy for making us realize what a special place the Adventurers Club was. He and Blondie gave us hours of entertainment there and we loved every minute of that time. I am also really grateful to the Club, because without it we might never have discovered Blondie and Snoopy. They are both such talented performers! Whether at the Adventurers Club, or at Epcot, or onstage elsewhere, they are each a joy to watch. Hopefully we will be able to continue to do so often in the future.
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