Oh What A Night...

Hey All!

Today was one of those exceptional days that come around where everything seems to fall into place. A day you write about, so here goes.

Woke up this morning to a beautiful sea of white snow. Two feet to be exact. And from the window, simply gorgeous. I did have to go out into it, but unlike the slush of the other day, this one was fresh powder and it kept on a-coming down hard. I left an hour early just so that I would have time to walk slowly and enjoy it. Don't get me wrong, I am SO ready for Spring to come, but this was just sort of magical, if I do say so.

First up, "Law & Order". Whilst I usually play Drunken Frat Boys and the like, this time I was a business man. Not sure how to take that, Peter Pan that I am, but hey, it officially keeps my status as a working actor/entertainer active. Most of you know me, and I am the Silver Lining/Disney Character guy, so it should come as no surprise that I find being on set, overwhelmingly fun and exciting. We shot in Chelsea, and though it took 5 hours of sitting around before we started, once we got going, we plunged right through, filming take after take until it was just right.

At first we were told we might be there until 1 or 2 am, and delays due to weather made that seem a strong possibility. However, because of the weather, and the fact that not too many people on set lived in Manhattan (except me), they decided to get it done quickly and wrap early so that everyone could get home to the outer boroughs. This meant that we got out of there at around 5pm (which was still 10-11 hours). Knowing how much free time I had on my last shoot (Mercy), I decided to take the trusty Netbook along with me. I'm glad I did, and I got a message from Memphis the Musical that they were trying to fill the seats today (again, the weather) and had a special deal.

I immediately called up the fabulous Danielle De Luca, my kindred spirit with whom I've had extensive conversations about the virtues of this amazing musical. I knew that she was dying to see it, and although I had already been three times, I never tire of it and was down for seeing it again. Danielle was super thrilled at the offer to go and so a plan was made to meet up at the theater at 7. I rushed home, changed and headed on down early, arriving at 6, just to make sure I could still get tickets. The special deal filled out the two tiers of the 2nd and 3rd levels, but I had the extreme luck of getting the last two available Orchestra Seats. Yes! D was even more excited to hear this and so I waited for her until we ended up meeting in front of the Shubert at 7:20.

We went in and I told her how much she was going to love this and that my good friend Bryan Fenkart was in it, and how I would point him out when he came on stage. We opened the playbill so I could show her his picture, and imagine my surprise when a slip came out that declared that Bryan would be going on as the Lead Huey Calhoun tonight! Too amazing (again thank you to the big guy upstairs)! I have to say, he brought down the house and had me in tears (and subsequently, Danielle too) for the entire show. If you have a chance, please go see this. We laughed and cried and danced and clapped and maintained a long ovation. Bryan sent me a text letting me know that my name was on the list at the Stage Door and so to come backstage and hang out.

So D and I went, she got to meet the cast and praise them, I got to do the same, especially Bryan and Montego. Danielle and I then marveled at the beauty of being on a Broadway stage and I was, of course, a little choked up reminiscing about my previous times on Broadway. I had forgotten how fantastic the view is from that side of the room. We met up with Victoria, as well as Bryan's brother and his friend. Once Bryan was ready, we all caught the yellow line in Times Square to the D-Lounge in Union Square. There we ran into the always fun Kate, got settled in and waited for Bryan to hit the stage.

He came on and played tunes from his CD "Imperfect Man" as well as a little Billy Joel (who Bryan really, really reminds me of song wise) and some stuff from his new album. How he could do this after the laborious job on Broadway earlier is totally beyond me. He literally rocked the room, playing guitar and piano in harmony with his amazing voice. Afterwards, we all hung out for a while, before heading our separate ways. Danielle and I had a chance to have a long conversation in appreciation of the beauty of tonight. Finally, we went our ways (D and I) and can't wait to do it again soon.

So here I sit at 4:26 in the morning, still on a natural high from the electric energy of tonight. And I can't wait to see what the Universe has for me tomorrow.

Ok, that's about it for now. Take care and all the best. Remember, enjoy what you can when you can.

See you on the B-Side,

Richmond Chandler

February is turning out just fine...

Hello All!

Well, it's been a little while since my last blog. Sorry, I've been relatively busy recently, and when I am on the computer, I must admit, I'm usually on FB or Twitter. So, I thought it was high time I came and updated my blog.

I've added a new feature on my MySpace page (the only one that allows music). I've placed a box with samples of my piano playing. All you have to do is click on the song, and it will play for you in it's entirety. I have placed various styles from classical to rock ballad to soundtracks here for you (or any interested party) to hear what it is I sound like. As this is part of my professional life, I'm often asked for a demo, and now here is an easy way to have access to one.

At the present time, you can only listen to them, they are not yet available for download, for logistical reasons. But you can enjoy them. Please let me know what you think - even if you don't like them, let me know why. I'd appreciate any genuine feedback. Thanks.

On the acting front, things have started to pick up a bit. I signed on to play a small role in an Indy film. I'm a man from Ireland, accent, Gaelic speak and all. Totally awesome. I just finished a small, yet featured role on the NBC series "Mercy" which will air in about a month. Originally, I was hired to play a rowdy drunken Irish man (seeing a theme) at an Irish fair, but once there, they decided to change my role to something a lot friendlier (let's just say it includes balloons) and a lot more face time. Fun.

I'd forgotten how much I love being on a set. The whole dynamic and electrical feel - all the energy and all of the talent. Phenomenal. I didn't even mind filming at night in Jersey City in 20 degree weather for hours on end. I was just too pumped.

Next up, small roles on NBC's "Law and Order" and the CW (WB)'s "Gossip Girl" Yes, I know I keep saying small roles, but so what? Roles are roles and how many people out there can say they are actually working actors? I can, and that's enough for me. I just love being a part of it all.

I saw the amazing Parry Adams perform over on Park Ave South and 30th (Desmond's Tavern). It was, as usual, an awesome show. Kate, Nicky, Mike, Mark and Brian also were there, and we had fun bar food, rounds and rounds of Guiness and Jamesons and listened to the other performers afterwards. One that surprised us: Paper June, which turned out to be darn good. Thanks to her brother Eric for slipping me her CD. Too Cool.

After that, we headed over to Rodeo Bar on 2nd Ave. Kind of a Western Place in NYC. It was OK, but I wasn't feeling it there and the staff wasn't very accommodating, so I bailed. The rest of the group decided to stay behind. I then headed over to Stonewall to say hi to Chuck and Mikey. The place was pumping, but I said hey, stayed for a drink and headed over to Pieces.

At Pieces, I ran into my very good friend Billy (the fireman). I also ran into my friends Noah, Dave, Dan, Gregory and that dude from Percy Jackson. We shot pool (always, always be on Billy's team), did about a 100 shots out of test tubes, drank corona's and hung with performance artist "Machine Dazzle" who was just a hoot. My favorite part though, was the DJ incident.

I approached the DJ, who was doing a great job and had the room packed and moving to the beat. I asked him if I could "Rick Roll" the room in honor of my friends Danielle and Jaron. He agreed and played Rick Astley's "Never Gonna Give You Up" which made the crowd go even more wild, and everyone, everyone knew the lyrics. Too too awesome!

Finally at around 4 Billy and I left and I got some Mexican food. Then home. Me to the Upper West Side, Billy to Long Island. After that, bed.

Today, I had an old fashioned date night, complete with a fantastic dinner and a show. Not much more I want to say about it, I'd rather the details stay private. But it was grand. Really grand.

So that's what I've been up to. And looking forward to the next projects. Ok, that's about it for now. I'll keep you posted. Take care of yourselves!

See you on the B-side!

Richmond Chandler