Chicago!

Hey! Remember us? The Foleys? We used to hang out, work, and, more likely than not, overindulge in alcoholic libations with you. Then we went away. We promised to keep in touch via a blog, but you knew that wasn't really gonna happen, right?

WRONG!!! Truth be told, we've thought about you constantly since we left. (And yes, we are referring to YOU, specifically). Countless times, we've turned to each other and said, "Honey, we really should update our blog and let that dear family member/friend/co-worker know what we've been up to."

And we would have gotten around to it sooner, if that pesky musical - you know, the one about the ogre and the donkey and the cookie - hadn't ended up becoming such a major distraction. 10-12 hour days at the theater, nearly every day for the last four weeks, have dominated Dave's life since getting to Chicago, and Kerry... well, let's be reasonable. This may be a Foley blog, but I think you all know who's doing the typing here. Kerry edits and proofreads, but there's something juuust inherently dorky enough about 'blogging' that puts it squarely into the 'Dave's Chores' category. And so the blog had to take a temporary backseat to opening the national tour of Shrek The Musical.

It hasn't been all work-work-work since getting to the Windy City - we've had a lot of fun since arriving. The first weekend we we were here, the cast was invited to perform and take part in Taste of Chicago, where we were able to sample the city's finest fare. If you are like most people, you probably think that Chicago food is all just pizza and hotdogs. And you're right. Chicagoans, however, have refined these two food items into culinary masterpieces. A slice of Chicago-style pizza is a meal in itself, and looks like a lasagna with crust. Chicago hotdogs are made only with Vienna beef, and are topped with tomato, onion, celery salt, pickles, sport peppers and mustard. Both are delicious, but a word of caution: eating two of each before dancing around a stage to "I'm A Believer" in the hot sun is not going to work out well for you in the long run. Trust me.

The weeks and weeks of hard work culminated in a grand opening Sunday, July 25th, and it was awesome. The show was amazing, everyone's performances were incredible, the reviews have been stellar, and we partied like rockstars after the show. One thing we can say about DreamWorks - they know how to throw a shebang. They've actually thrown us several at this point, including a 4th of July fireworks cruise around Lake Michigan, but our opening night topped the list. The venue was the Tea Room at Macy's, a grand ballroom on the top floor of the historic Marshall Field and Company Building in downtown Chicago. Dave was a little worried about the signs outside the event reading 'Get your picture taken with Shrek!!!' (that's just the kind of thing they'd make an understudy do!) until we walked in and looked up. Floating above our heads, dominating the atrium of the building, was the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade Shrek balloon. Unfreakinreal.

We have more to tell you all, like how Dave went on for Shrek on the third night of previews, or how Kerry got ten pairs of shoes stolen by a heartless Chicago car thief, but these are stories that are going to have to wait for our next installment. We just wanted to post a quick update to make sure that you haven't forgotten us, because we're thinking about you all the time! And yes, dear family member/friend/co-worker, we are referring to you, specifically.

It's A Big, Bright, Beautiful Blog

Life is changing fast for the Foleys. Earlier this week, I let my landlord know that we would be giving up the beautiful apartment I have been renting for the last ten years, and in three weeks my wife Kerry and I will no longer have a permanent address. Kerry gave two weeks notice at work a few days ago, and has been busily getting everything we own into boxes and into storage. Starting in July, we start doing the gypsy thing, travelling across the country with the 1st National Tour of Shrek the Musical.

This isn't the first time we've left home to do a show. In 2007 we temporarily relocated (while keeping our NY apartment) to Florida so that I could play Marlin in Finding Nemo: The Musical. If you're noticing a casting pattern emerging, you're not the only one, but I'm not concerned. I see myself as cornering the market on live action, musicalized 3D animated characters, and I look forward to seeing where this career path leads. I see myself maturing into a critically acclaimed Buzz Lightyear, perhaps followed by a Tony Award-winning turn as Flik in Bugs! The Bugs Life Musical. My swan song: the definitive musical portrayal of master balloonist Carl Fredricksen.

But for now, I'm understudying Shrek. And I'm psyched. I'll be leaving for Chicago in two weeks, and Kerry will be driving out to join me a couple weeks after that. From there, we'll be driving from city to city getting into all sorts of mischief and sharing our experiences with you, dear follower. Will these shenanigans be blogworthy? I have no idea. But it's gonna be interesting, no doubt about it. We hope you stick around.

See you in Chicago!