Chapter 116

After ten months of school and musical theatre behind us, the NFL Stadium Tour was starting in under a week.

Let me give you the Readers Digest version of what has been happening:

After their family summer all together, Paul and Cece, with renewed vigor and an in-home baby-sitter for Andrew, told me to go ahead and focus on Lincoln and the GSS. Jackson Heights was in their hands. Jeremy’s female assistant decided not to continue to learn any more about conducting.

Principal McGowan brought in a nineteen-year-old lad named Harrison Kimm, who had the skills to take the reins. I was asked to be on stand-by, just in case and that was that.

Outside of having our auditions all the same day, there would be little interaction from this point forward. That also sounded just fine to me. I needed more time to prepare.

During the same early passage of time, I turned sixteen, Princess turned fifteen, and my darling fiancée turned eighteen.

To sadness, Joan and Anna had left us back to their siblings and parents. I got a light kiss on the cheek as we returned them, safe and sound.

Ms. Jennie Robinson and Mr. Gerald Bowery got married the Friday after Thanksgiving, in a small ceremony. I was so happy for them.

With no classes to bog down the many tasks we had, Jenn and I daily gave each other GED tests we found online. She was smarter than she gave herself credit for. When the time came, we took the tests and both of us passed with flying colors.

We lost to college:
Second Violinist, Archie Brooks
(moved to Northern California)
First Clarinet, Marjorie Guimarra
(for two years)
First Saxophonist, Charles Alexander
(for two years)
Second Saxophonist, Dolores Elam
(for two years)

And to retirement:
Vocalist, Janice Forrester Thomas O’Sullivan
Vocalist, Alice Waters Guthrie Gandy
Vocalist, Justin White

After discussing it, and having tryouts,
they were replaced with:
Percussionist, Honey Graham, 14
officially added)
Violinist, James Harris, 11
Violinist, Delilah Andrews, 13
Violinist, Johnny Ackerman, 16
Clarinetist, Farrah Scoggins, 16
Saxophonist, Kayla Robinson,15
Saxophonist, Marta Robinson, 15
(Yes, they are twins)

Vocalist, Steve Neff, 16 (brother of Shirley)
Vocalist, Julie Adams, 15
Vocalist, Lily Bell, 12 (sibling of existing member)
Vocalist, Karen Rodriguez, 15

No Bassoonists Yet!

Near the midpoint of the Lincoln High show schedule, I took upon an assistant conductor, not Jeremy, because he was only thirteen. His name was Xavier Rollins, a fourteen-year-old former chorus member from LES MISÉRABLES who wanted to become ‘The next Michael Thomas.’ He had purchased a few batons and every book he could find on the subject. A real go-getter, who had no delusions of performing on his own.

All he wanted to be was a conductor, so I gave him many chances to lead the Lincoln High orchestra when working with actors and such. He had a younger sister who attended Jackson, named Bridget, eleven years old – Singer!

I gave him free reign, giving him my phone number to ask whatever he needed to know. He was a very quick study, making me feel I was leaving Lincoln High in competent hands. Principal Summers agreed with my assessment.

The Christmas break was nothing like the usual. The planning of two weddings went into full gear.

Yes, Jenn and I agreed to let Stu and Princess get married at the same time.

I picked my groomsmen, Paul (Best Man), Stuart, Peter, Charles, Mike and Jeff Bell. Jennifer had Isabel (Maid of Honor), along with Alice, Janice, Cece, Jen Chapman and Joan Prefontayne.

Stuart’s wedding party was exactly the same, except I was his Best man, and Jenn was my sister’s Maid of Honor.

The weddings and receptions were both in our back yard, with a large tent-sized tarp over the whole of the yard, Ken’s wedding present to us. With neither of us being greatly religious, it was easy to let Ken Bell officiate both weddings, albeit separately.

We had about one hundred people there, with just a small GSS combo playing music in the background. No singers, just the ceremony with the traditional music. The dress that Jennifer wore was beautiful, while I was just in a very nice suit, no tuxedo.

Stuart was dressed to the nines and Isabel had on her cleavage baring white Victoria’s Secret dress

Charles King was the emcee to our common reception, a perfect choice. His date, Shirley Neff, and he took us through the usual events. In lieu of presents or cash, we asked people to donate to the Mansion Fund if they wanted. That didn’t stop a few gifts and some healthy checks.

A few things I found out that same day, Elizabeth was moving out, but was staying in the GSS if I wanted her to. She had met a nice man in her church, no one I knew, but she wanted a chance at a real relationship with someone her own age. That made me sad, but I understood completely.

After the cake and sparkling cider, we went up and changed and drove our “Just Married” vehicle to our secret location of our honeymoon of a week.

Why just a week? Brian had come up with a nine-day tour for the GSS, that stayed relatively close and would get us all back on the 21st of December. All of our new people were eager for that, so we cut back our honeymoon to only seven days.

Stu and his new wife took his car and they went to an undisclosed location to celebrate being married.

For our honeymoon we went to Cincinnati, Ohio ... only a four-hour drive away. I made the reservations myself. The only way to contact us was by my cell phone, and only if we wanted to answer it.

Checking in as Mr. and Mrs. Michael Thomas made my new wife delirious. Our bellperson (Sadie) opened the door, I picked JR up and she brought in our luggage. Holding her with a single arm I gave a tip and asked to hold our calls for at least three days.

“Yes sir, Mr. Thomas.”

We made love over and over, only stopping for a shower or food brought to the room. The third morning, I was looking at my laptop. We had all kinds of “Congratulations” messages, but I was more interested in looking at our mini-tour.

Seven cities, in nine days getting back to Vincennes ... it was our Honeymoon Tour, as Brian was calling it. The math works out, figuring that everyone would be making just over $125,000 each.

HONEYMOON TOUR (GSS #5)
The Tour went as follows:

Indianapolis – Hinkle Fieldhouse – 9,100
Cincinnati – Cintas Center – 10,250
Louisville – Freedom Hall – 19,200
Nashville – Bridgestone Arena – 20,000
Memphis – FedEx Forum – 19,000
St Louis – Edward Jones Dome – 66,000

Back to Vincennes! – MTA Auditorium

We traveled a total of just 1,167 miles, with 155,644 people seeing us for a total of $31,628,800. Being setup so quickly, we only were getting 40%, the GSS earned just over $12,450,000 for the GSS in the process. That’s before the kids shares, of $118,818 each are taken out.

When school first began, our group auditions of CHILDREN OF EDEN, MY FAIR LADY and BRIGADOON went very well, with Nancy Newman getting Eliza Doolittle to a new face, Brady Sanders, who had a marvelous accent, playing Henry Higgins. In BRIGADOON, the leads were played by James Allen and Isabel Chapman, with his buddy Jeff played by the irrepressible Charles King. Jennie Robinson-Bowery choreographed some of the best chorus dancing we ever had in the GSS.

These three shows, plus the three each organization had after them were all pretty damn good. Lincoln High’s production of HOW TO SUCCEED IN BUSINESS WITHOUT REALLY TRYING was very successful.

Now, you are up to date, and we have six days until our forty-four-day NFL Stadium Tour begins. The GSS, especially the newest people, are all quite eager.

I put our rehearsal schedule on high alert, having one every day for five days, before I let them have a few days with their families. That may sound harsh, but we lost eight people and had eleven to get into shape.

With Ewing printing’s help, Jenn, Princess and I made a songbook of the most common 275 songs we have played over the last eighteen months and they made a hundred copies of it. That happened back in September, and I had been working with the new and improved GSS orchestra and singers every chance I could after school.

Our new class were also included when we found time to record some more music, in particular a dozen pieces of music from SOUTH PACIFIC, ANYTHING GOES, RENT and BYE, BYE, BIRDIE ... all shows done by either Jackson, Lincoln or the GSS. As a means of helping to get an audience for the upcoming ‘Seasons,’ we have ‘In the can,’ CABARET, CHICAGO, a set of Disney Princess Music, a double set of Big Band Music of a mix of Glenn Miller and the Dorsey Brothers, along with GREASE and OKLAHOMA.

The idea of making videos sounded good, but it had been put off for the time being. Brian suggested we take all four vehicles in, to get them checked before an additional 13,000 miles were put on each of them. Personally, all I know about cars is putting in gas, checking the oil and the tires.

We now have four Prefontaynes, Bells, MitchelLs, and Newmans. With the annual lists, I get from Clarice and Clara, there are more a’coming in twos, threes, and fours!

Mrs. Mary Bell, with her own set of codes will stop by our place, and Mom and Dad’s.

Even though she won’t be performing, Janice wanted to be there to help any other way she could. Jeff and Ally were sitting this tour out completely but promised to keep his phone nearby in case I needed anything.

I was finagled into taking the bus driver’s course, after, Anna and her big sister Joan came by one afternoon about a month ago and gave me a nice present. Figure it out?

For a late Christmas present, everyone who played an instrument with strings got two complete sets of them for backup. I also spent the money ... and all the violins, violas, cellos and bassists received the newer high-tech versions that only a few had. I had purchased a similar high-tech bassoon to take along, just in case someone wanted to learn all about it.

Those playing brass instruments got them all shined up for this tour, also at the GSS expense. At our first rehearsal after the new year, I gave to now taller and even prettier Selena, a larger harp to produce a bigger sound, gifting the small one back to Jackson Heights. Feistier, now that she is a teenager, she gave me a kiss on the lips for that ... without blushing.

We were prepared to give everyone a really big and professional show.

There was a knock on the door, Princess opened it to the FedEx delivery guy. She signed for the smallish box trying to read who it was from, “Peezar?”

“It’s from somebody called ‘Peezar,’ Michael,” she declared, shaking it first before throwing it at me.

I looked at it and corrected her, “It’s pronounced Pixar, Princess. That’s the company Disney bought that made the TOY STORY movies, CARS, plus a lot of other movies on its own, then with Disney.”

I opened it up and found an envelope, opened it and read out loud, “Hello Mr. Thomas, you may not know who I’m, but my name is John Lassiter...”

“Damn, the John Lassiter?”

“Go on,” Jennifer said.

“ ... And my favorite songwriters, Bobby and Kristen told me all about you and your organization. Pixar, a wholly owned subsidiary of Disney founded by Ed Catmull and Alvy Ray Smith, had this made for you for your upcoming tour. We feel that Sven deserves a ‘real’ face.”

Princess took the box from me, got out the bag inside and pulled out a professionally made hand puppet looking just like Sven from the movie. “Oh my goodness, look at this!” she said putting her hand inside and doing a rather poor imitation of her brother’s version of Sven. “I’m calling Peter to come right over and start practicing ... Is that alright?” she asked after already being finished dialing. “Hello Peter, come over quickly, this is your sister, we have something special just for you?”

“Can I bring my wife?” I heard him say from where I was sitting.

“Sure, she will like this too, I promise ... Hurry.”

“This was supposed to be a day off for everyone, Red.”

“He needs to practice with it, doesn’t he?” she said sounding just like the little girl I first met.