Sunrise, Sunset

Yesterday was a very long day, Modern Philosophers.

It started off with a morning run, during which I got to witness the gorgeous sunrise depicted in this photo.

After that, it was off to my desk job, which was busy as always.  But I got to leave there early and head off for my four day weekend.

With one catch.

There’s always a catch, right?

I had to go to my second job.

My second job is very cool, though.  I’m a writer for The Nite Show with Danny Cashman, and last night was out first taping in over a year with a studio audience.  Thanks, COVID!

So I was very excited to be back in the Gracie Theater for that.

With one catch.

Please see my statement above about there always being a catch.

Danny asked me to fill in as cue card guy for the taping.

I wasn’t exactly jumping at the chance to do that, but Danny asks so little of the writers (other than to make him appear to be hilarious, which I suppose is no small task…HA!), so I agreed to do it.

It’s not that I’m not a team player, and eager to be up on stage and (quite literally!) in the spotlight.  It’s just that I was looking forward to relaxing and taking in this important moment.

The fact that we’d gotten to the point in the pandemic that an audience was allowed to gather for the taping of a television show was a huge step.  I hoped to soak it all in, along with all the applause and laughter we’ve been longing to hear from a live audience for so long.  It was a little eerie doing the show in the theater and hearing nothing in response.

Since we tape three shows a night, that meant three hours on my feet, under the bright stage lights, trying not to screw up the cards, while also avoiding stepping into the shot.

It was definitely work, but I am so grateful to be a part of The Nite Show team and have a chance to entertain people during trying times, so I told myself to suck it up and power through it.

Well, it was a great night, but also a long one.  Due to some unforeseen technical issues (are technical issues ever foreseen???), it was longer than expected.

As you can see from this photo, taken after the second show, I wasn’t as chipper as I was in the previous photo, which was taken before the taping began.

And keep in mind, as you stare into my tired eyes, that I still had another hour to go.

But the audience laughed.  I got to hold up cue cards with my jokes written on them, and watch Danny do the monologue from only a few feet away.

I somehow managed to never drop the cards, or get them out of order.  The miracle of television!

When I got home, my legs, back, and arms were sore.  I popped a few ibuprofen, and crashed on the couch.  Then I slept in this morning since I had wisely taken the day off.

I woke up to a long message from Danny thanking me for championing my way through the long, tedious cue card holding process, and that made it all worth it.

With one catch.

What if he asks me to do the cue cards again???

GULP!

I managed to snap a few candids from the stage during commercial breaks and between shows.  I really like this one of Christie, Danny’s new announcer and partner in crime, as she listens to the band entertain the audience during a particularly long technical stoppage.

This was Christie’s first show with an audience, so she was super excited.  I’m glad she finally got to experience the joy of playing to the fabulous Nite Show crowd.

One of my favorite things about tapings is watching the interaction between Danny and the audience.  Even though he is extremely busy hosting the show and keeping things running, he always finds the time to chat up the crowd and take questions.

Even though last night’s audience size was severely limited due to Coronavirus restrictions, Danny still took the time to talk to his fans.

Sorry that this photo is blurry, but I was tired, the lights blinded me, and it’s just a cell phone camera, so cut me some slack!

Anyway, it was a long day, but well worth it.  Wish you all lived in Maine so you could come hang out with me at a taping.  You know, because if I had guests, there’s no way Danny to make me do the cue cards again…