i made it.

I’m in hong kong. The flight, surprisingly, wasn’t too bad. After nursing my hangover with bad airport food, I boarded the plane, had more bad food, took painkillers purely for sport, and passed out for a little nap. I woke up seeking entertainment. I used the restroom then took a lap around the plane to see what the others were doing. Many were sleeping. The ones who weren’t were watching their little televisions. News (blah), celine from vegas (eh), sex and the city movie (wha?!) the name of the program escapes me, but you can choose your in-flight entertainment from tv shows (grey’s, curb your enthusiasm, satc) e! entertainment (top 10 mama dramas, true Hollywood story, KIMORA), and new/old movies (goonies, satc, sarah marshall). I opted for a very pg-13 version of the satc movie, then made a playlist of musical selections for my pre-nap pleasure. Next thing you know, it was time for a last in-flight snack before we had to prepare for landing at HKG!!! I said goodbye to my seat mates, two late 20-something girls who’d just come from a wedding in Indianapolis (!). they’re nightlife promoters here in HK. Check their website: www.dimsumandthensome.com.hk.

After going through immigration, I got my luggage, exchanged some monies, and went to meet my HKDL contact, who’s name we learn is “Gigi”. Gigi is an adorable Chinese girl who went from dancing in various shows in the park to working for the entertainment office. She took me and another dancer (named “fish”?!) to the hotel. Apparently, there’s a housing overflow, and the new cast members of “Festival…” are all staying at the Hollywood Hotel. We get to the hotel, go through a few admin things, run into a few of my castmates*, then I head to my room. My room is very nice. Two full sized beds, flat screen tv, etc etc. I’m pleased that I’m forced to live here until September 28th.

*My castmates:
Eddie – CCM grad, has worked for Disney in CA, cast as Simba
Angela - from California. I believe she’s worked for USJ in years past, cast as Nala
Otha – originally from NYC, lives in LA. Cast as Storyteller
Phillip – lives in LA, did ships for Landau, just finished a contract as an a cappella singer with a few of my dancer friends from the Constellation. Cast as Scar
Stephanie – from Florida. Got here late due to ridiculous plane delays. Seems very no-nonsense. Cast as Storyteller.

(the roles are at least double cast. I thought we’d be doing all four shows daily. No sir, 2 shows a day. WORK!)

Today, we did a lot of running around. We got official Disney ID’s, HK id’s, opened bank accounts, got cell phones, got remeasured for costumes, and saw the show! It’s a great show, and I’m very excited to start working on it tomorrow. My track looks fun, and I get to siiiing! Should be a blast. Stay tuned…