YOU ALL WILL NEVER BELIEVE THIS! The I Love Lucy Live Stage Show...

(The Casablanca's treasured autographed, limited edition Show Poster!)

I am STILL in shock over our A-mazing "I Love Lucy Live on Stage" experience. Patricia and I were invited by friends Teresa and Kate (with Joy and Jacqueline) to attend Tuesdays Opening Night performance of the "I Love Lucy Live on Stage" show. Friend Teresa had booked us excellent floor seats and we were about 20ft away from the stage! It was JUST like being in a 1952 taping of "I Love Lucy" at the Desilu Playhouse. I Just, I'm still grinning over it.Thank You ladies for including us on this outing!

(Kate with the limited edition poster 

she won for dressing 1950's to see the show.)

The evening festivities began almost as soon as we entered Bass Performance Hall in Fort Worth TX, friend Kate was awarded this neat poster because she came to the show dresses so cute!  HOW COOL!  

 (Claire, Jaqueline, Joy, & Kate!)

Next when we entered the auditorium we were met with delight...

(The Ricardo's Living room!!!)

 Not only were our seats close, but I discovered that the couch and chair set they use in the show is the EXACT same color blue as OUR couch and chair set at the Casablanca! (Even the legs are the same color.) Once the show began the audience was whisked back in time for the next two hours. It was a trip!  The "musical" isn't a musical persay, as it is a play with music numbers in it,  in the show you were part of a studio audience filming two episodes of the "I Love Lucy" show. We laughed till our sides hurt. (Even without the "applause" signs prodding us!) During the scene changes a singing group preformed commercials, at one point there was a quiz show portion to the evening, even actors out in the 'live studio audience'! Let me tell you readers, I was beaming ear to ear as was the rest of our group.  It was a wonderful evening that I was so thankful and glad Teresa and Kate had included us in! I highly insist if the "I Love Lucy Live on Stage" show plays near you, GET TICKETS! It is well worth the cost!

(Lucy, Ethel er Patrica, Ricky, and Fred Mickey!)

After the show was over and we had clapped our hearts out for the actors, we all had our pictures taken in the photo stand and we hit up the gift shop for another show poster. 

*  *  *

The next part of our evening is where the REAL "Casablanca Magic" begins... 

It was such a nice evening, out little group decided to walk around Sundance Square near the theatre. We had been enjoying the warm evening air when suddenly the wind picked up and was blowing us all over the place!  We were crossing the street to the parking garage when I see the girls do a double take, and then I did a double take and "Ricky" (Billy Mendieta) was passing us crossing the street! I wasn't 100% if it was him, but I said "You were fantastic!" and he STOPPED right there in the street and started talking to me!!! The Ladies asked if we could get a picture and graciously agreed...

(Me, Patricia, Billy, Jacqueline, Kate, and Claire!)

While we were standing there, I asked if he would sign my poster and he said of course. Kate had given me the Special poster she had won, and Billy asked if I would like that one signed as well.  I asked it he we personalize it "To the Casablanca..." and he did! 

 ("To the Casablanca, thank you for all your support 

& love for all things Lucy and Ricky!")

SO, then he asks "What's the Casablanca?" and we all go tripping over words telling him its a club, a vintage club, with all these great parties, and for the local theatre elite! And he said he thought it was pretty cool! I COULD HAVE DIED! After thanking him for everything he picked up his backpacks, I handed him his Jamba Juice, and headed over to his hotel across the street.
He told us if we wanted five or ten minuets Lucy and Ethel should be coming out and would gladly sign our poster.

So naturally we wait, everyone excitedly talking about meeting "Ricky" from the show and after about 10 minuets we see him coming back out way! (He had left is wallet in the dressing room of the theatre.) He stopped and talked to us again (he is so nice!) and said "I'll try and hurry them up for you." Well, he goes in and comes back out and says "I'm sorry, but it looks like they ran off..." and we were all saying "oh that's okay, it was nice meeting you.." and THEN he says- "The Cast is actually having a private Opening Night party at PFChangs, would you all like to come as my guests and meet them?" I am pretty sure all seven of our mouths dropped open, and we totally accepted the invitation! So away our group went walking down town Fort Worth with Billy Mendieta chatting the night away.

(Oh, ya know... just chilling with the production at PFChangs...)

When we get to the restaurant, Billy doesnt dump us at the door but instead takes our group around and PERSONALLY INTRODUCES us to everyone in the production! Sirena Irwin (Lucy Ricardo), Peter Kevoian (Fred Mertz), Joannah Daniels (Ethel Mertz) makeup people, hair, costumes, lights, sound...EVERYONE!  If I am dreaming, I don't want to wake up! 
 I was completely star struck! Thank goodness for friends Teresa and Kate, while I was in a showbiz stupor they went around asking everyone to sign our poster for the Casablanca! (Thanks Ladies!) Which prompted the question from almost everyone "What is the Casablanca?!" and we all started telling them about out vintage club, and the fabulous themed parties we throw. The cast thought it was all pretty cool and asked if we had any pictures, so we showed them picture of the house and Drive-In and told them all about our upcoming formal dance. I was in PURE. SHOCK. all these famous people talking about OUR Casablanca, and not just "talking about it" but REALLY being interested and loving it!

(Kate, Sirena (Lucy Ricardo), Billy (Ricky Ricardo), Jacqueline, & Claire)

What was REALLY cool was that not only were these people "theatre people" but almost all of them had a love for things 1950's! We stayed nearly two hours chilling and chatting with them they were all really sincerely interested in what we were telling them about the Casablanca!

I met actress, Tamara Zook and we talked for about 45 min about all things Mid Century I showed her pictures of the Casablanca, and she in turn showed me pictures from her Californian friends house that has been featured on Apartment Therapy! She was so great and I really enjoyed talking to her. I showed her a picture of a ticket stub that I have from when the Set of "I Love Lucy" exhibit was at the Texas State Fair and she said GET OUT! The Traveling exhibit is actually what got the ball rolling for the "I Love Lucy Live on Stage" show! Tamara introduced me to Mark Christopher Tracy (He plays the announcer for the Desilu Playhouse in the show) Because he has been with the show since the concept was born.

Mark is SUCH a neat guy! We talked for about 30 min on the subject of Drive-In Movie theaters (He is in a car club and loves them!) and I showed him pictures of the "Worlds Smallest" Drive-In Theater- the Casablanca's own Flamingo Drive-In and he said "That was the neatest thing he'd ever seen" and he "LOVED My vintage lawn chair collection!" He showed me his 1955 Buick and joked "I don't drive this every day." to which Patricia said "YOU SHOULD!"  He was so great! He told me "Being a set dresser was a great job!"

 (Sirena Irwin (Lucy), Mick, & Patricia!)

One of the many highlights of the night was getting to meet Sirena Irwin! The girls had been telling her all about our fabulous parties and "Playground for the Theatre Elite" when she came over and said- "Are you the famous Mick?!" I said "yes!" and we talked and I showed her picture of the Casablanca, was telling her all about it and in passing I said "It's not a big deal" to which Sirena says "I have to disagree with you, it IS a big deal! You are doing a lot of good for people in a really neat way."  

GONE. I WAS COMPLETELY GONE!!!

 

What a compliment! She is such a wonderful actress, and sounds JUST like Lucille Ball (and not just and act for us, it's her real voice!) She is such a nice person, everyone there was! She posed for pictures and hugged me and listed to all our crazy stories from the Casablanca, it was magical! Our little group of seven CANNOT thank Billy Mendieta enough for inviting us as his special guest to the casts private Opening Night Soriee! Thank you! You made this "Lucy Lovers" Life! haha the entire Company did!

Truly a night we will NEVER  forget!

-Mick-

Bathroom Preview!

(Our growing collection of Miller Studio sea creatures!)

Yikes Readers, lots going on in the life and times of Mick! Here's a sampling of what you missed while I was gone. The bathroom is almost completely painted, and is awaiting tile and door trim (to come in April) So to give guest of the dance a "preview" of the coming bathroom attraction, we have hung up a few finishing touches in advance. 

A few weekends ago, out wonderful friend Russ (and long time Casablanca Member) came and wired in the 1930's light fixtures that I picked up in Kansas a dogs age ago!

(These are SO cool!)

It seemed like they would never get installed, and now that they are cleaned and up, they look just like and ad for "Rejuvenation", except they are vintage and not repro's!

(The doors received paint!)

I took a favorite McCoy planter to Lowes and matched the color fairly well. (I'd call it Scarlet) The Claw foot bathtub will also be painted this color, with silver legs and silver 1940's faucets.

I originally planned to hand up venetian blinds with these barcloth valances hung up top. How ever now I am thinking of getting 1930's/40's pull down shades and hanging the valances above them.  Most of the colors we are using in the bathroom can be found it this cloth, and I really wish I had more of it. But alas, it was just these scraps I bought in Missouri a few years ago!

And that's all we've got for now! With less than two weeks to go until the Casablanca Formal Spring Dance, everyone here at Mick's is sprucing up and getting things ready for the opening of the 1960 Social Season!

Wish us luck, we'll need it and LOTS of caffeine! Haha!

-Mick-

3 shades of gray...

(Three different paint colors and two coats each!)

It was an all day deal on Sunday! After weeks of delay, the tech week and opening of "Tarzan", and back to a normal work schedule we FINALLY go to paint the Bathroom!

Bright and early friend Cindy came to help us do the first coats on the ceiling and upper walls. Soon friend Jordan arrived to help us paint the upper and lower parts of the wainscot.

One aggravating set back I found about the "bead board" on the walls and ceiling is, that even a thick roller couldn't get into the grooves. Eventually we just gave up and hand brushed all of it. Our little painting party took an hour break to let the paint dry and then we were at it again!

Around 3:00pm friend Margaret arrived just in time to help with the second coat of paint and the touch ups. By 4:30 the final coats were just starting to dry and I was putting the light fixtures back up.

This picture is a little dark, but I really like how the paint colors and wainscot turned out. The ceiling is white, the top of the walls are "Comet Dust" (light gray), and the bottom wainscot is "Notre Dame" (dark gray). The ceiling will be getting a 1/4" round trim (painted dark green) and there will be a 1" runner on the top of the wainscot (that will be a maroon color.)

We finished a hard days work with washing out paint brushes and digging into a "Blue Velvet" cake!

Onward progress before the big Dance!

-Mick-

Watching Paint Dry...

One never really realizes how far gone things are, until one goes to fix them... PAINT. Everything needs paint! As I have mentioned before this is a job long over due, but WOW MICK, I really can't believe I let the lawn chairs get this bad!

The chair on the left is in its current seven years of summer sun faded state. The table and chair on the right have just been repainted. I love how a fresh coat of paint looks! With any luck I will get the other chair and matching bench sanded and painted before the week is over. I am terribly glad to see we have some warmer weather on the way, that will help speed this process along.


Only 31 more pieces to go! BLEH!

-Mick-

Cindy's Show Stopping Birthday Surprise!

Our wonderful friend (and Casablanca Council Member) Cindy just recently turned 23! Cindy is one of our very close friends in the theatre and we love her dearly. So for the celebration of her 23rd birthday no "regular gift" would do... It started as a "Joke" I just started naming off every Broadway show I could think of and adding or changing a word to "Cindy"- Cindy Side Story, The Pajama Cindy, A Cindy Line, How to succeed in Cindy without really trying, Fiddler on the Cindy...

So I narrowed down the "shows" to the final eight choices all favorites of Cindy's and found the show posters for each.
~top left to right~ Evita ("Cindy") , A Chorus Line, ("A Cindy Line"), West Side Story ("Cindy Side Story"), How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying ("How to succeed in Cindy without really trying")
~Bottom~ Sweet Charity ("Sweet Cindy"), Fiddler on the Roof ("Fiddler on the Cindy"), Thoroughly Modern Millie ("Thoroughly Modern Cindy"), and CATS ("Cindys").

It took about an hour and a half to freehand draw each poster, each measuring 3"x4"it actually took longer to color each of the drawings than it did to draw them! I was rather proud with the way it turned out, Google some of the posters if you like they are pretty close.

Finally I fixed the finished drawing on a matte and framed it before wrapping it up for the birthday girl!

All in all it took about three hours to get the finished product, and Cindy loved it!  I have to say the hardest poster to draw was "A Chorus Line",(all 19 of the tiny characters drawn in a line.) I hate the show 'A Chorus Line' in general so it was a labor of love!

Now I just hope that ALL of our friends don't want one, haha!

-Mick-

Say A Little Prayer!

For all of us working in the flower industry... today is our "Big Day"!

I hope all you wonderful Readers have Valentines!

-Mick-

Fan Mail. A Most Interesting R.SV.P.

Oh Readers, I LOVE our friends and members of the Casablanca! Being theatre people, we tend to really go "all out" for things!

As you know, our upcoming spring break formal dance is themed "Beyond the Sea" and for the Casablanca members who aren't on Facebook, we send out formal invitations. Friend Evelyn has  jumped right in with her gracious R.S.V.P.

(She writes...)

"My dear & blessed friends of the S.S. Casablanca:

I am honored for the invitation aboard your lovely vessel,an am 

planning to be there and singing "I'm Sorry" by Brenda Lee ( a distant cousin)

Ask and you shall receive what-

ever you need for the eats/drinks.

I was thinking taquitos, totilla rolls; maybe some bottled water, diet sodas, 

ice - whatever!!!
Will the cruise ship swimming pool be open? Ha Ha

Love you all-

Evy"

I cannot begin to tell you how happy her R.S.V.P. made me, I simply adore it when friends go along with my crazy plans and dreams. All Evelyn had to do was say "yes", but now I will be keeping it and putting it in the "hat box" of pictures and memories we keep at the Casablanca so we can always look back and read it!

A truly enchanting little note!

-Mick-