9.26.05
Yesterday ended my two weeks as "Juan" in Altar Boyz. Both shows on Sunday went well. Thank you to everyone who came to see me! It was great to see a lot of you back at the theatre. I have had such a blast these past two weeks! I also realized just how hard it is to do this schedule! I don't know how those guys do it! I was completely wiped out by the end of my run. lol But it was well worth it. I owe a big thank you to everyone who welcomed me back with open arms. I really love this new cast. They are such a great group of guys!
My next adventure will be Andrew Lloyd Webber's new Broadway musical The Woman In White! I got the phone call from my agent a little before midnight on Saturday night! I was with my entire family in their hotel room when my agent gave me the news! It was so incredible to have my family around me when I found out I would be making my Broadway debut! It was definitely an unforgettable moment for me! I have been cast in the ensemble of Woman In White as well as understudying the leading role of Walter Hartright. I couldn't be more excited to be a part of this show! Rehearsals start at 9 AM Monday morning with Previews beginning on October 28th! I am still in a bit of shock from getting this news and everything happening so quickly! I honestly could not be more thrilled! I will definitely be keeping a journal of my experiences with the show so I hope you will come back and check in with me from time to time! Thanks again to everyone for all the wonderful support! It really has meant a great deal to me! Until the next journal...
Take care of yourselves!-Daniel Torres
9.25.05
Last night has to be my favorite night with Altar Boyz! My entire family finally got to see me in Altar Boyz! My parents had come to the show when I was swinging it but no one else in my family had seen it yet. It was such a special night! Along with my parents were my two sisters, my Titi Nancy, my Tio Nelson and Titi Evalinda, and my Abuela Lily. My Abuela Lily and Titi Nancy have never seen me in a musical before so they flew in from Puerto Rico to see the show! I was so excited to have them all in the audience! It was a sold out house with an amazing crowd! I was so glad that my family came on such a hot night! And to make a great situation even that much more memorable...Scott randomly chose my sister, Nitza as the "Something About You Girl!" I couldn't believe it! At the top of the show I noticed my sister was sitting in an aisle seat but it didn't even cross my mind that Scott might pick her. And since she had never seen the show before, she had no idea that anybody got pulled up onstage. She was hilarious and such a great sport! I have to admit that I had to look away a few times because I started to laugh! I just couldn't sing "Girl you make me wanna wait" to my sister while maintaining a straight face! It was so hilarious and I know it made my family's night at the theatre even that much more special!
After the show, my Abuela was telling EVERYONE that she was my Grandmother! lol The funny thing is that she has a really thick Spanish accent so to hear her say "I'm Juan's Grandmother" was pretty hilarious. I got to introduce her to everyone in the cast and many of my friends at the show! She really had an amazing time and I know the rest of my family did as well. After the show I noticed them all carrying these large plastic bags. When I looked inside I realized it was Altar Boyz merchandise! My family will literally be outfitting half of Puerto Rico in Altar Boyz tee-shirts! lol It really was an incredible night and I am just so thankful to my family for coming to New York to see the show! More soon!!!
9.21.05
On Monday we had our first rehearsal with Stafford, as the "new" group. It was a great rehearsal. We started with a note session and then got up onstage to work on a few theatre games. They weren't games as much as trust building exercises. We had actually done these same exercises during our first week of rehearsal with the original group. I think we all benefited from it. The exercises allowed us to relax, trust each other and also have some fun together as a group. Next, we started a work thru of the show. We made some minor adjustments and mostly tightened things up a bit. It was so great to have Stafford with us again, especially since it was the first time some of the Boyz were working with him. We were all glad to have him back with us.
That night Tyler Maynard and his sister, Ashley came to the show! It was great to see them afterwards! For those who don't know, Tyler opened Miracle Brothers at the Vineyard Theatre on Sunday night! From what I hear Tyler is amazing in this new musical! I will definitely be seeing it during my week away from Altar Boyz. I am sure he is as incredible as always. The boy can do no wrong in my opinion. After the show we had a quick CD signing and then I rushed home to get some much needed rest!
I believe Tuesday night's show was our best show yet! The house was pretty much full and the audience was just amazing. I felt we were really connecting onstage as a group and everyone was giving 100% to the performance. It was a blast.
So now, after all these months of working on Altar Boyz, I have finally completed my first 8 show week! Its pretty exciting actually! I'm definitely exhausted but that's to be expected with jumping back into the show after 2 months away. I am so thrilled to be back at Altar Boyz. I definitely want to thank everyone for their emails and support! It has been so nice to come back and feel so incredibly welcomed!
9.18.05
It's been a great weekend at "Sodger" Stages. lol Saturday we had our best audiences yet! I was excited to see that Saturday's matinee was almost completely sold out and the night performance was pretty full as well! There's nothing better than high Soul Sensor numbers! :) After the show we have been collecting donations for the Red Cross to help aid in "Hurricane Katrina" relief. As with Broadway Cares/Equity Fights Aids, people have been incredibly generous! I'm really glad that we are collecting for the Red Cross. I will definitely let you know how much money we have raised when all of this is said and done. And its always nice to hear what people have to say after the show. So many audience members said they had a blast and that they will definitely be coming back with their friends! That's always very rewarding to hear.
Sunday was "Altarholic's Appreciation Day!" The Altarholics met with some members of our Production team between shows and actually had dinner in the house of the Altar Boyz theatre. All attended that night's performance of the show some with lamb chop puppets in tow. It was nice to see many of those tride and true fans back at the theatre. More soon!
9.16.05
We had a great show tonight! I had some friends in the audience so I was excited to see that the house was full! Matthew's brother, John R. and his friend Moses were there seeing the show for the first time. We went to "Hell's Kitchen" for dinner before the show. I love that restaurant! Whenever I have company in town I like to take them there. Its really close to the theatre and the food is always amazing! For those who may not know, this part of town is actually called "Hell's Kitchen." It is truthfully named "Clinton" but folklore says the neighborhood was renamed after a cop made the comment that one summer it was "hotter than Hell's kitchen." So the name just stuck. Its actually pretty funny that the Altar Boyz final concert would be played in Hell's Kitchen. Nice seque, right? Back to the show...it really was a great night and a very enthusiastic crowd! My best friend, Liz was also in the audience. She had seen me play Mark and Abe but she wanted to come back and see me as the "latin lover." She actually came to Altar Boyz three years ago and saw me play Juan back when Cheyenne was still a member of the group!
After the show, we all went out to celebrate. John R. who actually lives in Sweden said that he was at home reading the financial times and low and behold there was a review of Altar Boyz! He even cut it out and gave it to me at the bar. It actually states that "Altar Boyz is the most enjoyable musical currently running Off-Broadway" and we also got 5 out of 5 stars! On a funny note, the reviewer lists the theatre as being "Sodger" Stages and goes on about how Scott Porter addressed "Something About You" to his 11 year old companion. "Girl you make me want to wait, he sang to her seductively!" YIKES! I thought that was pretty funny. More soon!
9.14.05
"Just like old times!" Kevin Kern was on for Matthew last night and as always it was great to do the show with him again. I believe it was the first time Altar Boyz had been performed without any of the original 5 cast members. Crazy times! It went really well though. I have to admit that at first I was a little nervous about what the dynamic onstage would be like. I mean this group has to look like they have been best friends for years and before Monday I had never worked with James or Dennis. (Both of which are really talented and seem to be outstanding guys.) These past two shows have been great though. Everyone has been so open onstage and its truly helped to form an immediate bond with my new cast members. I'm really looking forward to working with these guys for the next two weeks.
After the show I ran into David Drake, a good friend of mine from Sundance, who was just getting out of the "Trailer Park" musical. Before David and I met, he actually reviewed Altar Boyz for the magazine "The Advocate." Luckily, it was a glowing review! lol:) It was great to see him last night. More soon!
9.13.05
I'm back! As most of you know, I am back in Altar Boyz playing "Juan" for the next two weeks! I got the call mid-August asking me if I was available and luckily I was free to come back. I came to the theatre this weekend to become reacquainted with the show and meet the new cast members. It was great coming back and seeing my old friends. It was a little surreal seeing such a different cast but the Boyz are all doing a great job! Carlos has definitely been busy as dance captain, training these new guys! He has really done an awesome job getting them ready for the show. Yesterday I had rehearsal during the day and then my first show that night.
Rehearsal started at 12:30 Monday afternoon. It was pretty much a run thru of all the music in the show. I felt pretty confident with the music and we actually finished 20 minutes earlier then planned. After two and a half months of being away from the show I was a little worried about how much I would remember but luckily it all came back pretty easily. In those extra 20 minutes I ran lines with Heather, our Assistant Stage Manager. At 2 PM Carlos and Kevin joined me to do a run thru of the show. Kevin ran "Matthew" as Carlos played "Mark." It was definitely fun to up there with Kevin again. At 4 PM Christopher Gattelli and the rest of the cast joined us for rehearsal where had one hour to run some moments in the show. It was great to have that time to work with the new Boyz.
On the break I ran home for dinner, a shower, and a much needed power nap! I forgot how EXHAUSTING this show is! lol I got back to the theatre a little after 7 PM to get ready for my first performance. I thought the show went really well. It was a nice sized house and a very responsive audience, which is always a good thing. :) I definitely had a lot of fun and am very much looking forward to these two weeks playing the role. After the show our Director, Stafford and Altar Boyz composers, Michael and Gary joined us in the dressing room. It was great to have them at the show and nice to catch up with them afterwards. Much of the production team has been in Detroit these past few weeks opening the touring company of Altar Boyz. I hear the show has already gotten great reviews! I'd actually love to see it, especially with all those "Detroit" adjustments. :)
As for Ryan Duncan, he will be acting in The A Train Plays in the New York Musical Theatre Festival. It will run for two weeks so if your in NYC you should check it out. If you are interested, you can find ticket information at NYMF.org. It should be a fun two weeks! More soon!
