TWO SHOW DAYS - END OF THE FIRST WEEK

On our way to see the show!
Can't get enough.

It is hard to believe that tonight is the end of Cory's first week on Broadway. Although a certain amount of disbelief still lingers, it also feels like this has been going on forever. Cory completed his 8th show tonight. EIGHT SHOWS A WEEK! It is a lot! How did we mark the end of Cory's first full week in School of Rock? We went to see the show of course!

This past Thursday Cory spent his day off with his best bud Jordan. Grandma Leslie took them to the pool and they had a normal-kid-summer day. On Thursday nights it has become Jordan and Cory's routine to play music outside on the front lawn for the occasional passerby. They wanted to collect money and the parents were adamantly against that idea. But they comprised and said they would donate all of the money to charity. People have been generous and Jordan and Cory look forward to making a contribution to the charity of their choice.

Cory and Andrew while Cory was
visiting Ryan and Andrew's camp.

On Friday it was back to rehearsal and the show, that is after Cory spent the morning at Beth El Day Camp in high demand. He traveled around the building with his guitar and mini amp, visiting kids ages 3-7 years old. He spoke to the older kids about what it was like to be on Broadway and played twinkle, twinkle for the little ones. Ryan and Andrew were super psyched and extra proud when Cory came and visited with their groups.

Friday night Cory's friend Jordan (same Jordan from above) and his Dad Andrew went to see Cory rock out! I love knowing that people are in the audience looking especially for Cory and greeting him at the stage door. They were also good enough to bring Cory home. This was Cory's first 8:00pm performance. He didn't walk through the door until 11:40pm and thus started the beginning of a VERY LONG weekend.

Saturday Cory woke up excited for the "twodo shay", otherwise known as the two-show day. (These kids have the craziest names for things.) Michael (Cory's chaperone) picked Cory up and headed into the city. The day started with a vocal lesson and then a 2:00pm matinee and an 8:00pm evening performance. Michael and Cory grabbed dinner in between the shows and during the down time....you guessed it....right over to Guitar Center. Cory didn't get home again until almost midnight. I couldn't keep my eyes open. Josh waited up.

Cory and Michael (swing)

This morning, a little more tired but equally excited, Cory was ready for two more shows. Thanks to Grandma Sheri and Poppops and Grandma Leslie and Grandpa Irwin, Ryan and Andrew had some special time, including a sleepover, in Rockland. This freed up Josh and I to be with Cory today. We brought him into the city for the matinee and as I said at the beginning, we went! A different actor plays Dewey, the lead adult role, for the matinee performances and we were happy to get a chance to see the show with him. (PS - Both Justin Collette and Eric Peterson, who both play Dewey, are fantastic! Both actors are also comedians and there are lots of "laugh out loud" moments.) Cory's SOR cast mate Michael also debuted in the role of Lawrence (keyboard) on Saturday and was on again today. Michael is a swing (more on this another time) so he was excited to have a chance to play the role. We were lucky to get to see him perform!

To answer the million dollar question...."No! It is no less exciting watching Cory perform now than it was last Monday." Josh and I still had tears in our eyes and smiles plastered on our faces. At intermission we again looked at each other and said, "do you believe this yet?". It definitely felt slightly more like real life, but I still had to pinch myself.

Cory with boy visiting from London at
Guitar Center

When the matinee was over we picked Cory up at the stage door, took him for dinner and then headed on our usual mecca to Guitar Center. This trip had a unique moment. There was a family from London with two young kids at the store. Both kids, 8 and 4, were playing guitar. Cory even commented how good the 8 year old was. I asked the Mom if they had seen School of Rock and she said they had just come from the show. When I had Cory come over and introduce himself, she was blown away and her 8 year old was starstruck. They asked for Cory's autograph and to take a picture. Turns out the 8 year old auditioned for SOR in London but was told he was too small. I told the Mom we had heard the same about Cory and they should keep trying! You never know.

Back to the theater for the 7:00pm performance. Josh and I took this stolen opportunity, while Cory was at the show, to have dinner just the two of us. This is a rare occasion these days and it was a welcomed gift. We spent much of the time trying to figure out the schedule for the upcoming week since we got Cory's rehearsal and show schedule emailed just hours before, but it was nice to do that over a drink and dinner. We headed back towards the theater for pick up and Cory, for the 8th time this week, came out the stage door smiling, happy and totally in his (new) element! It makes this all worth it! A fan waiting outside came right over to Cory and said, "are you the little one from the show? the security guard?" Cory replied yes with a big smile. The man continued, "you were our favorite! Would you mind taking a picture with us?" Cory was happy to walk over and pose in their family photo. If I hadn't been there to see and hear the whole thing I don't know that I could have believed it.

What a week ahead. Cory has rehearsals and shows almost every day! I'm exhausted just thinking about it - let alone how he will likely feel doing it all. It's been an exciting beginning and we know there is lots more in store. After all, this is only the first week!