Enter the Bohemians
Bohemia in Berlin is defined by our Bohemians.
Meet Gaby. Gabriela Sanchez Samano is Mexican born, with her Seattleite husband Jeff in tow. They’ve been married many years but Gaby’s passport needed a special stamp to assure her re-entry and the always efficient USPS kept us on pins and needles until the day before she got on the plane! Gaby’s gratitude and elegant delight made her the perfect travel companion, with her husband in the front row seat for every show.
Gaby enjoys some downtime at a bistro on our trip
Isobella, our sultry scene stealer, seemed to have the fast track to the best of everything. “This is a white negroni” she purred into my ear, handing me her glass. It was the one night I stayed out late with everyone to have dinner post-show, and sitting next to Izzy did not disappoint. She was also very good with Hero, holding his hand and effortlessly connecting with his curiosity.
Isobella Bloom and Hero in Berlin
“I’ve got to introduce you to the Lebanese Döner. It has peanut sauce!”
Any reticence I had about producing this tour melted away as soon as I saw Mark in Berlin. He had grown his black beard long to play Dvorak and it warmed his face, he seemed always to be smiling. As our host in Germany, Mark was in his element, introducing the Bohemians to his hard-won sister city. One evening while I was waiting for an uber back to my Sweetie and our son, I caught a glimpse of Mark leading a group of fans across Chaussesstrasse to the Titanic Hotel Bar. He was gesturing magnanimously back to the others, mostly women, who trotted to keep up with him. His deep baritone floated over the city sounds. He seemed, to me, to be his best self.
Mark with the Green Fairies at the Ballhaus Berlin
Katheryn’s girlfriend flew in to meet her before the 2nd show of our tour, her tidy roller bag handed to the Ballhaus coat check. Our dance captain and drunken clown fairy Rusalka was defined by her new love. Their excitement to be traveling abroad together for the first time was contagious.
Katheryn and her sweetie kicking back on tour
Hisam’s desires were a little different than the rest. He was up before 9am each day, eager to hit the gym. Just as he played the artist Mucha onstage, he made us all guffaw in the dressing room with his tales of accidentally working out for free because he didn’t speak German and there was no one manning the front desk.
Our violinist Andy was the most liberated by our proximity to actual Bohemian soil. For the Triple Door shows back in Seattle, he wore a tuxedo, but at the Ballhaus he donned a fairy costume and left his perch by the piano to mingle with the audience.
Our violinist Andy
“Everyone put your glasses and plates in the dishwasher!” Stage manager Noël turned den mother of the tour, coordinating flight times and counting heads at breakfast.
“Noël knew something was going on with me,” Mark was explaining why he didn’t tell me about a delayed wire-transfer from the states, meant to pay the Berlin technicians at the theater. “I didn’t want to ruin everyone’s tech day with more bad news, but she pulled me aside and made me tell her what was wrong.”
“You could have told me” I assure him, though I respect his choice not to divulge all the stresses of controlling the LLC. Though we may be creative equals, technically I am his employee. “I don’t need to do everything” I murmured to myself as I paced the threadbare red carpets of the Ballhaus balcony. I sniffed the air. Cigarette smoke. I resisted the urge to run down the spiral staircase and bum a cigarette from the bartender, who was leisurely puffing away as they polished the glassware.
I can judge the success of our tour based on the experiences of these artists I’ve surrounded myself with; this colorful group of Green Fairies in Berlin is glorious camouflage for my moody artist’s heart.
Opal as Chopin onstage at the Ballhaus Berlin