The Voice - The Official Linda Eder Newsletter

Close your eyes, sit back, relax and picture yourself in the midst of a beautiful, idyllic setting. Imagine a quaint New England town nestled in the mountains near a picturesque river, interesting shops, wonderful restaurants, babbling streams and waterfalls. Those who traveled to Chester, Connecticut this summer to see CAMILLE CLAUDEL found themselves in such a pleasant setting.

At the center of this wonderful little town stands The Norma Terris Theatre, an amazing and intimate venue where CAMILLE CLAUDEL had its world premiere. Once inside this little theatre in the woods, fans who traveled from far and wide to experience this new Frank Wildhorn/Nan Knighton musical found a staff of remarkable people awaiting their arrival. After weeks of preparation, the staff was as excited as the fans. Each person who interacted at all with staff members found them to be kind and willing to go out of their way to ensure that this theatrical experience would be memorable for all.

Left to Right: Hattie Guin-Kittner, General Manager, Mary Miko, House Manager, and Liz Cripps, Asst. Box Office Manager

Michael Price, Goodspeed's Executive Director, was so supportive of this production of CAMILLE CLAUDEL. His enthusiasm for the cast, creative team and crew was very evident as he spoke prior to the opening night performance in the middle of the Blackout of 2003. In speaking about the run of CAMILLE CLAUDEL at The Norma Terris, Michael said, “Everyone agrees that the world premiere was a huge success. With every ticket sold and lines at the Box Office, Wildhorn and Knighton were able to put their musical on the stage in front of a live audience with sets, costumes, lighting and sound. Goodspeed received another opportunity to work on a high profile project and enhance their already exceptional capabilities. This is another example of what Goodspeed does.”

Hattie Guin-Kittner , Goodspeed's General Manager, was equally enthusiastic. “Every night felt like a special event! The thing about the run that I loved the most was the teamwork, all of us together, smiling, laughing, and seeing the audience share in the excitement,” she said.

Many fans had the pleasure of meeting a truly extraordinary woman, Mary Miko , House Manager of The Norma Terris Theatre. Mary was there for each and every

Linda Eder, Mary Miko and Frank Wildhorn

performance to ensure that everything ran smoothly. She was so kind to Linda's fans, even making it possible for audience members to bid on Linda's sketches from each performance with the money going to charity. Mary shared the following thought about her experience during the run of CAMILLE CLAUDEL. “Overall, I have to say how impressed I was with Linda's loyalty to her fans. She never said no, regardless of how tired she was.”

The kindness and warmth of the Goodspeed management was also evident in the ushers and usherettes, both in the lobby as well as in the theatre itself. One person who best exemplified this kindness was Lynn Gamerdinger . She was always so helpful while selling souvenirs and saw to it that everyone was comfortable inside the theatre. Lynn was very honored to be part of this run of CAMILLE and wanted to share a few of her favorite memories with Linda's fans.

Lynn commented on the fans and the now-famous sketch of Monsieur Claudel, “It is obvious why Frank and Linda have so many fans; they are two of the most friendly and genuine people I've met during my short time with Goodspeed. The surprise for me came in the form of Frank and Linda's fans and their dedication to seeing Miss Linda perform no matter where. Fans traveled from as far as California, Texas and even England to our little Goodspeed Theatre in Chester, CT. It was a pleasure to meet and

Lynn Gamerdinger and James Aucoin

serve them all. Who knew that Miss Linda's talent spilled over into drawing as well?! The fans just ate up all her beautiful sketches of the delightful Milo O'Shea. Being overwhelmed with requests for sketches, Mary set up an auction for patrons / fans to bid on the drawing. Every single one was the same, Milo O'Shea, and yet each was remarkably different and not at all difficult to sell. The money raised went to the Equity Fights Aids charity and the fans were generous.”

According to Lynn, there was never a dull moment at the souvenir stand. “It started innocently enough. Mary filled the display cases with new CDs related to the performers in CAMILLE CLAUDEL. Linda Eder's CDs stretched from one end to the other on the top shelf and patrons came over to view and admire them whether or not they owned every single one of the them or none at all! They even liked to show off and tell us about her music / CDs. There was, however, a little sleeper hit on the second shelf from the man we all fell in deep like with, Mr. Matt Bogart. So we at the counter began to verbally advertise this little gem and they began to sell… I'm not certain how many went that opening weekend but on Sunday I bought my copies (one of each) and listened to them for a solid week during my commute to work every day. I really enjoyed Matt's smooth voice and the ‘complex' songs he chose for his ‘Simple Songs.' So, now that I had actually heard Matt perform (on stage and in my car), I promoted his CDs all the more. Some evenings they sold like hotcakes and so we slowly chipped away at our stockpile. The five-song CD sold out first. Then, during the last show's intermission, a Broadway veteran who was enjoying the performance bought the final copy. James and I gave a high-five that we did it—for Matt!” Lynn continued, “As I was driving home one evening listening to Matt's ‘Simple Songs' CD, the final track ended and I waited for the first song to begin again. Then there came the voice of a young boy singing ‘On top of

Left to Right: Dick Cutbill, Salli Miller, Cormac Meehan, Katie Gamelli, Mary Miko and Emma Burton

spaghetti…' to the tune of ‘On top of Old Smokey…' It had to be Matt, I thought, or some bizarre hoax from the record company. So I asked him. Matt stood at one end of the candy counter in The Norma Terris lobby while Mary and I listened intently to his tale. After his grandfather passed away, Matt discovered cassette tapes in the glove compartment of his car. As Matt began to listen to them he realized it was his siblings and himself on them and that his grandfather had kept them for years. What a gem to have and then share with the rest of us, Matt! I don't know about Mary but I don't remember one thing that went on around us in the lobby with all the people, chatter, flashbulbs, etc. while Matt told us his story. All I remember is one modest, friendly, genuine man standing in front of us sharing a happy moment of his past. Thanks, Matt.”

Goodspeed Opera House

The Editorial Staff of THE VOICE would like to thank each and every person at Goodspeed and The Norma Terris Theatre for providing the perfect venue for a perfect musical!