You may be thinking that I've completely lost my marbles but I'll explain...
First, take a minute and humor me. Picture the coolest job in the world. One where you can not only show off your skills but have a blast at the same time. One where you work with amazingly talented people and you receive support and praise from your peers. Pretty great huh? Now slowly come back to reality... making the transition from fantasy to normal too fast could cause a sudden stroke of depression.
That amazingly cool job you just thought of, basically that's Z's new job. Before I tell you SPECIFICALLY what it is, take a look at this.
Did you see the guy at about 0:53 in the very center with the tan vest? That's my hubs auditioning in New York!
Yes, ladies and gents, Z is currently one of 3 actors taking on the roll of 'Star Spinner' in the Georgia Aquarium's new live-action show, Dolphin Tales.
Although you saw some guys dancing and singing in the above video, it doesn't really give you a real idea of who Star Spinner is.
Allow me to enlighten you, and introduce you to.
{drum roll please}
*STAR SPINNER*
photos from H2WHOAH blog.
photo from MSN
photo from Online Athens
Hopefully you noticed that these aren't actually of Z but of a fellow actor. None the less, they hopefully give you a better idea of the character he gets to play. He is a fabled story teller who becomes friends with dolphins and spins their stories into the stars, therefore creating DOLPHIN TALES!Are you impressed or laughing? Don't worry... I'm usually both.
Before I go any further allow me to remind you that this is, indeed, a KID-focused show. Not that it isn't enjoyable for all ages, but lets be honest, when a company who is known for it's work with Disney takes on a show for the Georgia Aquarium, you can bet they created it with kids in mind above all others. But I digress.
You might be asking yourself what an average day in the life of a Star Spinner entails. Oh, nothing much. Just singing some tunes while dolphins fly and flip through the air and thousands of eager guests stare in awe. No biggie... {Do you hate him a little right now? I do}
Dolphin Tales had it's grand opening this past Saturday to a PACKED house. The stage is epic, the show is spectacular, the dolphins are sensational and the production value is out of this world.At only 30 minutes in length I have no doubt this one will quickly become an aquarium guest favorite.
photo from USA Today.
I was fortunate enough to see it opening night and attend a fantastic after party. Just one of the many perks of being a Star Spinner's wife. I'll let you contain your jealousy before moving on......
...
Everything under control? Good. Because I'm about to blow your mind a little more with how ridiculously cool this job is.
According to the hubs, the backstage area is basically a dolphin playground where they frolic, play and interact with one another outside of "rehearsal" time. There are a total of 11 dolphins with 5 performing at a time. Z said that it's really surreal to be in the middle of it all because while he rehearses the show the dolphins will come right up to his feet during their "free time" and try to get his attention by making that charming clicking noise or splashing his feet with water. I would be so tempted to jump right in and join playtime but obviously that's a BIG no no and the PROFESSIONAL trainers are the only ones allowed in the pool. Oh, and as a side note, Z quickly learned that you don't call the 'pool' a 'tank'. Ever. He also learned that the dolphins don't do 'tricks' they do 'behaviors'.
photo from ABC News
Never in a million years did I think that something like this would fall into our laps but alas, it has. Z will be star-spinning for the next year and I'll be a proud wife sitting in the audience for as many performances as I can. *Fun fact... in terms of the dolphins, every show is different from the last because if you repeat the BEHAVIOR patterns the dolphins will get bored and not want to perform. Aren't God's creatures brilliant?!*Okay so enough about how awesome my hubby's job is and onto a little shameless advertising.
photo from MSNBC.com
EVERYONE SHOULD GO SEE THIS SHOW!While it definitely has it's share of Broadway CHEESE, it's really quite entertaining and as I said before, great for all ages. There are some pretty intense special effects {lightening, wind, thunder, etc} so parents of tiny children should know that going in. As I looked around the audience on Sunday, everyone was in awe.
I'm not sure exactly when, probably around the time the first dolphin came out for a speedy circular pass, but I became a kid again sitting in that theater. I caught myself blurting out things like "OH MY GOD" and "WOW" when one of the trainers zipped past me, standing on the backs of two dolphins like show horses and again when, out of nowhere, another trainer and dolphin sky-rocketed out of the water, grabbed some WICKED AIR and gracefully splashed back in the pool. YEAH... epic! With every flipper wave and giant splash I know the stupid grin on my face got bigger and bigger. Z wasn't performing that night so he was able to watch with me. Of course, having seen it performed a half a dozen times and being in the show himself, I'm sure the novelty had worn off a bit. I did catch him looking at me and my stupid grin a number of times just to see if I was enjoying myself. And I was.
There isn't a bad seat in the house and the first few rows are actually marked with water drops to show they are in the "splash zone". It's not a "let's try and splash these poor dry people" type of show but there is an awful lot of water moving around in that
Really and truly if you live in Georgia it's a show worth seeing. If you DON'T live in Georgia but are looking for a fun place to take the kids this summer, the GA Aquarium is it. Once you wear your feet out seeing all the exhibits, pop a squat at Dolphin Tales for a fantastic end to your day.
That's enough for me and my shameless plug.
Until next time...
What other shows or events take you right back to your childhood or are guaranteed to slap a stupid grin across your face?