NEW YORK—Well, the “Allegiance” bandwagon hasn’t stopped for one second since we opened last month. Last week was the recording of our cast album, which will be released next month. George Takei, Katie Rose Clarke, Aaron J. Albano and yours truly headed to Lord & Taylor to do a special appearance promoting our show.
Telly Leung was unable to attend (Aaron sang the part of Sammy in Telly’s place), as he was already committed to appear at Christmas Eve’s Hunkfest starring Ann Harada (“Avenue Q’s” Christmas Eve), along with two other “Allegiance” cast members, Dan Horn and Kevin Munhall.
Katie and I then headed to Joe’s Pub for the ASTEP (Artists Striving to End Poverty) Benefit, singing Christmas music. By the way, thank you to our “Allegiance” music supervisor Lynne Shankel for asking Katie and me to be part of this wonderful evening for a great cause.
However, a week and a half ago, I wasn’t sure that I would be able to handle the workload. The whole company would be working straight through from Dec. 1 until Dec. 13, with select members of the cast still going on Dec. 14. My body couldn’t handle it all, and started a system shutdown. In other words, I got sick.
It started with irritation and rawness at the back of my throat. I checked my tonsils, no swelling. I dismissed it as seasonal dryness (the radiators were now starting up in my apartment, as well as in the theater) and kept going to work. However, when Friday, Dec. 4, came, I wasn’t feeling better. My voice wasn’t hoarse to any significant degree, but something didn’t feel right.
I headed to my dressing room, passing the stage manager’s office on the way. Rachel Davis, one of our stage managers, and Melanie Lockyer, our associate director, asked me how I was feeling. “I don’t know,” I told them, and proceeded to my room to start warming up and steaming. Our production stage manager Peter Wolf then paid me a visit. I told him to give me 15 minutes, at which point I’d decide if I could perform or not.
After a few minutes of steam, I started my normal warm-up. It wasn’t comfortable. My voice wasn’t as pliable as it usually is, and I was feeling pain when I hit certain notes. It didn’t take long for me to determine that I couldn’t perform. Elena Wang, my understudy, was alerted immediately, and I headed home with hugs from my friends.
Telly Leung (Sammy Kimura) gave me the number of his ENT (ears, nose and throat doctor), Dr. Linda Dahl. She is the doctor of all the actors who played in the most recent production of “Hedwig and the Angry Inch,” including Neil Patrick Harris and Darren Criss. On this temperate evening, accompanied by my friend Marites Carabuena (my mom stayed home as she was battling her own sickness, too), I headed to the doctor’s clinic.
Dr. Dahl’s otolaryngology (ear and throat) center smelled of essential oils. It was as fragrant and tranquil as a spa. It didn’t feel at all antiseptic or unfriendly.
Warm and welcoming, Dr. Dahl said with a sweet girlish laugh: “I love taking care of singers!”
It put me at ease.
The diagnosis? I had a sinus infection. The irritation in my throat was caused by postnasal drip, and my sinuses were swollen. She prescribed a cycle of antibiotics to battle the illness. After a few days of rest, I was well enough to record our cast album, and thought I’d be back to work the next day. No such luck, as a bad coughing fit kept me up all night.
Dr. Dahl then prescribed a low dose of steroids and complete vocal rest to make sure I could head to work the next day. Thank goodness for this; I was well enough to return to work, and save for a couple of bad hacking coughs onstage, all went well. By Sunday afternoon’s show, the coughing was gone, and I could perform my show as normal.
I hate being sick and missing shows. This is what I love to do, and to be kept from it makes me sad and feel sicker (ironic, I know). Now that I’m feeling well again, I have to stay this way. To this end, one doctor friend from Manila, Arlene Hernandez (the wife of my ENT, Melfred Hernandez) and her friend, Teresa Valmonte, generously gifted me with a set of Young Living essential oils to help support my immune and respiratory systems.
My favorite that they’ve sent thus far is Thieves Oil. Telly and Dr. Dahl also got me hooked on a few drops of Young Living peppermint oil to act as a decongestant.
Here’s hoping that, with all this wonderful help at my fingertips, the rest of the winter leaves me unscathed!