Last week I was felled by a nasty cold. As a result, Mo Rocca 180's normal video rollout (new videos on Monday, Wednesday, Friday) has been suspended for a week. A new video will appear on this blog next Wednesday. My apologies.

Not only was video production halted. I also had to miss two performances of my Broadway show, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee. Not to fear, I'm back on the boards thanks to the goodwill and expertise of my fellow actors.

There's no better place to be sick than on Broadway. That's because musical theater actors have no end of remedies.
The brilliant and beautiful Jennifer Simard (Rona in the show) brought me a bottle of Hydrogen Peroxide.

"Pour a capful in one ear and let it sit there for about a minute. It will start fizzing and burbling. That's good. It's killing all the germs that enter through your ears. Then do the other ear. You'll also want to gargle with a water-hydrogen peroxide solution."

She also gave me a package of surgical masks.

"Thanks, Jen, but I don't have SARS," I explained.

"Better safe than sorry," she said. "And make sure you sleep with a scarf around your neck."

The chameleon-like Sara Inbar (before playing Schwartzy she played an Irish maid), suggested gargling with water "as hot as you can stand mixed with salt."

The charismatic and very Californian Aaron J. Albano (Chip) recommended scented candles and very light bikram yoga in the bathtub. "Open your chakras, Mo, and just let the bad stuff pour forth."

Korean-American teen idol Stanley Bahorek (Coneybear) suggested lots of liquids - and spicy foods. "My grandmother's kimchi works miracles. It turned my hair red!"

Ironically the alluring Greta Lee (Marcy Park), who is of full Korean descent (Stanley is only one-quarter Korean) disagreed. "Tic Tacs," she said insouciantly.

"Tic Tacs?"

"The sugar kills germs - and they taste awesome!" she said before turning on her heel and rushing off to jazzercise between performances last Saturday. (This girl is non-stop.)

The hilarious - and deeply religious - Jared Gertner (Barfee) recommended prayer and a foot massage. This was not a joke. "It's about focusing - and driving out the 'demon' infections. Sometimes these are in our feet." Hence the foot massage. "Who says an exorcism can't feel great?"

My dressing room-mate, the stentorian James Monroe Iglehart (Mitch), a commanding presence with a booming baritone (think Laurence Fishburne or young James Earl Jones), brought me a bouquet of daisies and insisted on giving me the foot massage prescribed by Jared.

Finally, the angelic and sweet-as-honey-voiced Jenni Barber (Olive), took a more traditionalist stand: "Drink some tea and get your ass out on stage. You don't have a singing part. What the F*#k? Have some sack."