And although last night everything FIANLLY came together for me as far as my acting, singing, and dancing is concerned- I am still super nervous, and I still know I have a long way to go. Our audience tonight will mostly be made up of theatre folk. This is good and bad. Although they may be forgiving (we technically aren't open), they also know exactly what we are aiming for. This will be it before our official opening tomorrow night.
Okay, once again I'm pressed for time, so here's a quick run down of yesterdays happenings:
When I arrived at the theatre I went to the green room as usual to place my belongings and make a cup of tea. When I sat down at the table with Craig (our amazing sound designer) there was a magazine opened up with me in it. Well not just me- but I was in every photo. I think "Holy S**t" was the first thing that came out of my mouth- for a few reasons. First, the pictures were beautiful, big, and glossy. And secondly, I've never been more proud of anything in my life than being a part of this production, and to have that printed out in such vivid color is a feeling I never knew even existed. Dallas, our artistic director, was responsible for the photos, and I must say, they look pretty damn good. Aside from myself, the photo spread included my Peggy Sawyer and my four beautiful show girls who perform "I Only Have Eyes For You." Everyone looks fantastic. And yes, I already snagged a few copies to send home for Mom and family ;-)
After lunch we rehearsed "The Ever After" with the KidzAct kids. Once again, most of them pick of choreo and blocking much quicker than I ever could. They are a great group, and Jessica is putting together a top notch production for any audience lucky enough to get a ticket. Speaking of Jessica- this girl has her s**t together. Not only is she a lead with me in 42nd Street, she spends all day at the theatre with the kids and is truly one of the best teachers/directors that I've ever worked with. She's the real deal, and I'm so lucky to have crossed paths with her at this time in my life. She's water, and I'm the sponge...or something like that ;-)
At 3:30 I went up to the 3rd floor rehearsal studio to drill the opening number with the kids doing the Teen production of 42nd Street later this summer. OMG, I haven't had that much fun in ages. I kind of love being in charge...who knew? LOL. Anyway, the kids, once again, are pretty damn amazing. And though they have a long way to go (some more than others) they aren't afraid of criticism and they all give 100%. I'm afraid there a few people in my cast who could take a cue from these youngsters. Some of them have never tapped in their life, but they're selling it. I've got to thank Dawn, our director of 42nd Street for trusting me with the teens yesterday afternoon. I hope I can continue to help her through the summer. I know I'm becoming a better performer by helping others- something I never thought I had in me- but there it is, and I'm LOVING it completely.
Damn, I really need to hop in the shower, but here's a little bit about last nights dress rehearsal. First of all my biggest mistake was eating Panda Express between KidzAct and rehearsal. By the time it was time for the famous "money kicks" I was about to throw up. gross, I know, but true. Lesson learned.
I think I finally got my body mich situation worked out. Craig designed a little metal thing for me to wear around my ear that is hardly visible but wont come off when I sweat, etc. Unfortunately, regular mich tape doesn't cut it for me. I'm a sweater through and through anyway- add to it the fact that I almost never leave the stage and when I do it's for a quick change, a sip of water, or to pee. I know, I know, too much info, right? We also figured out that I needed to rig the elastic belt that holds the mich pack to my body a little tighter due to the fact that it was being knocked out of place during many of our dance numbers.
Okay, so the show (rehearsal) started at 8. Once again I got goosebumps when the orchestra began the overture. Have I told you how lucky I feel lately? Anyway, I decided before rehearsal (while chowing down on the aforementioned Panda Express) that I was just going to have fun. I've done all the hard work and preparation, now it's a matter of sharing that with the audience and just letting go. Consequently, it was my best run/rehearsal so far. According to Dawn, "Young And Healthy" was "Broadway!" You have no idea how much that meant to me. For some reason "young and Healthy" has been one of the hardest numbers for me to tackle. Although a relatively easy song to sing, the dynamics and acting are very intricate, and I have to sing it immediately following the opening tap sequence. I have to credit my Peggy (Rachel) for giving me the confidence that i was lacking, and ff course Dawn's stellar direction and choreo that really make that number pop.
The rest of the run unfolded pretty damn smoothly. Money is my favorite number, and I think it shows. There's something about jumping of that big a** dime while the scrim in going up that is just magic to me.
Okay, time to rush to the theatre. This whole blog thing is quite addicting.
See ya on the other side...of Preview, that is ;-)
Let's make tonight and every night "BROADWAY!"
No comments:
Post a Comment