Combine feeling ill with a time change and, I suppose, this morning was inevitable. I awoke with a start and looked around, surprised that the bedroom was filled with light. Happy that Nala stayed with me… her presence in the bedroom is truly becoming a barometer on if she’s feeling neglected or not and staying in the room seems to be a way of indicating she’s accepting of our current arrangement. But… it was 8:30! This is certainly an issue but one that is not fatal. You see, in an effort to teach the Law Student how to do this job (as it seems more likely that they will offer her a position) we’d already done everything but the hearings for Tuesday. So… the only real work I had for the day doesn’t start until 11 a.m. anyway! So… it’s good that my tardiness wasn’t more disastrous. Of course, I still feel like crap and all along the hallways, I am hearing hacking coughs so.... once again, either “catching what everyone has” or “causing it.” Not to mention Tuesday Hearings are a petri dish of close quarters interaction with dozens and dozens and dozens and dozens of people. So… definitely hoping I can shake whatever this is as opposed to succumb to it! Not only do I (at least presently) not have sufficient coverage at work if I go down but… I need to at least get past this weekend! It may happen anyway, but if the cast needs to do a performance without me- my solo will be reassigned! And as… displeased as I am with myself for my current struggle with that solo… I know the director is letting me struggle as a favor because he knows what it means to me. In that same spirit- tonight’s rehearsal may be cool, terrible, or a bit of both.
We’re finally taking our show onto the stage instead of rehearsal rooms and that’s a big deal for multiple reasons.... perhaps most importantly of such being IT WILL CHANGE EVERY SINGLE MOVEMENT IN THE SHOW. Now, I appreciate why we work in the rehearsal rooms. It’s good to get a foundation of what you need to do, where you need to go, how you need to move. BUT especially when you are trying to move WITH music or IN TIME or get to certain places BY SPECIFIC BEATS.... planning all of that in a smaller space than where you perform renders too much of it null! As great as it is to think “Oh! That looks so cool here! If you can get from down stage right to upstage left in those 3 beats, that will be perfect!”.... taking that sentiment from a 9 by 15 foot room onto a proper full proscenium stage? Depending on how many people are also dancing at that time, going from down stage right to upstage left might take 3 measures! Then add the Scene elements we’ve not blocked around? So… this entire dance was created and rehearsed in a space where we have uninterrupted parallel lines. But translate it to the stage and.... a third of the front line and half of the backline has nowhere to move because where they were originally set is now a giant building facade. So, as with many things, I don’t/can’t get fully and properly into “OKAY, time to get serious!” until we start working on the stage proper. Because truly if I memorize an entire sequence (pitch, lyrics, dance) only to have all of it scrapped because, “Oh! We… we need to shift half of the dancers to a different part of the stage and rewrite that entire section of choreography!” Well… let’s just say looking foolish by not being fully dedicated before is a better look than not being able to adapt to new choreo quickly. The plan for today is to try to get through “at least the first 100 pages” of Act 1. Truly… as frustrating as this process can be… this is where being a fan of the show pays off. Because NOW (finally) we can enter the audience and watch the parts that aren’t with us involved. And in a show like this? That… covers more than you might think! Just going off of the song list?
(1) Prelude- likely will skip tonight as there is no actor requirement.
(2) The Ballad of Sweeney Todd Opening- choreographed piece with most of Company
(3) No Place Like London (after we block the transition rom Ballad to new scene, we can just watch)
(4) The Barber and his Wife (we can just watch as they block and choreo)
(5) The Worst Pies in London (we can just watch as they block and choreo)
(6) Poor Thing (we’ll need to block the transitions and this is the Rape Scene, so we’ve choreographed it and now need to get the movements tighter)
(7) My Friends (there is a portion of this song requiring ensemble. It will be important to discover how we block this, as I have a solo, so… if we’re on stage, will this require a rapid costume change from the last scene or can I wear the same outfit and remove the mask?)
(8) Green Finch and Linnet Bird (if we’re on stage for previous, work the transition, we can just watch)
And it’s “spectator” until Pirelli’s Miracle Elixir which..... I would be surprised if we reached tonight. Even still… let’s say we were somehow able to block the entire 1st Act tonight (which would be a miracle in itself)..... the Ensemble is Pirelli which we’ve choreographed (and for myself is mostly just knowing where to walk when) and The Contest which… we need to block well but, unless they’ve changed their minds, most of my involvement is to sit in a chair while our Pirelli sings around me. After that, there’s another Ballad of Sweeney Todd then that is the entire involvement required in Act 1. And as soon as we get Act 1 down? For me - the show is mostly over. Act 2 requires me in God, That’s Good which is the opening song of the act.... then not again until The Ballad of Sweeney Todd Closing. So… in a 32 song show… I have to worry about only a quarter of the show. WHICH… also suggests I shouldn’t be struggling with my bloody solos or the dance portion considering the limited involvement but… again, I hope shifting it to the stage proper helps. As many of the songs where I’m dancing, I am an outside dancer… meaning the most likely to run into set pieces we did not consider when designing the dances. I just… I wish I was a better singer. I’ve noticed I now essentially default to Patter Voice which… is a bad sign. It means that on a not chosen level, my brain is saying “Get the words out on beat, don’t even worry about pitch- you can’t do it.” SO… I’ll need to keep spending time rehearsing at home. BUT this is another place where I hope transferring to the stage helps. Because in the small rehearsal rooms? I can barely hear myself the music is so loud. The Stage, instead of relying on speakers that overpower, have specific speakers directionally implemented. So, we’ll hear the music and the backing track but it shouldn’t overpower. Which… may make me feel worse (if I can hear how off pitch I am) but.... I just have to keep remembering… “Dude, sucking at something is the first step towards being sorta good at something” so I have to keep trying, keep working, keep improving!
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