This is hard work.
This last week has been a whirlwind! I'm pretty much physically and mentally exhausted from learning the show, which has turned out to be a bigger task than I expected, although totally do-able.
It started Tuesdsay with my daily rehearsals, noon-5pm. Every day since then I've rehearsed, going over and over the music, learning choreography, learning blocking, learning my prop and wardrobe handoffs, etc. I also find time to every once in a while make it to the costume or wig rooms to try on costume pieces that have arrived, one of my 3 wigs, or one of my two pairs of custom-made shoes! On Tuesday night I got to see the show for the first time, and I was pleasantly surprised. I was worried that a tour that's been out for a bizillion years (seriously, I found out that there are people on this tour who have been here since 1992!!!) might be tired and kind of gross. Instead, I found that the show was in good shape (better than B'way, which I saw a few months ago). The dancing isn't sloppy, the singing sounds great, and all the principles are strong. I shouldn't say too much in case people that I'm working with eventually read this, but I was also really impressed with our Phantom, John Cudia, who's fantastic! I know no one will be surprised, but I proceeded to cry buckets at the end, when I was sad for the poor lonely Phantom.
On Wednesday I watched the show from the downstage wings, which was great because I was right up by the action. I also walked around backstage and started meeting people. On Thursday I watched from the wings, and occasionally from backstage, paying more attention specifically to what my character was doing. And since Friday, I've been trailing Katie! Katie Banks is the person who I'm temporarily replacing, while she goes to the Broadway production. I couldn't be luckier, because she's been soooo nice to me, and I'm sure it gets annoying with me following on her heels all the time. Since Friday I basically spend the whole show following her, and taking notes on everything she does... where she takes off her wig, what jewelry she wears, when she changes her makeup, if she gets a break (nope), etc. The more I do of this the smoother the transition should be for everyone else when I go in on FRIDAY!
All of this basically adds up to a tired me. I'm doing my best to memorize everything (although I don't really want to break to the Stage Manager who's teaching me that I used to have a reputation for forgetting my words, and that in high school and college I almost always found a way to sneak script pages on stage for some extra help), but Masquerade is rediculous with all the slightly different words, millions of verses, and rediculous choreography. I'm also trying to meet and memorize the names of all my cast and crew members! I've never been great with names - through the years I've definitly called my friends by the wrong names, not to mention strangers, so this is really hard for me. On Friday I had a rehearsal with 8 other people, so they could practice the tracks they understudy or swing, and at one point a guy leaned over to me and said, "don't worry - there's another guy on your other side." and I said, "oh yeah, larry?" and he goes, "no, I'm larry." OOPS! That just tells you how good I am. Not only do I have to memorize who everyone is, I'm also trying to figure out who's single, who's crazy, who's married to each other, who's fun, and who to watch out for. It makes for a busy me.
Becuase of all this, I haven't had time to see Toronto at all, although I can see the awesome CN Tower (is that what it's called?) from my apartment, and the area around the theatre is adorable. I learn makeup tomorrow, rehearse all next week, and then have my put-in rehearsal Friday day, and my first show Friday night! Overall though, I'm really lucky. I'll have had almost two weeks by then, as opposed to our new male swing who gets here on Tuesday and also has is put-in on Friday! Whenever I think about complaining, someone reminds me that they did it in "three days". I know I'll be fine. Wish me luck anyway!
It started Tuesdsay with my daily rehearsals, noon-5pm. Every day since then I've rehearsed, going over and over the music, learning choreography, learning blocking, learning my prop and wardrobe handoffs, etc. I also find time to every once in a while make it to the costume or wig rooms to try on costume pieces that have arrived, one of my 3 wigs, or one of my two pairs of custom-made shoes! On Tuesday night I got to see the show for the first time, and I was pleasantly surprised. I was worried that a tour that's been out for a bizillion years (seriously, I found out that there are people on this tour who have been here since 1992!!!) might be tired and kind of gross. Instead, I found that the show was in good shape (better than B'way, which I saw a few months ago). The dancing isn't sloppy, the singing sounds great, and all the principles are strong. I shouldn't say too much in case people that I'm working with eventually read this, but I was also really impressed with our Phantom, John Cudia, who's fantastic! I know no one will be surprised, but I proceeded to cry buckets at the end, when I was sad for the poor lonely Phantom.
On Wednesday I watched the show from the downstage wings, which was great because I was right up by the action. I also walked around backstage and started meeting people. On Thursday I watched from the wings, and occasionally from backstage, paying more attention specifically to what my character was doing. And since Friday, I've been trailing Katie! Katie Banks is the person who I'm temporarily replacing, while she goes to the Broadway production. I couldn't be luckier, because she's been soooo nice to me, and I'm sure it gets annoying with me following on her heels all the time. Since Friday I basically spend the whole show following her, and taking notes on everything she does... where she takes off her wig, what jewelry she wears, when she changes her makeup, if she gets a break (nope), etc. The more I do of this the smoother the transition should be for everyone else when I go in on FRIDAY!
All of this basically adds up to a tired me. I'm doing my best to memorize everything (although I don't really want to break to the Stage Manager who's teaching me that I used to have a reputation for forgetting my words, and that in high school and college I almost always found a way to sneak script pages on stage for some extra help), but Masquerade is rediculous with all the slightly different words, millions of verses, and rediculous choreography. I'm also trying to meet and memorize the names of all my cast and crew members! I've never been great with names - through the years I've definitly called my friends by the wrong names, not to mention strangers, so this is really hard for me. On Friday I had a rehearsal with 8 other people, so they could practice the tracks they understudy or swing, and at one point a guy leaned over to me and said, "don't worry - there's another guy on your other side." and I said, "oh yeah, larry?" and he goes, "no, I'm larry." OOPS! That just tells you how good I am. Not only do I have to memorize who everyone is, I'm also trying to figure out who's single, who's crazy, who's married to each other, who's fun, and who to watch out for. It makes for a busy me.
Becuase of all this, I haven't had time to see Toronto at all, although I can see the awesome CN Tower (is that what it's called?) from my apartment, and the area around the theatre is adorable. I learn makeup tomorrow, rehearse all next week, and then have my put-in rehearsal Friday day, and my first show Friday night! Overall though, I'm really lucky. I'll have had almost two weeks by then, as opposed to our new male swing who gets here on Tuesday and also has is put-in on Friday! Whenever I think about complaining, someone reminds me that they did it in "three days". I know I'll be fine. Wish me luck anyway!
posted by Beth at 3:32 PM
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