DAY FORTY NINE - Sunday May 13
We were scheduled to run the show - although without the ballet company as they were in a kid's matinee. We have a three hour rehearsal to run a 2 1/2 hour show! Wait - no, we usually start 15 minutes after the hour to give the performers time to get from one thing to the next and have a 15 minute break in the middle so it is literally impossible to run the show during any one rehearsal session.
So we decided to just do Act Two and the epilogue.
Here is Patti filling in for the Angels who dance behind the comic couple.
It actually went fine - until the big chorus number when the majority of the chorus did not remember where they were supposed to be... AGAIN!!!!!!!!! I called a break after very firmly telling people they HAD TO WRITE THINGS DOWN (which of course they didn't) and that those who were fumbling with lines SHOULD BE ASHAMED OF THEMSELVES - 6 weeks in with only two weeks (actually, less) to go.
During the break - the chorus master actually ran the number they messed up. Finally.
We barely finished the run - but we skipped over the chorus blocking in the epilogue because there was no way we had time to arrange that.
So... it was great to give the company (us included) a feel for the flow of the piece - although the insecurity with lines made it painful at times. Arkadi - the really intelligent adapter was there but couldn't really get a sense of his piece with the lack of pacing due to lines.
In the evening, again we were supposed to trade off the lead couples but nobody who was supposed to be at my rehearsal showed up. They were in the show - or weren't called. Or some other confusion which I will never be able to sort out because I've given up trying. So I was with Patti in the ballet room.
We were scheduled to run the show - although without the ballet company as they were in a kid's matinee. We have a three hour rehearsal to run a 2 1/2 hour show! Wait - no, we usually start 15 minutes after the hour to give the performers time to get from one thing to the next and have a 15 minute break in the middle so it is literally impossible to run the show during any one rehearsal session.
So we decided to just do Act Two and the epilogue.
Here is Patti filling in for the Angels who dance behind the comic couple.
It actually went fine - until the big chorus number when the majority of the chorus did not remember where they were supposed to be... AGAIN!!!!!!!!! I called a break after very firmly telling people they HAD TO WRITE THINGS DOWN (which of course they didn't) and that those who were fumbling with lines SHOULD BE ASHAMED OF THEMSELVES - 6 weeks in with only two weeks (actually, less) to go.
During the break - the chorus master actually ran the number they messed up. Finally.
We barely finished the run - but we skipped over the chorus blocking in the epilogue because there was no way we had time to arrange that.
So... it was great to give the company (us included) a feel for the flow of the piece - although the insecurity with lines made it painful at times. Arkadi - the really intelligent adapter was there but couldn't really get a sense of his piece with the lack of pacing due to lines.
In the evening, again we were supposed to trade off the lead couples but nobody who was supposed to be at my rehearsal showed up. They were in the show - or weren't called. Or some other confusion which I will never be able to sort out because I've given up trying. So I was with Patti in the ballet room.
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