DAY THIRTY NINE - Thursday May 3
Woke up feeling slightly better - but definitely not 100%. Not even 65%.
I was actually awakened by my other favorite alarm clock - Nathaniel - for help finding a digital camera he could take on a school trip. Then I helped Phoebe with her math homework and tried to get some more sleep.
I had nothing scheduled for the morning session because I wanted to solve this Bondy problem. Gregg, Lena, Victor, Ivgeny and I met with Kirill in his office. I explained all that I have written about in yesterday's post and Kirill completely agreed with me. Gregg and Victor raised the vocal concerns. I told Kirill I thought they had a company FILLED TO THE BRIM with wonderful character actors. And that this guy, Aleksei L. was poised to grow into one of the greats - if he wasn't already. I felt it was the best choice to give the opportunity and (maybe) take a little bit of a chance vocally and make him Bondy. I don't even think it's that much of a chance, actually. I know I don't speak for everyone when I say that but, as I said before, and contrary to Grisha's opinion of my process, with a very open mind, I find this guy to be a far smaller compromise than the other guy.
Kirill supported my decision and that is that. We will work through all of his scenes tonight. The guy who we HAD moved up to Bondy is now moving back to the role Aleksei L is vacating - Bajassovich. Is your head spinning as fast as mine with all these changes? Which is exactly what I had suggested weeks ago because what I had heard Aleksei L (the latest guy moving up) sing in shows and in rehearsal indicated he could do Bondy. But we moved Sasha K (the guy with the baby who needs less responsibility) up instead because I was told he was stronger vocally. Which he may be. Sasha K plays much larger roles than Aleksei L - but before long, the same will be said of the latter as well.
I toured around the theatre to look in on the shops - to see the progress of the builds. The prop/paint shop was carving moldings and sculptures.
Here are some pix:
These will be sculptures (busts) that hold lamps - very old fashioned. In Act Two, after Mary renovates, they change to nude figures - a la Erte.
Upper walls of the palace set.
Doorways of the palace set.
The women's costume shop had about nine women madly pushing fabric through machines. They had built a large percentage of the show and it is a huge undertaking. I forgot to take pictures but will later.
I then went into Patti's rehearsal to watch a number she is staging with the comic couple and two of the dancers from the ballet company. It's hilarious and gorgeous. And will be great.
Here's a picture:
Back in the apt to relax a bit and ponder the major re-staging I mentioned earlier since we're deleting the onstage (fake) band and making that playing space the new entrance into the nightclub. The "cafe" orchestra will actually be OUR orchestra - and we'll have one of our actors start in the pit and then come up onstage. That'll be fun - to break the fourth wall - or, more accurately as Grisha put it, push the fourth wall to the far side of the orchestra pit rather than the proscenium. My only issue is making sense of getting the guy from the pit to the stage with the dialogue as written - and to make sense of him being so far from his orchestra when he has to play onstage. With the "band" upstage, that made more sense. But I think this will work. It will just take a bit of re-engineering.
Oh, here's a copy of our poster.
And here are our names in Russian - and our cities! I'm top line, Grisha is 2nd line on left, Pisha is third line on left.
We three went to lunch at a new restaurant I found last week when I was being adventurous with my translator app. It was my first solid food in two days.
During lunch, Gregg told me the tech director told him that because of the latest Bondy switch, there will be no costume for the new Bondy - therefore he won't perform the role until October. So we reward the guy who was playing a smaller part with now playing a larger part - and actually won't perform at all because there will be no costume for him. So why bother making the change at all? Why two casts if they're only doing two performances? Why three sets of Marys and Sandors? These, and other questions, are answered by the fact that they plan on keeping this show in the repertory for many years - 10? 15? So they like to have as many artists as possible work with the original creative team. Understood. But to prepare them all equally given the actual hours we have them (as opposed to thinking of how many weeks we are here) is just not realistic.
I'm supposed to rehearse the new Bondy tonight - but if he'll never perform unless he stays in his smaller role, I feel foolish doing so.
Maybe Kirill can force the costume to be built. The problem is all designs came in late and the shops are behind and opening approaches. Three weeks from tomorrow!!!
Woke up feeling slightly better - but definitely not 100%. Not even 65%.
I was actually awakened by my other favorite alarm clock - Nathaniel - for help finding a digital camera he could take on a school trip. Then I helped Phoebe with her math homework and tried to get some more sleep.
I had nothing scheduled for the morning session because I wanted to solve this Bondy problem. Gregg, Lena, Victor, Ivgeny and I met with Kirill in his office. I explained all that I have written about in yesterday's post and Kirill completely agreed with me. Gregg and Victor raised the vocal concerns. I told Kirill I thought they had a company FILLED TO THE BRIM with wonderful character actors. And that this guy, Aleksei L. was poised to grow into one of the greats - if he wasn't already. I felt it was the best choice to give the opportunity and (maybe) take a little bit of a chance vocally and make him Bondy. I don't even think it's that much of a chance, actually. I know I don't speak for everyone when I say that but, as I said before, and contrary to Grisha's opinion of my process, with a very open mind, I find this guy to be a far smaller compromise than the other guy.
Kirill supported my decision and that is that. We will work through all of his scenes tonight. The guy who we HAD moved up to Bondy is now moving back to the role Aleksei L is vacating - Bajassovich. Is your head spinning as fast as mine with all these changes? Which is exactly what I had suggested weeks ago because what I had heard Aleksei L (the latest guy moving up) sing in shows and in rehearsal indicated he could do Bondy. But we moved Sasha K (the guy with the baby who needs less responsibility) up instead because I was told he was stronger vocally. Which he may be. Sasha K plays much larger roles than Aleksei L - but before long, the same will be said of the latter as well.
I toured around the theatre to look in on the shops - to see the progress of the builds. The prop/paint shop was carving moldings and sculptures.
Here are some pix:
The women's costume shop had about nine women madly pushing fabric through machines. They had built a large percentage of the show and it is a huge undertaking. I forgot to take pictures but will later.
I then went into Patti's rehearsal to watch a number she is staging with the comic couple and two of the dancers from the ballet company. It's hilarious and gorgeous. And will be great.
Here's a picture:
Back in the apt to relax a bit and ponder the major re-staging I mentioned earlier since we're deleting the onstage (fake) band and making that playing space the new entrance into the nightclub. The "cafe" orchestra will actually be OUR orchestra - and we'll have one of our actors start in the pit and then come up onstage. That'll be fun - to break the fourth wall - or, more accurately as Grisha put it, push the fourth wall to the far side of the orchestra pit rather than the proscenium. My only issue is making sense of getting the guy from the pit to the stage with the dialogue as written - and to make sense of him being so far from his orchestra when he has to play onstage. With the "band" upstage, that made more sense. But I think this will work. It will just take a bit of re-engineering.
Oh, here's a copy of our poster.
And here are our names in Russian - and our cities! I'm top line, Grisha is 2nd line on left, Pisha is third line on left.
We three went to lunch at a new restaurant I found last week when I was being adventurous with my translator app. It was my first solid food in two days.
During lunch, Gregg told me the tech director told him that because of the latest Bondy switch, there will be no costume for the new Bondy - therefore he won't perform the role until October. So we reward the guy who was playing a smaller part with now playing a larger part - and actually won't perform at all because there will be no costume for him. So why bother making the change at all? Why two casts if they're only doing two performances? Why three sets of Marys and Sandors? These, and other questions, are answered by the fact that they plan on keeping this show in the repertory for many years - 10? 15? So they like to have as many artists as possible work with the original creative team. Understood. But to prepare them all equally given the actual hours we have them (as opposed to thinking of how many weeks we are here) is just not realistic.
I'm supposed to rehearse the new Bondy tonight - but if he'll never perform unless he stays in his smaller role, I feel foolish doing so.
Maybe Kirill can force the costume to be built. The problem is all designs came in late and the shops are behind and opening approaches. Three weeks from tomorrow!!!
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