Let's Raise the Roof!

OK so last night was our Final Dress rehearsal for Wild Party. If you would have seen this show a week ago, you wouldn't have recognized it last night. There was so much energy all the costumes were there, the set was done, more lights were added, the orchestra is really sounding amazing, and we as the cast are on fire. Sure there were some mess ups ("Eddie..... .....silence.....all I have to say) but that happens, and we made it through. As I have talked about in this blog before, I am not one to really let myself go onstage that much, and I think I am letting go quite a bit in this show. I have to give most of the credit to Mike Dowdy who plays my "brother" in the show Oscar. Playing off of him is so easy, he loves theatre you can tell, and he knows what he is doing. But with age life changes I feel like I let go of my theatre dreams long ago. Sort of reminds me of what I was like at that age, he is 17 years my junior. THis has been a rough week for everyone in the show, late nights, long notes, little nuances, most of us working with full time jobs. We have all put everything into this show so I hope you come to see it.

Joel "Phil"

What a party!

OK so tech week is here. This is what us theatre folks call "hell week". We had two rehearsals this weekend, one a cue-to-cue for the lighting designer and one to sing through the show yesterday with the orchestra called a sitzprobe. All in all they went pretty good. Saturday was a long day and tensions got high, which I sort of ignored, I just stayed in my own little world, and just went to the new spot and stood.

Yesterday after the Sitzprobe we were talking and it seems like we have been doing this forever. I think it was because we had auditions SO early, and then in February we started rehearsing. We have been working on it forever, but it is going to be a great show. I can't wait to see how it looks with lights and costumes. Tonight we have the option of wearing our costumes if we feel like we need to practice a costume change, or to see how we do in a costume on certain dances. I don't think I will wear mine. I sweat WAY too much, and this costume is going to be very smelly by Thursday the way it is.

So now we put the finishing touches on this gem. Please come out and support this wonderful show, and join our Wild Party! Trust me it is wild. I keep rethinking who I am inviting. At the beginning I was inviting everyone, but now I know what all is in the show, and I know my parents will definately NOT be coming to this one. THis ain't no Sound of Music. Abusive relationship, simulated sex, simulated orgy, everyone kissing everyone on stage it seems, murder, and all of that put to music. Doesn't it sound fun!

I hope to see you all there.

Joel aka "Phil"

Left, left, jib, jab, etc....etc.....

OK so we have been in the theatre for more than a week now, and it is still as hot as hades in there, maybe it is just because I am so overweight that all I do is sweat. OK so now all the leads are getting better with their injuries, now Nikki lost her voice and yesterday morning I woke up to the right side of my jaw swollen. Went to the DR. and the nurse practioner told me that I have a gland that is blocked so all day at work it was hard for me to close my mouth all the way and to turn my head to the right. They gave me some antibiotics and referred me to an ENT so I have an appointment with them tomorrow. I feel better today, but it is still swollen a bit. It is just one of those freaky things that happen.

Well I did go to rehearsal, not feeling my best, and Scott started off the evening with some notes from the previous rehearsal, and Trish gave out her famous line notes that I love. I know I paraphrase a lot, and I want to make sure I get everything right. You rock Trish. Well Scott had some suggestions for my character, so I took them in. So of course during the run, I am not thinking of the suggestions until right before I start my lines, well then it is too late. I will try to remember tonight. During intermission Scott did tell me that they (Scott and Alison) loved what I did during my scene, and of course I couldn't remember what I had done. All I know is that I tried to slow things down a bit, and try not to be as frantic with my lines, which is what I think I was doing before....

Well we will see how things go tonight. Hopefully I can get more little nuances (is that spelled right, because it doesn't look right to me) in my character to help make him more interesting in this show.

We'll see!

Phil

Is there a doctor in the house!

OK next to the first time I did 42nd Street on the Goldenrod Showboat have I seen so many injuries in a show. Back in the day during our final dress rehearsal (The second run of the show that day, and I believe it was around 11:00 p.m.) we had two massive injuries during the running of We're in the Money. I was sitting offstage, because the stupid people in new york couldn't tell the difference between 38" waisted pants and 29" waisted pants. So no costume that matched the other boys so I learned the number for nothing. Well back to the story, about half way through THom Crain (our costumer for Wild Party) fell off the side of his dime that he danced on, and messed up his knee, and not even 5 seconds after we hear another thud, and one of the dancing girls fell off her dime. Well needless to say that put an end to that run. We just had to figure out how we would reblock these two out of parts of the show that they couldn't do.

Well a couple of weeks ago during a dance rehearsal, our male lead, Jeff, got hit in the nose while he was turing his partner during a dance number, and ended up with a bloody nose. It was a nasty bleeder, but he was OK. Then last night during the forced, rape-like sex scene in Act one Margeau, and Jeff, our two leads had a little accident. Jeff accidentally hit Margeau on the corner of her eye with his head. It started bleeding, and nurse Mara was there to save the day. I think she should add that to her character, she is a nurse by day hooker by night, could add a lot to her story line. These guys are pros though. I haven't had a serious accident during the run of a show (knock on wood...knock....knock....knock), and I pray I never do. I always worry about hurting my hands, since I am a piano player that would suck if I ever broke my wrist.

Well we finished our first week in the theatre last night. I have to say it was a little scary the first two nights, but last night I felt we had more energy. Robin came in a spaced us out for a couple of the dance numbers, and she said they looked better. I don't know how I am going to survive this show. I know we have been without A/C at the theatre right now because they are working on it, but when I get a costume on, even with A/C I am going to be dripping with sweat the whole show.

Tomorrow night we do a benefit for a party and we are going to sing a couple of songs. That should be fun. Then we are back in the theatre on Monday for our next full run through the show.

Well the time has come to close.

Phil
Joel

Baruchatah

I have no idea what this word means, but it is just so fun to sing in this show. Last night we had our first rehearsal in the theatre with a skeletal version of the set. I knew our space was going to be tighter, but I had no idea it would be this tight. I am not tinkerbell, I take up some space when I move on stage. I felt like I was in everyones way last night. Have you ever had the feeling like you just don't know where you are at any particular moment. Scott was trying to get something spaced onstage, and I could not for the life of me figure out where I was. Then there was no A/C last night, and it sounds like there won't be any tonight either. Well since Tinkerbell I am not, I was sweating like a TinkerBULL!!!! I hope they get some sort of A/C going cause I am scared to think what it will be like when we get our costumes on, and I have a feeling it won't be breathable material.

Well this show is proving to be the adventure I thought it would be when I got cast as Phil. Orgy's onstage, well as much of an orgy that you can do clothed, an incestuious relationship with my brother. I have never experienced any of these things. About the only thing that I feel comfortable doing that I have done in real life is drinking alcohol. I have never smoked a joint, so I have no idea how to do that onstage. So I have sort of been making it like Phil is like that also, he has friends that do it all the time, and this is the party that he gives into temptation and tries it. I guess that is why they call it the Wild Party.

Wow......it only gets better from here. TOnight we have a runthrough with Chris Peterson playing the piano. We are so used to Scotts tempos, and Scott being able to follow us, but now it is time Chris gets a run at this. This score is not easy either. I am glad that I am not playing the show, but it may be fun just to try to play some of these songs sometime.

Well it is almost time to go home before I go to rehearsal.

Til next time

Phil
Joel