New York: Rehearsal
Well, I'm in New York, baby. Everything is really swell. My place faces the Empire State Building and I hear lots of horn honking going on. I think that's a New York thing...
Rehearsals are honestly quite the whirlwind: I've had two costume fittings, singing rehearsals, blocking rehearsals, choreography rehearsals, dialect rehearsals and of course dramaturgy (history) rehearsals. I also had my head wrapped in cellophane and got it taped up like a mummy; that was really bazaar... that's how they measure your head for your wigs. It's enough to make your head spin off, but somehow my head remains resting on my shoulders. I learned how to speak Italian and in the first 12 pages of the show I have 6 different costume changes, exits/entrances and props. It's kinda like that book, "Where's Waldo?"...but I'm Waldo in a hit musical dancing, singing and zipping from stage right to left.
Everything is very fast paced and specific with the set changes. I'm now a super pro at rolling on all the cool props...although the choreographer usually has to show me twice and remind me to "hurry and go fast, Melissa!" I get notes from everybody: from the head honcho down to the assistant, to the assistant's assistant or sometimes the note is just on a slip of paper. I think I'm pretty "fixable" though and I try not get the same note twice.
On Thursday I got to see the Broadway JB cast (really great!) for the first time so that explained a lot. The first day of rehearsals there were so many different colored taped lines and x's on the floor: I almost lost it. Really, I was quite clueless and just kept saying "yes" so I didn't look like a total moron. I don't think I blinked for the entire day! But now it's like second nature and now I "get it" after seeing the show.
The cast is really great and I enjoy working with all the talented people. I like where I'm staying and New York is something else: a concrete jungle machine. I find myself looking out the window to see how many people I can find in the adjacent skyscrapers. I wonder if they watch us rehearse. I started to ride the subway, too. The first time I ended up somewhere far far away from my little studio, but now I'm the one giving directions to tourists and explaining how to "swipe" the metro card. I've also been sung to twice on the subway, but I don't give them any money. Is that bad? A couple of nights ago I spent thirty minutes looking for wine in the grocery store to find out that one can only buy bottles at a liquor store. That's weird. And of course for the life of me...I cannot find reduced fat JIF peanut butter (my favorite) anywhere in the city. These New Yorkers are missing out on the BEST peanut butter ever.
MSS, Over and Out
Rehearsals are honestly quite the whirlwind: I've had two costume fittings, singing rehearsals, blocking rehearsals, choreography rehearsals, dialect rehearsals and of course dramaturgy (history) rehearsals. I also had my head wrapped in cellophane and got it taped up like a mummy; that was really bazaar... that's how they measure your head for your wigs. It's enough to make your head spin off, but somehow my head remains resting on my shoulders. I learned how to speak Italian and in the first 12 pages of the show I have 6 different costume changes, exits/entrances and props. It's kinda like that book, "Where's Waldo?"...but I'm Waldo in a hit musical dancing, singing and zipping from stage right to left.
Everything is very fast paced and specific with the set changes. I'm now a super pro at rolling on all the cool props...although the choreographer usually has to show me twice and remind me to "hurry and go fast, Melissa!" I get notes from everybody: from the head honcho down to the assistant, to the assistant's assistant or sometimes the note is just on a slip of paper. I think I'm pretty "fixable" though and I try not get the same note twice.
On Thursday I got to see the Broadway JB cast (really great!) for the first time so that explained a lot. The first day of rehearsals there were so many different colored taped lines and x's on the floor: I almost lost it. Really, I was quite clueless and just kept saying "yes" so I didn't look like a total moron. I don't think I blinked for the entire day! But now it's like second nature and now I "get it" after seeing the show.
The cast is really great and I enjoy working with all the talented people. I like where I'm staying and New York is something else: a concrete jungle machine. I find myself looking out the window to see how many people I can find in the adjacent skyscrapers. I wonder if they watch us rehearse. I started to ride the subway, too. The first time I ended up somewhere far far away from my little studio, but now I'm the one giving directions to tourists and explaining how to "swipe" the metro card. I've also been sung to twice on the subway, but I don't give them any money. Is that bad? A couple of nights ago I spent thirty minutes looking for wine in the grocery store to find out that one can only buy bottles at a liquor store. That's weird. And of course for the life of me...I cannot find reduced fat JIF peanut butter (my favorite) anywhere in the city. These New Yorkers are missing out on the BEST peanut butter ever.
MSS, Over and Out
posted by Melissa Strom
@ 1:07 PM
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