We're already opening Fiddler on the Roof, and it has been quite a ride. Our director, who continues his frightening resemblance to Corky Sherwood in Waiting for Guffman, has been an odd and perniskety guide. The tricky part is that most of what he says is most likely a complete and utter lie, but his direction, though confusing, seems right on target. He'll gesticulate:"I've done 23 productions of Oliver - about ten years ago, I got a call to play, once again, the Artful Dodger [he would have been 50 ish then] and I said, there is not enough clown white to pack under these eyes to do that anymore." And he will give seemingly conflicting advice. Last night: "You don't need to add a character walk for any of these people. Just walk." Tonight: "They've got to be working people, they should walk like they've been working all day. The posture is here [he hunches over]."
Also, he tends to tell you something as if you've been doing it wrong, except he's just never bothered to tell you that before. Night before last I waited around on an entrance because, unbeknownst to me, he'd cut my cue line. Handy to know that, really.
That's the frustrating part - we've had 10 days of rehearsal, all while playing another show, usually twice a day, and tech was nearly the first time we'd ever run the show. So tonight at dress rehearsal when we were doing the show for really the second time ever, still grappling with costume changes and props and just getting things on and off stage, I got a ton of notes about detailed scene work I should be fixing.
But the kicker is, I should be fixing it! It's so frustrating, I don't actually have enough time to absorb all the things I'm being asked to do, I'm barely hanging on, and I feel worried and sad about all the moments I can't yet make work. I wish I could be happy I made it to the stage at all, but I'm not built like that.
I am grateful for several things. One, with the two week schedule we have, there is a scant four days in which we are only concentrating on one show - these are those days, and I am passionately grateful. We start Funny Girl on Friday. I'm also grateful South Pacific is over, over, over, and I never have to be touched by my creepy co-star ever again. Hurrah. I hate to hate him so much, but he was sleazy as well as a bad actor, and I'm happy to be rid of him. The older man playing Tevye is actually really lovely and has been a great joy. It's true, I don't kiss him at all, and that's part of the relief, but I think I would find him easier to kiss because he's at least a nice man trying to do his job well, without endless extraneous comments. I'm equally grateful to be feeling semi-well again. There's still a lot of phlegm of a morning, but at least my throat isn't sore. Singing Nellie twice a day after long rehearsals was wearing me down.
It also occurs to me I'm grateful to be here at all. Now that the evil co-star from hell has gone, I work with nice people putting on shows. Fiddler is a lovely show, great music and a moving story, and it's a pleasure to be doing what I love, even if I still feel I'm doing a sub-par job.
And with that, I head into opening Show Number 2! After tomorrow, two down, four to go!
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