Not Just Another Pretty Voice

I was just starting a new song and can’t find my notebook to write it down in.  I give up, maybe I’ll remember it.  (I always say this and never do, but I was so methodical about the form that I think that will help.)

Yesterday (Saturday I mean) was the one and only performance of Champagne & Candlelight Opera’s La Fille du Regiment. starring me as Marie and David Yin as Tonio.

So how did it go?  Well I think it went pretty awesome!

As loyal readers know, we didn’t get a full-time Sulpice- Michael Lono filled in for a lot of dialogue and a few bits of music but for some reason (never asked the details) didn’t sing the whole role.  Really though, we just cut our duet (huge fricking duet) and a couple choral/ensemble things.  (We still did the Rataplan chorus.)  We did the lesson scene as a duet, which worked out, but had to cut out “Tous les trois reunis,” because “Tous les deux reunis” just doesn’t have the same ring to it.

So even though the flyer says “Highlights,” we really did pretty much the whole opera.

At the dress rehearsal David told me we’d be wearing concert attire. and I should wear pants in the first act and a dress in the second act.  I didn’t have any concert-quality pants sets, so I decided to show up in fatigues, boots, and a tank top that shows all my muscles.  (I brought a nicer pants outfit just in case I couldn’t get David and Maestro Yazdzik to see my vision, but they were into it.)  This not only was fun and helped me out since I didn’t have appropriate attire, but helped me to act more boyly.  (Not quite manly at her age.)  It doesn’t help things that we’re only semi-staged and never spent time on blocking or acting (beyond musically, which is most important because this is opera after all), so I didn’t put a lot of time or effort into it.  It’s not a pants role, but she’s raised by men so she’s supposed to be a serious tomboy.  I am way to sexy and girlie to do this easily.  I am a good actress and experienced in dance and body-awareness stuff, but I have to really work on breaking my coquettish habits.  Marie refers to herself as a recovering coquette (sort of) so I guess it’s not such a bad thing.  Whatever, my point is that the army pants and big boots served as a good reminder to me to stop around.  I also did stuff like sitting on the floor and taking wider stances, which helped.  I was still really girlie but whatever, the people in the library auditorium did not seem to notice.

I didn’t give myself nearly as much time to warm up and practice as I had wanted, so I was paranoid that my high notes would be rusty again like they were at the dress rehearsal.  Since we cut out the opening duet and ensembles, the first thing I had to sing was Chacun le sait.  The Amanda White version of Chacun le sait has a staccato high E in the opening cadenza, a staccato high F in the final cadenza, and a sustained high F at the end.  (It didn’t used to, but I was singing it in one rehearsal, and Martin pointed up and looked at me, so I did, and we kept it.)  So I had no time to get things rolling.  I knew when I hit the first staccato E and it was fine that I was in the clear, and indeed every high note that day was spot on.  (I’ve never messed up a high note in a performance ever.)

We chose to shout “Morbleu” and “Corbleu” instead of sing them- something I did at my audition (it just seemed like the thing to do- I had done it also at my Opera on Tap performance of it not long before, where I also interpolated my own French curse words), which I get the impression is the one reason they hired me.  It was really fun- it’s easier to get into it in performance than in rehearsal.  Morbleu!!!

There was a little awkwardness in the duet with Tonio when SOMEBODY stepped on my lines a couple times, but the improvised blocking was spotless.  Oh and it was the first time other than at home by myself where I managed to say “bien coupable bien coupable bien coupable bien coupable assurement” without stumbling over the words!

The act 1 finale was the biggest surprise to me- in how well it went.  It was the first time I felt things came together dramatically- the Marquise pulling me one way, trying to stay near Tonio, the really sustained A over everybody’s babbling (ha ha, soprano’s point of view).  Oh, except I tried to bring Tonio downstage for our duettino but he didn’t come so I ended up standing way in front of him.  Fine, I’ll stand in front, I’m the star!

Intermission was funny- the dress just barely fits me (things don’t like to zip on me because my back is huge) and I had to ask an MTA employee in the bathroom to help zip me up.  Between the two of us we finally got it after a couple minutes of trying.

The lesson scene was so much fun!  Oh, I really want to do it with a Sulpice now!  Anybody at Opera on Tap wanna do it?  My totally 100% favorite part is the two octave scale that ends in a scream.  (The scream is not written in per se but everyone does it that way.)  Stuff like that comes naturally to me for some reason.  Similar to the way in which I did my Florence Foster Jenkins impression spot-on the first time without ever having practiced it.  Something about using my singing voice in an unorthodox way for acting’s sake.  I dunno.  The only problem I had with the scene was that I was jumping around so much during the Rataplan that I started getting short of breath, and we had arranged for me to sing a ridiculously long F- like, comically long- and I had to bail a little early.

My scena was a really nice break from the rest of the opera- the only chance Marie has to take the stage for herself and just tear it up, first with beautiful singing and sadness, then with elation and insane coloratura (at least in my version).  We had no chorus so I did the whole scene myself.  It felt like I nice intimate moment with the audience.

The best part of the finale is when I walked on and the Marquise accidentally read her first line in English instead of French.  I looked at her funny and she mumbled, “Oh yeah.  French,” and I continued in French.  (She was awesome, by the way.  Stephanie Unfer.  Hire her.)  Well the finale is really short and it went well, me ending up downstage center again, this time on purpose…

Assuming I keep on going with the opera career, I think Marie will be one of my best roles, and I will sing her everywhere.  For now, it felt good to put the score back on the shelf.

Now I have to think about Opera on Tap on Thursday, and our opening of Pirates of Penzance on Saturday!!!

Love always,

Amanda White