Oh happy day, with joyous glee!
First of all, let me say that last night I dreamt that they changed my costume again, and I would be wearing a silver jumpsuit for the beginning of Act 2.
Fortunately (?) that didn’t happen IRL- my “new” dress was all ready for me, although there was some concern over my nightgown and peignoir. I got the last remaining of each so never even tried them on (I didn’t have one of the pieces until the dress rehearsal was over), and when I tried it on before I went on for the girls’ final entrance, I found that it was really really short. I found a stray chorus girl and asked her what she thought, and she heroically switched with me, since I’m in the front the whole time and it’ll be more obvious if my clothes don’t fit. (OK yeah I should have tried it on at home before I came in. I just really didn’t want to.)
We (me, Maggie, and her boyfriend) got their early, as Maggie and I were among the first called, but when I got to the dressing room all the chorus girls were there already, doing their hair and what-not. I was probably the last person dressed, as I had a problem when my hair spray bottle was clogged beyond hope (they said use hot water, but I couldn’t get any out of the tap). I borrowed some but it didn’t really do the trick, so my nice little curls didn’t hold. Anyways I got myself together in time and without too much stress.
When I went to open my parasol for the first entrance, it didn’t look like it was going to stay open, and when I went to fix it I made it worse. One of the chorus girls saw me struggling with it and switched with me, and she fixed it just in time before she got onstage. (I just couldn’t get at it through my gloves!) There was also a little traffic jam entering to our positions for the dance, but my partners managed it so I ended up in the right place anyway. Go team! After that the dance went great.
The audience laughed when I jumped out for my solo. I realized I didn’t know how to get rid of my parasol (which I was told to do), but Maggie and I had mentioned it at some point, so I managed to pass it off to her, cued with one of those exaggerated stage looks you give someone when you want to communicate to them to do something.
The aria went without incident- I had to be careful during the part with all the staccatti- you know, the part where Linda Ronstead skips every 12th note to take a breath- not to skip in a circle too exuberantly, as we don’t do this part as fast as I’d like and I don’t want to run out of breath. That worked out, and I sang a big high F, and still didn’t get the conductor to bring the orchestra in where I expected them despite a huge gesture, but they got in when I went up to the high note which is good enough.
That’s as much blow-by-blow as you’re going to get, because it was pretty uneventful after that, as far as I’m concerned. The act 1 finale was really fun (I love it), the intermission was low-key (I texted with my mom), and When the Foeman Bears his Steel was really fun- I went pretty over the top with it. I messed up the duet a little- sang the harmony at the wrong place (sometimes Frederick sings harmony and sometimes I do), which threw us off a little, but nothing obvious if you don’t know the piece.
I am a pretty emotional actress- not uncontrollably so, but I get into it- and I got tears in my eyes when the Police Sergeant lost to the Pirate King and they were going to kill my dad. I literally did. I could have gone with it and cried, but that would have been inappropriate, since it’s um Gilbert and Sullivan.
A good reminder, though, that comedy isn’t funny if you’re in it. It’s funny from the outside, tragic from the inside, until the happy ending. I didn’t get a chance to mingle with the audience afterwards, as the costumer wanted to examine my peignoir, but when I finally did exit, a very kind man told me I was the most hilarious Mabel in history. I was surprised, because I hadn’t thought it was a funny part, and didn’t remember doing anything funny, except overdoing Go Ye Heroes. But then I remembered the same thing happened to me in Gondoliers- when I was in it, I thought it was such a sad story, and when someone said how funny we were, I was completely taken aback. That’s how it works!!
So it was a great show. And my last role of the year. I have to do it again in December, but that’s it for me for the near future. It’s been a busy year!!
Love always,
Amanda
