No more Radio shows :(

My latest play, The 1940s Radio Hour closed about a month ago. Sadly, I didn't get to perform on the actual closing night because I flew out to my cruise that day. It sucked to realize that everyone else would continue without me, though I'm glad that Jen Crabb -- who filled in for me closing night -- had such great reviews from the rest of the cast! I don't like to be replaced, but I do like to know the show was well taken care of :) After all, we all knew when I auditioned that I wouldn't do closing. However, I did get to perform nine times, and on my closing night I definitely wasn't ready for the experience to be over!

I think I've mentioned before that this show is a bit unique in that it isn't a "standard" musical. The music didn't really play a lot into the plot -- unless you read between the lines -- in fact, there wasn't much of a plot. It was more like watching the goings-on behind the scenes and onstage during a radio show (because unless you were part of the live audience, you wouldn't normally get to see what's going on, including silly hats and manic dancing, and embarrassing pants dropping, all of which occurred during the course of our show).

I loved having the chance to develop a character who's more like me than most I've played lately. Ann was a grown-up! She was a career woman! She had a complicated relationship! She didn't say much but she observed everything. I admit, I felt old and boring much of the time, but I sure did have fun experiencing all the antics going on around me. It was probably lucky I came to understand Ann so well, because I felt like I improvised a lot. I never knew how the conversations between my implied romantic lead, Luke, and I would go, and I laughed a lot at all of the glitches and random things people on stage came up with! "Blue Moon" was never the same, and I think I laughed harder and harder each performance! At least, I hope I remained in character for all of those.

It was funny, though. I always got to the end of the show and felt like I -- both me and my character -- had changed from who we were in the beginning. It was an emotional journey for my character, and it was a lot of work for me. It's hard to be onstage for two hours with few breaks! It was a cool opportunity as an actress, and I gave it my all! 

The music I got to sing was a dream! The songs I already knew were favorites, and the songs I didn't know quickly became favorites. I had to buy all of the songs on iTunes so I could have my own soundtrack to listen to :) C'mon, how often will I get to sing "Baby It's Cold Outside", "Have Yourselves a Merry Little Christmas", "Chiquita Banana", and a jazzy "Jingle Bells?" I'm still a little guilty about strong-arming myself into "Boogie-Woogie Bugle Boy." My character originally wasn't in the number, and I made my peace with it, but asked to get to sing it once during a music rehearsal. After that, director Rosalie was determined to put me in the number, even though it's only 3 part harmony. I'm so grateful! I loved, loved, loved to sing it! Doing that choreography made me feel so sexy!

Haha! Like I said, it was fun to watch everyone else onstage. We all knew our characters and we all reacted so differently to the action, as represented in the above photo, where our bombshell Larissa performed a very scandalous ice cream commercial. Somehow, it wasn't difficult making everything fresh and new each performance -- everyone tried hard to stay in the moment!

I'm going to miss this cast and show. The audiences seemed to enjoy it, and I know we on stage did, too! It's nice to work with a small group that gets along so well. I hope my next show is as fun and as good an opportunity to stretch my skills!

And now I'm taking a break for the time-being. There are a few shows I'm considering, but those auditions won't be for awhile. Nope. For now I'm going to spend time with my friends, start working on my goals for this year, keep an open mind and see what happens!

December Tybbling

• My daily meeting was bumped up 15 minutes for the foreseeable future. It's amazing how difficult it has been for me to get to work 15 minutes earlier. It's required a whole new change in thinking ("how much time do I have to sleep in?"), a different alarm clock time, and I have been completely exhausted all week. Today I managed to get to work a whole half hour early, and while I wanted to be excited about leaving a half hour early, too, I really wish I'd slept in the extra 20 minutes. I am SO TIRED!
• I love going out after the show with my cast. I keep thinking I should say no and good home instead, but I just can't will myself to do it, even on work nights. They are too funny and fun! Quick Wits, movies, chocolate milkshakes -- it's all so very, very good, and I'll only be young once! (Yes, this is prolly why I am so tired.) It kills me that I won't get to perform with them closing night, but there is no way I will give up my particular prior commitment. I want them to be fine without me... and yet I don't, too. No one likes to feel she is replaceable, including me! I'm just enjoying the time we have together while I can :)

• HALLELUJAH! I absolutely love and cry through this whole thing. There's just something brilliant about all of those "regular" people singing such a gorgeous, classic, difficult song in the middle of the food court! I would have joined in, too!

• Sometimes I look into the lunch/snack bag that I pack for myself each morning, and think "That's odd: everything in this bag is orange." (Carrots, Lean Cuisine box, actual orange, Reese's Pieces, etc.) Actually, it happens a lot. At least I'm eating some fruits and vegetables in my monochromatic meal.
• This is the only weekend I have before Christmas where I'm not doing a play, and consequently it is frightfully busy. Somehow, I will use my Groupon for at Nordstrom, eat the rest of my leftovers from this past week, see a movie with my cast (we have the weekend off and we still want to hang out together!), bake some sort of dessert for my ward Christmas party tomorrow night, help set up and cook for said Christmas party (which I can't go to, by the way), wash my hair, celebrate Christmas with my cousins, attend church and tithing settlement, see my nephew perform in a childrens' choir (he takes after ME in at least one way!), and watch at least one Christmas movie I have recorded on my DVR (I'm thinking 12 Men of Christmas). Notice I didn't mention Christmas shopping... I'm hoping I have a chance to work on it next week, and that it will go quickly!
• I feel very grateful to have a cubicle with a window. The view isn't the best, but it is so fun to see the rain splatter on the window, or the snow floating lazily, or a pink and purple sunset, or a rare rainbow, or just a sunny, perfect sky. "And I think to myself, what a wonderful world!"
• My best friend and I are both totally swamped for the next couple of weeks, so to give ourselves and each other a break we've decided to exchange gifts in January. She has dubbed this "Besty Christmas" which just makes me smile every time I think of it!
• The reaction to my red hair has been pretty funny. Most people see that something is different -- I can see it in their expressions -- but don't say anything. If I bring it up, they say, "Okay, I thought it was different, but I wasn't sure if you've always had red hair or if that was new." When I confirm that I'm naturally and usually a blonde, they nod like, "Yeah, that's what I thought." SO FUNNY! And everyone says it flatters my skin. Aw! Say more nice things!
• Christmas music is my favorite, hands down. I especially like that I really only listen to/sing it for a few weeks in the year, that way, I don't get tired of it, and I always look forward to it! Thank goodness for online streaming, and a job that lets me sit quietly for most of the day!

Singin' Soprano!

I'm naturally a soprano, but there are so many sopranos (in addition to lazy mezzos and altos and small children) in the musical theatre world that if there is an alto option, I'll generally sing the harmony. This can be an advantage when auditioning *cough*Hale Centre Theatre*cough*, but it does take its toll; extended alto is hard on my voice. Even if I can sing the low notes it doesn't always mean I should.

So: Hooray!! In 1940s Radio Hour my character is a soprano! Not just a soprano -- the soprano! There are two other girls who flip between soprano and mezzo, but I always sing the soprano. I admit, it's a little difficult adjusting to singing the melody all the time -- I love singing harmony and at this point I pick it out almost instinctively. I'm really not sure I could sing the melody for anything from Kiss Me Kate, and although I am a little sad about that fact, I am proud that it means that I learned my second alto part so well! However, it feels wonderful to flex my soprano muscles! I'm loud, I'm gaining confidence, and I'm grateful.

Last night we had a music rehearsal for Radio Hour. I sing in quite a few numbers, I have one where I'm the "featured" soloist, and then an actual solo -- Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas -- at the very end. I was singing through the songs wondering if friends and family would enjoy it. If they're coming just to see me... well, I'm not one of the more colorful characters in the show. I mostly sit back and listen to conversations. One of my Seven Brides friends who is also in this show joked that it's not as big a part as Milly was, and she's right. I love my character and I'm learning a lot about acting, but I don't want people to be disappointed, you know?

Great, now I sound like I think I'm the only person worth going to the show to see, and that is definitely NOT TRUE! I love watching the others and seeing what they're doing. Plus, they are perfectly cast to sing their songs. I am really grateful I went to that pick-up audition and that I get to work with them. It's pretty cool to do a musical where there are scenes that do more than just introduce the next song. The beginning and ending "scenes" are bascially just 10-20 minutes of us getting to be our characters with no musical interruption. My castmates are actual actors as well as singers, and they shine!

But I digress, we were singing the songs in the order we'll sing them during the actual show, and I was worrying about whether people would like the show, and whether we'd be ready to open in three weeks, and where the devil some of the cast members were. Like I said, my solo comes at the very end of the radio show, so I had plenty of time to fret. But it finally came time for my solo, which happens to be my very favorite song in the show (and I get to sing it!!!!!!!!).

I killed it. Seriously. It felt SO GOOD to sing like that! We picked an arrangement in a higher key than comes in the score (because I was struggling with the low notes) and since I know the song pretty well and I know Cheryl the accompanist so well I could just sing and not worry about anything else. It was so fun! When I finished, Cheryl and I were both smiling as big as we could. I could tell she'd had as much fun as I had. I wish I got to sing like that all the time -- I'd forgotten that I had it in me! I feel so grateful that my big solo is a song I love and sing well. It would be awful to have to sing one that I feel uncomfortable with in any way. Been there. Done that. I wish my songs in Seven Brides had been soprano so they could have been that much fun -- at least there were plenty in that show and my most awkward song was the very first one!

And to my fears I thought, "Well, I think my friends will think the show worth it, if I sing my song just like that."

I'm still smiling!

Everyone else seemed content to move onto the next song -- Harli's been known to say "I don't worry about you" -- but since they all got to sing through their solos twice, I insisted on a second time, too. Honestly, the second attempt wasn't as good. It was pretty good, but it wasn't the same. I was too busy thinking about how well the first time had gone and thinking "Wow! I am so talented! Totally worth the price of a ticket!" But I'm glad I did it anyway. I will take all the practice I can get.

Tonight we're putting the whole show together. This means that some cast members will be hearing the solos for the first time (there's one song even I've never heard, and I've been to all of the music rehearsals). It's going to be rough, but I'm excited! I love to sing! I'm so glad I'm doing this show!

And now back to my regularly scheduled humility...

Doing a Christmas Play!

Four weeks ago when a seeming large percentage of my theatre friends reported that they were cast in A Christmas Carol at either Rodgers Memorial or Hale Centre Theatre, I felt like I was the only person left in the world who wasn't in a Christmas play. I was actually more sad about that than the fact that I wasn't cast in a show. There's just something lovely about singing Christmas carols (yes, I like listening to them starting November 1st, though some complain that's too early). Christmas/holiday songs are full of optimism and kindness and joy and cheesiness and contentment; they just make me feel happy. Getting to start singing them in September because I'm in a Christmas show is AWESOME! But when I'm not in a show, and it isn't snowing yet, and I can't get excited about Halloween for some unknown reason, and my birthday is another ten-and-a-half months away, I feel a little sad.

Hmmm... that paragraph took a different direction than I thought it would.

Anyway, I had wanted to audition for West Jordan Arts/Sugar Factory Playhouse's production of The 1940's Radio Hour. It was a busy and stressful day, but I grabbed some sheet music the day before and practiced a bunch. I was hoping there wouldn't be a huge line because I had some other things I wanted to do that night. And then, on my way, I checked my music and realized I didn't have the pages I needed (I have not been able to find them, either. Grr!) So, I had a mini-tantrum in my head, drove home, and decided it was a sign not to audition. I struggled a bit with that choice, especially when I discovered a bunch of my friends were cast and I thought about the terrific songs in the script, but I made peace with it because there were several other shows I wanted to audition for.

However, I was starting to feel restless. If I didn't do a play, I needed to do something. I've been busy and I've had a lot of fun, but I have a difficult time with weeks where I don't have plans. Last week when I was sick I didn't see anybody all week and I didn't like it! I like the structure of a rehearsal schedule and having something to count on.

Wednesday, a friend from Seven Brides who is now in the Radio Hour sent me an e-mail. He said that one of the lead females had quit and that he thought I'd be great in the role. He suggested that if I was interested I should call the director, Rosalie. I was and I did! I felt a little foolish leaving the message, but she called me back yesterday and asked if I could come and audition with another girl before rehearsal.

So, I frantically pulled out a couple of different sheet music options. Rosalie had mentioned the pianist might not be there that night, so I had an "if there's a pianist" option and a "gonna sing this a capella" option. I was actually glad when there wasn't a pianist and I got to sing "Young and Healthy" from 42nd Street (I need to find some sheet music for it). I felt really good about my performance. The other girl was good, and I love the song "Gimme Gimme" from Thoroughly Modern Millie, but when she started at the beginning of the song I thought, "Oh, no! The ending would have been a much stronger choice and would have shown off your voice so much better!"

I was really excited when I discovered that the part they needed filled was Ann Collier. She sings "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" which is one of my favorite songs! As Rosalie described the character and had us read a few things, I realized how like me the character is. And my hopes grew a little stronger.

After the audition I ran over to some friends to say "Hi," and that was when the director offered me the part and asked me to stay for the rest of the rehearsal! Hooray! So I said, "yes" and met everyone and now we have about the first third of the show blocked.

So, I'm in a play! A Christmas play! And I get to sing a couple of terrific songs and work with terrific people and be a little busy again. I am thrilled! My first rehearsal is done and we'll perform during selected dates in December. It's going to be fun!