What A Silly Girl

I'm shaking a little as I'm typing this. I have a phone interview for a radio station in Detroit (WWJ 950AM) in about ten minutes and I'm nervous! It's weird, I don't get nervous about shows or auditions much anymore. Just excited. But I've never done this before! I think what's freaking me out is that it's for a newsradio station. I'm afraid they're going to ask me how this show relates to the current political climate and I won't be able to come up with adequate answers. There's a pad of hotel stationary next to me on which I've scrawled a few notes about the show, the people involved, Green Day, but nothing about politics. Hopefully this will be more like the "All Things Considered" segment on what's-that-station in Los Angeles that has more to do with entertainment or fun stories as opposed to news items. It'll be taped, not live, so maybe they can just cut out the weird/uninformed things I say and make me seem like a bright shining representative of American Idiot. Or maybe I'll do so poorly that they'll decide not to air it at all, or interview someone else instead. I'd be totally ok with that... Yup, still shaking.

. . . . (20 mins later). . . .

What a silly girl I am. It went just fine. The anchor, Greg Bowman, was nothing but pleasant and much to my relief didn't mention anything about politics :) My hands are still a little clammy, but my heart rate is back to normal. Phew.

Now that that's over with.... Hey! We're in Canada!! Have been for a week now. You may be happy to know that my neck is feeling just fine and my back is nearly back to normal. My voice on the other hand... well, it's getting there. It's been one hell of a week... several great previews, opening night with a gala afterword (Adrienne, BJA's wife, was there and seemed very proud of what we did!), more shows, sound check and performance on new year's eve for the giant televised celebration downtown, and an open bar/free food party at a "British pub" to follow!

Saturday morning I woke up and noticed my voice felt a little hoarse. I'm not surprised after the week we had, I think all the excitement and adrenaline caused me to push a little to hard. The NYE party didn't help either, because how can you not loudly celebrate on new years eve?? I decided to put myself on vocal rest for the past two and a half days (we got Sunday AND Monday off!), speaking as little as I could manage. This interview was the second actual conversation I've had in those past 2.5 days, so that's a part of why I was nervous. Luckily all the words came out. Hallelujah.

We're back at it again tonight. So glad I had that time to rest and recuperate, because understudy and put-in rehearsals are already underway. It's gonna be another big week! Alright, another hour or two of Catching Fire before I'm off to fly call....

*Fun fact: even though my pants don't fit anymore, when I went to LA for xmas I found out I gained three pounds. That means I probably gained 5 pounds of solid muscle, baby.*

The Interim

Over the past two weeks I've been having dreams about Chess. In the first one, we couldn't get the full orchestra back and we just had a synthesizer which we couldn't hear over our own voices. In the second one I think I was sick and had to send someone (from a show I did over a year ago) to go on and sing my first song. Finally last night, I was about to go on stage when I realized I forgot to bring my costume back to the theater, so we had to find something that would work instead. Funny thing is, I wasn't nervous in any of these dreams. I was just happy to be back on the stage doing the show again!

Jeff hosted a lovely party for Michael on Wednesday. Most of the people involved with the show came by for food and good company, and it was really good to see everyone again. Michael is going to try to get his school to bring the show out to Ohio for a performance or two, perhaps in the spring. I think that's a fantastic idea and I'm all for it. I think he thinks we're joking when we say we're into it, but i don't think any of us are. The chance to see Michael again and take this show literally on the road, if even only for one performance, would be really really fun!

Sooo... I had an audition on Friday. My manager emailed me the day before wondering if I'd be interested in auditioning for the game show "Don't Forget The Lyrics". I said why not. For an opportunity to win a couple thousand dollars? Sure. Plus, you never know who the casting director knows. Maybe this could put me on the illusive path to Glee (pff, right). When I got there I filled out a paper and picked three songs off a list to sing myspace karaoke style. At this point I was feeling kind of indifferent about the audition - I was comfortable there, but my career definitely wasn't riding on this show. I picked songs that I thought would show some character: Tainted Love by Soft Cell, One Week by Barenaked Ladies, and of course the old favorite, The Rose, because I wanted something that showed that I actually can sing. The weird thing was, they had different sheets hanging up for backgrounds and all kinds of props and clothes laying around so you could spice up the "music video" any way you wanted.

The weirdest part was that the office walls were all made of glass, and the room we were to sing in was right next to the elevator door, so when someone else walked in the first thing they would see is you singing your song and dancing around in a costume, or whatever you chose to do. It was a little strange. Obviously not like any other audition I've been to, because I've never auditioned for a game show before. I'm used to things I can prepare for, and feel in the moment, and this almost felt like being encouraged to put on a different personality. I can't say it was for me. If they like me and want me on the show, we'll get there when we get there. For now, I'm kinda glad to be done with it.

There was a rehearsal scheduled for tonight, but since many people were unavailable it has now become unrequired. They'll still be running though blocking with the two new people, but we're not obligated to go. Still, I think I will. I need to pick up some of the postcards with the updated show dates, and I'd like to meet these new people. Also, I want Chess back in my blood! I feel like I have to get used to some of those sky-high notes again. We will have another rehearsal on Wednesday that we'll all attend, which I'm most excited about. I can't wait to be around all those beautiful talented people again. And then Thursday is opening night number two!

Thinking About Seeing RENT At The Hollywood Bowl? Read This Instead

I really wanted them to do well. I was so willing to like them - if they were good. As it turns out, I was surprised by most of them, in both good and bad ways.

Lets start with the most obvious character that I would critique: Vanessa Hudgens as Mimi. When I first heard the news that she was cast, I was disappointed. It was obviously a choice based on celebrity and hype. That aside, I found it in myself to give this Disney pop-princess a chance. Maybe the innocent High School Musical thing wasn't her strong point (though I'm sure hordes of juveniles would disagree) and she would surprise us all as the crazy/sexy/lovable Mimi. She sure looks the part, right? Well that's where the similarities ended. She looked great in those blue pants (they looked EXACTLY like the ones I wore in Alabama, I wonder if they were rented from the same company) but no amount of abs and legs could make up for her performance. From the first few notes she sang I was embarrassed for her. Her lack of skill was so painfully evident without the help of auto tune, she was just singing notes and playing a part, instead of being fully invested in the character. It was apparent when she was specifically directed to do something and when she was not. She had no power or confidence in stillness, because she was constantly flailing her arms about trying to look natural, or visually anticipating her next direction.

Although the role may seem easy - sexy drug addict with nothing to lose - it can be very hard to make her as likable as she needs to be. The audience need to know why Roger falls in love with her, they need to understand her conviction about life and why she has it, and they need to actually care that (spoiler) she very nearly dies. I didn't get any of that. Seeing her try to act and sing was too distracting for me to be able to love the character. I just loathed Vanessa the whole time. I've been reading a lot of responses from people in last night's audience, and many applaud her for taking on such an iconic and racy role, but the guts she may have for giving it a shot are no excuse for a lousy, grade school level performance. Perhaps it was a personal best for her but I am confident that it was an all time low for the history of RENT.

Don't worry, the worst is over! I didn't hate everyone that much. Some people actually surprised me for the better. Namely Nicole Scherzinger, known for being the lead singer for the Pussycat Dolls and a judge/host on numerous reality television shows. My biggest problem with her was that I couldn't see her (as Maureen) having dated Skylar Astin (playing Mark). Other than that, she pretty much knocked my socks off. She brought a new kind of sexiness to the character, and was just as crazy and goofy, if not more so, than you'd expect of a Maureen. Her rendition of "Over The Moon", though different than any I've seen, was one of the best I've experienced. As Entertainment Weekly put it, she displayed "not a lick of fame-induced self-consciousness" throughout the whole show.

I had high hopes for Skylar, as I'm a fan of Spring Awakening and thought he was wonderful in the original cast, but right from the get go his portrayal of Mark fell flat in my eyes. His job in the beginning of the show is to introduce us to what's going on with the level of energy we're to expect for the entire show. What we got was a bit lack luster and drawn out. It seemed as if he was playing for the more emotionally intense second act right from the beginning instead of bringing the joy and sarcasm to Mark that is expected. Though the acting wasn't on point, his voice did sound great and blended well with Roger.

On that note, and much to my surprise, Aaron Tveit played a great Roger. Having first seen him as a young congressman on Gossip Girl, I didn't believe he had the grit to portray an convincing Roger. I was very glad that I made the wrong assumption. He had a very natural melancholy about his character, which made the moments that he was actually happy that much more exciting. Aside from looks, I cannot imagine a more ill-fitted pair of him against Vanessa Hudgens. He definitely has the acting chops needed for the role and played it very well.

Evan's biggest worry was in the casting of Wayne Brady as Collins. I personally thought he would have made a much better Benny, but his Collins was fine. I would have hoped for a little more connection to his most emotional song, "I'll Cover You (Reprise)", and he made it very apparent when switching between a bass and baritone register, but the acting was there and in the end so was the voice. Telly Leung (Angel) was fine as well. Having recently found out that one of my current Chess cast mates was originally hand picked to be Angel in this production, I was a little disappointed in Telly's caliber. Both this cast mate of mine and my darling Benjamin Alicea (who played my Angel in the two productions of RENT I did) would have presented a more dynamic character. Alas, Telly was cast and and he wasn't bad.

Tracie Toms stood out as one of the people that felt most comfortable, and really commanded the stage. Her voice as well as acting and connection to the story and other characters was admirable. At least there was one person in the cast I was sure wouldn't let me down, and she was it. I had no expectations for Collins Pennie as Benny, as I'd never heard of him before. He was, to quote the show like a super geek, "less than brilliant". His voice was fine, his acting was ok, but he just didn't exude the Benny spirit. He seemed too juvenile, and at no point did I see the connection between Benny and Mimi. That's an often overlooked but very integral plot line.

I was unsure of what they were going to do with an extra 10 ensemble members. The show is traditionally done with a cast of 15 people, maybe 16 people, but since the venue is so large I understand the desire to fill the stage more. It is, after all, supposed to be set in the busy streets of New York. The ensemble truly did support the entire show so well. David Burtka had the great honor of being the "Will I" soloist and made every renthead proud. The rest of the song didn't go as well, with only 2 rounds of voices going at any time rather than 4 as it's written. The end result, as said by my former director, is supposed to be a wall of sound. I'd call this more of a picket fence of sound. It could have been better.

When I did the show in Rancho Cucamonga earlier this year, it was an honor to have Gwen Stewart come to see it and praise it. She revived her role as the "Seasons Of Love" soloist beautifully, and the added soloists didn't bother me much at all. That's one of the songs that, while the original cast recording is well known, it's not set in stone. The soloists have the freedom to make it their own, and it ended up pretty darn cool.

Overall, I'd give the production a C. Some people were really incredible, others were embarrassing, and still others were nearly forgettable. If you believe my opinion is biased because I've performed in the show before, I'd advise you to check out my boyfriend's review at www.swanfungus.com

If you've never seen RENT before, I wouldn't recommend this as your first go around. It's not much better than the movie, but poor miss Hudgens literally ruins the whole thing. There, I said it.

What A Scene, What A Joy!

As I hinted at earlier, we had a great show last night.

Our preview on Thursday went pretty well. We had a small but enthusiastic audience, and there were just a few flubs throughout the show. I think overall it gave us the confidence that out official opening night would go well. On Friday, most of us managed to get to the theater early so we could run some of the tricky spots that hadn't worked as well as we'd hoped the night before.

It seemed like we had gotten all out good nervous energy out the night before and couldn't find it for our opening. My personal show was... meh. I forgot a couple words, and wasn't supporting my voice like I should have been, and though it could have been much worse it still wasn't great. There was the lack of energy, but I think the main thing that threw us off is that some parts of our orchestra didn't get specific cuts in the music, so at times there would be extra bars, or the song would be played in two different keys at points. It's hard to be in the moment when you're worried about what you'll hear next. There were spots that some people had to just speak their words instead of sing them.

I had all day yesterday to think about the previous performance and the one coming up. I don't know about you, but when I'm nervous or agitated or I just need to occupy my mind for a period of time, I clean. But even when my room was spic'n'span and my laundry was done, I was more nervous than ever. It's so frustrating, not knowing what to do about that feeling. I stopped taking xanax a long time ago and didn't have time for a nap, so I had some chamomile tea. It's almost embarrassing to admit that I felt so weird I wanted to cry. It seemed like if I did then I would feel better, but I couldn't even do that. So tea was my next best option.

Funny how as soon as I get to the theater I always feel better. All my crazy bad nervous energy soon turned into good energy and I got the feeling we were going to have a great show. As soon as we started, I was sure of it. And a good thing too, because Evan and two other friends of mine were there to see it. We had a couple sound issues in the beginning, and I messed up some of my words in the exact same spot as the two days prior to that, but the orchestra was fantastic and the audience got more enthusiastic as the show went on. I've said it before and I mean it: I'm so very proud of what we did last night. I know it wasn't the personal best for some people, but as a whole it was definitely the best we've done yet.

When we were finished our director, Robert, came back stage to congratulate us on such a success and inform us that...... there's a possibility of extending the run. I think it would be amazing to have more than just 3 more shows. We've gotten great feedback, and it's a show that a lot of people wouldn't normally get the chance to see. So I'm crossing my fingers that this is going to happen. :)

I'm feeling pretty okay today. Maybe it's because I'm working and don't have the whole day to wait around for the show tonight. I still get little flashes of the weird nerves, but I'm mostly excited. I got a couple video clips of when we were running parts of songs last night, so I'll try to get them up here.

**Tickets can be purchased at www.plays411.com/chessinconcert - select nights have discount tickets with the promo code "bargain"**

Nerves

Tonight is the preview night for Chess. We're going to have an audience, and it's actually going to be the very first time we've run the entire show from beginning to end. When I told my coworker this, she asked if I was nervous. I told her that I had butterflies, but now an hour and a half later I realize that I am nervous. It's strange, since I don't remember the last time I was actually nervous before a show. I'm used to having butterflies, because putting up a show is always exciting for me. I've gotten very good at trusting that I know the show and that if anything goes wrong it will be fixed. So this is strange, knowing I will be just fine but still feeling a little scared.

I'm pretty sure it's the situation rather than self confidence. I've never put up a show in this amount of time, not to mention I'd only heard a few songs before being cast. We've had the orchestra for three days, they just got their music Monday, and we just finished the blocking yesterday. Also, I was talking with the music director yesterday and at one point he gave me one of those looks and said something to the effect of: Don't freak out, but this is a huge opportunity for you. Make the most of it.

Even with all of this in my mind, I'm absolutely positive that we've put together an incredible show. I think anyone I know that has seen me perform before will be impressed at how different this is than anything else I've done. Plus, I'm hitting higher notes than I ever thought possible for my voice :)

I'm so pleased that I've been trusted to take on such an important role, and proud of myself for taking the strides to make it happen. Writing all this out is really helping me feel better. I know as soon as I hit the stage the adrenaline will kick in and all will be fine. I wish there was a chance for more performances. This show is so rarely done, and I know that there will be a lot of people coming to see it.

And on that note, there are a few 1/2 price tickets available on www.goldstar.com for this weekend! Search for Chess In Concert or The Met theatre.

Opening Weekend

We have survived! More than survived I'd say. Compared to tech week, our opening weekend was brilliant.

There were a few technical slip-ups throughout the weekend, but over all the audience responded well. Except for yesterday's matinee - but a party of 57 had cancelled, so the brunch crowd gave us what they could. We have video elements involved, and there was one show (I can't tell you which, they're all mixing together in my mind now) that it completely turned off right in the middle, so we had to get up and act it out ourselves. There's a lot of "playing within the play" anyway so I don't think anyone could tell. We're pros, and unless someone gets seriously hurt I think we can get over anything that could possibly throw us. Today we had two fantastic shows, just pure fun the whole time. I even got a little misty during the finales.

One perk of working with this theater is that we have free access to a beautiful fitness club, The Claremont Club. It has pools, a cardio area, weight area, tennis, basketball, steam rooms, salon, cafe... the list goes on. Me and some of my fellow cast mates took advantage of this today between shows, and we went in the spa to relax. Lemme tell you, it really worked. My muscles still feel nice and loose! I'm planning on getting a massage or two there at some point, and I think the whole cast is going to have a picknick there next Saturday.

I got home about 40 minutes ago, and I had to run straight upstairs because the finale of Lost is on and there's at least 30 people at my house. I'll be camping out here for at least another 15 minutes... I've come to terms that I'll hear some things about the episode when I do come downstairs, but I'll be ok. I just really didn't want to see only the end and then have to get caught up on the whole thing by a bunch of Lost nerds. I'll just have some wild boar and hear what I hear. What, wild boar you ask? Yes, in the spirit of Lost my boyfriend got some wild boar meat and cooked it up. I can't wait to try it.

I am glad that I have a few minutes to blog, I've been meaning to do it all weekend. The audition for the British show is tomorrow so I can go over those lines for a while and figure out what I can wear to suggest I'm a freshman in high school. Hah. Hey, those kids on 90210 are like, 26 right? Anything is possible in the magic world of the entertainment industry.

We Have Arrived

Sorry it's been a couple days. As I'm sure you can imagine, we'd been pretty busy preparing for opening night. So since Monday... Evan arrived in time to see the second half of our rehearsal on Tuesday night. Before we started we had a mini question and answer session with a select group of people who were there to get a kind of behind the scenes look at what the theatre does. I believe these were potential supporters of the theatre, or volunteers, or something along those lines. Aside from those from that group that chose to stay and watch the "performance", we had a pseudo audience - we were told we could invite a friend or two, and some kids from the RMTC children's program were there. We only had to stop once for a quick fix, and besides that it ran smoothly.

Wednesday Evan and I went to check out the Civil rights institute. It's located directly across the street from one of the churches that was bombed in the 60's. It was pretty incredible learning about what struggles black people went through for equality. I think it was equally inspiring and depressing. I'm so glad I live now instead of then. We are a pretty lucky generation.

That night was Media Night, the preview night I spoke of before. It was a pretty big house and the show went great. That made it feel like opening night, so on Thursday, our actual opening, some of the pre-show nerves were gone. Aside from me forgetting a part of my costume at one point, I had a pretty good show. Even with the abundance of older people in the audience, not a single person walked out or left at intermission (at least as far as I could tell). We've all had our fears about how this show would be received, but so far it's been great. We even have a review of our opening night that gave us 5 out of 5 stars. Read It Here!

Thursday afternoon before our show, we - as in me plus the 3 other boys at the hotel (and Evan) - took Ron out to lunch and Jim N' Nick's. It's a fantastic barbecue place. It was so nice to do something for him and just hang out outside the theatre. He is such an incredible man, and we all agree he's one of the most fantastic directors we've worked with. He's putting up another production in Rancho Cucamonga next year that we would love to do, and he told us he had been meaning to talk to us about that - he definitely wants the producer to see us. I don't know if this particular theatre would fly people out to be in the show, but we have so many gems in this particular cast, I think it would be worth their while.

The cast party was held at Rogue Tavern, a few short blocks away from the theatre. It had a pretty nice atmosphere and reasonably priced food and drinks, so everyone enjoyed themselves. We also presented a gift from the cast to Ron. It was Kas's idea and it was perfect - a big RENT book, all about the show and the lives surrounding it, signed throughout by the entire cast. I still have to find a way to upload pictures, there are some really great ones from that night.

I never know how to end these. I wish I was as good at coming around full circle as Lauren is in her blog. Check it out, it's http://www.laurenab.wordpress.com/
Oh, and duh - Evan reviewed the show too http://www.swanfungus.com/2009/10/birmingham-alabama-day-3.html