Now Playing -
Some odd film with James Spader and Susan Sarandon (????) on AMC.
Now Eating -
Now Feeling -
like a good night's sleep is in order.
Now Tweeting
- Melanie
A short update to confirm my existence. Yeah, I'm still here.
Show's over. Damn, I had a great time. I'll miss it. It's been a long time since I've been in something that was such a pleasure to perform, so well-praised by both the critics and my peers, and had a cast and crew that was so talented and so consistent and so willing to pull together under adverse circumstances.
That said, I will certainly not miss the screaming, and the bruising, and the shvitzing and the hacking.
We had a bonfire at one cast member's house after Friday's show. Roasted marshmallows and Killian's and Beatles singalongs/spoken word/improvised blues. Got home quite late, and had to be up and out entirely too early Saturday morning for rehearsal.
Still a bit unsure about the musical director, based on some things he's said. I like him enough, and he seems to be a good enough player, but I think because he doesn't know me from Eve and I haven't yet been 100% after the bronchitis, that he maybe thinks I can't sing. I kept saying to him when he'd comment that he needed a bigger sound from me, "This is all I can give you right now." I'm not sure I impressed upon him how sick I've actually been. I hope he doesn't think I'm just marking because of laziness, or "saving myself" for the performance. After we ran one big number at the end of the evening Wednesday, he said "Well...that'll get better the more we run it." Kind of lacklusterly. I felt like saying in return, "Yeah, and also when I'm not coughing up a lung every five minutes!!!"
Lori Anne and I went to an early dinner, and she was kind enough to run me around so I could pick up some cards and gifts for castmates. I wanted to get splits of Veuve Clicquot for a few select people (Barbara, who played my dresser both in the show and in real life, David, who helped me down rickety stairs in my big, foofy dresses and kept me supplied with water., etc.) But the otherwise top-notch liquor store she goes to didn't have them, so I bought a couple of bottles of White Star to share with the cast and crew after the show. Which earned me the nickname of "Champagne Underwear Goddess", because I served it in my typical backstage attire of tights, heels, bra and thong dance briefs. It was a look.
We then went downstairs for the final Improv show, and then off to the bar for more carousing. I got home even later than the night before, but...[singsong]I didn't have rehearsal today, nyah-nyah-nyah-nyaaahh-nyah![/singsong] So what did I do today? Saw a show.
Went to see the production of The Music Man that I didn't get. And all I can say is...Thank. You. Jay-sus.
I was thoroughly underwhelmed. This director-choreographer's (with the emphasis on the latter) "choreography" was certainly nothing to write home about. And there were not many bright spots in the show. If I'd wound up doing that instead of Kiss Me, Kate, I would be slitting my wrists right about now. Joy said everything happens for a reason, and man, no truer words were e'er spoke in this case.
Bill said something to Huz after I left about my having no love lost for the director. It's not even about that. I'm still a bit upset that the Powers that Be didn't push harder to have me cast in the role. (Especially after hearing yesterday that Head Honcha remarked to my leading man that "The girl playing Marian is good, but I can only imagine what it would have been like if Melanie had done the role. But we tried and tried, but couldn't convince him otherwise." After she originally told me "I do not feel comfortable forcing a director to cast someone with whom he will not be completely happy." Ah, revisionist history.) But after all the machinations involved in the casting process, and his going through approximately 30(!) girls before he found his "ideal Marian", and then seeing the show and thanking my lucky stars that I was in no way, shape or form involved in this production, I can only say one thing. I don't hate the guy, but I have absolutely no respect or regard for him and his ways and means. Because if the mediocre production (and performance) I saw was the end result of his Grail-like quest for the "perfect" Marian Paroo, then I have no use for him or his questionable talent.
Things most certainly do happen for a reason.
~^ would you like to
leave word? ^~
0
of you lovely people have left word so
far
~^ what
was ~ what
will be ^~
~^ randomize me! ^~
a very fine cat indeed - Friday, Jan. 17, 2014
happy new year! - Thursday, Jan. 24, 2013
this is where i am - Saturday, Jun. 30, 2012
this is how it is - Friday, Feb. 24, 2012
a very late last year's wrap-up - Wednesday, Jan. 18, 2012
~^
^~
