I can't believe I'm saying this...but, the show is open! Fortunately a lot of the process has been documented in the Call-Back video episodes, so I haven't written much, but I'm thrilled to say the show seems to be a hit! The opening night crowd raved last night and I really have to say it's all becasue of the incredible cast. These five are so professional and talented and attractive that audiences so far really seem to fall in love with them. I thnk they could sing the phone book and crowds would cheer. But the fact that they are singing some of the most beloved music of the musical theatre just makes the evening even more - enchanted! Huntington Playhouse Managing Director Tom Meyrose told me at intermission that he was stopped many times by people raving about the show. He said another indicator of a please audience was how long they stayed at the opening night reception after the show. Well, they did stay. And I talked with many of them about what a fantastic cast was on that stage.
This show was a challenge. I had never directed a revue before and I've said...
Well...our first few rehearsals obviously were music rehearsals with John Franks, our Music Director. It stands to reason that in a musical revue, the most important aspect of the show is the music...duh!!! And what musicians these artists are! I know I sound gushy but these singers rock!!! And on top of everything they're really sweet. As usual I'm feeling behind the eight ball and yet in actuality we're already over halfway done blocking the show! So many of the numbers are ballad solos that won't require blocking and choreography, so we're doing fine as far as pace goes. It seems like the cast likes my concept of reworking the setting of the show from a backstage then onstage concept to a setting on an urban street where an "enchanted radio" seemingly abandoned in a homeless person's shopping cart helps a group of street musicians discover that the power of beautiful music like Rodgers and Hammerstein really can change the world.
But there are challenges looming....our beautiful Baritone Ben Czarnota is so awesome that he has been noticed by casting directors for a national tour and has a call-back today in New York!!! Obviously that would be awesome for Ben...
Last night marked the beginning of the rehearsal process for Some Enchanted Evening. This is such a great cast...they sounded fantastic already - even with that nervous, tentative feeling all of us have felt singing in front of brand new cast mates for the very first time. But like anything else, all it takes is the first few notes before the singers felt the support and understanding of actually singing something for the first time outside of your car and in front of someone more than a housecat. These people are truly professionals and they sound like it. And they're really nice people as well, which is ever so sweet icing on the cake.
I took a lot of time to explain my concept of the show. I think the cast was relieved that I essentially rewrote the very opening of the show. We all felt that the written opening was corny and not very effective. I really wanted to use the urban street scene setting for this review that I talked about in the introductory video...but how to establish a group of people suddenly singing the music of Rodgers and Hammerstein on a city street? Well I think the...
Well, if I didn't feel blessed enough to have the cast I had before - and I did - I feel even more so now having our final piece of the puzzle join the show. He's Benjamin Czarnota, a young member of the Baldwin-Wallace college voice faculty with an incredible baritone instrument. He's going to sound great singing this music and we're lucky to have him! Welcome to the family Benjamin!
Well, our auditions are over and I can honestly say I am thrilled at the amazing cast we have put together. 3 beautiful and wildly talented women: Maureen Clark, a recent Pennsylvania musical theatre student, Colleen Zettler, a transplanted New Yorker recently relocated back to Cleveland with opera talent and Liz Baumgartner, an amazing dancer with a beautiful soprano voice as well as a surprising belt. Add to the mix my friend and an incredible performer Bob Stoesser who will be releasing his debut solo CD in July called "A Place Called Grace" (www.bobstoesser.com). We are still looking for one more man and I have a couple good contacts on that front, but so far I'm really excited to be working with these people that I think will really be able to breathe new life into these songs and give the show a youthful energy that I'm looking for.
Auditions are a funny thing....I always have a clear vision of what I'm looking for (or at least I think I do, until someone surprises me), but I've never really been comfortable "judging" someone. Having been on the other side of the table so many times, I know the guts...
I've noticed what seems to be sort of a growing trend among some community theatre groups in regard to making abbreviated rehearsal schedules. I've been thinkign a lot about this recenly especially because I just announced auditions for S.E.E. and indeed posted the entire (albeit an early draft) rehearsal schedule on the S.E.E. website. I've definitely found it helpful to give potential cast members and audience members for that matter as much information ahead of time as possible. But rehearsal schedules - which often take participating cast, crew and orchestra members away from "real life" obligations for long periods of time - have often been one of themain roadblocks to attracting new and higher quality talent to our productions.
So what are some options? I've noticed here in the Cleveland area, some directors putting together skeds with fewer weeks, but more rehearsals in the week. Instead of two or three times a week, five or six. Can your cast handle that kind of intensive rehearsal period for three weeks? Although I've considered similar models with the shows I've put together, I'm still a believer that at the community theatre level it takes more than that. A three week rehearsal schedule...
This is always sort of a lonely period in the production process. The time before auditions and rehearsals have started and most of the thoughts and work has been in my own head or in my own office. Right now the whole production is sort of just inside me and mine alone. With each step of the process, you invite more and more people into your little world and share more and more of your ideas until the final step - opening night - when you hand it all over to other people.
But I am so excited to start bringing other people into this world -the world of Some Enchanted Evening. And I guess that starts with finding this page and this blog. Another great journey begins!
I love challenges and musical revues are in some ways very challenging because the structure of them is often very loose..no hard and fast road maps like with "book" musicals. Very liberating and very challenging. This is also different for me because while I was raised doing Rodgers and Hammerstein shows (I've been in productions of The King and I, Oklahoma and Carousel myself) my personal taste lately has moved away...
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