Monday, August 07, 2006

My Unfair Lady

This is the first sequel! As mentioned in a previous blog, I have agreed to be in a band for a school production of "My Fair Lady". And, as mentioned, things are not quite as organised as they should be! So I went to the Sunday night rehearsal. It was due to begin at six thirty and I had hurried down some dinner and arrived at the school for six (so that I had time to set up etc). I had already had a bad feeling about this rehearsal and I wasn't wrong unfortunately! It became very obvious that the rehearsal wasn't going to begin on time (and I had turned down a dinner with friends on this particular evening!) and the stage manager came over and began to chat with me. In the course of the conversation he mentioned that this particular rehearsal would end late. I asked the fatal question "how late?". My jaw literally dropped and I nearly threw the biggest wobbly when he said "eleven". So they had planned a four and a half hour rehearsal!!!!!! I don't think so! The rehearsal didn't actually begin until seven thirty and I left after ten fifteen. They didn't give us a break during that time and we hadn't made it to the second act by the time I had left. I was due to teach at seven thirty the next morning so there was no way I was going to stay longer. The scary thing was that this was the final rehearsal before the first performance!!!!!!!!! The band is not the problem, it is the cast. They are not disciplined at all (15, 16 and 17 year olds) and some still don't know their lines. They have only had five months to prepare for this!!!!
But I haven't even mentioned the scaffolding. It wobbles! So do the stairs that lead up there! And they don't even have hand rails!!!!! I refused point blank to take my expensive instrument up there and the Head of Department ended up letting me use the school instrument which will be left up there the whole time (because you don't want to be going up and down with it!!!). He was the gentleman and carried it up there for me (I didn't even ask for that chivalry buit I did make it clear that I was very freaked out by the whole scaffolding thing!). I have less than a metre square to play in (glad no one smells) and the lighting is less than shocking (guess the notes). When anyone walks on this scaffolding (it doubles as the balcony for such scenes) everything wobbles especially the music stand! (Hmmmmmm I hadn't thought about seasickness.........). The instrument that I am playing on has a hole in it but I'd rather that than having my instrument up there.
First performance on Wednesday afternoon. That is definately going to be interesting......

3 comments:

JollyRgr said...

Looks like a vomit is on the cards....or the performers if you try hard...!!!

Good luck....:-)

Odyssey said...

You're a better person than I (or more of a fool). I would have quit. Jumped ship. Ran screaming. Scarpered. Made like a baby and head out. Vamoosed. Blown the two-bit joint.

Still, you could get your revenge by vomiting on the scaffolding right before one of the balcony scenes... :-)

mouthfulofpancake said...

You can tell that you two are related!!!!!