4 Weeks 'til Curtain Up! - The Wedding Singer

I genuinely cannot believe how close it is until opening night.  Ok, so 4 weeks might not sound an awfully short time, but when you look at your outlook calendar month, and can see show-week without scrolling down, it does dawn on you how close things are getting.
Rehearsals have gone from flat out dancing, to scene-blocking, and back to the hard dance practice, except for one difference - that being that we have now blocked all the numbers in the show, so instead of just one dance we are now going through all of them!
I am also sporting a huge bruise on my right knee because the choreographer is trying to kill me.  We have now blocked Grandma's Rap, which now involves something akin to break-dancing (I kid you not, though thankfully a very watered down version!) and my knee has taken a serious battering with one particular move.  I swear, as the weeks go on, I feel more and more like my character, and after the show I doubt if I'll be able to walk without the walking stick!  I wonder if my Grandma, Grandpa or Great Grandmother (I only say this as my mum was unable to tell me exactly whose stick it was I borrowed) ever thought that their walking stick would be used by their descendant at the tender age of 29!  I hope they are looking down with some pride on my endeavours, or at least having a laugh at my expense!
Anyway, I've realised that I've meandered through this post without a clear goal in mind, so I shall sign off here.
Next post will be about the costumes... Ahhh the 80s, the decade that fashion forgot...

Auditions! - Thoroughly Modern Millie

Well, after the bravery, or stupidity (I haven't decided which) of auditioning for the part of Grandma in The Wedding Singer, I decided to set my sights a little more realistically for TMM when the auditions came around on Sunday, and aimed for the Chorus line.
This was a very last minute thing as I made the decision to take part in the audition a week before the final one - very little time to prepare, and with no knowledge (bar the 10minute opening of the film that I'd seen) of TMM, I arrived feeling very nervous.  I noticed after a few more arrivals that I recognised some of the other hopefuls from Rent, a production that I'd seen a few years back with the folks at the Talisman in Kenilworth.  They were good - and I knew this, so I started a little mantra of "You're only here for the chorus, you're only here for the chorus" and started to feel a little better.
Nerves aside, I expected the dance to be relatively easy as I'd been rehearsing twice a week for the WS for quite a while.  I was so wrong!  By the 4th run through of the first sequence I was drenched with sweat, and felt like my body temerature had risen by 100 degrees!  On the flip side, it was so much fun, with a few Charleston steps thrown in and the general feel of the 1920s I was soon getting to grips with the choreography (well... apart from a few little hiccups!)
Next up was the tap routine. Now I didn't necessarily have to do this one as I wasnt 100% sure if I wanted to audition as a 'dancer' only, however as I'd not done tap since I was about 13, I thought I'd give it a go just to see what I could pick up - minus the tap shoes!  Now that might sound a little silly, however as one of the girls that I spoke to there suggested - at least the choreographer wouldn't be able to tell when I was making mistakes, a very good point. It took me 24 hours after the rehearsals finished before I managed to get the moves straight in my head!
All-in-all it was a good morning though, and I'm glad to say that my efforts landed me a part in the chorus line.  Can't wait to swap the 1980s for the 1920s!

The Wedding Singer - 2nd Rehearsal

Well, I was a bit miffed on Friday to say the least that my dance-sneakers hadn’t arrived in time for my first dance rehearsal, but having pulled out a pair of character shoes that were around 15 years old, checked that they were still in usable condition and still fit (yes!) I packed them in my bag and headed off to rehearsal number 2.

The ‘Acting’

I had to get there a bit earlier than most of the cast, due to being one of the (eek) principal characters, although having said that I was conscious I was late having decided to have a last minute practice of the opening number in front of my mum’s piano.  I signed in and went upstairs to be greeted by a few of the other cast members who had already started their scene rehearsal.  Sitting down patiently to watch I cringed at the cheesiness of the lines, but thankfully the director’s vision made less of the cheese and more of the humour

The Wedding Singer - First Rehearsal Nerves!

Well, I admit that I was a bit nervous in the run up to our first rehearsal on Friday, as I was unsure what to expect - A new drama company, a new venue, and a style of theatre I hadn’t had performance experience with since the tender age of 15(ish). 

After half an hour of milling around, getting reacquainted with some of the cast I’d met at the final auditions, and sorting out some of the paperwork involved in starting with a new company, most of my worries seemed to have disappeared by the time we made our way up into the hall.  It is strange to think that this room was within 200-300 yards of where I had learnt ballet as a five year old, I’d practically come full circle!

The rehearsal itself was, I believe, a good one – especially considering that it was Friday 13^th!  We went through the opening number, one which we had some experience of from the auditions themselves, trying to gain an idea of which pitch we should be singing at – I fitted in quite nicely with the Lower Sopranos, a part which fits my range quite well, but thankfully doesn’t give me any of the scary notes.  After we’d settled into our group places, we focused on getting the harmonies right for parts where the whole company sang, and before we knew it, we were throwing out some very coherent cords and becoming more and more confident with each attempt – by far the best part is when the whole company shouts ‘Bang Your Head’ at the top of their lungs, it always makes me smile!

So, as first rehearsals go, we were eased in to The Wedding Singer quite gently, which was a good thing as we were told that next week we will be starting to block the dance moves.  

Oh well, I have been saying for the last six months that I need to get myself fit again…

"You broke the Rules"

A little song I penned (or typed would be more accurate) yesterday.

At first you were a distant hope,

a sparkle in my eye,

I was content just to observe you

As you wandered idly by

But then you moved the goal posts

And changed the way the game is played

You broke the rules

You broke the rules.

And now I don’t know what to do

You broke the rules

Now you’re acting oh-so normal

like it never crossed your mind

My head is overloading lately

And it seems that you are blind

To what happened on that night when

You brashly threw the book away

You broke the rules

You broke the rules

And now I don’t know what to do

You broke the rules

And now the game is over and

It seems like you have won

And now the game is over and

It seems like you have won

And now I’m sat here thinking

That you disobeyed the rules

I’ve tried not to make it show that

Now I feel like such a fool

You should’ve known you weren’t supposed to be

More than just a silly crush to me

You broke the rules

You broke the rules

And now I don’t know what to do

You broke the rules

Cinderfella - The Casting

With both readings scheduled well and truly out of the way, we are now beginning to deliberate casting - this is not the fun task that I envisaged it to be - in fact, it's bloody hard work.

Having been a member of CP for just over a year now, and seeing/being part of 2 plays and a panto already - I would say that I know a fair bit about what a some of the members are capable of, and somehow I think that this has gone against me.  I'm trying hard not to typecast anyone, but then again, at the same time I do have to consider who has really shone in certain parts whilst reading - is it really my fault if they shine in the same type of roles they've done before?  Luckily I've got my co-producer to ground me as she's only been with the group since the last performance which not everyone was involved in - I'm hoping that she'll stop me ignoring someone who should be given a chance in favour of someone else.

The other problem appears to be the lack of women.  Everyone has said to me that CP has a problem with a lack of young men, but during the readings I noticed that a lot of the women there were not interested in a part, and even though some read extremely well I found we were unable to cast them.  After much deliberation, we have decided to have a third reading on Monday for the as yet un-cast female parts - I don't mind this, however I don't want to come across as indecisive (which, unfortunately, I am!) but as my friend used to say "needs must when the devil sh**s in your boots".

Hopefully by next Wednesday, we'll have finalised the full cast (and not just the men!) but like any good woman, I have a back-up plan!

ST

The Coach and Horses - Shrewsbury

It's not unusual for me to wake up on a Sunday morning with the idea of going for a carvery somewhere for lunch.  In fact, it's a rather regular occurrence when I'm with friends, and this weekend was no exception.  As I was in Shrewsbury at the weekend, I thought it an ideal opportunity to indulge in this little habit of mine, and suggested to Ange and Steve (who had kindly consented to have me to stay) that it might be an idea to go for lunch before I headed home.  Having asked if they knew anywhere local that would do a nice carvery, we settled on the Coach and Horses and headed there.

The pub itself is a little away from the centre, so I thought that it would be fairly quiet at 12.30pm, but obviously its reputation had preceded it, and we arrived to be told it was fully booked, however instead of turning us away the bar manager was very accommodating and advised us (as we had arrived fairly early) that, if we were willing to wait half an hour, then we could have a table.  This was fine by us, and we took great delight in watching other people come in, only to be told that there wouldn't be a table for them for quite some time, and settled at the bar for a few pre-dinner drinks.

As we waited, my friend informed me that the Head Chef who was cooking that day, John Barton, had been a quarter-finalist in Master Chef - so naturally my expectations were set rather highly for the food, and I wasn't disappointed.  The meat was lovely and tender (I had the Turkey, and my companions the Lamb) and all the accompanying elements of a good carvery were well up to standard.
However... the pudding... well the pudding was something else!  Both myself and Ange had the Chocolate Torte, and the only words I can use to describe it are 'melt-in-the-mouth chocolaty goodness'.  It was light, fluffy, and did indeed melt in the mouth and was served with a choice of cream or ice cream - although I think that the dish would have been perfect served on its own.

I would definitely recommend this pub to others visiting/living in the Shrewsbury area, and even if you're not looking for a place to eat - this pub has a lovely atmosphere for a few drinks.  We found the staff really helpful and accommodating, and they were fantastic at getting us a table even though the restaurant was packed.
ST.

The Coach and Horses
Swan Hill, Shrewsbury SY1 1NF
01743 365 661
@Shrewscoach (twitter!)