Tuesday, December 07, 2004

Dress rehearsal

I have 3 pages of notes to type up nice, tired feet and heaps of admiration for the people who are putting on this show. What a genuinely good, talented and hard-working group. Lots of pitching in and sharing loads and no evidence of any bouffant egos. It's miles closer to ready than it was on Monday, and the rehearsal finished 20 minutes earlier than scheduled!

As "Choir Chaperone #2" I learned the show from the kids' point of view backstage: entrances, exits, props, ps and qs. Moving 20 youngsters in tight dark quarters past 30 adults hauling furniture and rushing onstage after costume changes is like some weird ballet. I can hear the show on the monitors, and I can overhear the stage crew's headset conversations as I lurk in the wings ready to catch, shhh and encourage kids. Tonight I helped with one nosebleed, prevented a couple of swordfights with battery-operated candles and learned how to rig Joseph's coat for the finale so that rainbow stripes of colour can be unfurled by the children. This is going to be fun.

The worst thing is I have blisters on my heels from new boots that I bought on the weekend and went out in to walk the dog on Monday morning. They're properly treated and bandaged and felt okay all day, but by 10:30 they feel like they must be bleeding or on fire or something. I will rest (with socks on) and see how they are in the morning. The worst is when the shower water hits them - YOWP! Oh well, if that's my only complaint, I guess I can go to the back of the line and shut up.

Question: Joseph, Joseph, is it really you?

stage-mompoet

ps - Great corny rhyme from the show:

I will now take them all for a ride
After all, they have tried fratricide.


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