Final Rehearsal
OK. We got through the last rehearsal without stopping … almost. There were a couple of stops for music. There were some set changes that seemed to take forever. The intermission break was too long. We’re talking three hours from start to finish. Whew.
There were some dropped lines, some missed cues, some missing props, some dark spots on stage, some dialog that was hard to hear, some bad notes, but, all in all, it was a decent rehearsal of a good show that will get better.
The run time will tighten up as we do the show. The stage crew will get more efficient and more comfortable making the changes (La, la, la). The actors will pick up the pace and move the show a little faster. Forgotten lines will be remembered. The orchestra will get better. With a performance or two under their belts, everyone will get more confident and the show will improve. Most of the Guild’s musicals run for four weekends. With tongue in cheek, I often tell people to come on the last Saturday.
A Little Night Music has an interesting script. There are thought provoking moments during which audience members will reflect on their own lives. There are moments of high, sophisticated comedy. There are moments of farce. It’s always exciting to see how the audience will react to the show. So, now all A Little Night Music needs is an audience.
The audience. The medium in which a play exists. Good actors learn to “listen” to the audience and respond to it. They make the audience think when they want them to think, let them laugh when they want to laugh, and make cry when they want them to cry. Good actors move the show along and bring the audience with them.
A Little Night Music needs an audience. It gets one tomorrow. It’s Opening Night.
Welcome to the theatre.