Countdown

We endured our first dress rehearsal for Suessical last night. One down, two more to go then we open Thursday night.

Last night was not a good night for the cast as the energy was way down. It was a good night for the band, however, as we began to pull together and find a good volume level.

So many of the cuts in the show make playing difficult - forever turning pages, skipping entire marked out sections of music, repeating where no repeats were notated... it can drive a band (and leader) crazy keeping everything logical and in order.

The choreography for the show, plus all the costumes and multitude of props and set pieces the cast has to deal with is very complex and it's taking up all the cast's brainpower to remember where to go, what to do, what to hold and what to wear. As a result, energy, enthusiasm, vocal precision and commitment to character and story begin to suffer. I have high hopes these next two dress rehearsals will smooth over those problems so that when Thursday night comes they'll be ready to tell a story to the audience through music, words, dance and visuals.

I am tired, probably more tired than I've been coming up to a show in a long time. Part of that has to do with me staying up late when I get home to play work on my new computer. But I need down-time, and I can't simply go to bed, nor does watching TV do it for me all the time. Keeping my brain active while my body rests is what's relaxing to me, not vegetating.

It's interesting, though, I have more confidence and less stress about the band than any show I've been in. What helps is having good, talented seasoned pros around me that I've worked with many times before. I really enjoy spending time with them and having a good time.

Come see us!