Voyage Begins

Last night and the night before were the first days of rehearsal for Anything Goes.

I have yet to meet the entire cast, as both nights some of the same people were missing. Out of the people I have seen so far, though, I know most of them.

One thing I did not like was the fact that the company that owns the scripts sent us prompt books. In other words, you only get the parts of the script that you personally appear in. (They even have stage directions which read "YOU enter".) It cannot be helped, if that is what they do at the company, but I really dislike this set up. You need to have the whole script available to reference things that happen before you show up, and to get an idea of your place in the grand scheme of things. Especially in a show as confusing as this one. There is no rhythm to a reading when someone has to inform you that your scene is about to start. Silly.

It seems I play the part of the Purser, specifically. A small role, with nothing to say that most people would consider funny. This does sadden me somewhat. Yet nothing else was meant to be for me this time. Maybe there will be a cool hat involved.

Last night was the first singing rehearsal. I think it helped me make a decision; I should not try to be in musicals anymore. This is not because I cannot sing well. It is also not because this music is especially complex. In fact as I sat there I recognized it was rather straight forward, as choral music goes. Yet I still was not succeeding in doing what I had to do, or understanding the instructions. It is the very fact that it is so straight forward yet confusing to me that bothers me so. I cannot pick out a harmony, and when it is played for me I cannot keep it in a sea of voices. Furthermore, I get lost in my attempts to read sheet music, as I did last night. To me Fate was saying, albeit in a very polite manner, that I should hang up my treble clef and retire from the world of musicals.

Not that I ever did many of them anyway. However, unless I learn to read music in a fast and dependable manner, I do not see it being worth it to me to continue even my one musical a year plan. This is too bad because when you get the right show, and are given the right kind of character, a musical can be great fun. (Which I suspect is why I keep trying out for them, despite my incompetence.)

An extremely unfortunate scheduling snafu will cause me to miss the very first dance rehearsal on Thursday. I really very much needed to be there for that one, so I did not fall far behind everyone else. I am more worried about my dancing than about my singing. Yet on that very day I have to go for a tech rehearsal of the talent show at the Apollo Civic Theatre. I guess the schedules of everyone else would not allow any other day. I just hope I can catch up after missing the first day. I am further behind the learning curve than most.

Either way, for the time being, the ship of this production has begun to sail.