"Keep Em' Comin'"

Saturday's show came at the end of a long day of both work and leisure for me. I was up earlier in the morning than I like to be for a writing assignment in the southern part of the county. After that I went to a large picnic hosted by friends about 45 minutes away. And with the back road I was going to take from there to the theatre being closed, I was ever so slightly late for call.

Not that anybody seemed to notice that. Everyone was in a pretty relaxed mood. As was I. As it turns out, so was the tiny audience.

There were in fact a few more people on Saturday than on Friday. And they were slightly more responsive. So that was an advantage. I can't say it was electricity out there, but it did help to have a few more laughs coming our way.

Except during the dance, which once again landed with an elongated, and awkward thud for the most part. Each time we do it the music seems a bit different, and nobody is enjoying it either on or off stage. More than one person wishes we could just do away with it. But of course that isn't possible. So we just get through it as fast as we can. (As in, as fast as the music will allow) and move on to the more enjoyable elements.

Energy for Act One was a bit higher than the previous night. Energy for Act Two was probably about the same as the previous night. I think it's because Act Two begins with two of the longest and most dated pieces in the entire production, and they tend to lull the audience. It's not the fault of the actor's; these pieces are just outside the reach of most people these days.

Preble was still the best thing I did on the evening, and probably the best received. The Unicorn in the Garden, short and silly as it is probably comes in second place. The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, despite it's overall improvements and the work we put into it does not seem to be catching on with audiences, which surprises me a bit. I actually wonder if they understand that what is happening is a daydream...

So today is the matinee and of course attendance is generally a problem for any show on a Sunday afternoon. But will the oddness of this play's target audience mean we do better today than we did for the evening shows? Possible, but I won't hold my breath. Especially during the opening dance...