Opera season leaves me with so few days off...and today I'm free from rehearsals and performances. No sooner than Trovatore finished, I went right into rehearsals for Merry Widow. Sunday and Monday evening were all about getting the music solidified with the chorus, then chorus + principals. Got to meet the principals on Monday. All the principals but one (Tommy Wazelle, our Camille) have worked with UAO before, but I'd not previously known Sylvia, our Hanna (the title character). She's got the looks and the voice for this role, and she's so wonderful to watch onstage. Ian, the Danilo, is also very engaging in his role. He is definitely going to be the matinee-idol for the audiences. It's also very fun to have a lot of old friends come back to town for the show: Scott Levin, James Harr, David Dillard, Ann Hoyt. It's like a homecoming...or something equally sentimental. John, my voice teacher, is even involved as Njegus, a speaking role. His german is a model for us all!
Tuesday, we had a concept talk amongst the cast. It seemed, at first, like it would be a waste of time, but I will admit that I did learn a lot about the characters and have been able to develop my character a lot better...even if I'm dialogue-less. :( That night, the men of the chorus gathered to work on our opening scene with Hanna...which ought to look pretty cool...almost like Ziegfield Follies-meets-Moulin Rouge.
Thursday, the men of the Marsch Septett in Act Two gathered to block that scene. Expect to see us doing a lot of high kicks...for an extended period... I thank Lehár so much for giving most of the men in that scene a chance to breathe (and for me to get all the sweat off my brow) for at least ten minutes before the next entrance.
Friday night was a night off from Widow, but not for us in Trovatore. As with all returns to a show after a six-day hiatus at UAO, things got a little hairy getting back into the groove...but according to maestro Schoonover, it went a lot better than usual.
Yesterday, I had my costume fitting. Let me just say that Teresa, our costume designer never fails to find and build kick-ass costumes. My Trovatore duds were really cool, and no matter what people think, I loved my gypsy costume which included a vest/coat that made me look like the mysterious man in Into the Woods...or Old Deuteronomy in CATS...those of you who came to the show may be the judge. My doublet and "poofy pants" (as Teresa likes to call them) weren't too shabby neither. Well, now that she's working on Merry Widow wardrobe, I got to see and try on my Bogdanowitsch duds. For Acts One and two, I'm wearing a creme-colored military snap-up coat with black accents. Teresa told me that my costume was recently worn in a San Francisco Opera production of Widow which I've already seen on DVD. Now I'll have to rent it again! (Apparently, I'll have to look for it worn by the Baron Zeta.) You'll see me in tails for Act Three, which takes place in a cabaret setting.
Oh, and did I mention that there's a TON of dancing in this show? Expect the obligatory champagne-operetta waltzes, the famous Act Three can-can, a polonaise, a ballet, a mazurka and my personal favorite (cuz it's clinically simple): the polka!
Saturday afternoon was spent blocking the Act Two finale and running all of Act One...which really flies by even though we had to stop after some minor trainwrecks. I went home in the afternoon to take a nap before I had to get back up for the evening... ...which brings me to the end of Trovatore. I think our final performance really was at the same energy level as last week...and that's a great way to go out. I'll miss the superstition scene, the anvil chorus, the raucous end of "Di quella pira", and the haunting miserere (which I am dying to have heard in the house!).
Now, I can focus my energy completely on Widow...and try to enjoy this lovely mild weather before August comes to screw us all!
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