Well, it's over.
My Favorite Year closed yesterday with another great show. Afterward, we did a brief photo call and started working on strike, which is, basically, knocking down the set and getting everything out of the theatre and back into storage.
The show came down around 4.30pm, and I finally finished my part of the strike at midnight. There was another party being held afterward, but I had to work this morning and didn't feel up to a late night after working all day.
I will miss this experience tremendously. Sigh.
It was, in most ways, a usual performance. The actress playing Belle was battling a cold and had lost much of her voice on Sunday. But she was able to adjust her performance and really gave it her all. I was so proud of her. I've been in that situation myself and I know how difficult it is.
There was one somewhat embarrassing moment during strike when I was talking with some others about how many people they'd had come to see the show over the course of the run. Most everyone had quite a number of friends and family at the show; I had 4 people come over the course of the whole run. I was asked why and started to explain how my parents are traveling in Africa at the moment, and was asked "What about all your friends?" "Well," I explained, " Four of them came."
"Wow! Your friends really suck!"
I was about to laugh and agree and realized how bad that looked for me and, instead, mumbled something about people being really busy. And I suddenly found something to do in another part of the theatre.
And I have no idea what to think about that.
Amazingly, one of the four people who came was a guy I'd been out with a couple of times a while back. I hadn't seen him in a while, because he'd told me that things had gotten busy at work. It's a common brush-off, so I sort of just thought the guy was history. But there he was on Sunday at my show. He'd come in all the way from Long Island just to see it. Turns out one co-worker had died suddenly, and another had, just after that, suffered a massive coronary, so his office was indeed a little crazy. We spent some time after the show re-connecting and will get together for another date probably at some point when he returns from the vacation he's going on at the end of the week. What a sweet guy!
Also on Sunday, a random audience member came up to me and just raved about my performance talking about how she couldn't take her eyes off me whenever I was on stage, etc. and so forth. I love this! It just makes my day to hear that someone connected with what I was doing, especially in a series of small roles. She wanted to verify that I was pursuing a career professionally. And, when I confirmed this, she told me that she was in the business herself. So who knows?! Wouldn't it be exciting if she told someone about me? Neat!
And I got an email today from a reader who'd also attended the show. Here's, in part, what Rich wrote:
hi jere,
well, i saw "My favorite year" twice in its original lincoln center
run......i saw it twice when it played at the 14'th
street "y" as part of the "Musicals tonight" season, a few years ago.
so how could i only see it once when it
was done by the village light opera? the answer is that i couldn't.
i was back again on friday evening.......in the same seat that i had
the previous saturday. i had wondered about
the missing dancing cigarette box the previous weekend......glad to see she
was back! (even being the hard core
non smoker that i am.) the body mikes did make a big difference. i
ve heard a number of people mention about
the problem of hearing in this venue......refering to this production and
to other shows there.
congratulations on your award! you really did a great job.....you
are so expressive even when you don't get to
say anything! you really seem to be having a great time up on
stage.....even being (i believe) the last person to
leave after the curtain calls, when you danced your way off!
i can't remember any recent show, where one person played as many
parts as you did. (cue card boy,
tess' escort, cop, guy from the gym (in welcome to brooklyn).)....am i
leaving any out?
there didn't seem to be any problems on friday night......there had
been a couple of very minor things the previous
saturday. it is so great to see such an elaborate production and such
a huge cast, in a day and age when everything
is going in the extreme opposite direction. i can't imagine how evan
pappas got so many people to be in the exact
right spot at the right time in those big ensemble numbers. it sounds
so great to hear all those voices singing together
in numbers like "the gospel according to king", etc. it really
made me nostalgic for the way shows were done way
back when......of course the whole show makes me nostalgic for when i was
growing up and loyally watching "your
show of shows" every saturday night. my parents used to go out to the
movies.....my sister and i would stay home
with our grandparents, and watch t.v. (and get to stay up late).
i always like to watch the reactions of other audience members
when i'm at a show that i have seen before.....
i sneaked a good many looks to see others smiling, laughing, and
genuinely having a great time, at both
performances of "M.f.y."
and as always, the last number brought a tear to my
eye.....it's a combination of the happy ending, my
nostalgia for old time broadway, and the way i love a song that has a
modulation as the title tune of "my favorite
year" does......it's a combination that gets me every time.
i recommended the show to a good many people this past week. as
far as i know, only one of them went....
a theatre friend of mine, who came in from new jersey to see it.....he
even brought his father along. when i mentioned
you, and what parts you played, he instantly knew who i was talking
about.
this was one of my all time best theatre weeks ever.... thanks to you and to everyone at vlog, for doing such a
great job with "my favorite year". anyone who did
not go to see it, truly missed out on a wonderful theatre experience!
And what can I possibly say to THAT? Thanks, Rich! I am...overwhelmed.
Back to real life soon...I promise.
Posted by Jere at April 18, 2005 11:40 PM | TrackBack