into the great wide open

So. Opening Night was Last Night. God, was it good. Sometimes you have performances that just don’t feel right, you know? Something is just slightly, itchily, twitchingly off and you can’t quite figure it out? We were golden. It felt like everything we’d done in rehearsal was specifically designed so that we could get to last night and say “Aaaah. That was just how we wanted it to happen.”

Heather (Helen) was really nervous. We are doing various things in the kitchen at the beginning of the show, and our hands were shaking. We were self-medicating with Emergen-C and grape juice, and it wasn’t really helping. Now that I think about it, I wasn’t actually nervous - I mean, that’s one of my weird actor things. I don’t get nevous…. ever. I think I was just REALLY pumped up last night. I was so full of adrenaline that I very nearly burst a blood vessel. Knowing that in a few minutes, you are going to be surrounded by thirty people - who you ARE NOT allowed to look at - and that you’re going to have to stay in character and improvise for an hour and a half while being mere inches from these people you’re not allowed to notice - that does something to the chemical balance in your body. It’s got to.

There’s something odd, too, about the switch from doing this by ourselves to doing it surrounded by invisible people. We (the cast) are used to cracking ourselves up day after day, and that’s fine. It’s natural that WE would think we’re funny. But there’s something really rewarding about making some spur-of-the-moment off-hand comment and having a room packed with people burst out laughing. This experience could not be more different from anything I’ve ever been part of before. It’s been perplexing and surreal and is probably the most fulfilling show I’ve been part of in years. Of course, it’s also really freaking draining and I’ve just been dragging myself along today, but that’s all right.

Special love goes out to Ida and Yuki, who called to wish me a broken limb before the show. Ida even had her OWN opening night to worry about, and I didn’t get the chance to return the bone-breaking wish before her show started. (D’oh. Bad me.) I’m coming to house manage for the Ida/Sjet/Benlau extravaganza on Sunday, and I can’t wait to see it! Woo hoo!

Ever seen “My Best Friend’s Wedding”? I found out about a week ago (okay, almost two weeks ago) that my “Michael” was given approval from his girlfriend’s parents to propose. Apparently they met him, liked him, and told him so. So, any devious ideas are welcome - I’ve got to start plotting right away! (I’m kidding, I’m kidding… I’m really happy for him. And honestly, I don’t see myself stealing a bread truck and chasing him down Michigan Avenue… of course, that doesn’t mean I won’t WANT to.)