an evening at home

Ah, what a change of pace not to have to go anywhere this evening. But don't you get any grand ideas -- I have plenty of other things to fill my time, and some small gigs coming up, so I'm not exactly kicking back.

Well, tonight specifically I am, but that's because I have a cold and am in a sort of daze. I'm just taking it slow and playing the day by ear. I debated about calling in sick today, considering I barely got any sleep last night on account of having to blow my nose every five minutes, but remembered I needed to finish a few small projects at work for our production manager to print today. I decided to go into work 45 minutes early and finish those tasks, then see how I felt. Predictably, I was still dead tired, with my nose running like the East Falls, so I left around 10:00.

I noticed the first signs of this cold after our preview night Thursday, so I immediately started taking Zicam and Zucol. Indeed I was right, and it was worse Saturday and Sunday. Amazingly, I could still sing, although it wasn't the nicest tone and I had to approach it with a little different technique. Thankfully, I have a few nights off here to recover before Friday's show. I'm enjoying some Throat Coat tea right now, since the cold seems to have moved on from the sniff to the cough, so hopefully with the help of NyQuil I'll get a decent night's sleep.

So enough whining. The show has been going very well. Things really came together last week, solidified by a responsive Thursday night audience. Allison (my stage wife) and I have hit our stride, to the point where our scene goes so smoothly we're afraid we've missed lines. (We haven't.)

This has been a very different experience for me, since I normally am at the piano for shows, even when I'm on stage. Last summer's Joseph... was my first non-piano role in 10 years, but that was mostly singing and dancing. In Company, I have to act! The rehearsal process has been a lot of trial and error figuring out what works and how to implement the direction I'm given.

Admittedly it was very frustrating at times -- the nights I was given note after note, sometimes the same one I had been given the previous night -- but with the help of Rob (director), I was able to bring the character. Thinking of it as "reacting" rather than "acting" helped me think more about the way my character would move and speak. It was much more difficult than I expected going in.

It's remarkable how far I came in the last few weeks, and even in just the last few days of rehearsals. Rob has really helped me to stretch as an actor, and I'm grateful for that. In addition, Eric ("Bobby") -- a candidate for awesomeness -- encouraged me during those frustrating times, which also helped me get back on my feet.

This really has been a great cast to work with, too. Fostered by Rob from the beginning of the process, everyone has been motivated and dedicated, with almost zero wasted time at rehearsals. We all brought our A-game, and we have a great show to show for it.