Yesterday's rehearsal brought us the blocking for Sister Sarah Brown and her Mission Band performing 'Follow the Fold', whilst the gamblers, drunkards and bobbysoxers on the street laugh her words away. Joe, our director (burgundy shirt, top row to the right), hadn't given me a 'role' yet in regards to ensemble designation, which should prove interesting. He had already led on that he's got something good for me in the 'Havana scene'. But to open the show as a drunk bag lady! Nice!
Joe has me slumped on the ground, upstage left, bottle in hand, where the Mission Band make their entrance. 'Missionary' Cullen (dude in thinking position, bottom left) will have a large pair of cymbals he'll be crashing, so I figure I play a bit into that, get a little drunkenly startled without being too distracting. Can't wait to have the actual things for rehearsal. I then wait for the audio/visual cue of Lynette and Alicia (that's Lynette's beaming face, middle right) being all rude-like and laughing out loud at poor Sister Sarah - our lovely Stephanie (she's making faces at you, bottom right) when she's on her soapbox trying to save New York City from the Devil. They're over at stage right, and then cross over to stage left. See, problem is, I'm playing drunk, so I'm not too sure what kind of debauchery Susan and Joanne (look out, Joanne! Susan's gonna get your face - middle right!), the two 'street walkers' are up to. When I see Lynette and Alicia cross, I stumble up and go to to Arvide, portrayed by Jack (grandfatherly gentleman, top left) up-centre stage and proceed to flirt with his 'big bass drum'. No really, he'll be carrying one. No, an actual bass drum ... stop it!
There's a line cue in Sister Sarah's sermon where I get my drunk ass right up in her personal space, toast her with my bottle and take a good swig, falling with the utmost trust into Lisa's safe 'Missionary' arms. (She's that Amazonian beauty, top left). She then, on Joe's direction, leads me off stage with my own bottle of alcohol like leading a donkey with a carrot. I had a few castmates tell me they had a hard time keeping straight faces with this routine. I had a hard time keeping a straight face through the whole thing myself. But I swear - I am not exercising method acting. There's no vodka in the water bottle.
Funny thing is, my drunken stumble is very similar to my zombie walk. I might need to keep that in check before I start grunting and trying to chew off Sister Sarah's femur.
The marching choreography for the Mission Band is really something! I love to watch marching band formations, how geometric shapes and lines can be so graceful and visually stunning. I'll have to take some video next time they run through it. I won't be able to see it later, drunk and passed out on the ground.
The rehearsal was short, bittersweet. I can't seem to get enough of these.
I have a recording of our second rehearsal working on 'Sit Down, You're Rocking the Boat' (dated 12/1/2012) that's just over an hour long and doesn't want to seem to upload. I'll be shortening it into two parts and posting it very soon! Check out the first rehearsal (dated 10/1/2012) here!
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