IMFourPlay

A "Magical" Show: Performance Number Five

I had fun tonight! Our mics were generally working; our good-sized house was equally receptive; our stories were quirky but concentrated... All the ingredients for a little magic!

I took the stage with Charles, Darren and Kate - the latter two are pictured in this rehearsal photo on the left. Even though we were a little sagging in our energy backstage, we soon exploded playfully into the space. (On a sidenote: I tend to find that I am a little more focused as a player when I start a show a little tired. Does anyone else share this experience?) I'm not sure if I'm going to always reiterate the basic storylines here, but Saturday's were particularly fun. We adjusted how we get our initial ask-fors--just a little--and I wonder if this also helped to set us up for some wonderful adventures. Charles started the show as a penny-pinching bell-boy at the Marriott, trying to please Mrs. Witherspoon, an eighty-year-old vamp, and the Gunther brothers (Sebastian and Perry if memory serves) who were magicians on the way down. Charles impressed all with a great Hotel California parody (yeah Jim!). Darren followed up with a young working civilian on a military base who toiled alongside a love-struck intern much to the chagrin of his recently "converted" father (don't ask!). Kate was a young woman, Hope, searching for love in her tent, only to have the object of her affection, a native American called Chest to Impress, stolen by her friend Joy. How ironic. Kate gave a truly wonderful soulful solo here, one of the musical highlights of the night. Finally, I wrapped up the act as David (a name I could actually remember for a change!) who liked to pile all his friends and family into his tiny jacuzzi, but was hiding the fact that he had given up the sauce, particularly from his heavy partying buddy, Skittles. A fun act all around.

Charles took the star into the second act and the fun and goofiness just continued to climb as his once well-tipping magician clients worked to foil his every plan and ambition (or were they really just testing him?) Kate had another stand out solo as her eighty-year-old vamp, with several lines that I'd love to repeat here, but don't think I can legally or ethically! I think that she finally felt the success tonight for herself that the rest of us have been seeing in her all along. Charles did a great job as the star, building his character's energy and momentum and attacking the stage and his musical numbers with great success. I also particularly enjoyed working closely alongside Darren as his European magic-challenged brother. We had such a playful energy together and a wonderful unspoken trust. As I (literally) tried to pull a solution out of my hat at the end of the show, he was an inspired collaborator and we seemed to almost read each others' minds. Freaky! Bad pun aside, it really was one of those magic shows where the pieces came together nicely and, perhaps even more importantly, the company worked seamlessly together sharing the work, rewards and spotlight with ease.

Some other little things that were little successes that I hope we can repeat on a regular basis:

1. Our sound check was much more efficient, and after just a few initial trips, the soundscape of the show was back on track. Yeah Dana.

2. The ask-for tweaks resulted in some great starting points and created a nice bond with our audience in general and our surrogates in particular.

3. Our physical and location work was more consistent and dynamic, with several scenes having clearly defined and contrasting environments. There was a lot less standing and talking in nowhere land.

4. We simplified our wants as the main characters but retained a diverse array of supporting and goofy characters that gave the show a lot of energy and humor.

5. We played, and laughed, and then played some more, and I all-but kicked my Director's hat to the curb during the performance! Yeah!

It's a whole new weekend next Friday, but the show keeps getting stronger as we become more confident and energized...

Anyone have any questions about the show that you'd like me to answer for a mid-week blog...? And/or, should I keep summarizing the storylines?

Your it's-a-kind-of-magic Director, David C.