Bloopers

The lights go down; I take my place on stage and panic sets in. My beloved pencil betrayed me! It no longer sits in my notepad as previous nights! As the lights come up I improvise and twirl my hair instead of twirling my pencil. In a few brief seconds I go through the scene in my head. Thinking: I don't really need a pencil for my song. And then the knot in my stomach tightens as I realize I have to have it for the dialogue after the song! There's no way around it! Mr. Grayden tells me to write a letter... I can't write a letter without a pencil!!! My mind is racing so fast. I mechanically go through my dialogue with Ms. Flannery. I utter my final words before my song, "I didn't ask him to call, I don't want him to call, I never want to see Jimmy Smith again!" but what I'm really thinking is "I hate my pencil, I really really do, how and where am I going to get one"! As Ms. Flannery responds "Good. Forget the boys Dilmount. Get yourself a canary", I'm thinking... Where am I going to get my pencil! As I sing the opening to my song, I come up with a plan to steal Susanna's pencil when I cross to her. If you look at this video you can see me snatch it!

Oh how I love live theater. The scene I'm talking about is the opening to Act 2. Every night before I went on stage I would look at the desk to see if my desk setter had put my steno pad and pencil on my desk. The previous night I couldn't see my pencil from the wings so I took and extra one out there. Of course they had set it and the extra pencil got in my way, rolled of my desk, lead to an uncomfortable crotch shot to the audience and I picked it up. I had then decided that I was giving myself an ulcer worrying about it. I trusted that they would set my pencil. Of course... the night I don't check, it's missing!

Millie was so fun. I was on stage the whole show... I got to see every single mistake. Of course the audience never knew when we messed up (hopefully), but pencil stealing, pencil dropping, prop missing, mic popping, line dropping, costume malfunctioning, were just a few of the jewels. As the show closed I was left wondering if there was such a thing as a perfect performance. Is it just Community Theater where all this craziness comes? Would everything work itself out if we ran our show a couple more weekends? Well, I got my answer a couple weeks ago. I went and watched the all famous show "Wicked". You know the story of how the Wicked Witch of the West really isn't wicked, is best friends with Glinda the good witch, she really doesn't melt and lives happily ever after with her prince/scarecrow? I sat in my seat anticipating the show. As the lights dim the most awful sounds escape the monitors. The feedback was so horrible and loud that everyone in the audience clasps their hands to their ears. To my surprise there was no delay. The monkeys slide down their ropes as usual, the scrim opens, Galinda/Glinda descends from her bubble the chorus members come on stage. All the while the sound system is going crazy! Galinda' mic keeps popping and coming in and out. Most chorus members are off and ones who are on are singing harmony. The icing on the cake was the loud whispers coming through the monitors followed by a "check check". Then they announce that they were stopping the show fix the sound problem. I thoroughly enjoyed watching the actors/actresses break character as they walked off stage! Galinda gave us thumbs up! As the actors and actresses left the stage we all applauded them. Why? Who knows... I clapped because it was so crazy! What a unique experience. =) Just made me realize that things happen in live theater... even when it's professional!

This is what the curtain looks like before it opens. Notice the dragon on top! They eyes light up and it moves!If you haven't seen Wicked... You should! It's amazing!